How to Get More RBG Color Values for Delphi

How to Get More RBG Color Values for Delphi In Delphi, the TColor type specifies the color of an object. It is used by the color property of many components and by other properties that specify color values. The Graphics unit contains definitions of useful constants for TColor. For example, clBlue maps to blue, clRed maps to red. More CL Values = More Colors You can specify TColor as a 4-byte hexadecimal number instead of using the constants defined in the Graphics unit. The low three bytes represent RGB (red, green, blue) color intensities for blue, green and red, respectively. Note the inversion from a typical hex color: For TColor, the sequence is blue-green-red. For example, red can be defined as TColor($0000FF). ConvertRBG to TColor If you have values for red, green and blue intensities (a number from 0 to 255 - byte type), heres how to get the TColor value: var   Ã‚   r,g,b : Byte;   Ã‚   color : TColor; begin   Ã‚   r : StrToInt(ledRed.Text) ;   Ã‚   g : StrToInt(ledGreen.Text) ;   Ã‚   b : StrToInt(ledBlue.Text) ;   Ã‚   color : RGB(r, g, b) ;   Ã‚   Shape1.Brush.Color : color; end; The ledRed, ledGreen and ledBlue are three edit controls used to specify the intensity of each color component. Shape1 is a TShape Delphi control. Delphi tips navigator: » How to Parse TAB Delimited Files in Delphi « IsDirectoryEmpty - Delphi function to Determine if a Directory is Empty (no files, no sub-folders)

How to Pronounce the French Words Au and Eau

How to Pronounce the French Words Au and Eau Many languages, including French, have words that are spelled differently yet pronounced the same way. Two of the most common of these words in French are  eau  and  au. Eau  is a noun meaning water in English, and  au  is the definite article the. These letters also function as a common vowel combination, producing the same phonetic sound. Pronunciation Guide The French vowel combinations in eau (singular) and eaux (plural) are pronounced like the closed  O sound, similar to the English pronunciation of eau in eau de cologne but more elongated. The French letter combinations ​au  (singular) and aux (plural)  are pronounced exactly the same way. Its important to master this sound because it appears in so many French words. When pronouncing the sound, the lips are pursed to actually form the shape of an o. This physical component is key to correct French pronunciation. Remember, to speak in French, you have to open your mouth- much more than we do in English. So allez-y. (Go ahead.) Click on the links below to hear the words pronounced in French:   Ã‚  Ã‚  eau  Ã‚   (water)  Ã‚  Ã‚  beau  Ã‚   (handsome, beautiful)  Ã‚  Ã‚  cadeau  Ã‚   (gift)  Ã‚  Ã‚  agneau  Ã‚   (lamb) Listen closely: The g is not pronounced, so you must say ah-nyo.)  Ã‚  Ã‚  beaucoup  Ã‚   (a lot)  Ã‚  Ã‚  bureau  Ã‚   (office, desk)  Ã‚  Ã‚  chapeau  Ã‚     (hat) Expand Your Vocabulary The vowel combinations eau, eaux, au, and aux in the words below  are pronounced exactly the same as in the words above. Click on any of the links above to remind yourself exactly how these letter combinations are pronounced. As  you recall, they are all pronounced exactly the same. gà ¢teau (cake)bateau (boat)chà ¢teaux (castles)auto (car)mauvais (bad)chaud (hot)cauchemar (nightmare)restaurant (restaurant)chevaux (horses)journaux (newspapers) Examples: Je vais  au  restaurant.   Im going to the restaurant.Je mets mon beau chapeau sur le bateau qui flotte sur leau et qui part au Portugal oà ¹ il fait chaud. I put my beautiful hat on the boat which floats on the water and which is leaving for Portugal where it is hot.

Shipping Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Shipping Management - Essay Example It has been proved, that old management techniques in shipping have been working fir short-term profits only; it has also become evident that socially 'responsible' shipping business causes higher revenues and better positive results for both the stock markets and the general company performance. New management framework has also been formed with the additional pressure of environmental issues, which always carried a tint of social knowledge. All these factors have challenged shipping management to re-negotiate their position in the social environment and in the society as a whole. CSR is essentially about companies moving beyond a base of legal compliance to integrating socially responsible behaviour into their core values, in recognition of the sound business benefits in doing so. Since businesses and the challenges they face differ widely, government interventions need to be carefully considered, well-designed and targeted to achieve their objective. (___) The PD Ports Company located in Hartlepool (UK) is the company which can be seen as the bright example of the organization having actively applied the principles of the CSR through changing legislation and environments. It is noted in the striving for further strengthening and promoting its CSR activities. It has been engaged into many CSR activities, and it should be said that CSR in the UK has become one of the principal governmental priorities. It is stated, that 'we recognize that there is no 'one size fits all' approach to CSR, and that companies need to consider the nature of their business and its key impacts in developing their CSR practice'. (http://www.csr.gov.uk/raisingawareness.shtml) This is why for the shipping companies the implementation of CSR carries certain peculiarities. Government works for the for making the companies aware of the available CSR practices and encourages businesses to improve their performance; this may be considered to be one of the essential ch anges in the general implementation of the CSR principles through the shipping companies. As for PD Ports, the company also takes active part in the promotion and support of the CSR principles through the following activities: the philosophy 'safety first' is the top priority for the company management; the company is prepared to invest into both Capital and people; the company has its main focus on the customers, and looks for additional profitability through this customer focus; the company shows full commitment to the equal opportunities for employees; what is essential, is that the company actively works for the promotion of the environmental interests, as well as for their protection. (http://www.thpal.co.uk/corporate/core_values.asp) 'While various conventions and regulations imposed minimum standards for the operation of shipping companies, the control mechanisms were not always efficient in their mission. However, quality in shipping is not a matter of the shipowners only. Quality has a price and, as with all other goods and services, this price is determined by demand and supply. Neither shipowners nor regulation alone can force or command this price if quality is not demanded by the users of the shipping service by the manufacturers, traders, freight forwarders

Maintenance Management of Engineering Assets Assignment - 1

Maintenance Management of Engineering Assets - Assignment Example Ventilation systems allow for the supply of air into the building and cooling in normally necessary to lower the temperatures The boilers: The boilers normally produce water that is hot and in some instances produce steam to be distributed in the space within which the system operates. This is achieved either by the use of coils or the use of water pipes leading to the radiator of the HVAC system. The chiller: This is the cooling component of the system. It is normally treated with air that is normally blown over the coils carrying the chilled water in the space of operation for cooling to take place through the ventilations. The fault tree analysis (FTA) can be used to analyze the major faults that are likely to occur in the HVAC system. The major faults that are likely to be encountered in the system can either be controller based or mechanical faults. The FTA diagram below analyses these faults. Control faults of the HVAC system occur in the functional components of the system. The faults can be in the form of variations in the thermal conductance of the fluid in the coils, dehumidification faults and non-linearity in the variation of the control system. These faults in the control system can only be solved through maintenance operations of the system. This is a procedure that is used for the evaluation of the various aspects of a functional system so that we are in a position to identify the critical failures that are likely to occur in the system so that we can be able to minimize or eliminate them through correction of designs. The main objective of Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) is to make a determination of the parts that have the highest probability of failing in an assembled system (Salsbury, 2003). The process of Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) starts with the smallest components of the system and

