A Deadly Mistake Uncovered on Academic Editing Service and How to Avoid It

A Deadly Mistake Uncovered on Academic Editing Service and How to Avoid It Life After Academic Editing Service The service is likely to make improvements and allow you in having a suitable format. Therefore, it's well worth hiring a professional service to boost your writing. Proofreading services, and editing solutions, can help you avoid many issues. Deciding on an editing service that could offer a fast TAT is beneficial in such scenarios. What You Don't Know About Academic Editing Service Moreover, you can have a look at clients' remarks to rate the kind of currently offered academic help right from the tin. Whenever you're on the market for loyal academic papers editing assistance, most importantly, you really give consideration to remarkable factors just that make it stand out from the rest of the on-line businesses in the market. There are lots of services who can become your help wherever you're. Any time you're choosing well-performing academic papers editing sup port, to begin with, a person give consideration to really forte highlights that may set apart this service from the rest of the reliable companies in the company. Whatever They Told You About Academic Editing Service Is Dead Wrong...And Here's Why Moreover, if you'd like your paper to be finished on any acceptable date, you won't be charged additionally. Research papers by oxbridge educated proofreaders to make sure your research is finished. The majority of the students don't keep up a coherent structure. If you're a student who doesn't just wish to obtain a great grade and forget about it, our services are an ideal fit for you. There's no chance your own personal information might be disclosed. So in case you have any particular requirements, please inquire. However difficult your assignment is, we'll do our very best to fulfill all your requirements and requirements. It is possible to apply for as many revisions as you need and we'll provide them until you're totally pl eased with the outcome. The Ultimate Academic Editing Service Trick The author's written paper self-check, generally, shows low outcome and always wants an expert review. You'll get your paper in parts and will have the ability to pay for it in installments. Then you need to contact our highly-qualified editors. When you are looking for sites to acquire your academic paper to be edited. Academic Editing Service: No Longer a Mystery Editing isn't an easy job. Our editors will definitely complete all of the editing related tasks before the deadlines. They are always ready to reedit your assignment. They focus on an individual aspect at a time. Academic Editing Service - Is it a Scam? This experience isn't simple to master for beginners. The services provided by us are also extremely beneficial for native speakers of English who'd prefer another pair of professionally trained eyes to make certain that the work they submit for journal publication comprises no errors or inc onsistencies and is normally polished to perfection. Our group of professionals is always there for you regardless the sort of paper you are going to complete. Admitting, it's not quite as low-cost as it is possible to find, there's surely a changeable concession system for most recent and also ongoing customers. Applying a fresh coat of paint is the simplest way to revitalize the appearance and feel of your house. There's a great deal of work when proofreading because you've got to rectify your work in every fashion. You have to admit that you still require help once in a little while, even if you're amazing and can write everything by yourself. This system guarantees that work is achieved in a seamless and timely method. Academic Editing Service: No Longer a Mystery Along with the revised text itself, you will observe that there are numerous comments that were left in the right-hand margins of the paper. Below isn't only by oxbridge educated proofreaders. Where necessary, a concise comment is written to make sure that you understand why significant changes were produced on your paper. The very best comment is that which we refer to as a general comment. There are respective reviews and testimonials online which might offer you a good idea. It actually is tough to find factual de tails about website qualification mostly from its site, though you might acquire essential contacts like phone number. It is possible to explore our website further for more details. More info is found on the COPE site. Introducing Academic Editing Service Don't forget that unless you're an expert with tons of experience, it's ideal to work after a great night's rest. Taking advantage of professional academic editing can aid your work reach its potential and boost your probability of being published in the professional journals in your area. Our academic editing services are incredibly beneficial to students who don't have enough time to diligently review an important final course essay or simply need expert help to comprehend how to enhance their writing later on. Each author should check and correct her or his own work, clearly, and having colleagues or mentors read the paper and provide a constructive commentary is also a great idea.

