Advantages and Disadvantages of System Testing

Advantages and Disadvantages of System Testing Assessment and reporting are the means by which learning can be monitored and stakeholders can be informed of achievement. Its educational aspect sees results used to identify strengths and weaknesses and improve future learning, and its instrumental aspect involves grouping of students according to achievement . Parents, teachers and students are interested in its educational function, whereas external stakeholders such as governments are concerned with the instrumental aspect. Movement towards a global and digital economy has necessitated skilled and knowledgeable school leavers, crucial for Australias social and economic prosperity. Governments therefore require schools to demonstrate student achievement at acceptable levels to justify their economic support . This accountability also ensures the community understands provision of funding and services to schools . To provide this information, assessment must be undertaken on a national scale. As the information required differs to that required in the classroom, strategies for assessment differ in design, implementation and reporting. National assessment must be inexpensive, rapid and externally mandated, and results must be transparent and accessible . Herein lie the issues with national testing. Authentic assessment is becoming popular in the classroom, testing real-life experiences and practical knowledge over numerous assessment tasks. In contrast, national tests assess students on one occasion and rely on a pen-and-paper mode of deliver, leading to debate over validity. Benefits of system-wide testing Over the past 40 years, international and national testing has increased substantially. While early implementation assisted selection of students for higher education, more recent national assessment is used to evaluate curriculum implementation . As different curricula operate throughout Australia and internationally, benchmarking has been developed to facilitate comparisons between countries or students and identify strengths and weaknesses . In Australia, the National Assessment Program (NAP) incorporates annual NAP literacy and numeracy (NAPLAN), and three yearly sample assessments in science literacy, civics and citizenship, and information and communication technology literacy. Most debate surrounds NAPLAN, hence it will be discussed further. NAPLAN proceeds under direction of the Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs (MCEECDYA, previously MCEETYA) and is federally funded. It was developed to test skills essential for every child to progress through school and life . Each year, all students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 are assessed in reading, writing, language conventions and numeracy. NAPLAN endeavours to provide data enabling Government to: analyse how well schools are performing identify schools with particular needs determine where resources are most needed to lift attainment identify best practice and innovation conduct national and international comparisons of approaches and performance develop a substantive evidence base on what works . NAPLAN claims to achieve this by collecting a breadth of information that cannot be obtained from classroom assessment. Government benefits from analysis on such large data samples: outcomes for groups including males/females, Indigenous and low socio-economic status students provide an evidence-base to inform policy development and resource allocation . Comparing individual students to others in their state, and national benchmarks provides detailed information for teachers to inform future learning. Individual students can also be mapped over time, to identify areas of improvement or those requiring intervention. In addition, national testing assists students moving schools in that it allows immediate identification of their learning level by their new school . Strict guidelines surround reporting of results to ensure benefits are gained. The Government have committed to ensuring that public reporting: focuses on improving performance and student outcomes is both locally and nationally relevant is timely, consistent and comparable . If NAPLANs implementation follows these guidelines, it will provide great benefit to Australia. However in these early stages of implementation, it is important to consider the troubled experiences of other countries regarding national testing. Lessons to be learnt National assessment was introduced in England in 1992 to establish national targets for education. Students are assessed at ages 7 and 11 in English and mathematics, and at 14 also in science . The no child left behind legislation was implemented in the USA in 2001 to reduce the disparity between high and low ends of student achievement, focussing on literacy and numeracy. Students are assessed yearly between Year 3 and 8, and once between Year 9 and 12. Results are analysed on the basis of socioeconomic and ethnic background, and published as school league tables by the media. Federal funding is linked to school performance . The common issues with both cases will be discussed below. Being a topical issue, the majority of literature on national testing is highly biased towards the authors opinion. However if or when these effects occur, they have the capacity to negatively impact on students. As such, they also need to be considered within the Australian context. Narrowing of the curriculum With funding linked to success, teachers are obliged to ensure students achieve the best result possible in assessed subjects, and can end up teaching to the