Do Computers Increase Or Decrease Social Connection Essay

Do Computers Increase Or Decrease Social Connection - Essay Example The information communication technologies have helped in shaping the thoughts and actions in ways that affected the lives of people directly. The discovery of voice over internet protocol has made it possible to make internet calls effectively. The society has learnt to view new machines, not as mere products to be purchased, but facilitators of a larger system. This is determined by how usable the machines are in meeting the expectations of the society. The meaning attached to machines or technological innovations has to make life easier for them to be relevant to the mainstream society. Historians argue that new machines are not necessarily coercive agents that force people into social changes. However, in the recent past, the innovations in the information communication technology have had a coercive effect in the social aspect of communication. A compelling example in the impact of social media in the presidential complains in the United States of America. The social media have played a significant role in the success of the Arab spring. The strength of connectivity that has come from the latest information technologies cannot be underestimated2. Computers are viewed as agents of office efficiency. However, it is argued that computers have been known to cause eye problems, back disorders and time wastage in case of software failure. According to the American manufacturing association, of the organizations that reduced staff due to computerization, 24 per cent suffered losses while 43 per cent raised profits3. Through technology, people can study degree programs and attend classes in a virtual atmosphere. A lecturer can teach a class of people with is in different parts of the globe. However, online learning cannot... This paper approves that technology means different things to different social groups. The owners of the supercomputers are estimated to be in different social levels with the owners of desktop computers. The owners of supercomputers are perceived to be established and engaged in high level technological operations. There are characteristics that determine the likability of technology or computing. The more they are adopted, the more they develop their usefulness. This is mostly manifested in the network technologies. The selling point of technologies must be the ease to adopt and the relevance in the immediate usage. There has been an observation that after people adopts a technology, they develop with it. They upgrade as the technology upgrades, and it becomes hard to switch them to another technology. This report makes a conclusion that media ideologies about one medium affect the media ideologies about the other media. Face book and tweeter have had a substantial effect in the way different groups communicate. The social media users are able to send messages and share information in real time. Recent developments have seen the social media empowered to facilitate video calls. It is not clear whether social media is an official method of communication. However, the weight of the messages passed on social media depends on the groups involved and the intended message. Small changes in technology can end up changing the ways in which people circulate information. Technology is rapidly tilting towards improved connectivity. Smartphone is now a means of communication and internetworking. Most scholars talk about new forms of emerging connection technologies, which have been built upon the existing technologies.

Life of a prisoner in the Soviet Gulag and Nazi Death Camp Systems Essay

Life of a prisoner in the Soviet Gulag and Nazi Death Camp Systems - Essay Example Just as engaging is the book by Solzhenitsyn, One Day in the Life of Ivan Deisovich, which portrays a fictionalized account of his personal experiences. Through explorations about these two accounts and expanded upon through other sources, a comparison of the experiences in Auschwitz and the Gulag can be made. One of the notable things about Solzhenitsyn’s work is that there is little that truly occurs in the book. The novel tells the details of a day, slowly and methodically, so that the mundane nature of life in a prison is revealed. Although there is some discussion of punishment and the cruelty of living in the Gulag, it is the monotony and the long day that has the most impact. Through the oppressive atmosphere and the indignity of being given no trust through constant searches and counting of the inmates, there is a sense of being held in place, that feeling permeating the whole work in a way that portrays a realistic feeling of being in prison. In contrast, the life tha t Levi Primo describes is filled with hardships that are terrible and not mundane. Each new indignity pushes him toward the next lowered level in which he must re-establish some sense of humanity into his life. The strongest concept that creates the biggest differences in the experiences that are described is that in the Gulag, while life is harsh, there does seem to be some hope that the next day will come, and that finally the protagonist will be released from his imprisonment. In Auschwitz, on the other hand, there is the pervading sense that there will be only death at the end of the journey. Hope is a much more precious commodity as the descriptions of the daily life is defined by the knowledge that genocide had been the original agenda of the Nazi party. The low level of human conditions emphasized the lack of respect for basic human existence that was provided in this terrible place. In the Gulag, while demoralizing events were a daily part of life, the intention seemed to co ntain and maintain the prisoners, rather than to encourage death to take them. According to German records about the numbers of deaths in Auschwitz, 1,750,000 people died in the camp (Linn 71). The camp had a finite life, its beginning and end within the time frame of World War II. Its purpose was to facilitate the genocide of those the Nazi regime had determined were unfit as representative of the human species, and were defined as expendable and ideologically unnecessary. The horror of this concept and the number of people lost to this belief system makes it one of the worst events in human history. Where the events at Auschwitz were terrible, the camp only existed in a few short years where the atrocities had a finite beginning and end. The Gulag system, on the other hand, lasted for thirty years in which slow systems of horror and oppression wore down the people from the threat of being detained within its grasp, or the actuality of being detained. The Gulag represented fear for those who were not in its walls, promoting the oppression of Communism and holding sway over the expression of belief and opinion within the nation of the Soviet Union (Applebaum). Cleanliness, health, and food were all some of the more important themes from both writers. Health was not easily kept in either environment, the health of Levi being so poor in the end that he was left behind, which more than likely saved his life from the harsh journey of

Drug Essay Example for Free

Drug Essay This paper will illustrate several aspects of how drugs affect our lives. Addiction philosophies including the psychology and physiology will be explained in an attempt to describe how drugs affect our bodies both physically and mentally. Secondly, different drug categories types will be covered including: stimulants, depressants, narcotics, hallucinogens, and cannabis. Each of these categories has different addiction potentials and effect levels including withdrawal symptoms. Finally, the abuse of prescription drugs and their effects will be discussed. Addiction is primarily psychological although addiction can be defined as the physiological changes in the body. Addiction continues to be considered as a social, cultural, genetic and experiential process as well. According to Lande, addictive behavior is seen as any behavior that gives temporary or short term pleasure and also provides relief from discomfort although there may be long term adverse effects. (Lande, 2012) According to Roy, addiction is generally described as dependence on any drug and results from substance abuse. Any drug or alcohol can produce addiction as can other things such as the internet, gaming, gadgets, chocolates etc. However the physical and psychological effects of drugs and alcohol are detrimental and actually result in loss of productivity, withdrawal and physical dependence and lack of attention and such other conditions. The primary feature of addiction is dependence as an individual shows increased psychological and physiological dependence on the substance he is addicted to and without the addictive substance the person is unable to return to normal life. Roy, 2009) Dependence on anything may not be too bad and some amount of social dependence is expected of us as social beings. However, when there is excessive dependence with inability to live without the