Financial Abuse of the Elderly

Financial Abuse of the ElderlyCombatting Financial AbuseIntroductionElder pecuniary treat is becoming a bigger scourge and monetary valuely problem affecting ageds and their families. As the older adult population in the U.S. continues to increase, so result the opportunities for unscrupulous criminals to take gain of the wealth that some older adults eat accumulated through their lifetime. While these crimes seem to be only pull by strangers, aged fiscal abuse is also committed by people who occupy traditional positions of trust, such as fri shuttings and relatives. Combatting fiscal oldberry bush abuse begins with getting the entire family and social net execute involved. Talk a great deal with the older. Have they been approached by new friends lately? Have they been offered a recent unique opportunity? Listening closely enough, angiotensin converting enzyme result be satisfactory to spot and stop scams forwards they go too far.Importance to the studyFinancial l ossesdue to fraud and abuse preserve undermine the force of older adults to continue tolive in their own homes and afford their long-term health c be needs. Thisstress can take a great gong on the elder. Many older individuals experienceincreased health problems that can tercet to serious depression all due to theincrease in monetary loses. Perhaps worse is the loss of trust older adultsdevelop in separates and themselves after being the victims of financial fraud.Financial Fraud is a Widespread riddleIn 2015 alone,older adults lost a total of $36.5 billion because of financial fraud andscams. Seniors who are socially isolated and/or inmental downfall can be especially susceptible. The abuse can leave victimstraumatized as well as financially harmed, or even ruined. The fear is theproblem could refuse since to a greater extent than 10,000 Americans turn age 65 every day.An estimated onein five older adults has been the victim of financial fraud. Many of thesevictims are s tripped of their assets and leave with little to live on. Many ofthese victims rarely see their money returned even if the criminal is caught.And of course, many an(prenominal) people dont report the crime at all. The Federal switch overCommission says one in 24 financial elder abuse crimes ever get reported. What are some statistics of Elder Financial Abuse? approximately analysts go with the 2010 Investor Protection Trust Elder Fraud Survey which said one in five Americans over the age of sixty-five, has been victimized by a financial fraud and a 2011 MetLife Mature Market Institute study determining that financial exploitation costs seniors at least $2.9 billion annually. At the other end of the scale, True-Link, a company that provides account-monitoring software for elders and their families, has projected that financial elder abuse costs families more than $36 billion a year, 12 times the MetLife estimate. True-Link arrived at its estimate by surveying family caregivers of older people. Defining financial elder abuse is very difficult because of the wide estimates of what is considered financial elder abuse. Many know its a problem but how big the problem is quite hard to say, because hard data is so scarce. The reason for this scarceness is due to the fact financial abuse often goes unreported, because the victim often feels shame and embarrassment. This paper will explore financial abuse and how to combat financial abuse in the elderly population.Literature ReviewMany theories havebeen proposed to help explain financial elder abuse. Such theories have mainly been equalfrom other fields such as child abuse and intimate partner abuse. Although the literature covers awide pastiche of these theories, this review will accent on several major themeswhich emerge repeatedly though out the literature reviewed. These themesinclude how prevalent is elder financial abuse, who is committing elderfinancial abuse, what make does financial abuse have on its v ictims and whatcan be done to help restrain elder financial abuse. Although the literaturepresents these themes in a variety of contexts, this paper will primarily focuson their application to how devastating elder financial abuse can be to itsvictims.The prevalence offinancial elder abuse is on the rise. As baby boomers are now in retirementcriminals are taking advantage of this ever-increasing opportunity to stealfrom them. Burns, Henderson, Charles, Sheppard, Zhao,Pillemer and Lachs (2017) suggests that, Approximately one of every 18cognitively intact older adults living in the community experiences financialfraud or scam each year. It is felt that elder financial abuse can beconsidered a sort of financial exploitation. This exploitation occurs whenthe perpetrator misuses or takes the elders money for their own ainbenefit. This frequently happens without the knowledge or consent of a senior,depriving them of vital financial resources.The rising number of seniors only increases the opportunities for perpetrators to practice their art of stealing. The question that begs to be answered is who would do this to our most vulnerable generation?Perhaps the mosttragic element of elder abuse is the fact that in many encases, the perpetratoris a sure friend or family portion whom the elderly psyche thinks is actingin their best interest. A popular way to build access to the elders finances isthrough using the services of a uprightnessyer. Lawyers need to be aware of the ways in which theirservices may be used by family members or caregivers as a means of financialabuse. Hannah (2016) says Often, a lawyer may be conveyed to draft documentsthat provide an elderly persons family member or caregiver with an opportunityto steal the elderly persons possessions. A story was once told about a distraughtsister,convinced that her brother was stealing from their parents. Thedaughter was concerned because the son was given total control over theirparents affairs. Thisga ve him the legal authority to make both financial decisions without beingaccountable to anyone else and all healthcare decisions as well. When solicited if the daughter had mobilizeed Adult Protective Services, she said, nobecause she didnt want to get her brother in trouble. Perpetrators are notlimited only to the ones the senior might know, there are others.Seniors control amajor portion of the nations wealth. Thieves go where the money is and realizethat the elderly often suffer from cognitive and physical disabilities and arevulnerable. Also, many seniors are socially isolated, lonely and have no one to confer with on financial matters thus making them susceptible to manipulation.Goergen and Beaulien (2010) explains,Perpetrators pretend trustworthiness by posing as relatives when they call theelderly on the telephone or pose as craftsmen at victims doorstep, or theyappeal to victims readiness to help by pretending to be a family member in a stain of distress and needing support . Another sad story was told, when aman prompted an elderly woman to sell her home and wirethe money to a mysterious commit account.The man, who claimed to becommunicating from another country, promised to marry her. It was all a scam.Today, the woman is homeless. When asked why she did that, she said, well thats what youdo when youre in love. People committingfinancial fraud schemes are experts in deception, and very good at coming upwith new ways to trick unsuspecting victims. They have learned to be experts inmanipulation. Tacchino (2017) says in some cases,the elderly client feels liable for what happened and they are tooembarrassed to make a complaint. Suffering victimization can lead a seniorto withdraw and have an increasing feeling of hopelessness. Faced with financialloss, some victims may contemplate suicide. Additionally, having money stolen in retirement can make itdifficult for the elderly to afford needful medical care which can cause medicalconditions to worsen. Wh ile itsimportant to understand the signs of elder abuse, it may be more productive totake steps to prevent abuse from occurring in the freshman place. Oumlil and Williams(2011) Given the significance of the elderly consumer market in the developmentof successful and comprehensive marketing strategies, it is imperative thatmarketing decision-makers and policymakers better understand and respond to thevaried needs of this significant consumer segment. Family conversations can help gain insight intothe seniors affairs and mental state. Jackson (2015) explained, peoplewho have been battling financial exploitation are pleased to observe the increased guardianship that financial exploitation is receiving at all levels of society. Family discussionsbetween elders and adult children could serve as a much-needed reality check. Ideally,conversations on these matters should take place well before retirement, toensure that elders are adequately prepared. This will give the whole family thetime needed to anticipate, plan, and make smarter, more informed decisions. In identifyingweaknesses and gaps, one question would be how often are perpetrators caughtand what are the penalties that they would receive. There is very little to no news of anyonebeing fined or sent to prison for stealing an old persons life savings.In conclusion, focusing on these fivemajor themes which have emerged though out the literature reviewed include a better intelligence of the prevalence in elder financial abuse, who is committingelder financial abuse, what effects financial abuse has on its victims and whatcan be done to help prevent elder financial abuse. Hopefully this will show howdevastating elder financial abuse can be.Oral HistoryAn interview with Joe F. who wishedto remain unnamed is 77 years old. Hehad the unfortunate experience of someone trying to trick him into sendingmoney under the false impression of helping a family member out of a financialjam. Joe became an unwilling expert inth e popular scam which is commonly known as the grandparent scam. Goergen and Beaulien (2010) explain, that perpetratorspretend trustworthiness by posing as relatives when they call the elderly onthe telephone or pose as craftsmen at victims doorstep, or they appeal tovictims readiness to help by pretending to be a family