Italian Verb Conjugations Sedere

Salesoft Analysis - 7474 Words

Case 15 SaleSoft, Inc. (A) Synopsis Greg Miller and Bill Tanner, Executive Vice President and CFO, founded SaleSoft in July 1993 with the objective of marketing PROCEED, a Comprehensive Sales Automation System (CSAS). While PROCEED had received very favorable responses from prospects, converting interest to actual sales was taking a long time with only five PROCEED systems having been sold to-date. In September 1995, with limited funds and the need to show performance before seeking additional venture capital, Gregory Miller, the president and CEO of SaleSoft, and William Tanner, the executive vice president and CFO, now need to decide the future course of action for their company. They are faced with the question of†¦show more content†¦3. Understanding sales and marketing issues faced by a start-up operating in an embryonic market by comparing/contrasting approaches required to sell products of varying complexity. 4. Exploring the role of a vendors organizational structure in defining its ability to implement marketing strategy. 5. Understanding the role of automation in linking sales, marketing, and service functions in a firm. Recommended Readings †¢ Major Sales: Who Really Does the Buying? – HBR-82305 †¢ Automation to Boost Sales Marketing – HBR 89105 Teaching Questions 1. What is your plan? Do you plan to continue with PROCEED or will you introduce the TH product? Provide support for your plan. 2. What is the buying cycle for PROCEED? Who are the people involved in the purchase of a CSAS solution? What is the role of consultants? 3. What is SaleSoft’s current approach to selling PROCEED? 4. Quantity the benefits of CSAS to a customer using the information given in Exhibit 7. 5. What value does TH provide a customer? How is this different form the customer value delivered by PROCEED? 6. What is a Trojan Horse? How does it facilitate customer acquisition and retention? 7. How will you price TH? 8. How do you think SaleSoft’s organization structure will affect its ability to sell PROCEED or TH? Details of the Discussion Flow What is your plan? Do you planShow MoreRelatedSalesoft Inc1206 Words   |  5 PagesSalesoft Inc. SaleSoft Inc is faced with making a tough, time constrained and strategic choice to either continue with it’s PROCEED software development or redirect the efforts of the entire company’s workforce to deliver the Trojan Horse (TH) product in time for the sales automation conference. The decision taken will have to be absolutely exclusive and is expected to have a critical impact on the company’s future and indeed it’s very viability. I would recommend the company to   1.  Ã‚     FullyRead MoreSales and Trojan Horse2279 Words   |  10 PagesCase analysis Of SaleSoft, Inc. (A) SITUATION ANALYSIS: SaleSoft was founded in July 1993 with the objective of marketing PROCEED, a Comprehensive Sales Automation System (CSAS). Despite the fact that there was a good level of enthusiasm amongst the prospective buyers, the high level of supply time was a drawback with a meagre five such systems being sold till date. Thus converting the interest to sales was a real problem. Now, to seek additional funding from the Venture Capitalists for future

Capability Larger a Bank Financial Risks and Asymmetric Information

Question: Discuss about the Larger a Bank the Better is its Ability to Diversify. Answer: The statement to assess is the capability of larger banks. The topic suggests that larger banks should not be limited by the regulators as the larger pool of the asset means diversification of the portfolio. From the regulators perspective it means higher risk which has potential to engulf lot out of financial system. Large banking demands are a key business driver for regulator decisions in this industry sector. A large bank uses a broad range of technology-centric capabilities that enable new methods of interaction and service delivery to augment customer experience and potentially transform the business (Admati, 2014). These capabilities are supported by a robust, dynamic and accessible large infrastructure and an open banking system that transforms the analog environment. However, for many banks, their application portfolio represents transactional interaction support that matches consumer expectations of banking from decades past (Khairi, 2015). The demands of today's banking customers transcend ATM ubiquity and the convenience of branch banking locations. Traditional banks that aspire to compete with disruptive financial technology firms have to focus on the formerly defined mid-office and back-office technologies with specific attention on supporting hardware platforms. The challenge for many of today's modernization projects is not simply a change in technology, but often a fundamental restructuring of application architectures and deployment models. Mainframe hardware and software architectures have defined the structure of applications built on this platform for the last 50 years. Tending toward large-scale, monolithic systems that are predominantly customized, they represent the ultimate in size, complexity, reliability and availability. Today's modern computing environments represent a very different model. Commodity x86, scale-out environments define a different set of technologies, database management system (DBMS) platforms and architectures. Modernizing legacy systems from a mainframe architecture to a distributed one is a major challenge for any large-scale financial institution (Grubel2014). There is a distinct retreat by bank CIOs from high-cost, complex mid-office and back-office environments to easier-accessed functionality promoted by component-based solutions. Simplification, agility and operational efficiency are the primary drivers behind banks' efforts to abandon legacy solutions and past deployment practices. While many organizations that are dependent on mainframe architectures could have modernized their existing portfolios over