substance in question, then withdrawal symptoms result and there are physiological changes in the body including pain and in some cases medical attention is required. Addiction is an extreme dependence that causes people t o lose sense of reality as people become crippled without the substance they are addicted to. Addiction leads to crime and anti-social behavior as addicts can resort to violent behavior, to stealing, to murder simply to attain their goal. Addiction to a substance could be separated from healthy use of the substance such as some amount of alcohol is considered acceptable and healthy in a social setting but being completely dependent on alcohol to that which amounts to addiction can have adverse social and personal implications for the individual. (Roy, 2009) Some of the common addictive drugs and substances are opium, alcohol, nicotine and barbiturates. Giving up any addiction, requires strength and this is largely the strength of the mind that aids in stopping any addictive behavior. According to Lande, if addiction is a disease, the cure of addiction or even its prevention is largely a psychological process suggesting that the mind is responsible for the addiction, the beginning of it and also the end of it. (Lande, 2012) These addictions affect the body in many different ways based on what type of drug the person has taken. According to a Medscape reference, stimulants are substances that induce a number of characteristic symptoms. CNS effects include alertness with increased vigilance, a sense of well-being, and euphoria. Many users experience insomnia and anorexia, and some may develop psychotic symptoms. Stimulants have peripheral cardiovascular activity, including increased blood pressure and heart rate. They encompass a broad category of substances, including those prescribed for medical conditions; those manufactured for illicit substance abuse; and those found in over-the-counter (OTC) decongestants, herbal extracts, caffeinated beverages, and cigarettes. Preda, 2011) Narcotics are another substance that is heavily abused in the workplace. Like many drugs persons taking narcotics can develop a tolerance as well as psychological and physical dependence. With this dependence, users must increase the dosage to gain the same effect. Some signs of narcotic abuse are analgesia, sedation, shallow breathing, slurred speech, and or/confusion. Withdrawal symptoms are usually severe and can be seen as early as 12-1 4 hours after the last dose. Symptoms of Narcotics withdrawal are irritability, craving, runny nose, muscle aches, and anxiety. Along with the previously mentioned symptoms are many complications such as infections, pneumonia, seizures, and constipation. (Zwanger, 2010) According to Doctor Parish, hallucinogens are a diverse group of drugs that cause an alteration in perception, thought, or mood. A rather heterogeneous group, these compounds have different chemical structures, different mechanisms of action, and different adverse effects. Despite their name, most hallucinogens do not consistently cause hallucinations, which are defined as false sensations that have no basis in reality. Often, they are more likely to cause changes in mood or in thought than actual hallucinations. (Parish, 2011) Hallucinogens have very specific symptoms that pose a particular physical risk. These include increased heart rate, high blood pressure, tremors, seizures, and even coma. In regards to withdrawal from the use of hallucinogens, these drugs do not seem to be physically addictive but may pose a psychological threat to users because they feel emotionally dependent on them. (eGetGoing. com, 2010) Approximately 2. Million Americans abused prescription drugs for the first time this year according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Most of these users were females between the ages of 12 and 17. The majority of abused prescription drugs were opioids which are also known as pain relievers. These drugs can be found in over-the-counter form or prescription. Most users begin with the over-the-counter variants but with continued use the user seeks stronger forms to curve their pain r elief needs. Using these drugs at a level that is above the prescribed amount can lead to liver failure, coma, and even death. Throughout this paper were references that illustrated the potential negative effects of drugs such as hallucinogens, stimulants, narcotics, and prescription drugs. The use or abuse of these drugs has significant effects both psychologically and physically. Withdrawals from these substances can be severe and potentially life threatening and should be monitored by medical personnel. Millions of Americans suffer from chemical dependency and threatens or livelihood as being a traditionally wholesome nation.

Understanding Young Adult Footwear Shoppers in India

Understanding Young Adult Footwear Shoppers in India Executive Summary ‘A man can be judged by the shoes he wears. Footwear today is much more than just an integral part of ones attire; it helps the modern day consumer make his or her unique lifestyle statement. This study was done to understand the footwear preferences was various categories of footwear and to understand the footwear shopping behaviour. The objective of the study was to segment young adult footwear shoppers into unique footwear shopping orientation groups and to develop a profile for each segment with respect to footwear benefits sought, importance of store attributes, patronage behavior and demographics. To start with, a secondary research was done to gain a broad understanding of the footwear industry in India, in particular footwear retail, and the modern Indian consumer. In-depth interviews of 10 young adults from metros, both males and females, were conducted to arrive at the parameters used in the evaluation of footwear, footwear retail stores and also to understand general footwear usage and buying behavior. This understanding and the parameters arrived at were then used in formulating a questionnaire consisting of 60 line items which was administered through online surveys. A total of 100 responses were achieved of which 85 were complete responses. The data of the complete responses was then analyzed through frequency distributions, factor analysis and cluster analysis. Factor analysis helped to reduce the number of variables to 8 factors. On the basis of these 8 factors, the 85 respondents were classified into 3 clusters with unique shopping orientations. The result of this study can be helpful to footwear retailers in customizing their merchandising, display, and other store attributes like space and availability of mirrors to gain maximum store loyalty and patronage. Introduction Footwear is much more than just an integral part of ones attire: while on the one extreme, it helps the modern day consumer make his or her unique lifestyle statement, it also helps enhances the performance of athletes and sportsmen at the other extreme. A brief history of footwear One of the first things made by our primitive ancestors was foot covering. It was primarily used to protect themselves from burning sand, rocks and rugged terrain. Records show that different civilizations like Egyptian, Chinese and other early civilizations, all contained reference to shoes. It is also mentioned in the Bible. The Hebrews also used it in binding a bargain (Shoe History, 2009). The first form of shoe consisted of a simple piece of plaited grass or rawhide which was strapped to the feet. During early times, sandals were the most common type of footwear. In Mesopotamia, during 1600 1200 BC, a particular type of shoes were used. They were soft and made of wraparound leather. Up to almost 1850, the method of making shoes was the same as that in 14th century B.C. in Egypt. Hand tools were used. Shoes were absolutely straight. There was no difference between the right and left shoe (Shoe History, 2009). In 1845, the first machine that found a permanent place in the shoe manufacturing industry was invented- the Rolling machine. In 1846, a sewing machine was invented. In 1875, a machine was developed which later came to be known the Goodyear Welt Sewing Machine (Shoe History, 2009). Rubber heels for shoes were patented in on January 24, 1895 by Humphrey OSullivan. These rubber heels on shoes outlasted the leather heels then in use (The History of Shoes, 2009). Keds were first mass-marketed in 1917 (The History of Shoes, 2009). They were positioned as canvas-top sneakers. These were officially the first sneakers. The word sneaker was coined by Henry Nelson McKinney, an advertising agent. This was because the rubber sole made the shoe stealthy. All other shoes, barring a few exceptions like moccasins, made noise when a person walked. Hence you could ‘sneak on anyone wearing Keds. Since the mid-20th century, the type of shoes being created has changed considerably compared to the traditional crafting techniques. This is due to advances in plastics, rubber, synthetic cloth, plastics and industrial adhesives. Leather, even though is still used