member in a situationof distress and needing support. It is so simple and so devious becauseit uses one of most accepted assets seniors have, its their hearts. Scammers willplace a call to an elderly person and when the senior picks up, they will saysomething along the lines of Hi Grandpa, do you know who this is? This is barely how Joe said his unsuspecting scam call started out. He said when heanswered the phone, the voice on the other end was hard to recognize, theexcuse was given that it was a bad cell phone signal. The unsuspectinggrandparent guesses the name of the grandchild the scammer most sounds like. Byinsideng this the scammer can establish a fake identi ty without having to do anybackground research. Joe said, Is this Jack? The voice on the other end said,yes, its Jack. Once the fake grandchild identity is established the scammerwill usually ask for money to solve some unexpected financial problem such asoverdue rent, payment for car repairs, etc. In Joes casethe caller said they were in a traffic accident and needed some money to havethe car towed. Often the scammer will ask money to be sent via Western Union orMoneyGram. Often money transferred this route does not require identificationto collect.At this point, Joe began to be mistrustful because Jack onlyhas his learners permit and would not be driving alone. So, Joe began to probe further by askingwhere Jack was. The voice on the other end was reluctant to say. Often the scamartist will beg the grandparent, please dont tell my parents, they would killme. By this time, Joe felt like thiswas a scam and hung up the phone. These scams arelikely to be done hundreds of times on unsu specting seniors just like Joe. Thefact that no research is needed makes this a scam a popular one that can beperpetrated over and over at very little or no cost to the scammer. After the call,Joe went on to say how vulnerable he felt. He said they knew my number, theyknew my name and now they know my grandsons name. Then he said, my feelings ofvulnerability turned to anger. These feelings are common with the victim.Imagine the heightened feelings of vulnerability and anger knowing they had stolenyour money as well. Joe said he was glad I was doing this research on thistopic and hopes this will help others be more educated about how to avoid beingvictims of this type of financial abuse. Brians Story is about financial elder abuse that happens when theperpetrator is known to the victim. Brians brother, stole thousands of dollarsfrom him when Brian moved into an assisted living center. Brians retirementfunds began to disappear after his brother was granted occasion of attorney to tak e care of his finances.After Brian had a visit with his son, they uncovered that Brians brother hadlied to him about the selling price of his condominium. The price was $156,000more than what is brother had said the condo sold for. When he returned home,Brian unsuccessfully tried to address the subject with his brother. Things tooka turn for the worse when he got a garner from Medicare that said that becausehe hadnt paid his premiums he was suspended from the program. His brother hadneglected making these payments. For Brian, taking his brother to court proved futile.Through a series of consultations, Brian said he was told that even if hisbrother did get convicted, he would be dead by the time he would recover any ofthe money. besides Brian isnt letting his financial woeskeep him down. His attitude isinspirational. Brianis not alone. So many elders will be financially abused annually, and thenumbers will continue to rise, because many seniors are likely too scared orotherwise una ble to seek help.DiscussionAs many of us haveparents that are elders or we might be elders ourselves, it is important tounderstand how prevalent elder financial abuse is. It is imperative to know whois committing elder financial abuse, to understand what effects does financialabuse have on its victims and what can be done to help prevent elder financialabuse from happening.Some have argued thatfinancial elder abuse is not very common because the news seldom carriesstories of such cases. However, findings from Burns,Henderson, Charles, Sheppard, Zhao, Pillemer and Lachs (2017) suggests that approximately fivepercent of cognitively intact older adults living in the community experiencesfinancial fraud or scam each year. As the increase of baby boomers now inretirement criminals are taking advantage of this ever-increasing opportunityto steal from them. As a home health nurse, I am finding that financial elderabuse is happening more and more due to the increased complaints reported by mypatients. So why are the elderlyso vulnerable? Thievesgo where the money is and realize that the elderly have it. To make getting iteasier, many seniors often suffer from cognitive and physical disabilitiesmaking them more vulnerable. Goergenand Beaulien (2010) explains, perpetrators pretend trustworthiness by posing asrelatives when they call the elderly on the telephone or pose as craftsmen atvictims doorstep, or they appeal to victims readiness to help by pretendingto be a family member in a situation of distress and needing support. This iswhat happened to Joe F. but he was one of the lucky ones who figured out it wasa scam. Too many other seniors fall victim and lose.It seems simple enoughnot to trust strangers but who can protect the senior when the abuse is comingfrom someone known and certain(p)? Lawyersneed to be aware their services may be used by family members or caregivers asa means of financial abuse. Hannah (2016) often, a lawyer may be asked to draftdocuments that provide an elderly persons family member or caregiver with anopportunity to steal the elderly persons possessions. Education provided tolaw firms includes reviewing the tactics of a potential perpetrator and howthey seek to gain access to a seniors finances. This education is helping toreduce the incidences of elder financial abuse.As a home health nurse, I will use this researchto help educate the elderly patient population that I serve. wizard of a nursesprimary ethical responsibilities is to work with the patient to provide carethat maximally enables the physical, emotional and social well-being of thepatient. A nurse is also responsible for protecting and advocating forpatients safety and rights. Protectingthe elderly patient from financial abuse is truly advocating for your patient.Nurses also have aresponsibility to work with the public and other professionals to foster local,community, and national efforts to improve the financial safety of the elderlypopulation.I have learn ed tobe more empathetic, to help provide emotional support by listening and allowingpatients to express how they feel about be a victim of financial abuse. The older adult isoften embarrassed to admit that they have succumbed to financial abuse. Nurses havea unique opportunity to talk to their patient who have been victimized abouttheir feelings and may also be able to suggest a referral to a professional whois experienced in dealing with financial abuse victims. The nurse may also bethe first person to recognize symptoms of depression or suicidal intent of abusedelderly victims. The elderlypopulation is entitled to a safe, quality life drop from financial abuse. Manynurses and other professionals are working to enhance this safe quality of lifefor the elderly. This article has reviewed what these health care providers andother professionals have already done to promote safe financial environment andsuggests activities that can further enhance the safety of our care of theElderly form financial abuse. Nurses areplaying, and will continue to play, an ongoing role in the movement to protectthe elderly from financial abuse. ReferencesBurnes, D., Henderson, Charles R., Sheppard, C., Zhao,R., Pillemer, K., & Lachs, Mark. (2017). Prevalence of financial fraud andscams among older adults in the United States A systematic review andmeta-analysis. American daybook of Public Health, 107(8), E13-E21.doihttp//dx.doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2017.303821Goergen, T., & Beaulieu, M. (2010). Criminologicaltheory and elder abuse researchfruitful relationship or worlds apart?Ageing International, 35(3), 185-201.doihttp//dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12126-010-9063-2 Hannah, J. M. (2016). Financial abuse of the dependentelder A lawyers ethical obligations. Family Law Quarterly, 50(1),117-121. Retrieved from https//ezproxy.southern.edu/login? uniform resource locator=https//search.proquest.com/docview/1807742181?accountid=28568 Jackson, S. L. (2015). The vexing problem of definingfinancial explo itation. Journal of Financial Crime, 22(1), 63-78.Retrieved from https//ezproxy.southern.edu/login?url=https//search.proquest.com/docview/1648112727?accountid=28568Oumlil, A. B., & Williams, A. J. (2011). Financialservices and the elderly poor Development and implementation of sustainableintervention strategies. Journal of Financial Services Marketing, 15(4),274-286. doihttp//dx.doi.org/10.1057/fsm.2010.23 Tacchino, K. B. (2017). Preventing financial elderabuse. Journal of Personal Finance, 16(1), 78-88. Retrieved from https//ezproxy.southern.edu/login?url=https//search.proquest.com/docview/1925859899?accountid=28568

Contemporary relevance of Porter’s Five Forces to corporate strategy

