Showing posts with label Assessment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Assessment. Show all posts

3 Sept 2024

Whose Fall and Whose Rise?: Lessons of Japanese MNCs for Chinese and Emerging Economy MNCs

Lessons of Japanese MNCs for Chinese and Emerging Economy MNCs

Japanese MNCs
Japanese MNCs

Essay needs to be written as a as a review (such as review of a book or some other major work). It is a review of an article given. 

A Review of R Fitzgerald and H Rui, ‘Whose Fall and Whose Rise?: lessons of Japanese MNCs for Chinese and emerging economy MNCs’, Asia Pacific Business Review, 2016, vol.4.

I need to see myself as a book reviewer in major newspaper or magazine. 

Reviews usually have an opening to gain your attention and to reveal the significance of the work under review. Reviewers sometimes begin by offering an anecdote, unless, of course, they keep it for later.

You need to say something (but not too much) on the contents of the article, and then to discuss its strengths and weaknesses in terms of case material and analysis. You need to think about how to put your comments in context – in terms of trends in world economy and politics, international competitiveness, the rise of the Asia Pacific, long term or more recent history, world events, other writings on Asia Pacific business and multinationals or multinationals more generally, and so on – but, obviously you can’t cover all these aspects. 

You can keep references to a minimum, but do think about and reference those books and articles that would help you understand, contextualize or compare the article under review.

Book reviewers normally pay attention to how they can end the review, with a twist, a paradox, an insight, or an unanswered or unanswerable question.

Although you should save some space for personal reflections, for the most part be ready to justify what you say with strong informed arguments.

Some thoughts in summary:

  1. How can I begin the review?
  2. What is the article about? What topic or issues does it cover?
  3. How important or significant is the topic?
  4. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the article?
  5. What is the main argument of the book? Is it convincing?
  6. What is missing? What should the article have addressed?
  7. How do other written works compare?
  8. How do I finish?

Is your review well written? How can you make people want to read it?

Comprehensive Analysis of Tyson Foods Inc.: Growth Strategies, Competitors, and Market Position

Supporting Statement for Poster on Tyson Foods

Name of the Student
Course Name 
Date of Submission

Introduction 

Tyson Foods Inc. is a global company that works in the food industry in Springdale, Arkansas. The company is the second-largest chicken, beef and pork processor and marketer, just behind the Brazilian company JBS SA, and exports the highest percentage of beef from the United States annually.

Company

In its 123 food processing plants, the company produces a wide range of goods based on livestock. It manufactures several different items, such as buffalo wings, chicken nuggets, boneless buffalo wings, and tenders. 

After the United States, Mexico is one of Tyson's most important markets, as it is the firm's largest producer and marketer of poultry products, even above Brazil, China, and India. 

Mexico is the largest chicken consumer among the countries where the company has a presence. It continues to be the base market for all of the businesses. They recently entered China, and for the moment, that is where we will remain focused, to increase our market share. The brand has a value of 40 billion dollars in the United States, above the Mexican, because beef and pork are also processed, marketed, and exported. Business is exclusively in the United States; Mexico is very competitive in this segment. However, if market conditions allow it, it could be done from here.

In Mexico, the food processor that is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and is based in Arkansas, United States; It competes with Bachoco and Pilgrim's Pride, making it the third-largest company in the sector in the country, with a 13 percent market share (Copeland 2000).  This work's main objective is to specify a proposal for growth that is consistent with the company's reality and related to its mission and vision. To achieve this, I carried out an examination both inside and around him to detect problems and assess, evaluate and analyze variables and factors both past and present and future trends. As methodological resources, I used the important elements of Planning Strategic such as FLOA analysis, BCG matrix, Porter's five forces, and review of strategies and competitive advantages; I also investigated the performance of competing companies to put Perdue in perspective, and I turned to some key elements of Marketing to establish the actions to follow. The work focuses more on analyzing the primary market (production of fresh chicken and turkey foods) to propose development and diversification of products for specific segments within the current territory(Copeland 2000).



Customers

The consulting firm concluded that senior management's control space was too wide, so It was recommended that the company form several decentralized strategic business units (each responsible for running her operations). Shortly after that, the chicken market declined and then stabilized for a while. Tyson started losing money  (Copeland, 2000). Analysts argue that this was partly due to the change to independent business units' operations, to the duplication of Markedly high administrative costs and efforts. Administrative information costs are tripled. The company's expansion to turkey products and chicken preparations, in which it had little experience, contributed to the losses. The problem was solved when management decided to focus the company, focusing on operations efficiency, improving communications through all segments, and paying attention to details (Gereffi et al., 2002).

Competitors

Companies take risks and trace the "map" of decisions and design the route of action for the future, but not all decisions are correct; therefore, they must know when and how to turn the wheel to fix the course and continue in the market. Today the client is the one in charge, and Perdue should not demerit this aspect and emphasize their customer orientation strategies to continue being successful(Martinez & Aboites, 2010). As we see in the case, the personal dimension of its managers and the organizations they are interwoven; both have defined this family business; so much so that deciding where to go again does not escape this binomial. The  Current advantage is that he is now closer to his customers and knows that he requires.

Collaborator

Horizontal integration is applicable when: the organization can acquire monopolistic characteristics in an area or region and be affected by the federal government for "notably tending" to reduce the competition. The organization competes in a growing industry when the economies of scale produce significant competitive advantages(Martinez & Aboites, 2010). The organization has the capital and human talent that they need to manage the expanded organization properly. When competitors fail due to lack of administrative experience or need certain resources that their organization does have, note that horizontal integration would not be successful if competitors fail because industry sales are declining (Copeland 2000). The Examples of horizontal integration possibilities in the fresh chicken and turkey market and their derivatives and the grain and vegetable oil business, and in others such as the food market for pets. Despite the good performance that the company has had during the different, However, this type of situation cannot necessarily be considered a typical business process. Tyson food has been adapting information systems to deal with many customers, more sales points, and increasing product demands (Gereffi et al., 2002). This is important now that it offers you a competitive advantage over brands of suitable short-term products(Martinez & Aboites, 2010. Its logistics operations include frozen and processed products exports and packaged products fresh, prepared, and delicatessen. Hence, they require an administration system effective supply chain that consists of all facets of parenting and production, incubators, processing plants, 400 products in 20 locations, distribution centers and deliveries to distributors, supermarkets, vii Shelf life is measured in days. Therefore, processors must maintain production levels adjusted to demand and ensure that products leave and enter promptly and maintain a balanced assortment (Copeland 2000).

Climate

The consulting firm concluded that senior management's control space was too wide, so It was recommended that the company form several decentralized strategic business units (each responsible for running her operations). Shortly after that, the chicken market declined and then stabilized for a while. Tyson started losing money (Gereffi et al., 2002). Analysts argue that this was partly due to the change to independent business units' operations, to the duplication of Markedly high administrative costs and efforts. Administrative information costs are tripled. The company's expansion to turkey products and chicken preparations, in which it had little experience, contributed to the losses (Gereffi et al., 2002).

The problem was solved when management decided to focus on flexibility, conceive the strategic movements in its structure, and implement new programs and development projects for continuity (Copeland 2000). Now the Perdue Management is preparing for the future; your estimates point out that foodservice sales, international sales, and grain sales, and oilseeds continue to grow. Perdue is not wrong, but she must face uncertainty and weigh the challenges that each move brings to decide real business was in the sale of fresh chickens. By turning the business around, they began to grow and expand. Through the years, Tyson has become a vertically integrated company that allows it to be more competitive to face. It has to spend more on research and development than any other poultry processor farmyard. Its most important achievement is its selective breeding program to increase the breast size.

Points have also been scored with the design of mixtures of feed for reducing the time it takes to raise chickens: only seven weeks. For whole chickens and pieces. Counter deli with prepared dishes: turkey and rotisserie chicken. Showcases with frozen foods: legs, wings, chicken breasts; products breaded and cooked like buffalo legs and wings and Cornuelles chickens, turkeys, and hens(Martinez & Aboites, 2010). Replacement of food at home: prepared entrees and others that are sold with salads and desserts. Canned meats: for canned chicken products.

Iv It is composed of public and private clients, including restaurants, cafeterias, hospitals, schools, prisons, airports, and institutions that serve meals and are regular buyers of products food. v Chicken feet aimed at customers in China (Gereffi et al., 2002). 

Vi Among APEC economies, the United States provides the majority of poultry exports. Hong Kong, China, and Thailand are other leading exporters. The leading importers of the APEC economies are Russia, China, Japan, and Hong Kong. The Challenges are to solve the chicken feed conversion and Development is almost entirely dedicated to serving the International Division and can design specific products requested by overseas customers in terms of taste, texture, appearance, and packaging (Gereffi et al., 2002).

