Apple and Lenovo’s Technology Stratagy

The Technology Strategy Comparison of Lenovo and Apple MG 8673 Technology strategy Professor: Oded Nov Xiaofei Li Table of Contents Company Profile 3 Company Vision and Misson 4 SWOT Analysis5 Porter’s Five Forces6 Product market matrix 7 Growth Share Matrix8 Technology operation of Lenovo and Apple9 First Mover/Dominant design 9 Government regulation10 Lock-in and Switching Cost10 Strategy operation of Lenovo and Apple11 Conclusion12 Company Profile Lenovo is a Chinese multinational computer hardware and electronics company.The company was formed in China and incorporated in HK and would grow to be the largest PC company in China. And in 2005 Lenovo acquired the former Personal Computer Division of IBM. Its products include personal computers, tablet computers, mobile phones, workstations, servers, electronic storage devices, IT management software and smart televisions. Today, Lenovo is a US$21 billion personal technology company and the world’s second-largest PC vend or1, it has more than 26,000 employees in more than 60 countries serving customers in more than 160 countries2.Apple is an American multinational corporation, incorporated on 1977. It engaged in designing, manufacturing and marketing mobile communication and media devices, personal computers, and portable digital music players. Apple sells a range of iPhone, iPad, Mac and iPod compatible products, including a portfolio of consumer and professional software applications, the iOS and Mac OS X operating systems, iCloud, and a range of accessory, service and support offerings. It also sells and delivers digital content and applications through the iTunes Store, App Store, iBookstore, and Mac App Store.Also Apple is the world's third-largest mobile phone maker after Samsung and Nokia3. As of November 2012, Apple has 394 retail stores in fourteen countries4. It is the largest publicly traded corporation in the world by market capitalization, with an estimated value of US$626 billion as of September 2012. It currently has 72,800 permanent full-time employees and 3,300 temporary full-time employees worldwide5. Lenovo Company’s vision and mission 1. Lenovo has a long-term goal of becoming the leading personal technology company in the world.It aspires to achieve this goal by leading in three key areas: Personal Computers: Lead in PCs and be respected for its product innovation and quality. Convergence: Lead the industry with an ecosystem of devices, services, applications and content for people to seamlessly connect to people and Web content. Culture: Become recognized as one of the best, most trusted and most well-respected companies to work for and do business with. 2 2. Lenovo is building a way of viewing the world and doing business—it introduces the newest products in China and then spread across the globe. Also Case Study will describe why Apple Inc. is a very successful company.Lenovo believes that the new way of expansion from East to West is the way of future 3. Lenovo’s business is built on product innovation, a highly efficient global supply chain and strong strategic execution. The company develops, manufactures and markets reliable, high quality, secure and easy-to-use technology products and services for customers who want technology that does more. Apple Company’s vision and mission 1. Apple believes that they are on the face of the earth to make great products and that's not changing. They are constantly focusing on innovating.They believe that we need to own and control the primary technologies behind the products that we make, and participate only in markets where they can make a significant contribution. 6 2. Apple is committed to protecting the environment, health and safety of their employees, customers and the global communities where they operate. They re cognize that by integrating sound environmental, health and safety management practices into all aspects of their business, they can offer technologically innovative products and services while conserving and enhancing recourses for future generations.Apple strives for continuous improvement in the environmental, health and safety management systems and in the environmental quality of their products, processes and services. 7 Lenovo Company SWOT Analysis Strengths | Weaknesses| * Mass and strong relationship with domestic mainland Chinese customer * Mass Manufacturing and low production cost. * Excellent marketing and distribution strategy. * Merge with IMB Personal Computer | * Mundane Outlook * Relative weak Global Brand Perception * Relative weak Online Sales * Not qualifies After-sales Services * Limited knowledge of global market| Opportunities | Threats| Chinese Government Association * Fast growing Personal Computer market * The neighbor hood Indian is becoming the fastest gr owing PC market in the world * Signing of memorandum of understanding with USA * Specialty shops providing one stop platform for distribution| * Appreciation of RMB will increase product price outside of Chinese market * Competition threats from local and international competitor * Price war * International competitors forming alliance with local competitors. * Industry Reaching Maturity| Apple Company SWOT Analysis Strengths | Weaknesses| Large segment of loyal customer called â€Å" Apple fans† * Strong brand image. * Retail Stores provide the experience and eye –catching Apple product * Huge R&D Innovation | * Patent infringement. * Product recalls. * Failure of Mac Mini and Apple TV * The fast speed of changing product generation | Opportunities | Threats| * Strong growth in smartphone and personal computer industry. * Cooperation with other big company like Google coupled to create new innovation * Apple product lock in customer behavior| * Rising popularity of  Google Android. Market competition in PC and smartphone industry. * Dependence on specific suppliers. * The leadership after Steve Jobs| Porter's five forces for the companies industry New entrants, bargaining power of supplier, bargaining power of buyers, Substitute, Rivalry 1. Smartphone market share is basically covered by big cellphone manufacture company e. g. Apple, Lenovo, Samsung, HTC, Nokia, Blackberry. They have huge R;D innovation, large based and loyalty customer, excellent marketing and advertising strategy. The new entrants are limited in this market, and they are rarely to survive. . This case is the same in Tablet and PC industry. This entrants are also hard to get into this market, because the market share are occupied by those big company such as Apple, Lenovo, Netflix, Samsung, IBM, Dell, HP, Sony. 3. Lenovo and Apple make the product outsource to the supplier such Foxconn. But basically suppliers have relatively weak bargaining power with Lenovo and Apple, becau se Apple and Lenovo odder huge numbers of electronical products from the suppliers, they stand in a relative strong side in the bargaining table. 4.Even though the competition in the smartphone, Tablet and PC industry is toughly intense, those markets are fundamentally regulated. When a product is put onto market, the price is fixed. But customers have some bargaining power eg the old generation always cut down price for customer when new generation go in. to market. 5. Smartphone, Tablet and PC products all have substitute. 6. Lenovo and Apple face strong competition and they have so many rivals in each of their product line eg Microsoft, Sony, HTC, Samsung. Product market matrix Product| Present| New|Market| Present| Market Penetration| Product development| | New| MarketDevelopment| Diversification| In product market matrix, Lenovo and Apple product are both in a present market and their product are basically present, so the majority of their product are in the market penetration place. Meanwhile, for some product like when Steve Jobs launch the iPad in 2010, it was a breakthrough in the tablet PC industry. So in some cases some Lenovo and Apple products in some specific time are in the product development place. Growth share matrix Star| Question Mark| Cash Cow| Dog| High Share Low ShareHigh Growth Low Growth Because there is obvious potential growing trend in the smartphone, PC, notebook and tablet industries, meanwhile Lenovo and Apple both have high market share, so in the growth share matrix, they are both STAR companies. Technology Operation Products Comparison| Apple Product| Lenovo Product| PhoneIphone VSLephone| | | NotebookMacbook Pro VSThinkpad| | | Tablet Ipad VSIdeaTab| | | DesktopMacVSIdeaCenter| | | TVApple TVVSLeTV| | | NotebookMacbook Air VSIdeaPad| | | First Mover/Dominant Design For apple product, the first market dominant design is the iPod.Since October 2004, the iPod line has dominated digital music player sales in the United States, wi th over 90% of the market for hard drive-based players and over 70% of the market for all types of players. 8 The second Apple dominant design product is Ipad. When Steve Jobs released the Ipad on April3, 2010, Apple sold more than 15 million first-generation Ipad prior to the launch of the IPad 2—selling more than all other tablet PCs combined since the IPad's release, and reaching 75% of tablet PC sales at the end of 2010. 9 Meanwhile Lenovo is the dominant design in the computers supplier area in Mainland China, with a 28. % share of the Chinese market. It reported annual sales of $14. 9 billion for the fiscal year ending 2008/2009. 10 In October 2012, Lenovo ousts HP became the world's top supplier of personal computers. In the third quarter of 2013, Lenovo shipped 13. 77million units, giving it a 15. 7% share of the global market, compared with HP, which enjoyed a 15. 5% share with 13. 55 million units. 11 * Government regulation As far as now, there is no government reg ulation for Lenovo and Apple because the government thinks this market is relative fair of compete and regulate.Lock In and Switching Cost In lock in customer strategy, Apple is the master, It makes customer realize that once use the apple product, it is extremely hard to find the exit. Apple creates iTunes, App Store, iCloud and OS system to make this strategy into fully used. Simply speaking, you purchase music, movie in iTunes, purchase apps in App Store and restore/backup photos, music, documents, applications in iCloud. When apple launch a new generation iphone, the customer can simply use the iCloud and iTunes to restore everything from their last generation iphone.And when customer creates a reminder in the mac, it will automatically show on their Iphone and Ipad. Since the iCloud only works on Apple product, so this strategy will lock in customer on apple product, and deepen the switching cost if someone wants to change to another company product. Since apple’s inform ation technology products work in system, so switching any single product is costly. Also Lenovo is currently trying to lock in its customer launch the same storage technology called Lenovo Cloud, the user can back up and sync data from multiple Lenovo devices including LePhone, LePad, and LeTV using a 200 GB online storage.This strategy is to tie the Lenovo tablets and devices together and make the customers feel that switching away would cause too much hassle. Strategy Operation Lenovo For Lenovo their operation strategy is consolidate its market in China and expand its market out of China. Lenovo has its headquarter both in Beijing and in United States. They are the leader in China with more than 30 percent market share in PCs, and their product sales in China account for 46 percent of global sales.So with builds on its dominant position in China to grow globally, it plans to have rapid growth in emerging markets and a unique global footprint. In 2012, Lenovo partially moved prod uction of its ThinkPad line of computers to Japan. 12 In October 2012, Lenovo announced that it would start manufacturing computers in Whitsett, North Carolina. 13 In the marketing strategy, based on different levels of consumers, Lenovo developed different prices, by creating differentiated products to meet different consumer groups. And this strategy is Middle and High End Market Positioning.Take Lenovo’s personal computer as example, the market survey shows that its refrigerators mainly focus on middle and high end, Lenovo owns 70% market share in high end products, while the middle end count for 40—50% market share, the market share of low end product is lower than 10%. 14 As for the supermarket channel, Lenovo has designed relatively low prices of mid-level products, while high-end products on the electrical chain and retail sales channels. For the rural market, Lenovo designs and develops products that have relatively simple functions, relatively low prices to me et the need of the students market.Apple For Apple, people would doubt their operation strategy after the past of their hero leader Steve Jobs, who is the pioneer of Apple. But the new leader Cook operates the company quite well. In cook’s first 16 months on the job, Apple has released next-generation iPhones and iPads and seen its stock price rise 43 percent. 15 As is the same with Lenovo, Apple also put a lot of concentration in the Chinese market. With a population of 1. 3 billion, China is the world's largest mobile market and already Apple's second biggest market overall.Apple currently sells its iPhone exclusively through China Unicom with 196 million subscribers. The Apple current CEO Tim Cook visited Mainland China and its supplier Foxcoon In March 2012. And this is the first Apple CEO to visit China, as Apple is ramping up its investment in the world's most populous market. Also for Apple, their operation strategy is to make the greatest, most innovation and most sim ple product in the world, but Apple not only focus on the technology innovation, they focus on the global environment and human right. Apple reports environmental impact comprehensively.They care about the total carbon footprint in the manufacturing and transportation process, also in product use, recycling and facilities. Meanwhile Apple is committed to the highest standards of social responsibility across the worldwide supply chain. They provide safe working conditions, treat workers with dignity and respect, and use environmentally responsible manufacturing processes to the supplier such as Foxconn in China. 2 Conclusion To sum up, Lenovo and Apple operate in the same environment. They both focus on the smartphone, desktop, notebook, tablet and future TV industry.Since their backgrounds are different, they operation strategies are different. Lenovo is based on Chinese market and then spread its product around the world. The product has low prices of mid-level products, while high -end products on the electrical chain and retail sales channels. Meanwhile Lenovo plans to further explore its market in Japan and US. In the contrast, Apple has a huge US and global market, their price always lead the market. Right now it plans to further explore its business in China, for it is the world's most popular market.It is sure that Lenovo and Apple will have fierce competition in the future market. Reference 1http://www. marketwatch. com/story/lenovo-passes-dell-to-become-worlds-no-2-pc-maker-2011-10-13 2 http://www. lenovo. com/lenovo/us/en/our_company. html 3http://appleinsider. com/articles/08/10/21/apple_iphone_3g_sales_surpass_rims_blackberry. html 4 http://www. apple. com/retail/storelist/ 5http://www. sec. gov/Archives/edgar/data/320193/000119312512444068/d411355d10k. htm 6http://alvinalexander. com/blog/post/mac-os-x/apple-business-philosophy-mission-statement 7http://www. apple. com/environment/ http://www. apple. com/pr/library/2009/01/21Apple-Reports-First-Qua rter-Results. html 9http://www. economist. com/blogs/dailychart/2011/03/tablet_computers 10http://www. reuters. com/article/2012/02/09/markets-hongkong-stocks-preopen-idUSL4E8D87B720120209 11http://www. bbc. co. uk/news/business-19906119 12http://www. gizmochina. com/2012/08/29/lenovo-moves-thinkpad-production-to-japan/ 13 http://news. lenovo. com/article_display. cfm? article_id=1635 14 http://www. jgbm. org/page/19%20Wang%20Wen%20Cheng%20. pdf 15http://www. workingwider. com/strategic_innovation/apple-business-strategy-2012/