test. Those teachers who produce successful students using this strategy are rewarded, deepening the problem . Within assessed subjects, increased class time is spent teaching students to take tests and increasing focus on tested areas, leading to reduced emphasis on skills such as creativity and higher order thinking . Furthermore, time spent on subjects not tested is reduced in preference for those that are. This type of teaching has been labelled defensive pedagogy and leads to narrowing of the curriculum . Excluding low-achieving students Reports suggest that some low-performing students are excluded from enrolment or suspended during testing to improve school performance . In one example, students with low scores were prevented from re-enrolling, but were officially labelled as having withdrawn . Compounding this effect, successful schools then have further power to choose students, leading to a widening gap between low and high performing schools; in direct opposition to the reasons for implementing national assessment . disregarding high-achieving students High-achieving students can also be adversely affected, as many results are reported only as percentage achieving benchmarks. Priority is therefore given to students just below benchmarks to ensure they reach them . This has been described as developing cookie-cutter students, all with similar skills . In doing this, students achieving above benchmarks are not challenged, reducing motivation and causing disengagement. Lowered self-esteem In one study, for the three years after national testing was implemented student self-esteem was significantly reduced compared to students the previous two years. Furthermore, attainment in national tests correlated with self-esteem, suggesting that both pressure of testing and the students achievement can influence self-esteem . Increased drop-out rates When compared to schools of similar socio-economic background but without national testing, a significant increase in Year 8-10 students dropping out of school was observed . This may be linked to pressure to suspend students or reduced self-esteem and motivation associated with high-stakes testing. Reporting of league tables National testing results are often reported as league tables, presenting average scores allowing direct comparison between schools. However, results tend to reflect socio-economic status rather than true achievement, and the depiction of schools as successes or failures leads to even further inequity between socio-economic groups . Importantly, the tables give no information as to the cause of low achievement or means for improvement , and therefore do not fulfil their intended purpose. Recent trends have seen publication of value-added data, adjusted for socio-economic status , however the methods of calculation are not explicit, hence their benefit is debatable. disparity from classroom assessment Classroom assessment has become increasingly authentic, with students being assessed on real-world tasks , giving them the best possible chance of demonstrating knowledge and skills. The use of national testing opposes this model, assessing students on one single occasion and leaving teachers uncertain as to appropriate pedagogy. Results obtained during classroom inspections of authentic styles of assessment have been shown to differ to those from national testing , leading to questioning over validity. Ensuring reliability and validity in Australia The issues described above need to be considered to ensure reliability and validity of national testing in the Australian context. Reliability Reliability refers to consistency of assessment, where results should be the same irrespective of when, where and how the assessment was taken and marked . The primary issue is marking consistency throughout Australia. Information technology facilitates accurate marking of simple answers, and Newton suggests computer-based scoring algorithms for constructed responses also improve reliability. Moderation ensures all assessors use the same strategies, and marking by more than one person may also improve reliability. Moderation also assists in maintaining threshold levels over time . Validity Validity refers to the assessment testing what it was designed to test. Construct validity: assessment is relevant, meaningful and fair and provides accurate information about student knowledge Content validity: assessment is linked to a specific curriculum outcome Consequential validity: assessment does not result in a specific group of students consistently performing poorly Concurrent validity: students receive similar results for similar tasks . Debate arises over the capacity of national assessment to demonstrate real-world tasks in meaningful contexts, or deep thinking and problem solving . With diverse cultural and language backgrounds, Australian students bring to school a variety of experiences and beliefs and demonstrate learning differently. The single occasion, pen and paper style delivery of national testing does not capture this diversity and can lead to anxiety . This is evident particularly for students from Indigenous and low socioeconomic backgrounds. One teacher suggested that the assessment is daunting, and skills valued in their culture are not seen as relevant . The concept of silent and individual examination is foreign due to their cultural value of collaboration, and the numeracy assessments are unfair because of their low English literacy (G. Guymer, personal communication, April 2011). Much time is spent teaching students how to complete forms, reducing teaching time already limited by low attendance . The aspiration