time in an evolutionary fashion, many chose to avoid the risk of change and preserve their extant systems, continuing to leverage their current staff resources. As the reality of the demographic shift of baby boomers became clearer to many organizations, this risk-averse option is becoming more problematic (Laeven2013). Now, the ability to attack such a massive application portfolio and restructure it for modern languages and platforms is seen as a great risk. The procrastination of yesterday's regulator organizations is now driving di fferent modernization decisions, including moving to commercially available packaged solutions for many use cases, including core banking. These capabilities are supported by a robust, dynamic and accessible large infrastructure and an open banking system that transforms the analog environment. However, for many banks, their application portfolio represents transactional interaction support that matches consumer expectations of banking from decades past (Schludi, 2015). In the face of new bank entrants, financial institutions are under increasing pressure to formulate and execute large banking strategies. Designed to transform traditional banking models, these strategies are predominantly technology-supported initiatives impacting customer-facing channels through to the back office. As bank CEOs expect large revenues to dramatically expand to 47% by 2019, CIO-led large banking programs are expected to have a significant impact on upcoming regulator decisions (White, 2014). Accommodating new areas of regulator investment for large banking have to be offset with corresponding reductions in tactical, regulator commodity spending. Many banks are pursuing core banking renewal to simultaneously reverse traditional regulator spending patterns and replace them with lower-cost, agile platforms. This is easier said than done, as many of the existing regulator systems in support of the overall bank are mission-critical and demand high availability, reliability and performance. Shifting from scale-up architectures (such as the mainframe) to scale-out environments (commonly x86) requires significant investment in understanding the existing systems in great detail, but also a rethinking of the implementation in a modern, multiserver world. Banks need to be able to justify the cost and risk of any modernization project. This can be difficult in the face of a well-proven, time-tested portfolio that has represented the needs of the banking system for decades. However, the demands for modern banking solutions, which are increasingly targeting a different demographic, require extensive change to the existing systems. The alternative has been to add layers of technology on top of the existing legacy systems, which tend to increase cost and complexity (Reinhart, 2013). Many modernization inquiries from our customers are not simply about an aging technology stack, or even aging workforce, but rather about fundamental changes in the business. Banking CIOs should embrace a large-first, outside-in thought process when modernizing their legacy portfolios. Modern consumers of banking have expectations set by their experiences with Amazon, Google or Facebook. These expectations are less predictable than in the past and make it more difficult to instantiate a business process in code and expect that code to last for decades, as has been the case for much of the extant banking portfolio (Martins, 2014). Today's systems must be built to change, and not to last! Dependent on a bank's market strategy and segmentation, organizations are increasingly considering broad-based, functional, packaged solutions for existing systems of record, or the usage of commercial off-the-shelf coarse-grain components (BPM, BI query, analytics, report writers) to implement their replacement systems. In support of large banking ambitions, many industry CIOs aim to migrate resources from commodity systems (such as core banking) and redirect them to differentiating technologies that directly impact the customer experience. References: Admati, A., Hellwig, M. (2014).The bankers' new clothes: What's wrong with banking and what to do about it. Princeton University Press Schludi, M. H., May, S., Grsser, F. A., Rentzsch, K., Kremmer, E., Kpper, C., ... Edbauer, D. (2015). Distribution of dipeptide repeat proteins in cellular models and C9orf72 mutation cases suggests link to transcriptional silencing.Acta neuropathologica,130(4), 537-555 Khairi, M. S., Baridwan, Z. (2015). An empirical study on organizational acceptance accounting information systems in Sharia banking.The International Journal of Accounting and Business Society,23(1), 97-122 Grubel, H. G. (2014). A theory of multinational banking.PSL Quarterly Review,30(123) Reinhart, C. M., Rogoff, K. S. (2013). Banking crises: an equal opportunity menace.Journal of Banking Finance,37(11), 4557-4573 White, E. N. (2014).The regulation and reform of the American banking system, 1900-1929. Princeton University Press Laeven, L., Valencia, F. (2013). Systemic banking crises database.IMF Economic Review,61(2), 225-270 Martins, C., Oliveira, T., Popovi?, A. (2014). Understanding the Internet banking adoption: A unified theory of acceptance and use of technology and perceived risk application.International Journal of Information Management,34(1), 1-13

The Controversy of Clinical Versus Actuarial Prediction Essay Example