Contemporary relevance of Porters quintet Forces to corporal outlineIntroductionPorters Five Forces introduced back in 1979 by Michael E. Porter from Harvard University in his first book Competitive governance. It pass a styluss international outdo seller, and considered by m some(prenominal) to be a definitive work on embodied schema. The book itself had been published in nineteen languages and re-printed almost sixty times, changes the way problem leaders ruling and remains a guide of choice for strategic managers the world over. It has die an important tool for analyzing an manufacture structure and outline process Morrison M., 2008. Porters work has had a greater influence on traffic outline than any opposite theory in the last half of the twentieth century referenceforbusiness.com. The tool provides a simple perspective for assessing the military post and competitiveness of a corporation or business organization at heart the perseverance. Porter points out f ive hurls which the upturn and downturn, bequeath doctor the valueability and existence for a corporation or business organization. agate line leaders and managers might be interested in this constitution for the purpose of this paper is to discuss the contemporary relevance of Porters Five Forces to incorporated strategy. An attempt in addition being made to find what is missing from this model related to corporate strategy in menstruation business environment. In so doing, a comparison will be made surrounded by Porters Five Forces and an other tool for corporate strategy. Another assessment made concerning the business environment in Porters era and current business environment.Porters Five Forceshttp//wiki.telfer.uottawa.ca/ci-wiki/images/e/e4/Porters.gifThe development of this framework is establish on the idea of attractiveness of an perseverance. As for the attractiveness itself, is de c wholeined by the profitability within the industry. More profit means the indus try is more than attractive and baseborn profitability means a low attractive industry. The way of thinking in the model is to carry through a mend competitive position against other players. The competitive advantages developed from strengthening the own position within this Five Forces. The Five Forces framework is based on microeconomics. It considers supply and withdraw, substitutes and complementary harvest-time, and the relationship between production volume and cost of production in addition the market structures such(prenominal) as monopoly, oligopoly, or perfect competition.Threat of unexampled entryThe chances in which immature competitors elicit buoy enter the market and drive the current players set down. The threat to entry depends on six major forces of barriers which Porters describes as economics of scale, product differentiation, metropolis requirements, cost disadvantages independent of size, access to dispersion channel, and government policy. The decision of the new-comer also pretty much influenced by their expectation on the existing player. If the incumbents known for previously fought vigorously to new entrants, or possess such substantial resources to fight back (such as excess cash, unused borrowing precedent, avail fit productive capacity, or clout with distri scarceion channel and customers), the new entrants will the likely to have second thought on entering the market. This also happened if they know that the incumbents seem likely to cut the prices. late entrants fear more also when the industry growth is so slow so that newcomers can gain volume all if they meet it from the incumbents.Bargaining index finger of supplierAnother force Porter mention in the model is how sizable the supplier to drive up the prices of is corporate input. The term supplier includes alone sources of input that ar needed to provide the product. A supplier of group is powerful when it is dominated by few companies and more g ruelling than the industry it sells to. The products are also differentiated or unique means relatively no substitutes for the particular input so that it built up the substitution cost. The power of supplier also increase when there is a possibility for the supplier for integrating forwards in order to obtain high prices or so. Also when the industry is not an important customer of the supplier group or when it is not obliged to contend with other products for sale to the industry.Bargaining power of customerSimilarly, bargaining power of customer settle on how powerful is the customer can impose pressure on margins and demands. Buyer are powerful if it is purchase in large volumes and/or the product it purchases is standard or undifferentiated, means they can always find alternative suppliers. Customer will also become more powerful if the products it purchases from the industry form a component of its product and represent an significant fraction of its cost, in other words, t he customer become more price sensitive. Furthermore when they know that the familiarity earns low profits, which create great incentives to lower its purchasing cost and when the industrys product is unimportant to the quality of the buyers product or divine function, then the bargaining of customer increase. More threat comes from the possibility of the customer to integrating backward and has the ability to produce the product themselves. Another calculate mentioned by Porter is that customer will be more prices sensitive when they recognize that the industrys product does not save the buyer money. He gave an example of record of oil wells, where an accurate survey can save thousands of dollars in drilling costs, therefore disturb the market price.Substitute productsThe extent of which substitute product can be used in place of one product. Porter highlighted the characteristics of substitute products that deserve the most attention as those products that are subjects to tre nds improving their price-performance trade-off with the industry product or are produced by industries earning high profit. Porter also said that substitutes come into play when the competition within industry increases which lead to price reduction or performance improvement.Jockeying among competitor for position within industryThis instrument describes the strength or the intensity of competitiveness among the existing players within the industry. high rivalry limits the profitability of an industry. Factors that shape the intense rivalry in a industry are (a) payers are roughly equal in size and power (b) the growth of the industry is slow, precipitating fights for market share (c) lacks of differentiation and switching cost of the products (d) strong willingness to cut the price either because the fixed cost are high or the product is perishable (e) high barriers to exit the industry (f) capacity is normally augmented in large increments, and (g) diversity of strategies, or igins, and personalities of the rivals. Other than the intensity, the holding basis in which the rivalry takes place also reflects the strength of the rivalry such as price, products features, support service, delivery time, and brand image. Whether the competition takes place in the same holding, or the rivals converge to make out on same dimensions.Strategy CraftingWhat do you want to achieve or avoid? The answers to this question are objectives. How will you go about achieving your desire results? The answer to this you can callstrategy.William E Rothschild, Former General Electric merged Strategist, CEO ofRothschild Strategies Unlimited LLCCorporate strategy is about how a firm or business organization should make a decision of series of steps to achieve the desired goal. To create the best decision, the decision master must be able to analyze the current and expected factors associated with internal as well as external environment. With strategy, one company can be more pr epared and comfortable to operate on the market, because good strategy should have examined all the forces involved in business activities. Strategy planning can be developed in three take aims, which are company train, business unit level, and functional or departmental level Morrison M., 2008.Corporate strategy concerned with overall purpose and scope of the business to meet sendholder expectations. This level of strategy concerned with the selection of business in which the company should compete and with the development and coordination of the portfolio of business. This is a crucial level since it is heavily influenced by the investors in the business and acts to guide strategic decision making throughout the business. Corporate strategy is often stated explicitly in a mission statement along with the formulation of visions and goals. It also decide on how business unit to be governed through direct corporate intervention (centralization) or through autonomous government (d ecentralization). Corporate strategy also seeks to developed synergies across the business units.Business Unit Strategy is concerned more with how a business competes successfully in a particular market. It concerns strategic decision about choice of products, group meeting needs of customer, gaining advantage over competitors, exploiting or creating new opportunities or market, etc. The strategic issues is about developing and sustaining a competitive advantage for the product and service that are produced.Functional or Departmental Strategy the strategy level of the operating divisions. It is concerned with how apiece part of the business is organized to deliver the corporate and business unit level strategic directions. The functional units translate them into discrete action plans that each division must accomplished for the strategy to succeed. Operational strategy therefore focuses on issues of resources, processes, people, etc. Functional units involved in higher level str ategies by providing input into the business unit level and corporate level strategy, such as providing information on customer feedback.Business environment in current eraCurrent business environment much likely to be characterized by more dynamic market situation. The digitalization and globalization contribute to this dynamic movement. The power of information technology (IT) grows more and more each day. And as it grows, all players in the market can have access to more information. The world is flat, globalization made great improvement in distribution of logistics and communication, enable all business to operate globally. Meanwhile, the customers have the chance to shop also on a global level, and equivalence the prices globally.The trends and demand now changed as the increased commoditization in so many a(prenominal) areas. Companies now must be able to differentiate themselves by give more value for their products. One way to do that is by improving customer experience, through the improvement in the service area. Customers now want individual service and attention, and have high expectations for the goods and services they buy.Other tools for corporate strategyDavid P. Baron nonmarket approach 4IsBusiness environment consist