for equality in Australian education is evident. However, this evidence suggests that rather than closing the gap national testing may actually be increasing it. Reporting of results In the past, rather than publishing league tables Australia has value-added to data by grouping schools with similar characteristics, to track individual students, and identify schools in need . However, this grouping has been challenged, as each school is essentially unique . To address this, the My School website was published in 2010 (http://www.myschool.edu.au), publishing a school profile including information on staffing, facilities and financial resources. The NAPLAN results are reported for each school against national averages as well as against 60 schools with similar socio-economic characteristics throughout Australia . Using results to improve learning Despite the overwhelming negative response to national testing, it is unlikely to disappear. As such, using results to improve student learning is the best response. Some methods used successfully are described below. Diagnostic application Although not designed for the purpose, results can be used to identify strengths and weaknesses for individuals or groups of students. By analysing specific questions, common errors can be identified and inadequacies in thinking inferred . In doing so, national assessment results can be used as a formative assessment to guide future teaching. As NAPLAN is undertaken every three years, results for individual students can also be analysed over time to identify improvement or decline. Consistency of schooling Together with the National Curriculum, results from NAPLAN will ensure students receive the same schooling across Australia. This will reduce difficulty associated with students changing schools, as their achievement level will be immediately accessible. Incorporation of content in the classroom NAP assessment tasks will be based on National Curriculum content once implemented. As students will be exposed to content during class, national testing should not pose an added burden for teachers. Teachers at Ramingining School ensure all worksheets incorporate question formats similar to those on NAPLAN tests, and in primary school tests are undertaken weekly in English or mathematics under test conditions (G. Guymer B. Thomson, personal communication, April 2011). The school therefore does explicitly teach students to take the test. Allocation of funding and resources Arguably the most important outcome of national testing is to identify schools with particular needs and determine where resources are most needed to lift attainment . Appropriate distribution of funding and resources will mean NAPLAN has delivered on these promises. In turn, there should be a closing of the gap between low and high achieving schools, and a reduction in many of the issues discussed. Hopefully, implementation of the National Curriculum will support the purposes of NAPLAN, together leading to equality for young Australians.

Free Awakening Essays: Kate Chopin :: Chopin Awakening Essays

The Awakening: Kate Chopin Kate Chopin was an American author who lived during the nineteenth century, but because of The Awakening, a novel which was considered scandalous at the time, she has just recently been "†¦accepted into the canon of major American writers"(Trosky 105). Through Kate Chopin’s main character of The Awakening, Edna Pontellier, she is able to portray her feelings and desires that were otherwise suppressed by the ideals of American society at that time. Kate Chopin was born on February 8, 1851 in St. Louis, Missouri. She was brought up in a family that was a member of the prominent French- Creole community. During her childhood she possessed a love for reading. Her favorite types of literature were fairy tales, poetry and novels. She secluded herself for almost two years, away from her family and school in her attic, spending the majority of her time reading (Trosky 102). After her schooling, Chopin spent her days as a belle in St. Louis’ high society. She was greatly ad mired for both her beauty and wit. She continued her readings, becoming more interested in contemporary works. In 1869, she traveled to New Orleans where she met Oscar Chopin, whom she married. Though married, Chopin remained fairly independent, practicing habits such as smoking and walking alone in the city, two things unheard of from women at that time.(Trosky 102) In 1883, Oscar Chopin died of swamp fever. By 1884, Kate moved with her six children back to St. Louis. Around this time, Chopin began her writing career, writing in periodicals and publishing collections of short stories. She received good reviews and continued to write at an impressive rate. Her acclaim was short lived though, following the publication of The Awakening. "This work, which would eventually be recognized as her masterpiece and a seminal work in American feminist fiction, first proved her most notorious publication and her literary undoing."(Trosky 103) At the time, Chopin’s novel was considered sc andalous and immoral, for it dealt largely with a women’s sexuality. At the time The Awakening was written, a novel would be judged on it’s moral message as much as its artistic merits. After the negative response of critics, Chopin published a few more works, but nothing was well received. She received little recognition, which when given, described her as an author of southern local color stories (Trosky 103). Local color writing was a movement which tried to capture the feeling of a particular region through descriptions of local speech and manners("The Age of Realism").

