Eco-friendly textile production Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Eco-friendly textile production - Research Paper Example The materials used in the making are very organic ranging from the fabric and dye to the buttons. The jeans are also called organic because the cotton used to make them is grown used organic means and is mainly grown in areas without access to these chemical fertilizers (Natural Choices, 2006, para. 4). Areas include West Africa where cotton is grown naturally with the conventional means of crop rotation. The creation was motivated by the choices made by consumers in regard to environmental impact. As a result, the line was launched despite facing challenges. Organic cotton is more expensive when compared to industrial cotton and, therefore, the company cannot make more of the jeans. Due to these factors, the textiles have a much higher price tag as compared to conventionally made ones. In addition, the Levi’s jeans manufacturers have taken into account the plight of farmers who participate in the production of cotton. By doing this, the farmers from solely depend on cotton farming for a living have an opportunity to improve their ways of living (Natural Choices, 2006, para. 5). This is through having the company buy their products from them at the appropriate price for the trouble they have gone trough and for the quality they provide. This overcomes unfair trade practices that certain countries impose, which, in turn, compromise on the quality of life for these farmers. Levi’s jeans company has created a way to instruct the consumer on how to take care of their products. This is by using recycled paper to print instruction using soy ink (Dunn, 2006, para. 1). In addition, the instructions are not just on how to clean but to clean them with lesser environmental impact and a message on recycling. Moreover, the recycling message encourages consumers to donate their worn out jeans to Goodwill than throw them out (Levi Strausse & Co., n.d., para.1). To be more eco friendly, the company is removing the need for tags attached to

Business Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 7

Business Law - Essay Example It was thus making an offer of its product to firm of Taite, Lewis and Co, at a particular price each model specification is also spelt out in the brochure. Sagay, I.E., (1993) defined an offer in his book, Nigerian of contract as â€Å"†¦ a definite undertaking or promise made by one part with the intention that it shall become binding on the party making it as soon as it is accepted by the party to whom it is addressed†. Whizz PC Ltd becomes the offeror and Taite, Lewis and Co becomes the offeree. A contract comes into existence only between the offeror and the person or persons responding to the offer and accepting it. This principle was declared in the famous case of Carbolic Smoke Ball Co v. Carllil1 by brown, L.J., is now expressed by stating that an offer can be made not only to an individual or group of persons, but also to the whole world. In the case2, defendant had argued that no contract could arise from their advertisement because you cannot make a contract with the whole world. This argument the court demolished by stating as follows: For an offer capable of becoming binding on acceptance, it must be definitely clear and final. If it is merely a preliminary move in negotiation which may lead to a contract, it not an offer but an invitation to treat. This was the case when Whizz PC Ltd sent its brochure to the Taite, Lewis and Co firm. The offeror must not â€Å"merely have been feeling his way towards an agreement not merely initiating negotiations from which an agreement might or might not in time result†3. On 27 of January, the partners of Taite, Lewis and Co wrote to whizz PC ltd placing an order for 20 of the whiz 4000 PCs stipulating that the price of 500 Pounds must include installation and a 24 months onsite repair/troubleshooting service. The firm of Taite, Lewis and Co, stated that it will pay for the supply if machines 60 days after the date of the delivery. In the invitation of treat sent by

Goals of Financial Management Essay Example for Free

Goals of Financial Management Essay Money required for carrying out business activities is called business finance. Almost all business activities require some finance. Finance is needed : †¢To establish a business , †¢To run it †¢To modernize it †¢To expand it or diversify †¢It is required to buy whole variety of assets, they may be tangible like machinery ,factories,building,offices or intangible like patents, technical expertise etc. Success of business depends considerably on how well the funds are deployed in assets Financial management is concerned with optimum procurement as well as usage of finance. The financial management has to take three important decision viz. (i) Investment decision i. e. , where to invest fund and in what amount, (ii) Financing decision i. e. , from where to raise funds and in what amount, and (iii) Dividend i. e. , how much to pay dividend and how much to retain for future expansion. In order to make these decisions the management must have a clear understanding of the objective sought to be achieved. It is generally agreed that the financial objective of the firm should be maximization of owners economic welfare. There are two widely discussed approaches or criterion of maximizing owners welfare – (i) Profit maximization, and (ii) Wealth maximization. Profit maximization would probably be the most commonly cited business goal, but this is not a very precise objective. Do we mean profits this year? If so, then