Individual Achievement Tests for Special Education Students

Individualized achievement tests are useful for assessing a students academic abilities. They are designed to measure both pre-academic and academic behavior—from the ability to match pictures and letters to more advanced literacy and mathematical skills. They can be helpful in assessing needs, monitoring a student’s progress, diagnosing a student with a learning disability or identifying benchmarks on a student’s Individualized Education Program, which the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act requires special needs students to have. A team made up of teachers, parents and others develop the program and update it periodically to meet students’ needs as they grow. 1. The Woodcock Johnson Test of Achievement The Woodcock Johnson Test of Achievement is another individualized test that measures academic areas and is appropriate for children from the ages of 4 to young adults to 20 and a half. The tester finds a base of a designated number of consecutive correct answers and works to a ceiling of the same incorrect consecutive answers. The highest number correct, minus any incorrect responses, provide a standard score, which is quickly converted into a grade equivalent or age equivalent. The Woodcock Johnson also provides diagnostic information as well as grade level performances on discrete literacy and mathematical skills, from letter recognition to mathematical fluency. 2. The Brigance Comprehensive Inventory of Basic Skills The Brigance Comprehensive Inventory of Basic Skills is another well-known, well-accepted criterion based and normed individual achievement test. The Brigance provides diagnostic information on reading, math and other academic skills. As well as being one of the least expensive assessment instruments, the publisher provides software to help write IEP goals based on the assessments called Goals and Objective Writers Software, which sells for $59.95. 3. KeyMath 3 Diagnostic Assessment KeyMath 3 Diagnostic Assessment is both a diagnostic and progress monitoring tool for math skills. Broken into three areas: Basic Concepts, Operations and Applications, the instrument provides scores for each area as well as each of the 10 subtests. Along with the flip chart books and test booklets, KeyMath also provides scoring software, to generate scores and reports.

Unfair Labour Practices - 1195 Words

ASSIGHNMENT OF LABOUR LAW ON UNFAIR LABOUR PRACTICES Submitted to- submitted by- Mrs Archna Shukla Shikhar Dixit B.A. LL.B(H) V sem (A8108309048) UNFAIR LABOUR PRACTICES ------------------------------------------------- Chapter- 10 of The Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 deals with the unfair labour practices. Section- 25T ------------------------------------------------- Prohibition of unfair labour practice No employer or workman or a trade union, whether registered under the Trade Unions Act, 1926 (16 of 1926), or not, shall commit any unfair labour practice†¦show more content†¦To insist upon individual workmen, who are on a legal strike to sign a good conduct bond, as a pre-condition to allowing them to resume work. 9. To show favouritism or partiality to one set of workers regardless of merit. 10. To employ workmen as ‘badlis†, casuals or temporaries and to continue them as such for years, with the object of depriving them of the status and privileges of permanent workmen. 11. To discharge or discriminate against any workman for filing charges or testifying against an employer in any enquiry or proceeding relating to any industrial dispute. 12. To recruit workmen during a strike which is not an illegal strike. 13. Failure to implement award, settlement or agreement. 14. To indulge in act,, of force or violence. 15. To refuse to bargain collectively, in good faith with the recognised trade unions. 16. Proposing or continuing a lock-out deemed to be illegal under this Act. It is difficult to define and lay down exhaustive test of unfair labour practice, but it may be said that any practice, which violates the directive principles of state policy contained in Article 43 of the constitution and such other Articles as deal with the decent wages and living conditions for workmen amount to unfair practice. In Eveready flash light company. Labour court barielly, the company appointed a workman on daily rate basis on 18th January 1958 after trying himShow MoreRelatedUnfair Labour Practices3811 Words   |  16 Pageswritten or unwritten. When an employer hires a worker, he can demand labour, and agree on a price for that labour. The offer, acceptance, consideration, and intention to create a legal relationship constitute a bargain to which compliance can be sought in law. When trade unions negotiate a collective agreement with employers, the process and the outcome are somewhat different. In the first place, trade unions do not sell labour to employers, unlike individual workers. Likewise, employers do not payRead MoreUnfair Labour Practices1394 Words   |  6 PagesResearch Paper on Unfair Labor Practice ________________________________________ Introduction The development of fair labor standards and its adoption in the business world was aimed at achieving a decent and humane working condition (farex. 2012). 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(Minimum wage in this part of China is about 55 cents an hour.)