Planning and Instruction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Planning and Instruction - Essay Example We then move to establish the instructional materials needed and finally the elements of lesson plans and the adaptations that a mentor has to make in consideration of some diversities, differences, quirks and other ‘otherness’ in some students.Prior to the conclusion, we defend the thesis â€Å"effective planning is a crucial component of effective teaching. For any endeavour, whether it be singing, acting, surgical operation, building construction, manufacturing, child rearing, delivery of religious sermon or any speech for that matter, the degree of effectivity in what you propose to do hinges on the amount and intensity of preparations and planning. In the field of education, the teacher’s proficiency to impart knowledge to his or her pupils also depends on how she or he is prepared to open the minds of her students and pour in precious knowledge to their intellects. The degree of planning and preparations vary depending on the intellectual capacities, the cultural background, the attitudes and beliefs, the aptitudes, the interests, the maturity, the ethnic background, language proficiency, health, presence of disabilities whether physical or mental, socio-economic background, determination, ambitions or the lack of it and the individual needs of the students. A lesson plan is a teacher’s road map to achieving his or her objectives. Prior to immersing herself or himself to his vocation to teach, the teacher must have definite objectives. Without such, the teacher is directionless, without pep and energy and motivation to teach and figuratively ‘blind’ at the outset. As they say, a blind man cannot lead other blind men. The worst objective that an educator may have is to earn and amass money from such vocation. Here in this case, teaching is no longer a vocation because vocation presumes the existence of the elements of suffering, labor and compassion (Spitzmueller &

Capturing Customers with right Message Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Capturing Customers with right Message - Essay Example However, the likely disadvantage is that the business may not be able to cope with the demand of customers intending to redeem their coupons if the number is too high. On the other hand, the advantage of the service to the customer is that it is convenient since everything is done electronically. The main disadvantage is that in the event that the phone is lost, all data including the coupons are lost. This may result in loses. I strongly support the approach of using electronic coupons since it is a convenient way of networking. The customers need to network with different businesses and other consumers such that they can exchange information about products offered on the market (Kotler & Armstrong, 2010). I have experienced this when I learnt about different products on the market through networking with friends using cell phones. This can be improved if the company stores all the contact details in its database. When it is promoting a certain item, then it can automatically send the message to all the customers in the database. The response is likely to be

A Mythical Roadmap of the Movie Cars Essay Example for Free

A Mythical Roadmap of the Movie Cars Essay The first stage of separation is the call to adventure. Followed by the refusal of the call and the crossing of a threshold. Call to Adventure: In most situations, this call becomes the subject of the story or the plot of the movie. For Lightning, he thinks his call to adventure comes over the Public Announcement System when the tie-breaking race in California is announced. While this may be the obvious choice, but I don’t think that it is. We need to look at Lightning as the potential hero and observes how he grows over the course of the journey. He doesn’t grow in skill as a driver. He ran his first race at the beginning of the movie a lot better than the race at the end. The call to adventure is not always the destination, but the road leading to the destination. The adventure is in the hero’s growth. The growth that Lightning experiences is in his ability to have and appreciate friends. As cheesy as it sounds, the call to adventure for this movie is the call to find friendship. Refusal of the Call: The refusal of the call happened during the first race when Lightning refused the help and friendship around him. Let’s admit it, Lightning was a jerk. He alienated the people who tried to help him. Three different crew chiefs quit on him during the one season he’s been racing. His arrogance at the end of the first race was so bad his entire crew quit on him. Another example of Lightnings Refusal was his initial refusal to pave the road he destroyed in Radiator Springs. It