Case for Repositioning a Bank Essay Example for Free

Case for Repositioning a Bank Essay ANZ bank is over 170 years old providing a range of banking and financial products and services to more than 5.7 million retail customers on a global scale (case). . Offering 817 branches and 2600 automated teller machines (ATMs) all over Australia, ANZ is ranked in the top 4 banks in Australia along with Commonwealth Bank of Australia, National Australia Bank Ltd (NAB) and Westpac Banking Corporation. This report will identify the current position of ANZ, and how they are attempting to reposition themselves in the financial services industry. The case highlights the strengths and weaknesses of ANZ and how effective their current marketing strategy is. The strengths of ANZ which have been identified in the case are their highly customised bankcards, their trustworthy image and reputation, knowledgeable staff and the size of the firm. ANZ’s weaknesses are that their products are quite easy to imitate due to such intangibility, they are at the bottom compared to their competitors, the communication gap occurring through the reposition of their new brand and the inflexibility due to the large structure of the bank. This paper will explore two of ANZ’s main strategic issues which are the communication gap of through the repositioning and rebranding as well as ANZ’s competition in the financial industry. Key Strategic Marketing Issues The banking industry is very well established and has a limited selection of different products. Due to few substitute products, firms in the industry will find it hard to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Chenet, Dagger, OSullivan (2010) state that, differentiation is important because firms uniqueness is linked to target market focus, client-perceived value and competitive advantage. In result of ANZ’s lack of communicating their service quality, limited product diversity and lack of unadaptable strategies they are ranked number four of the top four banks. ANZ needs to address the amount of ATMs it has throughout the country. Compared to its major competitors, ANZ is one of the banks with the least amount of ATMs available to its customers with almost half the amount of ATMs compared to NAB. Theory ANZ is rebranding and repositioning itself it the market to appear more appealing to customers. They are moving from an  outdated brand and position of ‘ANZ Now’ to a new brand identity and positioning strategy of ‘We live in your world’ implying a modern and fresh new feel to the company. Throughout the rebranding and repositioning process, ANZ is using a customer-led marketing approach by trying to find what customers want and giving it to them (Hooley, Piercy Nicoulaud, 2012). However, ANZ is a very large firm which affects rebranding, creating a gap in the communication between the firm and their consumers. The slogan ‘We live in your world’ has been adapted to try and differentiate ANZ from its competitors in terms of customer satisfaction; however it has not been aimed consistently across all ANZ’s communication activities. This has resulted in confusion of the customers as well as a lack of awareness of ANZ’s message. Mayer (1975) found that larger firms can generally find it harder than a smaller firm to implement change across the whole organisation effectively and efficiently. Resources and Capabilities A resource is anything that is considered to be thought of as a strength or weakness of a firm and may be defined as those tangible and intangible assets that are tied to the firm (Wernerfelt, 1984). ANZ’s resources include the products they offer, size of the firm, the knowledgeable staff and the strong trust with their customers. ANZ seeks to â€Å"attract and develop the best connected and most respected people to be a part of the ANZ team† (ANZ, 2014). Having knowledgeable and highly skilled staff allows for a financial institution to create superior returns, thus a competitive advantage (lulow, V., Gerstman, J., Barry, C. 2003). The size of ANZ allows ease of access to funds which will appeal to their customers through providing loans, insurance, small business and corporate. Having a strong brand image and a good reputation, ANZ have had the opportunity to build trust with their customers. The large size of a firm can be a strength; however in turn can be a weakness. Mayer, T. (1975) identified that large banks have the potential to fail if customer service is overlooked. Due to the large amount of customers ANZ has, there is the possibility that relationships with customers may diminish. Furthermore, due to the large size of the firm ANZ may appear as inflexible and changes within the organisation may take a long time, such as the current repositioning of the firm. Creating confusing amongst consumers as the message is not being communicated effectively  across all of ANZ. Competitive Advantage ANZs major competitive advantage over their main competitors is this highly customised bankcards they currently offer to their customers. ANZ have used a customer-led marketing approach with their bankcards, as this approach finds what customers want, and give it to them (Hooley, Piercy Nicoulaud, 2012). This fits in well with their brand image they are trying to communicate; ‘We live in your world’. Rather than just providing bank cards to their customers as the other major banks do ANZ customises their cards allowing their customers to choose what colour card they want and further using their own pictures on their bank cards. This is giving the customers the chance to create their own products. These customised bank cards have given ANZ a first mover advantage allowing them to enjoy the protection of a resource position barrier (Wernerfelt, 1984). However, Barney (1991) states that to have a ‘sustained competitive advantage’ competitors are unable to duplicate the benefits of this strategy. The customised bank cards may not last that long as a major competitive advantage due to other firms being able to easily imitate what ANZ have done. Strategic Fit Skinner (1969) suggested that for a firm to strategically fit, they need to tailor their production systems to perform the tasks that are vital to success and consistent with the firm’s strategy. The current marketing strategy of ‘We live in your world’ is ANZs new an innovative fresh outlook on branding for the organisation. The strategic planning and strategic marketing of this strategy must penetrate the whole market orientation not just small sections (Hooley, Piercy Nicoolaud, 2012). This current strategy although isn’t fitting with the needs and requirements of the market. The failure of communication between ANZs resources and capabilities is causing the new strategy to not be implemented properly to its audience (Narver Slater, 1990). The strategy adapted isn’t connecting with their customers their desired outlook of what they wish to be perceived as. ANZ wants their consumers to focus on them being ‘trustworthy’ and ‘traditional’ but as of now they aren’t practicing what they preach. This is shown with customers feeling confused and unaware of the new adapted strategy. As  Hooley, Piercy Nicoolaud (2012) have found the marketing strategy needs to be aligned with the overall the relevant resources, capabilities so direction can be achieved and then the overall context of corporate strategy will be accomplished. Recommendation To ensure the repositioning of ANZ is effective, they need to communicate to their consumers more effectively. Rust, Moorman, and Dickson, (2002) found that â€Å"customers differentiate between service firms on the basis of service quality†. Therefore, ANZ need to offer superior customer service through the use of their highly skilled and knowledgeable staff. The best way for ANZ to differentiate their selves is through superior quality. Farrell, Hitchens, Moffat (1993) found that, superior quality is an effective management strategy as it helps separate firms from competitive rivalry by creating customer loyalty.

Editha :: essays research papers

"EDITHA" This story is about a woman named Editha. Editha was engaged to George and told him it was his duty to his country to sign up and go serve in the war. Editha wanted a hero for a husband and she secretly wanted him to go to war so that she would have that hero. After an argument with him she finally convinces him to go. George dies in the war and his mother blames Editha for his death. Editha is in denial and accepts no responsibility for the death of George or the reasons that he chose to go to war in the first place. Editha was engaged to a man named George Gearson. A war had begun and Editha became excited about the concept of having a hero for a husband. Editha, right away started encouraging George to sign up for the war, she believed it was his patriotic duty as an American. George did not believe in war and was raised to be passive. George’s father had lost his arm in the Civil war and his mother did not want him to suffer the same thing. His father and mother together decided to discourage George from going to any war. George and Editha got in a heated argument about the war and their different opinions and he left to go out. George told her he would come back for dinner. At this point Editha considered their relationship over. She did not see how she could continue to love a man who did not love his country as much as she did. When George left, that was it for Editha. She decided that if he could not believe the way she did then he did not deserve her. She sat down and wrote him a letter and gathered all the things he had ever given her and put them all in a box. In the letter, she told him that she could not be with a man who was not loyal to his country first of all. She could not be with a man who did not believe the way she did and therefore she was breaking up with him. After thinking it over, Editha decided that she was jumping the gun and that since George said he would think about what she had said, that she would give him a chance to think her way, which she considered the only way.