This is the central strategy that I considered to have great potential to achieve better results and vii One of the ways to reduce uncertainty is knowing how to read the interaction between the indicators external and internal and to have the ability to act proactively configuring strategies that Leverage strengths and opportunities.


Reference 

29 Jan 2024

Understanding the Assessment Brief for Organizational Behavior Module

Understanding the Assessment Brief for Organisational Behaviour Module


Introduction:

In this blog post, we will delve into the details of the assessment brief for the Organisation Behaviour (OB) module. The assessment brief provides comprehensive guidelines for the individual report and group presentation, including specific requirements, word count, referencing system, and assessment criteria. Understanding these requirements is crucial for successfully completing the assignments and achieving the learning outcomes of the module.



Assessment Overview:

The assessment for the OB module consists of two components: a group presentation and an individual report. The group presentation focuses on analysing Google's motivational policies using a specific theory of motivation learned in the module, while the individual report requires a detailed business report with a focus on organisational behaviour concepts.


Group Presentation:

The group presentation task involves analysing Google's motivational policies through the lens of a specific motivation theory, such as Mallow's Hierarchy of Needs Theory or Locke’s Goal Theory. The presentation should be 12 minutes long, accompanied by a group meeting log, and followed by individual self-reflections on each group member's contribution. The presentation slides and personal reflections are to be submitted as one file via the designated platform.


Individual Report:

The individual report task requires the submission of a business report of 1,800 words, structured with a title page, executive summary, contents, introduction, main body, conclusions, and a references list. The report should demonstrate a deep understanding of the chosen organisational behaviour concepts, supported by evidence from guided reading and independent research. Additionally, a minimum of five fully referenced academic sources using the Harvard referencing system is required.


Assessment Criteria:

The assessment rubric outlines the criteria for both the group presentation and individual report, including aspects such as content, analysis, referencing, structure, and adherence to business report-writing conventions. It also emphasises the importance of critical analysis, logical flow, and the avoidance of a descriptive focus in the reports.


Learning Outcomes:

The assessment tasks are designed to assess specific learning outcomes of the OB module, including knowledge and understanding of organisational behaviour concepts, critical analysis skills, and the ability to apply theoretical frameworks to real-world organisational scenarios. The individual self-reflection component allows students to identify their strengths and areas for improvement based on the course content.

1. Introduction


1.1 Business Profile (Approx. 150 words)


[Provide a concise history, overview of products/services, company performance, key personnel, and core values of [company name].]


1.2 Scope of Organizational Behavior (Approx. 100 words)


[Define the three levels of OB and their relevance to organizational success.]


2. Main Body


2.1 Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator/ Big Five Personality Trait Theory (Approx. 300 words)


[Explore the significance of personality assessments in understanding individual behavior within the organization.]


2.2 Contingency Theories of Leadership/ Cutting Edge Leadership Approaches/ Behavioral Theory (Approx. 300 words)


[Examine leadership theories, their evolution, and their impact on organizational effectiveness.]


2.3 Organizations and Management of Learning/Locke’s Goal Setting Theory/ Job Satisfaction/ Communication/Organization Culture (Approx. 300 words)


[Discuss the role of learning, goal setting, job satisfaction, communication, and organizational culture in shaping behavior and success.]


2.4 Impact on Organizational Success (Approx. 550 words)


[Analyze the significance of the three OB elements in either facilitating or hindering organizational success. Apply theories to real-world scenarios.]


3. Conclusion (Approx. 100 words)


[Summarize key findings and their implications for [company name]'s success through effective OB.]


4. Reference List


- Mullins, L. (2016). *Management and Organisational Behaviour.* Harlow: Pearson Education.

- Northouse, P.G. (2010). *Leadership: Theory and Practice.* Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, Inc.

- Yukl, G. (2013). *Leadership in Organizations.* New York: Pearson Education, Inc.


Tips for Submission


- The report should be typed in MS Word using Arial font, size 12, and 1.5 line spacing.

- Utilize headings, paragraphs, and sub-sections appropriately for clarity.

- Support all work with proper research and adhere to the Harvard referencing system.

- Keep the word limit within ±10% of the recommended 1800 words.

- Ensure that the Turnitin similarity score does not exceed 24%.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, the assessment brief for the OB module provides clear guidance for the group presentation and individual report tasks, along with the associated assessment criteria and learning outcomes. By adhering to the requirements outlined in the brief, students can effectively demonstrate their understanding of organizational behavior concepts and contribute to the achievement of the module's learning objectives.


References:


6 Dec 2023

BMSW4008 || Digital Skills for Personal professional Growth

BMSW-4008 || Digital Skills for Personal professional Growth 

Sept 2023 

LEVEL 4 ASSESSMENT SPECIFICATION 


Submission method: All written assessments, where practical and possible, must be submitted via Turnitin unless otherwise instructed by the Lecturer. (Please DO NOT put this assessment specification into Turnitin or it will match many similarities with other students’ submissions.)

Alternative submission method (if applicable): 

Late submission of the assessment will result in a late penalty mark.  Penalties for late submission: Up to one week late, maximum mark of 40%.  Over one week late, 0%.  Only the Extenuating Circumstances Panel may approve a change to submission dates.

Academic honesty / referencing: Academic honesty is required. In the main body of your submission you must give credit to authors on whose research and ideas your work is based. Append to your submission a reference list that indicates the books, articles, etc. that you have used, cited or quoted in order to complete this assessment.  

Module Learning Outcomes 

Upon the successful completion of this module, the student should be able to:

Evaluate the appropriate use of contemporary technologies to improve workplace efficiency and employability;

Demonstrate an understanding of using digital technology to enhance a personal brand capability 

Develop digital competency for task and project management;

Develop competence in workplace data-handling and analysis.

TASK DESCRIPTION

Produce a single e-portfolio document that address the following four task descriptors:

1. Produce an about me section suitable for a LinkedIn profile. 

For the purpose of this task, you are required to explore, what makes a good LinkedIn profile in order to start building your professional network. Within your e-portfolio, you are to write an “about me” section suitable for building your personal and professional network. The section should total around 2,600 characters, as per the LinkedIn limit.

No references are required for this task.

2.Write 750w on the importance of storytelling.

For this task, you are required to write 750 words explaining the importance of storytelling to build and promote a brand.

Within this task, there are essential elements that MUST be covered:

Definition of storytelling from a personal, or business brand building perspective.

Explore an example and identify how the storytelling connects an audience to the brand.

For this task you are required to include a minimum of five references.

3.Write 500w questionnaire analysis. 

For this task, you are required to create a questionnaire using Google forms or Microsoft forms. The questions posed will be for the purpose of market research for your business plan in module managing enterprise in the 21st century. You must include a minimum of 10 questions. The questionnaire will be distributed to other students on your course to complete.

You will then be required to analyse the data obtained from the questionnaire in order to identify trends and patterns in the data that you can utilize to target our business idea. For this written task, you will pick 3-4 of the most valuable questions to analyse.

For this task you will:

  • Create a questionnaire using Google Forms or Microsoft Forms consisting of at least 10 questions.
  • Distribute the questionnaire to the student group to complete.
  • Write an analysis of the 3-4 most valuable questions and identify how the findings can impact/influence your business idea.
  • Within the analysis, include snippets/screenshots of the questionnaire graphs

For this task, you are required to include a minimum of five references.

4. Write 750w on the design of the website and marketing materials

For this task, you are required to design a two-page website, and marketing materials which will be used to promote your business idea from Managing Enterprise in the 21st Century, and write a 1000w summary on how the questionnaire data informed their creation. To successfully complete this task, you will:

  • Use the questionnaire analysis to inform your website and marketing materials
  • Use ChatGPT to help create your content based upon the questionnaire analysis.
  • Use Weebly to Create the website, and CANVA for the marketing materials

Once you have created the required elements, your 750w within your e-portfolio document will be to explain how the questionnaire data was used to create the materials, paying particular attention to the following areas:

  • Segmentation
  • SEO
  • AI prompts

Within your e-portfolio submission you must also include:

  • Login details for your website
  • Screenshots of the webpages
  • Images of the marketing materials

For this task you are required to include a minimum of seven references.

5. E-Portfolio Submission: You should submit all parts of the portfolio in one document that includes a title and contents page along with a list of references for all elements. If it is not possible to incorporate the work into a document, then links to the materials should be inserted.

GUIDANCE FOR Students IN THE COMPLETION OF TASKS

NOTE: The guidance offered below is linked to the five generic assessment criteria overleaf.

