Governance and Leadership Management

Question: Discuss about theGovernance and Leadership Management. Answer: Description and Evaluation of Project Governance Structure of Telstra Telstra has been a leader in technology for the better part of the decade. Its pioneer work in the field of communication has been revolutionizing. It has made its mark by making many breakthroughs in technology (Telstra.com 2016). Contribution of Telstra to the Australian cloud services and telecommunications has been the result of sound project governance structure of the company. Detailed description of the structure of governance of Telstra is discussed below: Board of Directors Telstra has selected its Board members very sensibly over the years that has made this company grow better and at a faster rate than its competitors in Australia. As of now Telstra has 12 core Board members out which 11 are core members and one director who contribute in the decision making of the company in every aspect of business. Telstra has hired its CEO who has an experience of more than 25 years. The CEO has expertise in finance, strategy development and business of telecommunication products with a worldwide view.Telstra has also incorporated Business Improvement and Support unit for constant innovation in the business ideas. BIS was created by the company some time ago when there was a shakeup in the structure of Telstra and the company was suffering from some inter-company issues around the globe (Telstra.com 2016). But due to establishment of this unit Telstra gained in its productivity and has acquired tools and other programs that assists in simplification of the busines s procedure. The company has also changed its international business composition to harvest the benefits of evolving business needs in the overseas market. The Board has recognized the expertise and experience of members and has designated the suitable portfolio to the concerned members. Telstra has been working on the three pillars of business strategy that is building growth, derive value from the central part of the team and advance customer support (Van den Berghe 2012). Constant review is done by the boards to keep track of the developments and to focus on business ideas. Telstra has a dynamic way of mixing its membership with diversified field of execution for appropriate balance in the management. The Board consists of three standing committees that are Nominating Committee, Remunerating Committee and Risk Audit Committee (Chhaochharia, Kumar and Niessen-Ruenzi 2012). The Board is responsible and is gender neutral as it has included 40% representatives of female gender among its non-executive members. Project and Portfolio Management Telstra is very keen in deployment of Project Engagement structure that ranges to the complete life-cycle of the project. This framework spans from scope of the project, definition of the project to its delivery. To monitor this cycle of project Telstra has employed Project Managers who are competent in managing complex and diverse projects for the implementation of transformation and transition of assignments. Project Office of Management sees to the fact that projects are completed and delivered on time and with utmost precision (Belloc 2012). Project Managers are well versed to follow the guidelines of project execution such as PRINCE2,PMBoK and PMI. They also provide the risk management techniques to ensure the integration of network solutions. Experienced, skilled and expert project managers steer the project through business modules. They are experts in end-to-end delivery of projects with additional stress given to the development of requirements, management of design, quoting and management of implementation (Karolyi 2012). Project and portfolio management is done following certain steps by the managers of Telstra which are as follows: Governance: This phase defines the project structure, does identification of specific resources and their responsibilities and roles. Change in management of organization: Stakeholders are notified about the alteration made in the project. Management of stakeholders: Notification of changes in roles and timeframes in the implementation of the project to the concerned shareholders. Management if risks and issues:This phase comprises of identification, monitoring, mitigation and quantification of risks involved in the project. Management of quality: Definition and compliance with the expectations of the customers. Reporting of status: Consistent updating the status of project including risks involved, budget and attaining milestones. Some other methods and characteristics of Project and Portfolio Management includes the following aspects: Planning Execution and control Deployment and Integration Testing and certification Knowledge management Change Management Release and deployment management Service operation Event Management Security Management Service reporting and improvement Linking of Corporate Strategies and Projects Telstra has grown with rapid pace in Australia and globally. It has laid much emphasis in expansion and linking corporate strategies in execution of its projects. In pursuance of innovation and new ideas to cater to the needs of the customer to thrive in the changing technological world (Michelon, G. and Parbonetti 2012). There are three strategies which are mainly followed by Telstra to link its projects with main business ideas. There strategies are discussed below: Improvement of Customer Support:The policy of customer support is very necessary for Telstra as it is a market driven company, responses and feedback of the customers become the backbone of companys growth. More the customers will be satisfied with the services of Telstra more they will recommend it to others. In this strategy, key areas where customers find problems is targeted by proper planning for the ease of access to the customers. Employees pay great emphasis in notifying the customers about new technologies that are innovated (Armstrong, Balakrishnan and Cohen 2012). Telstra is known for providing customized merchandise as per the requirements of the customers. These include digital options, enhancement in stores and mobile. Derivation of values from the center: Customers of Telstra have much reliance on the services and products of Telstra. Seeing the popularity and sales of its products Telstra has decided to expand its networks by investing in it to provide its customers the best experience available.Core network of Telstra also supports the communication of other government organizations of Australia. Superiority of network has provided a large number of users of mobile network (Brammer, Jackson and Matten 2012). New data plans and other high value services has generated a substantial revenue for Telstra. Network Services and Applications:Portfolio of NAS provides, enterprises and business connections with government organizations in Australia and software contracts with security services and service solutions. With expansion of services, Telstra has started working in collaboration with global companies such as IBM, Cisco, Amazon Web Services and VMware (Agrawal 2012). Governance of Individual Projects Telstra Company has given more emphasis on the development of software technologies by taking one project as an individual entity. This method of project governance has proved very beneficial to the company. It provides liberty to the employees to focus completely on one problem at a time. Moreover, it enhances the efficiency of the workers as all the details of the project are segregated and a proper time window is available to complete the project. The employees find the proper framework to complete the project with all its entities and features integrated (Cuat, Gine and Guadalupe 2012). Requirement analysis is done in the beginning, after that stakeholders inputs are taken for the project to construct a proper framework, then implementation strategy is made, a time limitation is set to complete the project, cost analysis is done and risk analysis is also done and other methods are also applied during the development of the project. Telstra has governed some projects in the recent past which are: Telstra Ventures:It is a corporate venture capital group founded by Telstra. This venture has invested in new and innovative technologies that have emerged recently and are going to be in market in the near future. Telstra has invested in high growth opportunities that will yield high returns to the company. Additionally, Telstra has its rich assets that allows the company to leverage these kind of investment ventures (Hochberg 2012). Globecast Australia: Telstra has taken over thiscompany recently to construct a deeper base in the media and communication services for broadcasting in foreign countries as well. Knowing well about the Globecast Australia that it has its reach in delivering particular media services and has roots in local as well as international media business Telstra made