in expensive dress shoes is no longer really used in athletic shoes. Soles, which were once hand stitched, are now machine stitched or simply glued on. A century ago, if a lot of effort was put in, a person might have been able to produce a few pairs of shoes. Today, automatic Toe Laster for Goodyear Welt shoes can produce 1200 pairs in an 8-hour day (Shoe History, 2009). Footwear industry in India Industry overview The Indian footwear and leather industry is amongst the top-10 foreign exchange earners. It is also amongst the top-12 focus manufacturing sectors in the country if we consider it in terms of competitiveness and untapped potential. The worlds largest footwear manufacturer is China. Next is India. India producs 16 billion pairs accounting for 13% of global footwear production. India produces 2065 million pairs of different categories of footwear (leather shoe uppers 100 million pairs, non-leather footwear 1056 million pairs and leather footwear 909 million pairs). India exports just 115 million pairs of footwear. Almost 95% of the production goes into meeting the domestic demand. Nearly 15 percent of Europes leading brands outsource their footwear, apparel and fashion accessories purchases from India. Indias domestic footwear market is better than others around the world primarily because of abundant raw materials, low cost of production and a huge consumption market. Indias major importers for Indian leather products: Country Share (%) Germany 14.12 Italy 12.82 UK 11.48 USA 9.98 Hong Kong 6.61 Spain 6.09 France 6.14 Netherlands 4.13 UAE 2.38 Australia 1.55 Total 75.30 The 10 countries mentioned above account for nearly 75.30% of Indias total leather products export. More than half of the Indian footwear market comprises of gents footwear. This is contrary to the world wide trend. The worlds major production is in ladies footwear. Hence, in India there is immense scope in the womens segment. In the unorganized sector, more than 80 percent of the sales happen in the mens segment. However this is might change soon. The footwear industry is extremely labor intensive- 90% of its production comes from SMEs (small and medium enterprises). There are in excess of 42,000 such SME units, there are primarily concentrated in two provinces in Uttar Pradesh up north and in Tamil Nadu down south. They are also present in Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Punjab. Agra, Ranipet, Kanpur, Ambur, Jodhpur and Kolhapur are also traditionally renowned centers of excellence in the production of leather and footwear. In the last five years, footwear production in the country has increased by nearly 60%. Out of this, the rural areas consume 75% of the footwear production. It has become a necessity product there since till now, they have been majorly deprived of its usage. The Footwear sector has now been de-licensed and de-reserved. This has paved the way for expansion of capacities on modern lines using state-of-the-art machinery. In order to assist this process further, the Government has permitted 100% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) through automatic route for footwear sector. Categorization or classification of footwear The Indian footwear market, in terms of quality offerings, has four main segments: 1. The super premium end- comprises the best of global luxury brands 2. The high-end or premium 3. The mid/economy ranges- comprises of formals, functional, casuals and party wear 4. The low-priced mass range- includes leather and plastic strapped slippers, as utility wear Apart from this, the genuine active sportswear segment with different price ranges also exists. The volume share of the economy/mid range has reduced. It was 61% in 2006-07. It has come down to 53%. The active sports-wear segment has increased its share from 7% to 9.6%. Premium leather and premium non-leather segments have both seen a rise from 7% and 3% in 2006-07 to 7.3% and 3.5% respectively in 2007-08. The super premium luxury segment has a 0.08% market share. In terms of sales value, this is a very significant number. Also there are four major categories of footwear: 1. Sports footwear 2. Semi-formal or casual footwear 3. Formalwear 4. Utility footwear The Indian footwear market mainly consists of casual wear. It occupies nearly two-thirds of the total footwear retail market. The other sub-segment that is doing well is the branded sportswear segment. It is estimated to be about Rs. 1,000 crore. The main players in this space consist of reebok, Adidas and Lotto. Compared to other segments, this segment is growing fast in terms of the number of outlets. Apart from footwear, these outlets also sell apparel. Major players in Indian footwear industry The top domestic and premium brands in India consist of: 1. Action It has a pan Indian presence. It consists of multiple branded outlets (MBOs), 135 exclusive branded outlets (EBOs). It commands a total of 175,000 square feet retail space. 2. Bata It is a household name in India. It was the brand that made branded footwear popular. Bata India Limited manufactures and markets various types of footwear, leather and footwear components. Apart from these, the company markets products related to footwear, garments, accessories, sports goods and other merchandise. Batas sub-brands consist of Dr Scholls, Hush puppies, Bubblegummer and Power. Till the first quarter of 2009, Bata India had 1,293 outlets. Bata India is currently looking to expand towards Tier I Tier II cities. 3. Khadims Currently, it has over 329 outlets. The area under it is approximately 148,000 square feet retail space. It is present in 22 cities across India. 4. Liberty After Bata, it is arguably the most popular domestic brand. It is the only Indian company among the worlds top 5 leather footwear manufacturers. It has EBOs as Revolutions and Liberty. Revolutions provides footwear, travel accessories, watches, leather accessories, sun-glasses and jewellery Its sub-brands consist of Footfun, Force 10, Senorita, Gliders, Tiptopp, Windsor, Coolers, June, Warrior and Perfect. Liberty has 360 EBOs, 40 Shop-in-shops and 150 distributors. It services 6000 MBOs. The total retail space under it is 1.26 million square feet. 5. Metro, Mochi These are two brands from Metro Shoes Ltd. They were launched in 1977 and 2000 respectively. It consists of over 85 EBOs and 76 MBOs. The retail space under it is 131,000 square feet. It is present in 32 cities. 6. Pavers England It stated in India in early 2008. It was launched in Reliance stores. It is a Chennai based brand. It operates 40 MBOs. 7. Red Tape This brand belongs to Mirza International. It was launched in 1996 in the domestic market. It started its exclusive retail operations in 2006. By end-2008 it had 10 company-owned EBOs, 50 franchise-owned EBOs and also 135 Shops-in-shops. 8. Sreeleathers It was established in 1950. It is a very strong brand in Easten India. It has 5 company-owned EBOs and 28 franchise-owned EBOs. 9. Woodland It is looking to enter the junior and kidswear segment. It is also looking at apparels business very optimistically. It hopes that this business will contribute to half of its total sales in India. It operates 250 EBOs in India. 10. Lilliput It is a leading brand in kids footwear. By the end of 2008, it had 250 EBOs and also 100 shop-in shops. 11. MB Footwear It has 2 in-house brands, viz ID and Mercell. It has been operating for more than 21 years. It has tie-ups with brands like Lee Cooper. By the end of 2008, it had 32 EBOs and also 11 shop-in-shops. International brands in India 1. Adidas It is one of the biggest companies in the sports goods category. This nramd has acquired Reebok. It now consists of 3 brand divisions: Adidas, Taylormade-Adidas golf and Reebok. Adidas brand focuses on sports. It offers footwear, apparel and hardware in three divisions which include sport heritage, sport performance, and sport style. The sport performance division focuses on the hardcore sports player. The sport heritage division focuses on the casual sports man. The sport style division focuses the fashion-conscious consumers. The Reebok brand focuses more on style. Adidas entered India in 1977. It operates more than 450 EBOs. It has 340,000 square feet retail space. It claims a 20% market share in the active sports segment. 2. Lotto It currently has 10 flagship EBOs in India. It has plans to increase it to 100 by the end of 2010. It is present in 30 Indian cities. 3. Nike It has 107 EBOs in India 4. Guess (Premium) It was launched in 2005 by Planet Retail in India. It operates 19 EBOs and one shop-in-shop. 5. Carlton London (Premium) It currently operates 10 EBOs. It has 50,000 square feet retail space in India. It is concentrated in North India. It has plans to open up new stores in metros and in Tier I cities. MBO Retailers 1. Planet Sports It has 39 outlets and a retail space of 73,000 square feet. It is present in 21 cities across India. 2. Provogue It was launched in 2005. It consists of 55 EBOs and also 15 shop-in-shops. 