The Art and Science of Leadership- Free-Samples for Students

Question: Write an Essay on Leadership and Management. Answer: Introduction: A study is to be conducted to evaluate the advantages that value based leadership lay in the organisational scenario of the rule based organisation. The study would be developed on the background scenario of the Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC). It would be based on the journey of Lieutenant General Janet Wolfenbarger who served as the Vice Commander of AFMC. During her tenure, she was entrusted with the responsibility of initiating certain structural change in the organisational scenario of AFMC. Such changes drew severe criticism from various quarters like the Congressmen rebuked her for being progressing with the changes, but she remained firm on her responsibilities (Winig, 2016). Wolfenbarger cited that such changes though would be instrumental in closing 7 out of 12 centres of the AFMC base and doing away with 9,000 civilian jobs, the result would be a better structure for AFMC enhancing its efficiency. Throughout the process, Wolfenbarger maintained a strong personality of he rself to initiate the right action for the benefit of AFMC and her motherland which shows the enunciation of the value based leadership. Value based leadership: The core aspect of value based leadership lies in motivating the subordinates by associating them with the organisational goals linking with their personal values (Prasad, 2014). In value based leadership, the leaders are responsible for communicating the organisational values to his fellow members so that they could actively support the mission undertaken by the organisation. For instance, Wolfenbarger while taking over the command of AFMC on her very first day called for a meeting of her subordinate commanders to brief them of her approach. It served as an opportunity for the new commander to bring in confidence her subordinates to implement the structural change of the highly esteemed institution of AFMC. It is done on the part of Wolfenbarger to concentrate on the core values of the institution to provide efficiency at its optimal level. The efficiency element would apparently form the guiding principle portraying the strength of the institution (Craig Campbell, 2012). It is bec ause the core value of efficiency holds the soul of the institution AFMC irrespective of the passage of time and dynamic scenario. The value based leadership strives to be the role model for his followers as seen in the case study wherein Wolfenbarger stands for integrity, service before self and excellence in every sphere. So her subordinate commanders have her live examples which would motivate them to accomplish the task given to them (Buelens, et al., 2011). The strong personality of Wolfenbarger would apparently inspire the entire workforce and direct her subordinates too to believe in the depth and sincerity of the institution. The edge of value based leadership lies in four distinct principles self-reflection, balancing act, self-confidence and general humility. It is considered that self-reflection in the sphere of value based leadership has the ability to recognise and reflect for which the leader stands for in context to his value and his aim (Armstrong, 2014). As seen in the case study, Wolfenbarger has been very clear about her views as she is determined to implicate the changes in the organisational scenario of AFMC as it would bring about a very constructive change in its organisational sphere. The balancing act principle shows the ability to foresee situations from multiple standpoints and differing Belvederes to have a greater understanding. The balancing act, in this case, implies considering all the scenarios with equal weightage and an open mind (McShane, et al., 2012). Wolfenbarger has seen that the structural change would be instrumental in saving billions of dollar of the American exchequer and also implicate efficiency at a greater level for which AFMC strives for. Self-confidence is another competitive edge that characterises the value based leadership as they could recognise their strengths and weaknesses for contemplating constant development (Herman, 2011). Wolfenbarger has faced severe criticism from the Congressmen and a section of the AFMC officers for initiating such changes. But she was confident enough that the scheduled changes are about to bring in the organisational sphere of AFMC. It is seen that the structural change has been beneficial of saving costs worth $6 billion. Further beyond the cost effectiveness, AFMC achieved process improvement which impacted the mission on a significant note (Winig, 2016). It was this self-confidence that was able to hold herself as she was confronted by the might of the Congressmen. General humility is another sheer advantage that the value based leader stands for keeping life in perspective, especially while the leader is at the helm of his career (Robbins, et al., 2013). Accordingly, Wolfenbarger has given accreditation to the wide family of Air Force she belongs to and keeps her service over and above herself even at the expense of her personal life to accomplish her goals. In value-based leadership, leaders are responsible for managing the value of the business by influencing their team members positively, so that are able to perform their responsibilities successfully and make sure the achievement of goals and mission of the organisation. It is essential for the leaders to lean on organisational value for the purpose of improving the performance. Leaders are also liable to influence team members and motivate them so that they can make the necessary changes and ensure the enhancement of business value (Nahavandi, 2016). Leaders of value-based leadership must be moral and authentic and need to have the capability to make important as well as a positive decision based on the purpose of business. One of the major advantages of value-based leadership is it helps in enhancing the leadership quality. From the provided case study it has been observed that Wolfenbarger has performed various roles for the aim of making and implementing essential changes and enhancing the military value (Ospina, Kersh, Alraqhas, 2015). Leadership roles performed by Wolfenbarger enable her to improve leadership quality and lead the teams in a successful manner. Another advantage of value-based leadership is it also facilitates in mitigating business related issue along with ensuring the prevention of business from unnecessary problems. Wolfenbarger has taken certain initiatives for the purpose of reducing the problems that would arise during the time of making changes. She also motivates her team to perform the roles in a proper way along with ensuring the upcoming mitigation issues and enhancing the leadership as well as work value. She also has taken the initiative to mitigate the problem associated with the military work (Chhokar, Brodbeck, House, 2013). Value-based leadership also ensure the healthy and productive culture, which is an advantage of this leadership. Based on the case study it is noticed that Wolfenbarger always try to maintain a good culture so that team can perform their day-to-day work successfully and attain the mission. Along with several advantages, there are also certain disadvantages of value-based leadership, for example, such type of leadership require strong and expertise leaders. As per the given case study, Wolfenbarger is case study is a strong leader and have the capability to perform its roles and responsibilities and lead its team properly (Copeland, 2014). But still, there is a problem in terms of the deal with the difficult situation for the reason of certain ineffective personnel, which is acknowledged by Wolfenbarger. It creates a problem in making the necessary changes in military and implementing the new structure. Another disadvantage is lots of time and resources to gain success. Due to lack of effective resources, Wolfenbarger faced the issue in terms