Once Were Warriors Essay

â€Å"Forget the big players in the world; it is the people in the margins of our society whose stories are most compelling. † To what extent do you agree with this statement? Respond to this question with close reference to one or more text(s) you have studied. The Heke family that feature in the ground-breaking New Zealand film from 1994, ‘Once were warriors’ directed by Lee Tamahori are clearly a family living on the margins of society. They live in a state house next to a busy and noisy motorway in South Auckland, New Zealand. Their story is undoubtedly a compelling one: an abusive husband with a love of beer drinking and parties who gains respect from the use of his fists at the local pub; a long-suffering wife who has somehow managed to hold the family together through an obviously tumultuous 18 year marriage; a disillusioned older son who flees the dysfunctional household to join a gang; a pubescent daughter who is the de-facto mother of the family; another son who has gotten in with the wrong crowd and is committing petty theft and two younger children, Polly and Huata. Director Lee Tamahori uses a range of camera and sound techniques, dialogue and compelling themes to teach us about the dangers of excessive alcoholism and moving away from our ancestral connections. Jake ‘the muss’ Heke is a compelling protagonist. After being laid off from his job, he uses his redundancy money to bring home seafood for his family. We are initially positioned to see him as a loving and caring family man, that is until his wife Beth discovers he has been laid off and sees her dreams of buying their own home go out the window. Jake is a man of excuses who sees the dole as being â€Å"only 15 bucks a week less than my wages† and bursts into a tirade of abuse when his wife Beth resists his sexual advances after discovering the truth. Jake also excuses his own propensity for violence when he says, â€Å"Look when I get like that, get out of my way, but you’ve got to get all lippy on me. Sure I’ve a temper, but who hasn’t? † It is apparent that Jake has an inferiority complex dating right back to his courting days of Beth saying â€Å"I was never bloody good enough† and that he descends from a â€Å"long line of slaves† unlike Beth who originates from more upper-class Maori roots. What this highlights is that domestic violence, while inexcusable can often have its origin in insecurities from years beforehand. This is why men in particular need to seek help when they are struggling with issues instead of resorting to excessive bing-drinking to numb emotional pain. Jake’s wife, Beth is also on the margins of society as we see her struggling to raise her family amidst all the physical and verbal abuse around her. Gradually the low angle shots of Beth become more prominent as her courage to stand up to her abusive husband increases as also seen in her dialogue. I won’t have any more of these parties or your bloody ugly mongrel mates coming over. † Tragically, Beth’s surge in power in response to Jake’s failure to take the family to see Boogie in the Boy’s home comes too late, as unbeknownst to her, Uncle Bully has raped her daughter, Grace sending her into a downward spiral which culminates in her suicide. Beth’s cou rage in standing up to Jake and restoring the family without him is compelling. It must have inspired many women across New Zealand and indeed the world to leave behind dysfunctional and violent domestic set-ups. The fabulous low-key lighting and low angle shot of Beth at the end as she calmly informs Jake that ‘from now on I make the decisions for my family’ is inspirational and reminds us of the ‘mana, pride and spirit’ that many Maori have. She finally goes ‘home’ to her Maori ancestral roots as well as literally home to restore her devastated family in the wake of Jake’s departure. Perhaps the most compelling story of hope in the film is that of younger son, Boogie who is ‘sent into welfare’ after the state decides his family can no longer control him after his mother, Beth fails to accompany him to a court hearing (due to suffering a beating and rape at the hands of Jake) as a result of a string of petty crimes. Boogie finally gets the tough love he needs from Maori man, Bennett a distinguished tane who teaches Boogie to use ‘his taiaha on the inside,’ instead of on the outside. Boogie learns that true mana is found by using your mind and developing the inner-strength and resolve to solve problems instead of resorting to violence. Bennett, initially called a ‘black bastard’ by Boogie despite being Maori trains Boogie to reconnect with his maori tikanga and culture which effectively clears up Boogie’s confusion about his Maori identity and that this can be a source of pride. This shows that with the appropriate guidance, initially wayward youth can have a chance to redeem themselves, although this is a job parents and to a lesser extent teachers need to be doing. State foster homes should only be a last resort. In conclusion, ‘Once Were Warriors’ left an indelible mark on the psyche of many New Zealanders with its brutal violence and depiction of problems such as binge-drinking and poverty that previously were swept under the carpet. Only by examining characters on the margins of society can we truly learn how easy it is to get there ourselves if we do not value our families, our education or seek help when we are struggling with issues from our past. The story of the Heke family is a compelling one and a story we would do well to consider seriously.

