The benefits and weaknesses of approaches

The benefits and weaknesses of approaches This report is to assess the benefits and weaknesses of prescriptive and emergent approaches for devising strategy in modern organisations. While these two approaches are seen to be mutually exclusive ways of achieving strategic management, it is argued that strategic management, as a discipline, is often replete with fads and fashions, which create difficulties for managers in knowing how to proceed in the affairs of their organisation. To begin with, Johnson and Scholes (1999) defined strategy as the direction and scope of an organisation over the long term which achieves advantage for the organisation through its configuration of resources within a changing environment to meet the needs of markets and to fulfil stakeholder expectations. Rollinson (2008) further stated that strategies are strongly influenced by the environment of an organisation. It is suggested that the strategies also include considerations about things internal to the organisation and involve choices about structure, technology and a host of other factors. It is recommended (Johnson and Scholes, 1999; Lynch, 2009) that the two named approaches must be examined under the increasingly dynamic, highly competitive and global business environment. External forces are driving organisations to reduce costs, enhance processes and identify new opportunities for growth. Many businesses are compelled to make dramatic improvements not only to compete and prosper but also merely to survive. This brings to the fore the importance of determining how effectively the prescriptive and emergent approaches can meet the needs of current businesses when formulating strategy. Moreover, it is always debating that whether competitive advantage stems primarily from the competitive position of the business in its industry or from business-specific core competencies (Evans et al, 2003). By these contexts, further evaluations of the two named approaches are developed in the following report. Prescriptive approach According to Lynch (2009), a prescriptive strategy is one where the objective has been defined in advance and the main elements have been developed before the strategy commences. Evans et al. (2007) considered that the prescriptive approach views the formulation and implementation of strategic management as a logical, rational and systematic process. That is to say, systematic planning makes it possible to organise complex activities and information, unite business objectives, set targets against which performance can be evaluated and generally increases the degree of control which can be exercised over the operation of the business (Evans et al., 2003). The prescriptive approach is similar to the military strategy. For instance, the early Chinese military historical writings of Sun Tzu The Art of War, which is widely studied by many organisations, parties and groups in different fields around the world. It is known (Beirne and Maynard, 2005) that The Art of War has had an influence on Eastern and even Western military thinking, business tactics, and beyond, such as Napoleon, Henry Kissinger, Lee Iacocca, basketball coach Pat Riley, and lawyer Gerry Spence, some leading persons in their knowledge fields, along with other hundreds of American businessmen, litigators, marketers, and PR professionals. Two millennium ago, Sun Tzu (G riffith, 1971) suggested that the importance of positioning in strategy and that position is affected both by objective conditions in the physical environment and the subjective opinions of competitive actors in that environment. He considered that strategy was not planning in the sense of working through an established list, but rather that it requires quick and appropriate responses to changing conditions. Planning works in a controlled environment, but in a changing environment, competing plans collide, creating unexpected situations. Sun Tzu (Griffith, 1971) stated: Know the other and know yourself: Triumph without peril. Know Nature and the Situation: Triumph completely. The key strategic principles suggested by Lynch (2009) in modern days are: Prescriptive strategy begins with an analysis of the competitive environment and the competitive resources of the organisation. The purpose or objective of the strategy is then identified. The objective may be adjusted if the environment or other circumstances change. To test for prescriptive strategy, it is useful to examine whether a clearly defined, main objective has been identified. The advantages of the prescriptive process include the overview it provides; the comparison with objectives; the summary of the demands made on resources; the picture of the choices to be made; and the ability to monitor what has been agreed. The tools and techniques that apply to prescriptive approach are the Porters Five Forces and Value Chain Analysis. Porters Five Forces are for analysing industry and Value Chain Analysis highlights the existing capabilities as a solid basis for competitive advantage (Johnson and Scholes, 1999). Porters Five Forces Model is based upon his theory that the intensity of competition among firms varies widely across industries (David, 2006). As shown in Figure 1, the Five Forces Model Figure 1, Porters Five Forces Model illustrates the nature of competitiveness in a given industry as a composite of the rivalry among competing firms, the potential entry of new competitors, the potential development of substitute products, the bargaining power of suppliers and the bargaining power of customers. The Five Forces Model of competitive analysis is widely used approach for developing strategies in many industries, however, the model has been criticised for its assumption of a perfect competitive market (Aaker, 1992; Winfield, et al., 2004; Lynch, 2009). Winfield and other writers (2004) further pointed out that the analysis has ignored the human resource aspect of strategy such as the management skills and the culture aspect of corporate strategy. Besides Five Forces Model, the other prescriptive approach tool Value Chain analysis provides an Figure 2. Value Chain Analysis in-depth understanding of the way in which resources are developed to achieve competitive advantage for identifying ways to create more customer value (Winfiled et al., 2004; Saunders et al., 2008). Figure 2 illustrates the basic idea of Value Chain Analysis and it suggests that activities must be examined separately in order to identify sources of competitive advantage (Winfield, et al., 2004). By adapting this analysis, Nestlà © (2010), one of the leading nutrition and foods companies in the world, recognised each step in the value chain could have harmful consequences if not managed properly. For example, without sustainable agricultural practices the natural resources of farms worldwide might be damaged. By embedding corporate responsibility in its business practices in this way, like launching Nestlà © Corporate Business Principles, which the company claimed that they will continue to evolve and adapt to a changing world and reflects the basic ideas of fairness, honesty, and a general concern for people (Nestlà ©, 2010), Nestlà © is able to contribute positively to societies across the globe. Saunders and other writers (2008) emphasised Value Chain Analysis for its role in understanding competitive advantage and stated out that it cannot be understood by looking at an organisation as a whole, which leads to the major problem towards this analysis. Lynch (2009) argued that Value Chain seems works only to explore existing linkages and value-added areas within the existing structure of the business. Hamel and Prahalad (1996) supported the argument and suggested that revolution in management sector is required rather than to create the future. Ansoff is one of theorists that frequently referred to by strategists, especially in the context of prescriptive approach. Ansoff (Baker, 2001) believes that it is essential to systematically anticipate future environmental