of cope-up with new changes and handling the complex situation in an efficient manner. In this context, it is important for Wolfenbarger to develop efficient plan and strategy to deal with the problems along with improving the valu e of military work and leadership. Conclusions: It is perceived that the aspect of the value based leadership does not lead them to lose their sight of their original goal or task as seen in the case study done on Wolfenbarger. The lady has been accredited for being the first woman to hold the helm point of AFMC, and she got the responsibility for initiating the historical structural change in the organisational sphere of AFMC. Her attributes of self-reflection, balancing act, self-confidence and general humility have paved her to bring in the required changes in AFMC in the face of stiff opposition from influential sources in the government. It is the essential characteristics of the value based leadership that Wolfenbarger possesses that helped her to put forth her responsibilities over and above everything else even her personal life. She has been a strong leader who has never bowed out of the scenario, but she initiated processes that led her to do the right thing at the right time. Therefore it is hereby concluded that it is the value based leadership aspect of Wolfenbarger which initiated the right action in the rule based organisation like AFMC. References Armstrong, M. . T. S., 2014. Armstrong's handbook of human resource management practice.. London: Kogan Page Publishers. Buelens, M., Sinding, K. Waldstrom, C., 2011. Organisational Behaviour. 4th ed. London: McGraw-Hill Education. Chhokar, J., Brodbeck, F. House, R., 2013. Culture and leadership across the world: The GLOBE book of in-depth studies of 25 societies. London: Routledge. Copeland, M., 2014. The emerging significance of values based leadership: A literature review. International journal of leadership studies, 8(2), p. 105. Craig, T. Campbell, D., 2012. Organisations and the business environment. London: Routledge. Herman, R. D., 2011. The Jossey-Bass handbook of nonprofit leadership and management. London: John Wiley Sons. McShane, S., Olekalns, M. Travaglione, T., 2012. Organisational Behaviour: Emerging Knowledge. London: Global Insights. Nahavandi, A., 2016. The Art and Science of Leadership -Global Edition. London: Pearson. Ospina, S., Kersh, R. Alraqhas, Y., 2015. Exploring Value-Based Leadership in Public Careers. Public Administration Review, 75(5), pp. 770-773. Prasad, K., 2014. Making wise decisions: leadership lessons from Mahabharata. Journal of Management Development, 33(8/9), p. 835 846. Robbins, S., Judge, T. A., Millett, B. Boyle, M., 2013. Organisational behaviour. London: Pearson Higher Education AU. Winig, L., 2016. Value Based Leadership: A Platform for the Challenge-Opportunity Driving Tough Organizational Changes, Cambridge: Harvard Kennedy School.

Top Ten Tips for Student Essay Writing -

Top Ten Tips for Student Essay Writing Tip 1: Answer the Question. Keep the question in mind as you write, and be sure to clarify how each point you make relates to it. Do not introduce irrelevant information: however interesting you may think it is, if it does not help you to answer the question, you will not get credit for it. Tip 2. Make focused notes. A proper understanding the question set should guide not only what you write, but also what you read. You cannot write notes on everything, so only include what may be relevant to answering the question. Â   Tip 3. Set an early deadline. Begin by outlining what you are going to say, how you will structure your arguments, and what evidence you will draw upon in order to substantiate your claims. This means setting an early deadline for your first draft, leaving ample time for later revisions and improvements. Tip 4. Provide a clear structure. Use the introductory paragraph to clarify your understanding of the question and to outline what you will cover. Ensure that each step in the argument is clearly signposted so that the reader is never left wondering why a particular point is being made. Tip 5. Use plain language. Avoid verbiage and convoluted sentences. Long words and sentences are more likely to obscure your key arguments and annoy your examiner than gain you extra credit. If you are not sure how a word should be used or what it means, leave it out and use another instead. Tip 6. Get straight to the point. Do not ramble or beat around the bush. Nothing should appear in your essay that does not contribute to the overall argument. If you cannot summarise the argument of your essay in a few sentences, you probably need to gain more clarity about what you want to say. Tip 7. Provide critical analysis and elaboration. Showing that you have correctly understood the course material is important but only a starting point. Â  Summarising without providing critical analysis and argumentation will not earn you a high grade. Tip 8. Anticipate objections. A good academic essay not only provides arguments and evidence for its claims, but also attempts to demonstrate why opposing views are flawed. Spend some time, then, thinking about possible counter-arguments. If you can refute them, do so; if you can't, you may need to revise your argument. Tip 9. Summarise your argument. Use the conclusion to provide a succinct summary of your essay, to draw your themes together, and to clearly demonstrate that and how you have answered the question. Try to push your argument through to some kind of resolution, and avoid just sitting on the fence. Tip 10. Proofread, revise and format. Carefully proofread your work (and/or have somebody else do it for you) in order to ensure correct spelling, grammar and punctuation. Make revisions and amendments, tightening up sentences, sharpening your prose, and deleting redundant words and phrases. Format and reference your essay in accordance with your department's preferred specifications.

How did Kodak change its strategy to respond to the opportunities and threats in the photographic imaging market

How did Kodak change its strategy to respond to the opportunities and threats in the photographic imaging market 3. - How did Kodak change its strategy to respond to the opportunities and threats in the photographic imaging market?In the beginning the strategy followed by Kodak due to a new and a big market of the recording imaging in paper "the photography" was: mass production to lower production costs; maintaining the lead in technological development; extensive product advertising; and the development of a multinational business to exploit the world market.Along many years the company operated in monopoly, with a lot of investment to growth and to consolidate the position, but the high cost, a inflexible structure made it to adapt to a low cost policy and new products such as the simple to use 35mm camera or the instant photography, photographic laboratories and new products to recording images.Despite of the more aggressive environment the chief executive Colby Chandler changed the strategy of Kodak in order to increase the competitiveness and to take some opportunities of the market.Colby Chandler (All My Children)The company focused in 4 operating groups: imaging, information systems, health and chemical.In the imaging group the idea was to cover some necessities in the photographic market, create new and better products, and improve its position in the film processing market.So, the company had to reduce costs again and bought some companies (Texas-Based, Fox Photo Inc.) and formed ventures to create products with the name of Kodak (i.e. Matsushita or Chinon). Also it was needed to increase the amount in publicity to compete with other brands such as Fuji.The strategies of Kodak in the other operating groups were basically to acquire companies in order to diversificate the business. That was possible because Kodak has been the leader in the photography market for many years, this capability made that was able to pay s in 1985 for...