Norman Foster

Norman Foster  Ã‚  Norman Foster is a major contributor to twentieth century architecture both in the westernworld and further afield. After starting his studies in architecture over 50 years ago he has designeda range of buildings (and bridges) and continues to produce outstanding designs today. Aswell asexploring Foster's career this essay will focus primarily on two of Foster's buildings, Creek VeanHouse in Cornwall and the Willis Building in Ipswich (originally the Willis Faber and DumasHeadquarters).Born in Manchester on 1 June 1935 to working class parents, Foster was a bright studentwho after attending a private school and a grammar school was pressurised to leave early in order toearn a living. It wasn't until 1956 after working in a bakery, a city treasurer's office, a factory,selling furniture, spending time in the Royal Air Force on national service and studying commerciallaw that he finally started his studies in architecture.Graduating from Manchester university school of architecture and city planning in 1961, Foster won the Henry fellowship to study at Yaleuniversity where he obtained his master's degree and also met Richard Rogers, another Britisharchitect whom he became good friends with. In 1963 Rogers and Foster along with their  respective wives Su and Wendy formed ‘Team 4', a practice known for its high-tech designs and thegroup behind Creek Vean House. In 1967 Team 4 ended and Foster and Wendy set up Foster  Associates (now Foster and Partners).Between 1968 and 1983 Foster collaborated on a number of  Ã‚  projects including the Samuel Beckett Theatre project with Richard Buckminster Fuller whohappened to be one of his idols. Foster called him a â€Å"lone voice,† whose work with geodesicsdemonstrated how building form could be both economical and ecological. Orientation and  building form became, for Foster, touchstones in his design of ecological architecture. – Michael J. Crosbie, ArchitectureWeek.Foster Asso ciates has produced many well known works such as theSainsbury Centre in Norwich, the Hongkong and Shanghai bank, the Millau Viaduct in France, theBritish Museum Great Court in London and the Swiss Re tower in London to name but a few. Over  History and Theory of Architecture the years Foster Associates has achieved more than 190 awards and won over 50 competitions for  its work, in 1990 Foster was Knighted and in 1999 he was honoured with a life peerage giving himthe title Lord Foster Of Thames Bank, in the same year he became the 21 st Pritzker ArchitecturePrize laureate.Creak Vean house was the first work of group Team 4, built in 1964, it was commissioned  by Marcus Brumwell as a home for himself and his wife who were the parents of Su Rogers. Although Foster has concentrated more on buildings for the workplace, houses which showsimilarities to Creek Vean are the Jaffe house and Murray Mews which were also designed by Team4, these buildings are orientated to make the most of their views and have large slanting glass walls,similar to the glass walk way and large glass walls in Creek Vean. The Willis Faber ; Dumas Headquarters in Ipswich was built from 1971-1975 as aworkplace for around 1300 employees.Foster has mostly designed buildings for the workplaceand is very good at designing space for employees to enjoy their surroundings. The three storey  building is surrounded by a glass facade, similar to that in some of his later buildings such as HearstTower in New York City, the Swiss Re Headquarters in London, the HSBC UK Headquarters inLondon and City Hall in London. The facade also has a curved appearance, with no hard edges or  corners, similar to the Swiss Re and City Hall buildings, the American Air Museum and the newWillis Headquarters in London.Inside the Willis Faber and Dumas Headquarters escalators lead upthrough the central atrium, in Foster's Hongkong and Shanghai bank he uses a similar approach buton a larger scale with a ten storey at rium and the escalators leading up to the main banking hall. The  Ipswich building established a couple of themes that Foster returned to in project after project: howthe building meets the ground in an accommodating way; how light, views, and the interior  environment can be adjusted and modified; and how to introduce green space into an urbanenvironment such as an office building. ArchitectureWeek Creek Vean House is positioned overlooking the Fal estuary in Cornwall on a steepriverbank. The house is made up of two separate blocks at different angles to each other linkedtogether by a long glass-roofed corridor which was used as a gallery. One of the blocks is one storeyhigh and contains the bedrooms and studio and the other block is two storeys high and contains theliving room and dining room, the ground floor ooms are cut back into the hillside and the onestorey block's roof is covered in vegetation, this gives the impression the house is carved into thelandscape. All the mai n rooms have large sliding doors off the main corridor and are angled so thatthey have the best views possible out over the estuary, this results in the rooms being fan shapedwith very angular corners. The house is constructed of exposed concrete blocks and reinforcedconcrete slabs, the floors are slate. Outside the building, winding steps lead down the slope fromthe access road above the house.They step down through the building over the corridor that linksthe two blocks (the corridor has a solid roof at this point), emphasising the split in the two parts of  the building and continue down through the garden to a boat house on the shore below. The Willis Faber ; Dumas Headquarters is situated in Ipswich. unlike many office buildingsit is only three storeys high and is spread out to fit in with the shape of the surrounding streets, withthe curved glass facade showing reflections of the surrounding buildings. On entering the buildingthere is a central atrium with escalators leading right up to the rooftop restaurant.Overlooking theatrium are the different storeys with open plan office space, the layout of the office space and factthat it is so open plan gives the workplace a very communal feel. †¦ orientation is direct:you alwaysknow where you are, one can move freely, the sun penetrates everywhere and there are only a fewvisual barriers. – Norman Foster. The building was also built with a rooftop garden and aswimming pool for the employees to use in their lunch breaks but the swimming pool has since  been covered with a glass floor.Around the time Creek Vean was built (1964) James Sterling had just built the Leicester  University engineering building (1963). There are similarities between their work, both use a lot of  History and Theory of Architecture glass and non standard geometry for walls however where Foster's house tries to blend in with thesurrounding area the University building is very bold and brutal. Another house built around thesame period is Hanselmann House in Indiana, 1967 by Michael Graves. This house is verymodernist with lots of open spaces and like Creek Vean it uses steps as a link to the house.VannaVenturi House was built between 1962-1964 by Robert Venturi. Unlike Creek Vean which blends inwith its environment Venturi's house really tries to make a statement. Around the time the Willis Faber and Dumas Headquarters was built (1971-1975),The Creek Vean House shows similarities to Frank Lloyd Wright's building's, particularlyFallingwater built from 1935-1937. Wright designed the house around the surroundings, similar toFoster and so it appears that the house is almost growing out of the rock beneath it. In both housessteps are used as a passageway from the house down to the water. History and Theory of Architecture

