Monday, January 27, 2020

How Toyota Achieve Its Objectives By Implementing Tqm Marketing Essay

How Toyota Achieve Its Objectives By Implementing Tqm Marketing Essay The Toyota motor company of Japan has taken this challenge seriously and has proved its ability to compete with the once emperors of the industry such as Ford, Volvo, Chevrolet et al. Buy careful adoption of cutting edge technologies such as Total quality management, Toyota has turned itself into a game changer in the industry. This assignment focuses on how Toyota achieved its objectives using TQM. It unfolds in three stages starting with TQM and its scope. Secondly competitive environment analysis with SWOT and PESTLE analyses and finally it arrives at conclusion based on a thorough evaluation of the organization. Company Overview Toyota Motor Company (TMC) is the crown of Japanese auto industry. Started as a small car manufacturer on August 28, 1937 it gifted many quality innovations to the world throughout its history. In the early 1980s Toyota won its first quality control award in Japan. The company launched its luxury brand Lexus in 1989 which became a massive success. It also manufactures Scion an economical automobile brand that targets young adults. Toyota also conquered the hybrid car market with the launch of its iconic car Prius in 17. Today with a work force of 71,116 and an annual sale of US$228+ billion, Toyota is as profitable as all the other car companies combined. In 2007 it became the worlds largest auto manufacturer beating General Motors. (Info http://www.toyota-global.com/) Literature Review Total Quality management Total quality management can be defined as A management psychology that seeks to integrate all organizational functions such as marketing, finance, design, engineering, production, customers satisfaction et al. to focus on meeting customer needs and organizational objectives. [Abstract Besterfield D, Michna Besterfield C, Besterfield Glen and Besterfield-Sacre Mary Total Quality Management (3rd Edition) (2002)] The team of the organization that the TQM is implementing tries to take part in improving processes, products, services as well as the culture which they work. This approach is inspired by quality leaders such as Philip B Crosby, W. Edwards Deming, Kaonru Ishikawa and Joshep M. Juran. According to Deming TQM involves 14 principles. 1. Create constancy of purpose 2. Adopt a new philosophy of cooperation 3. Cease dependence on mass inspection to achieve quality 4. End the practice of awarding business 5. Improve constantly, and forever 6. Institute training 7. Adopt and institute leadership for the management of people, 8. Drive out fear and build trust 9. Break down barriers between departments. 10. Eliminate slogans, exhortations, and targets asking for zero defects or new levels of productivity 11. Eliminate numerical goals, numerical quotas and management by objectives 12. Remove barriers that rob people of joy in their work 13. Institute a vigorous program of education and self-improvement. 14. Put everybody in the company to work to accomplish the transformation. Today The concept of quality is significant more than ever before. The history of quality goes as far as 1920s to the times of gurus such as F.W. Taylor who is the father of scientific management. It erupted in 1950s in Japan in a time where the Japanese were searching ways to boost their economy that was ruined by World War 2. By 70s high quality Japanese goods had flooded the US and European markets. It took 20 years for the west to catch up the Japanese quality system. By today the growing global competition the quality has become a decisive factor and is inspired by changing customer needs. Today the customer is the person who defines the quality of a product. Quality management is important because achieving a higher quality is ever changing. Also failing to meet the quality standards continuously would result in losing customers. An organization can take many initiatives to assure quality of its products. Standardization is one such initiative that assures quality. Standardization can be carried out by round interchangeability, variety reduction; improved communication of technical criteria, commonly agreed safety and performance parameters. Standardization applies to raw materials, testing, sampling methods as well as processes Institutional learning is another way of ensuring quality. Here the training process for workers are recorded and will be used in the learning process. The learning forms such as lessons as well as good practices are the primary sources of the knowledge working process. The institutional learning process can be further enhanced through training workshops, evaluation material as well as electronic training media. Also by way of knowledge management an organization can assure the quality of its products. Under knowledge management the capacity to retain knowledge, educational capacity, design and training methods, the training programs as well as qualified trainers are the majors concerns under knowledge management. The fruits of knowledge management can only be picked when The learnt knowledge puts in to practice. The knowledge is material in innovation. Turning tacit knowledge in to explicit knowledge Gathering and preserving knowledge from every possible source such as information, experience etc. SWOT Analysis SWOT analysis is a method used to analyze the internal and external environment of an organization. Following is a comprehensive SWOT analysis of Toyota Motor Company. Strengths Toyota operates factories in US and China that led to increase in company profits since 2005. The organization through careful segmentation, Targeting and positioning offers the right product mix to the market. Toyota is highly efficient in its manufacturing which uses total quality management. Toyota has a strong brand name which is a house hold brand name all around the world. Weaknesses Toyota is excessively focused on US and Japanese markets. Thus suffers from fluctuating economic and political conditions of these countries. Toyota has few layers in its hierarchy and as a result there are few opportunities for promotions. Heavy emphasize on techniques such as kaizen has led to higher level of stress among workers. Opportunities Toyota and Lexus has pioneered the environmentally friendly technologies. The world needs vehicles inspired by such technologies more than ever. The company is targeting the urban youth market which