The Controversy of Clinical Versus Actuarial Prediction Paper In clinical prediction, psychologists use their clinical experience to formulate a prediction based on interview impressions, history ATA and test scores (Melee, Clinical versus Statistical 4). The formula in the title refers to statistical or actuarial prediction. In actuarial prediction, clergies access a chart or table which gives the statistical frequencies of behaviors (Actuarial Prediction). Advocates of the clinical method say that clinical prediction Is dynamic, meaningful and sensitive but actuarial prediction Is mechanical, rigid and artificial (Melee, Clinical versus Statistical 4). On the other hand, advocates of the actuarial method claim that actuarial method Is empirical, precise and objective but alnico prediction Is unscientific, vague and subjective (Melee, Clinical versus Statistical 4). The controversy of clinical versus actuarial judgment is not limited to the field of psychology; it also affects education in terms of predicting school performance, criminal justice system in terms of parole board decisions and business in terms of personnel selection. Although this controversy can be traced back half a century ago, social scientists today are still asking: Which of the two methods works better? Can we view any prediction dichotomously as either clinical or actuarial? And, if actuarial predictions are more accurate, should we abandon clinical predictions all together? On one side of the controversy, some people feel that using mere numbers to determine whether students can enter graduate schools or whether prisoners should be released Is dehumidifying (Melee, Causes and Effects 374). We will write a custom essay sample on The Controversy of Clinical Versus Actuarial Prediction specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Controversy of Clinical Versus Actuarial Prediction specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Controversy of Clinical Versus Actuarial Prediction specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer In her book about social psychology, Thompson describes a young woman who complains that It Is horribly unfair that she has been rejected by the Psychology Department at university of California on the bases of mere numbers, without even n interview (88). When my psychology teacher surveyed our class on this issue, about 20 percent of students believe that it is unethical to make predictions based on mere numbers (Brenner). The crux of this ethical concern lies on the belief that each individual is so unique that rigid statistics or equations cannot make the correct prediction in every single case. Indeed, most psychologists agree that rigid statistics are not sensitive to special cases. Paul Mà ªlà ©es well-known broken-leg example Illustrates how the special powers of the clinician can predict behaviors ore accurately in some special cases: If a sociologist were predicting whether Professor X would go to the movies on a certain night, he might have an equation Involving age, academic specialty, and Introversion score. The equation might yield [a very high probability] that Professor X will go to the movie tonight. But if Professor X Ana Just Darken Nils leg Ana en Is In a nil cast Tanat wont NT In a denature seat, no sensible sociologist would stick with the equation. (Clinical versus Statistical 24-25) Essentially, it is very important for clinicians to detect the characteristics of each unique individual and make predictions accordingly because clinicians deal with individual cases; they make predictions for each unique individual, not for a group of people. Thus, it is the individual case that defines the clinician (Melee, Clinical versus Statistical 25). Because of the insensitivity of statistics to special cases and the importance of predicting individual cases, many psychologists argue that statistics simply cannot apply to individuals (Melee, Causes and Effects 374). They believe that clinicians can make predictions about individuals can transcend the predictions bout people in general (Melee, Causes and Effects 374). For example, Patriots emphasized in his research on personality inventory that: In [nonproductive] tests, the results of every individual examination can be interpreted only in terms of direct, descriptive, statistical data and, therefore, can never attain accuracy when applied to individuals. Statistics is a descriptive study of groups, not of individuals. (633) On the other side of controversy, advocates of the actuarial approach have questioned the logic behind the assumption that statistics do not apply to single individuals or events. Stanchion uses a very good analogy to illustrate the fallacy behind this assumption (179). He asks us whether we want our operation done by an experienced surgeon who has a low failure probability or an inexperienced surgeon who has a high failure probability (179). Of course, any rational man will choose the experienced surgeon. However, if we believe that probabilities do not apply to the single case, we should not mind to have our operation done by the inexperienced surgeon. This question brings us to think about the role of chance in making reductions. Stanchion noted: Reluctance to acknowledge the role of chance when trying to explain outcomes in the world can actually decrease our ability to predict real-world events Acknowledging that our predictions will be less than 100 percent accurate can actually help us to increase our overall predictive accuracy. (175) An experiment done by Fainting and Subsidiaries (58-63) demonstrates Stanchions last point that we must accept error in order to reduce error. In this experiment, the participant sits in front of a red light and a blue light and is asked to predict which eight will be flashed on each trial (60). The experimenter has programmed so that the red light will flash 70 percent of the time and the blue light 30 percent of the time (59). Participants quickly pick up the fact that the red light is flashing more, thus they predict the red light roughly 70 percent of the time and the blue light roughly 30 percent of the time (62). The problem is that they do not understand that if they give up on trying to predict correctly on every trial, they can actually be more accurate. We can demonstrate the logic of this situation through a calculation on 100 trials. In 70 of the 100 trials, the red light will come on and the participant will be correct on about 70 percent of those 70 trials. That means, in 49 of the 70 trials (70 times . 