this move to acquire the company (Morellec, Nikolov and Schrhoff 2012). This has provided Telstra an edge over its competitors in the media business making it the telecommunication giant of Australia. Leadership With the history of over 14 years, Telstra has experienced the work of six CEOs who have greatly contributed in the development of the company in every aspect. All the CEOs were very optimistic, active and had positive frame of mind with a vision to achieve high goals for the company. As media and telecommunication industry has underwent drastic changes in recent years and to cope up with the change and grow at the same time was not an easy task. But management of Telstra was always in good hands through the journey of the company (Hazarika, Karpoff and Nahata, 2012). A top management official who can be the CEO or any other member of the board has to balance the stakes between the investment made for technological advancement of the company and the interest of the stakeholders and shareholders who are concerned with the profits and dividends that the company will make. A leader should also be aware of the opportunities and possibilities to maximize the benefits of the efforts made b y the management and its employees. As in the case of Telstra, the innovative technology of networking like fiber technology and high quality routers has been used in such a way that the consumers are more than happy by the services (Walls, Berrone and Phan 2012). So the foresight is a very important trait of character a leader should possess and Telstra has been lucky in that context. Moreover, having technical skills, professional skills, integrity and personal values are some of the innate qualities that have been demonstrated by the leaders of Telstra in the past. Relationship with Stakeholders In the governance structure of Telstra, the communication and interaction with stakeholders is a vital point that needs consideration. For growth and development and supporting the framework of business, relationship with stakeholders and shareholders is a key point in delivering services as per the strategy.Telstra follows a two-way mode of conveying information to its investors and stakeholders about the strategies of the company. In this mode of information exchange, the management not only conveys important information such as legal obligations and market disclosures but also listens to, understands and give priority to the stakeholders perspectives and opinions. Stakeholders feedback is taken into consideration and execution of ideas is done as quickly as possible (Chen, Lu and Sougiannis 2012). There are various initiatives to involve shareholders in active decision making and convening business ideas so that they feel as a participant in companys ventures. Some of these initia tives are discussed as follows: Briefing of Retail Shareholders information: In Annual General Meetings these briefings are done in the presence of CFOs and CEOs. This is done to increase the transparency among retail shareholders and to give them insight of the upcoming plans of the company. Encourage interrogation in advance of the AGM: Telstra requests the shareholders to prepare a list of queries and the topic of discussions that needs to be dealt with in the AGM meeting. This gives the management an idea and the head start about the rising concerns that are inquisitive among its shareholders. Briefing of investors:Telstra provides its investors with the briefs of the ongoing and upcoming projects that are to be developed by the company. This is important for the investors as they should know that their money is being invested in a proper way and is worth the effort. They also get the idea of the market trends so that they can invest more in the projects that are yet to start (Hermalin and Weisbach 2012). Electronic Communication: In the developing technological age, the stakeholders are provided with official email ids and other user authentication objects so that they can easily log in the companys portal and see by themselves what the company is intending to do. Online notifications of each and every details of the company gives an assurance to the stakeholders about the whereabouts of the companys plans (Jo and Harjoto 2012). Webcasting Telstras events: to discuss the AGM, financial reports and other such activities of the company, webcasting is done. This provides a larger platform for discussion and is a strong step towards stakeholders relationship with the company. Suggestions in Governance of Telstra As it can be established from the above discussion, Telstra has quite concrete Project and Portfolio Management system which has benefited the company in many ways. Its development in the recent past is the proof of its efficient structure of governance. But still, there is a room of improvement in the framework of Telstras governance. It can be observed that the company lacks proper advertisement mechanism to reach maximum number of customers through media. Being a popular company, it ignores the fact that it needs to advertise its products and services in a more dynamic and exhaustive way so that the customers can feel inquisitive to experience the services. Telstra can also improve and diversify their business base by increasing the number of Board members. This will enhance the area of expertise at the top level of management. This will incorporate personnel of diverse viewpoints who understand business in different ways. Their input will give a deep insight to expand the domain of the company exponentially. Since Telstra is a media and telecommunication based company, it should also lay emphasis on the data security of the customers on the network and also during data transmission. With advancement of technology, data security and risks involved with it is of prior importance. References: Aebi, V., Sabato, G. and Schmid, M., 2012. Risk management, corporate governance, and bank performance in the financial crisis.Journal of Banking Finance,36(12), pp.3213-3226. Agrawal, A.K., 2012. Corporate governance objectives of labor union shareholders: Evidence from proxy voting.Review of Financial Studies,25(1), pp.187-226. Armstrong, C.S., Balakrishnan, K. and Cohen, D., 2012. Corporate governance and the information environment: Evidence from state antitakeover laws.Journal of Accounting and Economics,53(1), pp.185-204. Belloc, F., 2012. Corporate governance and innovation: A survey.Journal of Economic Surveys,26(5), pp.835-864. Brammer, S., Jackson, G. and Matten, D., 2012. Corporate social responsibility and institutional theory: New perspectives on private governance.Socio-Economic Review,10(1), pp.3-28. Chen, C.X., Lu, H. and Sougiannis, T., 2012. The agency problem, corporate governance, and the asymmetrical behavior of selling, general, and administrative costs.Contemporary Accounting Research,29(1), pp.252-282. Chhaochharia, V., Kumar, A. and Niessen-Ruenzi, A., 2012. Local investors and corporate governance.Journal of Accounting and Economics,54(1), pp.42-67. Cuat, V., Gine, M. and Guadalupe, M., 2012. The vote is cast: The effect of corporate governance on shareholder value.The Journal of Finance,67(5), pp.1943-1977. Hazarika, S., Karpoff, J.M. and Nahata, R., 2012. Internal corporate governance, CEO turnover, and earnings management.Journal of Financial Economics,104(1), pp.44-69. Hermalin, B.E. and Weisbach, M.S., 2012. Information disclosure and corporate governance.The Journal of Finance,67(1), pp.195-233. Hochberg, Y.V., 2012. Venture capital and corporate governance in the newly public firm.Review of Finance,16(2), pp.429-480. Jo, H. and Harjoto, M.A., 2012. The causal effect of corporate governance on corporate social responsibility.Journal of business ethics,106(1), pp.53-72. Karolyi, G.A., 2012. Corporate governance, agency problems and international cross-listings: A defense of the bonding hypothesis.Emerging Markets Review,13(4), pp.516-547. Michelon, G. and Parbonetti, A., 2012. The effect of corporate governance on sustainability disclosure.Journal of Management Governance,16(3), pp.477-509. Morellec, E., Nikolov, B. and Schrhoff, N., 2012. Corporate governance and capital structure dynamics.The Journal of Finance,67(3), pp.803-848. Nini, G., Smith, D.C. and Sufi, A., 2012. Creditor control rights, corporate governance, and firm value.Review of Financial Studies,25(6), pp.1713-1761. Telstra.com, 2016.www.telstra.com.au. [online] www.telstra.com.au. Available at: https://www.telstra.com.au [Accessed 29 Sep. 2016]. Van den Berghe, L., 2012.International standardisation of good corporate governance: best practices for the board of directors. Springer Science Business Media. Walls, J.L., Berrone, P. and Phan, P.H., 2012. Corporate governance and environmental performance: is there really a link?.Strategic Management Journal,33(8), pp.885-913. Wintoki, M.B., Linck, J.S. and Netter, J.M., 2012. Endogeneity and the dynamics of internal corporate governance.Journal of Financial Economics,105(3), pp.581-606.

