Autism Spectrum Disorder And Autism - 1827 Words

Estimates show one out of six children aged three-seventeen in the United States had one or more developmental disorders in 2006-2008. This can affect the person mentally, physically, emotionally, or a combination of the three. These range from something as simple as a speech delay to something as complex as cerebral palsy. One of these developmental disorders is autism. Autism can cause social, communication, and behavioral challenges. One in 68 children are affected by autism. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is 4.5 times more common in boys. One in forty-two boys will be affected; whereas, one in 189 girls will be on the spectrum according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Though autism is quite common and the occurrences†¦show more content†¦This issue is sometimes referred to as the â€Å"broader† ASD phenotype (Regehr and Feldman, 237-238). One of the most commonly debated speculated causes for autism is that it is a reaction from vaccines. Data i ndicates that the amount of shots given at such an early age could compromise the child’s immune system and possibly contribute to autism. Thimerosal, which is a vaccine preservative, is 49% ethyl mercury. Every major symptom of autism is documented in mercury poison cases. The biological abnormalities typically associated with autism also are very similar to mercury poison side effects (Ratajczak,70). Autism cannot be diagnosed with genetic testing, but genetic testing can let one know if their child is more susceptible to autism. When major segments of DNA are deleted, the gene is considered faulty(Waters,2). When coupled with other factors the autism is more commonly presented. Microarray screening only identified 8-25% of people on the spectrums genetic abnormality. Seventy-five percent of cases are undetected by screening; therefore, psychologists remain the main source of diagnosis (Waters,2) The symptoms associated with autism are just as broad as the speculations of the cause. This can partly be accredited to the fact that autism is a broad spectrum not just one certain level of delay. There is low-functioning autism, high- functioning autism, and several steps in between. Autism is like a line graph and depending on one’s symptoms andShow MoreRelatedAutism Spectrum Disorder And Autism Essay1393 Words   |  6 PagesAutism is a neurological disorder with many forms and severities, better known as autism spectrum disorder, that begins early in childhood and lasts throughout the individual’s life. Autism spectrum disorder is defined as developmental disabilities that can cause significant social, communication, and behavioral challenges (CDC). Previously, autism was recognized in distinct groups and types. Now, autism is referred to as a spectrum because there is an overlap among all the different forms of autismRead MoreAutism Spectrum Disorder ( Autism )9 00 Words   |  4 Pages Autism Disorder Mohamed Ayoub Community College of Aurora Autism Spectrum Disorder We are living in a time where a remarkable and advanced medical treatments exist. However, scientists and medical professionals are constantly faced with diseases and disorders that contemporary humanity needs a cure and treatment. Amongst the disorders that affecting our young people today is the autism spectrum disorder. It is a â€Å"complex and life long behavioral disorder marked by impairment in socialRead MoreAutism Spectrum Disorder ( Autism ) Essay1396 Words   |  6 PagesThe disorders listed under the umbrella of Autism Spectrum Disorder, were once listed as autism and subtypes of autism. This was changed in 2013 when The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) was published, and they were listed under the umbrella of Autism Spectrum Disorder. There are five disorders listed under the umbrella of Autism Spectrum Disorder: Autistic Disorder, Asperger’s Syndrome, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, Rett Syndrome and Pervasive Dev elopmentalRead MoreAutism Spectrum Disorder And Autism2594 Words   |  11 PagesAutism Spectrum Disorder is defined as a neurodevelopmental condition that is classified by a triad of impairments. These impairments are in communication, socialization, and repetitive patterns of behavior (Wolf, 2004). Autism affects about 1% of the current population (Shishido, Branko, Norio, 2013). This disorder seems like a common diagnosis in the current day in age but the disorder was only discovered around sixty years ago. The two founding researchers that discovered the disorder are KannerRead MoreAutism Spectrum Disorder ( Autism ) Essay1739 Words   |  7 Pagesconventions (Lai, 2014). These two observations would be the beginning of a disorder known as the Autism Spectrum Disorder. This developmental disorder, characterized by a range of deficits in different areas, is increasingly prevalent in society and in the media. While the exact numbers vary from country to country, according to La i (2014), 1% of the general population is diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. The range of this disorder has a detrimental effect on society, specifically the educationalRead MoreAutism Spectrum Disorder ( Autism ) Essay1858 Words   |  8 Pages Autism Spectrum Disorder affects various aspects of an autistic child’s life. Many children are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder every year, while others go undiagnosed for an extended time, or even for their whole life. A child exhibiting delays in language benchmarks or showing little interest in the surroundings should be examined for possible ASD. Language is often impaired and although the level of impairment can range from severe too unnoticeable in each child, a child is likely toRead MoreAutism Spectrum Disorder And Autism1590 Words   |  7 PagesAutism Spectrum Disorder, more commonly known as Autism, is a prevalent developmental disorder that has grown to a major extent recently in the United States, UK, Japan and Europe as well (Landrigan 219). According to an article written in 2014 by Chris Bateman, 1 in every 50 children aged 6-17 in the United States are diagnosed with autism, compared to decades ago where it wasn’t nearly anywhere close to that (Bateman 1). As autism continues to grow, it is important that we learn about the differentRead MoreThe Autism Spectrum Disorder ( Autism )1025 Words   |  5 PagesI. Introduction: Autism Spectrum Disorder is a range of complex neurodevelopment disorders, characterized by social impairments, communication difficulties, and restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behavior. There is more classification of Autism that is based on the severity of symptom. Childhood disintegrative disorder, also known as Heller s syndrome is a rare condition characterized by a late onset of developmental delays in language, social function, and motor skills. AspergerRead MoreAutism Spectrum Disorder And Autism1389 Words   |  6 Pages Autism Spectrum Disorder Autism is a form of â€Å"ASD,† Autism Spectrum disorder and is experienced all around the world. Autism is a developmental disorder that consists of many neurodevelopmental disorders of the brain. People with autistic disorder think and act in different ways than most people. There are many different forms of autism spectrum disorder that include the pervasive development disorder, Asperger syndrome, and autistic disorder. These disorders are called spectrum disorders becauseRead MoreAutism Spectrum Disorder And Autism1492 Words   |  6 Pageslife there are several different disorders that have been well known from many years ago. There is one disorder that was diagnosed in the early 1800’s but it wasn’t until a few years ago that it gained lots of attention. What used to be known as Autism was later renamed in the DSM to Autism Spectrum Disorder meaning, a neurodevelopmental disorder rather than a pervasive developmental disorder (Gargiulo, 2015). Autism s pectrum disorder is a developmental disorder characterized by abnormal or impaired

Creating Meaning and Identity through Consumption Essay

Under the current capitalism society and material culture, people tend to form their identities through consumption, this means more than to consume products which are needed to survive, consumption can also link to self-identity formation and expression. People are imperceptibly influenced by the mass media that self-identity can be shaped and formed through consuming specific products. Therefore it can be said, fashion is an important element of identity formation. Young people are commonly feared of being seen as outdated and seek for acceptance from the peers and the society. According to Erikson’s theory of personal social and personal development adolescences and young adults see peers as a critical influence, acceptance of peers†¦show more content†¦It can also be said, a very large part our identities-our sense of who and what we are-take shape in terms of how we balance and attempt to resolve the ambivalences to which our natures, our times, and our culture make us heir. (Davis, 1992). As Cameron,D (2000), did a research about the youth fashion in Japan, she interviewed few young people who are about 18 to 20 years old about the street fashion. Some young people even claimed, â€Å"it is not worth looking at someone who’s not fashionable. Young people are easily influenced by peers and the media. Acceptance form peers or society and maintain self-esteem is critical for youths’ adolescent, therefore they would usually follow the trends of fashion and build up their identities with objects in order to avoid being teased or left out. In the process of identity-formation through fashion, media do play an important role. People are imperceptibly influenced by the mass media that self-identity can be shaped and formed through consuming specific products. The advertisements on television, newspaper, magazines and radio overwhelm young people with concepts that â€Å" you look good with trendy products†. Young are more easily fall into the traps ofShow MoreRelatedConsumption and Identity1704 Words   |  7 PagesConsumption involves individuals purchasing goods to achieve a meaning or value to the consumer, not simply for the material benefit it offers. Instead, ‘commodities are not just objects of economic exchange, they are goods to think with, goods to speak with’ (Fiske, 1989) (Cited in Bocock, 1993). This suggests that individuals use goods as symbolic props, as a way of creating and moulding their own identities. It is suggested that the individual has the ability to create their own narrat ive andRead MoreConsumption Is Driven By Individualisation1441 Words   |  6 PagesConsumption can be basically described as the process of purchasing and using an object or a service, however, this definition can be extrapolated to include the maintenance, repairing and disposal of said objects and services (Campbell, 1995). Consumption can also be viewed as the practise of employing goods and services as symbols and ‘systematically manipulating’ them to exhibit certain desirable abstract concepts such as wealth, status and capital (Baudrillard and Levin, 1981). Moreover, ConsumptionRead MoreCustomer-Based Brand Equity Model (Cbbe)1111 Words   |  5 Pagesstrong brand involves four steps: establish brand identity, create brand meaning, positive, eliciting accessible brand responses, and building brand relationship. In order to achieve these four steps, there are six brand building blocks which involves brand salience, brand performance, brand imagery, brand judgmen ts, brand feelings and brand resonance Brand Identity Brand Salience means awareness and it’s related to achieve right brand identity. Brand awareness refers to customers’ ability toRead MoreEssay about Consumption and Everyday Life1369 Words   |  6 PagesConsumption and Everyday Life This interdisciplinary volume portrays the variety and complexity of consuming practices that are embedded in the context of everyday life. The contributors cover a broad range of cultural consuming patterns drawing on material as well as symbolic resources with case studies from different parts of the world. Studied practices include shopping, personal narratives, music and performance, the imagination of identities and places, media and audiences as well asRead MoreAmerica And The American Dream983 Words   |  4 PagesLand of Opportunity, Home of the Brave, and Land of the Free often come to mind when envisioning the United States for most individuals around the world. Through the media, America and the American Dream is depicted as the salvation for poverty, sorrow, and hardship. The Founding Fathers invented the American Dream, offering life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Unfortunately, an abundance of immigrants were falling short of possessing the American Dream and slowly began to realize that theseRead MoreThe Nature Of Shopping Is A Trivial Activity Practiced By Self Centered Individuals1736 Words   |  7 Pagespresumption of shopping no longer included the concepts of utility and need and rather transformed consumption into a cultural event predominated by the emphasis on providing a pleasurable experience by regarding shopping as a leisure activity, thereby demarcating the shoppers among the ones who found pleasure in it and those who did not. It became a significant marker for understanding identities through a series of socially constructed and subjective experiences, while simultaneously peeling the complexRead MoreStarbucks Vs. Tim Hortons Essay1210 Words   |  5 Pagestheir way into this fabric through their advertising practices and promotional culture. This paper begins with a brief historical outline of consumer culture and it’s ties to neoliberalism, and then moves to an in depth exploration of the way in which companie s work to create and maintain a positive brand image among consumers. Through a focus on branding, versus product-specific advertising, companies work to create attachments and emotional bonds, effectively creating a loyal and invested customerRead MoreFive Differents Types of Consumption1020 Words   |  5 PagesConsumption is a complex social phenomenon in which people consume goods or services for reasons beyond their basic use-value (Firat, Kutucuoglue, Arikan Saltik Tuncel, 2003). Sometime after the industrial revolution, consumer societies emerged around the world. A consumer society is one in which the entire society is organized around the consumption and display of commodities through which individuals gain prestige, identity, and standing. Media as well, has for long been contributing in increasingRead MoreThe Effects Of Music On Our Lives1576 Words   |  7 Pagesglobally circulated creating a meaning understood locally. For most communities, accepting the cultural tas te forms a sense of belonging and identity. In the past, consuming music was a collective experience. Historically, good taste is a treasured quality to attain rather than solely a form of well-conducted consumerist knowledge. Obtaining the ‘good’ taste and judging the ‘bad’ taste is the process in which idealized versions of the person are imagined through formed identities. Farnsworth arguesRead MoreEssay Fight Club1439 Words   |  6 Pagesto cope with an emasculated, self-centered, materialistic society by creating an alter ego. Throughout the text, the theme of the emasculated modern man is presented both in the life of the narrator, and in the lives of the male characters he surrounds himself with. Through notions of absent fathers, consumerism and an innocuous/aimless existence, Palahniuk presents how men in modern society have lost their masculine identity and the extreme actions they go to in order to obtain it again. Belittled