70), the participant will correctly predict that red light will flash. In the same way, we can calculation that approximately in 9 trials (30 times . 30), the participant will correctly predict that the blue light will flash. Therefore, the participant can only predict correctly 58 percent of the time (49 percent from the red light and 9 percent from the (B). However, IT ten participant simply gives up on getting every trial relent Ana just predicts the red light on every trial, he can predict correctly 70 percent of the time (because the red light will come on 70 percent of the time), which is 12 percent better than switching back and forth trying to get right on every trial. This is what Stanchion means by accepting error in order to reduce error. Research on this controversial issue has consistently indicated that actuarial prediction is more accurate than clinical prediction. In Paul Mà ªlà ©es classical book Clinical versus Statistical Prediction, he had reviewed 22 studies comparing clinical and actuarial prediction (83-126). Out of these 22 studies, twenty show that actuarial prediction is more accurate than clinical prediction. These twenty studies cover almost all the clinical prediction domain, including psychotherapy outcome, criminal recidivism, college graduation rates, parole behavior and length of psychiatric hospitalizing. A graduate student at JIBE had also done a study comparing clinical and actuarial prediction (Simmons 3). In this study, Simmons compared the predictions made by a regression equation and by two experienced counselors on the school performance of JIBE freshmen (Simmons 3). The results again indicate the actuarial prediction using the regression equation was more accurate (Simmons 64). In addition, a recent meta-analysis using 136 studies has also confirmed that actuarial prediction is better regardless of the Judgment task, type of Judges, or Judges amount of experience (Grove et al. 9). Researchers found that actuarial prediction substantially outperformed clinical prediction in 45 percent of the studies whereas clinical prediction was more accurate in only 10 percent of the studies (19). Regarding the research consistently showing that actuarial prediction is more accurate , Paul Melee said, There is no controversy in social science which shows such a large body of qualitatively diverse studies coming out so uniformly in the same direction as this one (373-374). Mà ªlà ©es actuarial stance is strongly challenged by Robert R. Holt, who is also a renowned clinical psychologist. Holt criticizes that the twenty studies Melee cited in his book only focus on the final step of the prediction-making process, which is making the prediction (339). Holt rejects the dichotomous classification of studies as clinical or statistical because in field settings, clinicians do not simply make a prediction by evaluating the given data (338). In field settings, before the clinician can make the prediction, he has to carefully identify the criterion he can predict and choose predictive variables he wants to use. (Holt 339-340). For example, if a counselor wants to predict the school performance of first year university dents, he first identifies the criterion he is able to predict; the criterion can be Gaps or average marks of the students, but it can also be the students lecture attendances. He also has to choose which predictive variables he should use; he may use the students entrance grades or their scores on an aptitude test or a combination of both. Then, finally, he can make the prediction using either an equation or his own Judgment. This example shows that even if the clinician uses actuarial approach in the final step of the prediction-making process, he still plays an important role in all the preceding steps. I agree with Holt that Melee has oversimplified the distinction between clinical and statistical prediction. I believe that we should view these two methods as falling on a continuum rather than make an all-or-none distinction. Some predictions that can be completely done on computers are more statistical toner protections, Tort wanly psychoanalysts need to collect Ana analyze data, are more clinical. I also agree with Holt that we should still value clinical judgment although it is not as accurate. Without clinical Judgment, scientists will to be able to form hypotheses and theories, and to analyze research results and data. Like Western and Weinberg said in their article reviewing this controversial issue, try as we might to eliminate subjectivity in science, we can never transcend the fact that the mind of scientists, clinicians or informants is the source of much of what we know (609). Nevertheless, when countless research findings point toward one direction, I think we should recognize that actuarial predictions are more accurate than clinical predictions (at least in the final step of the prediction-making recess). Some people think that using mere numbers to make predictions is dehumidifying. They feel that using an equation to forecast a persons action is treating the individual like a white rat or an inanimate object (Melee Causes and Effects 374). However, I argue that in certain cases, it is unethical to use clinical judgment when actuarial approach has shown to be accurate. For example, when a clinical psychologist makes a prediction about whether a student is going to commit suicide within a year, would it be more ethical to use the actuarial prediction that is here times more accurate than the clinical prediction (Brook et al. 03)? The answer to this question should be as obvious as the question about whether we want our operation done by an experienced or an inexperienced surgeon. By admitting that actuarial Judgment is more accurate, clinicians who engage in activities in the role of experts and imply that they have unique clinical knowledge of individual cases may lose prestige and income; however, the field of psychology, and society, will benefit if we underst and that accepting error is reducing error.