has a huge potential. The European Union is emerging as a world of opportunities for auto manufacturers. Toyota already has a large market share in countries such as Denmark, Finland, Ireland et al. Threats Global recession has drastically affected the performance of the global auto industry. Rising gas prices due to the OPEC decision of price hike is a severe damage. In 200, 2010 the product recall of Toyota was estimated to be million units. This can have adverse effects the organizations reputation. Toyota faces strong competition from rivals. New entrants from China, South Korea and India are growing rapidly. (Info http://www.marketingteacher.com/swot/toyota-swot.html) PESTLE Analysis The PESTLE stands for P Political E Economical S Social T Technological L Legal E Environmental Political Since it is a global organization Toyota needs to observe the global political situation. For the past few years Toyota has been enjoying from some of the governments key decisions. The governments decision to limit vehicle imports to Japan and the US governments introduction of quota system in vehicle importing eases the pressure of heavy competition from the outsiders. The Japanese government has provided stimulus packages and tax reliefs to deal with the recent economic down turn. Economical The global recession has hit the global auto industry severely. With inevitable losses companies tend to cut jobs. The same is applicable to Toyota. Due to sky rocketing cost of living people might be prioritizing the fulfillment of their needs at primitive levels. In such a background the industry might get a serious blow. Also during the past 5 consecutive years the global auto mobile sales in major markets have sharply dropped. Social Social factors are vital in deciding the demand for a certain good. Throughout the past decade Japan is experiencing a growing adult population. It is estimated that by 2030 the 65 year old population will be 25.6% of the total population of Japan. Some critical changes in the age structure of the country can be observed. Also the countrys negative population growth rates provide serious implications for the business organizations. Because the shrinking population implies that the business organizations will have to face a shortage in skilled labor in the near future. [Source Matsumoto Yoshiko Faces of Aging: The Lived Experiences of the Elderly in Japan ] Technology With the introduction of cutting edge production technologies adoption of such technologies in the auto industry can be widely seen. Use of robotics for production in Japan has become a major trend. In this information age people have more ways to know about products which makes the present consumer a highly aware one compared to some decades back. The development in World Wide Web led to many organizations going online. The organization will have to adapt to the new ground realities of online marketing to stay ahead of the curve. Legal Today although the free trade is been heavily promoted some key player in the global economy are following protectionism. Countries such as India, Brazil et al are imposing legal restrictions on foreign auto manufacturers in order to promote indigenous manufacturing. With its recall of some of the car models in 2010 Toyota had to face several court cases over accidents occurred due to defect Toyota cars. It was reported that Toyota has paid $ 1.2 million in settlement of a case that was filed against the company. (Info http://www.dailymarkets.com/stock/2010/12/28/toyota-pays-10m-crash-compensation/) Environment The global warming and climate change has become a burning problem in todays world. The changes in this regard have a major influence on the global auto mobile industry. The global warming has insisted the global auto manufacturing firms to come up with less emission solutions. Governments all around the world are raising the standards and tightening the environmental laws on this matter. In addition to the global warming problem the dwindling oil reserves in Middle Eastern countries which are expected to come to an end as soon as 2040s has urged the auto manufacturers to seek more sustainable and energy efficient solutions for the future. The green marketing has become a major weapon for any organization competing in todays auto industry. Today the green products as well as green production methods has become a threshold in many cases. Thus any organization lagging behind its counterparts in green marketing is in the path to destruction. Analysis Although the total quality management is widely adopted in todays highly dynamic business environment Toyota motor company has its own version of quality management called the Toyota production system or TPS. The TPS includes just in time production which means manufacturing products in required amounts avoiding excess inventories Kanban and Jidoko or automation. According to the field research done and published by Harvards Steven J. Spear it leads to the conclusion that Toyota has achieved a dynamic capability by following the Rules-in-Use for Organizational design, improvement, and adaptation. [Source Spear J Steven Just-in-Time in practice at Toyota: Rules-in-Use for building self-diagnostic, adaptive work-systems Harvard Business Review Oct 2002] The paper identifies that in TPS managed organizations every operation is performed by carrying out hypothesis testing experiments that makes accelerated generation and accumulation of individual and organizational learning about coordinating delegating, and performing work done collaboratively. This also includes work which is done repeatedly few times. The findings adds literature by explaining the most tools that got lot of attention in the operations research process were trustworthy and were giving uninterrupted service without any malfunctioning. lean_cs_toyota.gif [Source http://www.icsti.su/rus_ten3/1000ventures_e/presentations/production_systems.html] Just in time The idea behind just in time is manufacturing the required amounts in required numbers at the required time. For instance the assembly line of a car arrives all the sub assembly lines should reach the main assembly line in right quantities. This will eliminate the need for inventories thus removing the requirement for warehouses and storage facilities. As a result the inventory cost will be drastically reduced giving a higher capital turn out to the company. The JIT manufactures quality products in an efficient manner by completely