Wombats

The Wombats are an alternative rock band hailing from Liverpool, England. They played a gig here in Chicago at Park West venue back in mid September. From the delicately soothing and fun beginning of â€Å"Our Perfect Disease,† Matthew Murphy's vocals crawls into your head and whispers from a world of honesty most bands take considerable years to find. The Wombats word choice and vocal delivery roars with such raw and beautiful emotion that absorbs you in. This show was a show worthwhile.First, the venue was awesome, it was really intimate and allowed you to feel like you ere right there in stage with the band. Security did it's Job and was professional, and the venue had a great atmosphere. Usually at Park West, it tends to be fairly easy to find your way to the front, but this show, was quite impossible. In order to be up close, you had to be there really early. Also, knowing that the band is huge in Europe, I could not pass up the chance to see them live. One of the best pa rts overall, was the ticket price which was only nine dollars!The opening acts, Morning Parade and The Royal Concept were really good too, one of the best warm up bands I haw seen at a show like this. The Wombats really fed off the crowd's energy and seem absolutely, extremely stoked to be there. Most of the crowd was singing along throughout the concert and you could see In the band's grins that they had not been expecting this and were pumped to see the crowd so into it. Moms pits and crowd surfing have started during the show, which does not really happen at an Indies rock concert, but does anyway.It was one of the greatest experiences I had at a show. Audio and sound did not have one single difficulty. The band threw their talent out and are exceptionally great live performers. It Is honestly depressing now listening to their albums because of how great they are live. Not only did they play nearly every song off of their most recent album, This Modern Glitch, but they also playe d a good selection of songs from their first album, Gulled to Love, Loss, and Desperation.Last but not least, I tend to always pay attention to the stage production. The lights were fascinating and synced In very well with each song performed. There was not a single flaw, the band was lively and energetic, the singing was great, and so were the Instrumentals. These guys are fun, they will Joke ND take photos of you while they are up there performing. Towards the end of the show, the band performed one of their tracks, â€Å"Little MISS Bedspread. † The drummer played the drums, keyboard, and harmonica – simultaneously.Sounds Impossible, but not for The Wombats. After the encore, all three band members took dives Into the crowd and It was unreal. I personally, thoroughly enjoyed what The Wombats put Wombats By Christianizes crowd was singing along throughout the concert and you could see in the band's really happen at an Indies rock concert, but does anyway. It was one of the greatest ND are exceptionally great live performers. It is honestly depressing now listening to selection of songs from their first album, Guide to Love, production.The lights were fascinating and synced in very well with each song singing was great, and so were the instrumentals. These guys are fun, they will Joke show, the band performed one of their tracks, â€Å"Little Miss Bedspread. † The drummer played the drums, keyboard, and harmonica – simultaneously. Sounds impossible, but not for The Wombats. After the encore, all three band members took dives into the crowd and it was unreal. I personally, thoroughly enjoyed what The Wombats put