The Article Aims To Assess Whether Data Is Consistent With Critics Cl

The article aims to assess whether data is consistent with critics' claims on the effects of talk show viewing on the social reality beliefs of adolescents. Critics hypothesize the following negative effects occur (on adolescents) as a result of talk-show viewing: 1) a incessant focus on bizarre behavior and social deviance leading viewers to accept distorted versions of reality, 2) desensitization to the suffering of others occurs due to (regular) viewer immunity to graphic discussions and guest outbursts, 3) the trivialization of important social issues due to the oversimplification of difficult issues. In order to test the three hypotheses, a survey was administered to 282 high school students ranging in age from 13-18. Students answered questions about their attitudes towards social issues and related media use and talk show viewing behavior. The study analyses was limited to daytime television talk shows featuring non-celebrity individuals discussing their personal lives and pro blems. The authors the study based on the interpretive theory of communication. They attempted, through the survey, to uncover the ways in which talk-shows do/do not influence adolescents in arriving at their general meaning of social reality. Interpretive theories "describe the process whereby the active mind [the adolescents] uncovers the meanings of experience [bizarre topics] in whatever form it may take [talk-show viewing]. The results of the survey provided support for the first hypothesis, disputed the second and proved contrary to the third, actually establishing a positive relationship between talk-show viewing and the importance of social issues. Although talk-shows have an effect on adolescents, the data did not suggest that adolescents are corrupted by watching them. Stacey Davis and Marie-Louise Mares, "Effects of Talk Show Viewing on Adolescents," Journal of Communication, (1988) p.69-85.

Collaborating with Families and Community Members

Collaborating with Families and Community Members Introduction School partnerships involving community and other stakeholders are an essential approach of addressing the diverse needs of the school community. Effective school administrators and principals collaborate with community members, families, and the business community to mobilize community resources in order to meet the diverse community needs and interests.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Collaborating with Families and Community Members specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More School principals should aim at establishing relationships or networks within and outside the school. Often, family conditions influence student learning in school settings. Thus, the principal should identify the resources; that is, families, community members, and business, which can support learning in the school. An optimal approach of promoting school-community collaboration involves blending the school resources with the local communi ty and family resources. The collaborations encompass various community agencies and organizations including community-based organizations, civic and religious groups, libraries and local parks, businesses, individuals and post-secondary institutions within the community (Adelman, Taylor, 2006, p. 123). The intent is to establish strong school-community and family connections for learning, recreation, support, and enrichment. Additionally, communication of the school’s core priorities and vision for the community fosters a positive school image. This facilitates collaborations with the various community agencies and organizations. Establishing long-term connections requires an integrated approach that addresses the barriers to learning and links services, enrichment and recreation activities in schools. It requires system-wide changes that facilitate sharing of learning resources and responsibilities between the school, family and the community stakeholders. School-family-co mmunity collaborations require a mechanism for sharing resources and tasks among the stakeholders. Importance of Family-School-Community collaborations Schools and learning institutions are situated in communities. However, often, there is little connection between schools and families or communities in the neighborhood. Nevertheless, the schools, families and the community, as entities, affect each other in one way or another. Additionally, these entities share common goals regarding socialization and education of the children.Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Thus, schools principals, families and communities must work together to promote student learning and address the barriers to effective learning (Bostingl, 2001, p. 72). In particular, issues of safety, crime, child development and learning as well as poverty or economic status of families are interrelated and require concerted efforts involving all stakeholders. Academic performance is enhanced when schools become an integral part of the community. Additionally, the collaborations contribute to staff motivation, reduced discipline problems, and proper utilization of resources. The community entities can also promote socialization, strengthen family-community life, and address social problems through collaborations with schools. The concerns about cases of violence in schools call for connections with communities and families. Violent incidents experienced in schools have more to do with home and community life. For adolescents, the common forms of violence experienced in schools, community neighborhoods or in homes is sexual, social abuse and physical violence (Adelman, Taylor, 2006, p. 128). Often, the youngsters are the recipient of these forms of violence. However, sometimes they can be the perpetrators of harassment through bullying or intimidation. Clearly, violence in schools is a serious problem and a significant barrier to learning, socialization and teaching in schools and homes. As a result, a single-factor approach involving the school alone will not work. Thus, principals should actively seek to collaborate with families and community organizations in developing prevention or intervention strategies (Cunningham, Cordeiro, 2006, p. 145). In addition, partnership with mental health services or community social services organizations and the law enforcement is crucial in preventing violence in schools and promoting a positive school climate for learning. Usually, families provide a direct link between the school and the community especially with regard to education of students with exceptional needs. Interventions that cater for students with unique needs require increased parent participation (Adelman, Taylor, 2006, p. 127). Principals should seek to establish school-community connections that benefit youngsters with exceptional needs and their families. For i nstance, school-community linkages can improve the outcomes of emotionally challenged students and their families. Interventions involving collaborations between the school and community social services can address the needs of this population of students.