Business environment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Business environment - Research Paper Example Under these marketing conditions, a 'Dominant Strategy' is a course of action which would be followed in response to any course of action taken by the other player. 3. Hiphop or Garries will earn a profit of 6,400 if the other one charge a priced 11 per piece and whoever charges 11 will get a margin of 1,800 because in that situation the other player will charge 10 and sell more units. Collusion between parties occurs when they act in common interest and trust each other. The best example for Collusion is the OPEC where the petroleum prices are fixed in consultation with all the member countries to the maximum advantage of the countries concerned. In collusion there will be an interaction between the players who want to maximize their earnings. By colluding the players divide the total market among themselves and by charging the same price they also share the profits that the business offers. There are still first mover advantages, such as the chance to gain early market share, but without the backing of the right customers and constant innovation, it's always possible to loose the advantages. The advantages that the first entrant gets may not be available to the second one. When both the companies Burger Binge and McDennys want t... Observation on Collusion from the Matrix: From the pay off matrix drawn the following observation is made for collusion: 1. when both Hiphop and Garries charge same price of 11 each one make a profit of 4,500 2. It may be observed this profit of 4,500 is in excess by 500 than what they made while they were selling 10 per piece This is the result of the agreement between both the players to sell the product at 11 and that is the effect of the retailer's collusion. EXPLANATION FOR FIRST MOVER ADVANTAGE: "First Mover Advantage is a notion that being first in a market place gives the first mover an insuperable competitive edge." - David M Katz There are still first mover advantages, such as the chance to gain early market share, but without the backing of the right customers and constant innovation, it's always possible to loose the advantages. The advantages that the first entrant gets may not be available to the second one. I have made the pay off matrix for companies Burger Binge and McDennys with the help of the data provided. Burger Binge McDennys Begin Operation Stay Away Begin Operation - 100,000 - 100,000 0 250,000 Stay Away 250,000 0 0 0 Observation: When both the companies Burger Binge and McDennys want to operate their business it is not possible for both of them to earn any profit. This is what is observed from the matrix. Alternatively if one decides to stay away from the business the other one can earn a profit of 250,000. For example if Burger Binge does the business and McDennys do not enter the market then Burger Binge gets the first mover advantage and earns 250,000. PART B PORTERS FIVE

Encountering The Old Testament Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Encountering The Old Testament - Term Paper Example The response of God to the injustice of humans is justice, implying that humans would always get whatever they wanted. It is evidenced that the evil are punished by God and the righteous are blessed by God. The redemption and mercy, which is developed in the stories of the Bible appear to be a contrast of the standard retribution. In different books, redemption is seen in two categories. In other situations, one individual forgives another through ignoring the offence of the other or by just forgetting the offence. Jacob goes back to his homeland immediately after cheating his own brother. In this case, we expect vengeance and hatred from Esau. However, Jacob is welcomed by Esau with an embrace, changing the expectations of Jacob despite the fact that Jacob had changed Esau’s fate. Apart from this, King David is seen to treat all his enemies with mercy and kindness, an act that appears as short-sighted in terms of dismissal of justice that is traditional. Another type of redem ption is used in the third party intervention as a sacrifice mediator to reduce the anger of God with wrongdoers. The frantic prayer of Moses in Mount Sinai made God to alter his mind and shift from having the Israelites destroyed.  In this case, the promise of God is a mirror of the acts of humans in the law of religion to forgive the sins of humans according to the offerings and sacrifices. The covenant of God with the humans includes all His promises to provide Abraham together with his descendants the religious laws and the Promised Land that is provided to the Israelites. On the other hand, the covenant takes after the ancient treaties and legal codes whereby a landowner identifies the vassal condition so as to protect the return on vassal. The covenant in the Bible does not represent a mere agreement but a relationship that is passionate

Film Review on The Sixth Sense Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Film Review on The Sixth Sense - Essay Example This is in addition to the fact that the movie made an important contribution in the film industry in terms of cinematography on the basis of the Academy Awards nominations (Kennedy, Marshall, Mendel, and Shyamalan, 1999). The Sixth Sense can be considered to have important contributions in the manner of creating films on the basis of different points such as the story line, the plot and the issues discussed. It can be considered as a film that is not classified as an ordinary thriller film since the main character’s capability lightened the effect of the film. Although this is the case, the said factor and style of the film brought it farther from the surreal aspect and nearer to reality. The said effect made it stand out and create impression apart from other films classified as thriller. The support of the adult to developing and growing up children can be considered as one of the important issues that can be observed in the film. The issue had been presented in the support needed by one of the main character, Cole Sear, related to his gift and capability of the paranormal events regarding communication with dead people and helping them. Due to the fact that even the boy’s mother had difficulty in believing and supporting him, the need for support and care in terms of his talent had been answered by the expert assigned to cure his perceived hallucinations, the child psychologist, Dr. Malcolm Crowe. The child himself had been changed by the support given by the doctor. He started to learn how to communicate and help the dead people he is seeing and how not to be afraid of them anymore. Basically in the process he was able to gain confidence that made the development of his character towards the positive aspect. Aside from the fact that he was able to face his fears, his relationship with his mother also improved. The whole movie can be considered to present different cases wherein the child’s development had also helped the people

In The Wild Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

In The Wild - Essay Example The narrative in both cases stems from the values and belief-systems that characterized the time period in which they were created. Thus for a proper understanding of the respective texts the contexts in which they were written as well as read must be taken into account. William Wordsworth is one of the foremost Romantic poets. The early 1790s found him in France where he imbibed much of the spirit of the revolution, which characterized much of his early writing. His work also shows the influence of the great French thinker Rousseau, who believed that those living closest to nature, were superior to those living in the heart of the jungle that is civilization. Wordsworth appears to have the same bent of thought as is evident in his idealization of nature and belief in the presumed innocence of rural life as opposed to the corruption and moral decay of urban society. His views are clearly outlined in The Prelude, (1850), " the close and overcrowded haunts of the cities where the human heart is sick." An important theme in his Solitary Reaper is Man's communion with and ultimate oneness with nature. The rusticity of the surroundings constitutes an idyllic setting for the poet, unblemished by the organized chaos of the city. Here Man exists with "The W ild" in a sublime if momentary state of purity and ecstasy. The lines, "Oh listen! For the Vale profound/ Is overflowing with the sound", reveals that the Reaper's music has intermingled with the core of Nature thus making them one. Wordsworth finds in Nature a means of escape from the mundane and vulgar realities of life. His poetry is inspired by the emotions Nature evokes in him which allows him glimpses past the opaque curtain of life that clouds one's vision of the mysterious and promising world beyond.Thus he endorses the view that through Nature, it is possible to transcend the unrewarding nitty-gritty of everyday life and soar exultantly through the realms of the universe as an essential part of it. Wordsworth reiterates the timeless and universality of the reaper's song by indicating that it appears to "have no ending" and by saying that it takes up residence in his heart, "long after it was heard no more."

Emergency nurse practitioner. The impact on the minor injury services Essay

Emergency nurse practitioner. The impact on the minor injury services (hospital setting A&E) - Essay Example ............................................9 Review of Existing Evidence..................................11 Introduction.............................................................11 Objective..................................................................11 Method.....................................................................12 Findings & Analysis..................................................14 Cost Effectiveness.....................................................14 Care Effectiveness.....................................................17 Patient Satisfaction.....................................................19 Waiting Time...............................................................21 Conclusion...................................................................21 Implication to Practice.................................................22 Implication to Research................................................22 References........................................... ..........................24 Literature Review An Emergency Nurse Practitioner (ENP) is an advanced practice role which delivers primary care in the emergency department (Fitzpatrick and Ea, 2011). The emergency nursing practitioner treats common urgent and non-emergency conditions either independently or in collaboration with an attending General Practitioner. Emergency nurse practitioners often have advanced postgraduate qualifications like Masters degrees which give them additional competencies to handle cases according to medical convention and independently. Emergency Nurse Practitioners (ENPs) go through training that enable them to assess patients accurately and treat certain conditions without consultation with a doctor (Evans, 1997). Amongst the areas where they can operate independently are the interpretation of x-rays, remove foreign bodies from the eyes and the prescription of a specified range of drugs (Evans, 1997). Clearly, the ENP plays a crucial role in the emergenc y unit of medical facilities. They make significant contributions by acting as the first line of call in cases which have a relatively low level of risk. The ENP provides significant support to Emergency Doctors and to an appreciable degree, they can act with a level of independence where the need arises. Hence, the ENP is involved in reducing the waiting time in emergency settings. One may therefore seek to ascertain the actual impact of the ENP in cutting down the waiting time in emergency rooms. This research is a substantive project meant to review the existing evidence in the work of an emergency nursing practitioner. This first part of the paper will involve a literature review on the effect of emergency nursing on waiting time. In attaining this end, important concepts and significant activities undertaken along those lines like reducing waiting times to a mere 4-hour period as encouraged by the British government in the year 2000. Methodology This part of the research will i nvolve a literature review of the new research and studies into emergency nursing and waiting time on patients. It will involve the review of evidence and other findings in studies about the quest to reduce waiting times and the relevant variables involved. To this end, 10 different journals which involve empirical studies will be examined in this study. The findings will culminate in conclusions. The articles examined include an array of papers and empirical research. Most of them were written in the UK. However a minority of the articles were published in American

Infomatics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Infomatics - Essay Example Caregiver, educator, and advocacy roles of a nurse identify need for computer competency towards knowledge development. As a caregiver and an educator, a nurse must develop knowledge that can then be conveyed to the audience for intended purposes and computer applications such as online searches from databases and libraries and communication applications aid these. Caregiver role requires greater competence for applications such as evidence-based research and evidence-based practice that the dynamic nursing environment necessitates. Competence into computer-based applications for data collection, analysis, and interpretation are necessary (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2011) and are my areas of weakness. Undergraduate and graduate students are competent in basic computer skills and have positive attitude towards informatics but parity in competencies between the two levels suggests need better skills at the higher levels (Choi & Martins, 2013) that can be inferred to needs at longer experien ce as mine. Nursing informatics competency is also necessary for improving effectiveness of self-care and for developing strategies for better self-care approaches (Knight & Shea, 2014), and this identifies need for improving my competency level. Use of research software for the application is the greatest weakness. Some software use commands for customization of worksheets to accommodate specific data sets, such as creation of headings for data sets. This remains my challenge and without it, input data lack meaning, and may rely on memory for an understanding. Similarly, specific commands or steps for executing in-built commands are necessary for conducting data analysis using statistical software and I lack the required competence. Results from my PATCH assessment identify my ability to realize the needs through learning to use computer and associated applications. My confidence in learning computer use for professional and creativity tasks, and my