eliminating waste, inconsistencies and unwanted use of production lines. According to the JIT the Toyota by adhering to the following guidelines can manufacture a car which was ordered by a customer in a soonest possible manner. No sooner an order is received for a vehicle the instructions as well as specifications of the vehicle reach the start of the production line. The assembly line is stored with sufficient parts and components to enable the plant to assemble any kind of vehicle model without any delays. The assembly line must replace the parts used by retrieving the same number of parts from the parts-producing process. The preceding process should store a small number of all types of parts to manufacture only the numbers of parts that were retrieved by an operator from the next process. Although it proves to be a success of following JIT method it is a complicated exercise at Toyota as its business involves hundreds of spare parts and components. Kanban system Although many believe that kanban is TPS, the kanban method exist to manage the just in time method. Simply it is an information system which controls the quantities in every process. In kanban the required amount of units and types are written in a card called kanban. It is send to the people in preceding process to the subsequent process which connects many processes in a Toyota plant. This method is supported by followings. Smoothing of process Reduction of machine set up time Autonomation Standardization of jobs Improvement activities Kanban uses two cards. One a withdrawal card and the other a production order card. jit.gif (Source http://www.toyota-global.com/) According to the above figure there are two operational flows as production instruction kanban and the operational flow of parts retrieval kanban. In the production instruction kanban it involves 3 distinctive steps. Firstly a production instruction kanban A is removed when an operator retrieves parts. Then the numbers of parts that are indicated in the kanban card are only manufactured. Thirdly the kanban is attached to the newly manufacture parts ready for the next process. Then the next process starts on the operational flow of parts retrieval kanban. The parts are transferred to this process from the preceding process. Then as the first step the parts retrieval kanban is removed when an operator uses parts. Secondly the operator carries the kanban to retrieve replacement parts. As the third step the operator removes the production instruction kanban and replaces it with a parts retrieval kanban. Finally the parts that are displaying the parts retrieval kanban are transported to the next process. Autonomation To gain maximum of just in time 100% good units must reach the prior process. And this process should continue without any interruptions. This means quality control must co-exist with JIT to get the best out of kanban. The idea behind autonomation is built in a mechanism means to avoid mass production of defective items in product lines. It involves autonomous inspections for abnormalities in the process. At Toyota all machines are autonomous where every machine is attached with automatic stopping device. This avoids mass production of defective items and also alarms machine break downs if there are any. The above theory also applies to the manual works at Toyota where an employee pushes the stop button if something abnormal happens in the production line. This would eventually cease the operations of his whole lines. In order to detect discrepancies in the process a device called andon, an electric light board is hung very high in the factory that it is visible to everyone this is called Toyotas visual control system. Conclusion The Toyota production system is a practical and effective as it popped out from the real life experience of the organization. This system is enriched with practical effects, actual practices and implications over the analysis. This system has a vital role in developing the quality of operations of the companies all around the world. Even to this date hundreds of western companies are using the Toyota quality management methods which are a clear indication of Toyotas success. Since Toyotas founding we have adhered to the core principal of contributing to society through the practice of manufacturing high quality products and services. Our business practices and activities based on this core principal created values, beliefs and business methods that over the years have become a source of competitive advantage. these are the managerial values and business methods that are known collectively as the Toyota way. Fujio Cho, president Toyota [Source Liker Jeffery, The Toyota Way, McGraw-hill, 2003]

Saturday, January 18, 2020

My Reasons for Pursuing a Graduate Degree

Each individual has his own reason for pursuing a graduate degree. Professionally, a graduate degree shows that the person has the motivation, ambition, and dedication to improve and thus strive to obtain a position in which he/she can apply and expand his knowledge base. Many perceive a graduate degree as a status symbol, an opportunity for advancement, or even a cause for more money. The choice to seek additional education after investing four years in an undergraduate degree shows commitment to learning and recognition of self-worth. I chose to pursue a Master’s degree for two reasons; to obtain a higher learning level of education and to eventually increase my annual salary. The first, and most important, reason for my wanting to pursue a Master’s degree is to obtain a higher education level. I believe that obtaining a graduate degree will definitely make me more marketable in the corporate world. My goal is to broaden my horizon beyond the technical world, unlock career aspirations otherwise blocked, and enhance problem-solving and decision-making skills. I am hoping that by pursuing a degree of higher learning, I will pick up enhanced skills that will enable me to be more of an asset to a team once I enter the workforce. I truly believe that without the knowledge, strength and motivation from within, I would not have attempted such a bold move. I take pride in knowing that I am making the first step in the right direction and towards reaching new heights. A graduate program will be both a challenge and a major achievement to me. I believe I have the ability and motivation to contribute to a great body of intellectuals in the graduate program. Given the chance, I will be a major asset.