The Invention of an Investment Incentive for Pharmaceutical Innovation

Question: Discuss about The Invention of an Investment Incentive for Pharmaceutical Innovation? Answer: Introduction Risks are defined as potential threats to an organization related to any product or service which can affect the performance of the company. Risks are classified into various categories which involve risk from these potential areas like strategy, finance, operation, natural or environmental risks. These factors can severely affect the daily business process of the organization which in turn would stop the business flow and even can hamper to a certain extent so as to totally close the company. In organizations the evaluation of risks is a must before any invention or innovation of any new product or service. Abstract To make the accompanying thing in an association's item offering a layout gathering encounters thing change system steps. Starting with a thing thought, the gathering goes through a couple stages to make each one of the unpretentious components and documents anticipated that would get the thing created. A NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPEMNT (NPD) procedure encounters the same steps, however as this thing has not been made by the gathering sooner or later as of late, new threats and dangers are introduced and frequently additional information is accounted for and conferred to delivering (Basheer, 2012). The new development of a certain product or services involves several steps and factors that should be taken into consideration so as to achieve success in the development process. Conceptualization - This stride characterizes crucial bearing and points of confinement for the entire progression process by enlightening the sort of thing, the issue the thing settles and the fiscal and specific goals to be proficient by the thing. Idealization - In the midst of the ideation step the gathering conceptualizes to discover a rate of the various ways a thing can deal with the issue and meet internal goals. Considerations are surveyed and the most reassuring are decided for further examination (Bowman and Taengnoi, 2012). Proposition - It's in this walk that the execution of the "best" way to deal with make and manufacture the thing happens. Building purposes of hobby are created to substance out the strange state thoughts from the ideation stage. Testing This stride checks if the thing meets the first targets or if additional refinement is needed. Liberation - At the point when testing has asserted that the thing deals with the issue and will meet the association destinations; it is readied to start the New Product Introduction (NPI) handle and get the thing amassed! This daigram clearly depicts the steps involved in the process for the development of a new product in an organization. Thus, it can be said that successful products are not static nor are they made overnight. Remembering these parts will help make fruitful and valuable items that pleasure clients (BROPHEY, BAREGHEH and HEMSWORTH, 2013). Risk Involvement For the success of a new product developed depends upon certain factors that should be considered during the development process. Each development process of a product undertaking is remarkable in its own specific manner, and obliges an alternate arranging procedure with steady changes. By not understanding such mind boggling contrasts, item advancement administrators are presenting their organizations to different dangers connected with product development. Thus in this context, the risks that are involved in the process of development of a new product is can be discussed by taking the following points into consideration: Management This deals with the incompetence of the management of an organization due to lack in the required qualifications or skills. It involves the improper management in the organization that deals with the introduction of less skilled personnels that may hamper the process of development (Dibb, 2013). Marketing This involves several factors like inadequate, delayed or unavailability of information on prices, advertising of the products and support of the sales team in the organization. It depicts that during development risks can also occur from the marketing strategies being implemented in the organization and a lack of support or communication based on the sales of the product. Information Technology The introduction of this technology in development process has grown in the past several years as it provides a better platform for successful product development. But in spite of this fact there also exists several risks that may hamper the process of development that is interruption created by internal (employees) factors as well as external (viruses) factors. External factors This involves several factors that are out of reach to control by the organization such as disasters that can occur in nature. It can be said that these factors are out of direct control of the organization which may occur anytime irrespective of the process or measures being implemented in the new product development process. So, it is extremely important to evaluate the risk factors and develop risk management strategies before starting the development of a new product in an organization. Invention The term invention is defined as the creation of something (product or service) that did not exist before in the market. This also deals with evaluation of solutions to problems that already exist in the product or service of an organization or company. The invention process results due to creativity of humans as well as their curiosity for new product or services that can help them to achieve a better way of living in the society. The success of inventions lies within the demands of the customers or clients for a particular product or service (Encyclopedia of innovation and entrepreneurship, 2014). There exist several forms of invention in terms of industries, business and markets. The incremental development of technology provides support with quality improvement, better performance, and height in the productivity, satisfaction of customers, also reduction in the costs for development. The invention of technology driven manufacturing plant provides a strong framework for development of a new product in an organization. This helps to reduce the manpower involved during the development process and thus creating a robust product that can satisfy the needs of the customers and easily adapt the product or service. The information technology has been proven as the best invention in the field of product development of an organization as it provides quantified, qualitative and inventory solutions during the entire development process of a product or service in the industry. So, from this it can be concluded that inventions in the industry generate great benefits if and when the new product or service travels in the market. New invention gives rise to new product development process thus supporting to maintain the competitive standards of an industry (Euchner, 2013). Innovation Innovation is vital to the arrangement banter on the best way to keep up solid financial development in a time that is progressively being characterized by the globalization of rivalry, and in addition major financial and demographic difficulties. Then again, endeavors to deliberately draw on the ideas, speculations and exact proof gathered more than three many years of development studies to educate this arrangement verbal confrontation have been restricted (Sinclair and Baglioni, 2014). Mechanical and business development is vital to the arrangement wrangle on the eventual fate of Europe in a time of globalization and financial and demographic requirements. Little endeavor has been made in the business and strategy groups to efficiently draw on the ideas, hypotheses and observational proof that have been produced in the course of recent many years of advancement studies keeping in mind the end goal to enhance the general atmosphere for advancement (Godin, 2012). The significance of a comprehension of development as a procedure is that it shapes the path in which we attempt and oversee it. This comprehension has changed significantly after some time. Early models (both express and, all the more vitally, the certain mental models whereby individuals dealt with the procedure) saw development as a direct arrangement of practical exercises. Most development is untidy, including false begins, reusing between stages, deadlocks, and bounced out of arrangement. In a vital project of case study based exploration taking a gander at generally diverse advancement sorts, it investigated the confinements of straightforward models of the procedure (Godin, 2014). They attracted thoughtfulness regarding the complex courses in which advancements really develop after some time, what's more, determined some vital modifiers to the fundamental model: Shocks can trigger innovations Proliferation of ideas Arising of setbacks Remodeling of the structure for innovation Management at the top level Shifting over period of time Involvement of learning process In this regard innovation can be said as the concept that can help to achieve growth in the industry by the process of new product development. Implementation of Innovation Advancement is the exhibit of displaying something new or doing something in a substitute way. Headway in business contrasts from creativity in that the later is generally joined with the period of new contemplations. Alternately, improvement suggests taking those new contemplations and truly executing them in the business focus. Along these lines, creativity is fundamentally one segment of the improvement process through which new musings lead to new things, procedure, or organizations (Simsek, 2013). The stream of business segments, development, and competition have brought changes to in every way that really matters every business area portion and have made new thing headway a champion amongst the most exceptional business works out. The colossal changes that consistently influence exchange have obliged associations to progress with extending rate, efficiency, and quality. Subsequently, this has made new thing headway a champion amongst the most personality boggling and troublesome business limits. Then again, firms must create remembering the finished objective to survive. The power of progression is revealed in different studies, which show that associations driving their business ventures attribute around a substantial bit of their wages to things made in the most recent five years. By relationship, associations at the base of their business endeavors finish pretty much one-tenth of their arrangements from new things (Gokhberg and Meissner, 2013). The implementation of innovations depends upon various innovative strategies that can be discussed as below: Internal Innovation Inward systems typically try to create and support the properties of inventive organizations, for example, organizing and empowering development. Particular ways to deal with empowering development vary by organization and industry (Gordon, 2014). Market Based Indeed, even organizations with the most inventive authoritative situations will mull in the event that they neglect to adequately advertise their advancements. Case in point, only in light of the fact that a firm enhances its item doesn't imply that it ought to essentially take the change to the business. From a key stance, the organization could lose cash in the event that it has put a great deal of assets in promoting the first item on the grounds that the enhanced variant may strip down deals. Different Models of Innovation Innovation implies presentation of something new. In this way Innovation can be characterized as the presentation of another item, administration or procedure into the commercial center (Hynynen, 2013). The National Innovation Initiative (NII) of USA characterizes - development like the crossing point of creation and understanding, prompting the production of social and financial quality. The process of innovation is referred to as the preface of new product or service into a marketplace which results into commercialization. This process is usually concerned with economic values and changes that can bring evolution in the organization (Johnsson, 2013). The various models for innovation process can be described as below: Linear Model In this model, thing or organization thought is cemented at in front of timetable stage keeping in mind the end goal of risk minimization. According this model, improvement method endeavors incorporates plan with back to back stages/steps arranged along such way that previous stage should be cleared before advancing to the next step. In this way assignment must pass through a passage by means of the assent of a watchman before moving to next/succeeding stage. Criteria for experiencing each portal and the person at each entryway (watchman) are portrayed already. The watchman examines whether communicated aims of the previous stage have been met properly or not and whether fancied progression occurred at the first stage. The main purpose of this model is for incremental Innovation. Thus, it is straight in here as improvement method is solidly prohibited and facilitated with the most punctual starting stage itself with a goal of set targets/destinations and inputs are controlled to fini sh fancied targets/goals (Klang and Hacklin, 2013). Technology Push Model This is the original direct model. In this innovation model it is viewed as main aspect of development. At whatever point another/enhanced innovation develops, it prompts advancements of new items, administrations or procedures. Innovation Push development includes arrangement of successive steps i.e. Basic examination (Essential science), Design, Engineering, Application Research, Manufacturing as well as Sales Marketing. Client/Consumer is dealt with as aloof beneficiary of yield i.e. it is assumed that if another/enhanced item or administration, in view of new innovation, is created without getting input/counseling purchaser/client and it is offered to customer/client, he will acknowledge the new item or administration (Lineaweaver, 2014). In this way the model overlooks the buyer needs and business sector necessities. Market Pull model This can be defined as the second time direct model as it joins and directions customer needs in the advancement process. In this, purchaser requests/showcase necessities are seen as the main aspect of advancement technique. Business area Pull progression incorporates game plan of back to back steps i.e.: Assessing client needs/showcase essentials, Concept/thought period, Refining thought to at any rate address customer issues, Design, Engineering, Manufacturing, Test advancing Sales. A couple of representations are: Phone innovations, Market pull in UPS innovation, and Invertors (Mast, 2013). Flexible Innovation Model At to begin with, Innovation was thought to be straight/facilitated/arranged activity. In no time improvement is seen similarly as non-straight and contemplations/upgrades can ascend out of any basis and at any point of progression strategy. This blend of straight non linear procedures contain incited ascent of the models of Third Generations which reflect versatile nature of genuine advancement process. Thusly fitting collaboration blend between RD, Manufacturing, and Marketing Other Corporate Functions helps in true blue organization of Innovation method. Role of Systematic Risk Management The process for development of a new product involves various types of risks so in the following sections the role of systematic risk management can be explained by the different types of risks: Technological Risks These are each one of those dangers that prompt nonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ completion, under execution then again bogus execution of the acquired great and administration. Because of its more imaginative nature, the danger lies in the specialized qualities of the administration then again item or in its generation, and in this manner begins in the suppliers' side. This danger shows up of specific significance in obtainment of items in the liquid phase (Pappa, 2014). Organizational and Societal Risks Hierarchical dangers are each one of those dangers of the acquisition fizzling or underà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ delivering for reasons arranged inside of the association that gets. Societal dangers are those identified with an absence of acknowledgment what's more, uptake by the clients of the new or changed administration conveyed inside of society (Sandhu, 2013). Market Risks According to Siddiqui et al. (2014), these risks are to be found on the interest and supply side. The previous happen at the point when advancements out in the open acquisition are likewise proposed to overflow to private markets and those private markets are not vast or sufficiently responsive or don't developed rapidly enough to legitimize limit speculation. The recent are those that conceivably upset or postponement operations, for example, political shakiness and unstable work market; potential dangers that a contender will assume control over a supplier and conceivably bolt out supplies, dangers identified with postponements and lacking quality. Financial Risks The monetary dangers out in the open acquisition are identified with instability in meeting target costs and the capacity to secure the trusts required. Conclusion In this paper we have looked into different models of the development procedure, and a portion of the exact exploration that has added to them. Our focal contention has been that the (regular) fractional comprehension of this procedure can result in a slender spotlight on radical mechanical inputs, as opposed to a more educated verbal confrontation that considers a much more extensive scope of components which impact development. References List Basheer, S. (2012). The Invention of an Investment Incentive for Pharmaceutical Innovation.The Journal of World Intellectual Property, 15(5-6), pp.305-364. Bowman, K. and Taengnoi, S. (2012). Invention, Innovation, and Wage Inequality in Developed Countries.Eastern Economic Journal, 39(4), pp.511-529. BROPHEY, G., BAREGHEH, A. and HEMSWORTH, D. (2013). INNOVATION PROCESS, DECISION-MAKING, PERCEIVED RISKS AND METRICS: A DYNAMICS TEST.Int. J. Innov. Mgt., 17(03), p.1340014. Dibb, S. (2013). Managing risks or stifling innovation? Risk, hazard and uncertainty.International Journal of Agricultural Management, 2(3), p.125. Encyclopedia of creativity, invention, innovation and entrepreneurship. (2014).Choice Reviews Online, 51(07), pp.51-3597-51-3597. Euchner, J. (2013). The Uses and Risks of Open Innovation.Research-Technology Management, 56(3), pp.49-54. Godin, B. (2012). Innovation Studies: The Invention of a Specialty.Minerva, 50(4), pp.397-421. Godin, B. (2014). Invention, diffusion and linear models of innovation: the contribution of anthropology to a conceptual framework.Journal of Innovation Economics, 15(3), p.11. Gokhberg, L. and Meissner, D. (2013). Innovation: Superpowered invention.Nature, 501(7467), pp.313-314. Gordon, T. (2014). Introduction to New Section on Medical Technology, Innovation, and Invention.Surgical Innovation, 21(2), pp.126-127. Hynynen, J. (2013). Supporting invention and innovation in Central Finland: Inspiring IP awareness.World Patent Information, 35(2), pp.105-109. Johnsson, H. (2013). Production strategies for pre-engineering in house-building: exploring product development platforms.Construction Management and Economics, 31(9), pp.941-958. Klang, D. and Hacklin, F. (2013). Retaining fit between business models and product market strategies in changing environments.IJPD, 18(3/4), p.311. Lineaweaver, W. (2014). The Communication of Innovation and Invention.Annals of Plastic Surgery, 73(4), p.361. Mast, J. (2013). Cultural theory and its spaces for invention and innovation.Mind Soc, 12(1), pp.23-33. Pappa, A. (2014). Carry trade: benefits and risks.IJBIR, 8(4), p.411. Sandhu, S. (2013). Editorial (Thematic Issue: Innovation, Invention, and IPR in Biotechnology: Current Scenario).BIOT, 7(3), pp.171-171. Siddiqui, G., Miller, A., McKinley, S., Maduekwe, U. and Schwaitzberg, S. (2014). The Rise of Wearable Recording Devices: Opportunities and Risks in Medical Settings.Surgical Innovation, 21(5), pp.453-455. Simsek, A. (2013). Financial Innovation and Portfolio Risks.American Economic Review, 103(3), pp.398-401. Sinclair, S. and Baglioni, S. (2014). Social Innovation and Social Policy Promises and Risks.Social Policy Society, 13(03), pp.469-476.