Please see order description Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Please see order description - Essay Example Many states are withdrawing funding for women’s abortion and women’s health clinics. 2. Health professionals attempt to create language that is more inclusive of experiences with different bodies, sexualities, genders and families, but they also still use the language of shame and disorder. Medical articles focus on people who are diagnosed with congenital adrenal hyperplasia or Mayer Rokitansky Kuster Hauser Syndrome and who need immediate medical attention to fix the problem, such as surgery or hormonal treatment. However psychological interventions are mostly excluded from the research. 3. Sexual differentiation is a critical developmental process, and causes structural and functional differences between sexes. The Y chromosome affects an undifferentiated gonad so that it develops into testis and the lack of Y gene causes an undifferentiated gonad to develop into an ovary. During puberty, the testis secretes testosterone, and the ovary secretes estrogen and progesterone. Sex steroids find receptors in the brain to trigger sexually dimorphic behaviors. Sexually dimorphic patterns can be explained by different expression of genes, GIF268 and ERK2. 4. As women in our evolutionary past risked enormous investment as a consequence of having sex, evolution favored women who were highly selective about their mates. The selective cues are components of desire, economic capacity, social status, age, ambition, industriousness, dependability, stability, intelligence, compatibility, size, strength, good health, love and commitment. These qualities provide important information about the benefits a potential partner can bestow, such as the acquisition and steadiness of resources, and solutions to the problem of protection. In the modern world, successful women place an even greater value than less successful women on mates who have professional degrees, high social status and greater intelligence, an

HW12 Math Problem Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

HW12 - Math Problem Example Prepare the journal entry to record the allocation of net income. (List multiple debit/credit entries in descending order of amount.) Assume the partnership income-sharing agreement calls for income to be divided with a salary of $30,000 to Guillen and $25,000 to Williams, with the remainder divided 45% to Guillen and 55% to Williams. Prepare the journal entry to record the allocation of net income. (List multiple debit/credit entries in descending order of amount.) Assume the partnership income-sharing agreement calls for income to be divided with a salary of $40,000 to Guillen and $35,000 to Williams, interest of 10% on beginning capital, and the remainder divided 50%-50%. Prepare the journal entry to record the allocation of net income. (List multiple debit/credit entries in descending order of amount.) The Best Company at December 31 has cash $20,000, noncash assets $100,000, liabilities $55,000, and the following capital balances: Rodriguez $45,000 and Escobedo $20,000. The firm is liquidated, and $110,000 in cash is received for the noncash assets. Rodriguez and Escobedo income ratios are 60% and 40%, respectively. The Best Company at December 31 has cash $20,000, noncash assets $100,000, liabilities $55,000, and the following capital balances: Rodriguez $45,000 and E

A Reflection On My Learning Styles Education Essay

A Reflection On My Learning Styles Education Essay INTRODUCTION This reflective essay aims to draw reflection from experience acquired from the Learning from Practice and Reflection (LFPR) module studied at level 1. My own development during this period will be examined in addition to issues encountered in the progression of the event/activities endeavoured upon. In an attempt to demonstrate significant comprehension of my learning from experiences encountered during this process, emphasis would be made on the learning style(s) utilised and how these were examined and developed. My preferred and actual pursued roles will also be highlighted to show how I developed and/or changed behaviours. How I have managed to develop new and existing skills will be assessed and the extent to which I understand myself and my learning. Finally, I would evaluate the potential scope of improvements made and in need of being made by looking ahead in order to perceive how things would be done and what I would do differently resulting from lessons learnt from past experience. The aforementioned analysis will be well structured to cover the different stages (planning, implementation and evaluation) involved in the activity pursued, and will be made against a backdrop of theory and models that would be utilised and act as supporting evidence accumulated from the module. In doing so, one must also acknowledge the importance and relevance of such a topic due the wide scope it possesses to the extent of being applicable far and beyond this module, university life, but to greater dimensions at the peak of ones career. Learning styles, preferences and skills learnt and adopted could be further honed and tailored around ones expertise in order to maximise ones potential and capacity. This would prove crucial and particularly beneficial in areas where there is much at stake, not to mention the flexibility involved in its transferrable nature (the acquisition of transferrable skills such as organisational, decision making, communication, research, IT appropriate numeracy and group work) where its concept could be implemented in areas/situations of a less magnitude such as nurturing kids to adopt such learning techniques a an early age when starting a family or general everyday experiences. LITERATURE ON LEARNING STYLES/CYCLES PREFERENCES Honey and Mumford The process of learning has been found to be multi-dimensional as various schools of thought have come up with various theoretical models that conjure how people learn. Among the most renowned is Kolbs (1984 1995), who presented learning as a cycle; evolving on a constant basis. Viewing this one can easily reason perhaps why academics such as the likes of Kunzel(no-date) would argue from a psychological standpoint that learning is a journey or a lifelong process. The diagram below illustrates the Kolbs (1984; 1995) initial development of learning as a cycle: Subsequently deduced from the original cycle above is Honey and Mumfords (1992) learning cycle illustrated below: The second enhanced version seems to suggest that in every learning situation, the learning process involving the learner should move consciously through every stage of the cycle. However, this may be found contrary to practical reality and experience which show