Friday, January 10, 2020

Computers Are Valuable Tools To Motivate Students Education Essay

As stated in the Literature Review, many developed states are seeing ICT as a possible tool for alteration and invention in the instruction field and they are therefore, puting massively in the proviso of ICT tools in the schools. Likewise, Kozma and Anderson ( 2002 ) wrote in their paper â€Å" ICT and Educational Reform in Developed and Developing States † that for an economic system to be knowing, instruction should be its primary necessity. Simultaneously, the instruction schemes in schools are flexing towards ICT. And every bit far as the consequence from our study in concerned, the same instance is deduced in the Mauritanian context whereby we can see that all of the secondary Mathematicss pedagogues do hold a computing machine in their ownership every bit good as an cyberspace connexion. They are invariably doing usage of the computing machine every bit good as are connected to the cyberspace on a day-to-day footing. The Mauritanian Government besides is lending in the integrating of ICT in the instruction sector by presenting the synergistic whiteboard in the schools which is an efficient instruction tool for the pedagogues to learn in an advanced manner and convey about a alteration in the accustomed chalk-and-talk procedure of instruction. However, a full integrating of the instruction tools have non yet been made in all the Mauritian secondary schools since it can be noted from the consequence of the study that most of the province and private pedagogues are non in ownership of an synergistic whiteboard to their instruction pattern. They are so obliged to carry on their categories in the computing machine lab as and when required but unluckily, this is non possible for all pedagogues ; they are therefore left behind to transport on with their usual chalk-and-talk manner of learning Mathematicss without doing the usage of any ICT tool in their schoolroom. One of the chief grounds that may be advocated is the deficiency of fiscal resources by the schools to buy these ICT instruction tools, peculiarly those from the private schools who have to self-finance themselves to a certain extent and have the staying financess from the Private Secondary School Authority, which is once more to an extent non sufficient to transport out the necessary outgos of the schools. Additionally, the province schools are limited to a certain budget provided by the Ministry of Education and Human Resources at every interval of the budget exercising. As explained by Hepp, Hinostroza, Laval and Rehbein ( 2004 ) that there is no cosmopolitan truth for using ICT in instruction ; it all depends on every state ‘s world, precedences and long-run budgetary chances and committedness. Accessibility is hence non considered merely by holding entree to a computing machine and the cyberspace but besides, the other factors which influence the success to the integrating of ICT in the instruction sector whereby it is a complex procedure which can be eased with the followup of the four phases as proposed in the Literature Review chapter.5.2 Use OF ICTICT can be used in three ways at schools: for pedagogues to show, buttocks and proctor cognition ; to heighten administrative work ; as â€Å" larning content in relationship to pupils ‘ information literacy † ( Myungnghee Kang et al. , 2011 ) . Sing merely the usage of ICT by the secondary Mathematics pedagogues, they are expected to do the usage of this advanced instruction tool in their day-to-day instruction pattern. The pedagogues are therefore viewed as facilitators to the pupils instead than doing the pupils dependent on them for their surveies. On the other manus, from the in-depth analysis of the study, it is deduced that most of the secondary Mathematics pedagogues of Mauritius used ICT for personal usage instead than a teaching tool at the degree of the schools. They are chiefly engaged in surfing the cyberspace or on e-mail and chatting exercisings ; they are therefore tagged largely as entertainers instead than facilitators by the pupils. However, it besides depends on the willingness of the pedagogues to do usage of ICT in his or her instruction and acquisition pattern. For this ground, many surveies on engineering credence have been conducted over the old ages and it appeared that these surveies had focused on the designation of factors that influenced engineering credence among pedagogues and pupils. One of the chief factors that can be seen to act upon these pedagogues can be the deficiency of preparation provided to them for the proper integrating of ICT in their instruction pattern. It is noted from the study that 80 % of the respondents have ne'er made usage of any Mathematics-specific package in their instruction pattern since they have ne'er been trained for the usage of these package like Graphmatica or Maths Blaster. Nevertheless, some pedagogues have made usage of other package like the Scientific Notebook but they keep off from doing farther usage of these package since the secondary Mathematicss course of study is besides non decently designed for the usage of ICT in the procedure of learning as seen by 62.2 % of the respondents. As discussed in the Literature Review chapter on the benefits of utilizing ICT in instruction of the topic Mathematics whereby both the chance to learn Mathematics better and to learn better Mathematicss should be considered in school engineering programs and teacher professional development. Therefore, holding a proper reviewed course of study for the secondary degree for the Mathematics topic will heighten the integrating of ICT in the instruction of the topic. Furthermore, besides the betterment in the course of study, the pedagogues are invariably seen to be actuating the pupils to do heavy usage of ICT in their acquisition of Mathematics. 