was through his paving the road that he learned the lessons of the journey. Crossing the Threshold: The symbolism of the thresholds in the movie are found in the highways that Mack and Lightning re traveling. The â€Å"Mother Road† on Route 66 is significantly more important as it is on the Mother Road that we meet the Threshold Guardian, embodied by the Sheriff. As Lightning is frantically trying to find the interstate and Mack, he speeds pas a sleepy Sheriff’s speed trap. The local sheriff begins to follow him with sirens going. Instead of stopping, Lightening goes through a chain of events throug h the forgotten town of Radiator Spring destroying the main road and other property and landing himself in jail, or the impound. This leads to the initiation phase, which can be summarized by the road of trials, the meeting with the goddess, and apotheosis. Road of Trials: The neat part of the Road of Trials step in Cars is that they are somewhat associated with an actual road, in this case, Route 66 or the Mother Road. As Lightning began to face his trails during the movie, he began by failing them. Lighting’s failure in his encounter with the threshold guardian, the Sheriff, resulted in the destruction of the road. When Doc challenged Lightning to a race, Lightning again failed due to his arrogance and lack of experience racing on dirt. The turning point on his road of trials came in the pasture where he and Mater, the local tow truck, were tipping tractors. Lightning successfully tipped all of the tractors by revving his engine. He was also successful in escaping from Frank the Combine. There, Lightning’s luck changed and he was able to fix the road, learn to race on dirt and redeem himself from his earlier failures. The Meeting with the Goddess: I had a couple of options in picking the goddess who Lightning would meet. Since Lightning is a male, I began looking at the female characters. Had the hero been a woman, I would have included the male characters in my search. One important part of identifying the Gods and Goddesses is to not get hung up on their gender but on how the character fills the role. I first went to Sally Carrera, a 2002 Porsche Carrera, as a possibility for the goddess, but I needed to remember not to confuse the romantic interest with the goddess. The goddess that Lightning has to meet needs to be associated with a trial or test that he had to pass in order to continue on his journey. The character that I identified as the goddess, was not a main character, she didn’t even have any speaking lines. The goddess was Bessie. Bessie is the name given to the road paving machine that Lightning had to drag at a snails pace to fix the road. I chose Bessie because she was the symbolic and literal obstacle that was keeping Lightning in town. To leave town, Bessie would have to be on the other end of the road with smooth pavement behind her. Lightning challenged Bessie’s role as his captor when he tried to speed up the process of fixing the road by quickly laying down the asphalt that he later had to scrape up. When Lightning was put in his place, humbled, and respectful of Bessie’s role as the goddess, he could begin to accomplish the task before him. Apotheosis: The step of apotheosis or becoming the father or god began when Lightning discovered that Doc was a retired race car. Discovering Doc’s Piston Cups and watching Doc race helped Lightning to realize that he could learn something from Doc and he quickly regretted not listening to the advice Doc previously offered. The true point of apotheosis comes during the final race when Lighting takes things learned from his time in Radiator Springs and used it to position himself for the win. This includes driving backwards using rear view mirrors and driving on the dirt infield during a spin-out that helped him take the lead. Even though he did not win the race, or the cup, as Doc had, it was Lightning’s to give up. He became the race car that Doc would be proud to know. The third and final stage of Lightning’s journey is the return, characterized by a refusal to return, the crossing of another threshold, the mastery of two worlds, and the freedom to live. The next three step follow each other in very rapid succession. The refusal came when Mack and the rest of the media came to bring Lightning back to the â€Å"real† world. Lightning didn’t want to go. He had fallen for the temptress, Sally, and was ready to abandon his journey. Luckily for him, Sally told him it was okay to go and he left, returning to the world he left behind. The magic flight out of the fantastical world in this story had been combined with the crossing of the return threshold. Mack the truck carries Lightning out of Radiator Springs and onto California. The events surrounding this is discussed a little more when we talk