significant preferences for one or more of the stages over others and that not all learners are well grounded in all stages of the cycle. Although some learners may positively or negatively dislike one or some of the stages, there is nothing to prove or indicate that such preference systems make learners better or worse than one another. Relevant and directly aligned to each stage of the learning cycle, Honey and Mumford (1992) identified four different preferential methods in which people prefer to learn, namely; Activist, Reflector, Theorist and Pragmatist. People tend to operate in just one or in a combination of these modes depending on the degree of preferences, because rather than being fixed characteristics, these are assumed to be acquired characteristics adaptable either through evolved circumstances or at will. Additionally, it is said as mentioned by Honey and Mumford (1992), that ones managerial approach usually reflects ones learning style or vice versa. Honey and Mumford (1992) also found: Activists tend to prefer being proactively involved and dominated by imminent and new experiences with a philosophy of wanting to give a go at anything at least once. This consumes their days with activity and problems are usually tackled through brainstorming. Honey and Mumford (1992) also suggests that activists are busy looking for another activity once the short bursts of excitement from one has sedated. Apparently according to Honey and Mumford (1992), activists are bored with implementation and longer-term consolidation processes and are least productive in learning from passive situations centred on concept or theory that may include the likes of watching and listening to lectures or reading, but rather tend to thrive on and relish the challenge of new experiences. One may argue however, that this element of interest does in fact involve implementation however short-termist it may be, so perhaps it is long-term implementation that activist dislike, but can tolerate short-term as long as it serves their needs of interest and preferences. Activists also prefer not to review their learning achievements and opportunities and dislike situations requiring detailed preparation, solitary work or repetitive tasks. Reflectors prefer to stand back, listen, observe and ponder on experiences from various perspectives, and learn best when doing this. This process usually involves collecting information (either first-hand or from others) to be thoroughly thought through from every possible angle before coming to any definite conclusions, comments or actions. As a result, characteristics traits present in reflectors include postponing outcomes as long as possible; always exercising caution, whilst watching other people in action preferring to occupy a back seat in discussions and meetings, always thinking before speaking, adapting a low profile and possessing a slightly tolerant, distant and unruffled aura. Honey and Mumford (1992) suggests reflectors are weaker in learning when rushed into things without time to plan or with inadequate data, when pushed into role play duties like chairing a meeting. Theorists as learners enjoy analysing and synthesising; by combining and converting distinct facts and observations into comprehensive logical theories. Theorists are said to learn best when presented with a concept theory, system or model irrespective of the potential distance from reality associated with such application. This philosophy relishes logic and rationality. Honey and Mumford (1992) state that theorists enjoy being intellectually challenged; preferring to work with structure, a clear purpose, and being allowed to: investigate associations and interrelationships question assumptions and logic analyse reasons and to generalise from deductions Theorists are said to usually think things through in a well structured and logical manner with high perfectionist tendencies; restless unless and until things fit well into a rational scheme or sequence. Characteristic of this learning preference is keen interest on principles, theories, models, assumptions and systems thinking, and detached, analytical and dedicated to rational objectivity in nature. Anything flippant, subjective in judgement, ambiguous and lateral in thinking, tend to be of discomfort to theorists, who are weaker in learning when: supposed to do something without clear purpose activities are unstructured and ambiguous emotion is emphasised faced with shallow activities subject supporting data is unavailable feeling out of tune with the rest of the group (Honey and Mumford, 1992). Pragmatists are more concerned with making things work on a practical reality by possessing a keen interest on implementing theories, ideas and/or techniques learnt (either recently or previously) to test if they work. This is a feat in slight contrast with reflectors and theorists. Pragmatists are said to positively (and perhaps proactively) search out new ideas and relish opportunities to experiment with applications. They enjoy getting on with things, making practical decisions and solving problems, and are confident and decisive when acting on ideas proving attractive. Pragmatists are also practical and down-to-earth in nature; responding as a challenge to problems and opportunities with a can do, there always a better way or an it is good if it works attitude. Such attitude can be easily perceived as positivist and optimist in mentality or way of thinking. Honey and Mumford (1992) suggests that pragmatists are best at learning when there is a clear link between their current job or (team) role and what is being learnt (the subject matter). They are said to enjoy exposure to processes or techniques clearly practical in nature with immediate relevance where there is a high probability for an opportunity to exist for implementation. As identified by Honey and Mumford (1992), points of weakness in learning with such preference are where there are no immediate rewards, benefits and/or relevance existing from learning activity and/or event(s). After completing Honey and Mumfords (1992) learning styles questionnaire, my highest and second highest score was against reflectors and theorists respectively. This indicated that strengths and learning preferences centred on those of reflectors and theorists and weaker in comparison to adapting traits of activists and pragmatists learning styles. Additionally, my personal results of Honey and Mumfords (1992) learning survey indicated that I preferred watching and thinking than doing and feeling; which effectively placed me in a philosophy category. This complemented the theorist style of learning more than the reflectors by suggesting that I preferred: to dwell on observations and pull thoughts into an integrated whole