Minimizing weather disruption in aviation: regard of Heathrow, British Airways and UK aviation system

Introduction More than any other mode of transportation, aviation is significantly affected by weather conditions including fog, thunderstorms, snowstorms, and wind as well as temperature and pressure extremes (Iyengar, 2002). Kulesa (2010) notes two major adverse effects of weather on aviation which are its impact on safety and efficiency of operation. The aviation industry must regularly deal with adverse types of weather to enhance safety while attempting to maintain integrity of flight schedules and to rein in on costs attendant to disruption, a significant budget item in aviation (Qualley, 2009). Weather disruptions at London’s Heathrow Airport in recent years have highlighted vulnerability in the industry. Of note was the adverse snow condition on December 18, 2010an exceptional event with unprecedented volume and speed of snow fall (AOA, 2013; DoT, 2013). This condition was compounded by capacity constraints and consequent lack of operational contingency since Heathrow operates at 9 9% capacity daily and the pre-Christmas period usually has high customer volumes (DoT, 2013; Seabury, 2012). The challenges of the day highlight prevalent problems and potential damage of weather-related disruption. A serious problem exists in the parallel forecast models run in the US and EU which give variations in weather forecasts. Conflicts are particularly often on parameters such as temperature of the day – which defines whether precipitation will fall as rain or snow (DoT, 2013; Qualley, 2009). On this day, weather forecasts and predictions were accurate and congruent and were received on time. Based on extensive experience on the part of British Airways (BA) and National Air Traffic Service (NATS), and in anticipation of greater challenges of disruption, a decision to cancel all BA flights between 1000 and 1700 was arrived at (BA, 2014; UK Parliament, 2011). There was however misjudgement among stakeholders on the severity of prediction and actual weather conditions. In the confusion, Heathrow claimed ‘business as usual’ while BA (its largest carrier) cancelled its schedule. Media reports of continued operations even after eventual closure of airport also undermined the decisive action taken by BA and thousands of passengers continued to turn up for cancelled flights creating chaos (UK Parliament, 2011). The command and control structure was not employed proactively or efficiently (Seabury, 2012). Overall, the airport failed to recover as quickly as it could have done and the impact of the day was extended unnecessarily. BA’s extensive and refined contingency plans for recovery following disruption were not replicated by Heathrow airport and were thus not useful (UK Parliament, 2011; Kulesa, 2010). A lack of forward planning and lack of shared operational experience about the most effective approach for return to efficient regular operations was evident when the airport re-opened (DoT, 2013). Major emphasis was put on the op ening of the runway without regard to the taxiway, apron and stand infrastructure which are also essential for efficient airport operation (Deloitte, 2013; UK Parliament, 2011). The ineffective approach caused many of the problems faced on re-opening and impeded return to normal operations. Eventually, a decision by Heathrow airport to invoke the Scarce Capacity Protocol (SCP) designed to ensure fair and proportionate allocation of access to take-off and landing slots for airlines was reached. This protocol was however overly conservative and difficult to enforce, hindered by policing issues (AOA, 2013; UK Parliament, 2011). Various UK airports have similarly been affected by weather conditions to varying degrees though recovery has usually been swift. A number of these airports remain open to receive long-haul diversions in times of disruption (DoT, 2013; Seabury, 2012). Although weather forecasting would add value to minimization of disruption, AOA, 2013 and Deloitte, 2013 disclos e that none among UK’s civilian airfields has a dedicated forecasting service based on site. Closure, delay, and/or cancellation have far reaching consequences beyond the inconvenience caused to customers which portends erosion of passenger goodwill and loss of future revenue (BA, 2014; Deloitte, 2013). Costs associated with weather disruption vary depending on contingency and elusive to pin down exactly. Direct costs derive from airline operations such as diversion, cancellation, delay or insurance and include listed costs such as: fuel, crew, time, and aircraft operating costs, lost passenger and cargo revenue, hotel accommodation and meals, ground-based employee overtime pay, insurance, etc. (Deloitte, 2013; Seabury, 2012). Disruption, particularly for hub airport operations given their extensive connectivity may have widespread effects affecting myriad flight schedules and airport operations in far flung areas. Seabury, 2012 and Deloitte, 2013 estimate that one diverted f light can cause 2 to 50 flight delays, while a cancelled flight can result in 15 to 20 delays. British Airways has more recently in 2013 and early 2014 been impacted by adverse weather in its operations at home and internationally (particularly the US) and affecting its global network (BA, 2014). In 2012, the airline also suffered mishaps on its Airbus fleet