The Impact Of Cooperative Listening Materials Adaptation Education Essay

Abstraction Listening comprehension has gained more prominence in EFL/ESL categories. Due to this prominence, bookmans have tried to cast visible radiation on different ways of bettering scholars ‘ listening comprehension. One of these ways is utilizing listening schemes. There is still a contention over the effectual function of these schemes in bettering listening comprehension. Therefore, the proposed schemes have ever been reviewed and reformed. Adopting either scheme, the class shall be rather uneffective if it fails to increase scholars ‘ engagement in the class. The intent of this survey was to look into whether or non peer-cooperative self-access stuffs version has any consequence on scholars ‘ engagement and engagement in listening categories. In add-on, the present survey tried to examine any possible alterations in pupils ‘ attitude toward listening as a consequence of the intervention. In order to carry through the intent of the survey, 90 Persian pupils who w ere analyzing at Islamic Azad University, an independent university, were selected based on their obtained tonss in a linguistic communication proficiency trial ( TOEFL ) . They were indiscriminately assigned to one control and two experimental groups. Then they undertook a 17-session intervention. With a quasi-experimental pretest posttest design, it became apparent that holding pupils adapt listening stuffs improved listening comprehension public presentation. And besides a positive alteration occurred in pupils ‘ overall attitude toward listening. Keywords: Material version, Self-Access stuff, Listening Comprehension, Cooperative version Introduction Not until decreasing prominence of Latin ( Richard & A ; Rodgers, 2001 ) , listening was paid much attending. Stressing the of import function of listening, research workers argue that larning shall be enhanced through understanding the intended significance. It is done through processing and comprehending the characteristics of the linguistic communication and/or transforming informations into information ( Alalou & A ; Chamberlain, 1999 ; Finocchiaro & A ; Bonomo, 1973 ; Horton, 2000 ; Molina, 1997 ) .Thus it would be advisable to see listening as an incorporate portion of linguistic communication categories because developing different modes of accomplishments like listening provides scholars with rich linguistic communication acquisition experiences. Otherwise, low listening proficiency may deter scholars to actively take part in unwritten treatments ( Hayati & A ; jalilfar, 2009 ) . On the other manus, such experiences help scholars successfully monitor their ain acquisition ( R ichards, 2008 ) . In other words, scholars will use the acquisition schemes including meta-cognitive, cognitive and socio-effective 1s to supervise their acquisition procedure ( Shirini Bidabadi & A ; Yamat, 2011 ) . Furthermore, â€Å" See [ ing ] linguistic communication in-use † motivates scholars through doing the linguistic communication larning puting more interesting ( Harmer, 2001. p. 282 ) . Yet it is instead hard to promote scholars to affect themselves in listening procedure as the consequence of either medium or context ( McDonough and Shaw, 1997 ) . One possible solution is to better scholars ‘ attitude through acquiring them familiar with the procedure involved ( Taylor, 1981 ) . Such consciousness enables scholars to use what they have learnt to better their linguistic communication skills non merely during but besides after the class. This can be achieved merely through guaranting that instructional content being developed best suits the pupils ‘ demands and co-ordinates foreign linguistic communication direction on a campus-wide footing ( Branch, 1998 ; Chaput, 1993 ; McApline, 1998 ) . Materials development is a cyclic procedure that ne'er ends. In a sense, in no phase of this procedure, one would be certain of the rightness of the included stuffs for a peculiar group of scholars in a peculiar scene. So, the stuffs should ever be revised when it is traveling to be used in different scenes. Tomlinson ( 2005 ) argues that most EFL stuffs are written by well-qualified native-speaker instructors who experienced merely little categories with motivated scholars. Yet most users of these stuffs experience EFL in big category of unmotivated scholars. In a nutshell, the context is wholly different. To work out this job, Nunan ( 1993 ) believes non until we expand pupils ‘ and instructors ‘ apprehension of the procedures involved in linguistic communication acquisition, we can non develop appropriate classs. Such understanding brings about consistence among the undermentioned variables: context ( national, regional aˆÂ ¦ ) scholars ( age, linguistic communication degree aˆÂ ¦ ) instructors ( personality, learning manners aˆÂ ¦ ) stuffs ( text, undertakings aˆÂ ¦ ) intent and aims ( class course of study aˆÂ ¦ ) ( Masuhara, 2004. pp. 1-3 ) Problem statement About 50 to 70 per centum of the category clip is spent on hearing ; nevertheless, it is done inefficaciously ( Jalongo, 1991 ; Smith, 1992 ) . Hence instructors ‘ ailment about the deficiency of instructional stuffs on hearing is n't uncommon ( Swanson, 1997 ) . They have been discoursing the lack of some listening stuffs available to the instructors and pupils ( Fujiwara, 1996 ; Rost, 2001 ) . The job is non merely with the importance of learning the hearing accomplishment, but it is with the activities, processs and stuffs adopted to near it. In appropriate listening stuff, as reported by Yasin Sharif and Ferdous ( 2012 ) , leads to listening comprehension anxiousness. Empirically, carry oning such a survey might add to our apprehension of the procedure of listening comprehension. The consequences of such a survey might be of value both to instructors, course of study interior decorators and even pupils. Merely that manner they can assist scholars be equipped with listening accomplishment, and accordingly heighten their acquisition via hearing ( Molina, 1997 ) . Making so, it is apparently required to look into the sorts of Schemes and techniques curriculum interior decorators and stuff developers can utilize to assist scholars better their hearing comprehension. Since larning stuff is the nucleus beginning in any language-teaching/learning plan ( Richards, 2010 ) , sing these schemes and techniques while planing, they assert, will guarantee us that the designed hearing stuffs appeal to scholars ‘ personal involvement ( Brown, 2001 ; Nunan, 1997 ) . It will prolong attending and positive emotion. cooperatively-adapted ( instructor and pupils ) stuffs non merely enjoys high face cogency but consequences besides in consistence in assemblage of divergent sentiments at times convenient to participants ; meetings dominated by content non personality ; attachment to a structured docket without loss of those thoughts after the session ends ( Helten & A ; Nye, 2005 ) Therefore such coaction in stuffs version ensures the success of the plan. Yet the impression of including the most appropriate stuffs to run into the lesson aims, class and leaners ‘ demands is comparatively new to the research literature ( Tomlinson, 2001 ) . Bearing it in head, research workers have conducted a figure of surveies on class design, stuffs development and scheme preparation. They hoped they could assist scholars go independent. Research Questions In the present survey, listening as a macro-skill as stated by Nunan ( 1993 ) and material version ( an of import phase of course of study development ) are selected as the starting point. Thus material version is intended to pull the pupils ‘ attending and affect them into the learning plan. Based upon such an premise, the present survey was developed to look into whether peer self-access stuff version has any consequence on listening comprehension, and whether or non this would alter the pupils ‘ attitude toward listening comprehension. In order to give way to the survey, the undermentioned inquiries were formulated: Does peer concerted self-access hearing stuffs adaptation have any consequence on genre-based hearing comprehension ( films and intelligence ) of Persian EFL scholars? Does peer concerted self-access hearing stuffs adaptation have any consequence on Persian EFL scholars ‘ perceptual experience of listening comprehension acquisition? These directing inquiries are seeking to touch the facet of a receptive accomplishment which harmonizing to Carkin ( 2005 ) â€Å" lacks the strong background of†¦ literate accomplishments † ( p. 114 ) . Such a instead weak background stems from the fact few surveies have been carried out on stuffs development in general and listening stuffs version inparticular ( Bhatia, 1994 ; Brown, 2001 ; Fujiwara, 1996 ; Rashidi & A ; Safari, 2011 ; Tomlinson, 2001 ) . Literature Review Uvin ( 1996 ) , in an effort that led to the development of an ESOL class for Chinese health-care workers, asserts that scholars and clients should be actively involved in all phases of class and stuff development. Doing so would ease the scholars ‘ engagement. To trip scholars ‘ engagement, he used two attacks. Problem-posing: here, a state of affairs was described and scholars were supposed to respond by â€Å" treatment, planning, action and feedback † ( p. 49 ) . The other attack was experimental acquisition in which scholars ‘ day-to-day experience was used. These attacks, he argues, helped scholars achieve competences ( sense of ownership, motive and self-pride ) . In add-on, category activities became more compatible with preferable acquisition activities. Materials, he continues, were extremely relevant because they were all generated by the scholars. Pinheiro ( 1996 ) , in a survey on planing a authorship constituent, regarded the scholars ‘ background. Therefore, she provides the scholars with in-class and out-of-class ranked activities. Having conducted the survey, she argues that such a procedure may increase scholars ‘ interaction or coaction. Sing listening some surveies have been done excessively. Fujiwara ( 1996 ) , seeking to promote the scholars to be more active in the hearing category and better their attitude, involved scholars in the procedure of stuffs version. She designed listening diary prep. At the terminal, she, in a study, found that the scholars ‘ attitude toward listening had become more positive and their comprehension had greatly improved. All the above surveies have been carried out to ease comprehension public presentation. However, scholars ‘ demands should non lose sight of. In different state of affairss the scholars ‘ demands differ from one another. To guarantee that these demands will decidedly be met those who undertake listening stuff development demand to acquire familiar with the scholars at least through a distributed questionnaire. Roll uping such informations that manner increases the possibility of run intoing such demands. 2. Methodology 2.1 Participants The survey can be categorized as the quasi-experimental pretest posttest control group design. The field work was conducted in Islamic Azad University of Qom where 90 participants ( both females and males ) were selected based upon their tonss on the TOEFL Test ( 2008 ) . The trial was given to 120 pupils, and from among those who clustered around the entire mean, 90 pupils were selected. 60 pupils were assigned to the experimental group, which included two subgroups with 30 pupils each, the staying 30 pupils were assigned to the control group. Ages of participants ranged from 20 to 26. They were all senior pupils analyzing at their 6th term. They enrolled in a two-credit class on either â€Å" Oral interlingual rendition II † or â€Å" Movie interlingual rendition. † In this survey, peer concerted stuff version and genre-based hearing ( intelligence and films ) were considered as independent variables ; while, scholars ‘ listening comprehension public presentation and pupils ‘ attitudes toward listening as the dependent variables. 2.2 Instruments The instruments used in this survey include a standardised TOEFL trial ( adopted from Barron TOEFL 2008 ) , a standardised hearing trial ( TOEFL ) used as the â€Å" pretest † and â€Å" posttest † and a questionnaire. In add-on to the major instruments, a instructor ‘s usher and informal observation were besides used to command some of the variables, which were supposed to act upon cogency of the survey. Teacher ‘s usher, the 2nd instrument, was one of the steps taken to guarantee instructors were following the same processs for comparison intents. As non to pique experient instructors or overload instructors ‘ heads with inside informations, instructors guide points were formulated as suggestions and efforts were made non to travel into inside informations of the stairss in different stages of each lesson. The other step taken to guarantee consistence in managing the intervention was informal observation. The research worker himself attended the categories without anterior notice. The intent was to see if the instructors adhered to the instructors ‘ usher provided by the research worker. Then, for the pretest, a TOEFL trial was administered. Siting it, the pupils were required to reply 122 multiple-choice points consisting listening subdivision with 50 points, usage of English with 26 points and reading comprehension with 46 points.This trial was used to measure both linguistic communication and listening proficiency degree of the scholars. Posttest was the following instrument used to mensurate the topics ‘ accomplishment after the intervention. In order to examine whether or non there is any alteration in the listening public presentation of the scholars, a standardised hearing trial was used. The listening portion of the TOEFL trial, which was used as the pretest and comprised 50 points was once more administered to all three groups. The questionnaire was the last instrument used in the present survey. The questionnaire was organized into three parts. The first portion aims at arousing the demographic information ; full name ( optional ) , major, and the participants ‘ survey semester. The 2nd portion included 20 points. The intent was to analyze the attitude of the respondents towards listening. In this subdivision pupils ‘ replies were mapped on a five-level Liker Scale ( 1 bespeaking â€Å" strongly hold † and 5 â€Å" strongly differ † ) . Finally, in the 3rd subdivision, the respondents ‘ remarks were elicited through an open-ended inquiry. The whole points in the questionnaire were categorized into two parts. The firs portion measures pupils ‘ positive attitudes ; while the 2nd portion negative 1s. To guarantee the lucidity and understandability of the points included for the participants, the questionnaire was constructed in patricipants ‘ L1. 