about crossing the return threshold. During Lightning’s stay in Radiator Springs, he became more attached to the people there. It is easy to imagine that he would give up the California race if that meant he could stay with Sally and the residents of the town. The sweet ambrosia of friendship he tasted there was more powerful that the desire to have the Piston Cup. As demonstrated in the movie, there were three aspects to this rescue from without. First is how the media was notified by Doc of Lightning’s location. Second, is Mack with the media entourage barreling into town to take Lightning away. And third, Harv the agent reminds Lighting about the Race, Dinoco, and his rival Chick Hicks. Doc, Mack, Harv, and the media each helped to rescue Lightning. Reluctantly, he allows himself to be rescued and backs into Mack’s trailer for the magic flight to California. The Crossing of the Return Threshold: In the step of crossing the return threshold, we see the return of the Sheriff in his role as the threshold guardian. He and Sally stopped Lightning from leaving by siphoning his gas tank on his first night in the impound. Later, the Sheriff almost had to go after him before Sally and Lightning went on their ride to the Wheel Well. After Lightning finishes paving the road, and thus completing his road of trials, the Sheriff changes his demeanor and is ready to give Lightning a police escort to help Lightning get to the race on time. In the Sheriff’s role as the threshold guardian, he has released Lightning from â€Å"captivity† and it is now Lightning’s â€Å"refusal to return† that is keeping him there. Lightning crosses the return threshold as he takes his magical flight in Mack’s trailer. One part of crossing the return threshold is that the fantastical world, or the world forgotten, becomes forgotten again. Lightning had become a catalyst of life and energy culminating with everyone in Radiator Springs cruising under the neon lights. When Lightning had left town, Doc finally got what he originally wanted. After a tongue lashing from Sally, Doc quietly sat there as everyone left him alone. He sat there thinking about what he had done as the neon lights turned off, one by one. The world forgotten returned to its anonymity as Doc sat on the darkened road, under the traffic light’s flashing yellow signal. Perhaps the saddest moment in the movie. Master of the Two Worlds: The second to last step in the journey is when the hero becomes the master of the two worlds. This is done by finding the ultimate boon and sharing it with those around him. Since the Ultimate boon in the gift of friendship, it is shared in two situations. First, Lightning shares his friendship to the residents of Radiator Springs when he becomes the customer of all of their stores. They share their friendship back when they show up to be his pit crew. Most notably is Doc acting as the crew chief. Lightning did not show his friendship to Doc in the same manner as he did to the others until he helped King across the finish line. Another large sharing of friendship is where he arranges for Mater to take a helicopter ride over Radiator Springs. Freedom to Live: The Freedom to live is shown primarily in the epilogue after the race. Lightning has merged his two worlds together and can now freely live in the racing world but still be with his friends, especially Sally. Lightning literally puts Radiator Springs back on the map when he moves his racing headquarters to the small town. Also, Lightning becomes a new man, or car, as shown by his new paint job, inspired by the classic 1957 Chevy. In many ways, I have found this journey to be similar to that of Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh begins his journey at home as the restless king. He soon meets his helper Enkidu and the two of them go off on their adventure to the forest to defeat Humbaba. Enkidu dies. This prompts the grief stricken Gilgamesh to cross the Threshold of Adventure to seek the answer to immortality. While in the underworld/other world Gilgamesh passes many tests before he meets Utnapishtim and his wife who help him find the magical flower of everlasting life. But Gilgamesh loses the magic plant in his Peak Experience to the trickster snake who steals immortality for itself. So Gilgamesh returns home with the boon, the understanding that immortality is reserved for the gods and that he is human. He will experience death and he realizes that he must live his life and enjoy it. So he writes down his tale to spread the word to his people. As a result, Gilgamesh’s journey comes full circle just as Lightning McQueen’s had in the movie. For this reason, I have concluded that all heroes must use the phases of the journey mentioned in this paper. Though the sequence of the steps may change, they are almost always taken.