actions such as deferring maintenance, letting inventories run down, and other short-run, cost-cutting measures will tend to increase profits now, but these activities arent necessarily desirable. The goal of maximizing profits may refer to some sort of â€Å"long-run† or â€Å"average† profits, but its unclear exactly what this means. First, do we mean something like accounting net income or earnings per share? As we will see, these numbers may have little to do with what is good or bad for the firm. Second, what do we mean by the long run? As a famous economist once remarked, in the long run, were all dead! More to the point, this goal doesnt tell us the appropriate trade-off between current and future profits. Profit Maximization: Maximization of profits is very often considered as the main objective of a business enterprise. The shareholders, the owners of the business, invest their funds in the business with the hope of getting higher dividend on their investment. Moreover, the profitability of the business is an indicator of the sound health of the organization, because, it safeguards the economic interests of various social groups which are directly or indirectly connected with the company e. g. shareholders, creditors and employees. All these parties must get reasonable return for their contributions and it is possible only when company earns higher profits or sufficient profits to discharge the obligations to them. As long as we are dealing with for-profit businesses, only a slight modification is needed. The total value of the stock in a corporation is simply equal to the value of the owners equity. Therefore, a more general way of stating our goal . Finally, our goal does not imply that the financial manager should take illegal or unethical actions in the hope of increasing the value of the equity in the firm. What we mean is that the financial manager best serves the owners of the business by identifying goods and services that add value to the firm because they are desired and valued in the free marketplace If we assume that stockholders buy stock because they seek to gain financially, then the answer is obvious: Good decisions increase the value of the stock, and poor decisions decrease the value of the stock. The goal of maximizing the value of the stock avoids the problems associated with the different goals we listed earlier. There is no ambiguity in the criterion, and there is no short-run versus long-run issue. We explicitly mean that our goal is to maximize the current stock value. Because the goal of financial management is to maximize the value of the stock, we need to learn how to identify those investments and financing arrangements that favorably impact the value of the stock. This is precisely what we will be studying. In fact, we could have defined corporate finance as the study of the relationship between business decisions and the value of the stock in the business. Wealth Maximization: The term wealth means shareholder’s wealth or the wealth of persons who are involved in business concern. this is also known as value maximization or net worth maximization The wealth maximization (also known as value maximization or Net Present Worth Maximization) is also universally accepted criterion for financial decision making. The value of an asset should be viewed in terms of benefits it can produce over the cost of capital investment. †¢Wealth maximization is based on the concept of cash flow . cash flow are a reality and not based on subjective. †¢It considers time value of money.

Swot And Pestle Analysis Of Tesco

Swot And Pestle Analysis Of Tesco Executive Summary: This report outlines the Introduction of Oyster Cards and Mobile Phones Top Ups Counters at all TESCO Retail outlets in UK. The SWOT and PESTAL analysis reflects that TESCO has currently the strengths and resources to successfully offer this service to enhance the customer services to the clienteles. This report also envisages the process and implementation of change and its impact on the current structure while moving towards the service enhancement with the facilitation of marketing and change management tools, theories and framework. More emphasis would be on implementation of strategies for successful adaptation of newly introduced service. Introduction: Tesco is a well known Britains leading food retail group with an existence elsewhere in Europe, Asia and the United States. Tesco runs more than 2,300 supermarkets, hypermarkets, and convenience stores in the UK (where it is the market leader in food retail), Ireland, Central Europe, and Asia. Its operations include convenience and gasoline retailing (Tesco Express), small urban stores (Tesco Metro), hypermarkets (Tesco Extra), and financial services through Tesco Personal Finance. A global leader in online grocery sales, it owns a 35% stake in US grocery chain Safeways Grocery Works. It is the leading online grocery store and it is now expanding its business with a TV channel and a retail based education institution. The Tesco offers to its customers a wide range of food and non-food items under the single point of sale, non food items range includes clothing, furniture, Home electrical, personal care, computing, cameras and phones etc. Vision Values We talk about Every Little Helps a lot, but its not just a catchphrase or marketing slogan, it represents everything we stand for. For our people and our customers, its how we run our businesses from China to Chorley. (www.tesco.com) Literature Review My core books will be Essential Guide to Marketing Planning by Marian Burk Wood and Kevin Kellers Strategic Brand Management. Which