2.3 Data Analysis In order to analyze the psychometries of the questionnaire utilized in this survey, a pilot survey was carried out. To gauge its cogency and dependability of the points included, the feedback of three PhD holders in TEFL was collected sing the suitableness ( relevancy ) and lucidity of the points included. They were supposed to rate the points in 1-5 evaluation graduated table on two feedback signifiers ( one for suitableness and the other for lucidity ) . As table 1 and 2 indicate, the critical value of â€Å" R † at 22 grades of freedom is.43. Since all the computed â€Å" R † are higher than.43, it shows a high grade of understanding among the raters on the relevancy and lucidity of each point in the questionnaire at the important degree of 0.01 ( 2-tailed ) . Table 1. Spearman Inter-Rater Correlation Co-efficient ( Relevance ) Rater 1 Rater 2 Rater 3 Rater 1 Pearson Correlation 1 .749 ( ** ) .678 ( ** ) Rater 2 Pearson Correlation .749 ( ** ) 1 .694 ( ** ) Rater 3 Pearson Correlation .678 ( ** ) .694 ( ** ) 1 Table 2. Spearman Inter-Rater Correlation Co-efficient ( Clarity ) Rater 1 Rater 2 Rater 3 Rater 1 Pearson Correlation 1.000 .806 ( ** ) .693 ( ** ) Rater 2 Pearson Correlation .806 ( ** ) 1.000 .626 ( ** ) Rater 3 Pearson Correlation .693 ( ** ) .626 ( ** ) 1.000 Alternatively, an effort was made to prove out the dependability of the questionnaire. In so making, the questionnaire was administrated to 23 EFL pupils ( 15 females and 8 males ) . The informations obtained were fed into the SPSS package to run Cornbach alpha. The consequences showed that the questionnaire was dependable ( I ¬=0.74 ) . Procedure In order to transport out the present survey, the undermentioned stairss were followed. First, the TOEFL trial was administrated in the first session of the term to function a double intent. It was traveling to mensurate the general linguistic communication and listening proficiency degree of the pupils to guarantee that all topics are approximately at the same degree of proficiency. Having done it, the homogeneousness of the groups was assured. In instance of the homogeneousness of the topics, the trial aimed at choosing 90 topics in the available categories. The 90 topics were selected from among those whose tonss fell one criterion divergence above and below the mean. The chosen topics were so, indiscriminately, assigned to two experimental groups and one control one. The listening portion of the TOEFL trial was besides used as the pretest. Then the listening portion used as pretest was once more administrated as the posttest. The intent was to analyze the alterations that might hold occurred in the listening ability of the pupils. Next, the questionnaire was administered to look into the scholars ‘ perceptual experiences toward listening. Therefore an attitude questionnaire was used both at the beginning and terminal of the survey. The experimental groups received the intervention, which consisted of assignments for learning listening comprehension. The assignments were different from what were the normal instruction processs used with control group. The control group was fundamentally exposed to listening audio plans, which were played and replayed for comprehension intents followed by activities focused on linguistic communication of the texts used for listening. The experimental groups were exposed to listening stuffs that are intelligence and films. The stuffs were selected by the pupils themselves. The activities were designed based on theoretical accounts proposed by Brown ( 2001, see Pp. 260- 264 ) . Following the 17-session intervention, the attitude questionnaire was given to the groups to find any alterations or deficiency of alterations in their attitudes. Attempts were made over the intervention period to hold instead the same status in all these categories. One manner to run into such a standard was to inquire the instructors to carry through the undertakings in conformity with cheque list provided to them. In order to look into whether the same processs were used toward the instruction stuffs and whether the categories were held harmonizing to the checklist provided to the instructors, informal observations were conducted. The standard for observation were those points included in the checklist. This sort of observation showed that all the instructors followed the guidelines in the checklist. The instructor assumed the function of adviser in the experimental groups. In other words, at the beginning of the experiment, the instructor introduced the standards needed to be taken into history while accommodating listening stuffs in a briefing session. Then, he was available for audience at the different phases of the procedure. On the other manus, the instructor was the lone beginning of information in the control group. 3. Consequences and Discussion The first statistic was Descriptive to guarantee the homogeneousness of the groups. It is shown in table 1. Table 1. Descriptive Statisticss of the tonss in the TOEFL trial Nitrogen No of Items Mean South dakota 120 122 15.4 2.04 From among the pupils whose tonss were one standard divergence above and below the mean, 90 pupils out of 120 were selected. Then, they were indiscriminately assigned to 3 groups ( two experimental groups and one control group ) . Table 2 shows that the mean and discrepancy of the three groups with 30 members each are about the same, so the three groups can be considered as homogeneous. Table 2. Descriptive Statisticss of Proficiency trial Nitrogen Mean Std. Deviation Discrepancy EXP-G1 ( film ) 30 15.02 2.04285 4.173 EXP-G2 ( News ) 30 15.35 2.04223 4.171 Control-G 30 15.08 1.99613 3.484 In order to look into listening ability of these three groups, the tonss obtained in the listening portion of TOEFL were once more fed into SPSS. The consequences are presented in table 3. Table 3. Descriptive statistics of Listening Proficiency trial Nitrogen Mean Std. Deviation Discrepancy Exp-G1 ( film ) 30 13.95 3.09 9.60 Exp-G2 ( News ) 30 13.01 3.12 9.77 Control G 30 13.63 3.41 10.60 It can be inferred from the informations that the three groups had about the same Mean and Standard divergence, which indicate the homogeneousness of the groups sing listening ability. The following effort was to find the pupils ‘ perceptual experience toward listening larning before transporting out the intervention. In so making, the questionnaire was distributed among the topics. Then, the consequences obtained from the first disposal of the questionnaire were gathered and fed into SPSS. In order to look into whether the difference was important, Chi-Square was run. Table 5 summarizes the consequences. Table 4. Chi-Square Statisticss for pretest Chi-Square Trials Value df Asymp. Sig. ( 2-sided ) Pearson Chi-Square 138.895 ( a ) 4 .000 Likelihood Ratio 143.839 4 .000 Linear-by-Linear Association 120.582 1 .000 A 0 cells ( .0 % ) have expected count less than 5. The lower limit expected count is 44.96. The figure shown in table 4 indicates that there is a important relationship between points mensurating positive attitude and those mensurating negative attitude. In order to look into whether the magnitude of the topics ‘ inclination moves toward positive or negative, a correlativity coefficient was run. Table 5. Spearman ‘ rho correlativities of points of questionnaire Positive Negative Sum Sum Correlation Coefficient .620 ( ** ) .848 ( ** ) 1.000 As depicted in table 5, the correlativity between the overall mark and the negative subdivision is much higher than the correlativity between the overall mark and the mark of the positive subdivision at the important degree of 0.01. This suggests that the pupils have an overall negative attitude toward listening. In order to reply the first research inquiry, the addition mark of each pupil was calculated. Derive tonss calculated show 13 % betterment on pupils ‘ listening accomplishment. In order to see if there was any important difference between the average mark of three groups, a One-way ANOVA was conducted on the addition mark. The P value, at 2 and 87 grade of freedom was smaller than.05 ( table 6 ) . Table 6. The consequences of One-Way ANOVA for the Gain Mark Sum of Squares df F Sig. Between Groups 4.83 2 20.21 .00 Within Groups 10.41 87 The consequences obtained from running One-Way ANOVA showed that there were important differences between the average tonss of these three groups. This consequence does non demo where precisely the existent differences lie. To happen out where the groups were significantly different, a Pos Hoc comparing of agencies ( Tukey ) was conducted. Table 7. The consequences of Multiple Comparisons ( Tukey ) for the Posttest Average Difference ( I-J ) Std. Mistake Sig. 95 % Confidence Interval Control-G Exp-G2 ( intelligence ) .52 ( * ) .089 .00 .73 .30 Exp-G1 ( Movie ) .45 ( * ) .089 .00 .66 .24 Exp-G2 ( intelligence ) Control-G .52 ( * ) .089 .00 .30 .73 Exp-G1 ( Movie ) .06 .089 .74 .14 .27 Exp-G1 ( Movie ) Control .45 ( * ) .089 .00 .24 .66 Exp-G2 ( intelligence ) .06 .089 .74 .27 .14 As it is shown in Table 7, there is a important difference at the degree of 0.05 between the Control and Experimental ( News ) and Experimental ( Movie ) . The consequences besides show that there is no difference between the Experimental groups. In order to reply the 2nd research inquiry, the consequences of the 2nd disposal of the attitude questionnaire were fed into SPSS. The consequences are shown in table 8. Table 8. Chi-Square Statisticss for Posttest Value df Asymp. Sig. ( 2-sided ) Pearson Chi-Square 122.062 ( a ) 4 .000 Likelihood Ratio 125.407 4 .000 Linear-by-Linear Association 105.693 1 .000 Harmonizing to the consequences presented in table 8, the difference is important at alpha degree of.05. To be able to demo the attitude way move clearly, a correlativity coefficient was run. The consequences are summarized in table 9. Table 9. The Spearman ‘ rho correlativities of points of questionnaire Positive Negative Sum Spearman ‘ rho Sum Correlation Coefficient .854 ( ** ) .565 ( ** ) 1.000 The consequences show that the correlativity found between the positive points and the entire figure of responses is higher than the correlativity between the tonss on the negative inquiries and the entire mark. The figure 0.85 is much higher than 0.56, which suggests a positive way in pupils ‘ attitude. The abovementioned consequences for the first phase of the survey indicate that concerted stuffs adaptation significantly affected the listening public presentation of linguistic communication scholars. The ground may be due to the fact that adapted listening stuffs met scholars ‘ demands, were interesting to them and accordingly increased scholars ‘ engagement. Subsequently the instructor shall detect an betterment in scholars ‘ addition tonss. In this survey, the topics in the experimental groups who had the opportunity to accommodate listening stuffs hand in glove accomplished the undertakings assigned better than those in the control group who did non hold such an chance. It advocates the necessity of affecting those who are traveling to utilize the hearing stuffs in the procedure of stuff usage version to guarantee run intoing run into the true demands of the pupils ( Tomlinson, Dat, Masuhara and Rudby, 2001 ) . As for the consequences for the 2nd portion of the survey, the impact of such a Strategy on altering scholars ‘ attitude toward listening was probed. In this survey, a positive alteration occurred in the attitude of scholars in experimental groups though the so great. So it may be concluded that the attitude improved as listening stuffs users were playing an active function in the procedure of instructional stuffs development. The ground of such a alteration might be due to raising scholars ‘ consciousness, run intoing their true demands and concerted stuffs version. The consequences support the earlier surveies done on different facets of affecting scholars in the procedure of larning stuffs version. Using a process reverse to the most common one ( teacher selected stuff ) presently exercised by instructors in learning listening comprehension, Fujiwara ( 1996 ) reported a alteration in the public presentation and attitude of those who themselves adapted listening stuffs. Unlike her topics who adapted stuffs in isolation based upon listening diary, the topics of the present survey adapted stuffs hand in glove from among self-access stuffs. This scheme proved to promote scholars to be involved in executing in-class and out-class hearing activities in order to better their hearing public presentation. As stated by Tomlinson, Dat, Masuhara and Rudby ( 2001 ) and Fujiwara ( 1996 ) the benefits achieved through the engagement of scholars may be important provided that such process is employed by stuff interior decorators and instructors. The findings besides support a work by Uvin ( 1996 ) . He reported that larning would be fascinated through the engagement of the scholars into all phases of ESOL class. Like his attack, in this survey, job resolution technique ( treatment, planning and action ) was utilised toward stuffs version. Finally the consequences of the survey go in line with a work by Pinheiro ( 1996 ) . She in her survey relied chiefly on scholars ‘ anterior experiences and background while developing the instructional stuffs. Like her survey, the findings show an betterment in compatibility of larning activities. She reported an addition in scholars ‘ interaction and coaction as the consequences of such compatibility. Based on such findings peer concerted self-access stuff version serves as an foil in the procedure of listening comprehension instruction and development of this accomplishment. This scheme helps the instructors motivate and encourage EFL scholars to take part in in-class and out-class hearing activities. Yet it is apparently required to keep a briefing session during which the major acquisition issues are introduced and discussed. The general result of the session was bettering scholars ‘ consciousness. The 2nd result which straight contributes to such an consciousness was version of stuffs which best suited their demands. Marrying up these two and peer cooperation led to high degree of engagement, interaction, coaction and finally a sense of accomplishment. However, there is still a fact that should non be lost sight of. Material version by scholars does n't intend that merely scholars should set about material version. What the scholars do demands to be supplemented by audience, aid and support on the portion of the instructors. In fact the function of rating listening stuffs and undertakings, which is needed to be carried out merely by professionals- stuff developers, instructors and etc, should non be ignored. The latter is surely a common process peculiarly used by instructors in listening categories, and it has confirmed to be affectional ( Nunan, 1993 ) . However, the usage of scholars ‘ engagement as a scheme offers some possible extra advantages to listening comprehension sweetening. 4. Decision and Deductions Didactically talking, the findings of the present survey should modify our understating of nature of stuffs version. Through version activities, scholars non merely see the existent usage of linguistic communication but besides the input they receive will be enriched culturally ( Alalou and Chamberlain, 1999 ) . One thing that debilitates listening comprehension is the deficiency of EFL scholars ‘ engagement in the procedure. An appropriate solution for this job is the engagement of scholars in the procedure of stuff version support teachers a batch because first it motivates scholars to take part enthusiastically in the hearing activities ( Hull, 1996 ) . It is merely because when they adapt listening stuffs, the stuff adapted will be based on their involvement. Therefore, they needfully become to the full involved in larning the new linguistic communication. Second, in their efforts to accommodate self-access hearing stuffs, run intoing their true demands is guaranteed. Third , it allows the pupils to be more adventuresome with the linguistic communication. This at the terminal enriches input from cultural point of position. As a affair of fact, larning and stabilising a new linguistic communication through promoting scholars to go involved volitionally in listening undertakings is one side of the coin. The other one is that instructors and stuff developers can acknowledge the debatable countries in listening through the procedure. Practically, strategic usage of equal concerted self-access stuff version has positive slipstream consequence on learning. In a better sense, instructors can easy detect cognition spreads and seek to take the obstructions. This is achieved through allowing scholars cheque and examine the available hearing stuffs harmonizing to their demands and involvements. Meantime, scholars should be concerted and at the same clip independent. Knowing it, the course of study interior decorators and stuff developers along with the instructors can successfully accommodate effectual hearing stuffs. Therefore, it apparently is the duty of the course of study interior decorators and stuff developers to affect scholars in the procedure of stuff version to the extent that their enthusiastic engagement additions and as the consequence larning takes topographic point. Hopefully, this survey is non an stoping but the beginning. More research is needed to be done to increase our apprehension of how different factors such as different proficiency degrees, genres and linguistic communication accomplishments may impact scholars ‘ engagement, attitude and accordingly public presentation. Recognitions The honest university professors, my co-workers, pupils and friends have been of priceless aid in the readying of this research. My debt of gratitude is to Dr. M.R. Anani Sarab whose priceless cooperation and aid helped me transport out this undertaking. I am highly thankful to Dr. M. R. Ataii for supplying me nice remarks to enrich the undertaking.