Engagement with Literature Skills

Your work must be informed and supported by scholarly material that is relevant to and focused on the task(s) set.    You should provide evidence that you have accessed an appropriate range of sources, which may be academic, governmental and industrial; these sources may include academic journal articles, textbooks, current news articles, organisational documents, and websites.  You should consider the credibility of your sources; academic journals are normally highly credible sources while websites require careful consideration/selection and should be used sparingly.   Any sources you use should be current and up-to-date, mostly published within the last five years or so, though seminal/important works in the field may be older.  You must provide evidence of your research/own reading throughout your work, using a suitable referencing system, including in-text citations in the main body of your work and a reference list at the end of your work. 

Guidance specific to this assessment: Your portfolio should include reference to at least 10 such sources and the referencing standard for you course applied throughout.

Knowledge and Understanding Skills

At level 4, you should be able to demonstrate knowledge of the underlying concepts and principles associated with your area(s) of study.  Knowledge relates to the facts, information and skills you have acquired through your learning.  You demonstrate your understanding by interpreting the meaning of the facts and information (knowledge). This means that you need to select and include in your work the concepts, techniques, models, theories, etc. appropriate to the task(s) set.  You should be able to explain the theories, concepts, etc. to show your understanding.  Your mark/grade will also depend upon the extent to which you demonstrate your knowledge and understanding. 

Guidance specific to this assessment: You should refer to learning from the relevant units in the module. Your response to the tasks should demonstrate knowledge of relevant concepts, theories and models, and demonstrate the skills you have developed over the course of the module such as paraphrasing, synthesis, referencing and digital skills.

Cognitive and Intellectual Skills

You should be able to present, evaluate and interpret qualitative and quantitative data, in order to develop lines of argument and make sound judgements in accordance with basic theories and concepts of your subject(s) of study. You should be able to evaluate the appropriateness of different approaches to solving problems related to your area(s) of study and/or work. Your work must contain evidence of logical, analytical thinking. For example, to examine and break information down into parts, make inferences, compile, compare and contrast information.  This means not just describing what! But also justifying: Why? How? When? Who? Where? At what cost? You should provide justification for your arguments and judgements using evidence that you have reflected upon the ideas of others within the subject area and that you are able to make sound judgements and arguments using data and concepts.  Where relevant, alternative solutions and recommendations may be proposed.

Guidance specific to this assessment: You need to demonstrate the capacity to pause and reflect on key concepts, to balance different perspectives and weigh-up the evidence.

Practical Skills

At level 4, you should be able to apply the basic underlying concepts and principles to evaluate and interpret these within the context of your area of study. You should be able to demonstrate how the subject-related concepts and ideas relate to real world situations and/or a particular context.  How do they work in practice?  You will deploy models, methods, techniques, and/or theories, in that context, to assess current situations, perhaps to formulate plans or solutions to solve problems, or to create artefacts.  This is likely to involve, for instance, the use of real world artefacts, examples and cases, the application of a model within an organisation and/or benchmarking one theory or organisation against others based on stated criteria.  


Guidance specific to this assessment: You should demonstrate you are able to apply the knowledge gained in the course of the module to the assessment task.

Transferable Skills for Life and Professional Practice 

Your work must provide evidence of the qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment requiring the exercise of some personal responsibility.  This includes demonstrating that you can communicate the results of your study/work accurately and reliably, and with structured and coherent arguments; that you can initiate and complete tasks and procedures, whether individually and/or collaboratively; fluency of expression; clarity and effectiveness in presentation and organisation. Work should be coherent and well-structured in presentation and organisation.


Guidance specific to this assessment: You are expected to use UK English and the full range of transferable skills which are introduced and expanded upon across the Units associated with the Graduate Attribute Module.

    Student FEEDBACK FORM


This section details the extent to which the assessment criteria are demonstrated by you, which in turn determines your mark. The marks available for each category of skill are shown. Lecturers will use the space provided to comment on the achievement of the task(s), including those areas in which you have performed well and areas that would benefit from development/improvement.

Generic Assessment CriteriaMarks available
Engagement with Literature Skills20
Knowledge and Understanding Skills20
Cognitive and Intellectual Skills20
Practical Application Skills20
Transferable Skills for Life and Professional Practice20




GENERIC ASSESSMENT CRITERIA


Level 4

In accordance with the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications, at the end of Level 4 students will be expected to have demonstrated knowledge of the basic underlying concepts and principles of a subject, and an ability to evaluate and interpret these within the context of that area of study. They should be able to present, evaluate and interpret qualitative and quantitative data in order to develop lines of argument and make sound judgements in accordance with basic theories and concepts of their subject(s) of study. They will have learned how to evaluate different approaches to solving problems, and will be able to communicate the results of their study/work accurately and reliably, and with structured and coherent arguments. They will be able to undertake further training and develop new skills within a structured and managed environment and will have the qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment requiring the exercise of some personal responsibility.


Level 4 FAIL MARGINAL FAIL SATISFACTORY

(3rd / Pass) GOOD

(2.2 / Pass) VERY GOOD

(2.1 / Merit) EXCELLENT

(1st / Distinction) EXCEPTIONAL

(1st / Distinction)

Category 0-29% 30-39% 40-49% 50-59% 60-69% 70-84% 85-100%

Engagement with literature (including reading, referencing,

academic conventions and

academic honesty) Little or no evidence of reading and/or reliance on inappropriate sources.

Views and findings mostly unsupported and non-authoritative.

Referencing conventions used incoherently or largely absent. Poor engagement with essential reading. No evidence of wider reading. Reliance on inappropriate sources, and/or indiscriminate use of sources. Heavily reliant on information gained through class contact. Inconsistent and weak use of referencing. Engagement with a limited range of mostly relevant and credible sources but with some reliance on information gained through class contact. Some omissions and minor errors.

Referencing conventions evident though not always applied accurately or consistently. Engagement with an appropriate range of literature, including sources retrieved independently. Some over-reliance on texts rather than other sources. Referencing may show minor inaccuracies or inconsistencies. Engagement with a wide range of literature, including sources retrieved independently.

Selection of relevant and credible sources.  Generally sound referencing, with no/very few inaccuracies or inconsistencies. Engagement with an extensive range of relevant and credible literature. Consistently accurate application of referencing. Exceptional engagement with an extensive range of relevant and credible literature. High-level referencing skills consistently applied.

Knowledge and understanding (Knowledge of the basic underlying concepts and principles of a subject.) Major gaps in knowledge and understanding of the basic underlying concepts and principles of the subject matter. Inclusion of irrelevant material.  Substantial inaccuracies. Gaps in knowledge of the basic underlying concepts and principles, with flawed or superficial understanding. Some significant inaccuracies and/or irrelevant material.  Limited knowledge and understanding of the basic underlying concepts and principles within the subject area. Some elements may be missing. Knowledge of the basic underlying concepts and principles is accurate with a good understanding of the field of study but lacks depth and/or breadth. Competent knowledge of the basic underlying concepts and principles.  Exhibits very good understanding. Excellent knowledge and understanding of the basic underlying concepts and principles of the subject. Exceptional, detailed knowledge and understanding of the basic underlying concepts and principles

Cognitive and intellectual skills 

(Evaluate underlying concepts and principles of a subject and interpret qualitative and quantitative data in order to develop lines of argument and make sound judgements.) 


Wholly or almost wholly descriptive work. Little or no evaluation of the underlying concepts and principles.

Failure to develop arguments, leading to illogical or invalid judgements. Minimal or no use of

evidence to back up views.

Largely descriptive work, with superficial evaluation of the underlying concepts and principles. Weak interpretation of data, flawed development of arguments and judgements. Information accepted uncritically, uses generalised statements made with scant evidence and unsubstantiated opinions. Ideas sometimes illogical and contradictory. Limited attempt at evaluation of the underlying concepts and principles, tending towards description.

Can interpret qualitative and quantitative data but with some errors. Some evidence to support emerging arguments and judgements but these may be underdeveloped or with a little inconsistency / mis-interpretation.

Good evaluation of the underlying concepts and principles. Can interpret qualitative and quantitative data, with minor errors.

An emerging ability to use evidence to support the argument.

Mostly valid arguments and logical judgements. Sound evaluation of the underlying concepts and principles. Can interpret qualitative and quantitative data accurately. Ability to devise arguments using evidence to make mostly appropriate and valid judgements. 

Excellent evaluation of the underlying concepts and principles. Can interpret qualitative and quantitative data accurately and with some insight. Excellent ability to devise arguments using evidence and make appropriate and valid judgements. Exceptional evaluation of the underlying concepts and principles based evidence. Outstanding interpretation of qualitative and quantitative data.

Exceptional ability to devise arguments using evidence and make wholly appropriate and valid judgements. 

Practical skills

(Different approaches to solving problems in particular contexts.)