138 of the respondents have agreed to be giving a assisting manus in the integrating of ICT in the instruction and learning procedure but however, it all depends on the willingness of the pupils every bit good to accept this alteration. As depicted from the study, there exists a relationship between the encouragement done by the pedagogues and the willingness of the pupils but it is tested to be rather a weak relation which can be influenced by other factors. Therefore, it is noted that really few of the pupils are willing to utilize ICT in their learning procedure of the topic Mathematics. Although the assorted advantages discussed in the Literature Review chapter by Papert ( 1997 ) , really few of the twenty-first century pupils are rather acute to look for replies to their mathematical inquiries on t he cyberspace in Mauritius.5.3 PerceptStatement ( a ) – Computers are really helpful to me in executing my responsibilities.As discussed in the Literature Review on the fact that with the usage of ICT in the instruction and acquisition procedure, pupils become more independent of the pedagogues and hence, let the pedagogues to acquire an first-class opportunity to larn from the pupils every bit good as to pattern being an information-seeker, womb-to-tomb scholar and risk-taker. The same state of affairs is applied to secondary Mauritanian Mathematics pedagogues whereby from the study, it is found that 60.6 % of the respondents do accept to the statement that computing machines are really helpful to them in executing their responsibilities. Therefore, the integrating of ICT in their instruction pattern makes their undertaking of learning a challenge in bettering and conveying about invention in their instruction accomplishments. Added to this, it is noted from the crosstabulation of the first statement as respects to the old ages of experience of the respondents that most of the people who agree to this statement have a teaching experience of 6-10 old ages which demonstrate that these respondents are really good cognizant of the old state of affairs whereby ICT was non being used and how the instruction sector is altering with the integrating of ICT whereby it will be of great aid to all the histrions of the instruction field which consists chiefly of the pedagogues, the pupils and the disposal.Statement ( B ) – It is really of import to maintain in touch with ICT.Similarly the first statement, the 2nd statement which is to show the importance to maintain in touch with ICT by the secondary Mathematics pedagogues, it is found that 66.4 % of them do hold with the statement since computing machine is seen to be a really of import tool for the respondents in executing their responsibilities decently. With the fast enlargement in the technological universe, it is hence really of import to maintain in touch with ICT to be cognizant of the different developments go oning all about, for illustration, the usage of societal webs like Facebook in the instruction and acquisition procedure. Following this statement, the Ministry of Education and Human Resources has already included this consciousness in its Education and Human Resources Plan 2008-2020 ( 2009 ) whereby it is stated that for the proviso of quality instruction to all, the reappraisal and development of instructional stuffs that are antiphonal to altering technological demands will be carried out. Furthermore, it is besides noted from the crosstabulation of the 2nd statement and the age group of the respondents that most of them are of the age group of 31-35 old ages old. They are therefore classified as being really familiar with the usage of engineering in the day-to-day life and can see the importance and benefits ICT is conveying about to different undertakings. Hence, they are really acute to maintain in touch with the technological promotion to assist in their instruction procedure.Statement ( degree Celsius ) – The cyberspace provides me with valuable information to fix lessons.It is stated in the chapter of Analysis that 55.6 % of the respondents agreed to the statement that the cyberspace provides them with valuable information to fix lessons while 10.8 % disagree with this fact. It can be farther discussed that those who have agreed with the statement are acute to be information searcher, womb-to-tomb scholar and hazard taker as discussed antecedently. They ar e ready to accept the engineering integrating in their day-to-day pattern as a challenge and run into the demands. However, this is non the instance for all respondents whereby the proportion of 10.8 % who disagreed are loath to do usage of ICT in their day-to-day pattern. As stated by Teo ( 2011 ) , with the impact of engineering on the instruction and acquisition procedure, outlooks on pedagogues to work technological advantages will lift, therefore taking them to see the force per unit areas of holding to toggle between teaching method and engineering in a seamless manner. Bing chiefly in the age group of +45 old ages old, these pedagogues are unwilling to convey about a alteration in their instruction pattern by doing usage of the cyberspace to fix