challenges to an organisation in developing strategy and draw up appropriate strategic plans for responding to these challenges. The thought is the logical analytical approach allows those well-planning companies to devise predictive and pre-emptive strategies from which they can meet new opportunities head on. For instance, in 1995 EasyJet introduced low cost flights to take advantage of a more cost-conscious European Market (easyJet, 2010). What is more, prescriptive approach enables companies to organise complex activities and exercise in control over different business units in a greater degree. For example, Tesco has seceded in achieving consistent growth and profit in its UK core business, retail service, non-food and international sectors over recent years (Accountancy Age, 2006). It was reported that its breathtaking performance is as a result of its well defined long-term goals and clear boundaries for all their business activities. Ansoff (Baker, 2001) suggests that a firm needs direction and focus in its search for and creation of opportunities and the fact that it is to the advantage of the firm to seek entries with strong synergistic potential. In other words, strategy is emphasised on existing capability strengths to define itself and optimise its position, especially at a time of economic turbulence. For example, Motorola has successfully met the needs of emerging markets by using its fundamental technological strengths in electronic components to progress from supplying TVs and car radios to offering telecommunications services (Rich, 2006). However, the prescriptive approach is often criticised to be highly discrepant between planned and real strategies within the business environment which there are increasing turbulence and chaos (Evans et al., 2003). As some writers believe that rigid plans prevent the flexibility which is required in an environment volatile change (Karami, 2007). Although Tesco is running outstanding, it won the sponsorship to England football team during the World Cup 2010 as the official food supplier (The Guardian, 2010), yet the finance and strategy director of Tesco Higginson (Accountancy Age, 2006) claimed that rules-based approaches the one-size-fits-all mentality is not always appropriate. Mintzberg (2000) criticised the prescriptive approach by highlighting that the actual strategy tends to be only 10 to 30 percent of the planned strategy. He pointed out that the theories of Ansoff are mostly based upon events can be predicted, such as the introduction of new legal regulations or technologi es, and this would somehow force the original strategy off its course. Emergent approach Evans et al. (2003) believed that the emergent view of strategy adopts the position that strategy must be evolved incrementally over time, which is based in rapidly changing environments. It is demonstrated that under such circumstances, strategy will tend to evolve as a result of the interaction between stakeholder groups and between the business and its environment. Emergent approach has the advantage of increased organisational flexibility. It can form a basis in organisational learning and can provide an internal culture for managers to think and act creatively rather than have to act within the rigid framework of deliberate strategy. Goldschmidt and other writers (2003) characterised emergent approach as a learning by do process. Mintzberg (2000) defined strategy as a pattern and believes that strategies can be unplanned instead of meeting a premeditated plan in a changing reality. In some points of view (Lynch, 2009), change sometimes mean the whole process of developing the st rategy as it involves experimentation, learning and consultation for those involved during the change. Hence, the thought of formulation of strategy is running parallel to implementation and managers at multiple organisational levels have a key input into the actual strategies pursued by the organisation. An emergent approach is thought to be more creative and responsive strategy making that well suited to the hyper-competitive and unpredictable environments of today (Mintzberg, 2000; Burnes, 2004; David, 2006). Rollinson (2008) and Burnes (2004) view the continuous and dynamic change as an emergent process of experimentation and adaptation which is searching for ways that is able to cope with the exigencies of the uncertain environment. It can be said that the idea of emergent approach is there is not such routines for organisations to plan for the future. Hamel and Prahalad (1996) found that the most successful firms in the world such as Microsoft and Apple Macintosh do not always stick to their stated mission, goals and objectives or the predetermined plan. In contrast with the prescriptive approach which focuses on creating a framework between established strengths and emerging opportunities, the emergent approach focuses on five organisational features during the change process, which is organisational structure, organisational culture, management behaviour, patterns of power and politics, and organisational learning (Burnes, 2004). Hence, it is more suited to instigating positive, transformational organisational change such as diversification or restructuring. It also has the added benefit of helping to reduce resistance to change as it allows time to build employee support while the strategy is taking shape. Lynch (2009) pointed out that there is no one single approach within emergent approach. Some emphasise the need for responsiveness in an increasingly turbulent world. Others concentrate on the longer-term need to change an organisational skill, style and operating culture fundamentally and over long time periods. It can be said that emergent approach to organisational change is more concerned with change readiness and change facilitation with specific pre-planned steps for particular change projects and initiatives (Pasmore, 2009). Campbell et al. (2002) argued that the danger of the emergent approach is the possible result in a lack of purpose in strategy and it can make it difficult to evaluate performance. On another negative note, when formulation and implementation of strategy occurs simultaneously there is a risk that strategy development becomes too slow and jumbled a process. Burnes (2004) considered that emergent approach sometimes can be an afterthought. This means that valuable opportunities may be missed along the way. Moreover, conflicting objectives from different departments can hinder strategy development, particularly when there are power shifts taking place during a major strategic change such as a merger (Pasmore, 2009). Without strict analysis and identifiable targets, objectives can be lack of clarity and there may be no real basis for evaluating performance. Therefore, it was pointed out by Brews and Hunt (1999) that an over-reliance on emergent strategy formation could result in underperf ormance. Conclusion Performing in the increasingly unpredictable and complex business environment, many organisations are forced to be more flexible and adaptive to change. In practice, the strategies of most companies are probably a combination of the prescriptive and the emergent (Hill and Jones, 2009). Campbell et al. (2002) stated that the prescriptive and emergent approaches are often presented as being diametrically opposed, which is by the reason of that the approaches are in many ways complementary as they present different perspectives of the same situation. Therefore, Campbell et al. (2002) suggested that strategy must be both inward- and outward-looking, planned and emergent. This supports the adoption of an emergent approach to strategy development which invokes a more intelligent capacity to respond to new opportunities. In conclusion, Quinn (1998) stated that these two approaches can reinforce each other, that is to say, a greater use of strategic planning tools for internal and external analysis would in some ways improve organisational learning and enhances strategic thinking even while following an emergent approach.