due to the freezing of pilot tubes which feed vital air speed data to on-board computers facilitating the autopilot mode. This led to two emergency landings evidence of the risk weather portends to safe flight linked to the potential damage in loss of life, property as well as repute (BA, 2014; FoE, 2013). This scenario lays out a representation of problems and damages consequent to weather disruption at Heathrow affecting BA and the entire UK aviation system. Steps to minimise the effect of bad weather and the ramifications of decisions to stakeholders Accurate weather forecasts are a priority for safety and efficiency in aviation. This is a primary focus area in order to minimize effects of weather disruption (FoE, 2013; Seabury, 2012)†¦ Accurate information derived from congruent forecasts from numerous agencies enables an effective prediction of the extent of disruption and therefore appropriate response. The use of varied and possibly conflicting forecasts was the probable cause of conflict in the case above creating problems and compounding the issue (Qualley, 2009; Iyengar, 2002). Adverse effects of weather on the industry can be avoided if only airlines and the entire industry work together to interpret such natural phenomena better. Various agencies – both state and private – should participate in accumulating reports and materials on weather patterns useful in the creation of referential databases. These can th en be updated and shared widely across the industry to minimize the impact of adverse events. Uniformity and congruence of information should be aspired to and costs associated with provision of weather information should be addressed (Kulesa, 2010; Qualley, 2009). Despite additional costs, the development of meteorological capacity on site in airports manned by employees or forecast vendors should be made mandatory. This strategy will negatively impact weather forecast contractors and vendors. Timely transmission of forecasts is also essential allowing sufficient lead time for appropriate preparation, and early response (FoE, 2013). Such include the efficient conduct of the intricacies of flight planning such as re-routing, rescheduling, load and fuel balancing, among others, as well as institution of mitigation measures. Open and extensive communication and consultation among various players is paramount for coordinated and effective response towards overall reduction of impact. T his can be achieved through efficient and proactive use of command and control structures and involvement of external entities such as the broadcast media transmitting vital information to customers. During response, focus should be on the entire airfield and mix of essential operations in an interdependent system (Kulesa, 2010). Development of comprehensive and extensive protocols and contingency planning should be undertaken to facilitate response to disruption (Deloitte, 2013; DoT, 2013). These should entail forward planning, strategies and methods to govern operations, as well as effective business continuity plans to mitigate risks to the extent possible. Despite prohibitive costs, use of intricate computer programs in planning and response should be encouraged. Existing policies, protocols and measures should be realigned and restructured for better effectiveness and enforcement mechanisms should be instituted to ensure compliance (Seabury, 2012; UK Parliament, 2011). On-groun d mitigation measures such as de-icing and ploughing of snow should be made mandatory and part of essential procedure. Such measures may not sit well with independent industry players but should be enforced. At the operational level, measures to protect reputation and consequently the potential loss of business from inconvenienced customers should be instituted (Deloitte, 2013). Customer support programs and response centres undertaking such tasks as rebooking, refunds processing, and provision of information are thus essential. Airlines should also create alliances and agreements activated in times of disruption to enable support for affected players and entities (Seabury, 2012). Though it comes at a cost, this will serve to benefit customers and to reduce overall adverse impact of event. Safety measures such as enhanced flight briefings, appropriate pilot training, and continuous streaming of updated current information should be emphasized as weather is unpredictable and subject to change. Overall, comprehensive reviews of incidents and failures and generation of continuous applicable learning for particular locations and scenarios is beneficial. Regarding policy, the expansion of airport capacity at Heathrow and major airports, as well as creation of new airports is essential for better resilience (Deloitte, 2013; Seabury, 2012; DoT, 2013). With no spare capacity, Heathrow is vulnerable to short term operational disruption (BA, 2014; AOA, 2013). Capacity expansion may also enable diversion in times of need easing intense pressure and thus enabling better management of adverse events. Alongside such developments, it is also important to focus on surface connections such as rail and roads to ease pressures of domestic air travel and hence to free some airport capacity (DoT, 2013; Seabury, 2012). They could also serve in times of disruption facilitating diversions and airport transfers. These measures may not be popular however with political players and cust omers seeking convenience. References Airports Operators Association, 2013. The Airport Operator, Amsterdam: AOA. British Airways, 2014. Our Business. Matching capacity to demand. London: BA: Deloitte, 2013. Aviation and Sustainability. Niigita, Japan: Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Department of Transport, 2013. Aviation Policy Framework. Report of Secretary of State for Transport. March 2013. London: HMSO Friends of Earth, 2013. Aviation and Global Climate Change. London: Friends of Earth. Iyengar, J., 2002. â€Å"The Role of Risk in Aviation under Adverse Weather Conditions.