3. Reliance Footprints It is a division of Reliance Retail Ltd. It started its operations in 2007. It currently operates 14 MBOs. It offers global brands like Ecco, Geox, Josef Siebel, Rockport, Florsheim, Hush Puppies, Lee Cooper and Clarks, Piccadilly, Dr. Scholls, Levis, Crocs, Disney among others. Apart from these, it sells handbags as well as accessories. 4. Shoe Factory It is a value format. It offers huge variety of footwear for a wide age groups. It started its operations in Ahmedabad in 2006. It is present in 16 locations and has a retails space of 48,000 square feet across 8 cities. 5. The Blues It is an exclusive licensee of major global brands like Corneliani (2006), Versace Collection (2005), VJC Versace Jeans Couture (2008), Cadini (2005), Versace (2008). By the end of 2008, it had 6 franchised EBOs, 3 shop-in-shops and also one MBO. Emergence of modern Indian retail Introduction In 2007, the Indian retail sector stood at $350 billion. It was predicted to increase to $427 billion by 2010 and $635 billion by 2015 (Morierty, 2007). Many Indian business houses are entering or have already entered this sector. The food and grocery sector is turning out to be a major contributer to this field. Even though it started slowly, it is now growing at a feverish pace. The other forms of retail have also evolved consistently. With the huge business houses entering into this business, the field has become extremely competitive between them. This is one sector that is looking to explode in the near future. Today, mega Indian business houses and corporate like the Future Group of Kishore Biyani (Food Bazaar), Reliance Group of Mukesh Ambani (Reliance Fresh Reliance Hyper), ITC Ltd (Choupal Fresh Choupal Saagar), Wadhawan Holdings (Spinach), RPG Group (Spencers Retail), the Aditya Birla Group (More), Subhiksha, the Godrej group (Natures Basket Godrej Aadhar), J Raheja group (Hypercity), etc. are driving the forays into retail through different models like single-format, multi-format or integrated urban-rural model. (Sengupta, 2007) However, the growth of the Indian retail space has been a long and ardous journey. Let us have a brief look at how the sector as a whole has evolved over the years. History It is popularly assumed that with the opening of the Indian economy in the early 1990s, the retail sector started opening up. This is when all the supermarkets and hypermarkets came into existence. However, the types of retail formats have existed in India since 1970s. In 1971, Nilgiris was set up in Bangalore. It was what one could popularly refer to as the ‘face of modern Indian retail. It was a supermarket. Since then, a lot of other business houses/ entrepreneurs have entered this sector. A few went national while a majority of them were restricted to a local scale. Popular among them were Trinetra from Hyderabad (now part of the Aditya Birla Group), Foodworld from Chennai, Margin Free from Kerala among others. A few others like Stop Shop from the TVS group in South India and Nanz in North India have shut down. In 1947, when India got independence, the per capita income was very low. People could not really afford any type of luxuries. Majority of them managed to live by getting their basic necessities. The main type of retail format prominent during those days was the mom-and-pop (kirana stores). They were run by individuals. The other format was the Bazaar. This trend continued up to the 1960s. Even post that, when supermarkets like Nilgiris opened up, the trend continued (Sengupta, 2007). It was during the 1990s and 2000s that this trend gradually changed. The growth story of the modern retail format in India is the early part of this millennium can be divided into 4 phases. Phase 1: This phase is characterised between 2002 and 2004. Lots of new entrants into the market were driving the top line growth. Phase 2: This phase is characterised between 2004 and 2006. The consumers were getting more and more aware of the possibilities that this retail growth could mean for them. They started demanding more and more variety in the organized retail formats. Phase 3: Post 2006, the retailers realized that in order to distinguish themselves, they would have to strengthen their back-end activities. The front end of almost all retail outlets were more or less the same. The thing that distinguished them from the rest were activities like inventory control, turnover time etc. Phase 4: This phase has been in progress since 2007. The retail players are in the process of consolidating their operations. (Srivastava, 2009) Organized retail is moving from being a ‘novel experiment to an expected back-end innovation and scale build up (Srivastava, 2009). Indian retail story First some facts (Srivastava, 2009): * The retail industry employs almost 21 million people * The Kearney study undertaken in 2006, ranked India 5th among 30 developing countries in the Global Retail Development Index * The study projects that India will overtake Russia and China to become the number one destination for foreign direct investment in retail India has over 12 million retail outlets. Out of this, about 95% of the outlets are less than 500 square feet (Srivastava, 2009). If we compare Indian retail with other countries, we see that the number of traditional retail outlets is still very huge. In 2005, US had about 15% traditional retail outlets and 85% organized retail outlets. India had 97% traditional outlets and only 3% organized retail outlets (Srivastava, 2009). (Srivastava, 2009) The organized retail in India is still at a very nascent stage. The opportunity for growth is enormous. Even though speciality stores in India are gaining prominence, almost 90% of all future retail development is predicted to be malls. The Indian consumer wants everything in the same place. One more trend that is being seeing is the marriage of retail and entertainment. Lots of multiplexes are opening up at malls. In fact, this seems to be the future trend. Sand alone places might not attract the crowd that such mergers could. Also, facilities like book stores, coffee shops, food courts etc. are being developed at these places. The major distinguishing factor of malls in India is that they have a mix of high-value items as well as mass branded items at the same place. In comparison, other countries have speciality malls. They either are of the high-value kind boutiques or the mass category. India has the highest shop density in the world. It has about 11 shops per 1000 people. This adds to one shop per 20-25 families (Srivastava, 2009). However in cities, this density is much higher. If we look at the money spent on various facilities, the urban-rural difference becomes very evident. About 33% of entertainment spends come from rural areas as opposed to 67% from urban areas. As opposed to this, when we talk about more basic necessities like food, clothing and footwear, over 60% comes from rural areas. (Srivastava, 2009) If we look at the share of the various things that are sold in the organized retail, we find that apparels and accessories is the maximum at 38%, footwear is at 9%, while others like mobile phones, books etc. are at 3% each (Srivastava, 2009). (Srivastava, 2009) Retail formats Both traditional as well regional retails constitute footwear retail market space. Along with these, new players like The Loft and factory outlets also constitute this space. These are category killers. The Loft offers over 130 brands, all under the same roof. It has completely revolutionarized the industry. In Mumbai, The Loft store has an area of 18,000 sq feet and also offers other services to the customers enhancing their experience. Factory outlets have also changed the industry. Pantaloon Retails Brand Factory, Reliance Footprints, Max Retail of the Landmark Group, and The Loot, are all offering a multiple footwear brands. 1) Hypermarket This format of stores has seen a huge growth in India. Most of the stores in this format are making money. The costumers find it very comfortable as they can get almost all their daily necessities like food, clothing, shoes, utensils, home appliances, durables etc. under one roof. It is like a one stop shop for all necessities. 