in a structured manner, logical reasoning, theories, projects and models, analogies, systems, case studies and lectures; courtesy of Clarke (2010). Equipped with this knowledge, placed me in a better convenient position to benefit from choosing the most suitable and adaptable learning techniques, experiences and opportunities at given activities/event(s)/tasks such as the group activity we embarked upon as on a module requirement. Additionally, there are options now available at least consciously where learning styles can be developed in order to expand the range skills available for learning purposes. Considering that by preference, with regards to the three main stages involved in any given task/activity/event (planning, implementation and evaluation), reflectors and theorists are more keen and productive in the planning and evaluation sides of things as opposed to activists and pragmatists implementation, it is of no surprise that I also enjoyed and performed better during these stages (planning and evaluation) of our group activity. Pragmatically speaking this does not suggest however, that Honey and Mumfords (1992) learning cycle theory was not at all contradicted or called into question at times in reality, as it would be quite naive to deem it flawless especially considering the wide dimension of learning styles preferences theory and literature out there. This criticism of Honey and Mumfords (1992) learning cycle matches Smiths (2001) fourth criticism of the cycle which outlines that the ideological sequences do not necessarily equate to reality. Among other criticisms by S mith (2001) worth mentioning is the fact that cultural conditions and experiences are not at all considered and acknowledged, not to mention the subjective perhaps pre-judgemental and weak empirical evidence it relies on for diagnosis. The overriding criticism of this learning cycle is Smiths (2001) sixth but not least criticism which quite rightly points out that the relationship between knowledge and learning processes is much more complex than Kolb (1984) and Honey and Mumford (1992) suggest. Emphasising this point is the Islamic principle and philosophy described so eloquently by Abdalati (1975) as; the truth and knowledge are not entirely confined to sensory knowledge or perception alone. This principle is so firmly rooted when pondered upon that it goes further to expose the fact that any view held or derived by an individual(s) without infallibility or divine revelation, is usually based on the rationalisation of ones own prejudices. LEARNING LOG These were noticed and considered upon critical reflection of critical incidents aided by the utilisation of a learning log which kept track of how I was managing my learning. Consciously and deliberately, time was taken out to focus on my performance during the course; as is the emphasis of this essay. The objective of this is to review thoughts that led to specific actions, outcomes, and lessons learnt from experience in order to be well equipped and informed for future practice; weaknesses could be developed and repeated mistakes avoided. From an enhanced version of the earliest known version of the renown proverb initiated by Julius Caesar,: experience is the teacher of all things, author Pliny the Elder in Naturalis Historia (A.D. 77) mentioned experience as the best teacher, which does emphasis the rationale behind such learning methods. When used critically, the technique of critical reflection can assist one to hone skills. The learning log; which in essence is a diary, a pro gress file or a journal of event/activities with short term reactions to activities, can significantly in the reflecting process. The learning log used during this module can be summarised into three main sections, these were: An actual log; this was a detailed/brief account of what happened Immediate Reactions to situation/activity A Rear View; looking back at what significant outcomes would I take away from event/activity, what lessons were learnt and if anything could have been done differently looking ahead for the future One of the most significant of critical incidents logged (courtesy of Gallagher (2010)) during our group activity within the period of this module was recording briefly that I had left my phone behind on the day we were supposed to be selling cupcakes at university and only realising it 15 minutes after leaving the house on my way to pick up the cakes from a group members house. My immediate reaction was one in rational non-panic mode; with less emotional attachment to the situation I assessed the fact that it was not at all imperative to have my as opposed to the imperativeness attached to actually having cupcakes for sale, being on time to secure a good spot and to allow enough time to plan ahead on the day to make sure everything was in order running smoothly than rushing into things with less thought; traits usually associated with lateness. So I decided not to go back for it and proceeded to my destination which was to a team-members house to pick up the cupcakes. This of course complemented a philosophy style of learning, with the only contradiction being that if philosophers due think things through logically and prefer structure, then surely there should have been provisional scope made in my thoughts to make sure I did not leave my phone behind especially in an important occasion as our big day as far as our group activity was concerned where communication could play crucial roles for organisational and logistical purposes. The counter argument to this would perhaps be acknowledging the fact that no man is perfect not even the best of philosophers not to mention a mere student and besides, surely not all group members would forget their phones; so in such terms this was not a deal breaking error that would seal ones fate, but was easily absorbable and offset by other more superseding factors. In the looking back section of this log, lessons learnt was to go that extra mile to prepare a little bit more; perhaps by making a shortlist of essentials and to dos and tick each one and I go along; this ensures all bases are covered in events leading to a big day/event/activity/occasion/meeting and so on. This is something I could do differently in the future in any role applicable. Overall, I rated my performance and confidence in this critical incident as 4. PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PLANNING Subject to necessary changes a personal development plan (PDP) is most relevant to target driven job/role as highlighted by Honey and Mumford (1992) and is usually utilised for unexpected opportunities and/or weaknesses. To monitor ad record progress, a PDP also identifies areas in need of improvement. Set criteria/targets are usually