has been the essential tool for helping me in devising the right approach for my dissertation? Furthermore, I will be using some of Change management books Making Sense of Change Management by Esther Cameron and Mike Green and John P Kotter s Leading Change Which can be useful in the analysis of change management process and tools for successful interventions. List of some of the resources that I will make use of it is as follows: HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW. JOURNAL OF ORGANIZATINAL CHANGE MANAGEMENT. THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ARTICLES OF EMRALD. WEBSITES CIPD, TIMES 100 AND PERSONNEL TODAY SWOT and PESTLE Analysis of Tesco A PEST analysis of the industry will examine the local, national and global influences of political, economic, social and technological factors to understand opportunities and threats well. INTERNAL STRENGTHS à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Diverse ranges of products à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Open 24 hours a day à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Strong Cash Flow Position à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Increase turnover and trading profits à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Strong Balance Sheet à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Leading Supermarket Chain à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Brand Awareness à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Human resources à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Online Shopping à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Capabilities to turn resources into advantages OPPORTUNITIES à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Develop brand awareness globally à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ New Markets à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Market shift to globalization à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Health awareness growth -GM crops à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Innovation Alliances à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Low cost brand growth à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Diversification à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Non-food offers untapped new markets with higher margins EXTERNAL WEAKNESSES à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Perception of low quality -(Tesco value brands) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Lack of local knowledge of customers and culture à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Foreign brand THREATS à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ New existing competition à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Volatility in Price of raw materials à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Economic recession à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Market shift to globalization à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Takeover bids à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Far-East low cost brands à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Extremely high competition for customers and resources External Environment PESTLE Analysis All of those (political, economic, social, technical, legal and environmental) factors will to some extent apply to the retail industry in Sweden. POLITICAL Following the European Integration and Free Trade Agreements, the market has opened up for British Companies to invest in Eastern Europe. Tesco already has 60 Hypermarket store in Hungary. Lidl is uncompromisingly fighting to maintain its market share with an aggressive pricing strategy. ECONOMIC the Retail sector is fairly recession prawn and also very sensitive to changes in interest rates. Since the events of September 11th the world economies have suffered heavily, stocks plummeted and prices are at all time lows. The world economy is however, now on the up post September 11th. Consumers are optimistic and the retail industry is once again booming. SOCIAL changes in consumer taste and lifestyle represent both opportunities and threats for the industry. Opportunities in terms of new market and consumers, however, there are added threats in terms of alternative established Swedish national retailers (foreign company bias). TECHNICAL Changes in retailing methods as such clothes sales via the Internet is now a common place in retailing. Paperless operation, the management and administration of the company are undertaken on IT systems, which are accessed through secure servers; provide flexibility in the running of the business. As Sweden is at the forefront of technological advancement with national companies like Ericsson, Tesco would enjoy the comprehensive logistic and distribution channels already in place. LEGAL National legislation for health and safety both in terms of consumer rights and also in terms of production of own natural renewable resources for making clothes. ENVIRONMENTAL The renewable source of resources used in production, namely cotton and wool are environmentally friendly. The threats are in terms of legal consequences for livestocks in terms of health and safety. Critical Analysis: Todays world competition is very strong in every kind of businesses. Every organizations must provide excellent products or services in order to stay in competition, however their competitors also providing the same or comparable products or services. An important way to an organization to get an edge over its competitors is to identify the customer need and extra service