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Collaborating with Families and Community Members specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These include counseling sessions in schools as well as hospital and homecare programs. Establishing a system of care for students with exceptional needs requires multidisciplinary teams to monitor and maintain the care services to achieve the desired outcomes. Importance of School-linked Programs School-community collaborations usually aim to integrate social programs into schools and enhance linkages. Most of these programs such as immunization, substance abuse prevention programs and physical health services usually have links with school sites. A school principal should facilitate student access to health services, foster care and childcare services to enhance specialized assistance to children or case management. In addition, the collaborations with social agencies help in expanding recreation, academic, as well as enrichment programs. In particular, art, youth sports, and music programs can be expanded through linkages with social service organizations. Program for the prevention of juvenile delinquency and youth violence also require collaborations with social service organizations. Partnerships with the business community enhances transitions from school to work, facilitates career development through internships, job placement and mentorship programs involving various professionals within the community. School-linked programs coordinate community and school resources to meet the needs of children and their families. Usually, a wide variety of approaches is used in school-linked services. This reflects the diversity of c ommunity resources and the variability of the needs of students in each community. The programs address the social, health, educational and psychological concerns of the students (Adelman, Taylor, 2006, p. 131). Principals should establish partnerships with school-linked programs in their efforts to prevent teen pregnancy, substance abuse, and juvenile delinquency among school going children. In addition, collaboration with these agencies at the state or local level is a powerful approach in addressing the student needs. A variety of arrangements including formal and informal agreements with state or local agencies and community networks can facilitate the delivery of these school-linked services. Additionally, school-linked programs focus on introducing non-academic services to school settings to support the youth and their families.Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The Specific Stakeholders in School-Community Collaborations School-community linkages can be formal or informal and require a varying degree of systemic change to undertake their roles and achieve the desired purposes. Various school-community arrangements rely on various community resources. The plan for the collaborations will involve brainstorming sessions involving the community members to design the necessary steps. Objectives and strategies will be the next step followed by timeline plan and monitoring and evaluation of the events. The plan will involve mapping of resources and activities of each partnership. In particular, my plan will involve the following stages: identification of the specified areas for cooperation, review of the system status to enhance collaboration, strategies of strengthening the collaborations, and the mechanism for linking the community resources. A multifaceted or comprehensive collaboration allows a large proportion of students and families to acc ess their services. The programs can be community-based or school-linked where various community agencies participate in offering social and non-academic services to students. In general, the collaborations establish intervention systems for promoting healthy growth, preventing social problems and treatment of chronic problems affecting children and their families. The first category of stakeholders is the county bodies and agencies such as the mental health and children’s health departments are significant especially with regard to substance abuse among students (Bostingl, 2001, p. 77). In addition, partnerships with these agencies are indispensable when children with exceptional needs that need case management or specialized care are involved. Public social services, legal probation, the county sheriff, police, and local education office can help deal with cases of violence against children at school or residential settings. Council recreation parks, courts, housing and cou nty libraries can also address the needs of children and those of their families. The second category of stakeholders in school-community partnerships is the mental and physical health groups. These include the hospitals, clinics, guidance and counseling centers, and family support centers. Private community members and groups can also extend help in terms of shelter, dispute resolution, and mediation in family crisis to support the material needs and social needs of the children and their families (Adelman, Taylor, 2006, p. 129). Another category of stakeholders includes the service agencies, charity clubs, and organizations such as clothing and food pantry, the Rotary club and the civil society groups. Youth groups and agencies, such as the boys or girls club and the scouts, form another category of stakeholders in school-community partnerships. Sports and fitness groups such as athletics leagues, gyms, and community-based conservation groups should be involved in non-academic ac tivities, in the school. Faith-based community institutions including the clergy and the congregation subgroups should be involved in interventions that aim at preventing behavior problems and substance abuse among children (Bostingl, 2001, p. 81). Other stakeholders include the career groups and clubs such as Engineers or scientist groups, cultural institutions such as zoos, museums and literary clubs. The media through radio and TV stations can also be instrumental in addressing the pertinent issues affecting learning in schools. Community business unions, family members, and business corporations should also participate in career development of students through internships and job placements. Parents and Stakeholder Partnerships Effective school leaders collaborate with the community members, families, and