2) Departmental Store Similar to hypermarkets, these shops also offer all the requirements under one roof. The difference is that these outlets have a more luxurious setting. The Indian consumer likes the idea of shopping in a better way with entertainment, novelty, variety and an international setting, all under one roof. 3) Single brand/ Stand Alone Outlet As the name suggests, these outlets consist of only one brand. They are generally run by the brand itself or are run as franchisee. The consumers do not have much choice here in terms of the number of brands but, generally, most of the variety of items, even the rare ones, of the brand are present here. 4) Multi-Branded Outlet A huge variety of brands are present here. The consumer has a wide array of brands to choose from. The only drawback of such outlets is that only the popular items of a brand are present here. So if a consumer has a very specific requirement, he/ she might not be able to find the item here. 5) Factory Outlet A factory outlet is a retail store where the manufacturer sells his brand directly to the customer. The store might have a warehouse attached to it. The biggest advantage of such stores is that there are no middle men. Hence the end customers get the brands at a very low cost. They are also called ‘Best Saving Outlets. Footwear retail AT Kearneys eigth annual GRDI (Global Retail Development Index) in 2009 ranked the Indian retail sector as the ‘most attractive emerging market for investment. Indian retail market is the fifth largest retail destination globally. In the footwear retail market, only 5.9 percent of Indias total retail market is organized. This comes to Rs. 13,300 billion. The total footwear retail market stands at Rs. 160 billion. Out of this, 48.4% of the footwear retail market is organized and is dominated by brands. The Indian Retail report of the year 2009 maps the growth of the organized retail since 2004. The findings indicate that compared to the other retail categories, footwear category has grown at a much faster pace. In 2004-05, only 25% of the footwear retail sector was organized. In 2009, it grew to 48.4%. The overall retail market share in the organized sector has only increased from 3% to 5.9% in the corresponding time frame. Emerging trends The performance of the footwear market is forecasted to accelerate with an anticipated CAGR of 10.2% for the five-year period 2008-2013. This is expected to drive the market to a value of $5,791.4 million by the end of 2013. Comparatively, the Chinese market will increase with a CAGR of 8.3%. (Singh, 2009) The organized retail sector is also seeing many changes. This sector occupies about 5% of Indian retail market. Large format stores and branded retail stores are coming up. This trend was first seen in South India and now in North India, West India and East India in the next couple of years. The retail sector is also opening its operations in Tier II cities like Gurgaon, Noida, Kochi etc. A market research report ‘Booming Retail Sector in India predicts that Indian organoized retail sector will reach US$ 50 billion by 2011. This study was carried out by RNCOS. The number of shopping malls is also set to increase between 2007 and 2015 by a CAGR of 18.9%. The Indian consumer On the World Map, India is placed 5th in the list of consumer markets of the world. Improved communication systems and the exposure to popular international brands has brought about a huge difference in the cities. People have become more indulgent. They want to acquire more and have also become very ambitious. According to a McKinsey report, the size of the Indian consumer market is expected to grow 4 times by 2025. This report is aptly titled ‘The rise of Indian Consumer Market. The youth population in India is huge. 33% are below 15 years of age. The consumer spending has increased as the disposable income among the youth has increased. The consumer spending in India has increased by 75% in the last 4 years. The share of wallet for products like footwear, clothes, transport, entertainment, education, medical services, housing and renting etc. has increased significantly. In fact, the Indian middle class has also started consuming luxury goods like air-conditioners and cars. The Indian demographic profile is changing rapidly. The upper class is growing much quicker than the lower class. The ‘deprived class is shrinking. The middle class is expected to touch 28 million by 2010. One third of the total middle class population will be from the rural areas. Lifestyle category goods are expected to be the future. With the increasing number of working women and fashion conscious males, they will look for a better quality of life. The Nielsen Retail Index 2007 reveled that consumers are switching to branded products. Also due to impulse buying by young consumers with disposable income, brands like Reebok and Adidas saw their semi-urban and rural sales increase by more than 70%. According to Kishore Biyani (Biyani, 2007), the typical Indian consumer can be classified as follows: The serving class consists of 55% of the population. This indicates that the retail outlets should target this group as well instead of mainly targeting the consumer class, which consists of only 14% of the population, as it currently does (Tripathi). Literature Review Indian footwear consumer The basic understanding of fashion and change in consumer perceptions has given a huge boost to the footwear industry. There is more exposure for Indians due to global travel and media penetration. The new retailing formats and distribution systems have capitalized on this. Branded footwear from overseas has become popular. Of course, the cost for the consumer is still a concern, due to which even the international brands have had to bring down their prices drastically in order to achieve break-even sales. Comfort is very essential for the Indian footwear consumer. The branded and organized sector has taken advantage of this. However, the awareness about more specialized products like performance enhancing and fitness assisting is still very low in India compared to other South East Asian countries. This could increase with time. Also, the young working population is seeing a shift in preference to international trends and lifestyles. One more fact is that women buyers buy more frequently compared to their male counterparts. About 29% women go shopping at least once every quarter. Men account for about 19% of the total purchases of that segment (Indian Retail Report, 2009). As per a study on how consumers divide their wallet spends, about 44% of the urban Nupscale (short for Nielsen Upscale, based on the usage of 12 consumer durable products by the consumers households) buy mens footwear. 41% buy womens footwear. The average annual spend on the products is Rs. 2318 and Rs. 1336 respectively. This study was conducted by Images- AC Neilsen. Women had a role to play in the purchase of mens footwear (26% women to 56% men). Men had a bigger role to play in purchase of womens footwear (34% males to 51% females). Men spent more lavishly on footwear irrespective of whether they were buying for themselves or others or gifting. Males spend on an average Rs 2,459 in a typical year on purchase of mens footwear and Rs 1,428 on purchase of womens footwear. Comparatively, women spend on an average Rs 1,875 on mens footwear and Rs 1,265 on womens footwear in a typical year (Indian Retail Report, 2009). Research articles ‘Shopping Orientation in the Evolving Indian Market, a research article by Piyush Kumar Sinha, attempted to understand shoppers from their disposition towards shopping. This was very useful because it has been noted that the differences between retailers are not really significant in terms of the value they deliver. The study managed to bring out the shopping orientation of the Indian shoppers. It said that emotional value matters more than the functional value while shopping. They are also more oriented towards the entertainment value. Based on this orientation, 300 shoppers were divided into 2 segments: Fun shoppers and Work shoppers. These two segments had different demographic and behavioral profile. This orientation was primarily affected by the frequency of buying, type of store, and to some extent by the SEC (socio-economic classification). These findings were finally used in order to draw implications for store format, merchandising and pricing (Sinha, 2003). ‘A Typology of Apparel Shopping Orientation Segments among Female Consumers, segmented female apparel shoppers into unique apparel shopping orientation groups. It then developed a profile for each segment by taking into consideration the information sources, lifestyle activities, importance of store attributes, demographics and patronage behavior. Then by using cluster analysis of apparel shopping orientation factors, three groups were identified: 1) Highly Involved Apparel Shopper 2) Apathetic Apparel Shopper 3) Convenience-Oriented Catalog Shopper They were further compared through MANOVA (multivariate analysis of variance) and chi-square statistics. The results indicated that shopping orientations are a base for segmenting female apparel shoppers. These groups are unique in consumer buying characteristics. They include: * 3 factors of information sources (Fashion Publications, Store Fashion Service/Promotion and Mass Media) * 5 factors of importance of store attrib

Gender Stereotypes in Science and Technology Essay -- Media Stereotype