to satisfy and delight their customers, which can retain them and also gain new customers and leads to ultimate profits. Therefore, the achievement of customer satisfaction must be a major objective in all organizations. To achieve customer satisfaction, an organization has to provide high quality products and also provide an excellent customer service. When the service and product that the company provided is good, they can obtain customer loyalty. The customers will go again and again. The above SWOT and PESTLE analysis shows that the TESCO is fully capable to introduce the Oyster card top ups counters at TESCO retail outlets to facilitate the customers and yield reasonable profit share from the market, where small retailers used to earn from the market. The cost of the entire project could be workout and oyster top up machine could be purchase in bulk at economic price from the suppliers. While introducing this new service certain structural changes would be under taken by the management and few strategies to adapt to successfully implementing the change process. This new service will engaged the attention of the huge existing customer base; nevertheless it will also attract the new customer who could be facilitated by this new service as an enormous people travels through rails, tubes and buses to their work places, schools, shopping malls, amusement centers from morning to evening. Until this report none of the competitor such as ASDA and Sainsbury has given this service to customer, so this service will give a competitive edge to TESCO on its leading competitors. Change Management: Everybody has a game plan until they get hit in the mouth. -Mike Tyson Change management is a structured approach to transitioning individuals, teams, and organizations from a current state to a desired future state. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Change_management Change management frameworks à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Lewin à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Bullock Battern à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢John P Kotter à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Beckhard Harris à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Nadler Tushman à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢McKinsey à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢William Bridges à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Senge à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Stacy Shaw Approach Uses Lewis Good for analyzing change at the start Bullock Batten Good for simple isolated changes Kotter Great approach for large or small changes, does imply a linear approach Beckhard Harris Simple change formula (C=[ABC]>X) for analyzing change at any point in the process Nadler Tushman Good checklist for what should be covered in change McKinsey Seven S Encourages problem focus looks at change from interdependent subsystems. William Bridges Good at tackling inevitable change Carnall Another good checklist Senge Different approach, start small and grow. Dont plan everything up front as you cannot control change. StaceyShaw A new framework promoting the fact that there are no easy solutions. Not very prescriptive. Aims and Objectives of Change: Change management is not an end in itself. Nor does the organization really care about how cutting edge the solution happens to be. The Objective is to see the resultant benefits actually being delivered: As fast as possible Completely Across all the end users With an enthusiastic adoption by stakeholders and end users Delivering the targeted benefits back to the client who invested all the time and money In this regard, change management has a real contribution to make. Change Process/ Methodology: Following the above change model Tesco strategic management will firstly develop the project team for the initiation of the oyster card project. A team/ project leader will be selected depending upon he required skills and experience. A team leader will create a clear vision about the installation of oyster top up machines at TESCO retails outlets in UK. After creating a comprehensive vision he project team will develop a concrete Project Plan and utilized all the available resources of TESCO including human resource. Will take assistance from the current IT team to link the oyster top up machines through networking and execute the necessary IT support to the newly developed project. Furthermore, work force would be hired and trained for the project and finally a test run would be executed for successful launch. After a launch, an appropriate monitoring will be done to review the short comes of the project and continuous feed back will be taken from the stake holders i-e employees an d customers. In this scenario a desired state will be achieved and result could be seen in terms of revenue. Implementation of Strategies in Change Management process: For the successful implementation of Oyster cards top up machines at TESCO retail outlets, two following strategies would be used for the analysis of the existing driving forces and restraining forces and an analysis of stakeholders to identify the readiness of stakeholders for the change. Lewin (1947, 1951) Force Field Analysis Force field analysis (Lewin, 1951) is a diagnostic technique which has been applied to ways of looking at the variables involved in determining whether organisational change will occur. It is based on the concept of forces, a term which refers to the perceptions of people in the organisation about a particular factor and its influence. Driving forces are those