individualistic and unique to individual performance. Overleaf is a copy of one among PDPs made during module, but this drew reference to the group activity: What I am going to do Open the sales of cupcakes by picking up cakes, setting up stall and begin selling the cakes and the documented accounting for sales Why I am going to do this My personal contribution as s a group member in an attempt to achieve success; a goal that unifies all group members as we are all in this together How I am going to do this Plan ahead, through structured and logical manner, logical and rational reasoning over the logistics involved with the delivering of the above target. Make sure estimated time of arrival is early, cakes are ready for pick up on time, use selling, numeric and bilingual skills to the best of my ability to close as many sales as possible When I am going to do this On the 21/03/11 When I will review the results /how I will know I was successful Post 21/03/11 Courtesy of Honey and Mumford (2006) Quite similar to a learning log to the extent that it extracts from ones learning log and appraisal documents, but perhaps more challenging, target driven and development orientated. A PDP would usually include dates, event/activity, achievement/results, interpretation of achievement/results against a benchmark, lessons learnt and any possible room for improvement or what could be done differently is under-achieving. OTHER RELEVANT MODELS: VAK Leite et al. (2009) highlights one of the most renowned classifications of the different kinds of learning styles is Flemings VAK also known as VARK which is an expanded version of neuro-linguistic programming models. As an abbreviation the VAK stands for: Visual learners; prefer seeing/thinking things through pictures, handouts, visual aids like PowerPoint slides and so on. Auditory learners; prefer learning by listening via lectures, tapes, discussions and so on. Kinesthetic learners; prefer learning by experience; actually doing on a physical dimension; be it experiments, moving, touching, and active exploration to name a few (Walter et al., 2009). Upon taking the VAK survey, Visual learning was revealed as my preferred learning style and my goal thereon was to focus on visual aids as a main source of learning in order to maximise my educational experience. However, to avoid getting too carried away with this model, it is hard not to recognise the fact that all three styles within VAK are required for effective learning in the pursuit of knowledge and experience as they are inter-related/-dependent and used more often than not interchangeably. Although it supplemented my other identified styles of learning (reflector/theorists/philosophy), my preference for visual aid for instance as a visual learner would still require listening when benefitting from a PowerPoint presentation being presented by a lecturer unless one was deaf or chose to cover their ears and kinaesthetic element involved would be efforts and energy required to access it in the first place be it using a computer/laptop, jotting down notes or taking a walk into t he classroom again unless one was immobile or chose to be stationary. Emphasising this fact of objective criticism is the mere fact that losing any one of the imperative senses directly associate specifically with anyone of VAK classifications would equate to having a learning disability irrespective of what type of learner/learning preferences one is/has. BELBIN TEAM ROLES Source: XenerGie (no date) The above illustration outlines the nine different main team roles that people are scored on depending on how strongly they express behavioural characteristics of the nine roles, which are more or less self explanatory. The overall assessment process involved to derive such results is known as the Belbin Team Inventory or Belbin Self-Perception Inventory (SPI), which was instigated by Belbin (1981; 1994) to measure preference for the main roles. My SPI results indicated that my most natural roles (where I scored exceptionally high) were as: A Plant; described by Belbin (1981; 1994) as someone with bright ideas who prefers to work on his or her own and generates ideas without considering the practicality or considering others views and can be bored easily by others inputs. Plants are also described as weak at communicating with, learning from, or managing, other people. A Monitor Evaluator; Excellent in reasoning for solutions, views from a wider perspective when all options are considered, but similar to plants weaker at motivating, acknowledging, or facilitating others as rationality is favoured over emotions. A Completer Finisher; Possesses depth to efficiently assist a team to see task(s) through but with major emphasis on accuracy and perfection which can frustrate other practically minded members. Members feel safe by him although there still remains a tendency to annoy due to perfectionism characteristics. My results in totality with key for decipher and interpretation purposes are illustrated below: Courtesy of Belbin (1981; 1994) IM Implementer CO Co-ordinator SH Shaper PL Plant RI Resource Instigator ME Monitor Evaluator TW Team Worker CF Completer Finisher Very Low 0-5 0-3 0-3 0-1 0-2 0-2 0-3 0-1 Low 6-8 4-5 4-6 2-3 3 3-4 4-5 2-3 Mid-Range 9-12 6-9 7-14 4-7 4-7 5-9 6-10 4-8 High 13-15 10-13 15-18 8-9 8-10 10-11 11-13 9-10 Very High 16+ 14+ 19+ 10+ 11+ 12+ 14+ 11+ Courtesy of Belbin (1981; 1994) BELBIN SELF PERCEPTION INVENTORY EXERCISE DT360 From the results shown above, it is clear that absolute coordinating and team worker roles are best avoided as I had very low scores on them, although on average I am capable of assuming shaper and resource instigator roles with relative ease. Some may argue that a more objective and rational method of executing this model would have been to rank each statement in order of preference with the highest rank being made on a statement that best described ones behaviour/personality rather than being confined to 10 points where it is inevitable that some statements would be unaccounted for even though one may have a degree of response for them. Surely it would be fairer in distribution and unbiased if all statements were accounted for to some degree, although keeping the key hidden among the statements and not revealed until ones completed the survey does account to an extent for objectivity. The model can also seem quite daunting and complicated for participants with poor numeric skills; (as a total of 10 points has to be maintained for each number), to the extent that they may be easily confused, put off or end up providing a false reflection due to inaccuracies or poor calculations. Additionally, the fact that Belbin (1981; 1 994) defines an ideal team as consisting of 4 members and anything