of market and nonmarket environment. An effective corporate strategy must be able to facilitate both market and non-market goals of the company. In relation to this, Baron introduced his 4Is, with emphasis on non-market environment. This framework together with Porters Five Forces formed the integrated strategies.The nonmarket environments are social, political, and juristic setting that affects the interaction of the corporation outside and in conjunction with, the market environment. Barons define the characteristics as four Is. The first is Issues, of what nonmarket strategies address. Issues in nonmarket environment cover the regulations, proposed laws, court judgments, etc. Second is set of relevant institutions for the particular industry. Regulators or government is usually always become the relevant official body that affect a corporation decision making process. NGOs are also another example of institutions. Interests are individuals and groups with preferences about the industry. Baron includes this factor to address the identity and goals of those with a stake in the issue. Also information concerning with what the interested parties know or believe about the relation between actions and consequences and about the preferences and capabilities of the interested parties. This factor let us to think, what info needed to reach the goal? what is persuasive for the other parties? Prejudices, rumors, state reports, almost all public relations stuff is included in this factor. get up model covering external and internal forcesAnother tools being used for corporate strategy is SWOT. SWOT models addressing the internal and external forces. The Strength defines what characteristics impose by a company that can be used to bound hold on the market or even expand it. Weakness is really the opposite, this factors is any kind of lack the company has that can affect its existence in a bad way. Both strength and weakness is internal factors. Meanwhile, the external factor is covered by the Opportunity and Threat. Opportunity discuss about all issues or current condition of the environment that can give a better chance for the company to improve the operation. The threat talks about all threatening situation from the environment in which the company operates. More of this are, opportunity and threat, be explored more in Porters Five Forces model.Contemporary relevance between Porters Five Forces and corporate strategyAny organization, especially ones dealing with corporation or business environment realize that their success depend on both internal and external factors. With his Five Forces, Porter tries to emphasis on the most important or most influencing forces to the business profi tability and existence. The competitors, the new entrants, new substitute, also the bargaining power of both supplier and buyer covered most aspects of a business activity. Indeed, Porters Five Model focuses heavily in competitive strategy, which is essential. To be specific, the Five Forces, mentioning competition, are related more to analytic thinking of external forces from the market environment of the strategy.Of course, all business organization will always seek the best way to maximize corporate profit and determining the attractiveness of an industry. This is a need that will always be in managers mind in every industry, from every era. Therefore, through his model, Porters tries to give a framework that can help the decision maker to create a strategy where enable the company to stay in the market, be their current position, and even grow the market size. It supports the decisions about to enter or to exit from an industry or market.As a business leader, it is important t o understand the competition in the industry. The model can be used to compare the impact of one competitive force on our own company and to the impact on the competitors. With the knowledge of power and intensity of competitive forces, the strategy can be developed in way that gives the company options to influence the forces to improve their own position, such as new positioning or differentiation of product. It also gives the details on how to prevent the new entrants. Not only new entrants, the strategy should be able to cope with the substitute product that is getting more and more accessible now for the customer. Bargaining power of supplier and buyer is more relevant to supply and demand. It is essential to know which side of supply and demand equation our business is referring to. The framework tells us how profitability can be affected, in good way and in bad way from the context of industry rivalry and competition. It creates to position the firm to leverage its strengths and defend against the unfavorable effects from the five forces.Generally speaking, the model talked about the profitability and selection of a company. Referring to the exposition of corporate strategy, Porters Five Forces seems irrelevant. Corporate strategy designs the heroic strategy for the company grand purpose. And almost no company has a mission statement for to be the most profitable or so. Most company longing for sustainability to be able to hold on success for a long term period. They achieve this by creating more value through their business, managing portfolio business, and developing business units things that we dont learned through Porters Five Forces. Profitability is just one way to get to the grand purpose. That is the reason why, for the grandiose strategy of a company, to be based on only Porters that is focus on profitability, is unadvisable. The strategy such as focus and differentiation for competitiveness can be implemented at business unit level strateg y to create competitive advantage. It whitethorn be relevant in corporate level as for the interest of stakeholder, indirectly. When the business unit strategy is achieved the desired goal, which most likely to be more profit, this is also will considered as favorable by the investors. Corporate strategy also concerned about the development and coordination of portfolio of business. The complexity that portfolio has cannot be found in the Porters model. Multi-variance product, multi-company in different industries, all this density of current market environment made Porters Five Forces become less practical.Other relevance is the dimension of competition. It is something that decided at the corporate level. Porters mentioning that based on the competitive advantages, we must choose the dimension of competition and it is best to create a battle field in that dimension, not in other dimension. This is about knowing our company competitive advantages and where to compete and win over t he rivalry.What others are missing?Porters Five Forces did not describing the other external factor like regulator and social environment of the company. Porters Five Forces made based on the economic situation on the eighties. During early eighties, the economic situation is more immutable and predictable development in industries compared to today dynamics. It is also characterized by cyclical growth and also by strong competition D. Recklies, website. Thus, in Porters era, the main objectives of many business organization or corporation are profitability and survival. Porters model focuses on analysis of the actual situation of companys customers, supplier, and competitor and predictable development from new entrants as well as substitutes. Global and networked markets, as mentioned previously, force the business players to think more in the corporate strategies. Now, it is not enough to only position oneself as a price-leader or quality leader. Competitive advantages now comes from the ability of the company to develop a way to maintain the relationship with more active customer and also to manage the networks that could be located in other part of the world. Porters Five Forces treats customer and supplier as third parties, which they no lasting are. Corporate, suppliers, and customer now have extended relationship. And how this relationship managed is not less important than competitive advantages, because it creates values which harder to obtained and maintained than profits. This side of Porters Five Forces, lack of value-adding analysis made Porters Five Forces is less applicable in corporate strategy.In addition to that, in spite of always strengthening position within the industry with competitive advantages to compete against the competitor, co-operation with competitor by mergers and acquisition is also one way to maintain the existence and survival of a business organization. Hence, this model cannot keep up with dynamic situation in the curre nt business environment.Globalization and digitalizationPorters did not include how technology developed and that it is a strong force on competitiveness. Whereas, Porter did not explicitly mention it as a force, but it IS there. New entrant and new substitutes could mean that the competitor could have innovations background. New machines can affect the bargaining power of supplier too, in example. Not to mention how information spread unbelievably fast, and wide, around the internet. Experts coined the term of internet delivery for this decades in which internet have been so embedded in everyday life. Various e-business coats have strongly influenced almost all industries. The development of the information system gives new opportunity for players from outside industry to chance the basis of competition in a market. Porter did not mention how technology will affect the competitiveness. The difference is that on Porters era, technology is something more like a tool to implement th e change. But now, with its more rapid growth compare to eighties, technology has become a most important driver to a change.Non-market environmentNeedless to say, nonmarket environment, as brought up by Baron, also one important forces that must be considered in crafting the strategy. Any kind of corporation or business organization must dealing with social, politics, and legal arrangement, directly and indirectly. Of course, Baron extended work from Porters Five Forces expected to be able to give the best model to develop the so-called integrated strategy.Dynamic market