Be given order description

Free riding can be avoided when group members and leaders ensure that all of them have their own tasks to accomplish toward the attainment of the group’s goal or completing a particular project. This argument is further explored in this essay in addition to previous empirical studies about the theory of social loafers.Free riding theory Free riding theory explains why there are individuals who may choose not to exert little or any effort since they are able to benefit form other members of the group where they belong after all.This theory suggests that an individual’s decision in participating in a group work compares the net expected benefits of exerting effort for the group and the net expected benefits of free riding (Albanese & Van Fleet, 1985). Free riders are individuals or students, in particular, who contribute little or nothing in attaining group goals or working on group projects (Delucchi, 2006). They exist because students differ in their own reasons and mot ivation when doing things, especially when others are involved.While others are trying their best to come up with outstanding projects output, others are simply satisfied with certain extent of accomplishment or results. This is the reason why some group members complain that others are not fulfilling their given responsibilities. Often free riders are seen as exploitative because they usually benefit from the effort of others even if they have not participated or only had little contribution to the attainment of group projects or goals. Advantages and disadvantages of group work The benefits of team or group work are undeniable for studies have proven its effectiveness in student’s learning.According to Eastman and Swift (2002), group work teaches students on how to collaboratively work to become more productive, more efficient, more competitive, and more creative. It also exposes them to different learning experiences and opportunities to improve their skills in organizing, communication, negotiation, problem solving, dealing with higher cognitive and technical aspects, setting goals, leadership, overcoming conflicts and difficulties, delegating work, and dealing effectively with others (Thorley & Gregory, 1994; Buckenmyer, 2000; Colbeck, Campbell, & Bjorklund, 2000).In addition, group work promotes collaborative or cooperative learning though appropriate and innovative learning methods with the use of information technology (Ravenscroft, 1997; Buckenmyer, 2000). Jones and Brickner (1996) stress the bebefits of group work in learning when students are encouraged to become actively involved and aim for development, better in class standing, higher test results, and improved attitudes towards instructor and other students. It does not hinder the students from becoming independent and autonomous learners for group work actually strengthens their capacity to perform better in school and practical situations.On the other hand, Gremler, Hoffman, Keaveney, a nd Wright (2000) found that group members often have difficulty in addressing the free riders for some students have to use words against other members when the teacher finds no proof in determining fair grades. Eastman and Swift (2002) also assert that one of the problems with group projects are the presence of free-riders, also called social loafers, hitchhikers or workhorses (Albanese & Van Fleet, 1985; Cottell & Millis, 1993).Another issue that has to be addressed when it comes to group problem includes the failure of group members to contribute ideas, exchange thoughts, share information and skills or work together effectively in order to accomplish complex tasks (Tullar, Kaiser, & Balthazard, 1998). The lack of coordination can lead to poor results when members are given specific responsibilities without working and consulting each other before a project is almost finished and to be submitted.Moreover, students’ grades could possibly suffer if assigned projects are not given enough time allocation for the students to work together and discuss the topics and management activities in the class to make their work more cohesive. Organizing face-to-face group meetings is difficult and teachers’ assistance is also crucial during the completion period of any group project so they need to allot more class hours for group projects to ensure quality and equal division of labor. Problems in group work, in which all members are assessed as a whole, can be avoided when they provide proof of participation.The free rider issue causes problems in group work for they usually depend on other member’s effort. Students can avoid resentment that free riders are getting the same grade even if they are not as responsible as others in a group by changing class policy or rules, like imposing peer evaluation, requiring checklists, and monitoring (Payne, Monk-Turner, Smith, & Sumter, 2006). Conclusion Albanese and Van Fleet (1985) found that individuals tend t o become free riders when they perceive satisfactory benefits even without contributing their fair share to the group.Free riders are the potential or rationally thinking members that may prefer not to exert great effort in helping others to achieve certain goals but still obtain benefits. When the cost of his effort exceeds the expected outcome of the group’s effort, the free rider is less likely to exert any more effort. In order to avoid such problems including other issues related to group work, changing of class policy can be an effective mitigating measure. References Albanese, R & Van Fleet, D. D. (1985). â€Å"Rational Behavior in Groups: The Free-Riding Tendency. † In Diamond, M. & O'Toole, A. (2004).â€Å"Leaders, Followers, and Free Riders: The Community Lawyer's Dilemma When Representing Non-Democratic Client Organizations. † Fordham Urban Law Journal, 31(2), 481+. Buckenmyer, J. A. (2000). â€Å"Using teams for class activities: Making course/class room teams work. † In Eastman, J. K. & Swift, C. O. (2002). â€Å"Enhancing Collaborative Learning: Discussion Boards and Chat Rooms as Project Communication Tools. † Business Communication Quarterly, 65(3), 29+. Colbeck, C. L. , Campbell, S. E. , & Bjorklund, S. A. (2000). â€Å"Grouping in the dark: What college students learn from group projects. † In Eastman, J. K. & Swift, C.O. (2002). â€Å"Enhancing Collaborative Learning: Discussion Boards and Chat Rooms as Project Communication Tools. † Business Communication Quarterly, 65(3), 29+. Cottell, P. G. & Millis, B. (1993). â€Å"Cooperative learning structures in the instruction of accounting. † Issues in Accounting Education, 8 (Spring), 40-59. In Eastman, J. K. & Swift, C. O. (2002). â€Å"Enhancing Collaborative Learning: Discussion Boards and Chat Rooms as Project Communication Tools. † Business Communication Quarterly, 65(3), 29+. Delucchi, M. (2006). â€Å"The Efficacy of Collaborat ive Learning Groups in an Undergraduate Statistics Course.† College Teaching, 54(2), 244+. Diamond, M. & O'Toole, A. (2004). â€Å"Leaders, Followers, and Free Riders: The Community Lawyer's Dilemma When Representing Non-Democratic Client Organizations. † Fordham Urban Law Journal, 31(2), 481+. Eastman, J. K. & Swift, C. O. (2002). â€Å"Enhancing Collaborative Learning: Discussion Boards and Chat Rooms as Project Communication Tools. † Business Communication Quarterly, 65(3), 29+. Gremler, D. D. , Hoffman, K. D. , Keaveney, S. M. , & Wright, L. K. (2000). â€Å"Experiential learning exercises in services marketing courses. † In Eastman, J. K. & Swift, C. O. (2002).â€Å"Enhancing Collaborative Learning: Discussion Boards and Chat Rooms as Project Communication Tools. † Business Communication Quarterly, 65(3), 29+. Jones, J. D. & Brickner, D. (1996). â€Å"Implementation of cooperative learning in a large-enrollment basic mechanics class. † I n Eastman, J. K. & Swift, C. O. (2002). â€Å"Enhancing Collaborative Learning: Discussion Boards and Chat Rooms as Project Communication Tools. † Business Communication Quarterly, 65(3), 29+. Payne, B. K. , Monk-Turner, E. , Smith, D. , & Sumter, M. (2006). â€Å"Improving Group Work: Voices of Students. † Education, 126(3), 441+.Ravenscroft, S. P. (1997). â€Å"In support of cooperative learning. † In Eastman, J. K. & Swift, C. O. (2002). â€Å"Enhancing Collaborative Learning: Discussion Boards and Chat Rooms as Project Communication Tools. † Business Communication Quarterly, 65(3), 29+. Thorley, L. & Gregory, R. (Eds. ) (1994). Using Group-based Learning in Higher Education. In Eastman, J. K. & Swift, C. O. (2002). â€Å"Enhancing Collaborative Learning: Discussion Boards and Chat Rooms as Project Communication Tools. † Business Communication Quarterly, 65(3), 29+. Tullar, W. L. , Kaiser, P. R. , & Balthazard, P. A. (1998).â€Å"Group work and electronic meeting systems: From boardroom to classroom. † In Eastman, J. K. & Swift, C. O. (2002). â€Å"Enhancing Collaborative Learning: Discussion Boards and Chat Rooms as Project Communication Tools. † Business Communication Quarterly, 65(3), 29+. Sources: Introduction For those who use group projects, the teaching strategy is particularly appealing because of its versatility. Group projects can be organized as short-term or long-term projects. Short-term group projects might have students work together for a class period or part of a class period in an effort to learn more about a particular topic.Long-term projects could be spread out over several class periods, or the entire semester. Regardless of how long the projects are designed to last, research shows a number of benefits of group work. Among others, those benefits that have been identified in the literature include the following: (1) students learn teamwork skills, (2) students improve their critical thin king skills, and (3) students gain more insight about a particular topic. As far as teamwork skills go, surveys of employers show that employers want college graduates to have developed teamwork skills (Blowers 2000).Advocates of group projects suggest that the pedagogical strategy affords students a firsthand experience to gain teamwork skills (Colbeck et al. 2000: Davis and Miller 1996: Young and Henquinet 2000). In this regard, it is believed that group projects â€Å"can effectively serve as a bridge between the academic community and the business world† (Lordan 1996: 43). Ideally, working with their peers, students will learn decision making skills and how to communicate with one another (Dudley, Davis, and McGrady 2001).In addition, the symbolic interactionist in many of us would likely not be surprised by research that shows that group work helps students develop social skills (Andrusyk and Andrusyk 2003). By working with others, students are able to assign meaning to the actions of their peers as well as their own actions. They also receive feedback–formal, informal, or both–from their peers. The feedback combined with their own interpretations of group work should foster growth in terms of students' social abilities.Under the right circum stances, the well designed and implemented group work should also help students develop their critical thinking skills (Colbeck et al. 2000; Dudley et al. 2001). While we are not aware of any studies that have examined how group projects foster the development of critical thinking skills, general findings about group work from past research tacitly suggest that the strategy could be successful in this regard. For instance, some research suggests that group projects help students to address ethical and societal considerations that arise when students work together (Roberts-Kirchoff and Caspers 2001).If the student group is diverse, students will learn about one another's backgrounds, values, and b eliefs. Indeed, others have also suggested that group projects can help students learn about multicultural issues they would otherwise not learn about (Doyle, Beatty, and Shaw 1997). Researchers also suggest that students may learn more about whatever topic is being considered if they work in groups. For example, Adams and Slater (2002) suggest that