Post-occupancy evaluating of low income housing in the Kingdom of Dissertation

Post-occupancy evaluating of low income housing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - Dissertation Example 13 Pictures(3) Showsthe region of Ha’il, with the pleased of the project. 13 Pictures(4) Site plan of the Al-Ghazalah project 13 Pictures(5) Site plan of the Al-Ghazalah project 15 Pictures(6) Ground floor plan 15 Post-Occupancy Evaluation of Low Income Housing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Chapter 1 Introduction Housing demand is one of the most important issues and challenges that face developing and developed countries (Al-klyfh, 2009). These countries have tried to solve their housing demands with different policies. Some policies and proposals have met the needs of different levels of society. One of these economic classes is called the low income group that encompass some Saudi Arabian people with low annual income. To address the issue on housing income, the government tried to establish residential complexes, an introductory concept and still under trial. This paper will focus on low income housing post occupancy evaluation as the main issue. The housing policy will b e assessed using the post-occupancy evaluation method (POE). However, before investigating the Saudi Arabian policy, it is important to investigate the different international policies for low income housing. 1.1. International policies for low income housing Many institutions, international agencies and local communities around the world have for many years now addressed poverty, increase standards of living,as well as provide adequate shelter for the poor (United Nations Centre for Human Settlements, 1987).These UN programs were allocated in 155 countries and have established national centres that work directly with various local government agencies (Tiesdell, 2004). Important processes that have been followed are: a. Secure possession of the land. b. Provide public facilities and services. c. Finance low-cost housing d. Provision of construction materials. e. Community participation. f. Cooperation with the private sector and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) (Tiesdell, 2004) . A review of socio-economic policies indicates that there is a growing interest in the issue of housing for the poor by civil society organizations and governments of many countries. A limited review on Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom low cost housing will be included due to time constraints. 1.1.1. Affordable Housing in the UK Housing policies in Britain has local planning authorities mandate developers of housing projects to provide a certain percentage of affordable housing for low income groups (Tiesdell, 2004). The two aims are as follows: a. Social: sustain a mixed community in terms of income and social level and reduce illegal settlements that lack basic services b. Economic: shoulder part of the burden of financing in order to allow beneficiaries provided with lower prices than the market price or rent housing (social security) at less than the prevailing costs. UK housing, however, did not meet stated objectives, such as acceptance from high-income and middle classes due to preference

Finance accounting assignment on earning management

Finance accounting on earning management - Assignment Example The second part of the paper would answer questions relating to impairment of assets. It will involve a critique of the circumstances under which impairment is declared. It will also explain when companies must perform impairment reviews and examine a practical case of impairment my Peugeot-Citroen and Vodafone. A. Managers' Incentive for Earning Management. â€Å"Earning management occurs when managers use judgement in financial reporting and in structuring transactions to alter financial reports to either mislead some stakeholders about the underlying economic performance of the company or to influence contractual outcomes that depend on reporting accounting numbers† (Rowen and Yaari, 2009: 26). This implies that earning management is centred around the fact that a firm's directors and managers might want to present information in a way and manner that is not true nor accurate. Earning management is sometimes called disclosure management and creative accounting. It includes the use of approaches and systems to disclose accounting information in a way and manner that meets a defined end or objective (Alistair, 2008). Managers often have targets that are predetermined for them by the board of directors. This implies that they would have to work hard and do whatever is legally acceptable and possible to meet those objectives and standards. In the process of attaining the given standards and objectives of financial statements, most managers end up putting together financial statements in a creative manner. In other words, they do everything possible and practicable to balance the accounts so that it reflects the ends or the final figure that is expected of the management of an organization. In most situations, earning management is done to smoothen profits and ensure that the earning of the company in a given period is forged in a way and manner that it is in line with targets. This presents a different reality of the earnings of the period and this defeats the purpose of financial statements and financial reporting of capturing the economic realities in an objective and complete manner. These managers therefore manage their earning and disclosures in a way that favours them and enables them to appear to be meeting the end that they have in mind. In a research conducted by Cheng and Warfield (2005) they identified that the main objective for earning management amongst manager includes three interlinked ideas and concepts. They include: 1. Earning management incentives 2. Future manager trading. 3. Enhancement of organisational position. The first idea is that earning management incentive allows managers to attain the favour of people who set targets for them. This is because in most cases, managers are judged and assessed on the basis of the attainment of results and targets. In reality, manager's worth is identified by how well he meets the financial and economic targets that are set by the people at the top of corporate governance. There is therefore the desire or expectation to use creative techniques to ensure that they attain financial targets. This leads to pressure to use various loopholes and techniques in accounting concepts to present a favourable position. The second idea is that managers often get incentives that are tied to their performance.