Books Were an Important Part of Life in the Late 18th Century Essay

Learning is one of important processes in human being life. It is self-evident that human development cannot stand without a proper learning. Since Learning provides unlimited Benefits, people should learn and experience it. The Reading is being reimagined over the time period. I’ll discuss about it later in this section. There are several ways that promotes Learning such as Books, electronic books, Movies, Periodicals such as Magazine, journals or Newspapers and Audio/Visual clips. Nowadays Libraries plays a critical role on keeping the Books alive due to the invention Mass media communications. I’ll talk further about this later in this section. Let’s take a closer look about Books. The book is one of the valuable sources of knowledge that provided numerous benefits, such benefits are it takes us into different worlds and cultures and it helps to learn other languages as well. So, we can tell that a book can be a truthful friend which helps to learn how to behave in practical life. Books cover different genres such as Comedy, Drama, Romance, Adventure, fiction etc. Director General of UNESCO addressed 1972 as the â€Å"International Book Year† and taking â€Å"Booking for all† as their Motto. UNESCO organizes a yearly event called â€Å"World Book day or International Day of the book† on 23th April every year worldwide to promote Reading, Publishing and Copyright. So we can understand How Important it is Reading in a life of Mankind. It was first celebrated on 23th April 1995. Writing believed to be developed between the 7th millennium BC and 4th millennium BC in china. Ancient people used to write using stones but wood was the first medium to write in the actual form of Book. From time to Time, the new technology inventions played vital part in the World. The Cambridge University Press was founded in 1534 and the first book was printed in 1583. Also the first press was founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts one of the North American British colonies in the year of Year 1639. Then first North American Public library was founded in Boston in the year of 1653. Eighteenth Century Americans were mainly interested in reading books about practical arts, religious and the politics as well. American does have a long tradition on reading habits since long back. Thus they are proved to be improved in vocal, public expressions both towards and against throughout reading skills. Novels are the entertaining seldom read by Americans in the 18th century. The nation’s first novel was published in the late 18th century. The first two novels to be published were Digges’ â€Å"Adventure of Alonso† and Brown’s â€Å"The power of Sympathy†. Women were also contributed to the success of Novels, Such writers were Susuana Rowson for her novel â€Å"Charlotte: A tale of truth†. This navel was re-issued under the title of Charlotte Temple, which sold more than million and half copies. The growth of novel reading grew rapidly towards the end of the year 1750. The main reason for the growth of novel readers was the rapid growth of the source of book materials such as book seller, public library and lending library. An average person was able to obtain their reading materials from booksellers, public libraries as well through lending libraries which were a cheaper option since they were able to rent the books for a small fee. Due to the vast number of readers between the year 1773 and 1798 the number of book trading companies as well as the number of public libraries grew rapidly at faster rate than the increasing population. While the population doubled in the period of 1790’s, the numbers of the circulating libraries were tripled. So in the late 18th century, the circulation libraries played a huge influence placing reading interest among the American public. Social libraries were able to expand their firms by joining the book selling companies and they were able to purchase and loan the books for a lower rate. By the year of 1790, books were the main source of entertainment, information and literature for an average person. According to the catalogues of the sellers, the percentage of fiction readers increased by nine percent between 1754 to 1765 and increased to thirteen percent between 1791 to 1800. Circulating Library catalogues contained fifty-eight percent fiction by the year of 1800 which was higher compared (twenty-eight percent) to the early 18th century. Though the books were little expensive at that period, the people were able to join in the circulating libraries for lower rate which is another proof that people were encouraged to read during this century. During the late 18th century, the book sellers showed interest requesting novels from their suppliers. As an example Robert Ben Winans (1975) states that â€Å"In 1801, a bookseller in North Carolina wrote to his supplier requesting that â€Å"Mr. Carey will be so obliging as to send as many of the Novels as he procure; it will be mutually our interest to keep a good collection, as the good folks her love light reading†. This letter accompanied an order called a -typical order of the period about 1800, which listed sixty-three books every one of them a novel†. (â€Å"The Growth of a Novel-Reading Public in Late-Eighteenth-Century America. Early American Literature. Vol. 9. No. 3 (Winter, 1975): 267-275. Print). This is a proof that tells the novels were read by rapidly growing people in the late 18th century. This period is described as Novel reading age. I strongly believe that books today have been replaced by other forms of mass communication such as Media, newspape r and magazine, Web. Though there were so many significant political, economic developments redesigned the new world, the dramatic and unprecedented centralization of the countries and their expansion, regulations and professionalization of the state forces are still appreciable. Every time a new invention strikes in mass communications, obviously the books had to compete with that invention. The first American newspaper called â€Å"Publick Occurrences, Both Foreign and Domestick† published in early 18th century. During the early 18th century, the weekly Newspapers acted as the means of carrying of intercolonial news and also the newspapers carried war news at that period . So people were interested in reading newspapers than Books at that period. Then the industrial era started from the nineteenth century initially with the telegraph applications. The first African-American newspaper was published in 1827 called the Freedom’s Journal. Also this has been followed by the inventions such as magazines, telegraph, printers, phonograph, postal discounted rates, photographic films and radio were in particular. So the century that belongs to the industrial revolution start for the mass media that affected the books and readers. Since the radio, television and movie inventions in the early 1900s, the information had started passing through voice than text form. People started feeling that listening to audio is more comfortable than reading. In 1980, first online newspaper was published on web . From time moves on, the physical form of book transformed in intangible form of text due the new inventions in this world. During the late 1980s, Information has transformed to digitalized manner and the revolution of Computer started striking the world. People believed that physically storing information was not safe, so they started storing information in digital code. In 1985, Voyagar Company stored books in CD-ROM which was the first step to the era of eBook. From then onwards, the learning has come to digital manner. Then the biggest bang to the book sales was the invention of the World Wide Web in the year of 1991. Then the first online blog was published in the year of 1997. Due to high volume of readers, authors showed an interest in writing online blogs. Convergence of Media (Video and Audio) introduced in the later 1990s. For example:-We can see presidential debates live on YouTube. So the information can be stored as Video or audio forms as well than the text form. Google has announced the Google Library Project which is digitalization of books in 2005. Nowadays libraries are playing an important role in preserving the books for the next generation. It is self-evident that physically books can’t long last because of the material and size. It is good in a way that if we store information in digital code it can long last than physically storing in a book. This generation people show interest in reading/learning, just the sales of the eBooks readers, pdf readers are the proofs. If we look into Amazon. com, we can see tons of EBooks and they also sell books as well. If we want, we can download the eBook instantly or else we have to wait till they ship it. Though the form of text (book) has changed due to new inventions, but the rate of readers has increased in the world. Earlier we had only text form but now we do have text, audio and video form as well. Nowadays people look for a better ways. I would say storing an eBook is far more convenient than carrying a book (physical book). Though the new innovation impacted the sales of the books (physical form), it’s good for the next generation to preserve the valuable information.

Top Miller s Tale Essay Topics Guide!