† The amount of savings seems hugeRead Moreâ€Å"the History of the Caribbean Is the History of the Exploitation of Labour† - with Reference to Slavery and the Encomienda Labour System†1045 Words   |  5 Pagesof labour† - with reference to slavery and the Encomienda labour system† In the above statement â€Å"the history of the Caribbean is the history of the exploitation of labour,† it simply states that the Caribbean’s history is basically the history of its exploitation of labour. The definitions of keywords exploitation and labour must be considered. Exploitation can be defined as the practice of taking selfish or unfair advantage of a person or situation, usually for personal gain, while labour isRead MoreCase Analysis : Walmart Stores788 Words   |  4 Pagesthese unions. They can also explain them that the employees are treated as â€Å"associates† rather than just â€Å"employees† so it is duty of them to protect the best interests of the company. Question 2: The certification of the first Walmart was hailed by labour as a milestone event? It is considered as a milestone because Walmart has been trying every trick in the book to avoid unionization of its workforce. The working conditions in most of the Walmart stores where poor and sometimes they force their workersRead MoreIs Your Chocolate the Result of Unfair Exploitation of Child Labor650 Words   |  3 PagesCase Study #1: Please refer to Mini Case Mini-Case â€Å"Is Your Chocolate the Result of Unfair Exploitation of Child Labor?† 1. Should labor practices in another country be a relevant consideration in international trade? Why or why not? Yes, labor practices in another country should be relevant for consideration in international trade. The reason for concern is labor and social advocates has increased imports from countries in which labor standards are apparently notRead MoreChallenges Facing The World Today s Society1021 Words   |  5 Pagesidea of what it means to be a citizen is changing rapidly. Profits and principles are now correlated along with the idea that green is the new gold. Companies that do not follow this tend to be punished, like Walmart and Nike in terms of unfair labour practices. The triple bottom line is also key in creating a progressive company. Greenwashing is an issue where companies are perceived as being more environmentally friendly than they really are. People are prepared to pay more for products made byRead MoreRole Of The Wto On Addressing Labour Standards1107 Words   |  5 PagesAppropriate role of the WTO in addressing labour standards Introduction The relationship between international trade and labour standards is a key issue today. The relation defines the link between developing countries and advanced industrialized nations. International enforcement of labour standards is justifiable from two frontiers of arguments. The first one opines that â€Å"unfair† labour conditions and practices exist in many countries and trading partners and call for the need to offset an occurrenceRead MoreSwot Analysis Of Easyjet1159 Words   |  5 Pagesflights in major cities across Europe, and not afraid to maintain this by strategic financial management e.g. By keeping expenses and overheads low, charging customers for inflight meals, charging levies on baggage. Also, easyJet tactically lower labour costs. Staff work multiple roles, seeing staff taking on a hands-on customer service from gate to cabin, which otherwise would be see three times as many staff present at competitor’s airlines. Mission EasyJet vision statement states†¦ Our vision

How IKEA has incorporated sustainability principles free essay sample

Introduction Traditionally, most multinational companies see themselves as competing to survive. However, if this philosophy leads to unwillingness to co-operate, it can be self-defeating. Behind this concept is the idea of supply chain management, which is the network of organizations and individuals who are involved in producing and delivering products to the end users. Thus, a home furnishing company such as IKEA is a part of a supply chain that includes the suppliers of raw materials, component manufacturers, transporters, retail stores and end customers. In the past it was often the case that the relationship with the suppliers was competitive rather than co-operative. It is still the case today that multinational companies will try to achieve cost reductions and quality improvements at the expense of their supply chain partners, but a further dimension has been added sustainability. The aim of this essay is to examine IKEA’s sustainability report and evaluate its sustainability principles. It will explore how IKEA has incorporated its sustainability principles with its suppliers whilst maintaining and improving its strategic competitive advantage in the home furnishing industry. About IKEA IKEA is a multinational company that produces home products including disassembled furniture, accessories, bathrooms, and kitchens at retail stores around the world. The company focused on disassembled design furniture at reasonable prices in the beginning and is currently the largest furniture manufacturer in the world. From IKEA’s headquarter in Sweden, it operates more than 265 stores in twenty-five countries and employs one 123,000 (Bartlett Nanda, 1996, pp. 5-20). IKEA designs all of its products, which are mostly manufactured by independent sources, and sells them under its brand name through its own stores and a number of other distribution channels. IKEA owns almost all strategic business units that it relies on for its production, which is crucial for their profitability, since they basically rely on outsourcing their production. For example, it owns the industrial group Swedwood, the main source for the wood that to be used in the manufacturing of IKEA’s furniture, as well as the sales companies that run IKEA stores and the procurement functions. IKEA formed a separate company IKEA of Sweden that is responsible for the design and improvement of the products of the IKEA collection. Sustainable procurement policy Sustainability is a development concept defined by the United Nations (1987) as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainable procurement policy emerged from this concept. It refers to a set of purposes, principles and rules that guide the work of an organization and put its social, environmental and economic values at the heart of a business to achieve its competitive advantage (Monczka et al. , 2010, p. 136). IKEA’s sustainable report demonstrated that they are dedicated and striving to incorporate sustainability within their business relationships by implementing comprehensive principles in order to gain a competitive advantage as a first mover. Those principles expressed explicitly in their code of conduct, which called â€Å"IWay†, expressly cover all the three sustainability aspects social, environmental, and economic—and guide IKEA’s internal and external relationships and especially its supplier relationships. This policy is based on their vision â€Å"to create a better everyday life for many people† (IKEA Sustainability Report, 2010, p. 6). and is expanded with the 2015 Sustainability Goals that state that sustainability is a priority and should influence the whole value chain from product design to the end of a product’s life cycle. IKEA’s FY2015 Sustainability Goals are: to offer a range of products that is more sustainable, taking a leading role toward a low carbon society, turning waste into resources, reducing water footprint, and taking social responsibility. Those goals are considered and integrated into the supplier relations’ policies (IKEA Sustainability Report, 2010, p. 8). Supplier selection policy and sustainability principles Supplier selection is becoming a much more important aspect of the procurement process for IKEA. IKEA seeks to have close and long-term relationships with suppliers who share and respect its values. IKEA as a multinational company that has a concern for its reputation is forged a bond that governs their relationships with their suppliers, since they rely on outsourcing their production. IKEA deals with more than one thousand suppliers to procure the products required for its global operations. IKEA has incorporated its â€Å"IWAY† to minimize risks that could affect its sustainability policy especially social or environmental risks. IWAY contains the requirements suppliers have to meet in order to be approved by IKEA and specifies that it is the responsibility of the suppliers to communicate the code of conduct to their staff and sub-suppliers. The code of conducts mainly covers the sustainability and its social, environmental and economic aspects. While it is compulsory for suppliers to adhere to the relevant local laws as per communicated in â€Å"IWAY†, it is uncertain whether adequate standards and laws exist in developing countries. IKEA specifies that in addition to relevant law, suppliers must comply with the code of conduct. To enter a business relationship with IKEA, suppliers must first fulfill pre-requirements that mainly focus on social and environmental values. IKEA stipulates that complete compliance with the code of conduct should be reached within twelve months from first delivery date (IKEA Sustainability Report 2010, pp. 15-37). Environmental values are the first sustainability value that is communicated in the code of conduct. It is subdivided in a number of principles, the first one being energy consumption reduction. The code demands measuring and comparing the energy utilization annually by assessing measurable goals, time frames, and current measures for raw materials, water usage, and chemical spills. The second principle focuses on preventing any kind of severe pollution to air, ground and water. The suppliers have to ensure that they do not emit any excess emissions, high noise levels, or pollute the water. In fact, to suppliers have to utilize effluent treatment plants (ETPs) for water and have to properly operate them. The third principle demands that suppliers have to handle, store, and dispose chemicals and hazardous waste such as lubricant oils, paints, acids in a safe manner for workers and the environment. Suppliers are required to have and maintain Material Safety Data Sheets, competence training for the staff, and reliable labeling for chemicals and hazardous waste (IKEA Sustainability Report 2010, pp. 58-85). This indicates that IKEA tries to lead their suppliers and sub-suppliers toward achieving high environmental standards. IKEA furthermore stresses the importance of approved suppliers having plans to mitigate environmental impacts from production and operations. The second sustainability value is the social one. IKEA states that it â€Å"expects that suppliers have to respect the basic human rights and to treat their workers honestly and with respect† (IKEA Sustainability Report 2010, p. 38). Firstly, IKEA’s IWAY emphasized the importance of preventing child and forced labor. To ensure complete compliance, IKEA has assigned a supervisory duty to internal and external auditors. Secondly, suppliers have to provide healthy and safe working environments by e. g. , facilitating high air quality, a low level of noise, enough lighting, and proper drinking water and hygiene facilities. The second social principle is to provide staff with health and safety training for aspects of the daily working life before they start working. The third social principle is that suppliers have to pay their staff the minimum legal wages and compensate them for overtime. Thus, suppliers have to provide overtime information such as pay-slips. Also, suppliers should not provide their staff more than three months of advance payment to avoid that they are working under force. Suppliers have to grant weekly, yearly and emergency leave days. The fourth social principle is that staff needs to be treated