Gender Stereotypes in Science and Technology The experiences we have and the ideas we formulate as children can and do have a tremendous impact on what we do with our lives as adults. One thing that we studied during this course was the differences between toys that boys play with and those that girls play with. When little boys are given things to play with like chemistry sets and erector sets, they are given tools to develop skills like mechanical ability and spatial perception. More importantly, in my opinion, this sets up a stereotype about what activities are suitable for boys and which activities are suitable for girls. Just as boys who play with dolls are seen as being unusual, little girls who do "boy things" and play with boys toys are seen as being weird and are therefore discouraged from doing so. When I first began researching this project I was looking for information on tomboys. I was hoping to answer the following question: How does having the label of a tomboy as a child effect what career choices a woman makes as an adult? It was my belief that if young girls think of tomboys in a negative light, girls who are labeled tomboys by their peers will be discouraged from engaging in activities that perpetuates that image of them. If these activities include playing with legos and building forts, then women who may otherwise have gone into technological fields like engineering and computer science will be deterred by the fact that these fields are sterotypically male. An initial literature search yielded disappointing results. The articles which I found fell into basically two categories: first-person narratives about growing up as a tomboy in magazines like Redbook and Southern Living and a few scattered art... ..., and a new generation of women with female role models began entering college. This idea about the gradual shift in beliefs that is currently going on probably explains why I was not able to find any current research on "tomboyism.' in academic journals. Ideas about gender, particularly for women, perhaps not as much for men, have become increasingly fluid in recent years. Women who play sports and enjoy 'male' activities are not only no longer seen as unusual, but are actually seen as having the preferred image. Many advertising firms have been specifically marketing the "tomboy look", because that image of women is now the 'in' image. Though women of my generation have grown up with the word "tomboy' in our vocabularies, perhaps the next generation of young girls will not even realize that playing sports and fixing cars represents gender deviancy on their part.

Implication for the Retail Industry Essay example -- essays research p

Thomas, Ryan, â€Å"The Right Mix: Brands versus Private Labels,† Apparel, Feb’04, p. 30-33 Overview of Article   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Department stores that may want to develop or expand private labels to replace lagging national brands should be aware of the downfalls as well as the benefits.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Private labels increase margins from 6-10% higher than national brands. They also allow for fashion garments to be reproduced the following season if they are still in demand. However, department stores risk opposition from national brands if such private labels create too much competition.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If private labels are to be expanded, they should be of higher quality than the norm. They should also be offered in a wide range of categories, to decrease advertising costs. Article Summary   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Department stores have traditionally used private labels on the selling floor as a way to provide a low-cost alternative to consumers. However, they may be expanding and developing more private labels to replace those national brands that have been falling behind.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Private labels are helpful to department stores because they increase margins. On average, private label margins are 6-10% higher than national brands.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another benefit of private labels is one not offered by brand manufacturers. If a fashionable garment sells out fast in any particular season, ...

Help Improve Own and Team Practice in Schools Essay

Outcome 1.1 How you take note of children and young people’s responses to your own practice It is extremely important to take note of children and young people’s responses to your own practices as by doing this you – †¢Can ensure learning activities are effective in the pupils learning †¢Can recognise the pupils abilities and identify strengths and weaknesses †¢Can reflect on how effective the delivery methods were †¢Can identify if anything needs to be altered for next time Things I monitor during lessons or learning activities – †¢Children who are putting their hands up to answer questions †¢Children who are not contributing much to the lesson (not putting hands up/if working in a group not offering suggestions) †¢Children who seem to be lacking concentration/not showing much interest/not staying on task †¢Children who are behaving differently (maybe because they do not understand the work or are finding it too easy) †¢Children who do not seem to understand the work as much as others or are finding the work particularly difficult (I find this out by checking over their work/answers and by asking them questions about the work/task) I personally always take notes during lessons and activities and always give feedback to the teacher either formally or informally. Read more:  Essays About Team Work in Schools Below are some of the other ways we review learning activities – †¢Letting children feedback (asking them to traffic light their work) †¢Group/pupil reflection †¢Parents evening †¢Pupil’s learning journal – literacy, numeracy, targets †¢Previous progress – read reports, reviews †¢Ask pupil to explain how they achieved the learning objective †¢Writing comments on lesson plan, report card, reading diary †¢Termly assessments †¢Marking work and writing comments †¢Homework Outcome 2.2 The importance of continuing professional development There are many things you can do to continually develop professionally, these include: †¢Do your research to ensure you are kept up to date on new teaching methods, resources and legislation †¢Work based training †¢Participate in further training/courses such as first aid, ICT and SEN training †¢Regularly observe your peers †¢Ask others for help and advice Continual professional development is extremely important for the following reasons – †¢It helps you to understand your role more effectively †¢To apply new policies and procedures †¢To upgrade and enhance your knowledge †¢To enable you to become confident in your job role †¢It enhances and promotes good team work †¢To keep up to date with any changes in legislation †¢To improve the quality of the teaching environment, pupil learning and achievement †¢To ensure you are working to the best of your ability †¢To share good practice relating to different teaching methods †¢To ensure there is a good standard of work in the workplace and standards are kept high and do not slip †¢To ensure that as individuals we have personal goals and also the skills that need updating for our job Outcome 3.1 Why teamwork is important in schools T – Together E – Everyone A – Achieves M – More The ability to work together with others as part of a team is a vital skill used in all areas of life. Teamwork requires people to work cooperatively with others towards a shared purpose or goal. For a team to work together effectively, it takes all members of the team to respect each other’s abilities and opinions. Teamwork is a highly social activity and involves much interaction and exchanging of ideas and actions. Below are some examples of why team work is so important in schools- †¢Effective communication is a key element needed to meet the needs of children †¢By communicating with each other and working in a team you can ensure that you do not miss any vital information †¢It creates a positive and safe environment for both pupils and staff †¢It sets an excellent example to pupils †¢It creates a good working environment and community for staff and pupil †¢It helps ensure that all goals and objectives are being met †¢It helps raise moral and create a positive atmosphere †¢It ensures that the schools aims, values and mission statement are carried out †¢It promotes consistency throughout the school †¢It helps build confidence †¢Enables you to share good practices and ideas †¢It helps ensure that the work load is being shared and completed effectively †¢It ensures children are getting the most out of their learning experience †¢It helps create a conflict free environment †¢It means that constant support and advice is available Outcome 3.2 The purpose and objectives of the team in which they work Princethorpe Junior Schools mission statement – â€Å"Our vision for the school is to create a successful, caring school in which everyone can achieve to the best of their ability.