Top Miller 's Tale Essay Topics Guide! A Secret Weapon for the Miller's Tale Essay Topics As stated by the second principle, the ranks of fairy tales made by ordinary people today are addressed. Hansel takes the protective part in the start of the story. Fairy tales are a favourite way to devote time for children. Each looks just another easy, obscene tale intended to amuse and entertain the typical individuals. Nicholas devises a plan which can allow him and Alisoun to devote a whole night together. Offred and Moira are extremely different folks. According to Nicholas, they needed to pray the entire night in order to receive spared. Within this novel, Chaucer is attempting to demonstrate how various facets of life like love and marriage are portrayed in the unique social classes of a satire. The huge kind of humour all works on distinct levels to be able to appeal to great diversity in the audience, thus there is humour for everybody within this tale. A lady shouldn't ever act in such a fashion. The sanctity of a woman is not simply worth fighting for, it's worth dying for. Everyone one is on precisely the same journey, and they're staying in the exact places, however some were thought of as superior than others and by putting all of them into the exact same circumstance. A survival program should develop into a must-have for every single family in the event of natural disasters. This play appears to find the conventional tragic ending from the way first, with its ending concluding in a comparatively joyous state. Offred feels she's doing something wrong and feels guilt each time. What Everybody Dislikes About the Miller's Tale Essay Topics and Why The principle to consider is that if you attempt to do too much, you wind up doing less or nothing in any respect. Thinking can damage your chances, and I mean to last. Leontes' dialogue is pretty short and blatant in contrast. Everyone is apparently seeking revenge inside this novel. Chaucer is showing the contrast between the domain of knights and that of the typical individuals. There is likewise the sort of humour which arrives from mocking and laughing at the characters. The author would like to demonstrate that revenge can also cause infidelity. The plot of the fairytale doesn't have a joyful conclusion. Our free hints will help you to receive through all types of essays. So without further ado, below are some effective writing tips to generate your common app essay stick out! Ask yourself whether you can realistically cover this issue in the quantity of pages you're tasked with writing. There are several intriguing topics that could be become a persuasive essay if you take the opportunity to consider about doing it. Educated people ought to be asked to volunteer as literacy tutors. Traditionalism and conservative views formed the mainstream of politics around the world, not just in the usa. To write an excellent argumentative essay the students first must investigate several sides of the argument, which enables them to make an educated stance. Conclusion as a result, the religious motifs are extremely strong in the Atwood's novel. It more frequently appears at or close to the conclusion of the very first paragraph. The thesis statement usually appears close to the start of a paper. It should remain flexible until the paper is actually finished. Bear these in mind while you read the book. No warrant ought to be needed for search and seizures. Therefore there are various views on what is meant, in the identical way there are distinct interpretations of what the Miller states. Child molesters ought to be put to death.

The Importance Of A Classroom Teacher When Addressing...

One of the most important responsibilities of a classroom teacher when addressing depression and/ or suicide is to be educated. Teachers must know the warning signs of depression and suicide in order to know when to intervene. Teachers need to know that depression causes a chemical imbalance in the student’s brain and it is not something to just snap out of. Teachers need to have good connections with their students so that can notice the warning signs and possibly be an outlook for the student. It is important for teachers to be available to students if they need to talk. Then if a student seems to have depression or possible suicidal thoughts it is important to get in touch with the school counselor for more resources. As a teacher it†¦show more content†¦2. Discuss alternative educational settings such as wilderness programs discussed in class. What are the benefits of a program, such as the Eckerd Wilderness Program discussed in class? What are potential drawbacks? (6 points) In class we discussed a various of wilderness settings that could be used instead of a normal classroom setting. We watched a video on Mount Carmel which is a camp for troubled teens. This was a cool video because it has a truly symbiotic relationship between the head of the camp and the campers. The rancher needed help around the ranch and recruited some young men to help out. This resulted in troubled teens who needed to get out of their toxic environment helping out this ranch for extended periods of time and learning to be responsible and make good choices. The benefits of this program is both the rancher and the boys were benefiting from the situation. The boys were learning how to be helpful and how to make good choices at this camp. The potential drawbacks of this situation is what happens when the boys go back to their city life. Those boys are going to be tempted with all the toxic activities as before and it is quite easy to fall back into those bad habits if that’s what all their friends are doing. It needs to be cemented into the students’ brains that they can do better and have such a bright future even if they were put back into their negative surroundings.

`` The 13 Most Successful Harvard Dropouts `` By Lauren...

Some people prefer to not deal with the college system in its entirety, which could potentially be beneficial. There are dozens who have dropped out of college with great success. These dropouts were successful because of their motivation for completing challenges and the effort they put into their work. Lauren Browning author of â€Å"The 13 Most Successful Harvard Dropouts† acknowledges Mark Zuckerberg, who dropped out of Harvard only to become the founder of Facebook and gain the title of youngest billionaire. Zuckerberg attended Harvard for two years and dropped out after creating Facebook in his dorm room (par. 12-13). There was also Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, who also dropped out of Harvard. Gates had some interesting factors that helped him with his success. Browning states â€Å"The applied math major was known at Harvard for his intense study habits. Gates would go on a 36-hour study-bender, sleep for 10 hours, socialize, then start from the beginning† ( par. 5). These dropouts were successful because of their motivation for completing challenges and the effort they put in to their work. With the tuition prices skyrocketing the choice of going or not going to college both share challenges. As most college dropouts are not as successful Mark Zuckerberg or Bill Gates they all encounter some kind of challenge. Surprisingly these challenges differ slightly. When bypassing college the challenges appear in means of finding a stable job with a suitable salary. Often this goes

Ethical Business Practices Free Essays

Today we will evaluate the PepsiCo past performance marketing their product using the six pillars of the marketing code of ethics—honesty, responsibility, caring, respect, fairness, and citizenship. I will also outline how PepsiCo could make further progress as a good corporate citizen when it comes to consumption of its products, such as green initiatives and philanthropic commitments. Code of Ethics According to â€Å"World’s Most Ethical Companies† (2011), PepsiCo made the list for most ethical company’s in the world. We will write a custom essay sample on Ethical Business Practices or any similar topic only for you Order Now So you may be asking yourself were can there be room for improvement. Let me be the first to fill you in on a little secret, no matter how good you are room for improvement will always be there. The PepsiCo include soft drink brands include Pepsi, Mountain Dew, and Mug. Cola is not the company’s only beverage: Pepsi sells Tropicana orange juice brands, Gatorade sports drink, SoBe tea, and Aquafina water. The company also owns Frito-Lay, the world’s #1 snack maker with offerings such as Lay’s, Ruffles, Doritos, and Fritos. Its Quaker Foods unit offers breakfast cereals (Life, Quaker Oats), rice (Rice-A-Roni), and side dishes (Near East). Pepsi’s products are available in more than 200 countries. In 2010 the company acquired its two largest bottlers: Pepsi Bottling Group and