Exotica and feminisim Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Exotica and feminisim - Essay Example All the feminist authors and activists are of the view that such type of films showing women mere in supporting roles, as well as exhibiting their body parts as sign of men’s entertainment, are not only humiliating, but also prove the women folk as the lesser creatures or worthless stratum of society, which contain inferior status than men. Before embarking upon the above-described film in details, it would be appropriate to define feminist perspective: Social groups have not only been divided into different classes in respect of socio-economic status and different occupations and professions, but also distribution of the individuals of a society is based on age, ethnicity, race, region, religion and gender too. Social inequalities are found in all fields of life and in all the institutions and organizations existing in a society. In this pretext the Feminist perspective theory came into existence. The idea of division of labor on the basis of gender gave birth to feminism. It was a strong voice against the inequalities between men and women in respect of social status, division of power as well as work and gender discrimination. â€Å"Feminism is†, Macionis submits, â€Å"the advocacy of social equality for women and men, in opposition to patriarchy and sexism. The first wave of feminism in the United States-began in the 1840s as women opposed to slavery drew parallels between the suppression of African Americans and the o ppression of women.† (2007:353) The theory aimed at seeking equal status for women in every field of human life, where no one could treat them as inferior community on the basis of gender discrimination. The theorists who brought the significance of women’s participation in the social construction programs to the limelight were declared as rebels in the beginning, and then liberals and Marxists subsequently. With the passage of

Understanding Human Behaviour Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Understanding Human Behaviour - Assignment Example y ponders over the areas on which the service users need to work on in order to avoid misdiagnoses and also focuses on the ways that should be adopted by psychiatrists in order to understand the disability and mental health of the individuals. Also it discusses the problems that are faced by the health departments in the introduction of certain programmes because of the criticism of the service users. In this research essay I would focus on the notion that the massive power of the psychiatrists in the process of the diagnosis is something that has implications on the patients and this is something that should be given more importance. For the purpose of my research I have used many literature reviews. Psychiatric diagnosis refers to the process whereby the psychiatrist (or psychologist) is responsible for the identification and the labelling of a particular disease. One of the main purposes of this diagnosis is to help people and guide them through the entire treatment procedure. Lately, it has been felt that the diagnosis has had many different implications on the individuals concerned. According to Reich (1981) psychiatric diagnosis is a very important process because it can have varied effects on the patients. While some may be happy with the results of the diagnosis, others might not feel the same way. One implication of the procedure of the diagnosis is that the people who are diagnosed may have to suffer from unintended implications. For instance, the perceptions of the others might change towards the patient if he/she is labelled with a mental disorder. People may not want to interact with such patients. Reich (1981) argues that the main reason for this behaviour is the re sult of the institutionalized attitudes of the people and the society as a whole towards people who suffer from mental disorders and learning disabilities. The above mentioned effects may occur due to the attitudes of the people and the society to the mental people. There are, however,

MENOPAUSAL TREATMENT Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

MENOPAUSAL TREATMENT - Assignment Example Such symptoms include hot flushes and alteration of the vagina area (Newson, 2013). On the other hand, there are various ways of alleviating symptoms. One of such is through hormone replacement therapy (HRT). However, HRT being avoided due to the various risk associated with it (Newson, 2013). Hence, such risks have forced most patients to opt for herbal treatments. The paper will focus on â€Å"herbal† treatments as a first-line option for their menopausal symptoms. It will also address their effectiveness as well as side effects or interactions with the herbal treatments. There are various herbal treatments for menopausal symptoms. The first herbal compounds are known as phytoestrogens. These are plant compounds and have the same chemical components as the female sex hormone oestrogen (State Government of Victoria, 2015). Hence, they act as oestrogen receptor parts in a woman’s body and helps in reducing symptoms (State Government of Victoria, 2015). The first is known as isoflavones. The natural source for this phytoestrogen is soybeans, beans, and red clover (State Government of Victoria, 2015). The other one is known as lignans. It is easily found in fruit, vegetables, grains, and oilseeds. The third one is known as coumestans. It is easily found in sprouting seeds such as alfalfa. The only challenge is that soy products are thought to lead to the development of breast cancer in women. Therefore, there is advice to avoid such products in those women that are at high risk of developing breast cancer (State Government of Victoria, 2015). The drugs have been shown not effective in alleviating hot flushes (Cleveland Clinic, 2014). The other medicine is St John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum). It has been shown useful in reducing symptoms. The only challenge is that this medication may interact with other drugs one is taking causing severe side effects (State Government of Victoria, 2015). The other one

Individual Case Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Individual Case Analysis - Essay Example The precise ways in which a brand adds value can be recognised through gaining knowledge about the sources of brand equity (Keller, n.d.). In relation to the provided case scenario related to Red Bull, it can be comprehended that the company focused on the aspect of creating brand awareness as well as establishing their brand image. These two facets are the key sources of their brand equity. Development of the source of brand awareness has facilitated Red Bull to develop its brand equity. Red Bull has especially focused on the element of brand recall. Brand recall refers to the customers’ capability to distinguish a particular brand within different circumstances (Keller, n.d.). . With this notion, Red Bull concentrated on designing its products attractively. Moreover, within its growth strategy the company entered new markets by taking a slow method to optimize the anticipation as well as buzz from the company (Das, 2012). This was a key strategy to build brand equity of the company. Moreover, it focused on inventing the aspect of functional energy within the beverage category segment which facilitated it to create a distinct brand image among the customers. It also focused on above-the-line strategy with regard to marketing aspect to draw the attention of its customers. It created an eye-catching logo of two red bulls and a yellow sun. The animated message reinforced the value of Red Bull as a drink that gives an individual ‘wings’ i.e. it energizes the person. This has been the main notion conveyed by the company to its consumers which is the key source of brand equity for the company (Kumar & Robert 1988). Incorporation of a distinct flavour and packaging along with positioning were the other major facets for the company that facilitated it to develop its brand equity. In terms of packaging, under the logo of the company, highlighting the aspect of energy drink was a major consideration by the company. Moreover, it positioned the brand a s revitalizing substance for body and mind. The product started to create a buzz as a mixer element in varied markets, however, the company primarily attempted to go beyond this aspect and appeal to a broader section of consumers especially the young ones (Rehman, 2011). The company also concentred on participating in different events and sporting activities which substantially boosted up its name and logo, which are the imperative elements for success of a company in terms of augmenting its brand equity. Q:2. Analysis of Red Bull’s Marketing Programs in Terms of how it contributes to the Brand’s Equity Red Bull is using uncongenial adverting policies, as it has uniquely positioned itself in the beverage industry. Its distinctive positioning has allowed it to detain a significant amount of brand recognition in different nations. The company focused on creating a sense of mystique amid its customers through its marketing program. It initially focused on word-of-mouth tr aditional method of advertising technique, however, it wanted to spread the awareness of the brand even more (Collins & Rusktad, 2008). Red Bull’s promotion strategies had facilitated it to flourish in the facets of market share, income, and units sold (Sarah, 2009). Exceptional positioning strategies were focused on by the company by targeting high-school and colleges going

Three Positions on Abortion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Three Positions on Abortion - Essay Example It does not think that the act of abortion is legitimate under all circumstances. The position considers that the mother and fetus have certain rights. The conflict of rights is created because of the different considerations for the mother, fetus and the society. However, the acceptability of the action depends on the severity of such conditions. For example, if it is feared that there are chances that the fetus will born deformed, moderate position will allow abortion in such cases. The reason behind the acceptance of abortion in this case is that it will cause tremendous pain and suffering to the mother and the fetus itself. The loss or pain cause by giving birth to a child would be greater than the tragedy and loss of abortion. In other words, moderate position on abortion is the rational view of abortion. It requires doing what is best for the mother and the fetus. Hence it is a better alternative to conservative and liberal approaches. The moderate approach strikes a balance be tween liberal and conservative positions. I agree with this position because many a times there are situation when it is necessary to abort the child. People also have a tendency to abuse the abortion. They take it for granted and use it at the cost of rights of the fetus or the child. This harms the sanctity of life. Many people have compared such an act with murder. Since, it has been proven that the fetus gets the life after four months. Unlike liberal approach, the moderate approach will assume that the right of abortion for women should be until four months only. After that abortion should only be allowed if there are severe medical issues, it is feared that the child will be deformed, or in cases of rape and incest. Similarly, the moderate approach is better than conservative approach because it thinks that abortion should not be allowed under any condition. This approach can lead to fatal consequence. For example, if the woman dies in the process of child birth. This would le ad to loss of two lives. Hence, a rational approach in this case would be to allow abortion under certain scenario and let people use the option for the benefit of themselves and the benefit of the entire society. The moderate position on abortion takes into account various ethical frameworks. It takes into account the deontological framework in way that it calls for abortion in cases where the motives of the action are pure. It needs people to weigh the pros and cons of the action before taking the final action. As a result, the motives behind the moderate approach are more often than not pure and hence the deontological framework justifies the decisions taken under deontological framework. Rights-based ethics also justify the moderate position on abortion. Since, a part of women body is involved in the process of child birth, she has a right to abort the child if she want to. If she feels that the entire process of child birth is too painful for her body, or it will cause her stre ss then she can use right based ethics to justify her decision of aborting the fetus. Even consequential ethics allow the parents to abort the fetus. For example, if it is considered that overall standard of living of a family would fall after the birth of another child, the parents can choose to abort the child and this can be justified by using the consequential approach. Similarly, if it is felt that the birth of the child can lead to medical issues for the women or can lead to a deformed child that can cause stress and