Use of Ubiquitous Media Systems-Free-SamplesMyassignmenthlep

Question: Discuss about the Use of Ubiquitous Media Systems in Business Organizations. Answer: Introduction: At the time of conducting research proposal on the topic Use of ubiquitous media systems in business organization, I have gained practical experiences regarding the way entire research study can be conducted. In both assessment 1 and 2, I had lots of opportunity to enhance my knowledge for enhancing the quality of the research study. The 12 week teaching session has allowed me identify different models and theories related to the research topic. I have identified the way ubiquitous media is changing the operational procedure of the businesses. The research study has allowed me to identify all the related challenges associated with the ubiquitous media systems. During the development of research proposal and literature review, I have identified the areas that need to be covered for the successful completion of any research study. My overall learning experience will be illustrated in the description portion of this assessment. Effectiveness of the learning experience: I have tried to evaluate my knowledge base before and after the completion of 12 weeks study. I have identified that conduction of research proposal has allowed me to identify the way to develop clear aims and objectives about the research topic. I feel practical knowledge creates long-term impact on the overall knowledge base compared to theoretical knowledge. For instance, the study has focused using mixed research methodology with the combination of both quantitative and qualitative approach. Therefore, it has allowed me to formulate two different types of questionnaires for capturing required level of data about the research study. I believe gaining practical knowledge on conducting research will provide additional value in long run. I believe it will allow me to handle different major research projects, which will definitely help me to grow up in professional career. Usefulness of the learning process: Evaluation of the use of ubiquitous media systems in business organization will help me to identify the way operational procedure of the business process is changing over the past few years. During the conduction of literature review, I had to search and select effective secondary information. Therefore, it has allowed me to identify the best possible way to select appropriate models and theories for adding overall value of the research study. For that reason, I feel that learning from this 12 weeks course will help to handle future academic course related challenges. I believe learning from this study will help to identify the best possible way deal with the respondents for capturing relevant data about the research topic. At the same time, I feel that knowledge from this study will help to handle different professional career related challenges in an effective way. In fact, I believe qualitative data collection procedure has allowed me to assess body language or confident level of the respondents at the time of providing information. For that reason, I feel that learning from this course will help to improve the quality of my general life. Objectively of the learning process: During the 12 weeks course, I have gone through all the classes for capturing all the required information in an effective way. Here, I have gathered information about the types of data collection procedure that a research study can utilize for successful fulfilment of all the requirements. It has also helped me to understand the ubiquitous media systems concept, which I believe will be beneficial in enhancing my professional career and knowledge. I believe proper understanding of new media systems or technology is likely to create positive attitude towards adaption of different advance technologies. During the time of assignment 1 and 2, I have gained the knowledge about the preparation of Gantt chart. I have identified the best possible way to segregate different works of research activities for covering all aspect of the research topic. Therefore, it has enhanced my self-confidence for covering all the activities associated with the research procedure. Learning from the assessments: During 12 weeks study, I have covered all the areas related with business research aspect. For instance, I have developed an in-depth literature review regarding the use of Ubiquitous computing in the business procedure. I believe conduction of business research has allowed me to develop critical thinking about a specific research topic. In assessment 2, I have consciously tried to highlight the similarities and differences of thoughts for adding value to the eventual outcomes. I think it has helped the study to highlight both positive and risk factors about the Ubiquitous computing. For instance, I have highlighted the way incorporation of Ubiquitous systems has allowed businesses to utilize different popular social media platforms for enhancing the popularity in the targeted market. As a result, it has allowed me to assess the significance of developing effective communication channel with the use of social media platforms. For that reason, I feel that conducting business research is extremely useful for enhancing my research learning process. Explanation of the learning process: In order to fulfil all the requirements of assessment 1 and 2, I have tried to utilize all the learning from 12 weeks sessions. I believe development of assessment 1 and 2 has provided me required amount of exposures in the real market situations. For instance, collection of quantitative and qualitative data has allowed me to formulate and examine hypothesis in an effective way. I have identified the development of clear hypothesis is essential for providing a proper guidelines for the business research topic. On the other hand, qualitative data collection procedure has allowed me to assess the non-verbal communication or body languages of the respondents in an effective way. I have assessed the level of involvement of the respondents at the time of providing data about the research topic. I feel conduction of assessment 1 and 2 is critical for the development of my skills and knowledge. The development of research proposal has provided practical exposures to understand the way opera tional procedure of the businesses are changing over the timeframe. It has allowed me to understand effective use of marketing and communication process for reaching to all the potential customers in an effective way. It has also helped me to understand the way Ubiquitous media systems can help businesses to minimize the operational cost for achieving sustainable growth in the market. For that reason, I feel that completion of assessment 1 and 2 has allowed me to fulfil my goals of enhancing knowledge regarding the business research aspects. Application of the learning process: I have always craved to hold senior management positions in a prestigious organization. Now, in order to hold senior position in any organization, I need to remain aware about the way businesses are fulfilling their operational responsibilities. For that reason, I feel completion of 12 weeks session will help me to understand the workplace activities in an effective way. In the research proposal, I have selected respondents working in different corporate organizations. Therefore, I feel it will help me to understand perspectives of different employees working in different designation in an effective way. I believe it will help me to fulfil all the managerial responsibilities in an effective way. I also believe experience of these two assessments will help me to conduct different market research activities in future for the corporate organizations. As a result, it will help me to develop effective counter strategies for the organizations to achieve sustainable growth in the market. I believe data collection procedure will help me to understand the market needs and wants in an effective way. Therefore, it will help me to enhance the effectiveness of the decision-making skills in a major way. Thus, I believe knowledge and experience of assessment 1 and 2 will help me to accomplish my professional goals and objectives in an effective way. Conclusion: The above illustration has highlighted the fact that proper understanding of business research can help to handle different professional challenges in an effective way. I feel successful completion of both the assignments have allowed identifying all the risk factors associated with the business procedure. I have also identified the significance of including different media systems in the operational procedure for achieving continues success in the market. For that reason, I believe learning from these assessments will help to improve both

The Sports Card And Memorabilia Market Essays - Trading Cards

The sports card and memorabilia market The sports card and memorabilia market is as lucrative as ever in our culture today. The number of sports card and memorabilia stores, however, has never recovered since the backlash of the late 1980's and early 1990's. My business plan is to open ED'S SPORTS CARD The store-front will cost $400 per month. The sports card market has a year-round appeal but also has fluctuations by month. The height of business is found in November and December (holiday time) as well as in March and April (when the baseball season gets underway). An advantage to this business is the extremely low amount of advertising money needed. By accessing the Internet (through a $2500 computer and $20 per month America OnLine service), a card and memorabilia store can have virtually all the advertising they can put on-line at no extra cost. A webpage (through a provider like GeoCities or Angelfire) is free and posting in Usenet groups or on AOL's "Card Collector's Corner" is also free. All you have to pay is the monthly service charge. An advantage of using the Internet for this business is the profit margin. It is not uncommon to find cards on the Internet selling for 10% to 40% of it's actual value (i.e. a $100 card can be found for $10 to $40), or "pre-order" buys on upcoming products to be way below the market price (i.e. a $67 pre-order on a box that will sell for $110 wholesale). This enables the business owner to turn over inventory at a price that the consumer finds reasonable (under it's "value") and the businessman finds profitable. Start-up costs are pretty low for this business also. I figured that I can start a business for under $8,000 and maintain it for about $1,500 a month. This includes showcases, the previously mentioned computer, inventory, rent, advertising, supplies, and utilities. The average daily expense for maintaining the store is under $50 a day. What I have not figured into the amount to start-up this business is a sign outside the store. Many baseball card shop owners have told me that their sign was free! This was done by contacting one of the major card companies (Topps, Fleer, Upper Deck, or Pinnacle) and placing their corporate logo on the sign. I have been ivolved in this industry as a collector since 1985. I have been a part-time dealer since 1995. An average month as a part-time dealer (8 card shows and on-line transactions throughout the month), results in about $2,000 worth of sales and $420 worth of expenses (8 card shows times $50 per show, plus $20 for America OnLine). If my store doubled this pace (which would be still be slow for a full-time card store), it would take a little over four months to break even and it would make over $23,000 in profit in it's first year. The chart attached shows how this was figured. This business may not seem very profitable according to the figures I have provided, but these are low-end estimates. Many companies like L.J. Sands, Co. provide baseball card portfolios (like stock portfolios) for high-dollar investors. This involves finding cards of Hall of Fame caliber players that are undervalued and waiting for them to rise in value. A good example of this today is Ken Griffey Jr of the Seattle Mariners. His rookie card (1989 Upper Deck, card number 1) is valued at $70.00, in the past four years it has never been valued under $65.00, but as of April 25th he has 13 homeruns and is on pace to break Roger Maris' single-season record (61 in 1961). If this happens, the Griffey Jr card will soar to a new value. This will not be unprecedented. When Jose Canseco became the first player to hit 40 homeruns and steal 40 stolen bases in one season, his 1986 Donruss rookie card soared from $7 to $150, currently the card is available at $12. Two years ago, whe! n Cal Ripken Jr broke Lou Gehrig's "Ironman" streak of 2,130 consecutive games his rookie card (1982 Topps Traded) went from $150 to $300.

Ecological Footprint essays

Ecological Footprint essays As you read down through my ecological footprint summary, you can see that there is a huge problem with the amount of resources that I use. If everyone lived like me, there would be a need for six and a half planets to keep the system of our vast planet from shutting down. We all grew up with buzz words like acid rain, ozone layer, global warming, Exxon Valdez, Cheronobyl, and so on. We didn't have to learn about the environmental movement, we were born into it. The big reason why you should buy locally produced food is simple,trucks spew exhaust and trucks that travel further spew more exhaust. Favour products that are produced locally less distance means less pollution It's a matter of math that a reduced meat lifestyle has less impact on the environment. It takes 4 lbs of cereal grains to make 1 lb of chicken; eating meat is essentially an inefficient way of eating vegetable products. When we eat grains in this manner, much more has to be produced then we really needthat means more pesticides, more water wasted, more transportation, etc. It's true that a lot of beef cattle just range on grass but there are still the issues of methane (one of the most potent greenhouse gases) from livestock, antibiotics in our food, soil erosion, and the treatment of animals An "Ecological Footprint" is a measure of the "load" imposed on the natural environment by a given population and represents the land area necessary to sustain current levels of resource consumption and waste discharge by the population. Human activities such as eating, traveling, heating homes, and purchasing consumer items all contribute to ecological footprints. Yet, the Earth's population grows by nearly 100 million people each year. And all over the planet ,productive ecosystems and farms are being converted into subdivisions, parking lots, industrial parks, shopping malls and highways - all ecological wastelands.the automobile, fast a ...

Pricing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Pricing - Research Paper Example This research will begin with the statement that price is the monetary value associated with the product and it is the driver of company revenues.† Charles W. Lamb, Joseph F. Hair and Carl McDaniel believe that price is something â€Å"which is given up in an exchange to acquire a good or service.† Price of a product or service is very important to both seller and customer. Usually, customers see the  price as the cost of product or service, whereas seller considers as the revenue. The logic is simple for the sellers – revenue increases with the increase in price or volume of sales. In reality, price remains vague as all the details related to it are never spelled out. Theoretically, the  price is one of the most important Ps among the four Ps of product marketing. The inclusion of the  price in the marketing mix (four Ps) signifies the importance of it in the world of marketing. The marketing process is incomplete without proper adoption and implementation of pricing strategy. Prices are established in order to cover the costs and make some profit which is the ultimate objective of any company. In other words, it can be said that price is very important because it brings the profit which is crucial for the survival of the company. It is often found that customers’ expectation regarding the quality of the product varies with the price. It is assumed that quality of the product increases with the increase in price. Marketers need to consider such assumption and give proper importance to the price aspect accordingly.