Dentralization Pros and Cons Essay Example For Students

Dentralization Pros and Cons Essay When it comes to decentralization, there are many pros and cons. Decentralization can be beneficial in the fact that it allows for experts to take control of specific functions of an organization and easily convey information back and forth. It also allows for direct contact and relationships with managers. Decentralization also allows managers to participate in planning. Unfortunately, there are disadvantages of decentralization as well. Some managers will find that they have too much work to do and other will have too little. It will also become difficult to have managers take on different tasks or projects if needed because of overspecialization. Also, if one manager leaves, there will not be anyone to pick up his place with quite the same knowledge and expertise. Centralization is another method which has its pros and cons. A positive aspect is the fact that the corporate decision maker has full control over the organization and the decisions that the organization must follow. The organization may also benefit from the fact that all information is reported to the corporate decision maker; he or she listens to all comments and concerns and is able to infer from all information received. There are disadvantages to centralization as well. The larger an organization becomes, the more information that one manager has to comprehend and consider; eventually he/she will need help. Tasks will have to be divided or else the organization will become disorganized and at times, seem chaotic. What happens if the manger is away for whatever reason? Timely corporate decisions are impossible when no one is around to make them. Whether an organization chooses centralization or decentralization is completely a matter or choice. One system may work better than the other depending on the situation or the type of organization. It is an important choice and should be carefully and wisely considered.

Towards a Critical Assessment of the Discipline of Social Psychology

A wealth of literature points to the fact that the term ‘social psychology’ was first conceptualized in the 1860s, but the fundamental issues surrounding the discipline have progressed over a much longer period of time (Jahoda, 2007).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Towards a Critical Assessment of the Discipline of Social Psychology specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This not withstanding, the discipline has over the years courted both interest and controversy, prompting scholars and researchers to assume a deep interest in attempting to examine its most basic tenets as well as its discourse (Greenwood, 2004). This paper specifically aims to examine the discipline of social psychology, including offering a working definition of the discipline, discussing how it differs from other related disciplines, and, finally, explaining the role of research in social psychology. Social psychology may be defined a s the scientific discipline that attempts to understand and explain how individuals think about, feel about, relate to, and influence each other within the social environment, and how a myriad of social factors found within the environment influences our situations, including our behavior (Greenwood, 2004). Specifically, the discipline uses scientific techniques to understand and explain a wide range of social dimensions, including cognition, group behavior, emotion, social perception, leadership characteristics, conformity, social beliefs and prejudice, among others (Potter Wetherell, 2005). In its most basic nature, social psychology attempts to understand our thinking, influence, and relationships by looking for answers to questions that have over the years’ intrigued mankind (Myers, 2010). Social psychology differs from other related disciplines in diverse yet subtle ways. It is imperative to mention some of the related disciplines, which includes sociology, personality psychology, clinical psychology, general psychology, abnormal psychology, and cognitive psychology, among others. According to Myers (2010), social psychology is at the core of both psychology and sociology disciplines. While sociology interests itself with the study of individuals in groups and societies, social psychology is deeply interested in understanding individuals, not mentioning that it uses more experimentation than sociology. Although sociology is also interested in assessing and understanding social behavior and influences, its focus is broad-based and its scope is not necessarily interested in attempting to understand how individuals relate to, and influences one another (Greenwood, 2004). On the contrary, attempting to assess and understand how individuals think about, feel about, relate to, and influence each other is a core critical area in social psychology.Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Consequently, it can be argued that while both social psychology and sociology study somewhat congruent topics in individual, group and social life, they inarguably look at these topics using totally different lens and from totally different perspectives In comparing personality psychology with social psychology, Myers (2010) notes that while the former focuses more on individual differences and less on how individuals view and affect one another, the latter is intrinsically focused on attempting to understand how people relate to, and affect one another within the social environment. Eliasz et al (2005) argues that although there exist an overlap between social and personality psychology, the former to a larger extent deals with issues of social cognition, prejudice and stereotyping, self and social identity, emotion, aggression, and social behavior, while the latter to a larger extent deals with issues of identity, motivation, and power. Moving on, clinica l psychology mainly focuses on the study, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of individual mental health disorders, while social psychology is chiefly concerned with assessing how an individual’s thoughts, emotions, and behavior are influenced by others around him, thus the difference (Zaka, 2007). As such, it can be argued that, while clinical psychologists aims to solve a passive problem, hence his role is reactive in nature, a social psychologist functions in a proactive trajectory by virtue of attempting to search for solutions to practical challenges affecting and influencing individuals as they interact with others. Abnormal psychology, the study and assessment of abnormal behavior and psychopathology, is therefore more closely linked to clinical psychology than to social psychology. The contention over what causes behavior facilitated the split that saw social psychology disengage from general psychology. While general psychology assumes a behaviorist perspective tha t suggests external stimuli influence individual behavior and denies any involvement of thoughts, feelings, and emotions in influencing behavior, social psychology, on the other hand, maintain an emphasis on the fundamental importance of thoughts and emotions in influencing behavior (Potter Wetherell, 2005). This contentious issue about causation of behavior has severed the marriage between the two fundamental fields of psychology, though they still remain closely related.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Towards a Critical Assessment of the Discipline of Social Psychology specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The role of research in social psychology can never be underestimated since the two goes hand in hand. Indeed, research in social psychology attempts to understand and explain thought, feelings, and behavior since we all behave differently based on the individuals we are relating to, and the circumstances of th e relationship or influence (Thomas, 2005). It is a well known fact that social psychologists work on theoretical challenges, and apply the knowledge learnt to practical problems affecting individuals within the social setup. To be able to function properly, they must carry out studies on a consistent basis aimed at discerning phenomena and social constructs, thus the importance of research. Additionally, it is imperative to note that social psychology is investigative in nature and, therefore, research comes in handy when dealing with issues in social cognition, attitudes, violence and aggression, personal behavior, prejudice and discrimination, self and social identity, and group behavior, among others. All in All, it can be concluded that although social psychology is still a young discipline, it has managed to secure a niche among other heavyweights within the broad field of psychology. Reference List Eliasz, A., Hampson, S.E., Raad, B. (2005). Advances in personality psycholog y. East Sussex: Psychology Press. Greenwood, J.D. (2004). What happened to the â€Å"social† in social psychology? Journal of Theory of Social Behavior, 34(1), 19-34. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier Database. Jahoda, G. (2007). A history of social psychology: From the eighteenth-century enlightenment to the Second World War. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Myers, D. (2010). Social psychology, 10th Ed. New York: McGraw Hill.Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Potter, J., Wetherell, M. (2005). Discourse social psychology: Beyond attitudes and behavior. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Inc. Thomas, S. (2005). Exploring the role of psychological research in social psychology. Web. Zaka, H. (2007). The difference between clinical and social psychology. Web. This essay on Towards a Critical Assessment of the Discipline of Social Psychology was written and submitted by user Guillermo Larson to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Low SAT Scores What Should You Do