A Study On The Adkar Model Management Essay

A Study On The Adkar Model Management Essay The purpose of this report is to understand the change management and the models which the organisation faces now. The report will also provide the recommendations for the organisation that can makes the organisation become less destructive while carry out the change and provide the tools of change. The structure of the report will consist 3 parts which are literature review, case study, and recommendation. Literature Review: Kurt Lewin know its important to form an integrated approach to bring about change at the group or organizational levels and contribute a 3-step change models. Lewin (1947a) stated that change process involved three steps in order to change efficiency and they are stage 1 (unfreezing), stage 2 (moving), and stage 3 (refreezing) (Lewin, 1947). Unfreezing step means make the correct situation for change to happens (London Management Centre, n.d.). Lewin argued that the stability needs to be weakened which means unfrozen (take away the old behaviour can be that lead to a new behaviour successfully adopted). Schein (1996) argued that the key for unfreezing is to recognise the individual or group level change and it were a profound psychological dynamic process. Moving stage is to create inspiration to learn but does not essentially control or predict the direction (Schein, 1996). Organisation should find out all the forces at work and identify and evaluate in order to get all the available options from trial or error basis (Lewin, 1947a). However, Lewin (1947a) also recognized that, without reinforcement, change will not last forever. The last stage of the model is refreezing. This stage is to recreate a stable atmosphere and elevates comfort levels by reconnecting people back into their familiar place (London Management Centre, n.d.). This is important as changes to individual behaviour will not be sustained unless group norms and routines are also been transformed and set. Therefore, it often requires changes to organizational norms, culture, practices and policies (Cummings and Huse, 1989). 3 steps model gives manager a framework that how to implement a change efficient, which can make the change process carried out fluently. The Kurt Lewin model can help a leader do the following three steps that helps to minimize the disruption of the structures operations, make a radical change, and make sure that the changes is sustainable (Morrison, 2010). Many have is argued that Lewins planned approach is too simplistic and mechanistic as organizational change happens everyday and open-ended process nowadays (Dawson, 1994 e Garvin, 1993). Lewin is seen as advocating a top-down, management approach to change and ignore the situations that require bottom-up change (Dawson, 1994). Lewins 3 steps change model can be used if there is a short term goals to meet and celebrate (Kotter, 1996). This is because people will start to resist to change if there is no short term wins. Lewin stated that organisations should establishing the goals and objectives. Organisation should reward people that involved with recognition, promotion or money (Kanter, 1993). 3 steps change model is more construct than content driven, describing competence using language such as team working, problem solving, and effective communication (French, 1999). Prosci had published ADKAR change model in 1998. The ADKAR model is used to know the change at an individual level and this will helps the organisation increase the successful rate for the changes (Hiatt, 2006). The model consist five elements that makes the changes successful: Awareness of the necessarily for change. Desire to do the change. Knowledge on change. Ability to carry out new skills and behaviors. Reinforcement to maintain the change. (Warrilow, 2010) The ADKAR model can helps to find out why changes are not functioning and help the organisation take the essential steps to make the change successful. Organisation will be able to break down the change into parts that can understand where the change is not functioning and address that impact point (Change Management Learning Center, 2007). The limitation for ADKAR model is fails to see the macro level of programme management (Warrilow, 2010). The author points out that the business environment now the restructuring, refocusing and re-engineering is only the start. Business leaders have to face the equally as it will have more problems of getting the staff to deliver their new vision that achieve the revenue forecasts. The fact is that people are not similar in the ways they behave. In this case, I will use Proscis ADKAR model. This is because Lewins 3 step model is too simple as what Dawson and Garvin highlighted and its not suitable for a big organisation that has high innovation. Therefore, its important for the organisation to identify the change element in order to make the change become efficient. Case Study: The model that the organisation used is the Prosci ADKAR model. Stuart Young dare to make the big change while the other organisations do not. Stuart Young consist of the 5 elements of ADKAR models which are awareness, desire, knowledge, ability and reinforcement. The people within the organisation have the awareness of the need for change. Stuart makes the organisation struct become flatter. This helps the communication become more efficient. There are only less people beneath them. There is no foreman and supervisor. The team leaders will have the meeting with their group members and talk about the work that they done yesterday. People need to analyse it and then have the change. Commitment can be build easily by this way and make sure the people aware to change for better quality. The people within the organisation have the desire to change. For an example, the manager will not criticise their workers. This makes them have more responsible. They need to do well for motivate the people. The motivating will makes the employee have more desire to change when there is needed. The individuals of the organisation have the knowledge of how to change. Management personnel at Interlock are all expected to undertake re-training at least the course per year. The people will be trained and put at the right position. This will make the change become more efficient as the people have the knowledge and work at the place that are most suitable for them. The people must also have the ability to change and the employee have the ability. The employee has more responsible to do their job. This means that they need to deal with more problems. This makes them know how to do more things and have the ability to change when needed. The education systems also help to improve their ability. This is the reason Stuart Young believe in his employee. Lastly, there is a reinforcement to sustain the change. Stuart Young knows how to reinforce their employee although there are no incentive programs. Instead of the incentive programs, Stuart Young ensures the employees job security as job security is foremost in workers minds nowadays. This will make the employee willing to change while maintain the quality. A good leadership is needed in order to makes the changes become more efficient. This will also utilise the ADKAR model. Transformational leadership style should be used in order to make the changes efficient. Transformational leadership is leaders who encourage people to transcend their own self-interest and who are capable of having profound and extraordinary effect on their staff (Robbins, Millet, Waters-Marsh, 2004). According to Chemers (1997), transformational leadership have 4 factors: -Individualise consideration (degree to which the leaders treat each followers in a way that is equitable and satisfying, but differentiated from other followers). Inspiration motivation (reflect the quality and emotional appeal of the leaders vision rather than what public said). Intellectual stimulation (leader encourages the follower to question past ideas and supports subordinate to think independently and creatively). idealized influence / Charisma (reflects follower perceptions that the leader is trustworthy to achieve an important vision). Transformational leaders make the vision or mission of the group become clearer that will generate satisfied and innovative culture within workplace and personalise their interaction with others (Parry, 1996). Many people might like the transactional leadership style. The transactional leadership style has totally difference style compare to transformational leadership style. Transactional leadership style is to lead or stimulate people by clarifying the role and task requirement (Robbins et al., 2004). However, transformational is more towards the intangible factors while transactional leadership style is more tangible factors. Therefore, its better to have the transformational leadership style instead of the transactional leadership style as the people will always demand more. A research shows that transformational leadership style is better than transactional leadership style (Chemers Ayman, 1993). In this situation, the 4 factors of transformational leadership will improve the five elements (Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, and Reinforcement) and thus makes the changes become more effective. The organisation has the ability to change. If the organisation can implement the transformational leadership style well, the organisation will sure change efficiently as the leadership can lead the organisation to have the particular elements to change well. Recommendations: Every organisations need to change when needed. However, its impossible for the organisation closes their business and carries out the changes. Therefore, some actions need to be taking in order to become less destructive. Change is a messy business that filled with complexity, multiple factors and many things that can lead the organisation towards failure. There are 3 broad areas that need to be included in any successful change initiative and have less destructive to the organisation, which are: Leadership that directly addresses the different dimensions of those affected by the change, and the motivation. Address the multiple factors of the models which is ADKAR models. Action management that can helps people on the matter that is useable for the change. (Warrilow, 2010) In order to do well in this, the tools of change can be used to make the change become better. There is a tool that can managing meeting and collecting ideas is brainstorming. Brainstorming is a technique that enables a team to generate lots of ideas in only a few minutes without criticism and judgement (Queensland Health, 1999). Brainstorming encourages people in identifying the cause and solutions to the problems. This can get a large group to work constructively together and solve the problem during the change process. Total Quality Management (TQM) is other tool of change. TQM refers to a management process directed at establishing organised continuous improvement activities, involving everyone in an organisation in a totally integrated effort toward improving performance at every level (Almaraz, 1994: 9). This will makes organisation make the change with full force that makes the change become more efficient. The implementation of TQM involves: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ focus on work processes à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ explicit identification and measurement of customer (both internal and external) requirements à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ analysis of variability à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ use of cross-functional teams à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ management by fact à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ learning and continuous improvement à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ use of process-management heuristics The other tool is organisatinal development. The term organisational development (or OD) is a set of behavioural science-based theories, values, strategies, and techniques aimed at the planned change of organisational work setting for the purpose of enhancing individual development and improving organisational performance, through the alteration of organisational members on-the-job behaviours that are definitely helps a lots for the change process. (Porras and Robertson, 1992: 722) OD interventions view different aspects of this setting as levers for change that are able to prompt desired behaviours. These include: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ organising arrangements which include goals, strategies, structure, policies and procedures, administrative systems à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ social factors which include culture, management style, interaction processes, individual attributes à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ physical setting which include ambience, interior design, space configuration, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ technology which include IT, tools, equipment and machinery, job design, work flow design, technical expertise, technical systems and procedures. With enough development, the people will always have the sufficient skill that will helps them manage well in change process. Conclusion: The report had provides the 2 difference change models which are Lewins 3 step model and Proscis ADKAR model. The case shows that the organisation has the ability to change well. Its better for them to have transformational leadership to make the change become more efficient. The recommendations that provided are: Less Destructive ways Leadership that directly addresses the different dimensions of those affected by the change, and the motivation. Address the multiple factors of the models which is ADKAR models. Action management that can helps people on the matter that is useable for the change. Tools of change Brainstorming Total Quality Management (TQM) Organisational Development

Society’s Expectations of Manhood in Faulkner’s The Unvanquished Essay

Society’s Expectations of Manhood in Faulkner’s The Unvanquished In The Unvanquished, William Faulkner casts the narrator of the novel as an adult looking back on his boyhood. Early on, the author takes for granted that the actions he describes at the beginning of the story are recognizable to his audience as things boys do. Then, five pages into the novel, the narrator tells us his age at the time the story occurs, that he is a boy on the cusp of becoming a teenager. Using this narrative strategy allows Faulkner to view the Civil War from the perspective of a son whose father is a Confederate officer and plantation owner. Faulkner taps into southern society’s expectations of manhood in The Unvanquished. Regardless of the generation in which he is born, a man from that peculiar region below the old Mason-Dixon Line must be acquainted with at least some of the history of the Civil War. Faulkner apparently takes this tacit maxim for granted in the first few pages of his novel. We encounter two boys pretending they are in Vicksburg, Mississippi. We know they are not really in tha... Society’s Expectations of Manhood in Faulkner’s The Unvanquished Essay Society’s Expectations of Manhood in Faulkner’s The Unvanquished In The Unvanquished, William Faulkner casts the narrator of the novel as an adult looking back on his boyhood. Early on, the author takes for granted that the actions he describes at the beginning of the story are recognizable to his audience as things boys do. Then, five pages into the novel, the narrator tells us his age at the time the story occurs, that he is a boy on the cusp of becoming a teenager. Using this narrative strategy allows Faulkner to view the Civil War from the perspective of a son whose father is a Confederate officer and plantation owner. Faulkner taps into southern society’s expectations of manhood in The Unvanquished. Regardless of the generation in which he is born, a man from that peculiar region below the old Mason-Dixon Line must be acquainted with at least some of the history of the Civil War. Faulkner apparently takes this tacit maxim for granted in the first few pages of his novel. We encounter two boys pretending they are in Vicksburg, Mississippi. We know they are not really in tha...

Linguistic Stereotypes Essay -- Research Papers Language Essays Langua

Linguistic Stereotypes Language is a method in which individuals communicate in order to get their opinion across to the listening party. Language is the tool which ideas can be conveyed in various ways. Typically, language is referred to verbal communication, however, it ranges to all methods of communication i.e. sign language. Linguistic stereotypes are an existent form of discrimination. Since, languages are criticized and mocked due to the connection between language and cultural character. Thus, language is significantly related to the identity of the speakers. In addition, languages are vulnerable to criticism due to differences in cultural behavior. Firstly, according to ‘dictionary.com’ identity is defined as the variety of characteristics by which an individual is recognizable as a member of a group. Or in simpler terms the individuality of a person which makes him part of a society or creates a cultural connection or resemblance. These characteristics can be religion, culture and any other form of behavior that shows a sign of distinction. A personal interpretation is, the link established between an individual and a group which have unique characteristics. Language has a personality and a mood, created by the behavior of the speakers and their cultural identity. Moreover, this includes the tools speaker use to communicate through i.e. sign language. Languages can be described by human emotions and feelings; therefore, language is personified and dynamic. Historical events have lead to changes in languages in caused flexibility and dynamicity of language. Globalization and colonization also had an effect in word borrowing, and many languages have been altered due to this. Languages are also interpre... ...conversation and mood. Finally, the media’s involvement in creating stereotypes, and their ability to harness linguistics to establish links between language and identity. Comedians use accents as a method of criticizing a group of people and referencing to cultural behavior. Therefore, Linguistic stereotypes occur due to the association between language and the identity of a group of speakers. Works Cited: Preston, Dennis R. ‘Do you speak American?’ 27 April 2005. . Rabidcow. ‘Language Stereotypes’. 26 April 2005. Spark Notes.com ‘Casablanca, study guide’, 27 April 2005. . ‘Dicionary.com Definition of Identity’

English Personal Recount Essay

One of my most recent memories is the authentic experience at the mall with three of my friends, Eunice, Wing Kit and Cheng Ye. We went there to buy a gift for Cheng Ye’s cousin, Claire, from abroad, whom he has not met in a long time. She is aged 14 years old, her favourite foods are ice- cream and sushi, and her hobbies are sleeping, swimming, cycling, running, and listening to music. She is also more of a sporty and hardworking person. She likes playing on her phone, the colour PINK, using social media such as whatsapp, facebook to socialize. She dislikes computer games and the colour blue. Cheng Ye has not seen Claire in quite a while, and Claire has not visited Singapore in ages, we have decided to get Claire a gift to welcome her. Thus we decided to go to Tampines Mall as there is a wide variety of shops there. Our budget is $50. When we reached Tampines mall, it was very packed with shoppers, were lugging huge shopping bags. The mall was filled with the noisy sound of people chattering and laughing. It was so noisy that I had to shout and strain my voice to talk to Eunice, who was just right beside me. Salespersons were announcing the various offers they were having. The smell of curry chicken entered my nostrils as I while gazed at the patrons savouring the mouth-watering curry chicken, causing my mouth to drool as we walked past the restaurant. Finally, after browsing through many electronic stores, we decided upon an pink shiny earpiece from Courts that costs $20. We chose the product based on her preferences as she liked pink and shiny objects and also because it had a reasonable price and was within our budget. After buying the earpiece, we were left with $30. Thus we decided to get her another gift based on her hobby of sports. We wanted it to be within our  budget of $30, the colour pink and it to be useful and long-lasting. Eventually, we headed down to the ‘ Royal Sporting House’ and chose a pair of pink as it would be useful to her as swimming was her favourite hobby which she did pretty often. Thus, she would be able to use it often as well. In conclusion, this experience of going to Tampines Mall on 29 March 2014, was a wonderful experience.We had a lot of considerations at first, such as her personality,likes & dislikes, the budget for the gift and what gift would she really wanted. However, all of us worked together, communicated effectively and overcame the challenges. So, eventually we decided on the gift. I also think that this experience was an educational and enriching one, as we learnt how to decide on things in a group without having any conflicts and how to take things into considerations before making a final decision. In conclusion to this, this experience was a fun, educational and enriching experience.