PepsiAmericas. Responsibly and Caring PepsiCo takes pride in their quest of providing more food and beverage choices made with wholesome ingredients that contribute to healthier eating and drinking. This means increasing the amount of whole grains, fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and low-fat dairy in our global product portfolio. It also means reducing the average amount of sodium per serving in key global food brands, in key countries, by 25 percent by 2015 reducing the average amount of saturated fat per serving in key global food brands, in key countries, by 15 percent by 2020) reducing the average amount of added sugar per serving in key global beverage brands, in key countries, by 25 percent by 2020 (â€Å"Human Sustainability†, 2012). Honesty According to â€Å"Nutritional Labeling† (2012), PepsiCo is committed to providing safe products and to protecting equity in our brands, trademarks and goodwill. In addition, we’re working to ensure that by 2012, basic nutritional information is available to consumers on packages (where feasible to print on the packaging and where permissible by local regulations) for all of our food and beverage products in key markets. In countries where we’ve already met this standard, we’re also working toward an additional goal displaying calorie or energy counts on the fronts of packages. We have already implemented front-of-pack labeling on many products in the U. K. and many other European countries, as well as in Australia. And we are rapidly expanding implementation in a number of countries around the globe, including the U. S. , Canada, Mexico and Brazil (â€Å"Nutritional Labeling†, 2012). Improvements PepsiCo could make a few changes to improve their ethical ranking with the people and media. The first improvement would be triple checking are product for quality and safeness. Nothing worst then having case of sodas sitting in the warehouse with rats around dropping waste everywhere. Or giving you kid oatmeal and it has a dead bug on the inside that kind of stuff will change a person life. I know you can’t catch everything, but they need to minimize to the fullest. The second improvement would be lower some of the sugar levels in a lot of their products. With America youth being obese parents would take notice that this company is stepping the proper steps to help with their kid’s future. I’m sure America’s youth consumer over a billions sodas year and with the lack of working out kids are getting obese it is not just because they drink soda, however soda doesn’t help. While we all know it hard having a good reputation it’s even harder trying to maintain it. PepsiCo has been during ok for many years and I’m sure that will not change for some time to come. The code of ethics is just a stepping stone for companies to follow it is total up to them to go above and beyond the call of their ethical duties to improve the quality of their employees and consumers alike. So in closing I feel PepsiCo has room for improvement and I’m sure they will close that window soon enough. How to cite Ethical Business Practices, Papers

Montessori culture free essay sample

When we gather information about children we should always be ready to be surprised by what we learn about them. Sometimes, however, we have specific things we want to find out or questions about the child that need answering. In situations like this, we will gather information most effectively when we know: what we want to learn next about the child/ren we are observing which information-gathering methods will help us do this most successfully. Let’s look first at the range of possibilities in information gathering. Hint: if you are having difficulties, get out your QIAS Quality Practices Guide and look at Quality Area Principle 3. 2. : Each child’s learning is documented and used in planning the program. This will start you off with many practical information-gathering ideas. Activity 1 Activity 2 Gather detailed information about children and document using a variety of appropriate methods Refine your recording skills You already know about the importance of ensuring that you document information about children that is. Clear and accurate free of assumptions and judgements  ositive and optimistic specific and descriptive avoiding bias and stereotypes. In this learning topic we will further refine your recording skills. We will look at the need for detailed and significant information in observations and the importance of making observations valid and professional. Activity 3 Valid observations The term ‘valid observations’ means something very specific to children’s services professionals. It means ensuring that the methods we use to gain information about children are those best suited to their purpose. We need to decide what we want to find out before we begin observing and we need to know how we will analyse this information to plan appropriately. In other words, it is useless to collect files full of isolated, meaningless notes about children if no-one looks critically at the ongoing story they tell. They should be used to build our knowledge of individuals and groups of children and to guide the planning of experiences to enrich their lives. Activity 4 Activity 5 Professional, representative, relevant and valid observations To ensure that our observations are professional, representative, relevant and valid it is important to: decide what we want to find out before we begin observing children choose the correct observation method and information-gathering strategies to give us valid information about the child or children choose typical routines, play situations, experiences and activities to observe for the child/ren always observe children in a natural setting, never putting them in a ‘testing’ situation allow different observers to gather information on each child to avoid observer bias and to give multiple perspectives on each child observe children over a period of time and in a variety of situations before coming to any conclusions. Significant behaviour It is really important that you become skilled in deciding what sort of behaviours are significant. Observing and recording significant events, experiences and behaviours will give you the most ‘meat’ to interpret from your recording. This can be difficult, especially for the inexperienced observer. Significant behaviour can be summarised as any or a combination of the following. It is events and behaviours that: throw light on a child’s individuality, thinking or perspectives identify the level of skill/s reached identify milestone/s reached show a marked departure from expected behaviour identify a particular expertise or strength identify a particular interest highlight a need for practice, experience or assistance. It is easy to end up with a great many observation records that provide little insight into the child. However, deciding on what to observe, what is significant and the most appropriate method for accurate recording will lead to you having the best chance of gathering authentic material and making useful interpretations of this material. Appropriate methods of gathering information In this learning topic we will build on your knowledge of the range of methods for gathering and documenting information about children. We’ll look at distinctive features of the methods and an example of each. You may have tried them already but if you have not then you will need to practise each one until you feel confident. There are a variety of formal techniques for recording observations in children’s services. Some of these include: narrative forms such as anecdotes and running records  chart forms such as checklists and rating scales jottings sampling methods such as time and event samples language samples surveys time and motion studies sociograms. You are already familiar with anecdotes, running records, checklist and rating scales. If you have difficulty recalling these methods, or if you feel you need more practice in using them, look up these methods in Martin (2004), Nilsen (2001) or Beaty (2002) from the Reference list at the end of this topic. Let’s go on now to look at some more observation methods commonly used in children’s services. Jottings Jottings are very short anecdotes of significant events, behaviours or conversations. A jotting can be as short as a couple of sentences and is usually not longer than a paragraph. Many carers use jottings because they are a quick and easy way to record the essence of significant events and behaviours. Jottings are similar to anecdotal records except that they are much briefer and often describe a specific behaviour rather than a sequence of events. Jottings can be recorded directly after the behaviour has been observed or later from memory. They can form the basis for a more detailed anecdotal record if required. Jottings may be recorded in a log book, diary, note pad, individual book or simply on sheets of paper. At the end of the day or week, the information is usually transferred to individual files or folders. Some carers record jottings on small post-it notes then transfer a number of them onto a page in the child’s file or portfolio. A set of jottings builds up a picture of a child’s development and interests. The observer usually writes a short comment or interpretation to accompany a set of jottings. Below is one example of a set of jottings with interpretation: 12. 