group work supplementing lectures helps make courses more interesting to students, and subsequently helps students learn more.Most instructors have stood in front of a class only to wonder if their only purpose on that day was to serve as a sedative for the majority of the class. Group work advocates argue that most any topic can be made interesting by actively involving students in the topic through some form of collaborative learning, of which group work is just one strategy. While a number of strengths for this form of teaching strategy have been noted in the literature, potential drawbacks have limited its use. In this study, we cons ider how students believe group projects should be changed in order improve their pedagogical success.METHODS Surveys were distributed to 145 students who had just recently completed a group project. The group project was a semester long group research project that students completed. A survey composed of both open-ended and close-ended questions was distributed to the students at the end of the semester. The results of the open-ended questions have been addressed elsewhere. In one of the close-ended questions, students were asked what they would change about future group projects. The results to this answer were content analyzed using standard rules of content analysis.FINDINGS The students had a number of recommendations for future group work. These recommendations were divided into student centered and faculty centered themes. Student centered themes were those recommendations in which respondents seemed to be offering advice to future students participating in similar projects. These included (1) communication as a value to improve group work, (2) leadership and teamwork, and (3) goal development. Faculty centered themes were those recommendations in which respondents were citing things faculty members could do to improve group work.The following four faculty centered themes were uncovered in the analysis: (1) oversight, (2) grades, (3) situational themes, and (4) anomic themes. Student Centered Themes Communication as a Strategy to Improve Group Work. Several students, recognizing the importance of interpersonal communication, recommended that fellow group project participants hone their communication skills. Students offered tips such as â€Å"Listen to everyone's idea–No matter what it is;† â€Å"Make sure everyone understands the information and the process;† and â€Å"Communication is key. When a group fails to communicate, the group as a whole suffers.† Another student recommended, â€Å"just bonding more† while ano ther cited â€Å"people keeping in touch† as a step to improve group work. Leadership and Teamwork. Students also provided advise suggesting the importance of leadership and teamwork in future group projects. In terms of leadership, students made comments such as the following: * Assigned leaders are needed. * Assign more specific roles. * Need to have defined task assignments for members. Some students provided a bit of detail describing the importance of leadership in group projects. For example, one student made the following comments:It was easier to get the project done by dividing up the work. We worked well together for the most part. One individual has considerable leadership talents and he kept our group on track. Others just deferred to his ideas and we did what he told us to do. He assigned our tasks and made sure they were completed. Another student who made the following comments also described this leadership process: [You need to] learn the habits of others and learning who has the qualities of taking charge of a group. I thought it was interesting to watch who would become the leader and which group would members would follow the leader.With regard to teamwork, students also suggested that, while groups may need a leader, members of the group must be willing to work together. Students made comments such as â€Å"Everyone has to do their part;† â€Å"Everyone working together and doing their part;† â€Å"Teamwork;† and â€Å"Spread around responsibility. † The need to work together appeared to be an especially salient recommendation in this sample. One student emphasized this need in the following manner: â€Å"Everyone has to work together!! † Indirectly indicative of the need to work together, students recognized the need to share all aspects of the project.As an illustration, according to one student, future students doing group projects must remember to â€Å"bring calculators to the restaurant or b ar to figure out a fair tip for the bartender divided five ways. † Goal Development. Some comments made by students also implied the importance of goal development for future group projects. For example, one student advised, â€Å"We all had the same motivation and ambition. † Other students made comments such as â€Å"clarity of goals† and â€Å"commitment to goal† as suggestions for future group. In considering their goals, some students seemed to define their grade as the goal.Said one student, â€Å"If everyone was equally dedicated to getting good grades, or if groups were assigned based no dedication. † Another student recommended that students â€Å"take their job seriously, not just for their grades, but for others' grades. † Faculty Centered Themes Oversight. In terms of faculty centered themes, some students suggested more faculty input in future group projects as a strategy to improve group work. Some students recommended more guid ance in the beginning of the project. One student, for example, said, â€Å"The instructor should assign the topic instead of letting the group pick a topic.† Another student said, â€Å"The teacher could have taught more in the beginning. † A third student called for â€Å"more direction from the instructor,† implying that direction would help in the beginning of the project. Other students recommended assistance in motivating group members. For instance, one student said, â€Å"Specific deadlines may help group members turn in their material in a timely manner. † Grades. Several students offered recommendations for how professors overseeing group projects should grade the projects. One student, for instance, recommended that professors use grades to â€Å"to force the students to participate.† Another student expanded on this recommendation: [You should have] mandatory meetings, groups should be graded on how often they come to the group when the y meet. It would make a person show up more to group meetings because a percentage of his or her grade would depend on it. Other students also resented the fact that â€Å"free riders† were getting the same grade they got and recommended changing this policy. One student said that â€Å"having some of the project reflect individuals so that everyone is not getting the same grade† would help group work.Another student said, â€Å"I didn't like relying on someone else and having it effect my grade point average. † A third student who made the following comments seemed even more concerned about â€Å"common grades† [You need] more accountability for individual work. When my grade depends on the intelligence and responsibility of other people, I get nervous, especially when some don't bother to come to class. Interestingly. when students talked about grades, they were not concerned with what they were learning or doing: rather, they were concerned with almost solely with their grade and whether it was fair.Situational Themes. Situational themes refer to comments that reflected specific dynamics of the group project that instructors could possibly influence. Three situational themes that arose included the number of meetings, time, and location. In terms of the number of meetings, one student recommended that â€Å"Members should meet as frequently as possible. † To be sure, faculty members could require a certain number of group meetings. With regard to time, a student said that â€Å"longer class periods† would improve group work. Another student suggested that â€Å"time †¦and less stress from other courses† would improve group work. While faculty cannot control the amount of stress students feel from their other courses, they can control the amount of class time devoted to a group project. In terms of location, students also made recommendations regarding where the group project work should be done. For exam ple, one student said the following: â€Å"I have trouble doing group work where there are many groups working on different projects in the same room. I like that we were able to meet at different locations outside of school.† Another student also said she had problems meeting in class and recommended â€Å"more discipline from other groups that are in the same vicinity. † Anomic Themes. Some students made comments which we characterized as â€Å"anomic themes† because the students were unable to suggest anything positive about group work, or improving group work. In effect, they seem to exhibit a sense of normlessness or an enormous aversion to group work. For example, when asked what could be done to improve group work, some students made the following comments: * Getting rid of it * Nothing can be done to improve group work.It is inevitable. * There's always going to be problems. Other students provided a little more detail describing their aversion to group work. One student, for instance, said that it is important to remember for future projects â€Å"that there are some people who will never be reliable and some that always have to be the bomb. † Perhaps the most pessimistic comment made was the following: I didn't like anything. We shouldn't have to do group projects or any kind of individual research projects. I don't think research projects will help us in our jobs in the future. Itisn't needed and is a waste of time. It is important to note that the vast majority of students had favorable impressions of the project. DISCUSSION Based on what our students learned, a number of suggestions can be made for future group projects. These recommendations include: (1) overcoming faculty resistance to group work, (2) overcoming student resistance to group work, (3) ensuring students realize the purpose of the project, (4) providing appropriate oversight for students, (5) scheduling the group work appropriately, and (6) helping groups set and attain goals of the project.These suggestions are addressed below. First, enough research has been done to show that group projects, in various forms, can be an important part of students† undergraduate curriculum. Faculty must come to appreciate and realize the importance of these group projects. Of course, group projects are not a panacea and some faculty hold these projects in complete disregard (Ashraf 2004). However, students have much to gain from group projects. Not only will they learn about the topic, but just as important, students will learn important skills, and they will learn about themselves.Certainly, group projects are not appropriate for all courses or all instructors. Still, group projects should be integrated into all majors' coursework in one form or another to ensure that majors are learning how to work together, how to learn from one another, and how to communicate with one another. Second, faculty who implement group projects in their courses w ill need to overcome student resistance to group efforts. This aversion likely stems from the fact that students are accustomed to traditional pedagogical strategies in which instructors lecture to students, who are tested on the lectures.Over one hundred years ago, in The Theory of the Leisure Class, Thorstein Veblin (1899) commented, The aversion to change is in large part an aversion to the bother of making the readjustment which any given change will necessitate †¦. A consequence of this increased reluctance, due to the solidarity of human institutions, is that any innovation calls for a greater expenditure of nervous energy in making the necessary readjustment than would otherwise be the case. Indeed, based on our experiences, we have seen many students expend