Day: April 25, 2018

Assignment 5: Future Trends Essay

Length: 1000 to 1200 words

Instructions: Taking into account what you’ve learned in this course about the evolution of labour, imagine what the workplace will be like at a point 5 to 10 years in the future. What will change?

Your answer should identify one or more current trends and extrapolate from them. Do not discuss specific developments in your workplace except insofar as they are part of larger trends. Identify challenges and opportunities for workers in dealing with this (or these) developments.

Be sure to identify your sources appropriately. See the Write Site for information about how to cite websites.

Content: 60%

• Identifies one or more trends from reliable sources or provides relevant examples.
• Moves logically from identifying the trend to how the trend will impact the workplace.
• Challenges and opportunities are identified and elaborated appropriately, and these proceed logically and reasonably from the trend(s) identified.

Format, Mechanics, and Style: 40%

• Sources are identified and cited according to an established academic style.
• Grammar, spelling, and sentence structure are used correctly.
• Style is appropriate for a university-level course.

 

Prepare a report comparing the retail strategy and implementation of two retailers (Topshop and H&M )with a UK presence competing in the same market sector (based on both desk research and store visits) in the light of the competitive environment.

 

Comparing Topshop and H&M

 

UK presence

Each company should be a multi-store retailer brand (chain) although they do not need to be public companies, UK owned or national chains they should have a presence of three or more sites in London.

 

Same market sector

 

(based on both desk research and store visits)

Research should be broad and deep. Read retail theory, sector and company information and observe stores. Your report should have at least 5 academic references, beyond the references to other secondary sources.

 

Evaluate the retailers’ retail strategy and implementation in the light of the competitive environment

Your analysis should focus on the following:

Situation Analysis: Evaluate the sector in which the selected retailers operate and how their current retail strategies address the emerging opportunities and threats. Tools that can prove useful here: PESTLE analysis, Porter’s 5 Forces analysis, Competition (Direct and indirect) analysis, SWOT analysis.

 

Objectives: Compare and contrast the objectives that are driving the selected retailers’ retail strategies.

 

Positioning, Targeting and Image: Compare and contrast the selected retailers’ positioning and their target market(s). Evaluate their image.

 

Retail mix: Compare and contrast the selected retailers’ retail mix: range of merchandise; pricing; communications; store location; store design, layout, visual merchandising, atmospherics; customer service; multi-channel offering.

 

Conclusions

The report should make clear your assessment of how successful each of the retailers have been in their selection of a strategy to follow and in its implementation.

 

Assessment criteria

Analysis and evaluation of retail strategy and implementation exhibited by selection of appropriate theory and example. This involves the quality and sources of the information collected during the research and the skill used in selection, analysis and presentation (including your own research deepening and broadening your knowledge and understanding of retail theory).

 

Ability to analyse retail situation in the competitive environment demonstrated by the application of the theory. This involves the degree of insight shown in the analysis and evaluation of strategy and implementation made on the basis of research findings (secondary research and observation).

 

Critical evaluation of the relationship between elements of strategy and the retail mix exhibited by explanation and justification of answer. This involves synthesising the different aspects of strategy and implementation to provide your (evidenced) views on the effectiveness of the strategy and implementation of the retailers being examined.

 

Your ability to work to a deadline, to length, producing a systematic, well structured and organised, professional looking report, with full sourcing of all quoted material, including all material drawn from your own observations.

 

Contents page

 

1. Background- Fashion

 

 

H&M

Topshop

Research Objectives

 

2. Macro-environment analysis

 

Pestle

Competitive Environment

 

3.MARKET SEGMENTATION AND COMPETITIVE POSITIONING

 

Market segments

• Demographics
• Psychographics
• Behavioural

Customer Preferences

Positioning Map

Positioning statement

 

4. RETAILER’S CRITICAL EVALUATION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Characteristics of different answers- Grading

 

 

Assessment criteria	12 – 13 (60 – 69%)
Selection of appropriate theory and examples. This involves the quality and number of sources of the information collected during the research (10%)                                                  [including your own research, deepening and broadening your knowledge and understanding of retail theory].	Research covers data, industry and retail. There may be evidence of additional individual study of theory
Demonstrating the ability to analyse the retail situation in the competitive environment by applying theory (analysis)   Macro environment (10%) Competitive environment(10%)	Covers most of the major issues, mainly analytic stance, appropriate use of several analytic techniques. May be some less relevant material
Demonstrating the ability to evaluate the retail situation in the competitive environment demonstrated by degree of insight shown in the analysis and evaluation made on the basis of research findings (evaluation) Macro environment (10%) Competitive environment (10%) Evaluation of strategic options (10%)	Good grasp of relevant theory with strong application
Providing a critical evaluation of how well the retail mix strategy matches the overall positioning strategy given the competitive environment. Exhibited by explanation and justification of answer. This involves synthesising the different aspects of strategy and implementation to provide your (evidenced) views on the effectiveness of the strategy and implementation of the retailers being examined (20%)	The answer contains evidence of critical analysis some evaluation. The answer contains evidence of awareness of interrelationships and/or synthesis. All elements of the mix are covered
Presentation: Your ability to work to a deadline, to length, producing a systematic, well-structured and organised, professional looking report (10%) with full sourcing of all quoted material, including all material drawn from your own observations (10%)	The answer shows an organised progression of argument/explanation that goes a good way to answering the brief. Near professional appearance. Referencing mostly robust

 

Final paper assignment for MGT 303 (Scully)

• Find a Harvard Business Review (HBR) article on a topic that interests you (a full article, not a short opinion piece or letter or book review). You can choose a topic that has “management” implications, but it does not have to be a management article per se. It is fine to choose whatever topic interests you.  The purpose is to be both an appreciative and critical reader of the business press – and to use your *free* subscription to HBR via Healey Library.
• This step, finding an article, may take some time. Remember that the reference librarians are there to help, if you have questions.
• You can browse from umb.edu:

Library à E-Resources à E-Journals à Harvard Business Review à browse past issues by clicking on a year and an issue (Jan/Feb, Mar/Apr, etc).