Cruiseline Industry Research Essay Example for Free

Cruiseline Industry Research Essay Instead of a long and boring trip, cruise industry can offer a perfect one with full of fun. Nowadays, there are a lot cruise companies around the world and Carnival Corporation, Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean International are the most famous. Next the development of those companies will be discussed in order to find how they are operated and what kinds of changes they are done. 1. The development of Carnival Corporation Carnival Corporation is the first cruise operator in the world, boasting about dozen cruise lines and about 100 ships with a total passenger capacity of more than 190,000. This company was founded in 1972 by Ted Arison and his former schoolmate Meshulam Riklis. At the time, the first ship of Carnival purchased was Mardi Gras( previous name Empress of Canada). Although its future voyage went better and better, Arison had to think about cutting the cost of each run, like reducing fuel consumption by reducing the speed and the frequency of stops it made as a result of the company’s debt which was more than 5 million dollars. If this was true, the passenger would have to spend more time on the trip, so Arison added other value-added services entertainment feature, including nightclubs, disco and so on. In fact this was a revolution for the whole cruise industry to make the trip fun. Accordingly, Mardi Gras was called â€Å"Fun ship†. This was the part of early development of Carnival. Next part includes the growth and expansion from 1970 to 1980. With the help of the hit television series The Love Boat, the cruise industry was revitalized. At that time, Arison bought another 2 ships: the Carnival bought in 1975; the Festivale bought in 1977. In 1978, he also booked the fourth ship, the Tropicale. As the result of expansion, Carnival had three ships running one week cruises From Florida to Caribbean. In the beginning of 1980s, Arison ordered three more ships so that Carnival owned the largest cruise line fleet with seven ships in the world. Around 1980-1990, it had a significant change from strategic view. In order to fill all these ships, Carnival made use of different kinds of promotion methods. Firstly, Carnival took advantage of aggressive marketing and advertising strategies. Its marketing channel was â€Å"Fun Ship† advertising campaign in 1984 through talk shows and the largest network television. Secondly, Carnival tried to gain the support from travel agents which could have recommended Carnival cruises as the first choice to the customers. Thirdly, Carnival offered cheaper, shorter trips to attract younger, more middle-class customers compared with previous customer segments. Carnival tried best to run at full capacity. In addition, Carnival paid attention to strategic acquisitions. Carnival was not only buying the cruise shipping business (Holland America Line, 1988) but also the companies (Windstar Sail Cruises and Holland America Westours) that included hotels. During the year following the acquisition, Carnival carried 579,000 passengers, generating $600 million in revenues and earning profits of $196 million. † After that, it was another period for Carnival 1990-2000. There was no much significant change since the last period. In 1991, Carnival ordered a 300 million dollar ship Sensation and a 315 million dollars ship Fascination. The largest passenger ship Carni val Destiny which was at 101,000 tons and had room for 2,640 people set for sail in 1996. The super-luxury cruise line business for Carnival came in 1998 contributing to Cunard’s five ships which is the QE2, THE Vistafjord, the Royal Viking Sun and Sea Goddess I and II. At that time, Carnival did the most important acquisition the Cunard White Star Line. Then the company changed its legal name to Carnival Corporation in 1998. Next stage was the new millennium; it was not easy for Carnival in the beginning. There were several reasons: the terrorist attacks in 2001; severe acute respiratory syndrome (SAS); share price fell and profits waned; under fire for covering up illegal dumping. In 2002, Carnival acquired Princess Cruises with 5, 67 billion bids through the competition with Royal Caribbean. 1980-1990 significant change Growth and Expansion 1970-80 Early history Founded in 1972 Strategic acquisitions An innovative marketing Campaign Growth and Expansion 1990-2000 New millennium The structure of the development of Carnival Corporation 2. The development of Princess Cruises â€Å"Princess Cruises is a British-American owned cruise line, based in Santa Clarita, California in the United States. † Princess Cruises was founded in 1965. The first two ships were Princess Patricia and Italia. Then Princess Cruises was acquired by the world’s largest shipping company with 320 ocean going vessels which name was Britain’s Peninsular amp; Oriental Steam Navigation Company (Pamp;O) in 1974. With the development of its Cruise industry, P amp; O Princess Cruises paid more attention to acquirement. In 1986, Pamp; O Princess Cruises acquired Tour Alaska. After next two years, Sitnar Line was purchased by P amp;O Princess Cruises and all of its major tonnage was transferred to Princess which includes three ships under construction.