fairly and without any kind of discrimination. Lastly, the code of conducts states that IKEA does not accept physical punishment and harassment or abuse (IKEA Sustainability Report 2010, p. 38). Economic values are the code of conducts’ third sustainability value. Since IKEA mostly outsources its production to developing countries, the scale of IKEA’s activities can have an effect on the host economies. According to Sturges (2000, p. 12) there is a strong relation between the activities of multinational companies and a positive economic development of host countries. One of the important factors for economic well-being is investment high levels of investment are coupled with a strong economy (Lucas, 2000, p. 24). IKEA usually does not invest directly in the developing countries it operates in, but encourages other stakeholders to invest by subcontracting the production of its products. Thus, factories will be built, people will be employed and money will be injected into the host countries’ economies. An initial income will be distributed, goods will be consumed, and new income is created with each transaction. This in turn creates new demand for goods, which creates more demand for labor and thus more employment opportunities for more people (Coates, 2000, p. 60). IKEA balances the sustainability aspects to some degree through the supplier selection policy to achieve a competitive advantage by which will increase profitability that is important for IKEA as per mentioned by the Group President and CEO Mikael Ohlsson (IKEA Group net profit) Good profitability is needed to carry out our extensive growth program on existing as well as new markets, to give more people access to the IKEA range. Sustained profitability is also enabling us, through IKEA Social Initiative, to finance a number of Social projects that e. g. soon will have benefited 100 million children†. According to Moffatt (2008, pp. 81-87), IKEA’s supplier selection policy represents the traditional view of sustainable development, which simply seeks the crossing point of the sustainability aspects economic, environmental and social. Much evidence for IKEA’s commitment to their aims toward their stakeholders has been found. For example, IKEA works together with UNISEF in joint projects to safe children around the world and prevent workplace abuse (IKEA Sustainability Report 2010, p. 27). They press their suppliers to supply only certified wood and timber and follow their forestry code of conduct. The economic aspect is showcased by IKEA’s efforts of developing their suppliers in developing countries by increasing employment levels and household incomes in the host economies. IKEA’s competitive advantage Competitive advantage is the strategic advantage a specific business has over its competitor within its industry. Attaining a competitive advantage supports a business and improves its position in its industry (Chaharbaghi Lynch 1999, p. 45). The challenge is that achieving sustainability requires additional cost, while competitiveness demands lower costs, especially in highly competitive industries (Porter Linde, 1995, p. 97). In the case of IKEA, it has been stated clearly that sustainability is not an option anymore, but a requirement that should not be traded off for lower prices. IKEA’s sustainability report shows that they have incorporated sustainability and also achieved a competitive advantage, while providing people with innovative, stylish, affordable home furnishing products. Also, it can be assessed that IKEA is keen to take a distinctive role in the industry through the use of the first mover strategy, which could add another competitive advantage (Adams, 2006, p. 143). According to Hart and Ahuja (1996, p. 31), being sustainable really pays and will reflect positively on the bottom line by utilizing a prevention strategy, which results in an efficiency improvement. A prevention strategy implies that a re-engineering has to be applied on the production process meaning that most of the excess cost and the environmental impact would be eliminated starting from the designing stage until product disposal (Horngren et al. , 2011, p. 281). For example, IKEA’s sustainability report stressed that the goal was minimizing Carbon dioxide emission, turning waste into resources, reducing the water footprint, and becoming more socially responsible. These goals have been communicated within IKEA through the sustainability score-card, which emphasizes producing more products by using less material, using renewable materials, increasing transport efficiency, using energy efficiently, and minimizing the use of energy, water, and waste in the usage stage (IKEA Sustainability Report 2010, p. 19). Suppliers’ compliance with the code of conduct †¢ In order to guarantee the suppliers’ compliance to IWAY, IKEA explicitly requires having the right of inspecting the suppliers’ floor shops without any previous announcement. IKEA can either use its internal auditors, who are supposed to do unannounced routine checks of the suppliers’ compliance, or external auditors such as KPMG and Intertek Testing Services (IKEA Sustainability Report 2010, p. 37). Recently, IKEA faced criticism for one of its code of conduct’s aspects child labors. Two of its suppliers in Bangladesh and India were employing children and not respecting human rights in their dealing with their employees (Haan Michiel, 2006, p. 20; Sjoman et al. , 2006). IKEA has admitted the existence of these incidents in its sustainability report (2010, p. 37) and stated that it is focusing on the improvement of their suppliers’ social and environmental responsibility gradually, especially in developing countries to achieve full compliance by 2015, since there are no supportive laws for such