over this constitutes of a group. This implies that the model is best applicable to teams than groups, but in practicality teams in the workplace and in most cases than not are usually exceeding 4 members. The contradiction of this is that the total number of team roles being tested are 9 (far excessive than 4), although one may argue that depending on the overall goal/objective/activity/event at hand, it may not be an imperative to have all 9 roles present in your team, but perhaps the best/most suitable 4 selections from the 9 that would best serve the overall task at hand. JOHARI WINDOW Initiated by Luft and Ingham (1955), a Johari Window is usually used as a heuristic activity in an attempt to assist people to comprehend interpersonal relationships and communication much better and is seen as a cognitive psychological tool. In terms of input and facilitation, in comparison to the other models aforementioned, this model tends to be less individualist and more interactive (imperatively requiring others input). As revealed by Luft (1969), in practice, a list of 56 adjectives is provided (to both the subject and peers) and utilised by both in the same way but independently input (picking 5 or 6 adjectives), to describe the subjects personality, which are then sieved and mapped onto a grid similar to the one found below (relevant to myself and completed for this module): 2. BLIND SELF Warm Sympathetic Warm Proud Self-conscious OPEN SELF Happy Kind Nervous Adaptable Friendly Known to self Not known to self Known to others 3. UNKNOWN SELF Reflective Observant Logical Adaptable Organised 4. HIDDEN SELF Complex Independent Loving Modest Dignified Not known to others Handy (2000) describes this concept as a house with 4 rooms; moving in a clockwise direction: Room 1; represents traits of my personality that I share in common with peers in terms of awareness. These adjectives were selected by both me and peers. Room 2; represents traits of my personality that I am unaware of, but revealed by peers. These descriptions were selected by my peers only without my input. Room 3; represents traits of my personality that were oblivious to both me and my peers. These were in effect selected by the other aforementioned models revelations and indications; these adjectives that best described my found learning preferences/styles. Handy (2000) describes this room as the most mysterious where the unconscious or subconscious part of us noticed by neither ourselves nor others. Room 4; described as confidential; the part of us known only to us and not others. These adjectives were selected by only me. The limitation with this window is that the number of adjectives does not always tally with what is required; and an uneven distribution of selections would have to be made more often than not; which may invalidate findings to an extent in terms of bias. However, this only tends to be an issue if a requirement is made to ensure an even distribution of adjectives across all 4 rooms is achieved. There is nothing to suggest in the theory that an uneven distribution across the rooms is unacceptable or invalid, rather the main emphasis is actually only made on an even independent selection of adjectives between subjects and peers. The problem with this is, if I did not select any adjective that matched my peers selection, would mean room 1 would remain empty. There is also some ambiguity on the frequency of selection required for each participant; is it confined to once or are multiple frequencies of selection allowed to offset such limitation? CONCLUSION PLANNING This was part of the group activity that I enjoyed the most and quite rightly so as indicated by the learning cycle/preferences models. I was proactively involved in this part of the session and my confidence in doing so was mostly thanks to completing most of the learning style/preferences models in precedence to the actual activity. I made the most of knowing where my learning preferences, strengths and skills lay by maximising my potential input/contribution to the group activity. Demonstrating traits of a reflector, theorist, plant, monitor evaluator, completer finisher, in a visually orientated dimension meant this role and stage of activity was performed naturally. One of my most productive and influential contributions at this stage of the activity was the highly imaginative idea to suggest that we considered raising money for charity as this seemed feasible under the circumstances considering our limited resources in terms of lack of funding (a concession from which the idea to submit a funding request stemmed from; although this attempt ultimately proved futile), and limited capacity to produce a lucrative venture under such confinements such as limited timeframes and manpower. Deciding on actually which charity (in this case red nose) to support/represent came from another team member. I must admit that I did not pay much interest or attention on the ins and outs involved in seeing through, although I was quite passionate about the idea. Moving forward perhaps I should develop my pragmatism on this aspect a bit further in order to be more specialised on hands-on experience. IMPLEMENTATION It is obvious that this was not my strongest point and as opposed to the brainstorming phase of the activity, I was not too much involved in this part of the procedure. My main input in this stage of the process was merely driving to picking up the cakes from a group members house (who happened to be more involved with liaising with the producer and negotiating on a price) setting up the stalls and a passive participation in selling on the day of sale. During this time I was better at observing spanners at work, how they work and generating ideas from gone wells and not gone wells. I was more committed to tracking our progress on sales projecting sales based on current sales ad how long we may be expected go on for. It was my idea that we always made sure we had spare change available, which required for each of us to bring coins along on the day. This highlighted preferred passion for the evaluation sides of things as similarly expressed for the planning stages. There is a lot that I have learnt from the implementation process and there is also a lot more to learn provided I am more involved in this stage, the realisation that theories do not always work in reality for instance would more easily verifiable and assessable. EVALUATION I did enjoy the evaluation stage other than the aspects of implementation involved in this process. My evaluation skills contributed toward the drive that was derived from projected findings on sales that led to us completing sales three hours ahead of schedule whilst generating a healthy profit of 64.5% and a total contribution of pou