Introduction to Microeconomics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Introduction to Microeconomics - Essay Example Figure 1 shows the pattern of farm gate prices: In 2004-2005, UK still remained as the lowest farm gate priced dairy producer for the 7th consecutive year. Comparing prices, the UK has a 37% gap as compared to Italy who receive a milk price of 35.8 euros/100kg compared to UK at 25.9. The reasons that were deemed to have caused this low farm gate price are the industries poor selling systems, bad forward contracts, excess profits up the dairy food chain, too much spring milk and currency effect or the  £ / Euro relationship. However, even with the loss of farmers, the UK milk and dairy industry has grown gradually but steadily since 1998 and the total value of the market increased by 2.9% to  £7.23bn in 2002 (DEFRA, 2006b).Why then in spite of the loss of producers, is the industry thriving? A September 2005 report by the Milk Development Council revealed that there was a discrepancy between the profits received by sectors of the supply chain. That is, some of them are earning excessive profits at the expense of the others. The report showed that supermarket, retail and processor gross margins on dairy products have increased over the past 10 years. Farm gate prices were also higher on average during 2004 as compared to 2003 but this increase was minimal as can be seen by the figure below: The problem now becomes apparent. The farm gate prices being low, it is expected that local and international sales of the product would be high. This is because low production costs usually mean low sales price. However, because of the high margin imposed on the product by businessmen, the products total production costs becomes much larger leading to higher sales price. This translates to lower sales volume because there is an inverse relationship between price and demand. This unfair share of profits and the low farm gate are what caused Scottish dairy farmers to conduct a blockade over the countrys major milk

Criminal justice system Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Criminal justice system - Assignment Example Thirdly, they both have a privilege against self-incrimination. Fourthly, both the juvenile and the adult have a right to notice of the charges in court. Nevertheless, both adult and juvenile offenders have the right to receive the Miranda warnings. During the court process, they both receive equal protection of their rights (Harry & Dammer, 2010). Finally, in both systems, before a can be convicted of any crimes, there must be a proof of unreasonable doubt that the person committed the crimes or the delinquent acts (Harry & Dammer, 2010). There are numerous comparisons between the juvenile justice system and the adult criminal justice system. On the first note, the juvenile justice system is a characteristic of the criminal justice system. Juveniles are charged in civil proceedings and receive no criminal record unlike the adults who are charged in a criminal proceeding and on being find guilt are forced to carry a criminal record of one’s adult life. Juvenile court proceedin gs are carried out in an informal way whereas, in an adult criminal justice system, court proceedings are carried out in a formal manner (Harry & Dammer, 2010). There are many significant differences that exist between the juvenile justice system and the adult justice system (Harry & Dammer, 2010). In the juvenile justice system, the primary and viable goal is the rehabilitation, community protection and treatment of the individual. In a criminal justice system, punishment is the primary focus.... Another difference is the accessibility of records and proceedings. There is private public access to juvenile records and confidential court proceedings in a juvenile court unlike in the adult criminal court where criminal records and court proceedings are open to the public (Harry & Dammer, 2010). Also, in a juvenile system, a juvenile offender faces a hearing which is based on both his social history and legal factors whereas, in a criminal justice system, defendants are put on trial based on legal factors. Referring to public jury trial, the juveniles have no right to a jury trial unlike in the case adult criminal justice where defendants have a right to a public jury trial (Harry & Dammer, 2010). On the other hand, juveniles are persecuted for delinquent whereas defendants in a criminal court are judged as either innocent or guilty. In cases where the delinquent acts are serious, they might be considered as crimes and the juvenile will be tried in the adult courts (Harry & Damme r, 2010). There are some important differences between the juvenile and the adult justice systems that protect the offenders. For example, in the juvenile courts the nature of the offense and age is taken into consideration (Harry & Dammer, 2010). By considering these factors, a juvenile is protected from being tried as an adult in the adult courts. Similarly, in juvenile courts, parole is based primarily on surveillance only whereas in an adult criminal justice, parole is based on monitoring of illicit behaviors and surveillance (Harry & Dammer, 2010). The juvenile justice system is different from the adult criminal justices because in the juvenile courts,