Low SAT Scores What Should You Do SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If your scores on the SAT are on the lower side, you will benefit more from prep strategies that are targeted towards your specific situation. High and low scorers usually have different struggles and goals on the SAT, so the methods that work best for each of them will differ significantly. In this article, I'll cover the reasons why high and low SAT scorers should prepare differently and which strategies SAT low scorers should and shouldn't use to have the best chances of improving their scores. Why Should High and Low Scorers Prepare Differently for the SAT? It’s common for prep books and services to advocate a one-size-fits-all approach to preparing for the SAT.This strategy can be harmful because high and low scorers have distinctneeds. Students at different score levels should approach the test in different ways so that they end up with the best chances of improving their scores. High scorers are students who are consistently scoring 1800 or higher on SAT practice tests, and low scorers are students who are consistently scoring below 1500 on SAT practice tests. Students who are between these two scores may find advice for both scoring categories helpful depending on the types of mistakes they tend to make. High scorers usually make different types of mistakes than low scorers.Their problems are more likely to come from careless mistakes and rushing.The problems that lower scorers have might be a result of gaps in content knowledge or focusing too much on difficult questions and running out of time. It'smore challenging for high scorers to improve their scores. The closer you get to a perfect score, the more of a difference one or two incorrect answers will make. High scorers who hope to do even better will have to zero in on the minutia of test-taking, but low scorers will benefit more fromtaking a broader approach and attacking the test at a basic level.The goal for low scorers is to try and answer all the easy questions and not waste time on difficult questions that they’re less likely to answer correctly.The goal for high scorers is to answer every question regardless of difficulty level and avoid running out of time or rushing and making careless mistakes. Remember, these aren’t fixed categories, just suggestions based on yourstarting point.A low scorer can ultimately turn into a high scorer and should make changes in his or her testing strategies accordingly.In the rest of this article, I will go over the best strategies for students who are currently in the "low scorer" category on the SAT. As you journey through your own personal wormhole of self-improvement on the SAT, you might change your study strategy to account for higher scores! Strategies for Low SAT Scorers Your goal as a low scorer is to get the maximum amount of points in the least amount of time. This means that you will have to approach the test strategically and avoid wasting time on questions that won't help your scores. It's best to look at the test as a fast-paced game or competition - you're not striving for perfection at every stage of the process, you're just trying to get through it and snag as many points as possible in the limited time you have. Here are some of the best strategies for low scorers who are looking to improve their performance significantly. Understand Your Mistakes If you’re trying to improve low SAT scores,it’s really important that you know where you’re going wrong and what might be holding you back.As a low scorer, you’re more likely to have problems with the content on the test in terms of math concepts and grammar rules, but you might also be making mistakes as a result of careless errors or misunderstandings.Most errors fall into one of these four categories: Careless mistake:you should have known the answer, but you got the question wrong because you rushed or didn't read carefully. Time issue:you didn't make it to the question before your time for the section was up. Misunderstanding the question:the wording of the question confused you, so you interpreted it wrong and answered incorrectly or were forced to guess. Lack of content knowledge:you never learned the fundamental skills that you needed to answer the question (this happens most often in the Math section). It’s a good idea for you totake a practice test or two and categorize your mistakes.This way, you can start practicing targeted studying that’s directed towards fixing the specific problems you have on the test.Consult our article on understanding your mistakes (link in the title of this section!) to get a more complete overview of this process. I'll also give some more specific advice about how to address common mistakes that low scorers make in the next couple of sections. Prevent Time Issues: Skip Difficult Questions If you’re scoring relatively low on the SAT, getting stuck on difficult questions can hurt your score.It’s in your best interests to skip any questions that are especially challenging for you.The best strategy is just to skip questions that you don’t know at first glance so that you have enough time to get through the whole section. Make sure you have time to answer every single easy question so you don’t miss out on any points! You might be able to go back to difficult questions at the end if you still have time, but these questions should be your last priority.Leaving the most difficult questions blank won’t ruin your scores if you’re not aiming for perfection. In the Reading section, for example, you can technically skip twenty questions and still get a 600.You need to focus primarily on accuracy in your answers to questions that you understand better. As a general rule, skip a question if you find yourself spending more than 30 seconds on it. For more in depth pacing strategies, take a look at our advice on how to stop running out of time on SAT Reading and SAT Math. Skip it, just like this creepy child. Fill in Content Gaps As a low scorer, it's very important that you diagnose and repair any gaps in your knowledge that you notice through taking practice tests. Content gaps are a common issue on the Math section because some students may have forgotten mathematical concepts that they learned a while ago or didn't fully understand in class. Filling in these gaps in your knowledge can go a long way towards building your confidence on the test and raising your scores. To fix these types of issues, you might turn to SAT prep books, class notes, or your school textbooks for study materials. See our list of the best SAT prep books for some ideas on how you can brush up on your content knowledge in different subject areas. Once you have the appropriate background knowledge, you can start trying out your newfound skills on SAT practice questions that pertain to the topic that was causing you problems. Learn to Eliminate Question Misunderstandings Question misunderstandings are a common problem on the SAT for low scorers in particular. Since the wording of SAT questions is often weird and confusing, it's easy to mix up what the test is asking for and make a mistake. A good overall strategy for avoiding this is to write down what the question is asking in a simpler form that makes more sense to you. For math questions, you can also underline the value that you're being asked to find so that you don't get sidetracked in your calculations. For questions in the reading section where the wording is confusing, underlining the most important parts of the question can also be helpful. This will remind you of what you should be focusing on as you read relevant information in the passage and prevent you from choosing answers that deviate slightly from the question's main focus. You can also prevent yourself from falling victim to these types of mistakes just by doing more practice questions. The more comfortable you are with the format of the test, the less prone you will be to misinterpreting questions. Ha it's focusing on the piece of paper that says focus. Genius. But seriously, focusing on the most important parts of each question is the key to avoiding misunderstandings! Strategies Low Scorers Should Avoid Just like there are study strategies that are especially helpful for low scorers, there are some that are especiallyunhelpfulif you have low SAT scores.Make sure to avoid these common mistakes in how you approach the test. Focusing Too Much on Careless Mistakes As a low scorer, you may be making some careless mistakes, but it's likely that you have larger problems that need to be addressed first. High scorers need to devote time to fixing the problems in their testing strategy that cause careless mistakes because they are aiming for elite scores. Low scorers need to focus on deeper issues with time, content, and question misunderstandings before delving into the realm of careless mistakes. Many students also have a tendency to diagnose too many mistakes that they make on practice tests as just "careless" when the mistakes are actually part of a different problem with their understanding of the question or with time management. You may find that your careless mistakes as a low scorer will automatically decrease as you begin to fix other issues that you have with the test. After you've fully understood and fixed other types of mistakes, you may find that you've moved up into the high scorer category and can begin to zero in on smaller issues like careless errors that are only causing you to lose a few points here and there. Pressuring