† In: Vickery, S., (Ed.) Research Issues. Eli Broad Graduate School of Management. Michigan State University. Decision line: May 2002, Pp. 7-10 Kulesa, G., 2010. Weather and Aviation: How Does Weather Affect the Safety and Operations of Airports and AviationViewed from: http://adds.aviationweather.gov/ on 18th Apr, 2014. Qualley, W., 2009. Impact of Weather and use of Weather Information by Commercial Airline Operations. Texas, US: Amrcorp. Seabury, 2012. Sustainable European Aviation: A position paper. Association of European Airlines and Seabury. Viewed from: www.seaburygroup.com on 22nd Apr, 2014 UK Parliament, 2011. Impact on transport of recent adverse weather conditions: Written evidence from British Airways. Session 2010-11. Viewed from: www.parliament.uk/publicaions&records/commons_select_committee/transport/transport/ on 18th Apr, 2014.

The best ways on how to influence people over the phone

The best ways on how to influence people over the phone Being an employee in sales takes a lot of convincing to the person you are trying to sell to. The person on the other line will most likely listen to you more if you are confident and prepared. Usually, within 30 seconds of the  call, the client will decide if he or she is  interested and whether or not they want to hear more or end the conversation. As a sales  person, how do you influence your potential  client over the phone? With these simple tips, you can make the most out of any sales call and land the sale!  Source [The Gap Partnership]

A Comparison between the Devil and Tom Walker, and Macbeth Essays

A Comparison between the Devil and Tom Walker, and Macbeth Essays A Comparison between the Devil and Tom Walker, and Macbeth Paper A Comparison between the Devil and Tom Walker, and Macbeth Paper Comparison Essay As the reader or audience members read the book, â€Å"The Devil Tom Walker† and the play Macbeth , you tend to visualize the comparison between the two authors. The most common theme used by both Shakespeare and Irving is greed. In which Greed is the intense and selfish desire for something, such as wealth, food, power or excessively or inordinate desire for wealth, and profit. Throughout the book â€Å"The Devil Tom Walker† and in the play Macbeth you can see the theme of greed in which was the themes that both Irving and Shakespeare betrayed in their text. An example or display of greed was shown in the play Macbeth, William Shakespeare introduced the reader to this in act four, â€Å"And my more having would be as a sauce to make me hunger more: that I should forge Quarrels unjust against the good and loyal, destroying them for wealth†(Shakespeare 158). This piece of textual evidence from the play Macbeth was used to emphasize the theme of greed in the play, by basically stating that greed feeds on itself while in the process of achieving a certain desire. Malcolm is stating that he would become evil, and destroy the good and loyal to achieve success or wealth in life. Irving just like Shakespeare also used greed as a theme in his book entitled â€Å"The Devil Tom Walker. † Washington Irving presented the audience with the greedy character named Tom Walker, who showed signs of greed. The novel author states, â€Å"he had also a great folio bible on his counting house desk, and would frequently be found reading it when people came on business;occasions he would lay his green spectacles on the book, to mark the place, while he turned round to drive some usurious bargain† (Washington 5). Tom was a very greedy individual because he would read a bible and then in the process he would lay his green glasses down on the bible, so he could make a deal with a client. Tom Walker would close deals with the bible in his coat pocket. Also the green glasses used by Irving Washington symbolize the proper definition of the word greed, because green resembles money. He is trying to read the bible to find a loop hole in it so he can make a good bargain and that would allow him to make money, Tom would do just about anything to have the wealth of money. Even if that meant that he would have to be more evil or greedier than the Old Scratch. The theme greedy was very important to both authors Irving and Shakespeare, because it was used as a type of moral or theme throughout both the play and novel to portray the essential signs of greediness. As both authors demonstrate this, they also show how greed is an ongoing process that can’t be stopped, because it’s an uncontrollable desire for a particular want or need in life. In fact both authors defined the word greed very well in their pieces of work, by describing greed as a desire or want that an individual would forfeit all the good things in his or her life to commit to evil doings which in a sense is the process of being greedy.