Professional Learning Communities What They Mean To Teachers Education Essay

Professional Learning Communities What They Mean To Teachers Education Essay Professional learning communities (PLCs) have been described as structures within which professionals-particularly teachers-can refine their skills, renew their spirits, and expand the scope of their knowledge (Fogarty Pete, 2006, p. 49). Even though the benefits are clear, there are numerous challenges involved in creating and managing PLCs. Such challenges have typically been broken down into concerns about: (1) finding time and otherwise overcoming logistical challenges to coaching; (2) designing appropriate coaching interventions; and (3) maximizing coaching effectiveness. This literature review will address each of these concepts by examining specific research directions taken by current theorists in the field of professional development, with the purpose of illustrating the spectrum of activity along which coaching can succeed or fail. After doing so, the literature review will also discuss broader theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of coaching, including a nalyses of the roles of: (1) race and other socioeconomic factors; (2) theories of motivation and (3) theories of organizational development. Defining and Contextualizing PLCs Rigorous definitions of the PLC, and evidence-based guidelines for its functioning, began to appear in the late nineteenth century. In the U.S., the entire project of teacher development took a huge step forward with the appearance of a number of periodicals dedicated to the subject, including The National Teacher, which debuted in 1870. It is highly likely that the professionalization of teaching in the U.S. had a great deal to do with the emergence of a standard method of teacher development, including the creation of formal PLCs. In the third volume of The National Teacher, published in 1873, the following passage appeared: First, then, the prospective teacher should be trained in the handling of illustrative material, apparatus, charts, maps, diagrams, objects, etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.his practice in them should be such as will enable him to bring before the eye what can be very imperfectly addressed to the ear. This should be done, in the first instance, privately, or in the presence of the members of a teaching class, subject to their kind but searching criticismà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦(Mitchell, 1873, p. 367) This passage is one of the first allusions, at least in American sources, to the notion of a professional learning community. It is worth situating the emergence of the PLC into the broader stream of professionalization and scientific reordering of vocations in post-Civil War America. Ellis and Hartley (2004) argued that the Civil War, which had mobilized the nations resources in service of total warfare, had exposed glaring weaknesses in the organization and practice of many professions, starting with the army and extending to nursing, teaching, and manufacturing. According to Ellis and Hartley, nursing was one of the first professions to be thoroughly professionalized in the aftermath of the Civil War, but other professions soon followed (p. 133). It is natural to draw the likely connection between the professionalization of nursing and the professionalization of teaching, both of which were historically feminine practices that, in the wake of the Civil War, were re-aligned with male perceptions of the scientific method and the professionalization of work. The emergence of the learning community can certainly be placed into this context of masculinization. Mitchell (1873) himself made a comparison between (largely female) teaching and (largely male) medicine, to the detriment of teaching (p. 362). In Mitchells opinion, one of the variables that made medicine more scientific than teaching was the fact that medical practitioners constantly mentored, critiqued, assisted, and otherwise engaged with one another, whereas American teaching had not benefited from this kind of inter-vocational interchange. At first, American pedagogical theorists did not suggest that a PLC ought to exist separately from a teaching college. Rather, these theorists thought of the professional learning community as a kind of epiphenomenon of the teaching college. For example, an anonymous writer identified only by a city of origin (New Haven, CT) to the U.S. Bureau of Education in 1885 had the following to say about a professional learning community: A few points, enforced each week and perhaps illustrated with a class, will bring up the teaching powers of those who have not had a professional training, and they will not be wearied out by trying to apply a crude mass of theories.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦The attendance at such meetings should be voluntary. There should be such a tone of interest and enthusiasm in a community as will inspire teachers with an honest and eager desire to know how to workà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦(p. 274) At this point in American pedagogy, instruction was still meted out by superintendents (or pedagogues) to teachers, but there was a recognition that the input of the peer community of teachers was just as important to teacher development as any model of top-down instruction or professionalization. The PLC was at this point defined not as a separate set of development activities, but as a kind of grassroots camaraderie between teachers in formal development settings. Soon, however, the modern definition of the PLC would emerge. It is impossible to state with certainty when the shift from the early, voluntary PLC led by the superintendent began to give way to the more formal, school-managed PLC. It appears that the shift took place over the 1930s and began to cement itself by the 1940s. Otto (1944) offered an explanation of the changing role of the principal, and how it lent itself to closer, school-level management of the PLC. According to Otto (1944), American secondary schools continued to grow in size and complexity until the superintendent was no longer able to manage or own all of the processes for which the role had previously been responsible; thus, for example, The growing need for more and better supervision of classroom instruction suggested the desirability of planning the administrative organization so that this need could be met (p. 197). There were two stages in the hand-off of PLCs from the superintendent to principals; firstly, in the 1930s and early 1940s, office staff associated with the s uperintendent appear to have taken over responsibility for all aspects of vocational teacher development (Otto, 1944, p. 197); however, when Otto (1944) was writing, there was already another hand-off underway from central bureaucrats to the principal. After the Second World War, the principal emerged as the figure most responsible for defining, managing, and otherwise supporting the professional learning community in American schools. Just as the Civil War had introduced ideas of industrial organization to various vocations, the Second World War created manpower and resource shortages that prompted a faster transition from centralized control over teacher development to a more communal, school-level management of the process (Troyer, Allen, and Young, 1946, p. 241). These forces remain very much in effect today. Instructional Coaching and The Four Types of Coaching According to Wilson and Gislason (2009), there are four types of coaching: internal coaching, peer coaching, manager-performed coaching, and external coaching (p. 56). As their names suggest, peer coaching is about coaching that is delivered by colleagues to each other; manager-based coaching is delivered by managers (or, in the educational context, principals, superintendents, and/or other administrators) to teachers; external coaching is typically performed by consultants; and internal coaching, by contrast, includes all the kinds of coaching that are provided in-house. All four kinds of coaching have been employed in the instructional coaching context. Knight (2005) documented a wave of hiring of outside instructional coaches by U.S. public schools in the 1990s and first half of the 2005, driven by the urgency of achieving basic reading and mathematics competency skills tied to federal funding and the perception that schools themselves did not contain the proper instructional resources to achieve this task. According to Clarkson and Taylor (2005, p. 4), one of the problems created by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) initiative was a push to define instructional coaching as the rote memorization of standards rather than an internalization of the pedagogical principles needed to teach up to those standards. Thus, it can be argued that external coaching becomes more popular in times of external stress on teachers to perform to a particular standard, whereas, in ordinary times, genuinely pedagogical (rather than instrumentalist) internal coaching is the more common form of instructional coaching (Matsumara, Sartoris, Bickel, Garnier 2009). In modern theory, peer coaching is praised for its egalitarian values, but theorists are also concerned that teachers lack the specific pedagogical background and expertise to make other teachers better. For example, Buly, Coskie, Robinson, and Egawa (2006) have argued that the external coach is focused on getting teachers to ask why in a structured fashion, whereas teachers are themselves often concerned with teaching other practical and specific strategies. Barriers in PLCs and Instructional Coaching: Logistics One of the major challenges in creating coaching interventions for PLCs is simply finding the time and opportunity to bring together busy professionals for dedicated learning and training. This challenge is a particularly pressing one in the current economic environment, in which so many working professionals are being called upon to do less with more. Thus, as Fogarty and Pete (p. 49) pointed out, an excellent place to begin a discussion of professional learning communities is in the realm of logistics, i.e. how to create the time and space for such communities, which is as much of a problem today as it was when Troyer, Allen, and Young (1946) wrote about the logistical challenges of organizing and managing the PLC in wartime. Abdal-Haqq (1996) argued that, within school settings particularly, PLCs scheduling ought to be built directly into both the workday and the job descriptions of teachers (although this advice applies equally well to other communities of practice). Abdal-Haqq (1996) concludes that the greatest challenge to implementing effective professional development is lack of time (p. 1), so great responsibility falls on the shoulders of leaders and managers who must accommodate PLCs in terms of schedules and job design. Fernandez (2002) made the point that making time and space for PLCs to thrive is itself partly dependent on cultural approaches. She discussed the case of the Japanese educational system, in which a great deal of emphasis is placed on lesson study, in which teachers are given the time and opportunity to reflect on both their practice and that of others (p. 393). There is more pressure on individual professionals to take advantage of existing resources, and to take the lead in overcoming logistical barriers to embed themselves within PLCs. While there is extensive lip service paid to the value of PLCs, professional development is often subject to self-regulation rather than proper top-down guidance, argued Butler, Lauscher, Jarvis-Selinger, and Beckingham (2004). Having surveyed the history of PLC development, it becomes clear that the absence of top-down guidance is itself part of the steady downward transfer of administrative power tracked by Otto (1944). While Japan appears to have retained a centralized and top-down structure for managing and supporting PLCs and other forms of teacher development, in the U.S. such responsibility has devolved down to the principal. For many theorists, the logistics of PLCs are inseparable from school system support for teachers. For example, Lappan (1997) offered the following insight: The local capacity to support change is central to implementing reforms. Teachers, and those who support teachers, need time-time to learnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (p. 207). Of course, in this context, it should be pointed out time is a valuable commodity. There is a powerful tension between the time and resources needed for supporting the local logistics needed for nurturing professional learning communities and the time and resources needed by principals, administrators, and other supporters of development for other tasks. Unfortunately, as Abdal-Haqq (1996, p. 1) also suggests, schools are faced with a zero sum environment, in which to support the PLC is to remove support from some other organizational goal. It is in this context that the logistical difficulties of PLC support should be understood. Moreover, until schools enjoy increase d funding, it is not clear that the logistical problems noted as early as Troyer, Allen, and Young (1946) will simply evaporate. Of course, one way in which the problem could be solved is by employing PLCs themselves to ease the logistical problems faced by schools. To the extent that teachers could train and develop other teachers without extensive time and resource commitments, PLCs could be of great economic benefit; as in the Second World War, the teacher-training-teacher paradigm could yield economic benefits rather than sucking up resources. For PLCs to actually operate in this fashion requires close attention to the variable of coaching design. Barriers in PLCs and Instructional Coaching: Change Management From at least the 1870s onwards, there has been a rich debate on how to best deploy teachers to train and develop other teachers. In the first stage of this debate, from Mitchell (1873) to Arnold (1898), it was assumed that merely talking about pedagogy and other teaching-related issues in a voluntary, informal meeting would assist junior teachers in their development. Over the decades, voluntary meetings gave way to more formal in-school development programs, particularly when the Second World War forced schools to consider more resource-efficient ways to engage in teacher training. In this context, the promise of coaching design is that, if there is a sound system under which to transfer teacher knowledge from senior to junior colleagues, the PLC can save school systems time, money, and administrative commitment. On the other hand, if coaching design is itself weak or unmotivated, then teachers will