† It is important that every school demonstrates and upholds their aims and values. Princethorpe Junior School have a set of aims for all staff and pupils to follow that support their mission statement. General Aims – †¢At Princethorpe Junior School we aim to provide a safe, secure and happy environment in which all our children can develop and learn. †¢We aim to create a bright and stimulating environment in the classrooms and around the school. †¢We aim to help all our children to achieve their full academic, artistic and physical potential. †¢We aim to enable all our children to have access to all aspects of school life. †¢We aim to promote harmony and understanding of each individual in an environment where all the children are encouraged to flourish whatever their race, gender or ability. †¢We aim to develop a partnership with parents and the community and encourage all parents to share in the education of their children and to feel welcome in the school. Academic – †¢We aim to provide for all the children a broad and balanced curriculum with a strong emphasis on the development of numeracy and literacy †¢We aim to develop our own policies and schemes of work in line with the National Curriculum and the Religious Education agreed syllabus, through a wide range of learning activities. †¢We aim to equip our children with the necessary ICT skills to support their learning across the curriculum. †¢We aim to  provide opportunities for additional activities, which enrich the curriculum e.g. educational visits, clubs and visitors to school. †¢We aim to equip our children with the knowledge, skills and understanding required for the next phase of their education. Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural – †¢Through our Collective Acts of Worship we aim to equip all our children with an understanding of differing faiths with the greatest emphasis on Christianity. †¢Through Religious Education and the curriculum we aim to foster a sense of awe and wonder. †¢We aim to value everyone by developing each person’s self-esteem and sense of individual worth. †¢We aim to teach our children to know the difference between right and wrong, to be honest and to have respect for adults, each other and the environment. †¢We aim to develop the children’s awareness of their responsibility to and for their school and the local community. †¢We aim to help the children to take their part as responsible citizens. †¢We aim to enable our pupils to co-operate, to work together, to take turns and to share. †¢We aim to develop the children’s ability to think about others as well as themselves. †¢Through our curriculum and school life we aim to develop knowledge and understanding of other cultures and traditions. †¢We aim through music, art, literature and creative work, to contribute to the cultural development of the children. Behaviour – †¢We aim to equip our children with the skills to be responsible for their own actions and to develop a strong sense of self-discipline. †¢We aim to provide positive attitudes throughout the school for work and behaviour. †¢We aim to provide a positive system of rewards and sanctions. †¢We aim to work in partnership with parents to maintain the behaviour policy of the school. Below are examples of how Princethorpe Junior School uphold these aims and therefore support the mission statement – â€Å"We aim to value everyone by developing each person’s self-esteem and sense of individual worth† †¢All staff members ensure to always offer praise and rewards whenever a child participates in an activity or really tries hard at the work. †¢Every child is acknowledged, the Head Teacher makes a conscience effort to learn every new child’s name at the start of the year and also stands at the front door every morning greeting each child with a ‘Good Morning’ †¢All children are encouraged to have confidence in themselves, the TAs are on hand to ensure this is the case in every lesson with giving the children constant reminders to â€Å"have confidence in yourself† †¢Children are issued certificates and awards for certain achievements for example spellings, reading, writing, attendance and good behaviour â€Å"We aim to develop a partnership with parents and the community and encourage all parents to share in the education of their children and to feel welcome in the school.† †¢Princethorpe Junior School tries to involve parents in their child’s school life as much as possible for example – Parents are daily invited to join their children at breakfast club Parents are regularly given opportunities to volunteer on school trips All parents are invited to a ‘celebration assembly’ every Friday where children receive certificates and awards for various achievements †¢The School holds regular curriculum meetings and workshops for parents, both during and after school, to consult, inform and discuss curricular issues. †¢Each year group organises family workshops during the year so that parents can work alongside their children in class. Various courses are also organised for parents. †¢Termly parent’s evenings are held so parents and carers can be updated on their children’s progress. †¢Parents are always welcome to chat to a member of school staff, without an appointment, about any worries or concerns they may have before or after school. The Head Teacher operates an ‘open door’ policy to enable parents to come and speak to her anytime she is free †¢A school newsletter is sent home with children every Friday updating parents on the week’s activities, reminder of term dates and weekly attendance and behavioural reports †¢Parents are made aware of any behavioural issues their child may be having and together with the parents either the Head Teacher, Teacher, Teaching  Assistant and/or Pastoral Care Worker can then work together to resolve these issues. â€Å"Through our curriculum and school life we aim to develop knowledge and understanding of other cultures and traditions† †¢Children are taught about different cultures and religions by termly topics being held on different countries, cultures and religions †¢There are regular assemblies about different countries, cultures and religions †¢A variety of different festivals and events are acknowledged and celebrated in school †¢Alternative food options are always available during breakfast club tuck and lunch such as halal meat and vegetarian and vegan options to ensure all children are made to feel included and welcome â€Å"We aim to equip our children with the necessary ICT skills to support their learning across the curriculum† †¢Each room is equipped with an interactive whiteboard which is used during most lessons †¢Every child has a personal computer login that enables them to logon to a school computer to access its programs and any saved work †¢Princethorpe Junior School have an ‘ICT suite’ where there are enough computers for a class of 32, classes are on a rota to use this room and every class will use this rooms and its facilities at least once a week †¢The school also has 35 laptops which are again shared out on a rota based system †¢Princethrope Junior School has invested in EducationCity.com’ an internet based program that creates new ways of delivering curriculum content. Children are set homework on this site which they have the option of accessing at home or at school. â€Å"We aim to equip our children with the skills to be responsible for their own actions and to develop a strong sense of self-discipline† †¢Children are taught the difference between right and wrong †¢All children are constantly made aware that they are responsible for their own actions and that their actions will have consequences – either with a sanction or  reward. For example if a child does not complete their homework on time they will receive a detention, whereas all the children who do hand their homework in on time will receive a sticker †¢Children are given opportunities to work independently and make their own decisions â€Å"We aim to enable our pupils to co-operate, to work together, to take turns and to share† †¢Certain lessons and activities require the children to work in pairs or groups with the teacher and TA ensuring the same children are not always working together †¢Playground toys and games that require children to share and play together such as building blocks, skipping ropes, footballs and bat and balls are provided for children during break times. †¢The school offers many different after school activities such as after school clubs, sports matches and the choir which gives children from different classes and year groups chance to work and play together †¢Teachers and pupil support staff are always on hand to monitor the children and to help children work out any friendship issues they may be having Outcome 3.3 Own role and responsibilities and those in the team Working in a primary school as a Teaching Assistant I work alongside a class teacher during guiding reading, maths, literacy, art, ICT and listen and respond lessons. The role of the Primary school teacher is to work with children between the ages of 4 and 11 years. They are responsible for teaching either a number of, or every, area of the National Curriculum, this will most likely mean covering Key Stage 1 (5 – 7 years) and Key Stage 2 (7 – 11 years). Key responsibilities as a primary teacher – †¢Ensuring the optimal development of children, both socially and academically. †¢Preparation and delivery of lessons that cater to the wide ranging abilities of the class. †¢Instill interest to learn, through  