Limited or no use of taught, basic methods, materials, tools and/or techniques.

Little or no appreciation of the context of the application.

Very weak evidence of different approaches to problem-solving in particular contexts. Rudimentary application of taught, basic methods, materials, tools and/or techniques but without consideration and competence. Flawed appreciation of the context of the application.

Weak evidence of different approaches to problem-solving in particular contexts.


An adequate awareness and mostly appropriate application of basic methods, materials, tools and/or techniques.

Basic appreciation of the context of the application. 

Can identify problems in particular contexts and propose basic alternative approaches or solutions though there may be errors. A good and appropriate application of basic methods, materials, tools and/or techniques.

Clear appreciation of the context of the application. 

Good evidence of different approaches to problem-solving in particular contexts and proposes mostly appropriate solutions. A very good application of a range of basic methods, materials, tools and/or techniques.

Very good consideration of the context of the application. Very good evidence of different approaches to problem-solving in particular contexts and proposes appropriate solutions. An advanced application of a range of taught, basic methods, materials, tools and/or techniques.

The context of the application is well considered, and insightful.

Excellent evidence of different approaches to problem-solving in particular contexts and proposes appropriate solutions. Exceptional levels of application and deployment skills in particular practical contexts. Outstanding identification of problems in particular contexts and formulation of wholly appropriate, thoughtful solutions / different approaches.

Transferable skills for life and professional practice

(Communicate the results of their study/work accurately and reliably, and with structured and coherent arguments; the qualities needed for employment requiring the exercise of some personal responsibility within a structured and managed environment.) Work is poorly structured, disorganised, inaccurate and/or confusingly expressed. Very weak use of language and/or very inappropriate style. Failure to work effectively individual or as part of a group. Little or no evidence of the skills for employment requiring the exercise of some personal responsibility.


Work is poorly presented in a disjointed manner. It is loosely, and at times incoherently, structured, with information and ideas often poorly expressed. Weak use of language and/or inappropriate style. Flawed approach to individual or group work, meeting only partial obligations to others. Limited evidence of the skills for employment requiring the exercise of some personal responsibility. Mostly ordered presentation and structure in which relevant ideas / concepts are reasonably expressed. Work may lack coherence and/or accuracy in places. Can work as part of a group, meeting most obligations to others but perhaps with limited involvement in group activities.

Demonstrates the basic skills for employment requiring the exercise of some personal responsibility, with some areas of minor weakness. Mostly coherent, organised and accurate work, in a suitable structure and is for the most part clearly expressed. Can work effectively independently and/or as part of a team, with clear contribution to group activities.

Demonstrates the skills for employment requiring the exercise of some personal responsibility, with some areas of strength and some of minor weakness. Work is accurate, coherent, fluent, well-structured and organised. 

Can work effectively independently and/or as part of a team, with very good contribution to group activities. Demonstrates very good skills for employment requiring the exercise of some personal responsibility, with just occasional minor weakness. Work is coherent, very fluent and is presented professionally. Can work effectively independently and/or as part of a team, with an excellent contribution to group activities. Demonstrates excellent skills for employment requiring the exercise of some personal responsibility with an appetite for further development.

Work is accurate, exceptionally coherent, very fluent and presented well. Can work effectively independently and/or as part of a team, with an exceptional contribution to group activities. Demonstrates exceptional skills for employment requiring the exercise of some personal responsibility with an appetite for further development.

Follow this for guideline 

5 Dec 2023

PHL 1000| Paper Assignment on Plato’s Allegory of the Cave

 PHL 1000 / Intro to Philosophy

Section: OL1

Semester: Fall 2023

This course provides an introduction to the fundamental questions and methods of philosophy. Students will explore a variety of philosophical topics, including the nature of reality, knowledge, and morality. They will also be introduced to the history of Western philosophy and will examine the ideas of some of the most important philosophers in the Western tradition.

Plato’s Allegory of the Cave 

Paper Assignment on Plato’s Allegory of the Cave – 75 points

Due:  in BlackBoard by 11:59 pm Monday, December 4  (Submit in the Term Paper content area in the Control Panel)

I am willing to look at a rough draft of your entire paper or just parts (a) and (b), if you can get it to me by 11:59 pm on Wednesday, November 8 .  Just email it to me directly at olajrea@udmercy.edu.

Suggested length:  5 - 7 typed DOUBLE-SPACED pages (1375-1750 words).  This is just a suggestion as to length, not a hard and fast page or word count.

Introduction:  summarize what you will do in the paper in parts (a) and (b) below, and summarize briefly the impact of the Allegory of the Cave on you (about ½ - ⅔ of a page – 5 points).  

(a)  (1) Summarize the Allegory by describing the stages in the prisoner’s journey out of the Cave.  Make sure to pay attention to the initial state the prisoners are in, as well as their ‘discovery’ of the puppeteers and the cutouts.  

(2) What surprising claim does Socrates make about what Glaucon calls these “strange prisoners”? 

(3) Next, explain what kind of reality the world of the Cave represents in Plato’s thought by explaining the “two realms” in Plato’s metaphysics. The world inside the cave symbolizes one of these realms, and the world outside the cave symbolizes the other realm. (about 1 ½ - 2 pages – 20 points) 

 [You will be expanding this discussion of the two realms or kinds of reality in the next section of the paper.]

Plato’s Allegory of the Cave 

(b)  Integrating your understanding of Reading 2A, Reading 4, and Reading 4A, fully explain Plato’s metaphysical dualism. (about 1 ½ -2 pages pages – 25 points).  You should do the following FIVE things here:  

(1) explain what metaphysics is; 

(2) explain what dualism is – you should be able to produce 2-3 sentences in discussing each of these; and then. 

(3) explain the details of Plato’s specific version of dualism by describing the differences between the physical world and the world of Forms.  You must discuss both the Allegory itself as well as Reading 

4A:  how is Plato’s dualism illustrated in both of these readings?

In addition to defining metaphysics and dualism, you should be able to connect at least two of the ideas in Reading 2A (in addition to dualism) to Plato’s metaphysics, by completing tasks (4) and (5): 

(4)  choose EITHER the appearance/reality distinction OR the permanence/change issue (p. 203 of Reading 2A), explain it, and then connect it to Plato’s metaphysics, and last 

(5) state the two definitions of fundamental reality (p. 210 of Reading 2A) and connect them to Plato’s metaphysics.

(c)  Impact on you and current application to human beings:  What lessons did you learn from the Allegory of the Cave?  What impact did the reading have on you?  Did Plato’s discussion of education resonate with you?  Do you think the Allegory applies to us now? How do we mistake appearances for reality and what are the consequences of this?  (1-2 pages - 10 points)

Writing, Clarity, Style:  15 points:  Your audience here is a philosophically naïve but intelligent reader, so think about including the level of detail that will make your paper understandable to others.  One way to test this is to have someone read your paper who has not taken philosophy and see if they understand it.  All of the elements of writing will be graded:  complete sentences, proper capitalization, order of words that makes sense, proper punctuation, etc.  Developing your own original examples to illustrate ideas in the paper is always a good idea.

DO NOT include the prompts above in your paper.  The prompt is to tell you what to do; you don’t have to state the prompt itself in the paper, and doing so would detract from a smoothly flowing essay.  

If you want to divide your paper into sections, that is fine, and can be helpful.  But in that case, here is how you might name the different sections:

Introduction

Summary of the Allegory

Plato’s metaphysical dualism

Impact of Allegory of the Cave

Conclusion

Citations:  the standard way of citing any text of Plato is to give the title of the work followed by the Stephanus number.  Titles of Plato’s dialogues are like titles of books, and should be italicized.  For example, suppose that in your paper you write the following:  As Socrates said, “the visible realm should be likened to the prison dwelling…” (Republic 517b).  Notice that the period goes after the citation in parentheses.  Even if you are paraphrasing rather than quoting directly, you should use this citation format.  You can also cite other readings in the body of the paper using the reading number (e.g, 2A) and page number within the reading, and give the complete citation information in a works cited page.