their lessons as they already have their long clip experience in the readying of their ain notes.Statement ( vitamin D ) – Computer can assist me to be advanced in my attack to learn.As stated in the Literature Review that many states see ICT as a possible tool for alteration and invention in the instruction field ( Erdogan, 2009, adapted fr om Eurydice, 2001 ; Papanastasiou & A ; Angeli, 2008 ) , the tendency is being followed by Mauritius besides whereby it is noted from the study conducted that 56.4 % of the secondary Mathematicss pedagogues do accept to the fact that computing machine can assist them to be more advanced in their attack to learn. It besides coincides with one of the strategic ends of the Ministry of Education and Human Resources of Mauritius which is the proviso of quality instruction to all and therefore, the usage of ICT as a tool for the instruction and larning procedure in the schoolroom is emphasized. On the other manus, a proportion of 16.6 % of the respondents have disagreed to the statement which comprises largely those pedagogues form the province schools instead than the private 1s. This is so because although the Ministry of Education and Human Resources of Mauritius has integrated the thought of presenting ICT in the instruction sector in the Education and Human Resources Plan 2008-2020, it has non yet been to the full operational with the non-availability of adequate ICT resources to the province schools. Therefore, the pedagogues have to restrict themselves to what they are being provided with to convey about an advanced attack in their instruction.Statement ( vitamin E ) – Computers are valuable tools to actuate pupils.twenty-first century kids choose to look for replies to their inquiries on the cyberspace ( Myungnghee Kang et al. , 2011 ) . Besides, pupils who had followed ICT classs had more possibilities of being employed as most of the occupations today requi re a good cognition of ICT. Therefore, as respect to the respondents, 74.9 % of them have agreed that computing machines are valuable tools to actuate pupils in their acquisition procedure. Following this fact, the Ministry of Education and Human Resources of Mauritius has been advancing the survey of ICT in lower signifiers of the secondary schools along with the upper signifiers. Added to this, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development has late included in its budget for the twelvemonth 2013 the proviso of one tablet computing machine to each and every pupil in Form IV categories, thereby actuating the pupils in utilizing ICT in their acquisition procedure. However, a farther analysis of these informations every bit respect to the willingness of the pupils responded to quite a negative attack from the pupils ‘ side as really few of them are willing to do usage of ICT in their learning attack of the topic of Mathematics particularly ; they are more likely to larn the topic as was directed antecedently instead than making research work in the capable affair.Statement ( degree Fahrenheit ) – I need more preparation for the proper execution of ICT in my instruction.With the analysis of this statement in the old chapter, it has been noted that 4.36 % of the respondents have agreed to the fact that they are in demand of more preparation for the proper execution of ICT in their instruction procedure. As such, the Ministry of Education and Human Resources of Mauritius has made this proviso every bit good in its Education and Human Resources Plan 2008-2020 ( 2009 ) , that is, the preparation of the pedagogues in the usage of ICT in the instruction and acquisition procedure. This is to be done with the strategic end of implanting engineering in the instruction system of Mauritius. A farther analysis of this statement was done harmonizing to the different age group of the respondents which revealed that all those who have agreed to the statement are from the group age of 36-40 old ages old and above and they are therefore in demand of extra preparation as they have non been exposed to much usage of ICT before. Whereas, a proportion of 16.2 % of the respondents have disagreed to this statement whereby they form portion of the age group of 36-40 old ages old and below and they may therefore be considered to be from the digital age as the pedagogues that are being recruited presents have a full background of the usage of ICT in the instruction profession as per their capable affair. These respondents may hold followed classs from the Mauritius Institute of Education or from different universities whereby they emphasize on the usage of engineering along with the teaching method accomplishments in the instruction sector.Statement ( g ) – Adequate resources ar e available for usage in my schoolroom.The Ministry of Education and Human Resources of Mauritius has included in its Education and Human Resources Plan 2008-2020 ( 2009 ) the proviso of ICT installations to guarantee that all pedagogues make usage of these ICT installations on a regular footing for the instruction and acquisition procedure and this undertaking was to be implemented by the twelvemonth 2015. However, this does non reflect the aim to be met by the ministry as at the twelvemonth 2012 whereby it is noted from the study conducted that merely 8.1 % of the respondents have accepted that they have adequate resources for usage in their schoolroom while the remainder have disagree or strongly disagree with the statement. This dissension can be noted from both the province