Yourself to Answer Every Question High scorers who are aiming to get perfect or close to perfect results on the SAT need to make sure that they answer every question. Low scorers, however, can damage their scores if they subscribe to this mindset. As I said earlier, even if you leave twenty questions blank on the Reading section (and get everything else right) you can still get a 600. This tells you that trying to answer every single question is not a productive strategy for low scorers. If you have it in your head that you need to answer all the questions in each section, this can make it more difficult for you to focus and cause greater test anxiety. This may ultimately lead to lower scores in the long run if you spend too much energy trying to figure out difficult questions and don't have enough time to grab all the easy points. There's no need to put this kind of pressure on yourself as a low scorer! Don't let yourself get to the point where this seems like a good idea. Conclusion Students with low SAT scoresshould use different strategies than high scorers to prepare for the SAT. You're more likely to make certain types of mistakes as a low scorer, and most of your energy should go towards fixing those problems. The best strategies for low scorers include: Understanding your mistakes Skipping difficult questions Filling in content gaps Avoiding question misunderstandings Low scorers should avoid strategies like focusing exclusively on careless errors or attempting to answer every question on the test. As your scores improve, you might end up reaching a level where these strategies are more relevant, but for now you should focus on the deeper issues you have with content and format on the SAT. What's Next? For more advice on improving your scores, read our articles on how to get a 600 on SAT Math, SAT Reading, and SAT Writing. You should also check out these fifteen quick tips for improving your overall scores on the SAT. Struggling with the SAT essay? Here are a bunch of different strategies for improving your score. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points?We have the industry's leading SAT prep program. 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Why Trial by Jury Should Be Retained Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Why Trial by Jury Should Be Retained - Essay Example It is though this confidence that citizens appreciate the independence and the important role played by the judicial system. Trial through a jury has been a long tradition in the justice system that it is considered as unique approach in the justice system in that it requires the use of ordinary citizens without prior legal training to hear evidence in a court of law, make sense of the conflicting facts and the application of legal rules to reach a final verdict about which all or the majority of jurors can agree. Thousands of cases are heard and determined by juries annually and prediction regarding the potential verdicts has a large influence on the decisions required to settle civil lawsuits and in offering and accepting plea bargains in most criminal cases. Jury trials have therefore an important role to play in the law. It is through these juries that psychologists can better perceive how individuals perceive, interpret and remember evidence and the various ways in which the jur or members can establish consensus with one another. Largely, the use of these juries in trials is mainly observed as giving the public the power and entrusting them to govern themselves in that the members are just ordinary public with no prior training in law. Most western countries through this have undertaken to use juries in both criminal and civil cases. Does it mean that judges are not entrusted to pass out credible verdicts? Not really. Jurors are just intended to ensure that the trial has the view and acceptance of the ordinary man. ii. Facts and statistics on juries In 2005, about 16,397 tort cases were disposed by jury or bench with the jury hearing 90% of these cases. 80% of all jury trails globally takes place in the US 70% of Japanese citizens reluctant to serve in the jury In 2009, there were six verdicts over $1,000,000 in the US in medical malpractices with largest being at $23.6 million settled after trail (Day, 2010). iii. Objectives of the review This review has several objectives which are; Evaluating the importance of a jury Understanding how a jury operates Recommending the retention of juries in corridors of justice. iv. How jurors operate. Jurors in most cases do a good job in weighing the evidence provided and applying the law in passing out the verdict of an accused (Greene & Bornstein, 2000). Usually, where jurors are considered to have erred, there is evidence that the errors reflect well documented and universal psychological principles that may include heuristic reasoning and attribution errors (Greene & Bornstein, 2011). This may aid in watering down the numerous criticism along with extensive media coverage that portray sensitive cases that have been used to portray the jury as being incompetent and resulting to wrong judgments especially in criminal cases. These errors occurring within the acceptable and recognized psychological principles explain the overall usefulness of these juries in civil and criminal cases and further e xplain that there is an importance of retaining them in the corridors of justice. The lack of fairness in the court system may be attributed to: System not offering required protection to citizens form harm by bringing offenders to the required justice Proceedings in the court system being lengthy Outcome of sentences portraying a disconnection between the crime committed and the senesce handed to offenders (Falconer, 2006) Juries in most cases ensure that judges entrust fairness and preserve the issue of subjective decision making in convicting persons in a court of law (Lea, 2006). The role of jury is to weigh the evidence this is presented in court, apply the law as directed by the trial judge regarding the

Critically discuss with reference to the car industry e.g (Toyota), Essay

Critically discuss with reference to the car industry e.g (Toyota), the Japanese Lean production revolution - Essay Example The meiji restoration transformed the Japanese empire into an industrial world power. With new found pride in their country, and their culture, the Japanese flexed their muscles overseas. After the first Sino-Japanese War (1894-95), and the Russo-Japanese War (1904-05), Japan conquered a part of China, some parts of Russia, Taiwan and Korea. These territorial conquests provided Japan with valuable raw material and cheap labor for industries back home. In turn , these occupied territories were fertile markets for Japanese products. The relentless hunger for territorial expansion found expression in Japan's annexing of Manchuria in 1931. In 1937, Japan occupied more territories in China by waging a war on that country for the second time ( Second Sino-Japanese War, 1937-45). All these aggressive expansionist plans brought Japan in direct conflict with the U.S and its allies. Japan joined the Axis powers- Germany and Italy, in 1941.The same year, Japan declared war on the U.S. The war with Japan ended after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Between 1945 and 1952, post-war Japan was administered by the U.S government .To help Japan stand on its own feet, American financial and technical aid were provided to Japanese business and industry. As part of the technical assistance , the U.S government brought in industrial and managerial experts from the U.S, to train Japanese companies on modern management and production methods. One of the most definitive techniques that influenced Japanese manufacturing, and made Japan the powerhouse that it is today , was the 'Training Within Industry', concept. Training within industry (TWI) service, was a creation of the U.S Department of War, to meet wartime needs. During war, manpower was required by the armed forces to fight the enemy. At the same time, industry which provided key material and equipment to the defense forces, faced a shortage of hands to finish production. Therefore, to optimize the productivity of U.S workforce, a program for training supervisors and workers in indus trial establishments was devised. The training was to be done by experts drawn from universities and businesses. The aim of this program was to improve productivity and quality. The basic concept of the training consisted of the following sequences: a. study and understand the process b. break up the process into its sub-components. c. Educate the supervisor and the worker on the process and its sub-components. d. Train the supervisor and the worker to work efficiently and without wastage. e. Train the worker to evaluate the end result and suggest corrective steps. f. Training the supervisor to deal with workers effectively and fairly. g. Training managements to develop newer and better training programs. The essential elements of the TWI program were similar to the principles laid down by Frederick w.Taylor (1856-1915), father of scientific management. In his book, 'The principles of scientific management (1911), Taylor proposed the following: a. replace rule of thumb work methods with methods based on scientific study of the task. b. Scientifically select , train, and develop each employee rather than passively leaving them to train themselves. c. Divide work equally between managers and workers so that

Enhancement Of Computer Literacy In Primary Students Education Essay