Finance Principles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Finance Principles - Essay Example An investor will thus, take care of the rate of return to expect and the risk level exposed in the capital market in making a decision on stock and bond allocation. Equity and bond portfolio investment in U.S capital market: Equity investment; An equity investment is supposed to provide long term value growth and the possibility of dividend income. The value of shares can at some time become volatile by being either declining or a rising trend in the overall market period. The stock market index in U.S has being declining in the recent past due to the financial wrangles being witnessed in Europe. The future economic growth of the country is promising to be positive which is a clear picture that in future the prices of the stock will raise. Thus, as a fund manager the current stock prices are in the best lowest prices when I should consider buying for future profit making from sale of the shares in the future. Also, with an economic growth prospects the shares are likely to generate d ividends which will be of benefit to the investor’s economic potential. Bond investment; A bond investment represents a fixed income investment because it attracts a fixed rate of interest and a known maturity time4. The value of a bond investment is determined by the movement of the market interest rates. If the interest rates are high, the price of the bond is low and at the time when the rates of interest are low, the bond price will be high. The interest level of a bond represents the risk level of a bond. The bond market in U.S assessment shows a challenge to fixed income investors because of the way it is associated to the European market which is facing a debt crisis5. This is because the performance of the bond in U.S capital market in the time to approach is likely to be determined by how the events will unfold in Europe6. There has being development of discouraging news from the European market of possible government default in paying back loans, bank crisis and the possibility of euro break up. This has lead to investors demanding a flight to quality on U.S treasury bonds and a poor performance on high yield bonds and emerging debt markets. The flight to quality response by the investors has resulted to the fall of 10- year note to record lows of 2011 with its price rising. This mean of seeking safety has outweighed prospects of earning meaningful long term returns7. Investing in U.S treasury is thus, pegged on a deteriorating of the European market. The expected economic growth in 2012 poses a risk to treasury bonds due to the inflation uptick that may rise which has a negative effect on bond prices. Investing in high yield bonds currently has an unknown future interest earning due to the debt crisis in Europe which can only get better if the crisis are solved to the fullest. Asset allocation; As an investor deciding to invest in the equity and bond market in the American market, the return level and risks associated with two assets due to t he global economic events needs to be allocated with care. From the assessment of the two assets investment opportunities, investing in the stock market is more favorable to an investor than in the bond market for future returns of the investment8. Market performance of any asset has usually being uncertain towards how in future the returns from the assets investment will perform9. This means that an investor has to come up with a portfolio arrangement that will try to caution massive losses from investing in only one asset that seem to have positive future returns. The portfolio investment need to allocate much percentage to an asset that has