forces affecting a situation and which are attempting to push it in particular direction. These forces tend to initiate change or keep it going. Restraining forces are forces acting to restrain or decrease the driving forces. A state of equilibrium is reached when the sum of the driving forces equals the restraining forces. Lewin formulated three fundamental assertions about force fields and change. Increasing the driving forces results in an increase in the resisting forces; the current equilibrium does not change but is maintained under increased tension. Reducing resisting forces is preferable because it allows movement towards the desired state, without increasing tension. Group norms are an important force in resisting and shaping organisational change. As far as TESCO is concern, its driving force is leading position and rapport in retail industry and availability of huge finances along with structured frame work of outlets. In additions technology advancement and skilled work force is also considerable driving force in TESCO, however, established work patterns, complacency and lower profit margin would be resistance occurring factors. But driving forces at TESCO are stronger as compared to restraining forces. Stakeholder Analysis and WIFM In their book Organisational Transitions: Managing Complex Change (1987) Beckhard and Harris describe and illustrate two techniques for analysing relevant sources of energy. They analyse respectively the sources and potency of forces for change, and the readiness and capability of individuals and groups to enact change. First, the nature of the change demanded must be specified, using tools and techniques associated with environmental and organisational analysis. Then all the forces for change, both inside the organisation and external to it, are listed along one axis of a grid. On the other axis the potency of the forces is indicated, as high, medium or low. Sources and Potency of Forces (Beckhard Harris, 1987) Early on in the change process, organization need to identify which specific groups and individuals will be required to support the change if the change is to be successful. When they have done so they can determine the readiness and capability of these individuals and groups to enact the roles required of them in the change process. Understanding the readiness involves analysing attitudes: willingness, motives and aims. Capability is determined by whether they have the power, the influence and the authority to allocate resources, and the appropriate information and skills. Beckhard and Harris (1987, p.63) have developed a Readiness-Capability Assessment Chart which enables the user to list individuals or groups who are critical to the change effort, and to rank them (high, medium, or low) each according to their readiness and capability with respect to change. The following chart will be used to develop an analysis related to stakeholders readiness to develop the change or adopt the new procedure. Readiness and Capability (Beckhard Harris, 1987) Stakeholders (Key Individuals or groups Readiness Capability Action required to increase the readiness or capability Need to rate as high, medium or low Where a change must be implemented from the outside, ie when it has not been defined as necessary by the people involved, then it is unlikely to succeed (yield the full results of which people have ambitions) unless some of those involved are in favour of it. Several observers (Rogers, 1983) have suggested however that not everyone needs to support a change, and that not everybody needs to support it to the same extent. Senge in The Fifth Discipline (1990) talks of the difference between commitment, enrolment compliance, Suggesting that while it is more pleasant (and reassuring) to have considerable commitment, it is not necessary for everyone to be as fully signed-up as this. There exist a number of positions along a continuum, along which players may position themselves in response to proposed action and change TESCO implementation Plan: Clearly communicate the vision of TESCO via effective communication tools. Manage employee and customer prospects Project manage and measure the process Be seen to add value to organizational goals Build on some quick wins or shorter rewards. Use the line managers/ first line managers as well Be realistic about personally and corporately Manage conflict Repeat key messages and communicate even when important to say Manage Resistance Remain visible and out of the bunker Keep eye on the ball and dont forget about customers and competitors Conclusion: After conducting a thorough research it has been finally in the recommended that TESCO should have introduced Oyster Card top up counter at its all retail outlets in UK to acquiesce the maximum market share on the consumers product, this would be a unique step in the gain retail industry and satisfy the customer numerous population travels through underground metros, tubes, buses, daily to commute their workplaces, universities, schools, amusement centers etc. While introducing the oyster top up card facility, certain change process should be adopted by TESCO to analyze the readiness of stakeholders in acceptance of the change. However, TECO driving forces are tend to be stronger than its restraining force, so the change could be easily absorb by the employees and other associates. TESCO has a well establish infra-structure that appropriately supports the change. By this strategic move, I am sure that TESCO will not only increase the revenue but also attain the customer loyalty in ad dition to the competitive edge over the competitors.