â€Å"nervous energy in making the necessary readjustment† that makes the accustomed to group work.Imagine for a moment if group work were the traditional and customary teaching style for students. Then, what would happen if we pulled the group out from under them and asked them to do an individual project? Many students would likely have the same aversion that they now have to group work. They'd have to learn new strategies of doing things, and this is something many of us resist. In the end, it seems what is best is to find a blend of teaching strategies in which students are encouraged to work both individually and in groups.Third, and on a related point, faculty should stress to students what they have to gain from group projects. Typically one would expect that the goals of the group project are not just completing the project, but gaining the experience of working together. This aspect of group work should be included on the syllabus so that students realize that the faculty member empathizes with students' concerns. At a minimum, students should be told how group work improves their communication skills, enhances their critical thinking skills, allows for reciprocal learning, and teaches them to work together.From a symbolic interactionist perspective, communicating openly with students about the purpose of group projects will help to give meaning to the students' experiences. Assigning meaning to their experiences before the projects begin will also help better understand one another's actions. They will learn that conflict is possible and that they can overcome this conflict by working together. Moreover, their interactions with members of their groups will help to develop them as novice social scientists (See Berg 2004). Fourth, faculty members should provide appropriate oversight over the groups as needed.It's not just our students who noted the need for oversight Research by Livingstone and Lynch (2000) finds that the degree of faculty guidance will play a role in determining whether the students find value in team-based learning. Oversight is especially important in the beginning stages of the group project when group members are still in the process o f the defining their own roles and tasks as well as their peers' roles and tasks. Part of this direction should be instilling within students the importance of learning teamwork skills (Page and Donelan 2003).Direction may be needed to make sure that students are attending group sessions and working towards the ideals of the group. While group members may do things themselves to encourage participation by fellow group members, ultimately, the instructor has the greatest leverage over students. Describing the direction that faculty members should provide, Lordan (1996: 45) writes, â€Å"Like supervisors in the professional world, the teacher should strike a balance between letting students work out their own problems and stepping in to keep them on track.† As well, instructors need to provide oversight inasmuch as they are helping students find suitable places on campus to do their group work. (They may also want to remind students how to do division long hand so they are able to divide up the tip for the waiter or waitress at the bar or restaurant where they meet with their calculators). Fifth, instructors should make sure students are clear on how they will be graded on group projects. Here, as noted earlier, there is great disagreement among those using group projects as to the best way to assess group projects.Some instructors prefer to give all group members the same grade for the group project. Others see this process as inherently unfair (cites) and call for individual grades. Whatever grading method is used, it is important that students understand the grading process and its rationale. Finally, instructors should play a role in helping groups to define, and refine, their goals. Our experience has been that students tend to define their goals in three stages. First, they begin with aspirations of getting a good grade. The next stage replaces the goal of a good grade with the goal of completing the project successfully.This stage is ultimately rep laced with the goal of a good grade. Instructors can foster better goal attainment by encouraging students to focus more on learning and less on getting a good grade. If groups can define the group's goals, and the members' goals, in a way that they focus more on tasks (e. g. , developing a good research question, gathering literature, developing a methodology, doing the research, analyzing the research, and writing a final paper) and learning rather than getting a good grade, then the likelihood of a successful group project increases.Tying individual goals in with group goals is a central aim of collaborative learning (Johnson and Johnson 1994). Students in this study at least indirectly recognized the importance of meshing their own goals with those of the group. Our intent in this paper is not to be prescriptive but to simply generate thought and discussion about a common type of active learning strategy. We recognize that professors vary in their teaching strategy preferences. We do not expect all professors to want to use group projects in their courses, nor do we expect all courses to be amenable to group projects.Still, it is hoped that all undergraduates will participate in at least some group projects during their undergraduate years. While there are flaws with group projects, the benefits of getting students to work with one another are meaningful enough to rely at least somewhat on group projects in some courses. REFERENCES Adams, Jell and Tim Slater. 2002. â€Å"Learning through Sharing. † Journal of College Science Teaching 31: 384-386. Andrusyk, D. and S. Andrusyk. 2003. Improving Student Social Skills through the Use of Coop erative Learning Strategies. M. A. Research Project, Saint Xavier University, Abstract accessed from ERIC, July 5, 2004.Ashraf, Mohammad. 2004. â€Å"A Critical Look at the Use of Group Projects as a Pedagogical Tool. † Journal of Education for Business 79(4), 213-216. Blowers, Paul. 2003. â€Å"Using Student Skill Assessments to get Balanced Groups for Group Projects. † College Teaching 51(3): 106-110. Colbeck, Carol L.. Susan E. Campbell, and Stefani Bjorklund. 2000. â€Å"Grouping in the Dark. † Journal of Higher Education 71: 60-78. Davis. Barbara and Thomas Miller. 1996. â€Å"Job Preparation liar the 21st Century. † Journal of Education for Business 71 (5): 258-270. Doyle, Eva. Chris Beatty, and Mary Shaw. 1999.â€Å"Using Cooperative Learning Groups to Develop Healthy Cultural Awareness. † Journal of Social Health 69(2): 73-80. Dudley, Lola, Henry David, and David McGrady. 2001. â€Å"Using an Investment Project to Develop Professional Competencies in Introduction to Financial Accounting. † Journal of Education for Business 76(3): 125-131. Johnson, D. W. and R. T. Johnson. 1994. Learning Together and Alone. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon. Livingstone, David and Kenneth Lynch. 2000. â€Å"Group Project Work and Student Centered Active Learning. â₠¬  Studies in Higher Education 25(3): 325-345. Lordan, Edward. 1996.â€Å"‘Using Group Projects to Sharpen Students' PR Skills. † Public Relations Quarterly 41 (2): 43-47. Page, Diana and Joseph G. Donelan. 2003. â€Å"Team Building Tools for Students. † Journal of Education for Business 78(3): 125-128. Roberts-Kirchoff. Elizabeth and Mary Lou Caspers, 2001. â€Å"Dialogues as Teaching Tools. † Biochemistry and Molecular-Biology Education 29(6): 225-228. Young, Carol B. and Janet A. Henquinet. 2000. â€Å"A Conceptual Framework for Designing Group Projects. † Journal of Education for Business 76(1): 56-60. Brian K. Payne Elizabeth Monk-Turner Donald Smith Melvina Sumter Deportment of Sociology and Criminal JusticeOld Dominion University. Norfolk. Virginia Payne, Brian K. , Monk-Turner, Elizabeth, Smith, Donald, & Sumter, Melvina (2006). â€Å"Improving Group Work: Voices of Students. † Education, 126(3), 441+. COPYRIGHT 2006 Project Innovati on (Alabama); COPYRIGHT 2006 Gale Group Group projects are integral to the business curriculum and can be useful in developing students' skills and abilities as managers. However, faculty encounter several problems with group projects, including assessing students' efforts, aiding good communication and coordination among members, and making sure the project is a truly collaborative effort.Technology may aid in addressing these problems; electronic discussion boards and chat rooms, for example, can help faculty and students enhance collaboration and increase the accountability of group members. Keywords: Discussion boards, chat rooms, collaborative learning, student projects INCREASED GLOBAL COMPETITION and other changes in the business environment over the last several years have led organizations to restructure themselves. One aspect of that restructuring is a shifting of responsibility and decision making downward and a movement toward self-directed work teams (Cohen, 1993).To pr epare students to thrive in this environment, we obviously need to teach them effective teamwork and communication skills. This article describes two tools that can help accomplish this task, the electronic discussion board and the chat room. These can foster interdependence in group projects and deeper, active learning. First, we discuss the need for and benefits of collaborative projects, the problems of group work, and the role of technology in such projects. We then provide recommendations for incorporating these electronic tools in business communication classes.Need for Collaborative Projects in Business Courses As many researchers have noted, the structural shift towards teams occurring in many organizations should be reflected in the classroom (Bobbitt, Inks, Kemp, & Mayo, 2000). Using groups in class thus prepares students to work collaboratively in the business environment while promoting collaborative learning in the classroom itself. The first benefit of group work in th e classroom is that it teaches students how to work collaboratively in the business environment.Business organizations repeatedly indicate that the increased use of teams in the real world has increased students' need for exposure and experience with teams (Buckenmyer, 2000). Companies that use teams creatively spend many hours and dollars training individuals to work in teams and training managers to manage teams. Through working in groups, students can enhance their abilities in setting goals, delegating work, and dealing with conflict (Colbeck, Campbell, & Bjorklund, 2000). They can also improve their communication, leadership, problem solving, and technical skills.All of these skills are highly rated by recruiters and employers and will help graduates meet the demands and rigors of the workplace (McNally, 1994). The second benefit of group work is that these projects promote collaborative learning. University educators have embraced cooperative learning methods as ways to engage students and to foster cooperation (Ravenscroft, 1997). Researchers have found that the values of Generation X are highly individualistic, visually-oriented, and aligned with information technology, not with the sharing of information (Buckenmyer, 2000).Thus, group course projects, with proper guidance, can help these students learn to deal effectively with others. Group work learning can be an excellent way of encouraging the development of higher cognitive skills in students (Thorley & Gregory, 1994) and can be effective even for relatively quiet group members. When groups work well, students consistently fare better in class, on tests, and in attitudes towards the instructor and each other (Jones & Brickner, 1996).The quality of learning is improved by peer support, with students gaining experience in communication, negotiation, organization, and task management. Cooperative methods have been recognized as effective ways to motivate students to become actively involved in learni ng. The collaborative