Physical education Essay Example for Free

Physical education Essay Introduction Recent educational changes have spurred the need for assessment within the Physical Education field. Although it has always been part of the instructional process – Plan, Teach, Evaluate -it has not received the attention of many physical educators until recently. In the past it was not necessary to use assessment techniques for several reasons. Educators were not required to provide information on student performance to anyone. Both practicality of useful instruments and time needed to complete such assessments appeared to take away from the more relevant parts of teaching. In addition, professionals in the physical education field were not required to have defined learning outcomes for their students. Today, with the increased emphasis on accountability, physical education teachers in New Hampshire must rethink the place of assessment within their programs. The newly revised NH STANDARDS for Public School Approval (Ed 306 – effective 7/1/2005) addresses assessment in physical education as part of section 306. 41. It states: In the area of physical education, the local school board shall require that each school physical education provides: Sound assessment practices in physical education that: 1. Match goals and objectives; 2. Require evaluation and synthesis of knowledge and skills; 3. Emphasize higher-order thinking skills; 4. Clearly indicate what the student is asked to do; 5. Are at an appropriate skill level according to: a. State standard; and b. The needs of the individual; 6. Have criteria that are clear to students and teachers; 7. Are engaging and relevant to students; 8. Link to ongoing instruction; 9. Provide feedback to students; 10. Provide cost-effective benefits to students; 11. Reflect real-world situations; and 12. Emphasize use of available knowledge and skills in relevant problem contexts. In addition, assessment plays a key role in Follow the Child, a recently established New Hampshire Department of Education initiative, under the leadership of Commissioner Lyonel B. Tracy. This initiative, offered to New Hampshire schools and districts, helps schools foster student aspirations to promote student success through an emphasis on personalized learning and assessment and focuses on measuring student growth through all areas of each child’s life. To become a Follow the Child designated district, the school administrative unit (SAU) must show a commitment to several beliefs including the use of continuous assessment strategies. Therefore, it is imperative that physical education teachers are knowledgeable about assessment and utilize sound practices. 6 What is Assessment? Assessment refers to the process of testing and evaluating students to determine progress towards program goals. It is an important part of any sound physical education program because it helps teachers to measure students’ current levels of ability, progress, and their own teaching  effectiveness. A quality assessment model in physical education involves: 1. formally stating the instructional objectives (cognitive, psychomotor, affective) 2. pre-assessing the students 3. measuring the achievement of objectives using valid and reliable tests during and after the delivery of appropriate instructional activities 4. evaluating student progress towards meeting the objectives 7 What are the Principles that Guide Assessment? A quality assessment model is based on three principles: 1. Establish appropriate instructional objectives using national, state, and local standards or guidelines. 2. Select/use appropriate measures to determine student progress towards meeting instructional objectives. Assessment can take many forms. Both formal and informal tools can be used. (See â€Å"What are the Approaches to Assessment? †) 3. Develop an evaluation scheme that reflects the attainment of instructional objectives. While grading is part of the evaluation scheme, it should not be the only outcome. (See â€Å"What is the Relationship between Assessment and Grading? †) 8 What Do the Components of an Effective Assessment Measure? For an assessment measure to be effective, it needs to include: 1.validity – Does it measure what it claims to measure? There needs to be agreement between what the assessment measures and the performance, skill, or behavior the assessment is designed to measure. For example, if a test is designed to measure cardiovascular endurance, one must be confident it does so. It is important to remember that validity is specific to a particular use and group. An assessment might be valid for one age group, but not valid for a different age group. 2. reliability – Does it measure consistently? A reliable assessment should obtain approximately the same results regardless of the number  of times it is given. For example, an assessment given to a group of students on one day should yield approximately the same results if it is given to the same group on another day. 3. objectivity – Does the measurement yield highly similar results when administered by others? For example, an assessment has high objectivity when two or more people can administer the same assessment to the same group and obtain approximately the same results. 4. feasibility – Is the measure straightforward and easy to set up and administer? The following administrative considerations may help one determine the feasibility of an  assessment. a) Cost: does the assessment require expensive equipment that one does not have or cannot afford to purchase? b) Time: does the assessment take too much instructional time? c) Ease of administration: Does one need assistance to administer the assessment? If so, how will these people be trained? Are the instructions easy to follow? Is the assessment reasonable in the demands that are placed on those being assessed? d) Scoring: If another person is needed to help administer the assessment, will it affect the objectivity of the scoring? (For example: A person is needed to pitch the ball to  the hitter in a softball hitting assessment. ) 5. usefulness – Can the results be used for valid educational purposes such as self-appraisal, program planning, or reporting progress? For example: A worksheet is given to a student so one can demonstrate knowledge of skills/games. The results could provide to the student an idea of how much is known about skills/games (self-appraisal), to determine where in the lesson this information should be covered (program planning), and/or as part of calculating students grades (reporting progress). 9 What Are the Purposes of Assessment? 1. Student Learning: Assessment is a way for educators to measure progress, strengths, and areas of growth. Many teachers assess their students using a pre-test, mid-term, and post- test to gauge student learning. This may take place throughout a unit or the entire school year. 2. Improvement of Teaching: Teachers use assessment to determine what is effective in their teaching practices; what is working and what needs improvement. A variety of assessment tools may be used in order to determine what types of instruction are most beneficial in meeting the needs of students. 3. Communication: Assessment should serve as a means of communication between educators, students, administrators, and parents. Parents and students often look at assessment to see WHAT is being learned, HOW progress is being measured, and the TYPE of instruction being received. Educators and administrators use assessment to evaluate teaching practices and to determine if there are gaps in the curriculum. 4. Program Evaluation: Assessment can prove a good measure of one’s program, revealing evidence of the effectiveness of that program, throughout the year, assessment can offer  direction to the program and modifications can be made to increase both student and instructional success. 5. Program Support: Consistent assessment can be used to validate one’s program. Data gained is objective and can show evidence of goals and objectives being met by both student and teacher. With clear data presented, a strong measure of program support may follow. 6. Motivation: Assessment shows progress. When improvement is shown, students feel Positive about their learning environment. Documented assessment can offer proof of growth, thus enhancing students’ motivation to perform to the best of their ability. 10 What Should be Assessed? The Three Domains of Learning Throughout a child’s development there are three domains of learning that exist in order to educate the whole child. Psychomotor, cognitive, and the affective domains give meaning to learning. These are essential in allowing a child to explore the learning environment and obtain as much information about the world as possible. The three Domains are: 1. Psychomotor- The performance component; exploring one’s environment and gaining skills throughout the process. 2. Cognitive-The knowledge component; thinking, associating experiences with learning. 3. Affective-Personal and social development. Providing children with opportunities to interact with others in order to gain a sense of themselves and those around them. Incorporation of the 3 Domains in Physical Education According to David Gallahue, in physical education the three domains are interwoven to give meaning to movement. When children understand WHY their body functions the way it does (cognitive), they can begin to attain skill competency (psychomotor) and associate positive feelings with physical activity (affective). a. Psychomotor domain -the heart of physical education is developing competent motor skill abilities. b. Cognitive domain- an understanding of movement concepts and principles that allow children to become more efficient movers and learners through movement. c. Affective domain – development of acceptable social and personal behaviors in physical activity settings that allow for a productive learning environment with students working responsibly both individually and as members of a group. Assessment of the Three Domains in Physical Education When assessing the psychomotor domain, one is measuring the development of motor skills and health related fitness. For example, at the primary level, students demonstrate skipping by  performing the skill using the step, hop pattern or at the intermediate level, students participate in the FitnessGram assessment program. When assessing the cognitive domain, one is measuring student knowledge of movement concepts, principles, strategies and tactics. For example, at the middle school level students articulate the skill pattern of the underhand throw (â€Å"ready, swing back, step, follow through†) or describe a strategy used to defend territory during an activity. 11 When assessing the affective domain, one is measuring the development of acceptable social and personal behaviors in physical activity settings. For example, at the high school level, students fill out a self reflection about their performance, complete a peer evaluation or identify, follow and, when appropriate, create safety guidelines for participation in physical activity settings. 12 What Are the Approaches to Assessments? What is Formal and Informal Assessment? Teachers can collect information using either formal or informal evaluation. Formal assessment is usually standardized. This standardization allows the teacher to interpret student performance and provides an objective way to assess learning. Informal assessment, sometimes termed alternative/authentic assessment, often relies on observation techniques. What is Traditional Assessment? The term traditional assessment is used to describe the means of gathering information on student learning through techniques such as multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, and matching questions, as well as essays. These approaches are particularly useful in assessing students’ knowledge of information, concepts, and rules. They are also appropriate for assessing students’ knowledge of the terms and processes involved in a career. Because factual knowledge of information is one important aspect of applied technology, carefully  designed multiple-choice and matching questions can enable the teacher to quickly assess student mastery of content knowledge. However, an effective assessment evaluates knowledge of facts as well as the connection to a broader body of knowledge. Proficiency in applied technology depends on the ability to know and integrate facts about all aspects of industry into useful constructs. What is Alternative Assessment? Teachers from all academic fields are now being held accountable for the performance of their students. This level of accountability requires teachers to document student learning. In addition to  traditional assessment, more physical education teachers are incorporating â€Å"real-life† learning in their classes. These alternative or authentic assessments focus on the use of what is learned in real- life settings. â€Å"Alternative assessment techniques can be applicable to using assessment as a â€Å"learning experience† that is part of the instructional process rather than something that is â€Å"done to† students (Rink, 2006). Alternative assessment takes time. The teacher must balance the need for reliable and valid information against the practical issues involved in limited program time and too many students. Yet these assessments are gaining in popularity because they tend to focus on more meaningful â€Å"real-life† learning. Authentic assessment focuses on the use of what is learned in real-life settings. Alternative assessments techniques can be used for all of the learning domains and are most applicable to using assessment as a â€Å"learning experience† that is part of the instructional process. Most alternative assessment relies heavily on the assessor making a judgment about some performance. This performance could be about a physical skill or ability, an affective or cognitive behavior. 