Here is the citation information you need – I’m including here those readings that you may want or need to cite.  You can copy this information directly to your works cited page :

  • Reading 1:  (pp. 4-9)  What is Philosophy? William F. Lawhead.  The Philosophical Journey:  An Interactive Approach, 5th edition.  Boston: McGraw-Hill 2011
  • (pp. 10-11):  From Landscape of Wisdom: A Guided Tour of Western Philosophy by Christopher Biffle. Boston, MA:  McGraw Hill, 1999.
  • Reading 4:  Plato.  Republic.  Translated by G.M.A. Grube, revised by C.D.C. Reeve. Indianapolis:  Hackett Publishing Company, Inc. 1992.
  • Reading 4A:  Plato’s Metaphysics:  Divine Forms.  From Landscape of Wisdom: A Guided Tour of Western Philosophy by Christopher Biffle. Boston, MA:  McGraw Hill, 1999.
  • Reading 2A:  Overview of Metaphysics.  William F. Lawhead.  The Philosophical Journey:  An Interactive Approach, 5th edition.  Boston: McGraw-Hill 2011, pp. 202-211





Academic Integrity: As members of an academic community engaged in the pursuit of truth and with a special concern for values, University of Detroit Mercy students must conform to the highest standard of honesty and integrity in their academic work. The fundamental assumption under which the University operates is that work submitted by a student is a product of their own efforts. Among the most serious academic offensives is plagiarism, submitting the ideas or work of another source without acknowledgement or documentation. The consequences of plagiarism or any act of academic dishonesty may range from failure in a course to dismissal from the university.

Note that the key here is acknowledgement and documentation of sources.  If you do these two things, then you are not plagiarising.  Whether you are paraphrasing or directly quoting a source, it must be acknowledged and documented.   Writing this paper does not require any sources other than the assigned readings, but make sure you cite any and all sources you use.  

Paper Grading Rubric Fall 2023
Name:________________________________________

____________ Points Letter grade:____________

Introduction:  summarise what you will do in the paper (about ½ - ⅔ of a page – 5 points)

   A    B    C          D    F
  5   4    3                2               1
(a)  Summarize the Allegory by describing the stages in the prisoner’s journey out of the Cave.  What surprising claim does Socrates make about what Glaucon calls these “strange prisoners?”  Next, explain what kind of reality the world of the Cave represents in Plato’s thought by explaining the “two realms” in Plato’s metaphysics.  (about 1 ½ - 2 pages – 20 points)

 A   A-        B+  B B-       C+  C  C- D+ D      F

   20- 18.5      18-16                  15-13.5               13-12         11-0    

(b)  Integrating your understanding of Reading 2A, Reading 4, and Reading 4A, fully explain Plato’s metaphysical dualism, by completing the five tasks in the prompt (about 1 ½ -2 pages – 25 points). 
 
   A  A-       B+  B B-        C+   C   C-        D+   D                F
   25-23                          22-20        19-17             16-15 14-0

(c)  Impact on you and current application to human beings:  What lessons did you learn from the Allegory of the Cave?  What impact did the reading have on you?  Did Plato’s discussion of education resonate with you?  Do you think the Allegory applies to us now? How do we mistake appearances for reality and what are the consequences of this?  (1-2 pages - 10 points)

   A    B    C          D    F
  10-9   8    7                6               5
Writing, Clarity, Style:  15 points
   A  A-         B+   B B-        C+    C    C-   D+   D        F
15 – 14           13.5 -  12.5            12 -   10.5        10 - 9       8-0

Introduction:  clearly summarizes what the paper is about and briefly describes the effect of the Allegory on the author.

(a)  Summary of the Allegory
A, A- :  completes all three tasks very clearly, with sufficient detail for the reader, can paraphrase and present material with a good degree of originality, shows clear understanding of the text.
B+, B, B- :  completes all three tasks fairly clearly, with sufficient detail for the reader, less original paraphrase, greater reliance on exact wording of readings.
C+, C, C- :  completes two out of three tasks with serious clarity issues and overreliance on course material, little to no originality of presentation.
D+, D :  only completes one task with serious clarity issues and overreliance on course material, little to no originality of presentation, shows less understanding of text.
F :   doesn’t complete any of the tasks in the prompt.

(b)  Plato’s metaphysical dualism
A, A-:  completes all five tasks very clearly, with sufficient detail for the reader, can paraphrase and present material with a good degree of originality, including examples.
B+, B, B-:  completes all five tasks fairly clearly, with sufficient detail for the reader, less original paraphrase, greater reliance on exact wording of readings, fewer examples.
C+, C, C- :  completes four of five tasks with serious clarity issues and over reliance on course material, little to no originality of presentation, or does three of the tasks very clearly.
D+, D :  only completes three tasks with serious clarity issues and over reliance on course material, little to no originality of presentation.
F :   only completes one or two tasks with serious clarity issues.

(c)    Impact of the Allegory   
A: answers 4-5 questions in the prompt clearly and in some detail, clear evidence of serious thought about the reading.
B:  answers 4-5 questions in the prompt with slightly less clarity and detail, less evidence of serious thought
C:  answers three questions without much clarity or detail, but with some evidence of serious thought.
D:  answers one or two of the questions without much clarity, and little to no evidence of serious thought.
F:  fails to say anything about the Allegory

Writing, Clarity, Style:  15 points 

A, A- (20-18.5):   the author does all of the following:  (1) meets basic formatting requirements:  
typed, double-spaced, Times New Roman 12 font, no extra spaces between paragraphs, numbered stapled pages, works cited page; 
(2) uses appropriate citations – including Stephan's numbers - to cite specific parts of texts, and gives complete information on these texts in a works cited page; 
(3) demonstrates understanding of basic writing mechanics:  
(3a)  capitalisation is appropriate;
(3b) use of commas, periods, semicolons, and question marks is correct;
(3c) is not excessively wordy or redundant;
(3d) uses proper syntax and places grammatical units in the proper order in the sentence;
(3e) avoids spelling errors;
(3f) avoids sentence fragments and run-on sentences;
(3g) avoids passages or sentences that the reader simply cannot understand.
(4) the paper is well organized both at the level of the entire paper and within each paragraph;
(5) there are appropriate transitions between paragraphs/ideas
(6)  the author always introduces, explains, and smoothly incorporates quotations
(7)  the author summarizes the paper in an Introduction
(8)  the author explains what s/he has learned from the Allegory in a conclusion,
B+, B, B- (18-16):  the author does at least 6 of 8 elements above well.
C+, C, C- (15.13.5):  the author does 5 of the above 8 elements.
D+, D (13-12): the author does 4 or fewer of the above 8 elements well.
F (11-0):  the author does 3 or fewer of the above 8 elements.


    Primary keywords:    

   Plato's Allegory of the Cave
   Metaphysics
   Dualism
   Reality
   Appearance
   Education
   Philosophy

    Secondary keywords:    

   Introduction to Philosophy
   University of Detroit Mercy
   Fall 2023
   Section OL1
   Essay assignment
   Paper guidelines
   Writing tips
   Citations
   Academic integrity

    Long-tail keywords:    

   How to write an essay on Plato's Allegory of the Cave
   Explaining the two realms in Plato's metaphysics
   Connecting Plato's metaphysics to Reading 2A
   Applying Plato's philosophy to human life
   Avoiding plagiarism in academic writing


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

18 Nov 2023

Managing People in the Organisation BMG735

BMG735 

Managing People in the Organisation 

What is the task?

Students with resits (i.e. mark will be capped at 50) should complete the coursework as described in the module handbook from when they took the module originally.

When should this be submitted?

Your resit should be submitted by noon on Friday 8th December 2023.




How to submit?

You should submit your coursework as one Word document (pdfs will not be accepted) formatted as per the module handbook instructions.

Coursework should be submitted through the link ‘Resit Submission Due 8th December’ within the ‘Assessment’ section in the module area on BB Learn. This will be BMG735 with the CRN 45981 which is the semester 1 area for the module in the 23-24 academic year. Submissions to other module areas will not be marked.

Turnitin will confirm the originality of the work and ensure that appropriate referencing standards have been followed.

How can I ensure to pass my resit?

There is a lot of guidance within the ‘Learning Materials’ and ‘Assessment’ section’ on BB Learn within your original module area. To help you make the most of this guidance, work through the following steps.

What if I still need help?

As your lecturer, I am here to help you. If you are unsure, please do get in contact with me, and I will be happy to schedule a video call with you through MS Teams. I will not be providing feedback on draft submissions.

30 Sept 2023

Launching a New Venture: Resource Utilisation, Promotion, and Budget Allocation

Launching a New Venture: Resource Utilisation, Promotion, and Budget Allocation


In an era marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, the surge in online sales has reshaped the business landscape. E-commerce experienced unprecedented growth, presenting both challenges and opportunities. This report dives into the process of launching a new venture in this dynamic environment, emphasizing the significance of resource utilization, promotional planning, and budget allocation.

Part A: Investigating Resources for a Successful Launch


Assessment of Tangible and Intangible Resources


Launching a venture demands a judicious allocation of tangible and intangible resources. This section scrutinizes the diverse forms of resources and evaluates their suitability for the selected business, taking into account target customers, segmentation, and competitive advantages.

Skills and Capabilities for a Successful Launch


Launching a new venture requires a diverse set of skills and capabilities. We dissect the essential attributes needed for a successful launch and assess how they align with the available resources, skills, and abilities within the organization.