group project creates a forum that allows students to take an active approach towards their own education. The security of working within a group provides an excellent entree into the progression to independent and autonomous learning (Maguire & Edmondson, 2001).Problems with Group Projects The many benefits of collaborative projects, however, are often offset by problems. First, a common problem is the failure of the group to work together effectively. Students may exert an individual effort but are unable to coordinate their efforts effectively with their group members to achieve any kind of synergistic benefits (Tullar, Kaiser, & Balthazard, 1998). Group members need to be contributing their ideas, questioning and learning from each other, and building on the efforts of the other members.For collaborative learning to occur, students must coordinate the diverse skills and abilities of their group members to address a complex task (Tullar et al. , 1998). A sec ond problem is that often group members simply divide a project so that each individual writes a portion. Then, just before the project is due, the students bring in their disks and combine files without coordinating their efforts or talents effectively. Third, group work often leads to unequal contributions of members, resulting in â€Å"hitchhikers† and â€Å"workhorses† (Cottell & Millis, 1993).These â€Å"hitchhikers,† also called â€Å"free riders† and â€Å"social loafers,† can cause problems in the workflow of the group, as they do not do their fair share. Members of the group have difficulty addressing the free-rider problem and documenting the problem and their efforts to solve it (Gremler, Hoffman, Keaveney, & Wright, 2000). The issue becomes one student's word against another's as the teacher tries to determine fair individual grades. Finally, group projects are often assigned without the allocation of class time for groups to develop co operative skills or to become cohesive (Michaelsen, 1992).There is limited time in class to discuss both the needed topics and the mechanics of group management. In many cases, groups meet on evenings and weekends when faculty members are not available for assistance. Additionally, many group members are geographically and temporally dispersed, which makes organizing face-to-face group meetings difficult. The Role of Technology in Enhancing Collaborative Learning Active and cooperative learning approaches will be counterproductive unless they are thoughtfully implemented and well supported.Communication tools like discussion boards and chat rooms can be effective in inter-team collaboration as well as in faculty-student communication. These tools can help ease the problems discussed in the previous section. By solving these problems with technology, faculty can address three learning goals: empowering students, improving their communication skills, and developing their ability to wo rk collaboratively. Finally, these technological communication tools offer teaching opportunities by allowing faculty to be more accessible to students and to track students' efforts better.Addressing Group Project Problems Internet-based tools can be a tremendous help in coordinating team efforts, particularly when the team is geographically (whether by a few miles or a few thousand miles) or temporally dispersed (Kaiser, Tullar, & McKowen, 2000). With technology, groups can meet either synchronously, using chat rooms, or asynchronously, using threaded discussion boards, in which group members contribute to the group discussion at times convenient to their schedules over a defined time period.These tools enable everyone in the group to talk at the same time or at their convenience by typing their comments into the forum that instantly distributes their comments. Additionally, strong personalities have greater difficulty dominating the group as everyone has equal access to the †Å"floor. † Students may feel more comfortable presenting ideas this way than in a face-to-face meeting, and the quality and professionalism of their ideas may be higher, knowing that their participation is being monitored.The discussion forum also gives all students ample time for reflection so students' responses are often more thoughtful than those in face-to-face situations. Studies have illustrated this level of increased and more evenly distributed participation from students in computer-supported groups (Tullar et al. , 1998). Addressing Learning Goals Projects provide opportunities for experiential learning, that is, students apply what they have learned to real-world situations and thus develop decision-making skills. But in doing so, projects often produce anxiety as students struggle to determine what answer the instructor wants.However, with these projects, whether it be a case, a report of a business issue, or a business plan, faculty are typically not searching fo r one right answer, but rather are concerned with the process that students use in solving problems. Teaching students to ask the right questions is thought to be more important than giving students the right answers. In the real world, there is neither one right answer nor is there a â€Å"sage on a stage† that can direct students to the right answer. Students need to learn how to find and to support the answers for themselves.The use of electronic discussion boards and chat rooms can aid student learning in the struggle through the project process. Thus, three learning goals can be addressed through the use of electronic discussion boards and chat rooms with experiential group projects: (1) empowering students to become active participants in their learning, (2) increasing students' communication skills in describing and solving problems, and (3) enhancing students' abilities to collaborate and work with others in developing their own resources in solving problems.To achiev e these goals, education must involve interactivity among instructors, students, and the materials, and electronic discussion boards and chat rooms can enrich that interactivity. Providing Additional Teaching Opportunities Another advantage of these tools is the opportunity for faculty to participate in the discussions and e-mails. Faculty can use these tools to demonstrate concern for students and to provide additional accessibility and feedback.In fact, the transactional distance encourages faculty to maintain a facilitative role rather than an authoritative role (Moore, 1993). Finally, these tools make it easier for faculty and students to keep track of what everyone has said as there is a written record (Kaiser et al. , 2000). Students have the opportunity to reorganize and reshape their understanding of course content. The Web-based tools allow thoughts to be captured for future examination, elaboration, and extension. The end result is usually more robust and thoughtful discus sions.In fact, threaded discussions can extend the time that both instructors and students invest in the course (Bruce & Hwang, 2001). Recommendations for Using These Tools Many universities are starting to use various computer course tools or platforms to promote online learning. These platforms, such as BlackBoard or WebCT, can be used to design either Web-based or Web-assisted courses. For several years, we have used discussion groups and chat rooms in Web-based classes but have also found that communication can be enhanced in traditional classes through use of these tools.Since more business organizations are using electronic tools, such as Lotus Notes, to facilitate group meetings, using them in the classroom helps students further prepare for their careers. However, the wise faculty member will be advised that these tools should be used judiciously. Therefore, based on our experience, the following suggestions are made to faculty who are considering the use of Web-based tools. Discussion Boards Instructors and students can compose and post messages electronically on electronic discussion boards.Both public and private discussion forums can be implemented. With many computing platforms, such as WebCT, faculty can set up public forums to start threaded discussions for the class to which the students can respond electronically. Students can use these public forums to post questions to which the entire class can respond, such as for help in finding information for the project. A project normally seems easier when the instructor is discussing it in class and few questions arise. However, students' questions occasionally occur after class or on weekends.The discussion board allows the opportunity for students to post problems asynchronously and to receive input from the class. The burden is no longer on the instructor to solve every problem as it occurs but is on the students to work with each other as well as with the instructor in solving problems. This is a tremendous lesson for students to learn to deal with problem solving in the real world. When an employer gives an employee a project or task to do, he/she expects the employee to do it on his/her own and not ask for assistance from the employer every step of the way.Students have to learn to be problem solvers on their own, and the use of electronic discussion boards helps develop that skill. The professor's role is to help get the conversation started. For example, the instructor can post a question on the public project discussion board asking at which sites people are having success finding information for the project. The students can then respond. Those students who respond in a useful manner will be rewarded, such as with a participation grade. Those students or groups who do not respond can be asked on the discussion board for their input.When students see the progress other students are making, they may be spurred to work harder. Additionally, the faculty need to check the discussion board frequently to see if any misinformation is being spread, to ensure â€Å"netiquette† is being practiced, and to restart the conversation as needed. Finally, faculty can take questions that the students ask individually and request that the students post them on the discussion board. In that way the instructor only has to respond once, and similar inquiries can then be referred to that response.This will eve ntually build a culture in the class where the instructor is not seen as the sole source for information, and the students learn to work with each other in solving problems. Additionally, instructors can create private forums to be used to divide students into groups for class exercises or for the use of asynchronous coordination of group projects in which group members cannot all meet at the same time. The instructor can visit these public and private forums to track group progress, to encourage students to help each other to solve problems, and to provid e assistance as needed after the students have tried first on their own.In the private group forums, the students are encouraged to use the board to organize group meetings, to post their research findings, and to post drafts of their work for their group members to see and make comments. The professor can encourage individual group members to post their contributions to the paper to the private forum for the other members to see and post suggestions. This would increase group collaboration in a manner that can be documented. After the group has collaborated on a draft of the project, the instructor can offer suggestions.Finally, instructors should consider requiring the groups to post progress reports on their efforts periodically during the term. These progress reports describe what the group has accomplished, what the group's plans are, if there are any problems, and if there are, how they are being addressed. The instructor should provide guidelines as to what the groups should have accomplished by the progress report dates so the students can determine if they are on track. While these reports could be submitted on paper, doing it through the discussion board makes it easier for group m