Book review on Iacocca An Autobiography

Book review on Iacocca An Autobiography The title of the book is Iacocca: An Autobiography is completely in accordance with its content in it, as the author describes his whole life story by himself. Author The author of the book is Lee Iacocca who was the former president of Ford Motor Corporation and the former chairman and CEO of Chrysler Corporation. His major contributions in history of auto business is that of giving a new life to chrysler by saving it from near bankruptcy and putting it back on track of success. Starting Pages The book also has Acknowledgements page, accompanied by Introduction to the paperback Edition. Then it is followed by An Opening Word and before the author starts his story there is Prologue. Special Features This book specifically does not have any special features, but it does got pictures, and caricatures in it. All of the pictures are in black and white. Number of Pages The book has a total of three hundred and sixty five pages. This much amount of pages makes it a decent, light weight handy book and the reader comfortably can carry it easily. Number of Chapters This book has twenty eight long chapters and one epilogue in it. Size of Paragraphs About the size of paragraphs is concerned, it has a mixture of short as well as long paragraphs. Price About the price of this book, if we rate it on international level or for readers of United States it is $7.99 and for Canadians it is $ 10.99 which is a good price tag. On the other, if one would see its price for Pakistani readers though it is Rs. 400 but to me it is still very expensive. Publisher This book is published by Bantam Books, a division of Random House, Inc. Its trademark, consisting of the words Bantam Books and the Portrayal of a rooster, is registered in US. Patent and Trademark office and in other countries. Marca Registrada. Bantam Books, New York, New York. ISBN The ISBN of this book is 0-553-25147-3. By using this very number one can easily get this book from anywhere in the globe. Genre of Book The genre of this book is non-fiction and based on true story of the writers life. Here, all the events and happenings were revealed as it is by a single person. First Book or Second This Autobiography is writers first book, which tells us about his fabulous career and life. His second book is Where Have all the Leaders Gone. Therefore, till now the author has penned down a total of two amazing books. Target Audience This book is written for people from all walks of life, from business students to business managers. Yet, the book focuses to cars, because the writers profession and passion was auto industry business. But still as this book has no scientific formulas, technical works, and methods, so one can easily read it and enjoy what this book is all about. Edition This is the second edition of this book Iacocca: An autobiography. It is called the paperback edition and it was out in the market for readers in July of 1986, where as, the first one was called the hardcover edition and it came out for the readers in November 1984. PURPOSE OF WRITING:- The authors purpose behind writing this book is not to get royalty money from the publishers or to show off his achievements at Ford, how he had rescued Chrysler from bankruptcy and run the affairs successfully. Instead of this above all, Iacoccas purpose to help out all the present and future business graduates in various types of problems and difficulties they have to face when they start their jobs. The writer firmly believes that when this book will assist those young brains in solving their matters, only then it would satisfy my conscience of doing something positive, productive and worth to read. AUTHORS STYLE:- The writing style of author in this book is formal. If one assess the quality of writing used here is of worth mentioning. The speaker has beautifully maintained the linkages of all the way from sentence to sentence and paragraphs to paragraphs and then chapters at larger level. The vocabulary of the book is easily comprehendible and has used no jargons in it. As far as the description is concerned, here too the writer carefully revealed everything in a step by step form so the reader while going through it cannot be detracted. Especially, in autobiographies such things ought to be given a fair amount of importance. Where upon, the details given in this book is completely a self-narration and does not contain any incorrect information which did not happened in writers whole life. AT FORD:- Before moving towards the book review it is important to recall the summary and what happened in the first part of this autobiography, this covers the writers life at Ford. So in the summary part one already read that author started his journey of career at Ford as a salesman and passed through a stage when he was a novice and had to learn all about his job. He learned various types of selling tactics and practiced them. During this initial span of his career he came across many good mentors and Lee was influenced by them a lot. Moving a head in his career and became an expert in sales field he decided to give himself a break and tied the knot. When the writer was part of companys top management and became General Manager of the Ford Division he was a stranger to everybody. At this point in life, he planned to do something big; with this thought and ambition Iacocca used his skills, knowledge and gave the world Mustang. This first jewel to his name made Lee a known from the unknown. The narrator, also gave two very fine cars to Ford namely as Fiesta and Mark III. Here at Ford when Lee was president and giving an annual turnover of $ 2 Billion to the company. On the other, such a profit though was coming to the organization, and making Iacocca famous and boosting its image among its competitors. But this thing and repute of Lee made Henry Ford to think exactly the opposite. Henry took this as a direct threat to his throne because everybody eyed Iacocca as their real leader and started disliking Lee. All hatred ends up in firing Iacocca from president ship. Therefore the story of writer at Ford lasts to this day. Now we will be looking at the second part of the book, which tells us about the writers story at Chrysler. AT CHRYSLER:- To reveal the Chrysler days it is better to go and explore first what events took place in writers life when he was eventually picked up by the Chrysler people. When Lee left Ford, he got a job in a warehouse, where he only stayed for few hours. In fact, these couple of hours forced him not to give up at any cost. Leave all the negatives aside and picked up only the positives and move ahead. The humiliation of being at an ordinary office right after serving as a president of a great company for so many years. There, he decided to fight back with his life and that results into reaching at the top in Chrysler Motor Corporation. Here I would like to quote Lees words as it is from the book which goes as there are times in every ones life when something constructive is born out of adversity. There are times when things seem so bad that you have got to grab your fate by the shoulders and shake it. I am convinced it was that morning at the warehouse that pushed me to take on the presidency of Chrysler only couple of weeks later. The writer before becoming boss of Chrysler was offered many jobs from other companies but none of them was from the auto industry. These were all the way from international paper, Lockheed, Charles Tandy and business school of NYU. (New York University). But lee wasnt satisfied upon these offerings, because cars were his only world, and he cant think of joining to any other profession. He is of the view that all business skills are not interchangeable at any level. The reason behind his this philosophy should only pursue that line or profession in which he/she had and has a grasp over it. Where one is a pro and not somebody who is alienated to the field and job. Thats why when he declined these non-autos industry jobs a renowned French car maker Renault, offered Iacocca the post of their Global Head of Automotive Consultant. Where upon, Lee rejected their offer, because though the job was from an auto industry, but it was not that one in which he got expertise. He refused them solel y of the fact that in this consultant job he never be able to give his best. Iacocca later wanted to form a consortium of car companies which he named as Global Motors. His intention was to build a fabulous consortium, would be based in Europe other in Japan and lastly in the US. This was all planned to break the monopoly of GM, which they have maintained from several years. Yet, this project wont work because of American Antitrust Laws. After that event, Lee learned that in the circles of auto industry there might be a possibility that Chrysler will pick him up for its very important post. And they are in need of someone who has great potential to lead and cope with any kind of difficulty. Thereby, after some time Lee was approached by the board members of Chrysler, who held couple of unofficial meetings with him which ended up in offering a job at their company. Iacocca in his heart decided that this time he would only accept the number one man position in Chrysler. So, he informed the Chryslers top management about his this plan where upon they told Iacocc a that his route of becoming the boss will be a bit different. At first he was made the president and afterwards became the chairman CEO of Chrysler on January 1st 1980. Till now we have learned that writers journey at Chrysler has just started. What is ahead of him will be revealed in the next heading. BEGINNING OF ANOTHER JOURNEY:- When the author officially joined his office at Chrysler, the same day his organization declared its losses of about $160 million. This was surely a bad coincidence with a human and the company itself. So, the beginning of narrators of another journey wasnt a good one. Problems Ahead The narrator here will discuss what were those problems regarding organization which he had faced during his tenure at Chrysler. These are enlisted below. A, Discipline. B, Functionality. C, Lack of Cohesion interaction between departments. D, No Meeting System. E, Management Structure (Planning Projecting). F, Financial matters. G, No team. H, Lousy and vehicle for an older guys car and considered boring too. I, Bad morale and deteriorating factories. J, Inappropriate placements of the work force. K, Security leaks. L, Manufacturing Quality. M, Purchasing. N, Sales and Marketing. Now well move to the next chapter and see what the speaker had for us to share and learn. THE DAY THE SHAH LEFT TOWN:- The title of this chapter reveals the same as its name goes, because the narrator here meant Shah Left Town to Mohammad Reza Pahlavi the Shah of Iran who was thrown out from his throne on January 1979 in an Islamic Revolution lead by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Here the question popped up in ones mind that what this exit of Shah had to do with America, its economy and specifically with Chrysler. Why the writer dedicated a full chapter depicting the aftermath of his departure. The reason behind all this was that, till 1979 Iran was under heavy American influence and Shah with their help made Iran quite liberal and develops its infrastructure. Along with that, Iran before the revolution was one of the greatest oil suppliers to US. Therefore, when Shah left and Khomeini took over he stopped not only providing them oil but also the diplomatic relations with the US. Thereby, in this chapter writer describes the effects of extra organizational stressors on Chryslers business which is as follows: Irans 1979 revolution ousting Shah of Iran. Prices of gas were doubled. Energy crisis. Chryslers market share gone down to 8 percent. Recession. Owners loyalty. Rumors of Chryslers demise. Out of these above problems, the main were gas price and recession. The reason was simple that cars run on oil. People therefore stopped buying their big cars with low fuel efficiency. The Recreational vehicles (RVs) and vans were two models of Chrysler cars which got affected from the gas fare. Even the parts of the cars like chassis and engines too were affecters of such a crisis. The thing which further harmed and destroyed US auto industry was that people started buying Japanese small cars instead of the Americans. Here, GM (General Motors) survived by selling their new car model called X-body. They were also successful in selling another model which was Chevrolet Citation. So, the story of boom in small cars business continues on when an analysis was done between the market share of small versus big cars. They found that in year 1979 in a period of merely five months the small cars took 58 percent of market share and the sales of vans was gone down to 42 percent. Here, when Chrysler wants to build small vehicles and try their luck in this category unfortunately the recession broke out in the country. The writer mentioned that the annual rate of sales was dropped to nearly half. After reading the above figures the narrator decided to go for an overhaul of the company in order to bring it in a stable position. For that, Chrysler initially closed its few plants and by doing this they also seek help from their suppliers and informed them from our every move. In fact if one keep on closing production units then for what good reason the suppliers will give Chrysler parts to manufacture their current and future products. To lower the cost more and avoid keeping the parts at the factorys inventory (a shop where all goods are stocked) Lee devised a new system called just in time meaning all those parts which are required to assemble car arrived from supplier when they have to manufacture and will be off from the production line when it is built, so no need of putting the parts in an inventory. Iacocca kept on cutting cost from where ever he could so he can run the company. He did this even when they sent the annual report of 1979 to the shareholders of the company. Instead of printing it on a thick good paper, Lee ordered to print it on a plain white paper written in black ink. This decision was to show the shareholders that in times of crisis, Chrysler remained within its resources and didnt opt for any wasteful step. Later on, when the company is in a desperate need of money Lee sold out the business which was expanded in overseas. He kept their operations to the US, Canada and Mexico. After this measure the money they got wasnt sufficient at all, there Iacocca decided to sell Chryslers tank division to General Dynamics. In the end of this chapter the writer said that, all those above decisions he took was necessary to brought Chrysler out of the ditch. Whereupon, to him he believed that the most unimaginable and painful deed was to lay off thousands of employees. But this act gave him a lesson that, if one has to run a large company and has limited number of employees then this would be very easy to do so than with lots of people in the company. The writer while finishing wishes that, competitors of Chrysler would never learn this lesson otherwise their profit will be lessened. DRASTIC MEASURES : GOING TO THE GOVERNMENT:- To save Chrysler from bankruptcy Lee asked government to help them in this matter. He approached the rich Arabs to do the same, but of no use. Later, Volkswagen the German giant car maker agreed on a merges with Chrysler. Unfortunately when they read our balance sheet, so they refused for the merger. The reason behind this failure of merger was that Chrysler had made no money and in severe debt. Eventually, Iacocca went for