businesses, to meet the diverse interests and needs of the school community. Partnerships involving schools and local business enterprises, families and community members play a significant role in promoting staff and student outcomes. According to Cunningham and Cordeiro (2006), â€Å"for schools, partnerships entails sharing power between the family and the school leaders† (p. 146). Most often, the forum for sharing power involves the Student Advisory Councils and the Parent-Teacher Associations (PTA). Various strategies can be used to promote parent/family involvement in their children’s learning. The PTA outlines six factors that encourage active participation by the parents or family in student learning. These include increased outreach programs to community resources, involvement of parents in decision-making, regular communication, fostering parenting skills, parent involvement in student learning and through volunteering (Cunningham, Cordeiro, 2006, p. 147). As a principal, I would encourage these six factors in my school. As a member of the PTA, I would mobilize community resources by encouraging active participation of the parents in their student’s academic and extra-curricular learning activities. Evidence from previous research indicates that academic performance; grades, school attendance, completion of assignments and homework and student’s overall performance improves when the family or parents take an active role in student learning (Cunning, Cordeiro, 2006, p. 152). As a principal, I would encourage parent involvement as an on-going mission in my school. I would ensure that the efforts to promote parental involvement in schools are in line with the changing family demographics. Usually, the obstacles to family involvement in schools are often work-related. Kohn outlines five common complaints that parents make over student homework: low student interest in learning, increased burden to students, and lack of time for parents, family disputes, and distracters in residential settings (2006, p. 112). These factors affect parent participation in their children’s learning activities. Often, the requirement for standardized testing exerts much pressure on educators with respect student homework. This affects the quality as the educators emphasize on quantity rather than quality. Educators are forced to cover a large portion of the syllabus prior to the standardized tests, which compromises quality. I believe that parental involvement can promote quality especially with regard to homework. According to Bostingl (2001), McGregor’s X and Y theories of management are applicable in today’s school system (p. 87). With regard to homework, theory Y management attributes are essential in achieving high results. Standardized tests place enormous stress on parents, teachers, and families. In light of this, I would organize a parents-staff meeting, where teachers can enlighten the parents on the requirements of the test and allay their fears or concerns. At the same forum, I would guide the parents on how to participate in their children’s learning espec ially with regard to homework. This dialogue will be essential in addressing the diverse learning needs of the children. Kohn describes three approaches of achieving higher results from homework. Firstly, he suggests that, homework should comprise of any activity, academic or otherwise, that extend student learning. Secondly, household activities such as games, cooking, surfing the internet for information and watching TV shows give the student absolute control over their learning. Lastly, children stories and readings that instill reading and imaginative thinking can also serve as homework (Kohn, 2006, p. 118). As a principal, I believe that these suggestions are vital in encouraging family and parent involvement to ensure successful student learning. In addition, these activities are part of authentic learning that helps students to become successful in life. As a school principal, I would be to involve parents and family members in their student learning in non-academic settings at home. Volunteers constitute a crucial part of the school community. Their roles range from tutoring to student mentoring hence influential in student learning. As a school principal, I would establish a volunteer club, which will recruit active volunteers primarily from the school comprising of school and classroom volunteers from among the staff. Later, volunteers from the community will join the club as well as volunteers from various agencies. I would organize occasional breakfast meetings and entertainment for the volunteer club to foster a spirit of voluntarism in my school. Honors and recognition will also encourage voluntarism to become the culture in my school. This will also encourage more volunteers to join the club year after year. Partnerships with businesses contribute significantly to successful learning in schools. I would facilitate business partnerships where local business leaders engage the students on attributes of their future citizenship. I believe that, by connecting community, family, and school resources, student health and safety can be enhanced. In light of this, I would seek through the school board linkages with agencies such as law enforcement, social support services, and local administrators. School boards play a decisive role in policy and planning for the whole school systems in an area (Cunningham, Cordeiro, 2006, p.124). I would organize a series of meetings involving the school board and the various groups to strengthen the school-community strategies for a healthy and safe learning environment for students. In particular, I would organize presentations involving all stakeholders to allow them to share their views before setting up smaller groups to implement the strategies. In relation to substance abuse and behavior problems, I would involve the law enforcement, the mental health department, the families, religious groups, and community social services. Evaluating the Contributions of Parents and Stakeholders On-going evaluation of the contributions of the parents and stakeholders is crucial in formulating recommendations for resource allocation to the various school-community partnerships (Adelman, Taylor, 2006, p. 134). It provides a foundation for decision-making for subsequent steps. It also informs future development plans and improvements (Cunningham, Cordeiro, 2006, p. 121). I would conduct various surveys whereby I would analyze the activities of the groups against their resource utilization. The surveys would involve the families, the community members, and staff. I would use interviews and questionnaires to establish the level of satisfaction with the partnerships and compare the effectiveness of the