Free Essays on Hoop Dreams

Hoop Dreams â€Å" He whose face gives no light shall never become a star.† Three filmmakers spent seven years in inner city Chicago to construct a documentary based on the lives and dreams of two boys, Arthur Agee and William Gates. The social institutions of education, sports, economics, and family influenced the growth and development of these two young men. Education played a major role in influencing both Arthur and William. Arthur gets accepted to Saint Joseph’s as a freshmen in High school. He will get a better education, and have a better chance at college at this school. In his first year, Arthur starts out at a fourth grade level. He does not advance much by the end of the first term, and he does not look to be very promising. Arthur ends up being thrown out of Saint Josephs, and has to return to the inner city school, Marshall High School. William is also accepted to Saint Joe’s as a freshman, and he does extremely well his first year. William starts out at a fourth grade level just as Arthur had, but he advances. William went from the fourth grade level to eighth grade in just one school year, which was a significant change. He did so well that Patricia Wier, a wealthy white woman, decided to pay for all the rest of his school, and any other expenses. So, Arthur did not achieve the success he had hoped for in his education, but William did. The sport of basketball was the one main social institution that had a big influence on Arthur and William. Arthur had big dreams of playing in the NBA, and he followed those dreams to the last. Arthur went to Saint Joes’ and he did not play as good as they had hoped, so they dropped him. Then he went on to Marshall high school, where he took them to State. This was a huge accomplishment for Arthur, and it go him into a junior college, despite his academic deficiency. Sports was the main thing that kept Arthur together and kept him focused, without it, h... Free Essays on Hoop Dreams Free Essays on Hoop Dreams Hoop Dreams â€Å" He whose face gives no light shall never become a star.† Three filmmakers spent seven years in inner city Chicago to construct a documentary based on the lives and dreams of two boys, Arthur Agee and William Gates. The social institutions of education, sports, economics, and family influenced the growth and development of these two young men. Education played a major role in influencing both Arthur and William. Arthur gets accepted to Saint Joseph’s as a freshmen in High school. He will get a better education, and have a better chance at college at this school. In his first year, Arthur starts out at a fourth grade level. He does not advance much by the end of the first term, and he does not look to be very promising. Arthur ends up being thrown out of Saint Josephs, and has to return to the inner city school, Marshall High School. William is also accepted to Saint Joe’s as a freshman, and he does extremely well his first year. William starts out at a fourth grade level just as Arthur had, but he advances. William went from the fourth grade level to eighth grade in just one school year, which was a significant change. He did so well that Patricia Wier, a wealthy white woman, decided to pay for all the rest of his school, and any other expenses. So, Arthur did not achieve the success he had hoped for in his education, but William did. The sport of basketball was the one main social institution that had a big influence on Arthur and William. Arthur had big dreams of playing in the NBA, and he followed those dreams to the last. Arthur went to Saint Joes’ and he did not play as good as they had hoped, so they dropped him. Then he went on to Marshall high school, where he took them to State. This was a huge accomplishment for Arthur, and it go him into a junior college, despite his academic deficiency. Sports was the main thing that kept Arthur together and kept him focused, without it, h...

Using the Rare Apostrophe in Spanish

Using the Rare Apostrophe in Spanish The apostrophe is almost never used in modern Spanish. Its use is limited to words of foreign origin (usually names) and, very rarely, poetry or poetic literature. Spanish students should not imitate the common uses of the apostrophe in English. Foreign Words Me siento vieja. Pero, cest la vie. I feel old. But such is life.Un jack-o-lantern es una calabaza tallada a mano, asociada a la festividad de Halloween. A jack-o-lantern is a pumpkin carved by hand and associated with Halloween festivities.Sinà ©ad Marie Bernadette OConnor es una cantante nacida en Dublà ­n, Irlanda. Sinà ©ad Marie Bernadette OConnor is a singer born in Dublin, Ireland.McDonalds ofrece una gran variedad de alimentos de alta calidad. McDonalds offers a big variety of high-quality foods. Note that in all the above cases the words would be recognized as being of foreign origin. In the first two cases, the use of the words with apostrophes would be seen as a Gallicism and Anglicism, respectively. Literature and Poetry The apostrophe can occasionally be found in centuries-old poetry or literature as a way of showing that letters have been omitted. Such use is very rarely found in modern writing, and then only for literary effect. Nuestras vidas son los rà ­os / que van a dar en la mar, / ques el morir. Our lives are the rivers / that flow to give to the sea, / which is death. (From Coplas de Don Jorge Manrique por la muerte de su padre, 1477.) ¿ ... quà © me ha de aprovechar ver la pintura / daquel que con las alas derretidas ...? ... what could it help me to see the painting of that one with the melted wings ...? (From the 12th sonnet of Garcilazo de la Vega, c. 1500-1536.) One exception in modern usage is the slang spellings of mijo and mija for mi hijo and mi hija (my son and my daughter, respectively). Such a spelling should not be used in formal writing. According to the Royal Spanish Academy, the apostrophe should not be used in the following instances, which are considered Anglicisms: To shorten years, such as using 04 for 2004. Simply 04 can be used instead.To make plurals. The Spanish word for apostrophe is apà ³strofo. An apà ³strofe is a certain type of insult.

Faster, Pussycat Kill Kill (Russ Meyer, 1965) Essay

Faster, Pussycat Kill Kill (Russ Meyer, 1965) - Essay Example Tura Satana, the actress, who plays the main role in the film, has a violent and magnificent appearance. Her makeup is aggressive; she wears black costume and scares off men. What was the main intention of the director, when he showed a woman from a different perspective, than it used to be in the society? Female empowerment can be seen in the aggressive female characters. This is a kind of fantasy, where a female dominatrix leads the whole story. This is a strong female character, which is able to cause a physical damage to a man with her karate moves or with the help of her car, pressing Vegetable to the wall. In such a way, we can claim that the film director created an image of a pop powerful woman, showing her unnatural and weird, but really attracting for the audience. A strong female character has an enormous power influencing men around her. Her appearance is not the main toll for her, but her energy and emotions, which are directed on destruction. All these features enable the main female characters to be violent and aggressive creatures, who want to take power back from men and live on their own, for their own satisfaction. On the one hand, the character of a violent woman is a great social challenge. There is no tenderness or vanilla in these girls†¦They do not make any attempt to be calm housewives, but remain rough and speed up in their cars. In the episode of young man’s spine cracking, there is a great panic and emotional turmoil among the girls. There is a direct juxtaposition of men and women power, when Varla comes to the Old Man and his two sons live. There is an air of danger, but this air is filled with sexual restrain. Billie reveals her libido and wants to stay alone with a handsome young man. On the other hand, the main features of female feelings and emotions are prevented by a potential intention of exploting women. Therefore, there is rather ambiguous feeling after watching this film. I am sure that