• And/or you can do a more purposive search, entering specific topic words:

Use a search engine – search on a specific topic – find an article à go to specific past issue. Once you find the article you want and what issue it is in (e.g., Jan/Feb 2014), go to that issue for free via Healey Library. DO NOT pay for an article.

• You can use contemporary or historic articles.

 

Paper structure:

• 1. Summary (About 1-2 pp)

Give a brief summary of the main points in the article.  Include research studies that ground the article and practical applications that the article proposes.

• 2. Definitions (About 1 p)

Identify 2 or 3 main concepts or terms in the article, preferably ones that are new to you.

Do some research to find their meaning and significance.

Define the concepts and terms and why they are important for the article.

• 3. Appreciative appraisal (About 2 pp)

Discuss the strengths and contributions of the article. Mention any “aha’s” you had in reading it.

• 4. Connections (About 2 pp)

Make connections – link the article to: a current issue or event, another article in the business press (here you can go beyond HBR), a situation from an organization that you know or where you have worked (all examples will be confidential), an article or case we read for class, an exercise or discussion from class, etc.

 

• 5. Critical appraisal (About 2 pp)

Provide a critical appraisal of the limitations of the article.  Assess the article’s own assumptions and recommendations, but also go beyond the article to situate it in a bigger picture. How do the concepts in the article relate to managerial dilemmas? to alternative ways to organize or run a business? to the role of business in society? to other broader issues of your choosing?

• 6. Closing (About 1 p)
• References: Give a full citation for the article you chose, and if you can, please attach the article. There is no need to add other citations. However, if you use other sources for definitions, comparisons, critiques, setting the context if you selected a historical article, etc, you must include those sources.  This is not a research paper, so the purpose is not find more citations.  It is a critical reflection on one focal article.

Demonstrated Mastery of SLO #6

Student Learning Objective #6

MUST PASS THIS ASSIGNMENT (70% or more) TO PASS THE CLASS

The goal of this assignment is for you to demonstrate that you understand the implications of past debt management behaviors on an individual’s financial future. Specifically impact on future cash management (which refers to information from chapters 3, 4, and 5), future debt management (which refers to information from chapters 6, 7, 8, and 9), future risk management (which refers to information from chapters 10, 11, and 12), and future investment management (which refers to information from chapters 13, 14, 15, and 17).

REGARDLESS OF YOUR OVERALL GRADE, YOU CANNOT PASS THE COURSE WITHOUT SUCCESSFULLY DEMONSTRATING YOUR MASTERY OF SLO #6 which states that you have gained the mastery to “Use knowledge, theories, methods, and historical perspectives appropriate to the social sciences to understand and evaluate human behavior.”

INSTRUCTIONS

Read the description of Owen Monet and answer the subsequent questions. You must earn 70% of the available points (70 points) to earn a passing grade in the class. Further, your successful completion of this assignment is required to be granted access to the final exam.

The deadline for this assignment is 11:59 pm on Friday December 2nd. You may enter and exit this assignment as many times as necessary prior to submission. Be sure to save your work.

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Meet Owen Monet. Owen graduated from college 5 years ago with a bachelor’s degree in history with a minor in philosophy. Owen was fortunate to graduate from college with no student loan debt and without any consumer debt as well. As he started life after college, he was acutely aware of how many of his friends appeared to live the life of indentured servitude–working in jobs they would rather not in order to be able to make their student loan payments.

 

Thanks to the support Owen received from his family throughout college, he left the university feeling weightless and free. He had no more classes to take. He had no outstanding debt to pay. He was happily single with a great group of friends and not a lot of responsibility. Consequently, Owen didn’t feel great pressure to land a job with a good salary and start a career trajectory. He knew his undergraduate focus in history and philosophy would ultimately lead him back to graduate school and he planned to pursue a graduate degree in Library Sciences. In the meantime, he simply needed a job to pay his living expenses. He was hired to work retail in a large book store and was happy to simply go to work, leave when he was done, and collect a paycheck.

 

Owen started out living pretty simply. He shared an apartment with a roommate. He drove an old car that he owned outright (no car payment) that has so little monetary value that he only kept liability coverage on the vehicle. He took his chances on health insurance until he was legally obligated to purchase coverage for himself. Owen didn’t earn much but he also didn’t spend much. Anything that he didn’t spend, he put into a savings account. He figured that he might need the funds for graduate school or to invest someday down the line. He was building credit by paying his rent and utility bills on time. He wasn’t much of a cook, but could always find a friend who wanted to go out for a bite to eat. He enjoyed the simplicity of his lifestyle.

 

Having establishing a good credit reputation, Owen began to enjoy the opportunities afforded with access to credit. After one too many trips to the mechanic, Owen traded in his old car and drove away with a brand new car. In the excitement of the new car, Owen was not overly worried about also taking on a car payment as well as more expensive car insurance coverage.

 

Owen’s roommate took a job in another state and, when he moved out, he took most of the living room furniture, including the flat screen and the gaming console. Though Owen had a small accumulation of savings, he also had access to credit. He opened a store credit card account and decked out his bachelor pad with nice furnishings and the latest in entertainment technology. Owen found that, the more he used credit, the more he seemed to be offered credit. He felt he needed to take advantage of purchase discounts made available when opening a credit card account in-store. He decided that he was missing out on great opportunities to earn bonus points and travel miles by not having a bank credit card so he opened an account a promptly started using it for his daily spending and even for his living expenses.

 

All was going well until Owen realized that his credit accounts had grown to the point that he was only making the minimum payments on each account to keep it in good standing. He wasn’t worried. He knew he needed to curb his spending to ensure that his income would cover the credit card debt. At this point he had 42 months left on his car loan, 3 in-store credit cards with sizable balances, and a bank-card carrying a large balance as well. If he cut back on all his extras, he could cover his expenses and make modest payments toward reducing his debt load. He either needed to spend less or earn more. He chose to spend less.