proper government assistance for giving them Loan Guarantees. They plan not to plead for such a guarantee. Here, this initiative was taken up by the outgoing Chairman John Ricardo. He explained the government about Chryslers current sick condition and asked to give a two year freeze on government regulations (meaning by law to control any business activity or a process) but none gave a kind ear to it. For governments bad safety and emission controls system he suggested a combined research and development program. He stressed that our aim is not to steal any compan ys good and cheap way of controlling emissions instead they should sell it to the needy. In this statement of Lee the government listened them and realized that our antitrust laws are never be competitive with Japanese, till someone would reform those laws. Instead of doing anything regarding formation of new competitive laws government signed collaboration between Toyota General Motors. According to the antitrust laws all the motor companies namely General Motors, Ford, American Motors and Chrysler ought to work in chunks in order to fix the same problems. On the other, Ricardo once again seeks government help for a freeze on regulations but the result came out in a NO. After seeing this behavior he asked them to give a refundable tax credit. Meaning the money Chrysler spends on qualifying for governments safety and pollution standards will be refunded to the company. The writer says that our company wasnt the first who asked for such a relief. In the past car makers like American Motors, Volkswagen, Renault, and General Motors already benefited by the taxes. Over there Ricardo, in wake of getting any support for loan guarantee one more time returned to government, whereupon his efforts werent of any use. The writer here explains that though Ricardo was a nice human being, yet he was a short tempered and not good at communication skills and Congressmen never liked such traits in any human. Later, on one fine day the writer learned that G. William Miller who previously holds the post of chairman of the Federal Reserve Board. In fact in America the State Bank of the country is called the Federal Reserve. So, now Miller becomes the treasury secretary here, Iacocca shares a strange aspect of Millers personality. When he was serving as chairman at Federal Reserve Board. He told to Ricardo that Chrysler would go for bankruptcy instead of government help. On the other, when he moved to his new post, he declared that government must help Chrysler. Afterwards he accept the proposal of Tax Credit but informed Chrysler people that to seek such type of assistance they have to rolled out a complete plan of survival to the government. The writer got no choice except going to government. In this regard he learned that a British Car Company Leyland took government support but after that the company never recovered. But still Lee filed an application for government loan guarantee. Before appearing in front of Congress Iacocca did his homework. This homework was about to know that in past how many companies are there which had been benefited from such a loan. There, speaker found that organizations that already got this loan were all the way from aircraft to City of New York and from housing to subway of Washington DC. In this research Lee found one very shocking thing that, till now government had given $409 billion in loans and loan guarantees were outstanding. While ending this chapter Iacocca describes that when Chrysler put up their case to government, it gave him a feeling that in government there was no person who remember those previously given loan guarantees to the above mentioned companies. SHOULD CHRYSLER BE SAVED? Yes, this question has become the question of town. This chapter revolves around the inappropriate attitude of senators, congressmen, businessmen, business leaders and other stake holders against the Federal Loan to Chrysler. In fact to save the company Lee requested the government to give them $1 Billion loan guarantee. The first refusal came from General Motors Tom Murphy and Citi Corporations (Citibank) Walter Wriston. Then National Association of manufacturers, policy committee of the business Round table too spoke bitter words for our company. Iacocca blamed the government for Chryslers current bad condition, especially government regulations and its unequal effects. But along with governments role Lee believed that previous managements inability to rectify various problems too brought them in this position. These problems were like, producing cars on basis of speculation, their decision of taking Chrysler to foreign markets, and lastly doing business of used cars. Instead of su ch doing things they ought to focus on quality of Chrysler cars. When Lee started appearing before Congress, he straight away informed them that Regulations was the first and last element which made Chrysler to beg for loan. In the end of this chapter Lee shares that American people is of the view that Chrysler had received $1 billion in cash which they never had to pay it back. CHRYSLER GOES TO CONGRESS:- In this chapter Iacocca talks about lot of things including passing of $1 billion loan, repaying it, and series of appearances before Congress and Senate committee etc. The speaker describes that this whole process of hearing was a gigantic task. In fact the layout of those hearing rooms forced the witness to first look up and then answers the questioner, because members of the committee sit at a semicircular table which was few feet above the floor. Before moving on to Chryslers hearing in Senate and Congress, here it is important to learn the so called allegations and scolding done by committee members. These were as below: A, Sins of management. B, Lack of foresightness for not building 30 miles per gallon as Japanese did. C, Not prepared for the aftermath of Shah of Iran. D, Not prepared for the screwed up fuel allocation, result in riots at gas stations. E, Chrysler missed the market and deserved punishment. Punishments:- They were held up in front of the whole world for asking government help. Disgraced on editorial pages, by cartoonists who painted Chrysler into the grave. In public places their wives and children became the target of jokes. Now one would see the relation about the passing of loan guarantee from writers eye. Iacocca, made his first appearance before the House Subcommittee on Economic Stabilization of the Committee of Banking, Finance and Urban affairs on October 18th, 1979. The writer explains the committee about Chryslers present condition and the exact words from book are I began my testimony by stating our case very simply. I am sure you know that I do not speak alone here today. I speak for the hundreds of thousands of people whose livelihood depends on Chrysler remaining in business. It is that simple. Our one hundred forty thousand employees and their dependents, our forty seven hundred dealers and their one hundred fifty thousand employees who sell and service our products, our nineteen thousand suppliers, and the two hundred fifty thousand people on their payrolls, and of course, the families and dependents of all those constituents. Lee made it clear to the committee that guarantees loan is not to receive an official gift from the Carters government (Jimmy Carter was the 39th President of the United States from January 20, 1977  Ã‚  January 20, 1981). Instead, Chrysler will pay back each cent and dollar of this loan including its interest. When the Loan Guarantee Act was passed, after few weeks the Republicans (name of political party in America) came to power. On the other hand, in this whole event Democrats (name of another political party in America) were in the government. But these Republicans talked very negative about giving loan to Chrysler. And that was the point where Lee realized that he should now start favoring the Democrats. The speaker describes that at the time of their companys bad condition if Democrats wasnt in government then Chrysler wouldnt have any existence today. The $ 1.2 billion dollar of loan was passed exactly before the Christmas and surely this Christmas had really given a priceless gift to all those people who were associated with Chrysle r. In the end the narrator reveals that Chrysler paid back their loan seven years early from the given time. Along with that they paid taxes of millions of dollars and fee of the Loan Guarantee Board. Last but not the least the opponents of their company too said that government loan given to Chrysler was a very noble idea. EQUALITY OF SACRIFICE:- From the title of this chapter the writer meant everyone has to sacrifice on basis of equality whether you are a Head of the company or a Worker. He further explained that though they need the loan desperately. But what really worked and brought Chrysler back on its feet was a team effort and cooperation. In fact the real story of Chryslers survival started now, because that loan Guarantee Act requires them to provide various concessions. Thereby, Lee reveals that our existence based on cutting cost from wherever one can. So, Iacocca decided that he should start this process of cost cutting by deducting $1.00 a year from his salary. This move of withdrawing one dollar was necessary to make others do the same. He says that as a leader of the company he should be the first one to show sacrifice in any form. Because for a leader its mandatory to come up with such examples, otherwise his followers would never follow on his footsteps. Lee describes that reducing his pay, never meant that he wont take his meals. What he is of the view that such a giving up, is to display a team work, familys job and togetherness. Here, for the first time he came to know that people can do anything if they knew that others are experiencing the same pain as they are feeling. Iacocca, repeat his words that all this collective and oneness took Chrysler out of the trouble and not those dollars, which they definitely required just like blood. Moreover, the speaker sadly discussed the worst part of the cost cutting which though lifted the company but finished peoples lives and that was about firing many workers. This act of ours destroyed the social fabric of masses which results in, that they got divorced and had to stop sending children to college etc. Later, he explained that when public and celebrities came to know about our goal to save Chrysler, by any way or means. They showed fabulous support by writing letters to the writer. Then all the way big celebrities of that time joined us i ncluding Bob Hope, Bill Cosby, Pearl Bailey, and Frank Sinatra were the people who performed at our premises, encouraged the workers to show collectiveness in this hour of struggle but they never charged us a single dollar. At the end of this chapter, writer wants to tells us about one major helper without whom this saving of Chrysler never be executed. This was Doug Fraser, president of workers union. Then Lee made him part of Chryslers board of directors. Who was extremely good at negotiation, got good know how about politics and would speak out the same what goes through his head. THE BANKS: TRIAL BY FIRE:- When the Congress passed Chryslers loan of $ 1.5 Billion dollars, it was time to collect the money from the designated banks. These banks were based in the whole country as well in other parts of the world. But these banks made Lee and associates to be on toes in order to receive their loan. The writer said that the banking sector started showing bad attitude to them, even before when Chryslers hearings initiated in Congress and Senate. When giving the amount in chunks the bank representatives never bothered about Chrysler and after how long its going to rise. What they always concerned was about their banks money, meaning when Lees Chrysler will pay back loans money to them. Eventually, after lot of hassle and hard time with bank people, they received Chryslers first installment. Thus, it will result into a rebirth of a motor company. THE K-CAR AND A CLOSE CALL:- The moment, day, month, and year was there for Chrysler to stand on its feet. In fact Lee and his very brilliant ex-Ford colleague and current coworker Hal Sperlich had dreamt to launch small American built cars, from the days when they were at Ford. Unfortunately, Henry Ford, chairman and CEO of Ford motor company never permitted them to do so. But now they had the time, resource to fulfill that dream but no need of seeking permission, because Iacocca was in charge at the company. So they built, researched its name, advertised and launch K-Car. This model of Chrysler was rock solid, got a decent style, and has four cylinders engine with a fuel efficiency of 25 miles per gallon in intra city. Whereupon its consumption on the highway (motorway) it has mileage of 41 miles per gallon. Apart from its features the best thing of K-Car, that it was the first vehicle that can fit in six Americans but remain light in weight and gives amazing fuel efficiency. PUBLIC MAN, PUBLIC OFFICE:- The writer describes here that when Chrysler was back on track in market and started doing well. He learned the news that he too is campaigning for President of US but truly it wasnt correct at all. Iacocca believed that people made such rumors on the basis, because he did lot of advertisements for Chryslers promotion. He further explained that people write many letters to him saying that he should run for president. Another well-wisher of Lee wrote to him: I will write exact words of book here and they are why dont you turn this country around? Why are you wasting your time selling cars? Iacocca, analyzed and observe that why people of America wants him to be their next President because from the day Eisenhower (34th President of United States from January 20, 1953  Ã‚  January 20, 1961) left Oval office (the office of US President is called Oval Office) America started going down. And all the way after Eisenhower, none would turned up to be a great President and stayed long to fl ourish the countrys economy. In the end he said that he is very grateful to all those people who think that he would be the next President of America. But he believes that these priceless statements of people made my day and gave lot of contentment, which cant be expressed. A BITTERSWEET VICTORY:- Chrysler right after producing K-Car, then manufacturing fantastic line of cars all the way from Le Baron, Chrysler E Class, Dodge 600, the New Yorker, in sports car category it was called Dodge Daytona and lastly Chrysler Laser. So, now Iacoccas great company was back in business and started making good profit. Whereupon, writer decided to do a press conference in which he wants to brief the media on their success. The primary purpose of this conference was to abandon those titles which media gave them when Chrysler was on the edge of bankruptcy. While talking to the press Lee said as: Effective immediately, Chrysler is no longer cash starved or struggling or financially troubled. If you insist you may continue to call us the nations number three auto maker. But those other phrases are now banished forever! Afterwards, the profit they made in next year surpassed Chryslers previous history of profit earnings. Further, writer talks about the promises they made to lift Chrysler. These promises includes, modernization of plants on basis of latest technology, converting the fleet of cars to front wheel drive technology, to become leaders in fuel economy, promised to maintain employment for half a million workers. Last but not the least promised to produce exciting products. The writer called this bittersweet victory to two things. He refe