7. 09: Rebecca (11 months) lies in her cot after waking up. P bends over her but she does not smile. H, her regular caregiver, comes over and Rebecca immediately starts to smile. 13. 7. 09: Rebecca is sitting on the mat playing with nesting cups. Toni (12 m) crawls to the rug and tries to take a cup from Rebecca’s hand. She squeals, holds on tight to the cup, looking around the room at the adults. 16. 7. 09: Rebecca enters the nursery with her mother. She hides her head in her mother’s shoulder and holds tightly to her shoulder. H comes over to her mother smiling. The two women talk in a friendly manner for two or three minutes. H then says time for Mummy to go, holds out her arms for Rebecca, who leans over and reaches out for H, smiling in return. Comment/Interpretation: Rebecca is experiencing separation anxiety and stranger anxiety which is typical for infants at this age. It shows her growing awareness of others and her ability to discriminate between familiar and unfamiliar people. She is also showing her attachment to her mother and her primary caregiver—H in these jottings. There are other formats that are used to record jottings and carers usually develop a format that suits them and their service. Jottings are probably the most commonly used observation method by children’s services staff because they are relatively quick and easy and provide a lot of information about the individual child’s skills and interests. When you practise making jottings think about: what strategies you use to ensure that your jottings are professional, representative, relevant and valid what new perspectives you now have on the child/ren you observed. We will go on now to look at some sampling methods, which are often considered to be the ‘problem buster’ methods. We usually turn to sampling methods when we want to know how often or under which circumstances particular behaviours occur. Time sampling Time sampling records the frequency of a behaviour. The behaviour recorded must be overt (observable)and frequent (at least once every 15 minutes) to be suitable for sampling. For example, talking, hitting or crying are behaviours that a carer might want to sample for selected children because they can be clearly seen and counted. Problem-solving skills are not suitable for time sampling because it is not always clear to the observer and cannot be counted. Time sampling involves identifying specified behaviours of an individual or group and recording the presence or absence of this behaviour during short term intervals of uniform length. You need to prepare ahead of time, determining what specific behaviour you want to look for, what the time interval will be and how to record the presence or absence of the behaviour. A case study—Cameron Cameron (four years two months) has recently begun to use physically aggressive behaviours in his interactions with the other children. You are aware that it would be easy to fall into the trap of simply starting to see Cameron as an aggressive boy. You might decide to use time sampling to discover exactly how often and when Cameron’s inappropriate behaviour occurs. In this way you will discover information not only about the frequency of the behaviour but possibly what triggers might be motivating his behaviour. Your first task would be to specifically define the inappropriate behaviour. In this case the list is: hitting pushing kicking holding children against their will taking another child’s toy. Other methods, such as narrative methods, would be used to come up with an accurate list of targeted behaviours. You would then need to decide what time intervals to use. In this case the carer wanted to sample the child’s behaviour for five-minute intervals during the first half-hour of the morning for a week. She knew from prior observations that this seemed to be a difficult time for him. There are several different ways to record the targeted behaviour. You could record ‘1’ after the interval if the behaviour occurs and ‘0’ if it does not. This is called duration recording and indicates the presence or absence of the behaviour. An alternative is to use check marks or tally marks if you want to know how many times the behaviour occurred, rather than just its presence or absence. This is called event recording and shows the frequency of the behaviour. You might also want to know exactly which behaviours are occurring and when. You could give the identified behaviours a code to make it easier for you to record them quickly. For example: h=hitting k=kicking t=taking hd=holding p=pushing Here are samples of what your recording could look like: Time intervals (5 minutes each/ 9. 00–9. 30 am) Duration recording (presence or absence) 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 1 1 0 0 0 Event recording (frequency) 1 2 3 4 5 6 1111 111 1 0 0 0 Event recording (presence or absence) 1 2 3 4 5 6 h, p h, p, t h 0 0 0 So you would now have information about the frequency of Cameron’s inappropriate behaviours, at what time in the morning they are most likely to occur and exactly which behaviours he is using. Think about why this information would be helpful to you. Time sampling is a useful method to observe children because it: is quicker than narrative methods to record  is more objective and controlled because the behaviour is specified and limited allows an observer to collect data on a number of children or a number of behaviours at once provides useful information on intervals and frequencies of behaviour provides quantitative (measurable) results useful for statistical analysis. Some of the disadvantages of time sampling are that it: is not an open method and so you may miss much more important behaviour that is not part of the targeted behaviour doesn’t describe the behaviour, its causes or results takes the behaviour out of the context in which it happens is limited to observable behaviours which occur frequently focuses on one type of behaviour (in many cases an inappropriate behaviour) and this may give a biased view of the child. Again, you need to remember the importance of selecting the most suitable observation method to provide you with the relevant information you are seeking and, of course, to use a variety of methods to get a balanced, holistic picture of the child. When you have practiced doing a time sample, think about whether your method for deciding on the targeted behaviour is valid. Why was it valid? After completing time samples, what do you know about the child or subject that you could not find out from using narrative methods? Event sampling Event sampling is also an observation method designed to study a preselected behaviour, especially behaviours of concern. It offers information about the conditions under which the preselected behaviour occurs. It is usually necessary to find out what triggers a particular behaviour in order to develop strategies to deal with it. While time sampling is often used if time intervals or the time of day are an important factor, if the behaviour occurs at odd times, infrequently or for unknown reasons then event sampling is the more appropriate method. The observer must first define the event or ‘unit of behaviour’. Then, the setting in which it is most likely to occur must be determined. The observer then waits for it to occur and records it at the time or from memory. Recording can be done in several ways, depending on the purpose for the observation. If the observer is studying causes or results for certain behaviours then the so-called ‘ABC analysis’ is especially useful, and this is the format we will look at. It is a narrative description of the entire event, breaking it down into three parts: 1 A = antecedent event 2 B = behaviour 3 C = consequent event. Each time the event occurs it is recorded. To gain even more from the event sample it is valuable to identify the purpose of the observation, the targeted behaviour and an observational question on the top of the form. Here is an example: Name: Damian Setting: indoor play Age: 3 ? years Present: Drew and Peter Date: 23 March 2005 Purpose of observation: To find out more about Damian’s aggressive acts Targeted behaviour: Kicking, striking out at peers or teacher with feet with enough force to make children cry. Observational question: What happens immediately before and after Damian kicks others? Time Antecedent event (A) Behaviour (B) Consequent event (C) 8. 