Modern Labyrinth Essay -- Film Analysis

Film is a form of storytelling, and all stories are, in essence recycled, contemporary films must modernize a story of the past to make it accessible to modern audiences. This is the case with the film, Pan’s Labyrinth. The myth of â€Å"Theseus and the Minotaur† has been rewritten and modernized in the 2006 film, Pan’s Labyrinth. The myth â€Å"Theseus and the Minotaur† and the morals that exist within it, present a context in which it will be possible to interpret and analyze the film Pan’s Labyrinth as a modern day rewriting of the myth. In order to understand how Pan’s Labyrinth has been rewritten, it is important to first understand the original myth of â€Å"Theseus and the Minotaur†. According to Edith Hamilton’s Mythology, the story of Theseus and his quest to slay the Minotaur begins long before Theseus’s birth. â€Å"Minos, the powerful ruler of Crete, had lost his only son†¦while the young man was visiting the Athenian King† (Hamilton 211). In order to seek revenge, Minos invaded Athens and â€Å"declared that he would raze it to the ground unless every nine years the people sent him a tribute of seven maidens and seven youths† (Hamilton 212). When the victims reached Crete, they would be sacrificed to a beast that was â€Å"half bull, half human†, known as the Minotaur (Hamilton 212). The Minotaur was housed in a labyrinth where â€Å"escape was impossible† (Hamilton 212). â€Å"To this place, the young Athenians were each time taken and left to t he Minotaur† (Hamilton 212). This ritual continued until one year, Theseus, son of the Athenian king and heir to throne, offered to be one of the victims. Unbeknownst to the people, Theseus had every intention of slaying the beast. â€Å"When the young victims arrived in Crete they were paraded before the inhabitants ... ... bravely and defiantly act against authority rather than blindly remain obedient. This film shows the power of innocence over evil and the triumph of imagination over colorless servitude just as the original tale of Theseus and the Minotaur, but with a darker new interpretation. Works Cited Filmtracks Modern Soundtrack Reviews. (2007, January 05). Retrieved May 04, 2012, from http://www.filmtracks.com/titles/pans_labyrinth.html Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2011). Film: From Watching to Seeing. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. https://content.ashford.edu Hamilton, Edith. Mythology. 1942. N.p.: Back Bay Books, 1998. Print VC. (2010, September 23). The Vigilant Citizen. Retrieved May 05, 2012, from The Esoteric Interpretation of Pan's Labyrinth: http://vigilantcitizen.com/moviesandtv/the-esoteric-interprentation-of-pans-labyrinth/

Educational Psychology - Teacher Interview :: essays research papers

Educational Psychology - Teacher Interview I interviewed a teacher from the Philadelphia School District and here is the result from my interview. I am a teacher in the head start program of Philadelphia .I have been with the head start program for 10yrs. I see children younger than kindergarteners with special needs. I see this problem not only with education but behavioral. Children with special problems can learn. You have to know how to deal with children period. Regular children and special educational children all learn. Special educational children know exactly what they’re doing just as well as regular children.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The teachers involvement with the process is the teachers observes the children than fills out an application or suggest that this student needs some type of help if its with speech, or any other problem.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In head start we have physiologist who get children mental health together and evaluate the children. They do a test and it is evaluated with staff and parents or guardian of the child. We are involved in the Early Invention Programs. This program is even for younger children with behavioral problems and we get help from a supportive staff. Pros  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cons 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Test  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.The terminology they slow the 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Free (help)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   staff uses with parents. 2. Not enough people to provide services.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  3. Therapist does not follow up   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   year to year   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  4. Dedication from pre k-12 grade   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  5. Parents don’t show confidence   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   in their child   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My opinion on issue special education. We as teachers and therapist really need to take our jobs serious. They are children all over the world that need help.