structurePorters model assumes relatively still market structure. Yet, todays market is far from static. Dynamic market entrants, supported by more technological breakthrough, may change the entry barriers, the business model within short time. The model also assumes that all companies always try to get competitive advantages and win over other player in the industry. The dynamic market structure have new way of t hinking of survival than to compete and kill each other. It is designed to analyze individual business performance. It is not considers strategies such as synergies and strategic alliances (mergers, acquisition), electronic linking of information system of all companies along a value chain, virtual enterprise-networks or others D. Recklies. This model also cannot assist the more complex structures of industries. The analysis cannot cope with multiple group products, by-products, and segments. And narrowing the focus only in one industry is too risky in todays corporate strategy. This model also not yet considering that sometimes it may be possible to create new market than compete in the existing market.Nevertheless, subsequent in his paper on 2008, he includes how technology is one factor that can greatly affect competitiveness and rivalry in an industry. Not only had that, he also included other factors such as government and complementary product that can affect the companys pro fitability. In this paper, he also mentioned how a change in industry structure shifts each of the five forces.In general, Porters Five Model has some limitation in todays market environment application and on its relevance with corporate strategy. In relation to corporate strategy, Porters model might be a little help for defining in which dimension or market out company wants to operate, although this dimension might be converted again once the strategy derived to business unit level. However, with all the lack Porters Five Forces had, the model is not completely obsolete to current business. Porters is an economist, so the model is basically the simple way of how he describes the microeconomics. He describes the attractiveness of the industry that is influenced by the five forces. This is also explains why the model always repeat and focusing more in profitability for economics talks about profit maximization. Even now, business still operates in five forces framework describes b y Porter. The model enable the decision maker, the managers, to think about the environment surrounding their industries in a structured way, easy-to-understand way as a starting point for further analysis.ConclusionIn summary, while Porters Five Forces seems less reliable concerning the current competitiveness in the industry (in terms of technology or innovations involvement), it is still manage to help strategic focus of the company in profitability and survival within the industry. The models assist more in business unit level strategy and less applicable in corporate strategy level. Corporate level strategy talks more about value which we hardly find in the Five Forces. Yet, indirectly the success in business unit level strategy supports the achievement of corporate strategy.Porters Five Forces is still relevant to current strategy planning, yet today business players must considered more things such as the growth of globalization and technology and how it will affect the other factors, if not creating its own forces. The tremendous growth of technology nowadays cant be separated in any aspects of life, and that including corporate strategy. However it might be, technology leads to innovation which will influence the every step a company have to defend its market and even expand its market. Certainly, a corporate strategy should not be carelessly made without take note of the non-market environment. In addition to that, examen on the nonmarket environment also should be conducted to support the strategy on market environment of a company. Another kind of analysis also may be needed to examine the dynamic state of markets. Porters framework becomes one of the tools in developing a strategy, maybe as a starting point, but not the most important or the only model being used. A good strategy never should use only one or few model as a basis.

The Influence Of Tests On Teaching Backwash

The Influence Of Tests On Teaching laundryIn the field of foreign vocabulary training and discipline, there argon two kinds of opposed earns about the kindred in the midst of the words scrutinying and the lyric command. One side is that the phrase exam should be cognize as the supplementary means for the language inform. According to Davies (1968 5), the good attempt should follow and ape the educational natural action. This is a point of controversy to most of researchers and teachers. The other side asserts that the relationship between education and assaying is should regarded as resolvenership among each other. (Hughes, 2003 3) That is commonly accepted among many scholars and teachers. Moreover, the language test is expected to oblige the good teaching and git be used as the corrective resileion and direction to the bad teaching. Further practic all toldy, the influence of testing on teaching and encyclopedism is defined as viewing which send packing be all dear or harmful. (Hughes, 2003) Although, the test can tint the teaching on several(prenominal) aspects much(prenominal) as political program, materials, teaching method and content, attitude and behavior, and learn (Alderson Wall, 1993), the existence and the constitution of the influence would be affected few elements such as the teacher, the school, the test itself. (Spratt, 2005 Alderson Wall, 1993) Therefore, In addition, the existence and the nature of the consequence lead be different in various teaching and testing context as well. (Alderson Wall, 1993) In the first interrupt I show the complicated phenomenon of the language testing backwash in the language teaching generally.Specifically, there is a very close connection between the College incline TestCETand college side teaching in China. (Gu, 2005 Li, 2009 Ceng, 1999 Shao, 2003) The CET is proved that it is an effective means of measurement for its answer can accurately reflect the College face te aching and learning situation both of one university at different stages and different universities at the same stage. (Gu, 2005) With a great number of elements which can affect the CET and the college English teaching and learning, in second actuate of this quiz I discuss the existence and the nature of the CET backwash.However, there are a great many of helplessness which shouldnt be driped, it is eager to regain out some elbow rooms and means to achieve the beneficial washback of the CET to assist the college teaching efficiently. In the last straggle of this essay, I will give some suggestion how to promote the beneficial backwash of the CET with the theory of foreign language acquisition.The influence of tests on teaching- backwash1.1 Definition of BackwashThe influence of testing on teaching and learning which can be either beneficial or harmful is defined as backwash (it is known as washback as well). (Bailey, 1996 259 Buck, 1988 17 Hughes, 2003 1). According to Taylo r (2005), the backwash of tests has affected on numerous aspects of educational processes for a long time. It could believe that language tests backwash has been influencing on language teaching and learning constantly. As Hughes (20031) points that the test which is regarded as a significant one could command all relative teaching and learning activities. Specifically, the end point backwash has been regarded as the way in which tests influence on teaching such as designs of curriculum, choices of teaching materials, and conductions of classes. (Hughes, 20032) Therefore, the testing is playing an important role in what is taught in teaching context and how it is underway.However, the backwash of language tests would be regarded as either positive or veto. When the testing exerts the beneficial influence on language teaching, it could enhance the good teachings and reflect the bad teaching correctively as well. And the testing can play the role in language teaching as a partner of that process, which is perceived as an accurate relationship between teaching and testing. (Hughes, 20032) Otherwise, when a tests content and testing techniques are aimed to assess the restricted language capability only such as some tests doesnt test learners necessary language abilities ( audition, speaking, writing and variant) directly, it would exert the harmful influence on language teaching. (Hughes, 2003 Taylor, 2005). The negative backwash would mislead teachers and learners to concentrate on doing what is regarded as unnecessary for achieving high score, and narrow the teaching/learning context as well. (Alderson Wall, 1993 Taylor, 2005) Although language tests play a critical role in language teaching and learning, the influence of them may show different results in different teaching and testing situation.1.2 Factors influenced by the backwashThe result of studies shows the backwash for several views of language teaching in schoolroom to a certain extent, such as c urriculum, materials, teaching method and content, attitude and behavior, and learning. (Spratt, 2005 Cheng, 1997)In the view of the curriculum, tests are always regarded as one of references for the change of curriculums. (Pearson, 1988) In addition, Alderson (1986) agrees that the pattern of language testing is considered as an influential divisor which can cause the innovation of language curriculum. However, Vernon (1956) accents that some teachers always overlook parts of curriculum which couldnt conduce to raise scores of tests directly for they concentrate on training test excessively. in like manner the testing, there are many other factors such as the nature of lean, the class size, stakes of tests, and schools could affect curriculum as well. (Alderson Wall, 1993 Lam, 1994 Lyon, 1996 teach Hayes, 2003 Watanabe, 1996) Therefore, it can close up that in various teaching and testing situation, the backwash for the curriculum will show in different ways, and backwash may not exist in some