The great depression Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The great depression - Essay Example strophic collapse of stock-market prices on the New York Stock Exchange (â€Å"Black Thursday") in October 1929 remains the most severe economic depression experienced in America (Modern American Poetry1). Various factors caused the great depression. Apparently, the boom psychology and speculative euphoria resulted in underlying weaknesses and imbalances within the U.S. economy that caused the great depression (Modern American Poetry1). The federal government and financial institutions lacked capacity to address the underlying weaknesses and economic imbalances. Indeed, the American government could not sustain the rising personal debt, increased production of goods, and imbalance between the rich and the poor leading to the stock market crash of 1929. Economists assumed this was simply a correction of the market and hence did nothing to contain the situation. President Herbert Hoover underestimated the severity of the crisis and assured U.S citizens that the economic slump would not last for more than 60 days (WGBH Educational Foundation 1). Herbert did not consider government’s intervention on the matter. Consequently, stock prices continued to fall in America. By the end of 1932, stock prices had dropped to 20 % of their 1929 value. Apparently, the great depression started in America and spread to other industrialized nations across the globe between late 1929 and early 1940s. The U.S had forged fundamental relationships with other European economies after the First World War that allowed the great depression to turn into a global economic crash (Modern American Poetry1). The First World War, war debts, and the need to pay reparations (Modern American Poetry1) weakened European economies forcing them to rely on America, which was the chief creditor after the war (Quah and Crowley 8). As such, the economic slump in America and the depreciation of the American investment credits to Europe fostered economic challenges in Europe. Ideally, countries that were deeply

One Touch Direct External Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

One Touch Direct External Analysis - Essay Example The call centre industry faces competition not only from the national companies but also from the overseas market. Maggie Klene, the founder of â€Å"The Call centre School Founding partner† in an interview stated that the main competitors of the domestic call center in US are the call centers based in nations like India which has emerged as an attractive outsourcing destination due to its low operating cost in the form of low wages (The Great Voice Company, â€Å" An interview with the call center School Founding Partner, Maggie Klene†). One Touch Direct provides business solutions like call center operations, marketing, cross sales, retention, technical support and data entry services to its customers (One Touch Direct. â€Å"Our Services†). Its customers include firms which outsource their business processes like customer care services to third party vendors. In order to attain sustainable competitive advantage in the context of both regional as well as local players, One Touch Direct must focus on providing quality service to its clients. Macro economic factors are considered to be one of the most important factors that affect the business prospects of a firm. One Touch Direct is based in the United States of America and is engaged in providing services to French, Spanish and English speaking people (One Touch Direct. â€Å"About Us†). The economy of the United States is considered to be the most powerful economy of the world. Its per capita GDP is about $ 46,400. The nation is known to have favourable labour policies as compared to its counterparts in Europe and Asia. The nation has a GDP of about $14.26 trillion in the year 2009. Services constitute the bulk of its GDP having 76.9 percent share, this is closely followed by industries with 21.9 percent and finally agriculture which contributes about 1.2 percent to the nation’s GDP (CIA, â€Å"The World Factbook- North America: United States†). United States of America has a large mobile