Exploring Reliability and Validity Essay

The Values and Motives Questionnaire, also known as the Values and Motives Inventory, is designed to examine a person’s motivation in relation to his values and activities. In order to ensure a comprehensive understanding of values, the VMQ assess three distinct areas, including: interpersonal, intrinsic, and extrinsic. Interpersonal values, according to the VMQ refer to one’s relationships with others. Intrinsic values contain one’s personal beliefs and attitudes. Finally, extrinsic values are one’s motivating factors at the workplace. Each of these three areas contain twelve topics addressed during the test. While the VMQ can be used for a variety of reasons, it is typically used in the workplace as a guidance tool. When exploring the Values and Motives Questionnaire, it is important to understand its reliability and validity. This paper will address the measurement’s reliability and validity, including its coefficients, strengths, and weaknesses. Type of Reliability and Validity According to Whiston (2013), â€Å"reliability refers to the consistency of such measurements when the testing procedure is repeated on a population of individuals or groups† (pg. 40). In its simplest form, reliability refers examines the dependability of the scores. It also measures the standard error of measurement (SEM) within the instrument. The SEM is a hypothesis of what the scores would be if someone took the test more than once. Whiston (2013) continues on to explain the various types of reliability, including: test-retest, alternate or parallel forms, and internal consistency measures. The designers and authors of the Values and Motives Questionnaire explain that the measurement used internal consistency reliability with the sample (Values and Motives Questionnaire, n.d). Internal consistency of reliability simply means that the test is divided into different sections. The scores are than correlated. This form of reliability assess the measurement internally to determ ine its reliability (Whiston, 2013). Another important area of the measurement to understand is validity. Whiston (2013) argues that validity addresses â€Å"what an instrument measures and how well it does that task† (pg. 58). Whiston (2013) explains that historically, validity has been separated into three distinct types: content-related validity, criterion-related validity, and construct validity. The first, content-related validity, addressed the degree to which the results of the test adequately represented the specific behavior. In order for a measurement to be valid, it must be appropriate for its intended use (Whiston, 2013). This form of validity is evident in the VMQ, because the data is comparable to other instruments that measure both motivational and values factors (Values and Motives Questionnaire, n.d). Next, criterion-related validity focuses mainly on the degree to which the measurement predicted the specific criterion (Whiston, 2013). The correlations within the VMQ appear to be average and independent of one another (Values and Motives Questionnaire, n.d). Finally, construct validity is concerned with the degree to which the test measures the intended behavior or construct. This entails that the instrument is appropriate for the test taker (Whiston, 2013). The Values and Motives Questionnaire accurately measures motivating factors and values among individuals. It appears the test provides the validity for both content and construct but not for criterion-related validity (Values and Motives Questionnaire, n.d). Areas of Strength and Concern The Values and Motives Questionnaire gave us internal consistency reliability and SEM. The internal consistency of this measurement used the coefficient alpha. The coefficients were all over .5, but they each had various ranges. Because the scale had such varying ranges, one could wonder if this could indicate a problem with errors? The VMQ shows an overall internal dependability and a low level of SEM. The internal consistency does surpass the requirements for a reliable instrument. According to authors of the VMQ (n.d), â€Å"†¦the scales approximate or exceed acceptable levels of internal consistency† (pg. 16). However, it is important to note that the scores of this test are not normally distributed, which impacts the standard deviations of the scores. While the deviation of the scores is acceptable, the test results did not have an extremely high correlation. The VMQ also  demonstrated the validity scales having lower correlations (Values and Motives Questionnaire, n.d). One weakness of the reliability to consider is that the test was only compared to other tests that examined values. It did not compare values to those of other countries/cultures. Specific cultures and/or family systems have specific values that are instilled in them throughout the years. It would be beneficial to use this instrument in comparison to different demographic backgrounds. In doing this, one will be able to gain insight into how these differences can affect the results and ensure all persons are adequately represented. Sample Size and Nature of Population The Values and Motives Questionnaire studied a specific population. It consisted of 159 MBA and psychology students (Values and Motives Questionnaire, n.d). While research does need to start somewhere, this limited population will not produce results that represent the population as a whole. Using this specific population may lead to skewed results, specifically in the areas of achievement considering the total population that was studied were all continuing their education. Clearly, not everyone in the general population has had the chance to pursue a college degree, let alone and MBA. This high level of achievement would certainly skew the results. It is important to note that the sample size was relatively small and well over one third of the small sample was psychology students. These variables need to be taken into consideration when assessing the results of the Values and Motives Questionnaire. Personal Opinion Overall, I found the Values and Motives Questionnaire to be very interesting. Assessing one’s subjective feelings and value systems is not easily empirically proven. However, the idea of the test seems beneficial. However, I do believe the designers of the VMQ would gain more insight if they were to compare the results to various cultures’ values. Using the results from varying cultures will have totally different results than a small group of 159 college students. I do believe further research is needed to provide more concrete information on the topics of the VMQ. Although the instrument proved to be both reliable and valid, it is pertinent that further research be conducted to find higher correlations. References Values and motive questionnaire: The technical manual. (n.d). Bedfordshire, UK: Psytech International. Whiston, S (2013). Principles and applications of assessment in counseling. (4th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.