practices before and after implementation. The family coordinator will evaluate the parent’s involvement in their children’s learning and provide propositions from the parents on how to improve their involvement. A participatory evaluation process is another useful approach of assessing the contributions of the community stakeholders (Adelman, Taylor, 2006, p. 135). Participatory evaluations take into account the interests, the concerns, and the needs of the partners. The findings can be disseminated within the collaborations and ultimately improve the outcomes of the partnership programs. I would use participatory evaluations to assess the volunteers whereby they will be involved in designing the evaluation criteria for their contributions. My evaluation of the contributions of the parents and stakeholder groups will comprise of three approaches: process evaluation, outcome evaluation and impact evaluation (Cunningham, Cordeiro, 2006, p. 127). With regard to process evaluation, I would survey the nature of the activities that took place over a specified period. The methodologies for process evaluation would include interviews and in-depth surveys of the activities of the collaboration. I would rate the developments of each partner group against the goals and the level of satisfaction of the members, the teaching staff, and students. On the other hand, outcome evaluation primarily seeks to establish the achievements of the collaboration over a specified period (Bostingl, 2001, p. 84). I would conduct surveys of new services, reported behavior changes and the objectives met over the period. This will help assess the progress achieved through the partnerships. Impact evaluation will focus on the effects of the collaboration on the student learners. In this case, I would use statistical indicators to measure the outcomes. For instance, a decline in the rate of substance abuse or teen pregnancy in my school will be an indication that partnerships with law enforcement and community social service have positive impacts. Conclusion The diverse nature of the needs and interests of the school community calls for concerted efforts involving the school, parents, and community stakeholders for successful learning. Collaborations with pare nts and community members are essential attributes of a high performance leader. As a school principal, I would encourage partnerships through school-based and community-based programs and agencies. However, the collaborations have to be evaluated for future improvements. This also ensures efficient utilization of resources in line with the objectives of the collaborations. Reference List Adelman, S., Taylor, L. (2006). The school leader’s guide to student learning  Supports: New directions for addressing barriers to learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Bostingl, J. (2001). Schools of quality. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin Press. Cunningham, G., Cordeiro, A. (2006). Educational leadership a problem-based Approach. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc. pp. 121-152 Kohn, A. (2006). The homework myth: Why our kids get too much of a bad  Thing. Cambridge, MA: DaCapo Press. pp. 112-118

Support for teaching of science practices in school Research Paper

Support for teaching of science practices in school - Research Paper Example Support for teaching of science practices in school Decreasing populations and tax bases in rural areas reduce the fiscal resources available to the schools. One school district also faced enormous fiscal challenges when a tornado destroyed almost all buildings in the downtown area in 2003. In addition, high prices for gasoline and diesel fuel can devastate school district budgets where transporting students for long distances is the norm (DeYoung, 1991). Government- based support Currently, state finance of learning has attained erosion because of challenging economy. In response to the worsening world economy, state and learning policymakers have reacted to strict fiscal constraints by transforming a bigger share of the financial load from taxpayers to learner rather than by deep evaluation and decrease of costs and/or enhancing efficiency. As learning continues to develop and expand, several major elements of federal policies, regulations, and rules may need to be revisited in order to enable many to continue enrolling for distance education courses. Financing education is a broad and intricate issue. It is intricate in part of because of different basis of revenue, output, or products that are associated to these distinct sources of revenue. In addition, these expenditures and revenue pattern differ significantly by the kind of institution (four year college, university or two year college), means of governance (private or public), and the state. (Pearl & Singh, 1999). In the private sector, the pattern of pricing, price discounting and expenditure levels vary significantly according to the wealth of the institution, demographics, and the affluence of the family of the applicant pool. In the public domain, these patterns also differ according to tuition laws, enrolment limits, and state funding levels that are determined by the government or public education governing body or board. The issue of financing education is large because capital underlies the themes of quality and efficiency. In terms of efficienc y, there is need for cost effective association between revenues from taxpayers, parents and learner and products or outputs when measured in rates of graduation, student learning and enrolments (Hampel, 2010). Within the wide themes of higher finance underlies institutional and public policy questions that are creative or informed, if not tackled, by financial and economic perspectives. For instance, the familiar question regarding education finance concerns how much it can cost taxpayers and the relevant ratios of learners to administrative and professional staff at different types of institutions (Honderich, 1995). Learning is identified as the major driver of economic growth and as the main determinant of a person’s status and remuneration. Distance learning is essential in maintaining the growth of the economy in the rapidly increasing world economy. This is because it most high and well paying jobs and remuneration will depend on the level of education and in this case, a person with an advanced or higher degree is set to benefit more than a person with a college degree (Holmberg, 1995). Financing education in the twenty first century has a unique salience because of the 2008 financial crisis, which has caused serious economies to economies of countries in the world. However, in most countries, revenues remain strained. Since the current public universities and colleges