principles. This can be interpreted as a transparent and proactive approach by IKEA that adds to its good record in terms of sustainability. Conclusion In conclusion, sustainable procurement policy is vital for IKEA’s suppliers’ relations’ management. IKEA’s sustainable procurement principles contain all relevant sustainability aspects. However, there were a number of violations of the code of conduct by suppliers, which have caught the attention of IKEA and will be addressed in future improvements. Regardless of the discrepancies among some of the suppliers, IKEA seems to have incorporated sustainability principles deeply within its suppliers’ performance evaluations and is maintaining its competitive advantage in the home furnishing industry. This competitiveness has been achieved by innovation, a leadership role, and low prices they were the result of increasing production efficiency throughout the value chain and are based on the concept of preventing any unnecessary processes and material use. References

Problems In Intercultural Communication Essay Example For Students

Problems In Intercultural Communication Essay Word Count: 1681 Humans have been communicating since four million years. On the other hand, the birth of culture is estimated to have token place about 35,000 years ago. Today, both culture and communication have evolved considerably and have become interdependent of one another, to the point that communication is considered to be a product of culture. Thus, our own culture has a deep impact on our thoughts and behaviors. Since each culture has its distinct aspects, intercultural communication can be the cause of conflict and disorder. There are three main issues which are at the root of the problem of intercultural miscommunication : language as a barrier, cultural diversity and ethnocentrism. I will analyze these three notions in situations in which intercultural communication is frequent such as : the workplace, the classroom and vacation trips. The way people communicate varies widely between, and even within, cultures. One aspect of communication style is language usage. Language has always been perceived as a link between people but it can also constitute a barrier. Across cultures, some words and phrases are used in different ways. For example, even in countries that share the English language, the meaning of yes varies from maybe, Ill consider it; to ;definitely so,; with many shades in between . Furthermore, communication between cultures which do not share the same language is considerably more difficult . Each culture, has its distinct syntax, expressions and structure which causes confusion in intercultural communication. For example , in Asian countries the word no is rarely used, so that yea can mean no or perhaps. Therefore, an American traveling to Japan might be considered impolite if he ignores this rule. Furthermore, individuals who are not comfortable with a certain language may not be taken seriously. Such is the case in the classroom, where a student who has a perfect knowledge of the subject in question may have difficulty expressing his idea due to his inability to write properly and therefore he would not receive the grade he truly deserves. Similarly intercultural communication is dominant in the workplace. In the past, many companies and organizations could operate entirely within their country of origin and conduct their activities exclusively in their own native language. But now, due to an increasingly amount of intercultural business, some American companies require for their employees to have a good knowledge in languages such as Japanese, German, Italian Sociolinguists examine social and cultural influences on language behavior. Among the most important concepts to emerge are those relating to dialects and language standards. Sociolinguists have documented the presence of dialects in every language. These dialects, all of which are legitimate, are associated with educational, economic, social and historical conditions. Hence, even if an individual scrupulously studies all the possible dictionaries of a random language, he would still be somewhat of a stranger to that language since he is unaware of all the dialectal changes. In addition to differences in pronunciation, vocabulary and grammatical structures among cultural groups, variations also exist in the rules for general discourse in oral communication, covering such specific acts as narratives and conversation. In communicating with one another, teachers and students naturally will follow the assumptions and rules governing discourse within their respective cultures. Discourse rules govern such aspects of communication as: opening or closing conversations; taking turns during conversations; interrupting; using silence as a communicative device; interjecting humor at appropriate times and using nonverbal behavior. Once again, an American student studying in the middle east, who would constantly interrupt the teacher in order to clarify the professors opinion, would be considered to be extremely rude since he would be defying his authority. Atomic Bomb EssayBesides language other intercultural differences may be the cause of conflict. Hence, in this specific case, diversity is considered to be at the root of miscommunication. In comparison to verbal communication, non verbal communication takes a different form in different cultures. Gestures and facial expressions play a key role in communication. However, each culture incorporates different types of gestures and disregards others. For example, in most western societies , it is customary to shake ones hand upon introduction. However, in most oriental countries shaking ones hand is frown upon, since they believe bowing is the only .