13 What are the Different Types of Assessment that are Used in Physical Education? Many types of assessments can be used by educators to collect information and provide students with a variety of learning experiences. The following are a few types of assessments used in physical education. After each type, the approach (formal or informal) is noted in italics. . Observation is one of the most common forms of assessment used in physical education. Observational data is a useful form of assessment for the teacher to assess student performance. It is also one of the most useful self and peer assessment activities. When the students are provided a set of criteria to assess their performance or the performance of others, they are learning what is important in what you are trying to teach them and learn to focus their efforts on improvement. (Rink, 2006). An example of each assessment noted below has been placed in Appendix I. †¢ Checklist: associate with observation data; used to identify a particular behavior or characteristic of performance with established criteria. Informal †¢ Performance task: are meaningful â€Å"culminating† experiences that can be accomplished within a single instructional period. Examples would include a dance routine, warm-up routine, locomotor skill sequences, skit, role playing, and oral report. Informal †¢ Rating scale: associated with observation data; determines degree Informal †¢ Record of performance: ‘Snapshot’ of performance from daily tasks (i. e. win/loss, fitness scores, skill assessments) Formal †¢ Rubric: used to assess complex behavior; a multidimensional rating scale. Formal †¢ Student interview, survey and questionnaire: used to gather information on student thinking and feeling. Informal †¢ Student journal: are often used as a â€Å"notebook† where students are asked to reflect on their  performance/ express their feelings, perceptions and attitudes about their experiences in physical education. Informal †¢ Student log: Establish a record of participation or some other behavior or characteristic over time. Formal †¢ Student project: designed as a learning and assessment experience. Students are asked to investigate, design/construct, and present their work in some form. Formal †¢ Written test/worksheet: Is the most common form of assessment in all content areas. It is considered the best way for teachers to determine student knowledge. Formal A portfolio has not been listed above as a type of student assessment. Although it may mean many things to some, within this document a portfolio is considered a representative collection of learning over time. It should demonstrate progress and learning. Students today are part of a highly technological world. Therefore, assessments might include audio-visuals (posters, white boards, easels) and computer-assisted techniques (i. e. mind mapping, imovies, powerpoint, movement skill videos). These knowledge or performance assessments can be compiled in an electronic portfolio that would demonstrate learning over time. 14 Types of Student Assessment Used in Physical Education. There are many types of assessments that can be used by teachers to collect information. The type of assessment chosen needs to match the student learning goals. The chart on the following page is an attempt to provide several examples of both traditional and alternative assessments. The format was modified from the following resource: Hopple, C. J. (1995). Teaching for outcomes in elementary physical education. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetic 15 TYPES of STUDENT ASSESSMENT Traditional Approaches Alternative Approaches Teacher Generated Student Products Written Tests/Worksheets Selected Response. Formats Limited Open-ended Formats Audio/visual Written Performance Tasks Responses selected from given alternatives Brief, written response constructed Generated for exhibition/display Written response generated Physical or cognitive behaviors Multiple-choice Open response Banner Essay, story, poem Skit / role playing True false Short answer Photo exhibit Research paper Officiate a game Matching /association Label diagram Artwork – black white Anecdotal Fitness assessment Corrective true false Fill-in-the- blank Videotape Student journal Debate Concept maps Personal fitness plan Oral report. Poster Student log Instruct a lesson Powerpoint Advertisement Interview imovie Brochure Showcase Audiotape Checklist Movement sequence – dance, gymnastics, locomotor, etc. Rating Scale Warm-up routine Rubric – teacher, peer, self Game play Model of athlete (clay, styrofoam) Record of performance Newspaper Magazine construction Reflection Student project Pre-assessment inventory Student survey, interview, questionnaire Editorial 16 Who Should Assess and Who Can Assess? There are a number of potential ways to assess within physical education. In order for assessment to be successful, it must be practical. The following will identify some ideas and suggestions that can make assessment feasible, useful, and meaningful for both the learner and teacher. Assessment can be completed by the teacher, student, or peer. The more traditional model where the teacher is assessing is often not feasible from a practical perspective. However, if one of the teacher’s objectives is to plan and provide opportunities that result in student responsibility, then it appears logical to involve students in the assessment process whenever appropriate. Self Assessment: Self assessment can be used throughout the instructional process. This provides  both a quick and practical way for the teacher to collect information. Student progress can be recorded using one or more of the following tools – student journal, notebook, index cards – that are completed and submitted to the teacher. Teacher Assessment: Simple checklists, rating scales, and/or rubrics can be used by teacher to assess student performance. In addition, the use of technology in the classroom or gymnasium can be used to assess student performance and student behavior. The videotape, CD and DVD can be viewed at a later time. Peer Assessment: With clear directions from the teacher, peers can collect information that can  indicate student progress. Again, checklists, rating scales, or rubrics can provide criteria for making judgments. Peer assessment requires students to focus on the criteria, allowing them to develop observation skills. For peer assessment to be effective, the teacher needs to teach the observational process. 17 When Should Assessment Occur? ssessment should occur on a continuous basis throughout the year. Assessment used prior to instruction (pre-assessment) could provide information about the students and help establish learning objectives. Assessment used during instruction can provide feedback to both the teacher  and students. Finally, assessment at the end of instruction (post assessment) can determine if learning objectives were met and/or if changes or more work in a particular area is warranted. 1. Formative versus Summative: a. Formative Assessment is done continuously throughout the learning and instruction period. This type of assessment provides feedback that can be used to alter, fine-tune, or modify what has been done. Both teacher and student can use the information gained to improve either teaching practices or learning methods. Traditionally, this is not graded but used as a diagnostic tool. b. Summative Assessment occurs at the end of the learning unit. â€Å"The purpose of summative assessment is to measure how well students have learned key content and skills as defined by the unit’s learning goals and objectives† (http://www. state. ct. us/sde/dtl/ta/seminarseries/online_seminars/phys_ed/4. htm) 2. Pre-Assessment versus Post Assessment: a. Pre-assessment tools are used at the beginning of instruction. Results from pre- assessment are used as a basis for setting reasonable and attainable goals. This allows teachers and students to identify and work on areas that need improvement. b Post assessment tools are used at the end of the learning unit to evaluate student progress and achievement. The post assessment results can be compared to the pre assessment results to measure how well individual students have mastered content and skills and to evaluate the effectiveness of instruction. c. Some of the assessment tools may be used for both pre-assessment and post assessment. For example, the Fitnessgram can be administered in the fall (as a pre-assessment) to help establish health-related fitness goals. Then it could be given again in the spring (as a post assessment) to measure process toward established goals. 18 Where Should One Begin? Using performance tasks for assessment: A performance task is a type of performance assessment in which students physically perform the skill or desired product to be assessed. If one chooses to use performance tasks for assessment the following suggestions should be kept in mind: 1. Choose a task that fits the level and is realistic for both teacher and students. 2. To begin, only assess 1-2 specific classes until becoming familiar with the process. 3. Find performance tasks that can be used to assess outcomes from more than one unit. 4. Use performance tasks for formal and informal assessment. 5. Use assessment stations, when possible. That way one can focus attention on fewer students at a time. 6. Record the names of students who do not perform the task (usually there are fewer). 7. When planning units, specifically plan for assessment time. Do not wait until the last minute to think about assessment. Using portfolio tasks for assessment: Portfolios provide teachers with an authentic form of assessment. They can be used by teachers and students to see progress over time. Physical education teachers need to adapt the use of portfolio tasks to their unique classroom setting. Useful strategies to do this include: 1. Portfolios need to last over time. Therefore, they need to be sturdy enough to handle a variety of papers. Students can personalize them, if desired. Make sure their names (last name, first name) are written in a common, visible place on the portfolio. 2. Decide what should go into the portfolio. This could be a combination of in- class and out-f-class work. Examples might include fitness scores, skill checklists, journal logs, fitness logs, reflections, and worksheets. 3. Store the portfolios by class in a crate or box with handles. Store them in an accessible place. 4. Develop a protocol for students to use when submitting work. 5. Make sure to plan time to review the work in the portfolios. 6. Begin using portfolios with 1-2 classes. In the beginning portfolio tasks may not be necessary for every unit. 19 How Do I Manage This Thing Called Assessment? Management is crucial in implementing any assessment strategy. Establishing assessment protocols will save teachers time and effort. The first step in effective management of assessment is to develop, teach, support students in practicing assessment protocols. Scheimer (1999) stated that assessment protocols provide students with an organized method for obtaining the assessment materials (i. e., paper, pencil, or portfolio), selecting a private area in the gym to complete the assessment, and collecting the materials at the end of the assessment episode. Examples of assessment protocols include: 1. distributing assessment materials 2. collecting assessments 3. ensuring names and dates on papers 4. arranging assessment materials (when teaching back to back classes) 5. dealing with insufficient assessment materials 6. accommodating nonreaders and/or non-English speaking students 7. accommodating students with special needs The following are suggestions for assessment protocols that have been used by effective teachers,  both within the context of physical education and regular classroom teachers. Each protocol can have its drawbacks – experimentation may lead to perfection. Each protocol may need to be modified depending upon the number of students, age/grade of students and use of student aides. Distributing Assessment Materials The key to this assessment protocol is getting the students involved. A class can be divided into smaller groups (no more than 8 students per group). Each group then has a specific equipment area where the necessary assessment materials (as well as the equipment needed for that lesson) are located. Before class begins, the teacher places the necessary assessment materials (and/or equipment) in each equipment area. When it is time to work with the assessment materials (and/or equipment), students go to their group’s equipment area, select the materials (and/or equipment) needed, and return to their designated work space. Collecting Assessments The teacher uses a moveable filing cabinet containing folders with identified markings as tabs. These 25† x 15† systems hold approximately 300 folders, depending on the amount of information collected. It is the students’ responsibility to submit or remove papers from the class or personal  student folder as requested by the teacher. Within each personal folder, files can be categorized by color paper inserts. 20 Ensuring Names and Dates on Papers To keep accurate track of submitted papers, have students write their name or school code, date, and class on each paper. The teacher can fill in the information for students who are absent as this will help keep track of students who have not completed assessments. Arranging Assessment Materials When Teaching Back to Back Classes One of the easiest ways to organize materials is to color code them. Use different colored folders for each class/grade level. Place the assessment worksheets and/or record keeping sheets to be used for that class/grade in each folder. Teachers can help students learn to find the correct folder for their class and take the materials from it. Dealing with Insufficient Assessment Materials Due to the tightness of school budgets, money is often focused on equipment and curriculum rather than materials needed for assessment. However, there are ways to deal with this situation if a teacher is inventive and frugal. Paper: Use recycled paper (one side) and cutting the paper in half or quarters (elementary). Provide a notebook or white lined paper specifically for physical education (secondary). Use chalk boards/ dry erase boards with the teacher making notations on a separate sheet. Writing utensils: Often times at the end of the year, teachers give away crayons that are no longer part of a complete set. Check with the custodians who frequently have collected a bucketful of pencils and pens as they clean the buildings after school. Upper level students may be asked to provide their own pencils or if stations are used, students can share writing implements. In addition, do not be afraid to ask business or community groups for help. Getting two or three boxes of pencils and a ream of paper may be sufficient to use for assessment annually. Accommodating Nonreader and/or Non-English Speaking Students The ideal would be to have a tutor and/or translator in the gymnasium, however, not all schools budget for this. However, since visual models are a key component in helping these students, the following could be used: A. large pictures posted on the walls B. large words with phonetic break downs C. the English alphabet posted on the walls D. flash cards E. teacher/student mirroring F. peer mirroring 21 Accommodating Students with Special Needs. Each student’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP) should be reviewed for necessary accommodations. When a paraprofessional is available, he/she should guide students using a variety of specific modifications as specified in the IEP to access the curriculum and assist in assessment. Consultation with the physical education teacher is critical in this process. When a paraprofessional is not available, the physical educator should utilize the identified modifications as outlined in each student’s IEP for both program development and student assessment. These may include the use of adaptive equipment and/or peer partners for guidance to  assist the student. 22 What is Grading? Grading reports a student’s level of performance and usually includes many assessment measures. Grades are useful for evaluating individual student performance. Grading can be used to motivate students and help them understand that learning is important. Grades provide students and parents with feedback regarding progress and achievement. In addition, grades may provide insight for teachers about instructional planning and for administrative purposes. Grades are needed for student rank, credits, and promotion. 23 What is the Relationship between Assessment and Grading? Assessment is information gathered that examines what has been taught, practiced and learned. Many different assessment techniques may be used to evaluate students’ progress. Grading is a report on students’ level of performance. Goals and objectives should be set prior to assessment used for grading. The students’ grade should reflect a level of achievement compared to the objectives. Assessment reflects performance; grading attaches value to performance. 24 New Hampshire Curriculum Guidelines/Objectives Alignment with Assessment Examples . Curriculum Guideline 1: Engages in a physically active lifestyle Since Guideline 1.