Enhancement Of Computer Literacy In Primary Students Education Essay INTRODUCTION 1. Commencement of use of Information and Communication Technology have been re-engineering almost all the fields of human life from basic needs like communicating with friend living abroad to fundamental needs like education, health and governance. That is not only a technological evolution but also a social revolution that enforces the primary students, to discover new habits, innovative morals and production of new life systems, so that to adapt with global change in human culture and life style. Our education system also to be formulate to meet this concept and to be aligned with this new technology. Hence, the innovative distribution of Information Communication Technology (ICT) for education of primary students is becoming compulsive need since the professionalism is the backbone that could change the culture and the society in time to time towards create outstanding living condition expected by the people. 2. Today, it is extremely important that a primary student should be competent with coherence in the area of computers and technology. It is impossible to be successful in todays job market and high tech lifestyle, if our primary students are failed for timely educate as early as possible to suit the existing requirement to this subject. 3. The computer literacy is now an essential tool that all students must be familiar with in order to complete their routine studies and focusing for future job demand. Whatever our job; Teacher, Planner, Lawyer, Accountant or Salesperson; computer literacy are mandatory them to succeed. Primary students are also need to gain certain level of computer literacy in order to complete basic every day skills to face our future society. In Central Colleges in Sri Lanka most of the primary students are aware with computer studies but they have to use it in a way to achieve mandatory results need for join the future world and join the future community. 4. The use of the internet facility is highly required skill for students and they are to thoroughly master it definitely. Computer literacy and Internet are almost one; in the same thing usually one isnt mentioned without the other tagging along. Without the Internet, there would be no way to instantly find the name of a famous book your favorite writer was in five years ago. Primary students will need to be familiar with the Internet in all types of educational methods whether it is research on any topic or surfing for information. For this purpose primary students need to know what a search engine is and how it works, what a keyword is and how it works, how to open a browser and how to use a link, etc. The Internet is a huge wealth of information that every students should take advantage for gather information skills. There are web sites that will help primary students to find educational tours by posting their resume online. Online skills allow primary students to learn and share social, cultural, environmental facts of other countries, people and religions. Many secondary level students today are now getting their degree online in the comfort of their own homes on their own schedule. Its amazing how today with a couple of clicks, every student can go anywhere in the world in two, three seconds without leaving their computer. 5. Promotion of computer literacy is one of the most essential areas in education. The important role which it plays is intellectual, social, emotional and spiritual development of children. The students normally use sensory perceptions to know his immediate surroundings. It is automatically widens his vision. The computer literacy skills of students are not a one time experience. It is a continuous lifetime experience. It is accepted that a proper skills of Computer Literacy has to be inculcated and nurtured in the early years of age. 6. It must be distinguished as the ability to work with understanding and appreciation. In Sri Lanka computer is mostly a Information Communication Technological skill which is brought about by brute repetition of a given stimulus together with the appropriate response. It is a matter of some doubt whether all children have acquired the ability to learn in the genuine sense, by the time they have reached school leaving age. It needs at least four years to attain the computer skill and is it reasonable to expect these children who drop out after primary level to sustain that skill afterwards? Computer literacy is a not a severe complex process. It is an average simple skill which once learned, can be increased with referral to the Information Technological contented publications. CHAPTER II METHODOLOGY AIM 1. This paper will emphasis and analyze why the children are not skilled in Computer Literacy and for examine the factors which determine computer literacy in children and what steps have to be taken for the enhancement of computer literacy and information technological skills in primary school children in Central Colleges in Sri Lanka. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM 2. It is required to study of Primary level students of Central Colleges computer literacy and the present environment to enhance their capabilities in computer literacy. In this research need to focus on their Computer educational system and clarify the difficulties and the to the mechanism that they required to strengthen the computer literacy, information technology aspects, as considering the future job opportunities that can be gained by primary students in Central Colleges Sri Lanka. 3. The question is at present scenario is ,the primary school students in Central Colleges in Sri Lanka have not been able to acquire the required standard of Computer literacy, and information technology to enhance their minimum skills required in Computer field. 4. This paper will identify and analyze why the Computer Literacy in primary students is dwindling, the factors which determine literacy and suggest recommendation for the promotion of mechanism that needs to enhance skills, knowledge in primary level students. RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS 5. Mechanism will be strengthening to face the future job demand. In this aspect is to be achieved in a way of researching experimental computer study of guidance in formulation with Government educational policies on Information Technology for enhancement of Computer Literacy of primary students in Central Colleges SCOPE OF STUDY The scope of this research focused on the primary students in Grade 1 to Grade 5, their teachers and principals are to extract their ideas by questionnaire and interviews. Also the research will analyze educational specialists personal views on what should be the background surrounding the primary school children to promote their Computer literacy. The anonymity of the researcher was maintained by asking questions from certain group heads and teachers under the name of a consented individual. The purpose was to eliminate biased answers which may be given as a result of the fact that the questions are presented by a known IT instructor. This is also to investigate any differences in response for the same questions based on computer literacy. This method is adopted as the topic is of sensitive nature and based entirely on individual attitudes. METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION 7. Data collection methods are as follows. a. Primary source. (1) Primary source of information were collected by interviewing IT educationists and heads of schools. (2) Further data collection done by a questionnaire prepared for the primary school students and their teachers. b. Secondary sources. Books, paper articles and websites used as the secondary sources of information. CHAPTER ORGANIZATION The thesis is structured as follows : a. CHAPTER I Introduction b. CHAPTER II Methodology CHAPTER III Computer Literacy of Primary Students in Central Colleges (1) Computer literacy introduction of primary students (2) Present literacy skills and IT environment of primary students CHAPTER IV Weather educational support and the required guidance and assistance will provide to enhance the computer literacy How teachers adopt educational method to improve computer literacy of students through policies of educational department. How the other aspects on infrastructure facilities given to improve on computer literacy of primary students (3) Enhancement of Computer literacy and IT Skills of Students i Learning interests of students ii Students interests in internet iii College IT Environment iv Teachers opinion about Computer literacy CHAPTER V Impact of Computer Literacy for primary students at Central Colleges and future Job demand at society (1). How the computer literacy help to increase job demand for future society (2). Increase job demands and the computer literacy as main educational aspects of needs in primary students. CHAPTER VI Reasons behind the inefficiency of present practices on computer studies of students. Why the basic computer needs cannot preserve the computer education at Central Colleges Present skills of students and personal interest on computer literacy of primary students. Education level of primary students in line with present technology changes behind computer educational systems. Awareness studies and competency of teachers on newly introduced software systems and theories on computer studies. Other aspects that can be used to increase the computer studies. The malfunction exist in routine and system stability on computer studies of students Advantages and disadvantages of utilizing adequate study hours for increase computer literacy. CHAPTER VI CHAPTER VII j. CHAPTER VIII CHAPTER III LANGUAGE APTITUDE OF PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN 1. Language is a process that helps people to express themselves and to make effective social relationship among people all over the world. It is through language that people could acquire information to improve their basic needs such as health habits, consciousness, scientific changes and different types of skills to earn a living. Piaget, the renowned physiologist believed that the real key to human intellectual development, conceptual development, is language. Language is the most effective mode of communication. The lack of language ability often hinders ones progress.  [1]  The language aptitude and literacy performance of the primary level indicates the standards of childrens reading habits and information skills. LANGUAGE LEARNING OUTCOME IN SRI LANKA 2. Sri Lanka has attained the first generation education objective of providing widespread access to primary education (grades 1-5). However one major challenge that the country has to overcome is the moderate level of learning achievement in language proficiency among primary school children.  [2]   3. According to recent studies carried out by NIE and NEREC, University of Colombo only between 35 to 38 per cent of primary school students have achieved standard level of their mother tongue (Annex B). This is a serious constraint to further learning, as all subsequent studies will draw on the childs mother tongue capability. 4. There is a considerable difference in the achievement of mastery level in their first language between urban and rural schools. According to the above studies more than 40 per cent of urban children achieve mastery level in their mother language contrast to below 34 per cent in rural areas. Also more than 1/3 of pupils have failed to achieve standard level for their mother language. This shows the dwindling of reading habits and information skills among primary school children. 5. The regional disparity in achieving mastery level in first language is clearly shown in Table III.I. 41.24 per cent of Western province Grade 5 students achieve mastery level in contrast to 42.40 percent in Uva province students have failed to achieve the required standard level. This shows how the availability of physical and human resources affects performance. Mastery = 80% 100% Non Mastery = 0 59% Table III.I Achieving mastery levels in literacy in Grade 5 by provincial levels Source Performance of Grade 5 students in literacy and numeracy NIE LITERACY SKILLS OF CHILDREN 5. According to the research project on development of language skills among primary school children carried out by NLDC (Annex C), the overall performance of Grade 2 pupils is satisfactory. There is hardly any disparity between districts or among school types. 6. The Grade 4 assessment revealed disparity in performance among the districts and between school types. AAVG level schools show highest performance while SS level schools show poor performance. These variations in performance pin-point the inequalities in distribution of learning and teaching facilities for the school subjects, particularly in language skills. 7. More than half of the number of pupils in the sample have not been able to attain the expected achievement level for the vocabulary synonyms/ antonyms, spelling and grammatical writing ability and creative wring skills for the Grade, after four years of schooling. This suggests that they are suffering from lack of reading habits.  [3]   CHAPTER IV READING INTERESTS AND INFORMATION SKILLS OF CHILDREN READING INTERESTS OF CHILDREN 1. There is no particular age at which a child should actually begin the process of learning to read. It should appeal to real activity, to spontaneous work based upon personal need and interest.  [4]  Children have an innate desire to know about their surroundings. As the child develops learning through sensory perception, he becomes more and more curious to understand his environment; what has happened and what is happening are his interests. 2. Children may come to understand an important part of their world through the experience of reading. They start to learn about reading in a natural and incidental way.  [5]  If a book satisfies childs needs, he will start reading it for pleasure. A child begins acquaintance with a book by looking at pictures. If the book catches his interest, he returns to the book again. Also he is being exposed to the printed word in the environment such as bus boards, various posters on the highway, road signs, labels of goods in the market, advertisements on television and newspapers. The child sees lots of words in his environment and tries to grasp them meaningfully. Therefore, most children have a form of awareness of the printed word.  [6]   3. According to the study it has clearly shown that children are interested in books, magazines, childrens papers and they have a thirst for information, knowledge and communication. This inbuilt desire and interest found in children has to be harnessed to improve their reading habits and information skills. As such it is the duty and responsibility of the parent, the teacher and the authorities to take the full use of it.  [7]   Table IV.I would like to spend my Table IV.II would like to spend my leisure time à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.- Grade 2 leisure time à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.- Grade 4 CHILDRENS INTERESTS IN MEDIA 4. The child gets motivated to read when he hears stories or when an adult reads aloud a story to him. Today the child could get this type of satisfaction through the mass media. When children watch television or listen to the radio, those programmes which are meant for children create awareness and need for reading and they could be made use of to develop reading habits and information skills. 5. As per the study it is revealed that Both Grade 2 and 4 childrens best television programme is cartoon stories. Most of children like to listen to songs and stories by radio. These interests could be made use of in varied ways to develop reading habits and information skills in the classroom and home. Table IV.V Interest on Television Table IV.VI Interest on Television Grade 2 Grade 4 Table IV.V Interest on Radio Table IV.VI Interest on Radio Grade 2 Grade 4 Table IV.I Grade 2 Table IV.II Grade 4 Childrens interests on childrens paper 6. Above two tables indicate that a very high percentage of children in all three districts read childrens papers. It was found that this is a habit developed by the good teachers of those schools by exchanging papers within the class, when those parents who could afford to buy papers for their children bring them to school. This high percentage suggests that if reading materials are made available to children, and then reading habits and information skills of primary school children could be definitely improved. CHAPTER V READING AND CHILDHOOD ENVIRONMENT 1. As a foundation for the development of reading habits and information skills, the four language skills listening, speaking, writing and reading has to be developed in the classroom and the home. The child should be able to read with ease and facility in order to develop reading as a habit. The first requisite for this is to gain ability to identify letters and words. Then the child has to read words and sentences to infer meaning and gain knowledge, information etc. This is a complex process.  [8]   2. Reading skills could develop only if reading materials are available. Non availability of suitable reading materials create serious limitations in developing reading habits. Hence the laying of foundation on a sound footing is the responsibility of the parent, the teacher and the school. SCHOOL BACKGROUND 3. A teaching-learning situation is significantly affected by the availability of building with sufficient number of classrooms, seating accommodation and furniture. Primary sections of some popular urban schools have more than 50 pupils in one classroom, which could accommodate only 40. This situation has resulted adversely. Neither the teacher nor the pupil could move about freely to give and receive individual attention.  [9]   4. The situation is worse in some schools where the classes are conducted in unpartitioned open halls. In such schools both teaching and learning has become drudgery and some teachers are force to conduct classes under the trees in the garden.  [10]   5. The teacher is the key factor in improving reading skills and habits in pupils when resources are sub standard. In those schools the teacher is the only source of learning. Out of the 25 teachers who supplied information through the questionnaire, 21 are primary education trained and 3 are trained graduates. However the response of head of the schools revealed that there are quite number of teachers who are not trained. The standard of education undoubtedly recedes when teachers are not trained for the profession. 6. Out of 15 schools exclusively primary education is given in only 5 schools. In those schools primary education is entirely managed by a Deputy Head. Of other 8 school primary heads three are trained five are graduates with post diploma. Academic professional status of the head of the school, his attitude toward improving the mother tongue, commitment to his profession, his support in providing reading materials and promoting reading habits is of significance in this context. 7. Out of 15 schools of the sample five schools do not posses libraries catering to the reading needs of primary school children. Out of the 10 school libraries three of them have 100 500 books. Three school libraries have less than 1000 books and two National schools in Colombo district and one National school in each other two districts have a wealth of 3000 or more books. The two schools in the sample which have a few books received as a donation complained that there are no storage facilities available for them even to keep them safely. Out of the 15 schools 7 schools do not buy even a single newspaper. In the mean time out of rest 8 schools only 5 schools buy childrens paper for the primary school children.  [11]   8. Except for the national schools librarians trained for the job are not available in the rest of the schools. In most of these schools a teacher from the staff helps in the library. In three schools a girl is employed for the work in the library paying a nominal fee. 9. This clearly displays the disparity between schools with sub standard resources and schools with above average standard resources. This fact substantiates the view presented earlier that the socio economic level at home and school affect achievement level of children. TEACHERS OPINION ABOUT READING 10. The response presented by the 25 teachers of the schools of the sample revealed that children are really interested in reading and teachers do their best to promote reading by managing classroom libraries under difficult situations. Each child in the classroom brings a story book at the beginning of the year. Sometimes teachers give the names of the list of story books. Also those who can afford to buy childrens paper bring them to the class. These books and papers are exchanged among the pupils. There by teachers help children to develop reading habits. Instead in some schools teachers get a few books, about thirty from the secondary school library and distribute them among children once a month or so. 11. Some teachers are of the opinion that the primary syllabuses contain far too much material for the year that they cannot complete and it is difficult for them to concentrate on developing the reading habits individually. There should be verity in the content of the curriculum to cater individual needs. Also they pointed out that Grade 2 and Grade 4 even Grade 5 text books do not motivate children to read as the stories do not awaken their feeling and curiosity. Stories do not create opportunities for children to think. Therefore the teachers say that children mechanically read by heart, even if they cannot identify letters, words or meaning of what they pretend to read. Therefore the authorities concerned have to be more cautious in the selection and grading curriculum and text book content. 12. Teachers also revealed that in addition to the scarcity of reading material, children of sub standard and average type schools suffer from other deficiencies such as socio economic conditions at home, large families, parents not been educated, their inability to realize the importance of reading. 13. Method of teaching plays an important role in learning situation. What was observed was teachers are more concerned with covering the syllabus, merely using general methods of teaching without thinking of special and innovative techniques and individual differences of learners. There is hardly any system of evaluating reading. Teachers do not seem to undertake feedback programmes and maintain record of it. Lack of teaching aids was observed in most of the schools and teachers depend only on Talk and Chalk. HOME BACKGROUND 14. Research done in western countries has revealed that success in reading had been achieved by children who were provided with plenty of opportunities for reading and access to books. Avid readers had stories read or told to them regularly by parents or grand parents.  [12]   15. Children read anything and everything they get hold of as they are interested in reading. If is therefore the duty of the adults to select suitable books for children, as they cannot discriminate between suitable books and books not suitable for them and evaluate them. 16. It is assumed that when family size is large, children do not get equal need satisfaction enjoyed by children of small families of the same income level. In the questionnaire the family size of pupils was divided in to two categories. a. Category 1 Number of family members four or less b. Category 2 Number of family members five or more Table V.I Indicating family size 17. According to the table V.I in Colombo district smaller sized families percentage is higher than other two districts. This factor seemed to have affected the achievement performance of children, as it is apparent from the highest ML percentage in Colombo district. 18. Parental support in supplying reading materials such as books, papers and magazines undoubtedly helped development of childrens reading habits and information skills. This in turn is conditioned by the socio economic status of parents. Table V.II Table V.III indicate the number of books Grade 2 and Grade 4 children posses is quite eloquent of this factor. Table V.II No. of books children posses for supplementary reading Grade 2 Table V.III No. of books children posses for supplementary reading Grade 4 19. The table V.II shows 10 per cent of Grade 2 pupils in Colombo district have more than 10 books for extra reading while other two districts children have below 10 books. Also the table V.III indicates 54 per cent of Grade 4 pupils in Colombo district have more than 10 books for extra reading while other two districts it is below by 36 per cent. This factor also seemed to have affected the achievement performance of children, as it is apparent from the highest ML percentage in Colombo district. 20. The names of books read by pupils indicate that they read whatever those come in their way, they have no choice. They read anything and everything they get hold of as they are interested in reading. It is therefore, the duty of the adults to select suitable books for children as they cannot discriminate between suitable books and books not suitable for them and evaluate them. Daily % Sundays % Sometimes % Never % Kandy 12.9 40.5 35.3 11.2 Kalutara 19.5 34.5 32.7 13.3 Colombo 22.4 41.3 28.4 7.8 Total % 18.2 38.8 32.2 10.7 Table V.IV Houses that buy newspapers Grade 4 21. 10.7 per cent of the overall sample of childrens parents do not buy a newspaper. However 38.8 per cent of the sample buy Sunday newspapers. This may be due to the fact that other form of mass media like the television and radio are being sought after for enjoyment and getting information. Thereby a good opportunity that the parents could offer in motivating the child to develop his habit of reading is neglected. It is only a very poor percentage of parents buy newspapers daily. Even in Colombo district 22.4 per cent of the sample only buy newspapers daily. It may have been caused by two factors. It may be due to lack of money or of time to read papers. Whatever it is, if the parents could afford to buy newspapers daily it would be a motivation for the child to read and improve their information skills. CHAPTER VI SUMMARY OF FINDINGS 1. More than 1/3 of primary school pupils have failed to achieve standard level for their mother language. 2. Most of Grade 2 pupils have acquired the language skills satisfactorily. 3. a. More than 50 per cent of pupils have not acquired the language skills expected for the grade, at the end of the year. b. Performance of Grade 4 pupils in vocabulary synonyms/ antonyms, spelling and grammatical writing ability and creative wring skills are very poor. 4. There is a marked disparity in achievement of language skills among districts and between school types. 5. There is no equitable provision of physical and human resources available in schools as yet for the promotion of reading habits and information skills. 6. Most of the primary schools of the sample do not posses libraries. Lack of suitable reading materials, librarians, varied kinds of books, a large quantity of books of quality to cater to varied needs and interests of primary children are found to be obstacles which stand in the way of development of reading habits and information skills. 7. The curriculum, text books and methods of teaching do not seem to suit the changed society of the modern day and it will not provide any encouragement to children for the improvement of reading habits. 8. The parental support and encouragement at home is not enough for the children to develop reading habits and information skills. 9. Family size the and the socio economic status of parents affect to the development of reading habits and information skills of children. 10. Children are interested in books, magazines, childrens papers and they have a thirst for information, knowledge and communication. CHAPTER VII CONCLUSION 1. Reading is one of the most important components of language. It is a basic tool subject especially in primary school. Reading helps to learn all the other areas of the school curriculum and provides vital means of learning. Reading is believed as a process of acquiring information, receiving a massage from a print in a meaningful way. 2. Reading is of greatest significance to the educationist because it is their responsibility to guide the child to develop his total personality for the welfare of the individual child and for the welfare of the entire society and also because it is the right of the child to be literate. It is important for children to read good books and develop their reading habits and information skills, in order to grow physically and mentally. Good reading habits are necessary for a healthy intellectual growth. 3. It is a matter of some doubt whether all children have acquired the ability to read in the genuine sense, by the time they have reached school leaving age. Teacher influence, home background and book provision hold the key to an improvement in reading. The main objective of carrying out this study was to find out the reason for deficiency in readi