15 am Damian playing alone with train set, Drew comes in, picks up a train on the track Damian has built Damian looks at Drew and frowns, stands, pushes at Drew, Drew pushes back, Damian kicks Drew on the leg Drew cries and runs to tell the carer 10. 02 am In the playground Damian is waiting in line for a turn on the swing Damian kicks Peter hard on the leg Peter cries, the carer comes and takes Damian away by the arm to talk to him If subsequent observations of Damian show the same sort of sequence as in the event sampling, the observer could interpret this to mean that Damian does not initiate the kicking but rather responds to interference in his activities in this inappropriate and harmful manner. Intervention strategies then would be based on this information. The advantages for using event sampling include: keeping the event or behaviour of concern intact, making analysis easier being especially useful in examining infrequent or rarely occurring behaviours. There are several disadvantages as well, depending on the purpose of the observation. Event sampling: takes the event out of context and thus may leave out other aspects of the situation that are important to the interpretation is a closed method that looks only for the specified behaviour and potentially ignores other important behaviour misses the richness of detail that anecdotes or running records provide. When you have practised doing an event sample, think about whether you learnt more about it from the antecedent event (possible triggers) or from the consequent event (possible rewards of consequences). Why do you think this is so in this instance? Surveys Surveys are mostly used to gather information on attitudes, interests and opinions. You can conduct an impromptu group survey by asking children to indicate their choice by telling you or by raising their hands. You can conduct a written survey—children with the skills to read independently are usually able to complete a written survey. Written surveys are most useful when you are working with children from five to twelve years. Oral surveys Information can also be gathered from the children themselves by asking open questions, especially about their interests and preferences. With younger children we gather most of this information by observing them at play and in routines, and once they can talk we do it during our conversations with them. The results of these surveys are a legitimate part of your information gathering about the child. As a part of the accreditation system in OOSH, children can be surveyed to find out their opinions and views of their carers and their OOSH service. You can look at surveys designed for children on the accreditation website at www. ncac. gov. au. Follow the links to Information for Children. Here is a survey form designed for school-aged children attending an OOSH care program. Sometimes the children fill it out for themselves, sometimes the carer likes to interview them and sometimes the older children interview the younger school-aged children who cannot read or write yet. Survey form designed for school-aged children attending an OOSH Many services now survey the parents about their children’s routines, interests and preferences so that they can provide care for them that takes account of the child’s home experiences. Parent survey of their child’s routines, interests and preferences Some centres use surveys like this as the opening page in a child’s Portfolio. Time and motion studies Time and motion studies focus on children’s movements in particular areas. They throw light on how many activities the child is involved in over a given period of time and how long they stay at those activities. They give an indication of the child’s interests and perhaps of their concentration span. The simplest way to design a time and motion study suitable for young children is to make a sketch of the playroom and the outdoor area, then to chart the child’s movements over a short period of time and on several different occasions. Sketch of the playroom: 1 Blocks, 2 Tables, 3 Easels, 4 Wet area, 5 Home corner, 6 Books, 7 Puzzles It is often found that children under three years move from one area to another many more times than older children. Have a look at the difference between Rohan’s chart of movements at 18 months and Kymberley’s at four years: Chart of Rohan’s (18 months) movements recorded over seven minutes Chart of Kymberley’s (four years) movements recorded over seven minutes Sociograms A sociogram is a diagram of social relationships in a group of children. It often focuses on children’s perceptions of acceptance and/or popularity within their peer group. Children in an organised group may be asked to name the child who is their ‘best friend’ or ‘person they do not play with’. Results depend on the phrasing of the question and may be influenced by what the child thinks the adult wishes to hear. Information gathered from the group is pieced together and represented diagrammatically. Popular children and those who are solitary or isolated can be seen quickly in the diagram, and some unexpected connections may come to light, leading the carer to observe social relationships and interactions more closely. Over a period of time the sociogram will change as relationships shift and change. It may be interesting to use a sociogram at designated times during the year to assess the dynamics of the group. Children must be old enough to understand the question posed, be able to give a clear answer and be of sufficient maturity to have formed social relationships within the group. The interactions or friendships of younger children tend to be transitory because the children are not yet able to communicate, appreciate the perspectives of others or form social attachments with peers. For these children, a sociogram would reveal little. Here is an example of a sociogram: Sample of a sociogram This example shows information collected from a group of five year olds (seven boys, eight girls). The children were asked: ‘Who are your two best friends? ’ The sociogram may indicate whether some of the children are isolated. Activity 6 Activity 7 Language samples Language samples are transcripts of children’s use of language alone or in conversation for analysis. They record and closely examine the receptive and expressive language of children. This can be done in several different ways. If your purpose is to gain specific information about a child’s use of spoken language it is useful to collect samples of their talk and conversational skills for analysis. You can do this by making a written record of all the language used by a child in an interaction. You would record their speech and the speech of others involved in the interaction as accurately as possible, making sure you represent their speech patterns and articulation as closely as possible. A great aid to this is to use audio taping or video taping so that you can more easily include relevant information such as voice quality, tone and non-verbal features of the child’s language. This is discussed in the next section. Many observers use a language checklist to analyse a language transcript. This allows the observer to note the presence of identified language use and behaviours. Following is a language sample of Olivia (two years and five months) chatting to her father while drawing at home. She is covering the page with letter-like formations as she pretends to ‘write’ a story about people she knows. I have recorded words as she pronounces them. The words in brackets indicate the correct pronunciation of the word. Language sample Child’s name: Olivia Setting: at home Child’s age: 2 years 5 months Time: 10. 05 am – 10. 