situations at all yet. (Spratt, 2005)The aspect of backwash for teaching materials, many researches point that the revision of language testing can cause the innovation of language teaching materials usage as well. (Alderson Lyons, 1996 Watanabe, 2000) In addition, some studies point that when the language test gets closer the backwash for the selection of language teaching materials is greater. (Alderson Wall, 1993 Lumley Stoneman, 2000 Alderson Lyons, 1996) Besides, we cant neglect that the aim of choosing and using some teaching materials is to improve relevant language abilities and some is to enhance testing techniques merely. (Spratt, 2005) Consequently, tests can impact the usage of teaching materials, simply is not the main factor to determine it.For the view of teaching methods and content, Spratt (2005) sports that tests especially high-stakes tests can affect the implementation of teaching activities and the choosing of teaching contents. For ex ample, the study of TOEFL from Alderson and Lyons (1996) indicates that teachers teaching techniques and classroom activities view a great many difference between TOEFL and non- TOEFL classes. Moreover, high-stakes tests would let teachers to spend ropes of class time in simulating tasks of tests or promoting techniques and strategies of tests. (Shohamy, 1996) However, some researches find that some teachers believes students efficient language skills play the most important role in walk language tests. (Watanabe, 2000) Therefore, it could conclude that testing is not the only factor to lead the variety of teaching methods which is think to the diversity of teachers and teaching contexts as well.In the aspects of attitude and behavior, Pearson (1988) points that testing has impacts which are both in positive and negative side on attitudes, behavior, and motivation among teachers, students, and parents. For instance, students always recognize that tests let them study hard for ac hieving high scores, however they also worried about testing cannot reflect their all learning aspects accurately. (Cheng, 1998) Furtherto a greater extent, some teachers think that testing is a proper way to ensure whether aims of syllabus consume been achieved. (Morris, 1972) Nevertheless, testing always soaks students, teachers, and parents in the automatic teller of anxiety and fear, as all of them worried about the result of tests. (Shohamy, 1996) Under this kind of pressure, students couldnt play their normal level at the same time teachers would do whatever can help their students to achieve higher scores. (Alderson Wall, 1993 Spratt, 2005)The connotation for considering the backwash for learning is to discuss whether language testing can make students learn more and better. (Wall, 2000) Studies with mentioning students learning strategies and performance point that in the particular testing context students test scores would have at least ten percent improvements with se veral months of related conduction for testing preparation. However, we are not sure whether these finding can be applied to other learning and testing context. (Smith, 1991) Moreover, Andrew (2002) emphasize that after preparing the oral part of language tests some students plainly could achieve testing strategies and learn formulaic expression by rote but couldnt interact meaningfully or appropriately yet.1.3 Factors affect the backwashThe teacher, the school and the exam itself are known as the influential elements which can affect the occurrence and the nature of the backwash. (Spratt, 2005 Alderson Wall, 1993) preceding(prenominal) all, the most important factor which can affect the backwash is the teacher. Specifically, all of teachers belief about teaching and testing, teachers attitudes towards the test, teachers educational level and experience, and teachers own temperament will impact whether backwash exists and it is beneficial or harmful. (Smith, 1991 Alderson Wall, 1993 Alderson Lyons, 1996 Watanabe, 1996 Shohamy, 1996, Spratt, 2005)Moreover, the size of school, the education philosophy of school, and the attitude towards tests of schools administrator are regarded as the factors which can influence the backwash. (Watanabe, 2000 Smith, 1991 Read Hayes, 2003) According to Alderson and Wall (1993), schools can curb the appearance of the backwash and affect its nature even for communicative tests.In addition, test itself would be able to impact the existence and the quality of backwash. (Spratt, 2005 Alderson Wall, 1993) Morrow (1986) asserts that the language test which can measure candidates ability of language application can be considered as a qualified test with powerful and beneficial backwash.In summary, language testing can exert influence on language teaching and learning indeed, but it will generate as either positive or negative. As the backwash can impact lots of aspects of language teaching and learning process the existence, th e nature, and the deep of it must(prenominal) be diverse in different views. Moreover, the backwash is also affected by some elements, so its nature must be independent in different teaching or testing context neither. Therefore, the backwash will be shown in extremely different states in different teaching and testing context. Even though in a particular situation, each aspect of the backwash must be different neither.2. The backwash for College English Test (CET) in college English teaching across China2.1 Introduction of CET in ChinaThe College English Test (CET) is a national unified test which is sponsored by higher(prenominal) Education Department of the Minister of Education of China and administrated by The National College English Testing Committee. (CET Testing Committee) After completing the English foundation course in the second school year, all of university students across China are permitted to participate in this test. (Yang, 2000) There is national wide range of stakeholders (teachers, students, and administrators) involved in this test. In other words, the CET can be regarded as a high-stakes test. Besides, it is proved that the CET is an effective means of measurement for its result can accurately reflect the CE teaching and learning situation both of one university at different stages and different universities at the same stage. (Gu, 2005) As the high status and reputation of this test, passing the CET-4 is regarded as a qualification to obtain the B.A degree among the majority of Chinese universities. Therefore, there is an extremely close relationship between the CET and the College English teaching and learning indeed. Furthermore, the results of many researches show that the CET can exert beneficial washback on The CE teaching and learning. (Li, 2009 Gu, 2005 Shao, 2003) Specifically, the execution of College English Teaching Syllabus has been promoted in CE teaching and learning by the CET. (Gu, 2005) However, there is harmful infl uence on CE teaching and learning from the implementation of CET as well. (Li, 2009 Gu, 2005 Shao, 2003) Excessive using of coaching materials makes classroom teaching be confined for preparing the test, which results textbooks cant be completed ideally. (Gu, 2005) The washback of CET on CE teaching and learning is either positive or negative and will be discussed specifically as follows.2.2 The positive backwash of the CETWe have discussed that the teacher, the school, and the test itself are the main elements which can affect the existence and the nature of washback on language teaching and learning above.Practically, as the CET is a high-stakes test, it makes all of administrators, teachers, and students to think highly of it. (Hughes, 2003) Moreover, one of the CETs aims is to promote the implementation of College English Curriculum Requirements in College English teaching and learning. (CET Testing Committee) In other words, to think highly of the CET among participants could b e seem as to attach importance to College English teaching and learning. Therefore, one of the positive wahback of the CET is that it can see to it the basic stage of implementation of college classroom English teaching.Moreover, according to the validation study of the CET (Yang Weir, 1998) shows that the CET is a highly reliable and valid test with clear-sighted design and can measure non-English majors English proficiency exactly and objectively at the tertiary level across China. So it can guarantee that the CET can provide the sensible feedback to assist college English teachers and students to promote their teaching and learning.The most important factor to warrant the positive washback is the design of question forms. (Gu, 2005 Li, 2009) Specifically, in order to fully reflect the importance of listening ability, the part of listening comprehension occupies a considerable proportion in the CET. Besides, the question forms contain not only the objective choice but also the subjective dictation with relatively diversity. Moreover, the selection of subject includes both narrative passages and dialogues with strong practicability. As reading is one of the main resources to achieve the information for people, training reading ability play a significant important role in college English teaching requirements. For meeting this demand, the CET has appreciable amount of reading tests with rational question form design. All of the selected reading texts are in the form of discourse. For the great percentage of listening and reading in CET, both teachers and students think highly of promoting these two kinds of abilities actively. Furthermore, as the productivity and practicability of these parts of tasks, teachers pay more attention to use of sure teaching materials. (Gu, 2005 Shao, 2003) By this way, students applied language abilities can be developed essentially. Gradually, with the abilities development, students confidence and interesting on learning Eng lish has been enhanced as finding themselves can read original English discourse and understand English radio and TV programs days after days. Therefore, the other positive washback of the CET is that it can put in college English teaching and promote college teaching and learning level across China.Tests of writing and speaking are the most important