Impact of Social Media on Young Peoples Body Image

Impact of Social Media on Young Peoples Body Image A critical analysis of the ways that media and social media affect young people’s body image The effect media and social media has on young people has become more prominent in recent years. Many young people have low self-esteem caused by comparing themselves to each other online. Furthermore, young people are constantly surrounded by adverts using models with unrealistic body types and it is because of this among other reasons that there are such high reports of young people with eating disorders. The majority of sources looked at in this discourse analysis come from a variety of newspaper articles as well as many academic sources. Most of the newspaper articles are fairly recent from between 2009 and 2017 whereas the academic literature is older with some dating back to 2000. This is so that we are able to see whether there has been a change over time. This essay has been split into three sections. The first looks at articles backed up by studies and how they compare, the second looks at who is to blame for a negative body image as well as who most articles are written for , the third section examines how academic literature compares to media sources and whether they agree or disagree with the findings. Figure 1: Instagram An article by The Independent (2017) looked at how social media can be very damaging to young girls through the use of hashtags such as ‘thinsperation’, ‘bonesperation’ and ‘fitsperation’. The article starts off by saying that there is an ‘alarmingly large number’ of accounts online that are ‘proano’ and encourage people to post photos of their emaciated bodies. The word ‘alarmingly’ suggests that there is a higher amount of accounts active than would have been expected and therefore the word is being used to scare the reader to show them how big the issue actually is. The article then goes on to talk about a study published in the Journal of Eating Disorders where they carry out a content analysis of hashtags on social media. The article goes on to say that the study found that there is a ‘staggering’ number of photos online using these hashtags. However, this is not what the study was looking at, instead it was analysing three hashtags and what kind of images appear under each one (Talbot, C et al, 2017). The article has chosen only to use the number of photos the study used rather than what the findings actually were. As well as this, the use of the word ‘staggering’ could be seen as an exaggeration in order to instil fear into the readers. Most of the readers of newspapers tend to be parents and therefore it could be assumed that the use of language is used in order to make parents follow their children’s social media more closely. Figure 1 shows an example of what would come up if the hashtag thinsperation was searched. Most of the images are seen in black and white and many don’t show their faces which could suggest that whilst they may like thin bodies they may be embarrassed or want to keep their identities hidden. A Guardian (2017) article explored the idea that photos of peers on social media can have the biggest impact on body image. It starts off by using words such as ‘guilt’ and ‘shame’ which are both negative words that may make the reader connect with the story, especially if they’ve felt the same way as the people being talked about. The article uses a study that appeared in the Body Image journal about the impact of appearance comparisons to back up its points. The newspaper article states that women are more likely to compare themselves to each other through photos on social media rather than through other forms of media. However, the study’s main finding was that negative comparisons occur most frequently when face to face compared to online (Fardouly, J et al, 2017). The article failed to mention this and decided to pick out information that would back up their story rather than what the study actually found. This article mentions the impact on body image in general rather than a specific gender. However, they only focused on a study with a small sample size of only 160 people and they were all girls. A study using a small sample size may not be as accurate as using multiple studies or a study with a large sample size and therefore the results would not be able to be generalised to a wider population. Figure 2: https://themirrorreflects.wordpress.com/2013/01/13/real-life-barbies/ Barbies have often come under criticism for giving girls unrealistic expectations for body image, as seen in figure 2. An article written for an eating disorder help website claims that 90% of people that suffer with an eating disorder are girls between the ages of 12 and 25. It goes on to say that because they are girls they most likely played with Barbies shortly before contracting the disease. This article is saying that there is a direct correlation between playing with Barbies and getting an eating disorder. It also states that parents should be careful when choosing what toys their children can play with because they develop a critical eye from an early age. Not only is this article criticising Barbie dolls for leading to eating disorders but it is also blaming parents for choosing the wrong toys for their children (Mirror Mirror, 2016). An article written for the American Psychiatric Association (2016) claims that American children aged three to ten years old own an average of eight Barbies. Whereas, the Mirror Mirror article claims that the same aged kids have an average of ten. Therefore, this suggests that this article may be exaggerating the numbers to potentially try and scare parents into changing their habits if the numbers seemed more extreme. A journal published in 2006 backs up these points by saying that it is specifically the Barbie doll that causes body image issues compared to other dolls. However, it claims that the higher age group of 7 Â ½ to 8 Â ½ were not affected by Barbies but were instead affected by the more accurately shaped Emme doll as they perceived this one to be overweight. This also backs up the above articles as it says that environmental stimuli can have an effect very early on in life because they begin to internalise the Barbie image. The majority of articles discuss how women are affected by media however, men are affected too. An article from The Sun (2017) focuses on how men are affected. It claims that ‘male athletes are 16 times more likely to get an eating disorder compared to normal blokes’ but it fails to state where it has received its facts from. Throughout the article the word ‘expert’ is constantly used to give statistics, however there is no mention of any studies to back up these points and therefore the research may not be accurate. Furthermore, the title suggests that the article would be about social media, however it is only mentioned briefly once at the beginning and so therefore the article is misleading. An article written for the website Adiosbarbie (2015), a website that aims to stretch concepts surrounding body image, talks about how men don’t report eating disorders because they are told to ‘be a man’. This article shows that there are more men than you think struggling with eating disorders but they just don’t speak out. It is also written in a much more informal style and addresses the reader using phrases like ‘we must’ which may suggest that they are trying to connect with the reader about the issue. A further article (casapalmera.com, 2009) compares eating disorders in men and women and it is clear to see that there is a difference in language being used when describing each one. When talking about boys the article uses phrases such as ‘chiselled abs’ or ‘muscular’ which both describe a strong person, compared to words such as ‘waif-thin’ which are used to describe girls. This suggests that whilst both are affected by eating disorders the effects and their views are completely different. In 2017 a film was realised called ‘To The Bone’ which follows the story of a girl battling anorexia. This film received a lot of backlash as it was said to be glamorising eating disorders. One article by The Sun (2017) used words like ‘shockingly’, ‘worryingly’ and ‘chilling’ to describe the effect it has had on girls struggling with eating disorders. These words are all very strong words and therefore a person reading this article may be persuaded that they shouldn’t let their child watch it as it may lead to them having negative thoughts. They also use the phrase ‘experts slam the show’ without giving the name of the experts they are talking about. By using the word ‘expert’ it makes an article more believable. The Independent (2017) also discussed the film claiming that they have got the portrayal of anorexia wrong. However, they use other articles to back up their points and use less harsh words when negatively discussing the film. As well as this, rather than saying that they are ‘glamorising’ anorexia as The Sun does, they say that they are ‘trivialising’ it suggesting that it’s been over simplified. Furthermore, it doesn’t discuss the film in a negative way because it’s a trigger but it discusses the perception of gender in the film and depicting the main character as a young, white female. They claim that these stereotypes are inaccurate. Therefore, comparing these two articles it is clear to see that The Sun uses much harsher language to instil fear into the reader whilst The Independent uses much softer language and discusses issues surrounding the topic. Articles always try to place the blame on someone and in this case its celebrities. A Daily Mail article (unknown) says that unrealistic expectations for women lie with celebrities. They use words such as ‘snakehipped’ and ‘reed thin’ to describe models which both suggest that these women were severely underweight. This article also mentions sources such as Queen Mary and Great Ormond Street to show that girls are starving themselves and potentially making themselves infertile. These sources would immediately be trusted by readers whether they may be accurate or not. Therefore, readers may take the article more seriously. This article also compares anorexic teenagers to those liberated from Nazi concentration camps. The fact that they make this comparison is interesting as one is deliberate and the other is by force yet they both result in the same outcome – being severely underweight. By making this comparison it shows how bad the situation really is if girls are deliberately trying to starve themselves to the same extent. However, another article places the blame with social media. The Independent (2014) reported that the problem lies with increased pressure on social media. The article states that it has been given figures ‘exclusively’ on the topic and this may grab people’s attention because it suggests that only the readers will have access to the information. Figure 3: Screenshot Some articles suggest that celebrity endorsements encourage people to lose weight as they have a huge social media following and make weight loss seem easy (livestrong.com, 2017). However, half way down this article were adverts for the very thing the article was saying weren’t effective. Figure 3 shows the adverts that were present on the page. s. This isn’t the only time this has been an issue as it was reported in The Sun (2017) about a segment on the show Loose Women. Men were discussing their experiences of negative body image leading to eating disorders and when they went to an advert break the first advert was for diet pills. This goes to show that even when doing research about the negative impacts weight loss it is still possible to be faced with adverts advertising fad diets. One journal found that roughly 0.5% of 15 to 19-year-old girls have anorexia and it is on the rise. It discusses the ways in which media plays a key role in causing eating disorders. This journal also addresses gender differences when it comes to body image. Girls want to look thin whilst boys want to look lean with lots of muscle. This could be one of the reasons that boys aren’t mentioned as much in the media, because they don’t necessarily look as though they are underweight or have a disease because they may be going about it in a different way (Morris, A and Katzman, D. 2003). One study examined in this article stated that 44% of the girls participating believed they were overweight and 60% of them were in the process of dieting despite the majority of them being a healthy weight. This supports what has been reported in the media because the reason many girls are becoming anorexic is because they believe they are overweight. However, an article from 2004 reveals that whilst celebrities and playboy models have got thinner over the years the average size of American woman have increase. This shows that there is even more of a contrast between models and reality and therefore the perfect body is becoming harder and harder to achieve. To conclude, it is clear to see that from comparing academic journals to media sources both seem to be saying the same thing. Media and social media are one of the reasons that the number of people with eating disorders are increasing. They both also suggest that media and social media lead to young people having a more negative perception of themselves which can then manifest into a disease. On the whole, the media sources have been accurate however they sometimes exaggerate the facts as well as only choosing to use certain aspects of studies to fit the story. References: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/anorexia-social-media-bonespiration-thinspo-bullimia-eating-disorder-instagram-twitter-a8000461.html (2017 article)https://jeatdisord.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40337-017-0170-2 (2017 journal)https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/mar/05/friends-pictures-on-social-media-biggest-impact-body-image (2017)Instagram (2017)The impact of appearance comparisons made through social media,, traditional media,, and in person in women’s everyday lives – Fardouly, J (Journal)https://www.mirror-mirror.org/barbie-and-body-image.htm (2016)https://www.psychiatry.org/news-room/apa-blogs/apa-blog/2016/02/barbies-self-image-and-eating-disorders (2016)http://willettsurvey.org/TMSTN/Gender/DoesBarbieMakeGirlsWantToBeThin.pdf (journal -2006)Barbie photo https://themirrorreflects.wordpress.com/2013/01/13/real-life-barbies/ https://www.thesun.co.uk/living/4088418/huge-rise-men-eating-disorders-social-media/ (2017)https://casapalmera.com/blog/manorexia-men-with-eating-disorders-on-the-rise/ (2009)https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/3943117/anorexia-nervosa-the-bone-netflix-lily-collins/ (2017)http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/to-the-bone-why-netflix-s-portrayal-of-eating-disorders-has-got-it-all-wrong-a7863106.html (2017)http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-198217/Celebs-blame-anorexia.html (unknown)http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/exclusive-eating-disorders-soar-among-teens-and-social-media-is-to-blame-9085500.html (2014)https://www.livestrong.com/article/385736-media-influence-on-weight-loss/ (2017)Screenshot from articlehttps://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/3546350/loose-women-weight-loss-tablet-advert-eating-disorders-gok-wan/ (2017?)

Free Macbeth Essays: The Essential Macduff :: GCSE Coursework Macbeth Essays

The Essential Macduff in Macbeth Like in all (or most) Shakespeare plays, there is always a hero that overcomes evil supernatural forces. Macduff is this essential character in this play. His loyalty and patriotism to his dear country, Scotland, is more exceeding unlike the likes of the other Scottish nobles, Macduff was devastated by the murder of his dear king, and he also somewhat sacrifices his family for his country. These three transactions add up to one hell of an admirable hero. Conflict of forces is reflected in the character of Macduff. Duncan’s murder is discovered by his loyal supporter Macduff. It is the intensity of his devotion to the king that brings him to the castle just at the time of the murder and makes him the first to see the dead body, "The Lord’s anointed temple" (Act II, Scene3, 67) as he calls it. Had Macduff’s loyalty been supported by corresponding strength he could have come in time to save Duncan. But as Duncan displays goodness and virtue without sufficient power to maintain his rule, Macduff’s capacity for pure loyalty is not combined with the strength required to express it. When soon afterwards he goes to England in support of Duncan’s son Malcolm, his wife and children are left to be murdered by Macbeth. His personality lacks the energy to sustain both the commitments of his loyal heart. In expressing his loyalty to the dead king he ignores his equally great commitment to protect his family. Macduff returns from the scene of Duncan’s murder crying "O Horror, horror, horror!" (Act II, Scene3, 63) The response of the other lords is revealing. Lennox simply asks "Mean you his majesty?" (Act II, Scene3, 70), no more. The king’s sons arrive. Donalbain is silent. Malcolm says "O, by whom?" (Act II, Scene3, 100) Except for Macduff, there is no expression of horror, outrage or grief by those present. In the interview with Lady Macduff, Ross describes her husband as "noble, wise, judicious" (Act IV, Scene2, 16) one whom "best knows the fits o’ the season" (Act IV, Scene2, 17). Why then, did Macduff leave his wife and family unprotected? Perhaps, there was a conflict of loyalties in- love of country vs. love of family- in his heart; realist though he was, Macduff may not have believed that Macbeth would stoop to such brutality and wickedness as the murder of women and children.