pedagogues and the private pedagogues upon a farther analysis carried out. The grounds that can be exploited from the province schools can be the limited budget provided to each school ‘s fund and that of the private 1s, the addition in the outgos of the schools. Nevertheless, Hepp, Hinostroza, Laval and Rehbein ( 2004 ) have been really explicitly explained that there is no cosmopolitan truth for using ICT in instruction. It all depends on every state ‘s world, precedences and long-run budgetary chances and committedness.Statement ( H ) – Performance of students can be improved through the usage of ICT in the instruction and acquisition of Mathematicss.As discussed in the Literature Review, research surveies have brought frontward the fact that the usage of ICT every bit good as other learning schemes have enabled pupils to travel to higher-order thought ( Jonassen & A ; Carr, 2000 ; Kearney & A ; Treagust, 2001 ; Oliver & A ; Hannafin, 2000 ) . Therefore, pupils develop constructive thought accomplishments. As a consequence the pupils are larning in order to fix themselves for the hereafter information age ( Salomon, 1993 ) . Harmonizing to Kozma ( 2005 ) , ICT can be used to heighten pupil apprehension, therefore increasing the quality of instruction. This statement has been agreed by 55.6 % of the respondents as good whereby they do believe that the public presentation of the pupils can be improved through the usage of ICT in the instruction and acquisition of Mathematicss. On the other manus, after analyzing the information of this statement in conformity of the course of study of Mathematicss, it is to be noted that these respondents have besides agreed to the fact that the course of study of Mathematicss for the secondary degree is non decently designed for the integrating of ICT in the procedure of learning the topic. This demands a close follow-up along with the subject on course of study design discussed antecedently.Extent to which ICT is being used and accepted in the schoolroom.Over the past few old ages, several large-scale international surveies have documented the successful integrating of ICT in schools ( Lim & A ; Hang, 2003, adapted from Mann, Shakeshaft, Becker & A ; Kottkamp, 1999 ; Sivin-Kachala, 1998 ; Wenglinsky, 1998 ) . However, this does non look to be the instance for Mauritius whereby most of the respondents have stated that ICT is being used and accepted in their several schoolroom to some extent or non at all. This maximal fig ure of respondents signifiers portion of both the class of province and private schools. It can be confirmed that the whole instruction system of Mauritius is non working at 100 % with the usage of ICT in the instruction and larning procedure of the Mathematics topic. Although, Hepp, Hinostroza, Laval and Rehbein ( 2004 ) have been really explicitly explained that there is no cosmopolitan truth for using ICT in instruction and that it all depends on every state ‘s world, precedences and long-run budgetary chances and committedness, it should be taken into consideration that ICT instruction was already identified as an of import pre-requisite for the economic development of Mauritius since The Master Plan on instruction was prepared in 1991. As at day of the month, ICT integrating in the instruction and acquisition of Mathematics has non been able to accomplish a 100 % success as compared to other states.

Thursday, January 2, 2020

Disadvantages vs. Advantages of Global Warming

The United Nations has been studying climate change and working to combat its effects since the first Earth Summit in 1992.  The UN Intergovernmental panels fifth report, published in late 2014, reiterates that  global warming—more precisely called climate change—is happening and will likely not abate for centuries. The report also states with 95 percent certainty that the activity of humans has been the primary cause of increasing temperatures over the previous few decades, up from 90 percent in a previous report. Weve heard the dire warnings—even if we have yet to heed them—but could there possibly be any advantages to climate change, and if so, could these upsides possibly outweigh the downsides? The short answer is no. Heres why. Advantages of Global Warming? Its a Bit of a Stretch The so-called advantages of climate are out there—if youre really looking but do they compensate for the disruption and destruction wrought by the disadvantages? Again, the answer is no but for die-hard fans of the global warming trend, advantages might include the following suspect scenarios: The  Arctic, Antarctic, Siberia, and other frozen regions of the earth might experience more plant growth and milder climates.The next ice age could possibly be prevented.The  Northwest Passage through the formerly icy Canadian Arctic Archipelago could arguably open up to transportation.Fewer deaths or injuries would occur due to arctic conditions.Longer growing seasons could mean increased agricultural production in some areas. Disadvantages: Ocean Warming, Extreme Weather For every minutely possible advantage to climate change, there is a much more profound and compelling disadvantage. Why? Since the oceans and weather are highly interconnected and the water cycle has an impact on weather patterns (think air saturation, precipitation levels, and the like), what affects the ocean affects weather. For instance: Changes in ocean circulation and the resulting warmer temperatures disrupt the worlds normal weather patterns, bringing about more extreme weather and an increased frequency of severe and  catastrophic storms, such as hurricanes and typhoons. The increase in severe storms leads to a more frequent occurrence of such things as hundred-year floods, decimation of habitats and property, not to mention, loss of life—human and otherwise.  Ã‚  Higher sea levels  lead to flooding of lowlands. Islands and coastlines are engulfed by water leading to death and disease due to flooding.The acidification of warming oceans leads to a loss of coral reefs. Coral reefs protect shorelines from heavy waves, storms, and floods and while they only cover about 1 percent of the ocean floor, reefs provide a habitat for 25 percent of the oceans species. Demolished reefs lead to increased erosion and coastal property damage and the extinction of species.Warming ocean waters means increased melting of glaciers and ice sheets. Smaller ice sheets form each subsequent winter, which has a devastating impact on the habitat of cold-climate animals and the Earths reserves of freshwater. (According to the United States Geography Survey [USGS], 69 percent of the Earths ice is locked in ice and glaciers.)  Less sea ice, warmer water, and increased acidity are catastrophic for krill which forms the base of the oceans food web and feeds whales, seals, fish, and penguins. The plight of polar bears due to the loss of Arctic ice is well documented, but at the other end of the globe, in 2017 as a result of local climate change, in a colony of  40,000 Antarctic Adà ©lie penguins, only two chicks survived. (In 2013, in the wake of a similar event, none survived.) Emperor penguin colonies are also expected to decline due to loss of sea ice and rising temperatures. Disadvantages: Land Desertification As weather patterns are disrupted and droughts intensify in duration and frequency, agricultural sectors are particularly hard hit. Crops and grasslands cant thrive due to lack of water. With crops unavailable,  cattle, sheep, and other livestock dont get fed and die. Marginal lands are no longer useful. Farmers who find themselves unable to work the land lose their livelihoods. In addition:   Deserts become  drier, leading to increased desertification, resulting in border conflicts in already water-scarce areas.Decreased agricultural production leads to food shortages.Starvation, malnutrition, and increased deaths result from food and crop shortages. Disadvantages: Health, Social, and Economic Impact In addition to climate change affecting weather patterns and food production, which in turn have a negative impact on the future of human race as well as the planet, climate change can also put the hurt on peoples pocketbooks, the economy of an area on a larger scale, and health in general:   Insect-borne diseases increase. For example, if insects dont die off in an area because it no longer reaches the cold temperatures it once did, diseases those insects may carry—such Lyme disease—can proliferate more easily.People from poorer, drier, hotter, or low-lying countries may attempt to emigrate to wealthier or higher-elevation locales  seeking better (or at least nondeadly) conditions, causing tension among the existing population.As climates warm overall, people  use more energy resources for cooling needs, which will lead to a rise in air pollution  and deaths from increasingly hot weather conditions that cannot be mitigated.Allergy and asthma rates go up due to pollution exacerbated by the earlier and longer blooming of plants.Cultural or  heritage sites  are  destroyed due to increased extremes and acid rain. Disadvantages: Nature Out of Balance The environment around us is affected by climate change in a multitude of ways. The component parts of any ecosystem normally must maintain a delicate balance but climate change is throwing nature is out of whack—in some places more than others. Effects include:   Increase in the number of species of animals and plants heading toward extinction.Loss of animal and plant habitats causes animals to move into other territories, disrupting ecosystems that are already established.Because the behaviors of many plants, insects, and animals are dependent on temperature, a change in climate can cause an imbalance in the ecosystem itself. For example,  say the availability of food for a particular insect no longer coincides with the time when the offspring of the natural predator for that insect is born. Uncontrolled by predation, the insect population booms, resulting in an overabundance of that pest. This, in turn, leads to increased stress on the foliage the insects eat, which ultimately results in a loss of food for larger animals in the food chain that also depend on those plants for sustenance.Pests such as viruses, fungi, or parasites that usually perish at a certain low temperature no longer die off, which may lead to an increase in disease amo ng plants, animals, and humans.  Ã‚  Melting of permafrost leads to flooding and greatly increases the release of carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere which only serves to exacerbate climate change. In addition, ancient viruses long held in stasis by the permafrost are allowed to escape into  the environment.  Rainfall increases in acidity.Earlier seasonal drying of forests leads to forest fires of increased frequency, size, and intensity. Loss of plants and trees on hillsides leaves them more vulnerable to erosion and landslides and may lead to an increased probability of property damage and loss of life.