enthusiastic and motivating presentation of lessons. †¢Recording and monitoring student progression. †¢Meeting with carers/parents giving feedback regarding child’s performance. †¢Organising activities, classroom displays and class trips †¢Ensuring the curriculum is covered and up to date. †¢Prepare pupils for secondary education and examinations. As part of my role as a Teaching Assistant I am required to support the class teacher with the planning, delivery and evaluation of all learning activities. Whether the learning activity is for an individual pupil, group of pupils or the whole class, all activities must be properly planned, delivered and evaluated in order to work effectively. Planning is usually the first step when organizing a learning activity. Planning is important for the following reasons – †¢To understand learning objectives and what needs to be achieved by the end of the lesson †¢To identify children’s individual needs †¢To identify different teaching methods †¢To review feedback from previous lesson †¢To ensure health and safety is met – Complete risk assessments †¢To ensure you are organised and can allocate enough time for each task Every teacher completes the class planning for the week before school starts on a Monday morning. The teacher will then give a copy of the planning to the class TA. The planning will include the expectations and learning objectives of each lesson, resources needed, if any children need any extra support and how they require the TA to support during each lesson. After I have this information I then have my own planning responsibilities as a Teaching Assistant, these involve the following – †¢Look over previous observations †¢Ensure all learning resources are ready for use – photocopying, workbooks, stationary, laptops, etc. †¢Find out children’s individual needs and prepare different resources to aid them – white boards, enlarged worksheets, etc. †¢Organise seating plans – are there any children that may need to be moved – disruptive, easily distracted, hearing or sight difficulties †¢Prepare extra work for any children who may finish early †¢Think of key questions to ask to support the children during the lesson †¢Feedback to teacher on what you think of the planning, is there anything you could add or change Whether it is myself delivering the learning activity or a teacher I am supporting, it is always important to remember and follow the below every time – †¢Explain to the pupils the expectations and what they need to do †¢Ask questions and observe their reactions, ensure they understand, if they are struggling to understand find other ways to explain/demonstrate/simplify/step by step instructions/adapt lesson plan to child’s needs ensuring it still meets the lessons outcome †¢Give praise and encouragement †¢Rewards – follow schools procedure with giving rewards; let pupils know what rewards they will receive †¢Give one to one support where needed †¢Ensure you are using appropriate body language and eye contact †¢Give good balance of support and letting pupil work on their own †¢Encourage independence †¢Using sanctions when needed – moving children if necessary †¢Using the right teaching methods with the different ability children †¢Keep pupils interested and motivated †¢Re-enforce timing to children e.g. with projects and learning objectives †¢Take notes on children’s understanding, what is working well, what isn’t, etc. It is always important to review every learning activity as this will help plan for the next time. Whether it be having a formal review of a learning activity or an informal chat it is important as a Teaching Assistant to  discuss the following with the Teacher – †¢How the teacher felt with your support? †¢Did the children achieve the learning objective in the given time? †¢Were there any learning needs you picked up (who struggled? who finished early? who asked questions?) †¢Were the resources useful? †¢The overall enjoyment of the lesson †¢Did resources suit learning activity? †¢Is there anything you would have changed or can improve next time? †¢Did anything work particular well? †¢Were there any issue that you need to report to SDP/SENCO? Outcome 3.4 The importance of respecting the skills and expertise of other practitioners It is important to always respect the skills and expertise of other practitioners for the following reasons – †¢It can help us to develop as professionals because we can learn from others †¢Their expertise can provide career aspirations to others †¢To ensure the pupils wellbeing is promoted and we have the knowledge and understanding to provide them with the best education †¢By not respecting other practitioners you are effectively undermining them which will result in having a negative effect on the pupils and overall will not be promoting good team work †¢Those practitioners are there for a reason; they have the skills, knowledge and know the strategies that work †¢It means the work load is shared effectively and fairly resulting in everyone’s job being made easier †¢It ensures consistency in practice †¢It promotes good working relationships †¢It creates a positive working environment †¢It helps children reach their full potential Outcome 4.6 How you respond to differences of opinion and conflict constructively When working in a professional role as a Teaching Assistant, it is important to consider how you can improve your own practice effectively to meet the needs of the children or young people you support and the team you work with. You will be responsible for meeting your own continuing professional development needs. Continuing professional development (CPD) or Continuing professional education (CPE) is the means by which people maintain their knowledge and skills related to their professional lives. CPD will affect you as a member of the team in your workplace for the following reasons- †¢You and your team will be confident with personal job roles, skills and abilities. †¢As a team you will be able to help each other with your own CPD as constant support and advice is on hand from other team members †¢It ensures everyone is working to the best of their ability and therefore creates a stronger team As a TA at least once a year you will have a ‘Performance Management Review’, this may be with the Head Teacher or your team leader. This review offers you the following- †¢An opportunity to reflect and to review your progress and development †¢An opportunity to ask yourself and your team leader ‘How am I doing?’ †¢An opportunity to consider and celebrate your role in raising standards and in meeting the targets in the departmental action plan †¢An opportunity to consider where you are going in your career †¢A discussion about any areas for development †¢An opportunity to set targets †¢An opportunity to identify any training needs †¢A forum to provide information for management †¢An opportunity to look back at your previous review and decide if targets have been met †¢An opportunity to set new targets and goals for the following year There will be times when there is conflict in the workplace, when this happens it is important to recognise why conflict may arise and how you should resolve issues. Below are some examples of conflict in the workplace – †¢Not listening to what the other person has to say †¢Not sharing the work load fairly †¢Taking advantage of the good nature of others †¢Not working to the best of your ability †¢Not working to high standards †¢Not offering the necessary support and advice to others †¢Not being thoughtful and considerate to other’s ideas, opinions and beliefs †¢Not asking for help when needed Scenario: You were asked to plan and prepare an activity for the phonics group that you support. The activity you came up with was fun, eye-catching and included the whole group. When you came to use it with the group, the activity worked really well and, at the end of the lesson, you felt the children had worked hard, even though they became very excited and got quite loud. However, a Teaching Assistant who was supporting another group has since told you that you were not in control and should have training in how to assert yourself. Was the other TA correct to tell you this? Yes, I believe they were but I believe that they should have gone about it in a different way. When working with children it is important that the staff work as a team and offer each other help and advice when necessary but it is also important to be tactful in doing so. Who should you discuss this with and will you ask for help, knowing that you do struggle to gain control? I would let the TA know that I do appreciate their feedback and agree that I did struggle at times to keep my group under control, however overall I was pleased with the activity and felt the children achieved the learning objective of the task. I would also ask if they have any techniques they use to help keep children quiet and calm during activities. I would also speak to the teacher to find out how they felt the activity went and if they had any advice on what I could do differently next time.