resist it and the PLC will fail to fulfill its promise. These issues are at the heart of the modern debate on coaching design. In contemporary times, there is much more urgency around the subject of coaching design thanks to the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2002, which has directly tied student performance to federal funding and accreditation. Killion (2005) is one of many theorists who has pointed out that one response to NCLB is the implementation of instructional coaching to improve instruction and student achievement. Instructional coaching is a relatively new phenomenon, at the core of which is a conviction that professional learning improves teaching practices and teaching practices improve student achievement (Knight, 2007; Killion Harrison, 2006; Knowal Steiner, 2007). Instructional design is not easy to implement because, as Knight (2007) has pointed out, teachers are not innately resistant to change will tend to resist poorly-designed agendas of change. As such, it is of the utmost importance to arrive at an understanding of the best practices of coaching design. In an organizational context, instructional coaching provides motivation to mentees, which in turn is intended to improve the productivity and morale of mentees. When instructional coaches work with students, their sole purpose is to demonstrate and model best teaching practices to teachers in order to improve student teaching (Knight, 2007). Motivation is the key to understanding the role that good coaching should play within a professional learning community (Bransford, 2000). Coaching design principles vary widely depending on the specific kind of professional development that is being pursued. Fortunately, however, there appears to be some consensus on best practices for coaching design. Bransfords (2000) seminal book, How People Learn, argued that coaching design should have four centrisms; i.e., it should be learner-centered, knowledge-centered, assessment-centered, and community-centered (p. 188). There are many different interpretations of how these four foci can be best captured in a PLC. For example, Beyerbach, Weber, Swift, and Gooding (1996) emphasized that the knowledge focus of PLC design ought to have a practical component, so that members of the community understand the practical applications of what they are being taught (pp. 101-102). For teachers, this practical component can be satisfied by understanding why, in the context of real-world problem solving, it is necessary for them to develop a new skill or refine an existing one. Another recent emphasis in coaching design for community-centered learning is the utilization of collaborative software, particularly blogs and wikis, which have the potential to span each of Bransfords focus areas for coaching design. Higdon and Topaz (2009) stated that blogs and wikis had an important role in creating a more centered learning environment, There is wide consensus in the academic literature about the usefulness of instructional coaching within professional learning communities. Within a professional learning community, the qualities of good teaching for students should also be evident in professional learning for teachers (DuFour Eaker,1998; Bransford, 2000). However, there are also a number of obstacles to the implementation or the success of instructional coaching, including logistical factors (such as potential coaches lack of time), institutional factors (such as a lack of managerial support for coaching), and professional factors (such as coaches lack of relevant skills). Leaving aside these barriers, good coaching design may not be so much a matter of pedagogical design as it is a matter of change management. Bransford (2000) and other researchers have already explained the evidence for best practices in specific aspects of coaching design; the issue is not so much the content of coaching design as it is the necessity of convincing teachers to go along with coaching. In this regard, there are some helpful theoretical contributions from business literature, which has long struggled with the question of optimal change management in organizations. Jensen and Kerr (1994, p. 408), based on a case study of change at Pepsi, argued that the following five questions had to be satisfactorily answered before constituents bought into a change agenda: Why must we change, and why is this change important? What do you want me to do? What are the measures/consequences of change/no change? What tools and support and available to me? Whats in it for me? These questions of change management emerge at the point of implementation: i.e., as soon as it becomes necessary to transition from a theory of the professional learning community to an actual implementation, requiring intellectual and emotional buy-in from teachers. But change management is an issue that is better tackled not by coaching designers, whose responsibility is to transfer principles such as those of Bransford (2000) to local pedagogical contexts, but at the level of what can be called effectiveness maximization of the PLC. Effectiveness Maximization and Theoretical Approaches There is wide-ranging agreement on the importance of PLCs, and even on the operational and conceptual details that PLC must satisfy in terms of coaching design. The crux of the problem lies not necessarily in those details but more in the question of how to maximize the effectiveness of PLCs. First, there is the logistical question. If there is little institutional time, resources, and guidance put into PLC program creation and management, then coaching programs are unlikely to be effective. However, even organizations that have hurdled over the logistical challenge and implemented some form of PLC must still solve the question of how to maximize their coaching programs effectiveness, including the considerations of change management as highlighted by Jensen and Kerr (1994). There are some convincing arguments that PLCs resist straightforward methods of evaluation and improvement, which creates a fundamental challenge at the level of effectiveness maximization. Revans (1979), the pioneer of the action research concept, saw the creation and functioning of a PLC as a holistic process, one that cannot be dissected and improved on a part-by-part level. To Revans (1979), a functional PLC is something that both managers and participants can recognize only by taking part in it. This dynamic has something of a chicken-and-egg quality to it, as an effective PLC requires planning, but the proper inputs of planning may only become apparent after a PLC has been launched. Even with this limitation in mind, it is still possible to both measure and improve the effectiveness of a coaching component of a PLC by surveying participants about how they are benefiting from the specific coaching program, and employing these insights to structure the back-end processes that feed into the PLC. Borko (2004) argued that it is certainly possible to measure factors such as teacher (or, for that matter, any other form of professional) learning and satisfaction; moreover, teacher performance in classrooms can also be measured by such standards as student evaluations and standardized test scores. The point is that, when a PLC is working properly, its results will show themselves in a number of domains. It is incumbent on managers or others who oversee these programs to collect baseline data in order to measure the programs achievements, and also to identify the areas that need renewed attention and resources. Maximizing the effectiveness of PLCs thus comes down to both measurement and targeted action (Dufour, Dufour, Eaker Karhanek, 2004; Saphier West, 2010; and Knight 2009), whose basis can be the experience of mentees. It is necessary, at this point, to consult some theories of motivation and organizational development in order to consider how to best maximize the effectiveness of PLCs. Much of the literature on PLCs takes it for granted that teachers are motivated to buy into the program; however, it need not be the case that teachers are motivated, or that PLCs are constituted so as to maximize the strengths of the organization. Fortunately, theoretical literature has made it easier to understand the overlap between PLCs, motivation, and organizational development. Herzberg (1966) argued that: someone who is motivated is truly a sight to behold, as they put all of their heart and soul into an activity. Love of work is certainly the strongest motivator of people (p. 141). Coaches exist partly to instill mentees with love of work, via a number of mechanisms, including that of instrumentality, or making sure that people have the tools that they need to accomplish a work task. Note that instrumentality was also part of Jensen and Kerrs (1994) framework for appropriate change management. If people lack the tools to achieve what is asked for them, they will not only resist change but also lose motivation. As such, administrators should bear in mind that every tool (including time) put in the hands of PLC members effects the motivation of individual members, and therefore the overall success of the PLC. According to the theoretical foundation provided by organizational psychologists such as Herzberg, Vroom (1964), and Maslow (1993), instructional coaching should have a salutary effect on mentees in so far as coaching instills mentees with instrumentality and motivation. One part of this dissertations purpose is to measure the impact of good coaching, as reported by mentees, and also to assess the impact of bad or nonexistent coaching. Doing so is an exercise in the measurement of organizational motivation and morale as conceptualized by a number of influential theorists in the field. For example, Banduras (1997) social learning theory is sometimes cited in the coaching literature and explains human behavior in terms of continuous reciprocal interaction between cognitive, behavioral, and environmental influences. The central aspect of Banduras (1977) theory is the claim that humans learn by watching others model behavior. Thus, psychological theory now provides firm support for the i dea of coaching as a transfer of desirable behavior from senior to junior members of a community. Clearly, then, theory has a great deal to tell us about the scientific basis for PLCs, and also about how best to maximize their effectiveness. Some of the theories surveyed in this section, for example, have emphasized the importance of motivation and instrumentality in the PLC. One final theory that ought to be considered is that of so-called toxic mentorship. It will be recalled that, as early as Arnold (1898), there is an assumption that, when teachers come together for purposes of development, mutual reinforcement and learning will inevitably take place. It is taken for granted, both by Arnold (1898) and by Mitchell (1873), that senior teachers have the best interests of the profession, and of their junior colleagues, in mind. This assumption, however, might be naÃÆ' ¯ve. There is now a great deal of research on dimensions of coaching and mentorship that fail due to the attitudes of senior teachers. Webb and Shakespeare (2008), Atkin and Wilmington (2007), and Grossman (2007) have all discussed so-called toxic mentorship as one of the ways in which coaching goes wrong, for example when coaches are burned out, unhelpful, scornful of their own profession, unethical, or not involved enough or knowledge to provide adequate feedback. The aforementioned res earchers have called attention to toxic mentorship in the nursing field, in which there has been more of an attempt of late to critique bad coaching. However, educational literature in general has not yet grappled as extensively with the concept of the toxic mentor, which is another reason why it is timely and relevant to ask mentees about this concept, as part of a more general data-gathering project on the measurable impact of mentorship on productivity and morale. Conclusion This literature review has covered a great deal of ground in attempting to illuminate the concept of the professional learning community, all the way from the seventeenth century to the present day. The conclusion is reserved for discussing an important lacuna in the research, and employing this lacuna to lend context to the research carried out by this dissertation. It will be noted that, for all of its history, teacher development in general and the PLC in particular have been defined by people other than the constituents. At first, superintendents had the greatest input into the process; later, principals took on this mantle. Throughout the process, senior teachers exercised a great deal of influence, as they had the prized knowledge that was to be passed on and passed down to junior colleagues. In the century of literature surveyed here, it is interesting to note that very few, if any, researchers have focused on the ability of mentees to provide important feedback about the nature of coaching within the PLC. It is almost invariably assumed that some outside authority, whether the superintendent or principal, is the owner of the process, while senior teachers are the drivers of the process. This attitude may be about to change because, in PLCs as in business communities, there is a move to recognize the centrality of the so-called customer. In this case, the customer of coaching is the mentee, the recipient of coaching. In both private business and public policy contexts, the customer has increasingly become both the owner and the driver of certain processes. Businesses conduct surveys of customers in order to determine what to produce. Public sector organizations, similarly, turn to the citizen-stakeholder as the ultimate owner of a process, and try to orient processes accordingly. It may be that, in coaching, the focus is about to shift from the top of the pyramid to the base: That is, from the traditional owners of coaching to its customers, namely teachers. It is possible that teachers will, in future, play an enhanced role in guiding the direction of coaching, specifically by providing input as to what kind of coaching works and what kind does not. Of course, this kind of input does not constitute the sum total of what is needed to create an effective PLC, but it is also unthinkable that learning communities can long thrive or survive without being driven by the interests and predilections of their own customers. It should also be noted collegiality has been a foundational value of the PLC. Indeed, the functioning of PLCs from the nineteenth century onwards has required a spirit of collegiality in that members of such communities must be open to critique, generous with help of others, and committed to coexistence and mutual advancement.