Part B: Promotional Activities Plan and Budget Allocation


Developing a Promotional Activities Plan


Creating a robust promotional plan is integral to a successful venture launch. We outline the venture's name, the registration process, key promotional messages, personalized branding, and strategies for leveraging social media, digital promotion, and mobile marketing for specific target markets.

Budgeting for a Thriving Venture


A detailed monthly cash budget spanning the pre-launch phase and the first 12-18 months post-launch is imperative. This section meticulously outlines costs, ongoing expenses, and anticipated income. It also considers available financial resources, contingency measures, and 'what-if' scenarios for comprehensive financial planning.

Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria


Pass Criteria


- LO1: Investigation of resources for a new venture (P1).
- LO2: Exploration of skills and capabilities required (P2).
- LO3: Development of promotional activities plan (P3).
- LO4: Production of a budget for launching (P4).

Merit Criteria


- LO1 and LO2: Critical evaluation of resource availability (M1).
- LO2: Evaluation of a range of skills and capabilities (M2).
- LO3: Creation of promotional activities with metrics (M3).
- LO4: Production of a detailed monthly cash budget (M4).

Distinction Criteria


- LO1 and LO2: Critical evaluation of resource appropriateness (D1).
- LO3: Creation of a promotional activities plan with metrics (D2).
- LO4: Production of a comprehensive cash budget (D3).

Recommended Resources


  • BURNS, P. (2016). Entrepreneurship and Small Business: Start-up, Growth and Maturity. 4th Ed. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
  • BURNS, P. (2018) New Venture Creation: A Framework for Entrepreneurial Start-ups. 2nd Ed. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
  • RIDLEY-DUFF, R. and BULL, M. (2019) Understanding Social Enterprise: Theory and Practice. Sage Publications Ltd.
  •  WILLIAMS, S. (2015) Financial Times Guides: Business Start-up 2015. Harlow: Pearson.

Websites


www.entrepreneur.com (Entrepreneur - General reference)
www.entrepreneurhandbook.co.uk (Entrepreneur Handbook - General reference)
www.isbe.org.uk | www.forbes.com (The Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Forbes Small Business Entrepreneurs - Articles)

Unit Links


This unit is linked to:

- Unit 2: Marketing Processes and Planning
- Unit 9: Entrepreneurial Ventures
- Unit 27: Identifying Entrepreneurial Opportunities
- Unit 29: Managing and Running a Small Business

Note: The word limit for this report is 2,500–3,000 words.

Conclusion


Launching a new venture is a complex endeavour that demands careful planning and resource allocation. This report serves as a comprehensive guide, addressing the intricacies of resource utilisation, promotional planning, and budget allocation for a successful venture launch. By leveraging the available resources and adopting a strategic approach, businesses can position themselves for success in the evolving business landscape.

24 Sept 2023

Using Formative Assessment to Enhance Student Learning

# Using Formative Assessment to Enhance Student Learning


Formative assessment is a powerful tool for teachers to improve student learning outcomes. In this blog post, I will discuss the purpose and effectiveness of formative assessments, challenges teachers face in implementing them, and solutions backed by educational theory and research.

## The Purpose of Formative Assessment


Formative assessment

Classroom assessment
Assessment for learning, Diagnostic assessment, Instructional assessment, Student learning
Learning outcomes, Success criteria, Self-assessment, Peer assessment, Student feedback
Teaching methods, Lesson planning, Constructivism, Zone of proximal development, Parental involvement, Time management, Resource utilization, Data organization, Improving instruction
Enhancing learning

Formative assessment refers to the ongoing assessments conducted by teachers during instruction to evaluate students' knowledge, skills, and progress. The key purposes are:

- **Diagnostic**: Identify students' prior knowledge and skills to plan targeted instruction. 

- **Instructional**: Determine what students have mastered and what needs re-teaching.

- **Reporting**: Inform students, parents and school authorities of learning progress. 

Formative assessments empower students and teachers to enhance classroom learning. They provide feedback to modify teaching methods and help students improve.

## Characteristics of Effective Formative Assessment


According to the National Curriculum Framework, key features of formative assessment include:

- Sharing learning outcomes and success criteria
- Engaging students in self and peer assessment 
- Providing meaningful feedback
- Reviewing assessment data to guide next steps

## Theoretical Perspectives 


Formative assessment aligns with constructivist learning theories which view learning as active and knowledge as constructed through experiences. The sociocultural theory emphasizes the importance of assessment as a collaborative tool to support learning within students' zone of proximal development. 

## Challenges in Implementation


Teachers face several challenges in effectively implementing formative assessments:

- Lack of parental support in some activities
- Insufficient planning time
- Scarce resources like libraries, labs
- Difficulty tracking large amounts of assessment data

## Possible Solutions


- Build partnerships with parents through workshops and meetings
- Improve time management through organization and technology 
- Share resources creatively and use available options
- Organize data in digital folders for each student


WRITTEN REPORT
Introduction

Educational assessment is defined as interpreting the gathered information to know how far the learning outcomes or standards have been achieved. Assessment is a method of documenting the skills, knowledge, believes and attitudes in a measurable form. This is a process to determine how far the learners have achieved learning outcomes. Assessing learners is not only a healthy and fruitful process for the students, however, it’s also a meaningful activity for the teachers. Both learners and teachers can take maximum benefit of the process to measure how far they have achieved learning outcomes. Especially teachers can reflect upon their teaching methods my assessing their students. For the reason that students’ progress mainly depends on the way teachers taught them. Keeping in view students’ progress report teachers can change and improve their teaching methods. For teachers’ assessment gives an indication that how well they have taught and for students how well they have learned and achieved learning outcomes. 
Hence, the process of assessment function as a road map that helps teachers and students to further plan their achievement in the teaching and learning process. The process of assessment also helps the teachers to become more organized towards teaching and responsive observers of the learners. Assessment is of no use when it’s not taken into account for betterment and improvement and for this purpose the teachers should be in a position to change classroom instructions by redesigning the old teaching practices if needed. With the help of assessment, teachers can become conscious of how students learn and teachers can also relate to how students respond to particular teaching practice. The key purpose of educational assessment is to empower the learners and teachers to enhance the quality of learning. The assessment should be used as a tool to support the learning rather than an end in itself. Thus, students should be assessed to celebrate their success. 
There is a number of purposes of conducting assessment, three main reasons for assessment are; Diagnostic, Reporting and Instructional. 
Diagnostic Assessment: this assessment is conducted to diagnose or identify how far a student has achieved the learning outcome. Mostly this assessment is conducted before the instructions to evaluate students’ knowledge and skills, strengths and weaknesses. This assessment is also meaningful for the students as they can know how far they have mastered the learning outcomes. For the teachers, diagnostic assessment is a tool which is helpful to better understand the previous knowledge of students about a specific subject area before planning the instructions. 
Instructional assessment: The purpose of the instructional assessment is to identify what needs of the students to be taught in the next lesson and or what learning outcomes have not been achieved in one lesson should be re-taught. This type of assessment help teachers to become aware of teaching-learning process taking place in the classroom. 
Reporting assessment: Another purpose of assessment is to report the performance or achievement of the students to students themselves and their parents. This reported assessment also possesses key role further in students career, for instance, students further wants to get an education, so they can show their reported assessment to concerned authorities. Even for employment, the students show their previous results. Hence, the selection in higher education is the key purpose of this assessment. 
National Curriculum Framework (NCF) suggests that schools should use both of the approaches of the assessment which are; assessment for learning (AfL) and assessment of the learning (AofL). In the overall education system, it is commonly observed that students have not achieved the learning outcomes which they were expected to achieve during teaching. As the result, a huge gap between what has been taught and what has been learned can be observed. And this gap can be reduced by the assessment for learning (AfL) instead of conducting tests just to assess a student. 
Assessment for Learning: The assessment for the purpose of learning is generally formative in its nature. This assessment helps the teachers to modify and improve their teaching strategies according to students learning. In the process of planning of next lesson this assessment also plays a key role as it helps teachers what strategies should be applied next and how individuals and the overall class should be engaged in the learning process. Assessment for learning includes number of strategies to assess student’s progress like; classroom discussions, teacher observation, reflection on student’s tests and analysis of students tasks. The information collected through this assessment which we can also called as formative assessment is further used for improvement and modification in teaching and learning process, so that teachers can meet the needs of students for instance; teaching through alternative teaching approaches, re-teaching the same topic and giving more opportunities for the practice. Many studies shows that formative assessment is essential tool for classroom activities and its development can enhance the standards of achievement. 
According to the National Curriculum Framework the key characteristics of ‘assessment for learning’ are as follows; 
Sharing of learning outcomes with the learners. 
Sharing the criteria for success with the learners. 
Engaging learners in self and peer assessment. 
Providing learners with correct feedback. 
Reflect and review the information collected through assessment. 
Identify the steps that should be taken next. 
Assessment of learning; this type of assessment has more resemblance with the summative assessment where it is intended to measure the learning outcomes usually at the end of the academic year. The purpose of this assessment is to measure the learning outcomes and further report them to the students, parents and other concerned authorities. 
“Assessment for the learning” is the authors’ purpose of assessment.
I assess students to enhance their learning opportunities instead to judge them according to their test results or report cards. I believe students should be assessed to celebrate their success, students should be assessed to reflect upon on teaching, and students should be assessed to appreciate their little efforts towards learning. And this formative approach of assessment will allow me to improve my teaching methods according to my students needs and also it will help my students to enhance their learning by continuously reflecting upon what they have mastered and which learning outcomes they have not achieved yet. I understand that this assessment will require a lot of effort, organization and effort from me but as a result, this will really help me to enhance my students learning and improve my teaching approaches. By its name, this is clear that the purpose of this assessment is students learning, and that’s the ultimate goal of every school. 
I teach grade-3, key stage -1. For key stage one, we use a formative assessment that is an ongoing assessment to assess the students. The main purpose of classroom assessment is to empower both teachers and their students to improve the quality of learning in the classroom. In general, assessment serves a range of purposes. But the main purpose of this assignment is to provide information to teachers about the teaching and learning taking place in the classroom. Moreover, I assess my students for their learning purpose. Assessing for learning is not just learning for the students however it also benefits to improve the teaching strategies according to students learning, hence learning will also enhance. I engage my students in different classroom activities to assess them and further help them in their lacking areas by giving them feedback and modifying my instructions. Some of the important points I consider while assessing my students are:
I share the success criteria with the students, so that the students will know before the end of the lesson what they should know to be successful in this lesson. I share the learning intention with my students before starting the session so that they will be well aware of what they are expected to learn at the end of the lesson. In easy language, I usually write down the learning outcome one one side of the board so that students should be well aware of it. Learning intentions really support me and my students to be aware of what will be assessed at the end of the lesson. Because there is a strong connection and alignment among learning outcomes, assessment and feedback. I teach to achieve my learning outcomes and assess my students to know either I have achieved the learning outcome or not? If not then I again plan the same lesson with some different teaching strategy and teach again. Because the purpose of assessment is my students learning. 
Before I give any task to my students for assessment purposes like any project, assignment or presentation I share the assessment rubric with the students. This is how while doing assignments or making any project they keep in mind what aspects will be assessed in their project/assignment. With this students will consider all the important factors which will be assessed. Like they are assigned to make a project and in that project the things which will be assessed are; relevant content, language, presentation etc. sharing assessment rubric is a very healthy activity for both teachers and students. I save the time of teachers will assessing and it help students to take care of all the important aspects which will be assessed while making the assignment. So, I always share the success criteria with my students as this will help my students to be well aware of what constitutes good work and average work. Sharing success criteria is also important for the purpose that students can see the connection among success criteria and learning objectives. Students must know that they are not been assessed what they have not taught. They will only be assessed what they have taught nothing else. 
In the classroom I engage my students in the activities where they can do self-reflection of their learning. By doing the self and peer assessment the students can reflect on their own learning. Self-assessment help my students to be aware of their strengths and areas of improvement. Doing self-assessment is a very healthy activity for learning because this allows students to take ownership of their learning. Same as self-assessment, peer assessment also benefits students to become aware of their learning from each other. The peer assessment is very effective in my classroom because my students are very comfortable with each other, they support one another, they respect the opinions of other fellows and they feel comfortable to take risk and make mistakes. 
My assessment method is effective because I give feedback to my students about their learning progress. It’s not just I conducted the assessment and forget about the reports. I call my students and share their results with them, let them go where they have performed well and in what areas they are still lacking which they need to work on. Effective use of the assessment is only when its report is shared with students for their progress. I give feedback to my students so that they will be able to reflect upon their learning and evaluate the quality of their learning. I also appreciate getting feedback for my teaching instructions from my students because this strengthens my improves instructions and I become able to teach my students in the ways by which they understand best. The factors I take care of while giving feedback to my students are; the feedback should be relevant to the teaching, it should be provided as soon as an assessment is conducted, it should be based on student’s achievement, the feedback must be helpful for my students so that they can improve their learning, the feedback should be confidential and given only to the concerned student instead of intermediary, the feedback should be respectful where students integrity and needs should be respected, and the feedback must motivate students to continue learning efforts. 
The assessment I conduct from my students is itself pedagogy and cannot be separated from the instructions. I use the information gathered through the assessment to review the learning process. I believe that reviewing and reflecting on the assessment is the only way by which assessment can fulfil purpose that is to enhance the quality of learning. All these characteristics of “assessment for learning” which we also called as formative assessment are very important to be taken carefully. This is the only way by which we can achieve the true and exact purpose of assessing our students. 
The theoretical perspective behind what is practiced now

Jeans Piaget Constructivism's Theory is based on observation and scientific study. According to Piaget “people construct their own understanding and knowledge of the world, through experiencing things and reflecting on those experiences”. Although, Knowledge is constructed, rather than innate, or passively absorbed. So in my class when I taught classification of reptiles. I made a web using their general knowledge. After that, I showed them videos, and let them explore by seeing the real objects. In groups I instructed them to explore and classify it. At the end they have a lot to include in the web. So using different kinds of strategies we can assess the students. According to Piaget “Learning is an active process”. So in science period to teach herbs, shrubs and trees. By using video and PPT I have explained the 3types of plants. After that I took them to a field trip to explore trees. After that, with pairs, I told them to share their notes and compare their views. Next, by using the discussed notes they filled the table about trees. (Piaget, 2006).
Formative assessment methods have a significant impact on students learning. According to William (1998) the impact of formative assessment on general student achievement. So I think formative assessment is highly effective in raising levels of student achievement because it help students to identify their strengths and weaknesses and it help them to identify the target areas that they need to work on. According to him formative assessment was defined as a tool for making teaching more effective during the course, while summative assessment had more grading and evaluative purposes to check students’ progress at the end of the course. So in my class when I used to give the students to draw a mind map to represent their understanding of a topic. Also, I let the students to write one or two sentence identifying the main point of the lesion. So, in this way I can identify what they know and don’t know. So, it helps me to design the next lesion. Therefore, I believe that it is very effective to carry formative assessment during the class.
What I do in my class first of all in the beginning I share the learning intention with students so they will know what they are going to learn. I share the success criteria so that they will know the things they need to know, to be successful in the lesion. Before each lesson recall the previous lesson so that they can build their knowledge by relating to that knowledge. I always try to use different kind of activities so that they get change to explore and identify more. Therefore, it will be kept in their long-term memory, also provide those challenges by asking questions and give them chance to explore and find the answer according to their interested activity. I used to make the lesions so attractive and much engaging, so that at the end, students can proudly say they learned something new. Summative and formative assessment models are as different in their purposes “unlike summative assessments, which may be either criterion-referenced or norm-referenced, formative assessments are always made in relation to where pupils are in their learning in terms of specific content or skills” Harlem and James (2006) So the formative assessment is more individualized and targeted on student’s unique performance in learning, 
According to McMillan (2014), “formative assessment is a way of evaluating students’ progress during teaching in order to make decision on further actions” So the students’ progress is not used for judgment; instead, it helps to know what should be done to help the student in his learning. Formative assessments don’t necessarily need to be graded.  They serve as checkups; it is more about the information rather than the end score. The information gathered helps to shape instruction and future content. According to Earl (2013), “considering student work is not designed to assign marks and make comparative judgments among students but to highlight each student’s strengths and weaknesses and provide them with feedback that will further affect their learning” This means that the main aim is not only to collect evidence about student learning, but also to be able to analyze and reflect on it. 
Formative assessment's main aim is to facilitate and enhance students’ learning through various in-class activities. The purpose of Assessment in Our School is to allow students and teachers to reflect on student learning in order to set or maintain a direction that will promote student progress. Teachers are expected to use assessment results to Provide regular and frequent feedback to students to improve their performance. Thus, to Determine student's prior knowledge and skill level, strengths and weaknesses and differentiate instruction to match student needs.  Also to determine which students require additional support or extension. It also provides specific evidence to inform recordkeeping and reporting. Although, Students are expected to use assessment results to Receive feedback about their level of skill and knowledge and help to set goals. It informs them about the next steps in their learning and to develop the critical abilities to recognize quality work. Also, it develops a positive and realistic appreciation of their abilities and progress. According to Earl (2013), “considering student work is not designed to assign marks and make comparative judgments among students but to highlight each student’s strengths and weaknesses and provide them with feedback that will further affect their learning” This means that the main aim is not only to collect evidence about student learning, but also to be able to analyze and reflect on it. Formative assessment's main aim is to facilitate and enhance students’ learning through various in-class activities. 
Challenges Faced
1. Lack of Parental Support.
Parents should be the ideal working partners to provide the best learning experience for students. For example, they say that they have no time to take the students to field trips. When we tell the parents to come with the students for a field trip. (Most of the parents say that, we don’t have time to do all this, we have a lot of works and kids to look after. Due to this only a few students are able to join the trips with the parent.
2. Lack of Time for Planning.
Have to teach 6 subjects. In a week have to take 24 periods. Need time to make related materials like ppt, have to mark books and make assessments.  So, the time we get is very less for planning and preparing the lesions. As a primary teacher have to teach 6 subjects. In a week have to take 24 periods. To effectively carryout each lesson we need time to make materials like ppt, find related videos, and have to find out what are the activities that can be carried out, things needed for those activities. Plus have to mark books and make assessments.  So, the thing is we also have our own family, we have to give time for our kids. So, the time we get is very less for planning and preparing the lesions.