07 am Date: 27 February Olivia: Yeah, dis (this) one is hard for me Daddy. Mark (her father): What are you writing about? Olivia: I’m writing bout (about) you! Mark: Are you? Olivia: And me and Livvie and Mummy and Simon and Adrian and †¦ and †¦ and †¦ and †¦ Wiyem (William)and Annie and Leigh. Mark: Gee that’s a big story you’re making. Olivia: Yeah. Mark: And what are you going to say in the story? Olivia: I’m just say someding (something). Dis you and dat me and dats Mummy and dats you and Wiyam and Annie and Leigh. Mark: What’s William doing? Olivia: Wiyam he’s playing wif (with) he’s toys and I playing wif my toys. Mark: And what about Simon, what’s he doing? Olivia: He playing wif he’s toys. Mark: And what’s Annie doing? Olivia: Doing her work, job, at school. Wif Simon. Wif †¦ wif †¦ wif †¦ Wiyam. He’s big boy. And more paper Daddy. Mark: Where is it? Olivia: (Pointing to the shelf nearby) Dere (there). There is a lot of useful information in this language sample about Olivia’s receptive and expressive language. Let’s look at a possible interpretation of the sample. Oliva is using extensive sentences of between one and sixteen words in length in this language sample. She is using conjunctions effectively (especially ‘and’) to extend her sentences. She has some difficulty pronouncing some sounds, particularly ‘th’ and the ’ll’ sound in the middle of ‘William’. Olivia’s vocabulary includes descriptive words such as ‘hard’ and ‘big’ and compound words such as ‘something’. She sometimes repeats words several times ‘(and †¦ and †¦ and †¦ ’), appearing to gain time to form her thoughts for the rest of the sentence. Olivia is able to engage in conversational turn-taking and shows ‘topic maintenance’, which are quite mature elements for her age. While much of her language is grammatically correct, she substitutes ‘he’s’ for ‘his’ at times, which could be due to mishearing others using the correct form. Olivia’s receptive language is appropriate for her age, as she is able to answer her father’s questions appropriately. Her expressive language is progressing well and the errors she makes in grammar and pronunciation are typical for her age and should diminish with opportunities to listen to and converse with others providing good modelling. Language samples are useful to: find out more about children’s receptive language abilities assess the development of their vocabulary see how well they are able to articulate (pronounce sounds) assess their ability to use semantic and syntactic conventions see how they use language with a variety of people and in a variety of situations gain information about their interests find out to whom they talk. When you have gained more confidence in writing down direct speech, try recording the language of a child while they are conversing with someone else. You may need permission from parents to make recordings of children and you will need to inform them how they will be stored and disposed of. Here is an example of a group of children talking about the Boxing Day Tsunami 2004 and their reactions and decisions about the media coverage of this tragic event. The tsunami In a small group established at their own accords, Peter, Phillip, Alex, William, Angus, Ethan and Angeline began to pour out their hearts concern. Peter: You know on the news I saw the waves came, they were too big this time, big like up to my roof, and it killed all the people. They died. Angeline: I saw it on the news and the police are looking for the people. Ethan: I saw on the news that toys are sinking. I need to get some toys for the kids. Peter: So they can have toys and clothes and money cause the waves sinked all the money. William: And the people they floated away on the wave. Peter: We need to give them money so they can buy things again. It was then decided amongst the group to establish a box to put money in so it could be sent over to the tsunami victims. The children decided that their families should give. These children later made a collection box for the centre foyer. Interpretations of this language sample will give us insight to the children’s perception of the event which resulted in practical action. Use of photographs, video recordings and audio recordings Digital and film cameras, video recorders and audiotapes are great aids in recording information about children. Since digital cameras and computers have become more affordable, many more centres are gathering information about children based around still photographs. Photographs Instead of writing longer narrative descriptions, the observer can first capture the moment in photos and may later write brief notes about what happened. Still photos of children can be taken in a sequence to illustrate a series of events or the development of an experience as it occurs. It is useful to record a process or behaviour from beginning to end if it is to tell the complete story to the viewer. You can also use photographs to capture children’s constructions, moulding and dramatic play. Maelin painting Maelin painting Maelin painting Maelin’s finished painting Carer’s brief notes: 1 Maelin selects a brush from the black paint pot with her right hand 2 She carefully paints a black stripe, then selects a brush from the white paint pot and paints a white strip 3 She continues to carefully paint a red, green and pink stripe 4 Maelin stands back and looks at the finished painting. You will need permission from parents to take photos of children and you will need to inform them where they will be displayed and how they will be stored and disposed of. Videos Video recordings can work well for this purpose too. For projects that grow and change over time or situations that involve a lot of activity, videotape could be the best form of documentation. This method allows you to record children’s language as well as their non-verbal communication. You can also add a voice-over if you want to comment on the action as you film, or edit the film so that only the most revealing parts remain. A video recording of the progress of a project undertaken by children over some time can provide a wonderful resource for sharing with families, parent meetings and with the children themselves. Audio recordings Audio recordings are particularly good for language analysis. It is often a challenge to make an audiotape of children’s conversation that is clear and understandable. There can be too much background noise and the children may move out of range. There are cassette recorders that are specifically designed to capture human voices as clearly as possible. These make a good resource for this type of observation. Another use of audiotapes is for the observer to speak softly into the microphone instead of writing down their observations. This has the advantage of providing an opportunity to record a great deal of rich detail very quickly. The recording could later be edited and transcribed to a running record with more detail than is usually possible. Photographs, videotapes and audiotapes can be very useful to share when you discuss aspects of the child’s behaviour with staff, parents or with the child. You can add written support material to record the comments of those who are viewing the photos or videos. Just a final note: it is possible that some families may not want to have photos or videos of their child either taken or displayed. Most centres will have a policy concerning this aspect. Usually families will be asked to sign a written consent granting permission for their child to be photographed or videotaped. As a student you would certainly be expected to consult with staff and families about this matter before undertaking any observations of this kind. Activity 8 Work samples Work samples are examples of children’s drawings, paintings, computer drawings and writing. They are also photographs of results of their construction in the block area, moulding with clay or dough and building in the sandpit and so on. Work samples are often collected for children’s developmental records and included as a part of their Portfolio as they are a practical way to demonstrate the child’s skills, creativity and learning. Here are some samples. Child’s drawing of mother, father brother and sister Commentary: Melanie (4 years old) drew a picture of her family. She pointed to the largest figure and said â€Å"That’s my mummy† She pointed to the other figures naming them â€Å"Daddy, my brother and me†. Child’s drawing of a running dinosaur with feet that looks like wheels Commentary: Adam (4 years 4 months) has become very involved in a project about dinosaurs. He frequently consults books about dinosaurs. He said â€Å"This is a racing deinonychus, a speeding dinosaur†. Child’s drawing of a spider with one large figure and two smaller figures Commentary: Amy (3 years 2 months) drew carefully for five minutes. She told the caregiver it was a drawing of a â€Å"big hairy lion spider†. She then carefully drew the 2 small figures on the right. Child’s scribble drawing Commentary: Lewis (1 year 10 months) carefully drew with the orange and green textras. He used a palman grip and scribbled vigorously and babbled as he drew. Child’s drawing of a man on a surfboard Commentary: Sam (3 years 5 months) is very interested in surfing and has been looking through surfing magazines. He said â€Å"This is a man on his surfboard†. A small amount of commentary can be used effectively with work samples. For example, you can record what was happening at the table just before a child did a particular drawing (if this influenced the drawing), what they said about their own painting or the song they sang while building with Lego. You could usefully record the group discussions and problem solving that lead up to a group project. The commentary should lead to a fuller understanding of the children’s thinking, feelings or creativity as they went about producing the work sample. You must always ask children’s permission to collect their work sam