Hard Times :: essays research papers

The book Hard Times written by Charles Dickens is a story about a Lancashire Mill Town in the 1840’s. The novel is divided into three books. Dickens titles the books accordingly to prepare the reader for what is about to come, and throughout the novel he shows the effects of the education system, the setup of the caste system, and the Industrial Revolution had on society through this small town of Coketown. The main characters of the novel show the English caste system of the 19th century by showing how one influences the other and the amount of power the bourgeois now have in society. They own the factories. Therefore, they have the money and, because of the changes coming from the revolution, have some power in society. The titles of the three books, â€Å"Sowing†, â€Å"Reaping†, and â€Å"Garnering† shows significance in the way Dickens is trying to help the reader get an understanding of what is to come. Dickens shows the way the working classes are f ighting for a say in the way they are treated at work by forming unions and how a bad negotiator can ruin things. He shows from the start that the education system is based on â€Å"fact† and not â€Å"fancy.† The breakdown of the â€Å"fact† based education is shown when Gradgrind himself asked a question that is not fact based. In the end, the whole system of education is reversed and the â€Å"fancy† is fancied. The novel can be summarized as a book about two struggles. One struggle is between fact and imagination and the other is the struggle between two classes. Thomas Gradgrind, the father of Louisa, Tom, and June not only stresses facts in the classroom in which he teaches, but also at home to his family. He has brought up his children to know only the â€Å"facts.† Everything is black and white, right or wrong with nothing in between. Gradgrind does not like the idea of going to the circus or having flowered carpet. Everyone knows a person cannot have flowered carpet. He would trample all over them and they would end up dying. The second struggle is between the classes is illustrated between Stephen Blackpool and Bounderby. Blackpool represents the working class and Bounderby the bourgeois or middle class. He is a warm-hearted man who feels he deserves this mediocre life. Blackpool was once an employee under Bounderby and was fired for standing up for his beliefs.

Last Solution for Outbreak of Gangs? :: essays research papers

Last Solution For Outbreak of Gangs?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Currently being discussed in Congress is the Anti-gang Bill, also known as the â€Å"Gangbusters Bill†. This bill would turn gang-related violent offenses into federal crimes punishable by mandatory sentences of at least ten years, expand the range of crimes punishable by death, and allow U.S. prosecutors to try 16 and 17 year old gang members as adults in federal courts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One unfortunate effect of this new bill will be the progressing overcrowding of federal prisons. On June 30, 2004, a study was taken of the United States Federal Prisons and 2,131,180 prisoners were detained in federal or state prisons or local jails, an increase of 2.3% from midyear 2003 statistics, and an estimated 486 prison inmates per 100,000 U.S. residents went up from the previous 411 at the end of 1995. Between 1995 and 2001 alone, violent offenders accounted for 63% while drug offenders contributed 15% of the total growth of the state prison population. Even with population disputes aside, this political decision will only further persuade our more enlightened citizens of our government officials’ gullibility, to truly believe cement walls and bars will stop gangs and gang-related violence. All this â€Å"Gangbusters Bill† will do is round them up possibly making it easier for them, given the then closer proximity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another topic giving reason to throw up red flags on this government issue is the fact that the bill will help bring the United States further indebt. In 1992, Federal and State prisons reached a record high of 883,593 prisoners and it was estimated that approximately 1,143 prison bed spaces were needed per week due to overcrowding. On an economic prospect, on average each prisoner costs $22,000 per year and the 883,593 prisoners were costing American taxpayers approximately $19.4 billion, not to mention another $61.7 million for the construction of the 1,143 spaces needed. Do these numbers throw your mind for a loop?

Did Germany Cause The World War I

When Wilhelm II became a Kaiser, paths for ever-growing German industry were already set and Germany was becoming a world’s super power. New Kaiser, who according to many historians was disturbed mentally, wanted for Germany to become greatest of all countries in Europe through growing military power ( potentially war ) and through obtaining overseas colonies, what will later on bring Germany in conflicts with other European major countries. Kaiser’s offensive foreign policy and Schliffen Plan are the facts which eliminate every suspicion about Germany being innocent in question of who caused the World War I. German foreign policy dramatically changed when Kaiser Wilhelm II forced Bismarck to resign in 1890. After Bismarck’s resignation, Kaiser set a new course for Germany. Wilhelm II made an emphasis on militaristic and expansionist policy while he tried to â€Å"defend† Germany’s â€Å"place in the sun†. This new offensive, provocative and irrational foreign political path ruined Germany’s relations with major European countries. German militarism, which is the crime of the last fifty years, had been working for this for twenty-five years. 1] First proof of Kaiser’s bad methodology came in 1893 when he failed to renew alliance with Russia. Now, the doors for Franco-Russian alliance were opened and the Bismarck’s worst fear about encirclement of Germany in case of war, was becoming a reality. In 1894, Franco-Russian alliance was ratified. In order to prevent fighting on two fronts, German Army Chief of Staff – Alfred von Schlieffen came up with a plan. This plan was worked out in the 1890’s and completed and changed a little bit by Von Molkte in 1906. The fact that Germany worked out the plan of attack and all the other countries had just plans how to defend themselves, is the reason why Germany was sole accused for causing the war. Schlieffen planned the attack and win over France to be faster than Russian mobilization. So, Germany would attack France through Belgium with 90% of its military forces and 10% would just stay on eastern border to defend Germany against eventual Russian attack. Schlieffen underestimated French forces and that is why Germany in the end faced war on two fronts. The Schlieffen Plan must rank as one of the supreme idiocies of modern times†¦ It estricted the actions of the German government disastrously. In July 1914 they had just two choices; either to abandon the only plan they had to win the next war, or to go to war immediately. [2] Except this expansion in Europe, Kaiser desired to gain overseas colonies. To conquer countries on other continents and to later protect them, Germany needed powerful fleet. By this policy, which Bismarck avoided during his period as a chancellor, Great Britain felt offended because its navy status as the most powerful one was at stake and overseas colonies could be threatened. To justify his decisions, Kaiser said that they needed bigger and more powerful fleet to protect their growing trade. With accusations from one and bad defending arguments from another side, naval rivalry began and both countries spent millions on building their new ships. Kaiser Wilhelm II did not think about efficiency of his foreign policy; he just cared about arms build-up and improvement in navy. With this act, he insulted Great Britain and eliminated every chance for friendly relations. There is no comparison between the importance of the German navy to Germany, and the importance of our navy to us. Our navy is to us what their army is to them. To have a strong navy would increase Germany’s prestige and influence, but it is not a matter of life and death to them as it to us. [3] All these irrational moves made by Germany and Kaiser, led to making of a new alliance system Entente Cordiale ( friendly ‘getting together’ ) in 1904 between Great Britain and France. Russia joined this alliance in 1907. Not even this did make Germany to change its foreign policy. In stead of getting rational, Germany kept provoking other European powers by interfering in their or theirs colonial governments and intern issues. There was possibility of French to takeover Morocco. Germany said that they will pledge they allegiance and support Moroccan fight for independence. This conflict was solved on the conference at Algeciras in Spain where Germany sustained grave diplomatic defeat. Russia, Britain, Spain and even Italy supported the French demand to control Moroccan bank and police. In 1908, Austria-Hungary formally annexed ( took over ) Bosnia. When Russia protested against this decision – because they supported Serbia in ‘fight’ for Bosnia- , Germany supported Austria-Hungary. Since France did not want to get involved in the Balkans conflicts, they simply drew back. Britain just protested to Austria-Hungary. So, as Russia was alone with out any allies in this â€Å"battle† and did not want to engage another war after losing to a Japan – they recognized the annexation of Bosnia by Austria-Hungary. This was great win for the Austro-German alliance. In the Bosnia crisis, Germany showed for the second time that they were ready to start the war. They proved it once more, in the Agadir crisis where they needed just a little spark. When French troops occupied the capital city of Morocco in order to put down rebellion against the Sultan, it looked like the France was ready to annex Morocco. To avert this to happen, Germans sent the warship called the Panther in port of Agadir. British Prime Minister Lloyd George said that Britain is not going to just stand by and he gave warning against further German expansion. After these warnings, Panther was ‘removed’ from port of Agadir and Germany recognized French protectorate of Morocco in return for two strips of territory in French Congo. In these crises, Germans showed how prepared they were and how hard they wanted something to happen just to start the war. Germany played a more active role in the outbreak of war in that the Sarajevo assassinations served only as an excuse to re-ignite the militaristic Prussian tradition that looked towards war as a method of solving any problems, domestic or international. [4] The greatest war of modern times, and perhaps in the whole history of the human race, was begun by Germany using the crime of a schoolboy as an excuse†¦[5] The important political role Kaiser Wilhelm II played was crucial to the outbreak of war in 1914. Through a nationalistic, militaristic and expansionistic foreign policy, Germany did everything to make a mess in a diplomatic world. Germany actually created situation in which the slightest spark would explode in Europe-wide conflict. In the bottom line, Germany first invaded Belgium to get to the France in order to complete Schlieffen plan. They were rightly accused for causing all the damage and the loss to which other European countries and their people have been subjected.