3. Lack of resources. 
Have to share the classroom. Couldn’t paste the related works on the wall. No library to provide them stories. No science lab to carry out science experiments as our school is having 2 sessions, we have to share our classroom with the secondary students. Could not take extra classes as the class is full. When we paste the related works on the wall the next day all are in the dustbin, so couldn't keep the important materials on the wall. During English class have to give reading worksheets because there is no library to provide them stories. Plus, there is no science lab to carry out science experiments. Have to show videos, little chance students get to explore science experiments.
4. Have to handle a lot of data and information about the individual students.  
In each lesson we need to note down each individual detail about that lesion. As there are different level and different ability of students. Have to keep a record of the individual students.
Assessment for learning which is formative in nature is not related with a specific philosophy of education. Critical formative assessment is a part of the socio-cultural constructivist view of learning. The theory of learning is supported by recent studies. The current goals of education are compatible with the socio-cultural constructivist theory of learning. Effective formative assessment is explained by this theory of learning. The Socio-cultural constructivist perspective of learning help is very effective in creating learners to actively construct knowledge and understanding through cognitive processes. The learning perspective helps students develop the met cognitive skill which is important to regulate their own learning. 
Even in the last fifty years, a formative evaluation still involves the formulation and implementation of research and exhortations. The assessment conducted in the classroom might be supported by different learning theories. In particular, formal assessment shows parallels with Vygotsky's fundamental authored socio-constructivist theory. We want in this work to emphasize the parallels of formative evaluation in the zone of proximal development, with a specific element of socio-constructivist theory (ZPD). Therefore, several features of formative evaluation and ZPD are explored and, ultimately, the probable links between them demonstrate that both are mutually supplementary. In this study there is an assessment viewpoint that might be distinct and therefore collaborative in learning and developing for students, meaning that evaluation is viewed as a collaborative agent for students to move about within their proximal zone of development. The assessment must give knowledge and chances for learning to students, which is in turn an essential part of the cultural and especially human development process. The evaluation must give knowledge and chances for student learning, "which in turn is an essential element in the cultural and humane psychological process of growth." This article has undertaken speculative study to examine the planning, development and technology methods for collecting and analyzing data. The study and analysis of linked texts on the topics of formative evaluations and a proximal development zone was carried out, and is characterized by conceptual analysis, in which author's analysis is carried out, arguing and re-telling notions. The goal was from the outset to learn about the formative assessment and the proximal development zone, to debate them and build partnerships. Works like books and papers on topics have been consulted for this purpose. 

Solution by relating to the literature

I think most of the time parents are not much aware about the new curriculum. So we can conduct workshops and meeting to make them aware about the new learning system. I believe that as a parent no one will want to lack anything in their children's learning, they will do their best to make their children as number one. So, we have to build a strong bond with the parents then they will be very cooperative.
Although, we can improve our time management skill by organizing days and weeks in advance. We can integrate the lesson and can carry the lesson as one. We can make a schedule and can strictly stick on it. So, every task will be done in the mentioned time.  It is not a must to collect all the books and mark all the book at once. During the lesson we can manage the time and we can try just to put a tick as marked. So, during the lesson also we can check their works and can give feedback. Also, we can make the students aware about we share the classroom, so there will be other student’s works. We can make them understand, how you will feel when you see your work on the dustbin. Every student will do their best in each and every work. We can use the available resources effectively to engage the students. Moreover, in formative assessment gathering the information is not enough teachers always needed to make best use of that data for students learning purpose.  According to my point of view this issue can be solved by extreme level of the organization of data. Teacher should be well organized. Timely he or she should make folders and save all the records in those folders by their student’s names. In this world of technology saving huge data is not a big deal, however for this organization of teacher is really important. We should keep it in mind that it is our responsibility not a choice
These challenges in the formative assessment are very necessary to be addressed timely so that the key purpose of the formative assessment can be achieved effectively. As I discussed in the challenges section that handling a lot of data or information gathered through formative assessment is one of the major challenges teachers face while using formative assessment in the classroom. Because in formative assessment gathering the information is not enough teachers always needed to make the best use of that data for students learning purposes. According to my point of view, this issue can be solved by the extreme level of the organization of data. The teacher should be well organized. Timely he or she should make folders and save all the records in those folders by their student’s names. In this world of technology saving huge data is not a big deal, however for this organization of teachers is really important. 
For a formative assessment well organized and saved data is even not enough a teacher must use it further for students learning, the teacher should give feedback to the students on their results, teachers should also use this information to modify own instructions so that instructions can meet the needs of the students. Teachers should use the information to know what students have learned and which learning outcomes have not been mastered yet. And this can really help a teacher to plan the next lesson. 
Another major challenge teachers face in formative assessment is time management because formative assessment activities are very time taking. Most of the times teachers plan very effective assessment strategies for the classroom but they fail to conduct due to the limited time. For instance; one of the formative assessment methods in classroom discussions, and this is a time taking process. So, a teacher cannot ask students to do classroom discussions on a topic in a limited time, for this teacher must have huge time. 
According to my solution to this challenge can be the best use of technology. By the use of different social media, or other learning platforms teachers can easily engage students to be part of a healthy discussion no matter where they are present physically. Teacher’s feedback is an important feature of formative assessment however most of the times because of the time constraints teachers are not able to give individual feedback to the student. To solve these problems teachers can also use technology. Teachers at their home, whenever they get time can contact the individual students and give them constructive feedback. Time can be managed by good organization of all the tasks, by using smart ways of teaching and assessing and by distributing the tasks to the students, instead of assessing students can be engaged in the self-assessment process and can be asked to do peer assessment in a way teacher’s task of assessment can be distributed. 
Conclusion
Assessment and grading are not the same. Usually, the goal is to evaluate individual students' learning and performance.  The assessment examines the pattern of students learning across courses and programs and using this information to improve educational practices. So I hope this will be helpful for teachers when carrying a formative assessment. Although Formative assessment is about measuring where students are in their learning and giving them feedback, they say, and then working to fill in the gaps. ... Some districts even have policies requiring that certain numbers or types of tasks be graded, which can make it tough to avoid giving grades on formative assessments. Moreover, in this assignment, I have highlighted the theoretical background behind what is practiced in my school. I have included the problems we face, and by using literature I have included the solutions for that.



## Conclusion

When used systematically, formative assessment provides rich insights into student learning and guides teaching practices. With some effort in planning, resource utilization, and organization, teachers can implement formative assessments successfully to improve classroom instruction and learning.

Hope this provides some useful tips on leveraging formative assessments! Let me know if you have any other suggestions to share.




References

  • Boulet, M.M. et al. (1990), “Formative Evaluation Effects on Learning Music”, Journal of Educational Research, Vol. 84, pp. 119-125. 
  • Branford, J.D. et al. (eds.) (1999), How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School, National Academy of Sciences, National Academy Press, and Washington D.C. 
  • Bruner, J. (1996), the Culture of Education, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA. 
  • Butler, D.L. and P.H. Wine (1995), “Feedback and Self-regulated Learning: A Theoretical Synthesis”, Review of Educational Research, Vol. 65, No. 3, pp. 245-281.
  • Black and William, 1998, Assessment for Excellence: the philosophy and practice of assessment and evaluation in higher education. New York: Macmillan.
  • William, 2006, National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing. University of California, Los Angeles
  • Harlen and James 2006, State of the art review: language testing and assessment (part two). Language Teaching, 35(2), 79-113.
  • McMillan 2014, Classroom assessment techniques: a handbook for college teachers (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.