Othello Essays -- essays research papers

â€Å"Othello’s stature as a tragic hero is severely compromised by the alacrity with which he turns against his wife, and by his failure to achieve any real self knowledge† To what extent do you agree? Othello’s stature as a tragic hero is severely compromised by the speed and ease with which he turns against his wife, and by his failure to achieve any real self knowledge. In the Shakespearian tragedy of Othello, we witness the character of Othello fall from a position of control in Venetian society due to a combination of different reasons. Othello has a deep self-love for himself, and it is because of this he turns against his wife Desdemona with a great speed and ease. A traditional ‘tragic hero’ portrays four major characteristics: firstly, the tragic hero is a figure of high standing/esteem in the community; secondly, there is an agency that leads to the fall of the hero whether within the hero himself or from an outside figure/source; the third characteristic is a moment of self-realisation or self-awareness and the last characteristic is that the fall of the hero results in death. Othello is portrayed as a well-respected citizen within the Venetian society. He can be seen as an intelligent and heroic military leader whose skill is indeed very valuable and necessary to the state and he knows this. His military success has promoted his position within Venetian society, and as a ‘Moor’ within the white dominated society, he has a strong desire to maintain his social standing, and is prepared to sacrifice anything which threatens his reputation, which leads to the eventual death of Desdemona. Othello is trusted by everyone in Venice being called, â€Å"valiant Othello† and â€Å"brave Othello† and described as â€Å"...more fair than black† (I, iii, 286). He has been given full martial and political command of Cyprus and is a figure of high standing and esteem within the Venetian community. Othello’s flaw or weakness lies in his hubris, or exaggerated pride in himself, and he continually refers to it saying â€Å"Let [Brabantio] do his spite, my services which I have done the signiory / Shall out-tongue his complaints...† (I, ii, 17-19) and that â€Å"...[his] parts, [his] title, and [his] perfect soul / Shall manifest [him] rightly...† (I, ii, 31-32). It is due to his obsession with his pride, his self-esteem and his self image which leads to his loss of self control and hi... ...the sweetest innocent / That did e’er did lift up eye† (V, ii, 197-198), that she was false, and rather than realising his weaknesses and flaws, he takes the blame away from himself saying the murder was planned by fate: â€Å"...O ill-stared wench!..† After he has committed the crime, Othello makes sure that he is remembered as the hero he believed himself to be, once again his hubris encompassing him, saying: â€Å"...I have done the state some service and they know’t: ...Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate, Nor set down aught in malice...speak Of one that loved not wisely, but too well; Of one not easily jealous but, being wrought, Perplexed in the extreme...† (V, ii, 335-342). Othello’s never accepts his tragic flaw as self-knowledge, nor does he accept responsibility for the death of his innocent wife Desdemona. Othello is unable to see himself as a member of the Venetian society, and â€Å"it is the tension between Othello’s victimisation at the hands of a foreign culture and his own willingness to torment himself† along with the alacrity with which he turns against his wife and his failure to achieve self-knowledge which severely compromise Othello’s stature as a tragic hero.