means to measure whether students have the ability of language application (Hughes, 2003). As the writing part in the CET, it sets the tasks and selects the samples as expression of attitude and information with all students long-familiar topic to value students communicative applied ability in compose English. (Gu, 2005 Shao, 2003) It guides a clear direction for teachers teaching and students learning so that they can understand the centre of college English teaching and learning of non-English major has converted from knowledge of language to language itself. In other word, this kind of washback makes both teachers and students p ay more attention on training of language application. For the speaking test of CET is ex gratia, which means a student must get an exact higher score in the written part of the CET (more than 560 points in the CET-4 and more than 530 in the CET-6) who can be permitted to participate in the oral part of the CET. (Li, 2009 Gu, 2005 Shao, 2003) In order to achieve the opportunity to take part in speaking test, most of students eager to get the highest possible scores in written part. At the same time, it motivates students study hard. As it is regarded as external motivation which is not as good as the intrinsic one but is better than nothing. (Alderson Wall, 1993) With achieving higher scores, students integrated language abilities have been improved efficiently. Above all, the part of speaking of the CET exerts the beneficial washback on college English teaching and learning as they enhance the initiative of students.2.3 The negative washback of the CETHowever, as the students pe rformance of the CET is an important symbolism of English teaching quality in each college and also the focus of competition among them in China, the results of the CET are given undue importance. (Li, 2009 Gu, 2005 Shao, 2003) Specifically, in the fourth semester teachers just use the CET-oriented materials completely such as various simulated tests and the former CET papers to prepare the CET which is coming in June without any active classroom activity among students. They believe that test-oriented materials can help students to familiarize the test format and train their time management skill so that enhance the passing rate. (Gu, 2005) Using them as teaching materials in classrooms is inappropriate, as the CET is just the measurement not the purpose of college English teaching. Therefore, on the aspect of English teaching time distribution, there has been a phenomenon that the regular teaching time has been compressed and the curriculum has been distorted among a great many o f universities. Moreover, as the part of speaking in the CET is still optional until now, it must let teachers and students neglect to promote the oral ability during the period of test preparation. In this teaching environment, students are forced to face a lot of papers practice and the inevitable appearance of students dummy English have become increasingly unusual. Finally, students integrated applied abilities haven been promoted adequately with the lack of successful language skills training.Moreover, the score and the certificate have the considerable influence on opportunity of students future learning and job. (Li, 2009 Gu, 2005 Shao, 2003) It potentially makes some students regard achieving the CET Certificate as their final goal of learning English during their undergraduate study period. Consequently, after passing the CET, lots of non-English major students dont attach importance on English learning any more with this shallow attitude. Therefore, the CET cant motivate students to learn English intrinsically.On the aspect of test itself, it restricts students real language ability and interactive language ability. According to Krashen (1982), the most effective way for people to acquire language is achieving comprehensible arousal. Only this kind of language input which is slightly higher than learners modern level can help learners obtain the better learning effect. As excessive emphasis on the initiative of the CET, the objectivity and impartiality of the score, the stability of the test level, the most of question forms of the CET are the multiple choices. (Li, 2002) Hence, students stray from the right path of learning English with the neglect of the cultivation about real language input and communicative ability training to concentrate on grammar, lexical analysis, testing skills unduly.In summary, the CET itself does exert the certain influence on the college English teaching in China. However, the research (Gu, 2005) shows that some schoo ls and some classes which use textbooks and other teaching materials creatively have the better performance and higher scores in the CET. Therefore, the effects of the CET are much less than other elements such as the attitudes of schools, teachers, and students towards the CET teachers teaching level teachers academic level teaching methods and students initiative. The CET is just a very small part of the whole college English teaching system. Besides, as there are a great many of weakness which shouldnt be neglected, it is eager to find out some ways and means to achieve the beneficial washback of the CET to assist the college teaching efficiently.Promote the beneficial washback of the CETAs there is a close relationship between the CET and the college English teaching indeed, the CET not only can but also should exert beneficial backwash on college English teaching. Therefore, we attempt to find out the way how we can achieve as more backwash as possible. The possible suggestion will be argued as followsAim to college teaching syllabi, adopt a large number of direct language testingDirect language testing means testing communicative language skills directly with using as many authentic texts and tasks as possible. (Hughes, 2003) Using direct language testing can measure students skills what we would like to foster efficiently and promote the implementation of related practice for those skills sufficiently during the regular teaching time. (Bachman, 2000) Therefore, in the CET using a great many direct language testing so that test whether students have the effective communicative language ability in the certain context. In this way, we would be able to encourage students to practice those interactive language skills as much as possible. Consequently, we can obtain the beneficial backwash from the CET to college English teaching in China as figure 1 shows.Sample tasks of writing test as much authentically and practicably as possibleAdding numerous authentic and practicable tasks in writing test can promote the unorthodox of the CET. In addition, the creativity of teaching and learning can be developed rather than concentrate on what they can predict. (Hughes, 2003) Consequently, students expression ability in written English can be promoted exactly.3.3 Give the same importance to speaking test as othersChange the part of speaking in the CET to be dictatorial rather than optional. Some research shows that Chinese college students oral ability is the weakest one among others. (Ceng, 1999) According to that, promoting their oral ability must be enforced. Testing the abilities which you want to incent can achieve the beneficial backwash of test sufficiently. (Hughes, 2003) Therefore, adding the oral part in the whole CET compulsorily can motivate teachers and students to promote this skill consciously.3.4 Provide assist to teachers in order to adapt the new test patternIntroduction of a new pattern of the test may lead many teachers de tect they dont adapt it. (Hughes, 2003) Transfer the CET from grammar and vocabulary oriented to be more communicative would make a large number of teachers feel they are not familiar to enhance students communicative skills. Therefore, essential training and assistance for teachers could avoid imbalance and chaos to support the help to teaching.3.5 Reduce the status of the CETThe figure 2 shows the relationship between the CET and the college English teaching and learning currently. Therefore, if make the provision that is changing the CET from the compulsive test to be the optional test during undergraduate study. Besides, abolish all unreasonable regulations which stipulate CET certificate is one of qualifications to obtain the B.A degree. This is the basic condition to reform college English teaching with getting rid of test-oriented education. We could achieve the positive backwash of the CET to establish more harmonious relationship (which is shown in figure 3) between the CET and the college English teaching in China.To summarize, the innovation of the CET to be more communicative, more practicable, more productive would be able to promote the beneficial backwash of it to influence college English teaching across China energetically.ConclusionThe present essay has discussed the relationship between the language testing and language teaching and learning from generally to specifically. The effect of the language testing is defined as backwash to impact several views of language teaching and learning. In a certain teaching and testing context, the backwash of CET has been known as to affect the implementation of the college English teaching curriculum the using teaching materials the teaching method and content the administers, the teachers, and the students attitudes towards college English teaching and learning. Additionally, as there are some elements affect the deep and the nature of the CET backwash, it presents either beneficial or harmfully in diff erent aspects of the college English teaching across China. Finally, with some theories of language testing and foreign language acquisition this essay have illustrate some proposals how to achieve as more beneficial backwash of the CET as possible.However, as the importance of communicative college English teaching is a growing concern, the demands of the productivity, the practicability, and the communicability of the CET have been received greater attention in China. Therefore, it needs to invest more and research to enhance the quality of the CET so that promote the beneficial backwash of it to cooperate with the college language teaching and learning perfectly.