 

Unfortunately, Owen’s employer was forced to cut his hours. Keeping the brick and mortar book store business up was increasingly difficult when competing with on-line retailers. Other employees were let go all together. Owen was lucky to keep his job, but was in a position where he could not afford to lose the hours. The money was already spent. It didn’t take long for Owen to drain his savings trying to keep up with his expenses. Once that reserve was gone, he relied on credit to bridge the gap while looking for additional work. He hit his credit limit on the bank card and then started missing payments on his accounts.

 

Owen wants to go back to graduate school to get his Library Sciences degree and begin working toward a career merging technology with historical artifacts. He is confident that he will find lucrative opportunities once he completes the 2-3 year program. However, he had not planned on debt obligations and is now realizing that his debt is standing in the way of his ability to dedicate time to graduate training. My question for you is how has Owen’s accumulation of debt impacted his future financial opportunities? Answer the following questions to demonstrate your mastery.

 

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SLO #6 Questions can be found under the “Assignments” Tab.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. What is the impact of Owen’s behavior on his financial flexibility? Does he have more or less financial flexibility compared to before he accumulated the debt? Explain why.

 

2. Is Owen more or less financially vulnerable? Discuss the relationship between financial flexibility and financial vulnerability in your answer.
3. Will his future income be affected? If so, how? (Consider his sources of income and then explain to me if you can determine whether his future income will increase, decrease, or stay the same and why.)

 

4. Will his future expenses be affected? If so, how? (Explicitly tell me if they will increase, decrease, or stay the sameand explain why.)

 

5. How will the combined impact on his future income &/or expenses impact his future net income? Will it increase, decrease, or stay the same? Why?
6. Will his future assets be affected? If so, how?

 

7. Will his future liabilities be affected? If so, how?

 

8. How will the combined impact on his future assets &/or liabilities impact his future net worth? Will it increase, decrease, or stay the same? Why?

 

9. How will Owen’s current debt impact the allocation of his future disposable income among his future budgeted expenses? (Make sure you do not confuse disposable with discretionary income)

 

10. How will Owen’s current debt impact his future discretionary income? What does this mean for his ability to saveand invest?

 

11. How does Owen’s current debt situation impact his creditworthiness (how will lenders judge him as a risk of failure to repay)? In your answer demonstrate that you understand what tool/measure lenders use to rate an applicant’scredit reputation and how Owen has likely been affected?

 

12. How does Owen’s current debt situation impact his access to credit? Are lenders likely to extend him credit? Why or why not?

 

13. How does Owen’s current debt situation impact the affordability of any new credit he might be able to get?  What are the terms of credit he will have to accept if he is going to use credit in the near future?

 

14. What is the relationship between the cost of the insurance premium and the size of the insurance deductible?

 

15. How will Owen’s current debt impact his ability to secure adequate insurance coverage that he can afford? If Owen should need to file a claim, what are the financial implications of choosing a lower versus a higher premium in terms of his ability to afford to cover the deductible?

 

16. Previous editions of your textbook included 4 signs that an individual is ready to invest. These are: you live within your means, you are able to save regularly, you use credit wisely, and you carry adequate insurance.

How does Owen’s current debt situation impact his future readiness to invest?

 

17. How does Owen’s current debt situation impact his ability to take advantage of employer-sponsored investment incentives opportunities such as matching contributions?

 

18. How does Owen’s current debt situation impact his time in the market and what that means for investment growth? What happens when you delay investing?

 

19. What would you say is the greatest opportunity cost of Owen’s past debt management behavior? Why?

 

20. You have just analyzed the ways in which Owen’s abuse of credit early in life has the potential to impact him for years into the future. What do you think? What advice do you take away from this assignment for yourself or others?

General Psychology (PSY 1010):

“Psychology in My Life” Writing Assignment

(100 points)

 

Purpose of assignment:  To measure students’ ability to:
1) Explain major psychological concepts, theories, and perspectives.
2) Read and describe research methods used in a peer-reviewed journal to explain behavior.
3) Apply psychological concepts to personal, social, and organizational problems.
4) Use information literacy skills to locate appropriate research and other relevant community resources and materials to create an informative essay.

Product: Students will write an essay of 750-1000 words (not including title and reference pages) in which you analyze and synthesize psychological concepts apply them to your speculations concerning your career and your future life.  In the essay, you will need to clearly identify your career and why you have chosen it and then explain how what you have learned in psychology will enhance your career and life.
Grading: This assignment is worth a possible 100 points.

Directions:  The PSY 1010 essay will require you to use your critical thinking skills and your writing ability to address a question of primary importance:  How will you use psychology in your career and in your life?  In order to be able to successfully answer this question, you must be able to analyze and synthesize psychological concepts and be able to apply them to your speculations concerning your career and your future life.  In your essay, you will need to clearly identify your career and why you have chosen it and then explain how what you have learned in psychology will enhance your career and your life.
Your paper will make use of two sources.  The first source is your textbook itself.   You will select FOUR PSYCHOLOGY concepts /topics from at least two different chapters to focus on in your paper.

The second source is an article from a refereed (peer-reviewed) journal (preferably an American Psychological Association journal published within the last five years) which addresses one of the psychological concepts or topics relevant to your intended career.   You will want to find an article which is research (data-driven) based and which uses the experimental or correlational method.  The article must have the traditional sections associated with a research study (abstract, introduction (literature review), methods, results, discussion, references). That means no reviews of literature or other types of articles. If you are not sure, check with your instructor.

 

In discussing information from your text, you must reference the appropriate chapters, identify and define each relevant concept, and explain why the psychological concepts you focus on are or will be relevant to your career and your future life.  You will be expected to use specific examples of how the concepts will be relevant to your career. Merely saying a concept is important is not sufficient. You must be specific about how it will benefit you in your career.

For the journal article, you will be integrating the article and its content into your paper to highlight its significance to your chosen field of study rather than merely citing it.  You will be using the journal article to discuss its relationship to one of the concepts or topics you have selected as important to your career.  Note that you will be discussing the article and the implication of its findings for your career in some detail, not merely mentioning it in passing.
Your paper must be done using APA formatting style which includes:

• A title page with the title in the middle of the page
• Page numbering in the upper right corner beginning with 1 on the title page
• In-text citations in APA format (that means the citation follows either the quote or the paraphrase of the information provided)
• A reference page at the end (called References) in APA format

Project #4 – Contentious Research Paper                            English 105 – Fall 2016

This project combines all the sources and work you’ve been doing on a specific issue within the topic of your major in Unit 3. You will need to demonstrate your ability to carry out a scholarly investigation and critically analyze an issue within your major and use sources to support your observations and position for an argument concerning the specific issue you’ve identified. This project requires the use and appropriate MLA citation of at least six (6), but no more than eight (8), scholarly/professional sources. Your paper will be 5 to 6 pages, double spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins, on letter size (8 ½ inches x 11 inches) paper.

You will be developing your paper using writing workshops, creating a proposal, conferencing with your instructor, developing three drafts, and utilizing the specific MLA citation instructions provided below:

1. Research Proposal — In class on Monday, November 7, you will begin to develop a research proposal that will include:
2. In several sentences discuss the purpose of your research and the specific issue(s) you will focus on in your paper. Why have you chosen this topic and issue and how does it relate to your major?
3. Provide three or four questions beginning with “wh-” words (who, what, where, when, why, how) that focus on the details of the specific research topic issue you have chosen to make an argument about in your fourth paper.
4. In several sentences, what are some of the arguments people might make about the questions you’re asking?
5. In ONE SENTENCE, state the claim (what you want people to believe) about the specific issue you will focus on in your paper. Remember, you are making an argument, so your sentence must state something about your specific issue that lots of people will agree with you about, but people will ALSO DISAGREE with you about. If you say, driverless cars are expensive, no one will disagree, so be sure you create a thesis statement that people will want to argue with you about. REMEMBER – THIS IDEA MUST BE PUT IN ONLY ONE SENTENCE.
6. In several sentences, explain the claim to your argument (what you want people to believe) and why you believe the issue is important to you and others in your major.
7. What is your plan for investigating your paper’s issue; how do you plan to carry out your research, where do you expect to find answers to your questions, what kinds of primary (the research others have conducted and published; usually found in scholarly/academic journals) and secondary sources (second hand observations of others’ experiences – a journalist writes a story on the experience of passengers on a flight that crashed) do you plan to use;
8. Provide a schedule for the activities you need to do and the deadlines you have to meet for the development of your fourth writing project (please provide specific dates and amounts of time you expect to need for carrying out each step for investigating and writing your paper).

Your Research Proposal is due on the Unit 4 Discussion Board before class on Wednesday, November 9th – Save your proposal as “Research Proposal Your First and Last Names” and then upload your research proposal on the Unit 4 Discussion Board.  I will read your proposal and confirm your thesis will work for your Unit 4 paper. Your research proposal must be approved by your instructor before you begin writing your paper.

29. Conferences — You will meet with the instructor to discuss your research proposal and ideas for your paper in a 15-20-minute conference on either Thursday, November 17; Friday, November 18; Monday, November 28; or Tuesday, November 29.

• Sources and MLA Citations — Your paper must use the following types of sources.
• Three to four Scholarly/Academic, peer reviewed journal articles from the WSU Library’s journal databases (these are typically primary research articles since they detail the research a person has done to better understand a phenomenon). You will find Academic Search Complete (EBSCO) will likely help you find the most sources on your topic and issue.
• Three to four professional sources from reputable, unbiased sources such as professional/trade journals, opinion journals, newspapers, or another approved source of digital media, such as a video from SearchIt on the library website (libraries.wsu.edu, after you search, use the left side menu and limit your search to only “video”); a video from The Filmmaker’s Library Online or a TED Talk video (http://www.ted.com/)

Your paper must appropriately introduce and reintroduce sources using MLA style

• The first time you mention a source, you must use a signal phrase to introduce the source (MLA requires the authors’ first and last names, the full publication date of the source [year for a book or the month, day, and year for articles; the title of the source: book titles in italics, article titles in quotation marks and journal/periodical titles in italics).
• Use an attributive tag to reintroduce the author when you discuss other sources and then return to a source previously introduced with a signal phrase (i.e., author’s last name and a verb to describe what they are doing – Glasser argues, Glasser contends, for Glasser, the problem is, etc.)
• You research paper will also include an alphabetized Works Cited page.

III.       1^st Peer Review Draft — before class on Wednesday, November 30^th, save your file as “WP 4 Draft 1 Your First and Last Names”; then upload your file on the Project 4 Discussion Board. Remember, your first draft MUST be a complete paper, follow required paper formatting and style. Your peer will expect that you have appropriately introduced and cited sources, included a works cited list, as well as reviewed your paper for spelling, grammar, and style issues and fixed these problems. To participate in the peer review, you must have your paper uploaded before class begins and arrive within the first 10 minutes of the class start time in order to be paired with a peer for review.

1. 2^nd Draft for Instructor Review — before class on Monday, December 5^th make revisions based on your peer’s review and the peer review instructions, then save your file as “WP 4 Draft 2 Your First and Last Names” and upload your file onto the Project 4 Discussion as a reply to the thread where you posted your first draft.
2. Rewrites — You will receive your instructor feedback by the end of Friday, December 9^th, and you will have until Monday, December 12^th, the day your final portfolio is due, to rewrite your paper for a grade.

 

Muscles Movement and Pain

There are three types of muscle tissues, namely cardiac, smooth, and skeletal. The cardiac muscle cells are situated in the walls of the heart; they look striated, falling under involuntary control. On the other hand, skeletal muscle fibers are common in muscles which are connected to the body’s skeleton (Lei, & Min, 2013). They are equally striated in their appearance and fall under voluntary control. Finally, smooth muscle fibers are found in the walls of hollow visceral organs, apart from the heart, they look spindle-shaped, and unlike skeletal muscles, they fall under involuntary control.

The hair cells of the inner ear sense linear and rotational motion; the vestibular system controls the states of balance and equilibrium, including the movement of the head (Lei, & Min, 2013). The rotational movement of the head is encrypted by the hair cells found at the base of the semicircular canals. As the movement of one of the canals takes place in an arc with the head, the internal fluid will move in the opposite direction, engenderingthe bending of the cupula and stereocilia (Lei, & Min, 2013).

Pain

Pain refers to the unpleasant feeling that is sent to the brain by sensory neurons. The discomfort indicates real or prospective body injury (Lei, & Min, 2013). The pain that the body feels can be altered by chemical signals found in the brain and the spinal cord.

Memory

Retrieval refers to the process of going back into our memory and tracing the information stored therein. For one basic reason, if information was encoded and stored and could not be retraced, it would be valueless to us (Norman, 2013). Our system encodes and store thousands of events such as sights, sounds, and conversations on a daily basis and creates memory traces. Conversely, the system later accesses only a small part of what it has taken in.

On the other hand, the simplest idea is that events that occur in our environment construct engrams via a process of known as consolidation: the changes of the neural that occur subsequently of learning to construct the memory traces of the experiences. Consolidation is therefore the processes of bringing stability to a memory trace after the first acquisition (Norman, 2013). It may probably be considered as part of the process of storage or encoding, or otherwise be thought of as a memory process in its own right.

Long Term Potentiation (LTP) refers to the method of the brain of prioritizing incoming signals (Norman, 2013). Any of the single neuron is capable of handling multitudes of inputs, antagonistic and agonistic. The agonistic signals are responsible for the depolarization of the post-synaptic cellular membrane of the neuron, thus aiding in the propagation of the incoming action potentials (Aps (Norman, 2013)). On the other hand, the antagonistic synapses are responsible for the hyperpolarization of the post-synaptic membrane, thus lessening the chance for a continuation of an AP.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Lei, F. A. N. G., & Min, F. A. N. G. (2013). Movement pattern and sEMG characteristics of upper limb muscles during one-finger pushing manipulation operation with different forces. Journal of Medical Biomechanics, 3, 011.

Norman, D. A. (Ed.). (2013). Models of human memory. Elsevier.

 

SKL5A1 RESEARCH METHODS

Assessment TWO – Individual project guidelines
Written Report – 60% TMM

LENGTH: 1500 words (+/- 10%)
EXCLUDING title and contents page, bibliography and appendices

REPORT DUE DATE: Week 12 – Friday of week 12 (09/12/16, 23.59hrs) via Turnitin

Topic requirements:
Working individually, you will either prepare a business report on a new topic of interest to you, OR you will continue working on the topic from Assignment 1.
If you choose the former option, first select a research question. Your tutor will help you with this. It should be related to business and organisational life.
For this assessment, you are expected to collect primary empirical data. Write up your research by using the guidelines given below. You should also look at the marking criteria (see below) to see what is expected from each section of the proposal and the balance between sections. Be aware that most of the marks for this report are awarded for the analysis and conclusions you research.

The content of your report
• Title page (including name of all group members, date of submission, course, title of course work)
• Introduction – this short section should offer rationale for your chosen topic.
• Report topic/question. Aims and objectives – These must be succinct, achievable and coherent.
• Literature review – a short review of the literature which sets out relevant concepts and ideas you plan to utilise in your empirical study. You should include 5 academic sources in this section.
• Methodology/methods – short methodology section focusing primarily on research design. Briefly outline the population, sampling and research methods. Also state your proposed data analysis technique.
• Discussion of Findings
• Conclusions and limitations

N.B –data collection is necessary for this piece of work.
Formatting advice
• Sub-headings should be used to separate main sections
• Sources of all research information must be clearly cited in the text. You are expected to use the Harvard referencing style. All sources of ideas other than your own in the report must be properly cited
• A separate references list must be included, with entries in alphabetical order
• Appendices are also allowed
• Text must be written in clear English
• Finished assignment will be well organized
• Finished assignments will demonstrate clear evidence of the group’s understanding of research methods and how they can be applied in practice

Presentation of the report
NB (The notes below refer to how the report looks. There is no oral presentation of this report in class).
• Reports must be word processed
• Line spacing: EITHER 1.5 lines OR double spaced
• Font: EITHER Ariel 12 OR Times New Roman 12
• Tables, charts and/or graphs may be used
• Reports must be spell checked
• Word count for the main text must be included

Marking Criteria for Group Assignment – assessment two
Total mark
Marker’s Remarks and Grades
Introduction: Clear description of the topic & justification for its selection. Research aim/question and objectives should be clearly stated.
(150 – 200 words).

5

Literature Review: In-depth knowledge of what others have written on the subject relevant to the research questions. In this section, you are required to provide a brief review of relevant literature, i.e. what are the main issue (s) of contention, concepts that you will utilise in your empirical study. Provide a correct in-text citations using Harvard Referencing style
(250 – 300 words)
15

Methodology: The research methodology needs briefly to explain the main steps in your primary research, including the sampling method, the research methods, i.e. how primary data was gathered and then analysed.
(150 –200 words).
15

Discussion of Findings
This section should present and evaluate your findings from the analysis of your primary data. For quantitative data (e.g. from a questionnaire survey), this should take the form of suitable tables or charts, accompanied by relevant analysis/interpretation. For qualitative data (e.g. from semi-structured interviews), the content of the material needs to be evaluated using other suitable forms of analysis. It should also include comparisons with the literature where appropriate and discussion of any unexpected/unique findings. The results should be presented in an organised, logical and coherent manner.
(600 – 800 words)
30

Conclusions and limitations
The conclusions should set out your findings on the research question/aim and objectives you set yourself in the Introduction. Your conclusions should be backed by evidence from your literature review and analysis of your primary data indicating the methodological and ethical limitations faced.
(500 – 600 words)
30

Report Presentation/effective written communication Observed 1,500 word limit, plus or minus 10%, excluding appendices, bibliography and abstract. Coherent structure. Referenced conventions adhered to. Good spelling & grammar practice.
5

TOTAL MARK
100

On this module you will be assessed by means of one individual project worth 100% of the module mark.
There are 2 assessments:
Formative: present and discuss project plan with tutor (1:1) in week 7
This is not marked, but you will receive instant qualitative feedback from your seminar tutor to help you progress to the final summative project.
Summative (part 1): submission on turn-it-in of an individual written project report of 1500 words in week 10 (100% of the module mark.)
Summative (part 2): A 3-minute individual project overview presented to the class to in week/s 11 / 12. You are required to briefly present the highlights of your project a week later, to share your key findings and arguments/discussions with the class. In this way, everyone in the class will gain better insights into each other’s countries natural resources and the key aspects of its socio-economic historical development.
Deadlines: There will be no dead-line extensions for assignments. You can submit late up to 3 working days but your work will be capped at 40% unless extenuating circumstances which you must see with registry.
STM4A1_HCS_Assessment Guidelines 2015-16 1 iKL 2014 RD 2015 AL 2016
a) Formative Assessment
Select a specific natural resource that has historically (before 1940) been used as raw material, ideally from your own country.
Examples: cotton, wool, fur, wheat, corn, barley, milk, meat, fish, salt, gold, diamonds, quartz, marble, silica, steel, aluminium, iron ore, coal, oil sands, water… (but not Solar or other renewable energy sources)
NOTE: Only one topic per student allowed for the same country in the same seminar group, on a ‘first come-first served’ basis. For example, if you are from Angola and choose diamonds as your topic, then any other student from Angola in your seminar group will be requested to choose a different topic. However, other students may still select the topic Diamonds, as well as long as they come from a different country. This is in order to avoid submission of potentially very similar projects.
Guidelines
Research on the Natural Resource’s distribution, perceived value and uses through time and in different cultures/countries, as an extension exercise you might consider how has this changed since 1940?•
Research on what types of businesses/industries have depended on this resource (directly or indirectly)•
Research the history of sustainability problems arising from the use of this resource by industry before and since 1940•
o Visit Museums (e.g. the British Museum), business companies, check reliable videos (e.g. History Channel, BBC) and any other source or location you may think could provide you with further information on the resource and its use and perceived values through history (in your country (and other countries). Reference at least 3 sources from the RUL Discovery database.
Start developing the structure of your project: what will you focus on; How abundant was the resource (and perhaps still is) in your country; How far back in history can you trace it; What are the sustainability issues; What are your arguments discussion behind how these have arisen and potential solutions…•
Create a Reference Journal of your work, no longer than 6 sides of A4 and bring to your Seminar in Wk7•
In Week 7 your seminar tutor will provide you instant feedback and feedback suggestions to help you continue your research and finalize your project (summative).•
STM4A1_HCS_Assessment Guidelines 2015-16 2 iKL 2014 RD 2015 AL 2016

b) Summative Assessment: PROJECT (100% of TMM)
The written project report maximum 1500 words long
Based on your country based research and tacit knowledge, you are to develop a Project that will both discuss the history of the sustainability problems that have arisen from business use of that specific natural resource(s) and discuss a set of your recommendations for industries, businesses or even local government, to advise them on how to make better and more sustainable use of that specific natural resource. Discussion supported by research is the key approach.
This is supposed to be a project report so you should use illustrations and bullet points to back up your discussions (not an essay), with the following INDICATIVE structure (the word limit given for each section is also indicative):
 
  
Executive summary (the basis for your presentation) – 200 words
Key words (a selection of 5 words that you consider fully describe the topic and your findings)
Overview of Resource/Industry and discuss the historical context of the sustainability challenge associated with it (600 words)
Development of the improved sustainable use idea (which can be presented as bullet points) and brief discussion of your recommendations (600 words)
Concluding remarks (100 words)
The
awareness and skills acquired during the lectures, seminars, and the feedback you got during the formative stage as well as your own independent further study.
An illustrative set of thoughts that might shape your report:
A brief overview on the natural resource selected and what may have led people to
start using it and trading it, either per se or as a component of a final product;
What have been the social impacts of the exploitation of that resource locally and
globally? (e.g. apprenticeships, jobs)
What have been the environmental impacts of the trading of the resource (e.g. if it has
to be transported from how far and using what types of transport? Or if has to be
processed in some way, does the process lead to dust/noise, etc.)
Examples of historical sustainability issues that could be discussed:
STM4A1_HCS_Assessment Guidelines 2015-16 3 iKL 2014 RD 2015 AL 2016
individual project should draw from and fully integrate and reflect upon the knowledge,
o It could be by means of addressing CSR issues ( workers rights, fair trade);
o Or it could be by addressing the ways in which the resource is extracted from a mine (human health and welfare, use of water or energy, environmental
impact caused by the exploration, etc.) ;
o Or the way in which the breeding programmes are set for the animals to be
exploited as food, or fur/wool/feathers…;
o Or the issues with CO2 emissions because of the transport involved in taking
the natural resource from its extraction/production/natural origin to the
processing/manufacturing/storage/distribution sites;
o Ortheissuesaboutillegaltrading;
o Oranyotherissuesrelatedtobusinessethicsandenvironmentalsustainability
Reflect upon if you were a business person leading a business/ industry that would require the use of this specific resource (either as the resource itself or as a component of any product/service your company were to provide) and you are aware of the sustainability challenges you outlined earlier, what would be your recommendations for the company/industry to address these challenges and become more sustainable.
The Project Presentation
A brief overview of your Project has to be presented in class (in your seminar class) in Week 11 or 12, depending on class numbers, as part of your summative assessment so that the whole class shares their findings. This will also enable you to develop presentation and argumentative skills.
This summary presentation should be no longer than THREE minutes and should highlight the key aspects of your Project, particularly to raise discussion about the various factors and issues that relate to you focus.
It may be presented in Power Point (3 to 5 slides) or an alternative format.
The presentation should be engaging, concise and straight-to-the-point, giving a concise and personal overview of the topic you researched and the recommendations and reflections you have made.

PS, i chose chocolate as i’am from switzerland

PLEASE DO THE FOLLOWING EDITS :

TALK MORE ABOUT THE HISTORY OF MILK IN SWITZERLAND

STARTING TO TALK ALSO FROM THE COCO (THE MOTHERLAND) REALTED THEN TO THE IMPORTATION TO SWITZERLAND.

ADD POSSIBLE DIAGRAMES

ADD PICTURES (EFFECTIVE ONES)

TALK ALSO ABOUT THE CONSEQUNCES RELATED TO THE SUSTABILILTY

CHANGE THE SUMMARY…….

VERY IMPORTANT TALK ABOU THE IMPACT OF THIS RESOURCE ON THE NATURE BUT ALSO ON THE CULTURE OF SWITZERLAND..

TO MAKE THE LONG STORY SHORT IT HAS TO HAVE MORE RELATIONS REGARDING The Historical Context Of Sustainability.

Global Perspectives
eflective Essay Brief

Assignment Title:
What have you discovered – about yourself and about others – in Global Perspectives?

Instructions:
You must submit 2,000 words (+/-10%) on the following:

Thinking about your engagement with at least 75% of the module’s Lead Events and Discussion Groups, reflect on how your understanding of the following has changed:
– Different cultural perspectives (D1)
– The impact you have on others and the environments you occupy (D2)
– Your own learning and what this means for your future (D3)

You should draw from the material you have written in your weekly journal entries, but this should be reworked in relation to the formative feedback you received from your facilitator.
Your writing should primarily draw on experiences within the module but can also link to external reference points which relate to the module’s learning outcomes.
All writing must be your own work and if you draw on material from different sources or use quotes, Harvard style referencing must be used, with a bibliography to be included at the end of the document.

Don’t forget:
• Any submissions that miss the final deadline will be subject to penalties, and if they are more than 3 days late, this will be considered an automatic fail.
• To avoid this risk, please submit your work in good time before the final deadline so you can seek technical assistance if need be.
• If you have had issues when logging into Blackboard, please contact the IT Service Desk to resolve these to ensure you are able to upload your final submission.
• Remember if there is a genuine technical or IT failure, take a screen shot to prove your claim.

Deadline:
You must upload your work to Turnitin on Blackboard by 23:59 on Friday, 9th December, found under GBL401 Global Perspectives > Assignments > Final Assessment Submissions. Your final, summative feedback and result will be posted by 19th January.

REFLECTIVE ESSAY ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
LEARNING OUTCOME
FAIL
PASS
D1 Engage openly
and respectfully
with diverse
perspectives and
show an
awareness of
culture and
identity
No evidence of engagement with other perspectives or awareness of culture and identity;

clear evidence of disrespect of other perspectives, cultures and identities

Evidence of some engagement with other perspectives;

basic level of awareness of culture and identity
Well expressed engagement with other perspectives;

good level of awareness of culture and identity
Perceptive and thoughtfully expressed engagement with other perspectives;

high level of awareness of culture and identity
D2 Demonstrate
increased self
awareness of their
values, actions
and consider their
impact on others
and the environment
No evidence of development of self-awareness;

no evidence of personal responsibility and/or evidence of disregard for others or the environment
Some evidence of reflection on development of self-awareness;

basic level of awareness of personal responsibility
Clear evidence of reflection on development of self-awareness;

good level of awareness of personal responsibility
Insightful reflection on development of self-awareness;

high level of awareness of personal responsibility
D3 Reflect on current learning and appraise the resources available to them to inform future individual development needs
No evidence of reflection;

clear misconception of individual development needs
Some evidence of reflection;

basic appraisal of individual development needs
Good evidence of reflection;

sound appraisal of individual development needs
Thoughtful and very well-articulated reflection;

intelligent appraisal of individual development needs

Discussion Groups

Slides from Week 1 Discussion Group – Introductions

Slides from Week 2 Discussion Group – Values and Perspectives

Slides from Week 3 Discussion Group – Silent Debate

Slides from Week 4 Discussion Group – National Perspectives

Points for Discussion in Week 5 – Migrants and Refugees

Outcomes from Week 5 – Model United Nations Resolutions

Slides from Week 6 Discussion Group – Interpersonal Relations

Slides from Week 8 Discussion Group – Two true, one false

Slides from Week 9 Discussion Group – Ideas

Module Overview
Description Where to find more information on Blackboard
Module Title GBL401 Global Perspectives
Timetable
Lead Events:
Weeks 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 | 11am – 12pm in Tuke Hall

Discussion Groups:
Wednesday mornings and Thursday afternoons in Darwin, Ground Floor

See Weekly Schedule for more information about the module’s schedule
Module Aims
1. To introduce a range of ideas and ways of thinking based around the University’s values, reflected in the learning outcomes.

2. To encourage students to interact with the broader University community, both socially and academically.

3. To increase self-awareness and prepare students for their subsequent studies by familiarising them with the resources available to meet their lifelong learning needs.

See Why do I need Global Perspectives? for more information on the aims and thinking behind the module
Learning and Teaching Strategy
1. Involves a blend of learning experiences, reflecting a wide range of student learning styles and disciplinary approaches.

2. Uses presentations, performances, keynote addresses, simulations or experiments led by experts both internal and external to the University, to inspire and to excite.

3. Fosters an ethos of engagement and discussion in cross-disciplinary groups facilitated by academic staff from across the University.

4. Classes feature experiential activities and creative tasks, with a strong emphasis on self-assessment and reflective learning.

See Learning Strategy for more information on the module’s Learning and Teaching Strategy

Module title
GBL401 Global Perspectives

1. Module aims
This is a University-wide common module, which facilitates interpersonal, intercultural and cross-disciplinary learning for all level 4 students enrolled on Regent’s validated degree programmes. The module introduces a range of ideas and ways of thinking based around the University’s values, reflected in its learning outcomes. It encourages students to interact with the broader University community, both socially and academically, asking them to cross the physical and intellectual borders of their degree programmes. Global Perspectives aims to increase self-awareness and prepares students for their subsequent studies by familiarising them with the resources available to meet their lifelong learning needs.

2. Pre-requisite modules or specified entry requirements
N/A

3. Intended level learning outcomes

d) Key transferable skills
At the end of the module, learners will be expected to:

D1: Engage openly and respectfully with diverse perspectives and show an awareness of culture and identity.
D2: Demonstrate increased self-awareness of their values, actions and consider their impact on others and the environment.
D3: Reflect on current learning and appraise the resources available to them to inform future individual development needs.

4. Indicative content
Students will be asked to learn about and engage with the following Regent’s values, which will be grouped thematically around the module’s learning outcomes:

• Employability and entrepreneurship
• Equality, mutual respect, honesty and inclusion
• Public benefit
• Maximising the individuals’ potentials
• Internationalism
• Diversity
• Citizenship
• Sustainability

These values will be explored by learners and module facilitators in cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural ways that intersect with current affairs, ethical debates and political values.

In the face of increasingly rapid change, where successful learning is dependent on agility in responding to context, learning opportunities need to remain flexible and open: thus, it is anticipated that the topics used as vehicles for discussion will vary from year to year.

5. Learning and teaching strategy
The module will involve a blend of learning experiences, reflecting a wide range of student learning styles and disciplinary approaches. Presentations, performances, keynote addresses, simulations or experiments will be led by experts both internal and external to the University, to inspire and to excite. To foster an ethos of engagement, discussion will be in cross-disciplinary groups facilitated by academic staff from across the University. Classes will include experiential activities and creative tasks, with a strong emphasis on self-assessment and reflective learning.

10 credit module – 100 learning hours
Directed learning
20 hours
Lectures
5
Seminars
15
Collaborative Learning
10 hours
Group work outside of class time
10
Self-directed learning
70 hours
Preparation for class
9
Self-study after class, including journal writing
20
Meeting with Personal Tutor
1
Preparation for Reflective Essay
40
Total
100

6. Assessment strategy, assessment methods and their relative weightings
Final Assessment of 2,000 words (100%)
In line with the module’s learning outcomes, which are focused on developing awareness and self-reflection, the assessment strategy for this module includes opportunities for both formative and summative assessment. Formative assessment will consist of feedback on their first written submission.

Formative assessment will consist of feedback given to students in their discussion groups as well as a weekly learning journal in which students will be asked to produce entries that show a development in their thinking, following their engagement with new ideas, different viewpoints and external reference points.
A draft of the final Reflective Essay should be submitted in Week 8 or 9 of the course and then discussed with the student’s Personal Tutor as part of personal development planning conversations, and then a final summative version of the Reflective Essay of 2000 words is to be submitted by Week 12. The module has a pass/fail marking scheme.

9. Key reading list
Essential texts
Cutler, J. (2005). Understanding Culture. In The Cross-Cultural Communication Trainer’s Manual, Vol. I. Gower Publishing, pp. 73-80.
Jandt, F. (2012). Introduction to Intercultural Communication: Identities in a Global Community. London: Sage.

Recommended text
Moon, J. (2006). Learning Journals: A Handbook for Reflective Practice and Professional Development. Abingdon: Taylor & Francis.

10. Other indicative resources (e.g. websites)
Resources will depend on the focus and nature of the Lead Events, which will change from semester to semester.

The essay should demonstrate a student’s ability to integrate and synthesize course concepts with selected readings to communicate his/her understanding of financial management concepts their application in organizations. The essay should also demonstrate a student’s ability to communicate as a manager. This includes proper writing style, organization, grammar, and spelling, as well as integration of course-related material. The writing style must follow the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association , 5 th edition. Citations for online sources should include the online address (URL) and access date as well as the citation for the specific reference.

Research for the paper may be conducted online using the UMUC online library as the primary source. Do not use abstracts, use full-text articles. Publications that may be relevant for the topics listed below include: Strategic Finance, The Journal of Business Finance and Accounting, CFO Magazine, Nonprofit World, Harvard Business Review, or other accounting and financial journals.

The paper should:

Be based on your reading and research relevant to the topic.
Be 5 to 6 double-spaced pages, plus appendices, exhibits, and references.
Include a one-page Executive Summary immediately following the title page that includes a statement of the major issue(s) and your conclusions and specific recommendations. The content of an Executive Summary is similar to an abstract.
Properly cite reference sources: these may include course material, information from magazines, journals, and online sources. All reference sources must have a publication date within the last fifteen years. Students who wish to use an older source publication should contact the instructor with the request and reason.

Essay Topics/Individual Research Paper: Select one of the following topics

1. Ratio and Financial Statement Analysis – Your essay should critically analyze the benefits and limitations of ratio analysis, explaining what factors impact the meaningfulness of such measures and what new practices or theories may be emerging regarding the application of ratio and financial statement analysis. Emphasize practical applications and real-world use of ratios synthesizing your readings in published research or survey articles.