Evaluating the Research Process Essay

Literature Review The following paper will address the research process using the article Assessing Pregnancy Intention and Associated Risks in Pregnant Adolescents. The research process consists of nine parts that include; selecting a problem, formulating a hypothesis, reviewing the literature, listing the measures, describing the subjects, constructing a design, constructing and identifying measurement devices, analysis of the data, and generating conclusions (Neutens & Rubinson, 2010). The literature review shows that adolescent pregnancy is a multifaceted problem. Adolescent pregnancy has risk factors that must be taken into account. Ethics Some of these risk factors would be the ethical considerations. The Nuremberg Code which was established in 1947 tried to provide regulations. These regulations were to prevent any more atrocities in human research (Neutens & Rubinson, 2010). One of the ethical considerations would be informed consent. Informed consent came about after the Nuremberg Code. Informed consent is about telling the subject about the details of the research, any risks or benefits that could come about (Neutens & Rubinson, 2010) Ethical considerations must be taken into consideration when performing tests on human subjects. If anything is not disclosed in the informed consent, it would leave the researchers vulnerable to a lawsuit as well as invalidating the research study. In the article, Assessing Pregnancy Intention and Associated Risks in Pregnant Adolescents, informed consent was followed. â€Å"Informed consent was obtained from the participant and if the participant was younger than 18 years old, con sent was obtained from her guardian with assent of the minor (participant)† (Phipps & Nunes, 2012). The researchers found the subjects during their first prenatal care appointment to the â€Å"Women and Infants Hospital Women’s Primary Care Center, Providence, RI between March 2002 and February 2005† (Phipps & Nunes,  2012). Steps were taken to ensure that the participants would be considered adolescents even after their babies were born and that they would understand what was expected of them. The research study was conducted by using research assistants that interviewed the participants. They were questioned about their â€Å"demographic characteristics, life plans, social supports, peer and family relationships, financial support, behavioral risks, and medical history† (Phipps & Nunes, 2012). In example, research surveys â€Å"included validated questions where available and where not available content-relevant questions were assessed for face validity. The surveys underwent a process of review and revision that included both clinical experts and age-relevant volunteers† (). In the survey, subjects were asked about pregnancy planning, so that the assistants could assess the subjects’ level of agreement with statements. The statements were coded to assess for risk factors. The stat ements ranged from trying to getting pregnant and best age to get pregnant as well as overall feelings about pregnancy (Phipps & Nunes, 2012). Statistical Analysis All of the information that was gathered by the research assistants from the participants is used in the statistical analysis to determine the significance level. â€Å"The significance level of a statistical hypothesis test is a fixed probability of wrongly rejecting the null hypothesis, if it is in fact true. The significance level is typically set at five percent† (â€Å"The Statistics Glossary†, n.d.). So anything higher than five percent would be considered statistically insignificant. The researchers â€Å"did observe significant associations between our pregnancy intention metrics and known risk factors for poor outcomes† (Phipps & Nunes, 2012). There were two dimensions of pregnancy intention that the researchers assessed. The two significant dimensions were emotional readiness and planning. Emotional readiness was more â€Å"strongly associated with risk factors for adverse pregnancy outcomes. Pregnant teens identified as not emotionally ready were at increased risk for delayed prenatal care, inadequate prenatal care utilization, delayed use of prenatal vitamins, recent smoking, recent drinking, recent drug use and depression† (Phipps & Nunes, 2012). The findings in the research study article is statistically significant. The study showed that emotional readiness and planning are critical for having a  healthy pregnancy. Before this study came out, researchers thought that being emotionally ready was not nearly as important to pregnancy as proper health care. However, if one is not emotionally ready it can affect getting proper health care. Research Conclusions The conclusion to this study determined that emotional readiness and planning are the main risk factors for adolescent pregnancy that has adverse outcome. This study tests the thought that emotional readiness and planning are the two most important factors against family type as the most important risk factor. If the study was looking into preventing adolescent pregnancy, then family type is the most important risk factor. Emotional readiness and planning are important so that one will have a healthy pregnancy. The results to this study are appropriate. There is enough information to determine that the article was indeed effective. The statistics provided in this study were quantitative in nature. The data was collected in an ethical manner. This can be determined by the appropriate exclusion criteria. The article further indicates that previous research was conducted on the topic adolescent pregnancy. This research enabled the creation of a scoring method to identify adolescents tha t are at risk for pregnancy. The results to this study are very appropriate and there is enough information to determine that the article was indeed effective. The statistics provided in this study were clearly listed and defined. The data was ethically collected and appropriate exclusion criteria were indicated to avoid producing biased results. The article further indicates that previous research was conducted on the topic of adolescent pregnancy. This research enabled the creation of a scoring method to identify those at risk of adolescent pregnancy. The article, Assessing pregnancy intention and associated risks in pregnant adolescents, looks into risk factors for adolescents becoming pregnant and having a health pregnancy. The article uses the research process to come to the conclusions that family type, emotional readiness and planning are all important. Family type is statistically important because it states that an adolescent is more at risk for pregnancy if they come from a less than ideal home. Emotional readiness and planning is statistically important because they can affect pregnancy outcome. These conclusions are the same con clusions that the researchers came to in their article. References Neutens, J. J., & Rubinson, L. (2010). Research techniques for the health sciences (4th Ed.). San Francisco, CA: Pearson Benjamin Cummings. Phipps, M. G., & Nunes, A. P. (2012). Assessing pregnancy intention and associated risks in pregnant adolescents. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 16(9), 1820-7. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10995-011-0928-0 The Statistics Glossary. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.stats.gla.ac.uk/glossary/

SAT Subject Test Dates 2015 - 2016 How to Choose

SAT Subject Test Dates 2015 - 2016 How to Choose SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you’re planning on applying to highly selective colleges, you may be required to take two or three SAT Subject Tests. Subject Tests are offered almost as many times throughout the year as the regular SAT. In this article, I’ll go through the dates and registration deadlines and give you lists of the subjects that are offered on each date. SAT Subject Test Dates: 2015-16 SAT Subject Tests are offered on five of the six regular SAT test dates coming up during this school year (the regular SAT test date in March will not offer SAT Subject Tests).Here are the dates and registration deadlines: SAT Subject Test Date Normal Registration Deadline Late Registration Deadline November 7, 2015 October 9, 2015 October 27, 2015 December 5, 2015 November 5, 2015 November 23, 2015 January 23, 2016 December 28, 2015 January 12, 2016 May 7, 2016 April 8, 2016 April 26, 2016 June 4, 2016 May 5, 2016 May 25, 2016 Keep in mind that not all subject tests are offered on each of these dates.This chart lists all the SAT Subject Tests and whether they will be offered on each of the five test dates during this school year.The most popular tests, like Biology and Math 1 and 2, are offered on all dates. Subject Test Nov. 7, 2015 Dec. 5, 2015 Jan. 23, 2016 May 7, 2016 Jun. 4, 2016 Biology E/M âÅ"“ âÅ"“ âÅ"“ âÅ"“ âÅ"“ Chemistry âÅ"“ âÅ"“ âÅ"“ âÅ"“ âÅ"“ Physics âÅ"“ âÅ"“ âÅ"“ âÅ"“ âÅ"“ Math 1 âÅ"“ âÅ"“ âÅ"“ âÅ"“ âÅ"“ Math 2 âÅ"“ âÅ"“ âÅ"“ âÅ"“ âÅ"“ Literature âÅ"“ âÅ"“ âÅ"“ âÅ"“ âÅ"“ US History âÅ"“ âÅ"“ âÅ"“ âÅ"“ âÅ"“ World History âÅ"“ âÅ"“ French âÅ"“ âÅ"“ âÅ"“ âÅ"“ German âÅ"“ Spanish âÅ"“ âÅ"“ âÅ"“ âÅ"“ Modern Hebrew âÅ"“ Italian âÅ"“ Latin âÅ"“ âÅ"“ French with Listening âÅ"“ German with Listening âÅ"“ Spanish with Listening âÅ"“ Chinese with Listening âÅ"“ Japanese with Listening âÅ"“ Korean with Listening âÅ"“ Here's another table with a different organization that may make it easier for you to see which tests are offered on each date. I only included the subject tests that are offered on some dates but not all. Biology E/M, Chemistry, Physics, Math 1, Math 2, Literature and US History are offered on all test dates, so they are not included in this chart: Test Date World History French German Spanish Modern Hebrew Italian Latin Nov. 7, 2015 Dec. 5, 2015 âÅ"“ âÅ"“ âÅ"“ âÅ"“ Jan. 23, 2016 âÅ"“ âÅ"“ May 7, 2016 âÅ"“ âÅ"“ Jun. 4, 2016 âÅ"“ âÅ"“ âÅ"“ âÅ"“ âÅ"“ âÅ"“ âÅ"“ Test Date French with Listening German with Listening Spanish with Listening Chinese with Listening Japanese with Listening Korean with Listening Nov. 7, 2015 âÅ"“ âÅ"“ âÅ"“ âÅ"“ âÅ"“ âÅ"“ Dec. 5, 2015 Jan. 23, 2016 May 7, 2016 Jun. 4, 2016 Which Test Date Should You Choose? If you know you have to take subject tests, it’s important to plan strategically.You should make sure that you take your subject tests on a date that doesn’t conflict with other major commitments.Plan on taking subject tests at a much earlier or later date than the regular SAT so that you have time to study for both and don’t end up with low scores on either. May and June are usually good SAT subject test datesbecause they’re at the end of the school year, so you will be at your maximum level of knowledge for the subjects (assuming you took the relevant class this year). Rememberthat you don’t have to wait until your junior year to take subject tests.If you take a class sophomore year that directly pertains to one of the subject tests, you can go ahead and take the test at the end of that school year.Taking subject tests while the material is still fresh in your mind is the best way to avoid long hours of studying.Some tests, like many of the language tests, are not offered in the spring, so make sure you verify that you can take your chosen test on the date that interests you. You should also note that you can take up to three subject tests on one test date (although only one listening subject test is allowed per test date).Each subject test is an hour long, so even if you take three tests in one day you won’t spend as much time at the test center as you would for the regular SAT. You may not need to take three tests; the number depends on the requirements of the colleges where you plan on applying. Most selective schools only require students to take two subject tests.If you're taking two subject tests on one test date, you should try to choose them wisely so that they pair well together. For example, if you need to take Math 2 and math is a tough subject for you, you should choose a second subject test in an area where you feel more comfortable so you can balance out your stress levels. Don't go too far down Stress Street or you won't be able to get back to Relaxation Road. Relaxation Road: the name of my debut ambient chill album. What's Next? Are you wondering what scores you should aim for on SAT Subject Tests? Learn more about what a good score might mean for you. You may have heard that some SAT Subject Tests are easier than others. Find out which tests are the easiest and why. If you're worried about time pressure on subject tests, check out this article that describes the length and format of each test and how you can overcome issues with time. Need a little extra help prepping for your Subject Tests? We have the industry's leading SAT Subject Test prep programs (for all non-language Subject Tests). Built by Harvard grads and SAT Subject Test full or 99th %ile scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so that you get the most effective prep possible. Learn more about our Subject Test products below: