Star Airways free essay sample

Masters Program in Business Administration (MBA) Note :- Solve any 4 Case Study All Case Carry equal Marks. CASE I Sunder Singh QUESTIONS 1. What does the purchase of a product like Nike mean to Sunder Singh? Sunder Sing, just escaping homelessness is clearly proud that he was able to save and buy a pair of Nikes. He could undoubtedly have purchase a different brand that would have met his physical needs as well for much less money which he does not say why he bought the more expensive Nikes, a reasonable interpretation is that they serve as a visible symbol that Sunder Singh is back as a successful. Sunder Singh is not Unique among low-income consumer in wanting and buying items such as Nike shoes. As one expert says. â€Å"The low income consumer wants the same product and services other consumer want†. He suggests that marketing efforts reflect those desires. Another expert state. We will write a custom essay sample on Star Airways or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page There’s this stereotype that they don’t have enough money for toothpaste and that’s just not true. There has been some significance to them being called lower income, but they do buy things. The working poor are forced to spend a disproportionate present of theirs income on housing, utilities and medical care due to lack of insurance. They generally relay on public transportation, they spend a smaller portion of their relatively small income on meals away from home and all forms of entertainment such as admission, pets and toys; they spend very little on their own financial security. However Sunder Singh illustrated they spend the same percent of their income though a smaller amount on apparel and accessories. . What does the story say about our society and the impact of marketing on consumer behavior? Marketing is generally thought of as the process of promoting goods and services to the end user. Society is generally defined as the condition in which members of a community live together for their mutual benefit. â€Å"Society can exist without Marketing, but Marketing cannot exist without Society† Marketing is the management process of anticipating, identifying and satisfying customer’s requirements. The various conventional marketing tools- advertising, branding, direct marketing, sales promotion, publicity public relations. Critics acknowledge that marketing has legitimate uses in as much as it connects goods and services to consumers who desire them. However some aspects of marketing, especially promotion and advertisements are subject to criticisms. They argue that product promotion is an attempt coming from the goods and service providers to influence demand. Advertising has become such an inextricable part of our lives that one cannot really imagine life without it. Although we hardly ever notice, advertisements leave an indelible mark on our minds, especially the vulnerable groups like children and adolescents. Effect of Marketing on society, in particular on Vulnerable Groups Marketing and society, the commensuration of the two words raises a few eyebrows, as it is highly debatable. On the one hand, Society thrives on the marketing efforts of the Companies, while another school of thought argues that marketing makes the society more materialistic. Today, striking a balance between the two is the challenge faced by the Marketers. The society expects the business to be ethical and desires corporate executives, at all levels to apply ethical principles in other words, guidelines as to what is right and wrong, fair and unfair, and morally correct, when they make business decisions. Advertisers are traditionally use techniques to which children and adolescents are more susceptible, such as product placement in TV shows, tie in between movies and fast food restaurants, to mention a few. Therefore there exist many marketing evils that lure people to buy even when not required. Case III Star Airways Star Airways offered passengers air services within the country and served a territory of 18, 000 sq. miles with an expanding population of over 70 lakh of people who are potential users of the airline services. The geographic diversity and scattered business and commercial cities have led to steady increase in the number of people who use air travel. The clientele includes business people, as well as individuals on non-business trips, holidays, and leisure trips etc. As a result, the passenger traffic had been increasing steadily since the firm started operations in 1983. In the last three years, however, the growth has not been consistent with the growth pattern showed by the company in the last fifteen years as against a healthy growth of 13 per cent, the sales have marginally improved, registering a growth of 6 per cent. The companys early success was due to the pioneering concepts used by it in the airline industry, which was dominated by large private and government operators with little market orientation. The launch of the companys services coincided with a boom in the aviation sector and reduced government dominance, which opened up the skies for private operators. Besides this, the company offered a host of innovations in the customer service functions such as smaller and newer planes, convenient schedules, free gifts, comfortable seats, exclusive terminals, express baggage-check, and airport-to hotel transit for its first and business class clients. In turn the fares charged by the company were premium in the category and almost 15 per cent higher than the industry average. The company president in the following words justified this move: We are selling entirely on the basis of providing quality experience to our clients. Our services, ambience, and commitment to safety and time-bound schedule, all surpass the standards of the industry. During the first ten years of operations the company faced no direct competition. The only problems faced by the marketing staff were (a) the price, (2) the need to convince clients that air service was more efficient than other alternatives, (c) identifying the customers, and more importantly (d) developing the image of a dependable service. The consumers, who till now were forced to put up indifferent service offered by large government operators, did not offer much resistance and were agreeable to try out new company. Once customers were convinced, retaining them was very easy. Hence the company enjoyed immense loyalty from its clients with almost 40 per cent of them being regular users. Sales were handled by the sales division as well as by some independent sales representatives. In early 1990s the company faced direct competition for the first time with a new company coming up with smaller planes and all other advantages which were previously associated with Star Airways. The growing business had made the market very lucrative and hence in the next three years, four major competitors were also vying for the market share. The company slowly lost to these competitors and could manage to retain only 30 per cent of market share by the end of 1994. All the competitors were engaged in aggressive promotion and soon started a price war in order to outdo one another. For the next six months, each of them offered big discounts and gifts (such as TV / audio systems) with the return ticket on different routes. The most profitable and commercia1ly viable routes were the major targets of these price related competitions. The consumer was the ultimate beneficiary and in short time, the companies started facing losses due to this price-cutting. Star Airways had so far remained out of this ‘price-war’ and lost its market share on the competitive routes very rapidly. It was able to retain the clients on other routes, which were not a part of this intense competition. Unhappy an anxious about this state of affairs, the company vice president, marketing, developed a marketing plan with several components. The initial part of the plan consisted of a market research done on a cross-section of existing clients as well as the clients of competitors and the following observations were made : * Star Airways was considered a quality-oriented company but many felt that it was getting stodgy. The satisfaction with crew and schedules had declined over the last 5 years amongst regular customers. * The clients felt that the airline was losing its edge over customer service because it was nonflexible. * The prices offered by competitors are less and they provide only a fraction of services offered by Star Airways. This was the main reason of clients switching over to competitors. As many as 70 per cent respondents considered the costs as the most important factor in deciding on the airline. * Some deciding factors and their relative importance to clients were found to be following this pattern. * Feature offered by airline |Importance of feature as the deciding |Rank of feature in decision making influence | | |factor | | |Price |67% |1 | |Ambience and food |9% |3 | |Punctuality |14% |2 | |Services convenience |7% |4 | |Free gifts etc. 3% |5 | The second phase of the plan included a massive advertising and promotion plan. The VP marketing, Anil Saxena, felt that the company needed to advertise its dedication to quality and rebuild an image of being a customer-oriented airline. He began discussions with the advertising agency to launch a campaign in the near future. After a month, the agency came out with the following recommendations: * The campaign is to be completed in four months time and the budget will be 351akh. * The company would reach 85% of target audience, once in a month by direct mail. * Four times a month a TV commercial will be aired on a business show time. The audience TRP is consistent and highest in this category of shows. * Star Airways would build the campaign theme around quality and customer service initiatives . * The direct mail letter would be sent to a database of 85,000 clients in four months. The letter will contain information on the airline and again stress on the same theme of quality and customer service. QUESTIONS 1. What is likely to be the decision process in case of choosing an airline? 