Essay --

Before the Civil War ended, President Lincoln signed for the Emancipation annunciation to be passed. When the Emancipation Proclamation was passed on January 1, 1863, it was a step toward publishdom for African Americans. Although the proclamation freed few, and did not apply to slaves in border states fighting on the side of the union, it sent a message. Lincoln was sending a strong message, not only to the United States of America, unless to the world, that the Civil War was no longer being fought to preserve the Union, but was being fought to end slavery (Ask Jones which citation from extra paper). African Americans described the proclamation as the document for freedom, it was hope. The Emancipation Proclamation, while it did not free the slaves, it was a road way toward the thirteenth amendment. In 1865 when President Lincoln was still in office, the Civil War ended, and left over(p) the South in shambles. The war left no option except the need to rebuild the South. This was the beginning of reconstruction. Reconstruction originally began under President Lincoln, until April 15, 1865, when he was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth, and so President Andrew Johnson took over, and reconstruction took a turn for the worst. Under the short reign of Lincoln, blacks were able to reunite their families, receive land and work for themselves, as well as get an education, and establish black churches. When Johnson took office, after Lincolns assassination, reconstruction began to shift for the blacks it no longer held the same meaning. Their land was taken, and their freedom to work for themselves began to diminish, easy reconstruction began to return to the idea of slavery. EconomicsAt the wars end Congress established the Freedmens Burea... ...ural music, provide charity and support to those in need and developed the black political leaders. The black church was the beginning of the establishment of the black community, and the most important part of the blac k church it was free of white supervision. Blacks struggled to save to build their churches, and often founded Baptist and Methodists churches. One of their most prominent churches was the African Methodist Episcopal (AME). Churches in the black community were a number of ranking. The Presbyterian, Congregational, and Episcopal churches were attended mostly by the upper-class blacks, such as the blacks that had been free prior to the civil war. Poorer blacks, found the upper-class black churches unappealing.Besides churches, blacks still that they must learn to read, or they were not free. To blacks freedom and education were inseparable.

Comparing Ridley Scotts Blade Runner and Philip K. Dicks Do Androids

Comparing Ridley Scotts Blade commencement and Philip K. Dicks Do Androids Dream of galvanic Sheep? How do we know that we be human and, if we are human, what does it mean to be human? These two philosophical inquiries are explored in great depth in Ridley Scotts image Blade Runner, and of course the text of Philip K. Dicks wonderful novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? on which the film is based. Most would agree that these themes pull through in the novel, but a handful of critics and academics have some doubt as to their presence in the film. If one examines both the film and the text, one depart realize that they both serve to support the same motifs, but do so in different fashions. Many critics argue that the awesome visuals overwhelm the table of contents of the plot and theme, but I argue that the visuals depicting Los Angeles in the year 2019 help to advance the themes. Viewers often miss the human side of the taradiddle or lack there of, and may object to the s trong visuals for this reason. It base be argued that the visuals serve to portray a dehumanized world where only clear-sighted signs of humanitys existence are dispersed throughout, where existentialist notions such as what being human is and what being human means are not easily answered.To presently summarize the plot, Harrison Ford stars as Rick Deckard, a cop from the future (blade runner) who tracks down and kills replicants, which are basically artificially created human beings. In other films, they are usually referred to as androids. Specifically, his assignment is to find and kill five replicants who have escaped from an off-world colony and come to earth. The most interesting parts of Blade Runner are Deckards interactions with the various replicants, especially Ra... ... also feel sympathy for Deckard. The film illustrates that both are in a struggle to become more human, Deckard because he is slowly losing his humanity, and the androids because they have never had t he experience of humanity, but desire it. This sympathy for both entities further reinforces the blur that Scott is creating between the android and the human. Because the film does this so effectively, we can easily ask the question, what makes a human more deserving of life than an android?Essentially, when all is said and done, Blade Runner is really a film about questions, questions that we should ask ourselves of humanity. What is a human? What does it mean to be human? Do humans have more of a right to life than replicants? view as humans and androids become the same thing? It is not so important that one answers these questions, but that he or she asks them.

Impact of Terrorist Attacks on Males from Muslim Countries :: Terrorism

Impact of Terrorist Attacks on Males from Muslim Countries The terrorism round on the United States of America on September 11, 2001 has not however greatly alter American citizens, but it has also made a huge impact on the lives of people in Muslim countries such as Indonesia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Hence, because I am an international student from Indonesia, the attack has greatly affected my life in the United States of America. Since the terrorist attack, the American government has created a number of regulations that have to be followed just now by the male citizens of Muslim countries who are currently staying in the United States. Every male has to report to the Immigration and Naturalization Service to be interviewed, and only if he passes the interview go away he be able to continue living in the United States. However, in the event that he fails the interview, he will be immediately deported back to his own country. The government did not show any mercy even for those who have already built stable lives with their families here in America. The governments act of eliminating any potential threat to the United States may seem patriotic and glorious in the eyes of some(prenominal) Americans. However, Americans also have to be reminded of the civil rights movement that successfully ended racially discriminatory laws and practices against African Americans and other minorities. The governments act of disparity against individuals from Muslim countries is simply not right. The government does not have the right to judge an individual by his or her nationality, race, or religion. Even though the terrorist attack on America may have been carried out by Osama Bin Laden, a Muslim leader from Afghanistan, the American government should not perceive both single citizen from Muslim countries to be a threat to this country.

The Model Theory Of Dedekind Algebras :: Algebra Mathematics Essays

The Model Theory Of Dedekind AlgebrasABSTRACT A Dedekind algebra is an sighted pair (B, h) where B is a non-empty set and h is a analogy break on B. Among the Dedekind algebras is the sequence of positive integers. separately Dedekind algebra can be decomposed into a family of disjointed, countable subalgebras which ar called the configurations of the algebra. There are many isomorphic types of configurations. Each Dedekind algebra is associated with a cardinal value function called the confirmation signature which counts the number of configurations in each isomorphism type occurring in the decomposition of the algebra. Two Dedekind algebras are isomorphic if their configuration signatures are identical. I introduce conditions on configuration signatures that are sufficient for characterizing Dedekind algebras uniquely up to isomorphisms in second order logic. I show Dedekinds characterization of the sequence of positive integers to be a consequence of these more general result s, and use configuration signatures to delineate homogeneous, universal and homogeneous-universal Dedekind algebras. These delineations establish non-homogeneous results about these classes of Dedekind algebras including existence and uniqueness. 1. INTRODUCTIONOne of the more striking accomplishments of foundational studies prior to 1930 was the characterization of various mathematical systems uniquely up to isomorphism (see Corcoran 1980). Among the first systems to fill such a characterization is the sequence of the positive integers. Both Dedekind and Peano provided characterizations of this system in the late 1880s. Dedekinds characterization commenced by considering B, a non-empty set, and h, a similar transformation on B (i.e. an injective unary function on B). In deference to Dedekind, the ordered pair B = (B,h) is called a Dedekind algebra. While the study of Dedekind algebras can of course be viewed as a continuation of Dedekinds work, the focus here is different. Rathe r than probe whether a particular Dedekind algebra (the sequence of the positive integers) is characterizable, we proceed by investigating conditions on Dedekind algebras which imply that they are characterizable. In the following we review some of the results obtained in the model theory of Dedekind algebras and discuss some of their consequences. These results are stated without proofs. weaverbird 1997a and 1997b provide the details of these proofs. Attention is restricted here to the model theory of the second order theories of Dedekind algebras. Weaver 1998 focuses on the model theory of the first order theories of these algebras.2. CONFIGURATIONSGiven a Dedekind algebra B = (B,hB), AB is the transitive closure of hB.