2. Would this plan suggested by the vice president help in convincing the customers to use Star Airways? Give your reasons. Case IV Mouse-Rid One hot May morning, Shobha, general manager of Innotrap India Ltd. , entered her office in Delhi. She paused for a moment to contemplate the quote, which she had framed and hung on a wall facing her table. If a man can make a better mousetrap than his neighbour, the world will make a beaten path to his door. She vaguely recalled that probably it was Ralph Waldo Emerson who said this. Perhaps, she wondered, Emerson knew something that she didnt. She had the better mousetrap Mouse-Rid but the world didnt seem all that excited about it. Shobha had just returned from a Trade Fair in Kolkata. Standing in the trade show display booth for long hours and answering the same questions hundreds of times had been tiring. Yet, this show had excited her. The Trade Fair officials held a contest to select the best new product introduced at the show. Of the more than 150 new products, her mousetrap had won first place. Two womens magazines had written small articles about this innovative mousetrap, however, the expected demand for the trap had not materialised. Shobha hoped that this award might stimulate increased interest and sales. A group of investors who had obtained rights to market this innovative mousetrap in India had formed Innotrap India in January 2001. In return for marketing rights, the group agreed to pay the inventor and patent holder, a retired engineer, a royalty fee for each trap sold. The group then appointed Shobha as the general manager to develop and manage Innotrap India Ltd. The Mouse-Rid, a simple yet clever device, is manufactured by a plastics firm under contract with Innotrap India Ltd. It consists of a square, plastic tube measuring about 6 inches long and one and one-half inches- square. The tube bends in the middle at a 30-degree angle, so that when the front part of the tube rests on a flat surface, the other end is elevated. The elevated end holds a removable cap into which the user places bait (piece of bread, or some other titbit). A hinged door is attached to the front endofthe tube. When the trap is open, this door rests on two narrow stills attached to the two bottom corners of the door. The trap works with simple efficiency. A mouse, smelling the bait enters the tube through the open end. As it moves up the angled bottom toward the bait, its weight makes the elevated end of the trap drop downward. This elevates the open end, allowing the hinged door to swing closed, trapping the mouse. Small teeth on the ends of stills catch in a groove on the bottom of the trap, locking the door closed. The mouse can be disposed of live, or it can be left alone for a few hours to suffocate in the trap. Shobha felt the trap had many advantages for the consumer when compared with traditional spring-loaded traps or poisons. Consumers can use it safely and easily with no risk for catching their fingers while loading. It poses no injury or poisoning threat to children or pets. Shobhas personal and informal inquiries with acquaintances and friends suggested that women are the best target market for the Mouse-Rid. Most women stay at home and take care of household chores and their children. Thus, they want a means of dealing with the mouse problem that avoids any kind of risks. To reach this market, Shobha decided to distribute Mouse-Rid through grocery stores, and kitchenware stores. She personally contacted a supermarket and some departmental stores to persuade them to carry the product, but they refused saying that they did not sell such contraptions. She avoided any wholesalers and other middlemen. The traps were packaged in a simple cardboard, with a suggested retail price ofRs. 150 for a piece. Although this price made Mouse-Rid about five 1;0 six times more expensive than standard traps, those who bought it showed little price resistance. To promote the product, Shobha had budgeted approximately Rs. 300,000 toward advertising in different womens magazines, such as Grah Shobha, and Good Housekeeping. Shobha was the companys only salesperson, but planed to employ sales people soon. Shobha had forecasted Mouse-Rids first year sales at 2 million units. Through Aril, however, the company had sold only few thousand units. She wondered if most new products got to such slow start, or if she was doing something wrong. Shobha knew that the investor group believed that Innotrap India Ltd. ad a once-in-a lifetime chance with its innovative mousetrap. She sensed the groups impatience. To keep the investors happy, the company needed to sell enough traps to cover costs and make a profit. QUESTIONS 1. Has Shobha identified the best target market for Mouse-Rid? Why or why not? 2. Does Shob ha have enough needed data on consumer behaviour? What type of consumer research should Shobha conduct? 3. What type of advertising can influence consumers for this type of product? Case V Golden Glow Soap Anil Mahajan absent -mindedly ran his finger over the cake of soap before him. He traced the name Golden Glow embossed on the soap as he inhaled its unmistakable sesame fragrance. It was a small soap, almost like a bar of gold. There were no frills, no coloured packaging, and no fancy shape. Just a golden glow and the fragrance of sesame and Lucida font that quietly stated Golden Glow. Mahajan smiled wanly and clasped the soap in his hands, as if protecting it from an unseen predator. He was wondering with quiet concern if the 30-year-old brand would last long. Sensi India, where Mahajan was marketing manager, was taking a long, hard look at the soap, as it was proving to be a strain on resources. There were varying stories about how Golden Glow was launched. Some said the brand was a gift from the departing English parent company. Others claimed that it was created for the then chairmans British wife, as the Indian climate did not agree with her skin. They also claimed that the lady also coined the copy The honest soap that loves your skin was also coined by the lady. The line had stuck through three decades. Only the visuals had changed, with newer models replacing the older ones. Zeni was basically a speciality products company producing household hygiene, fabricare, and dental care products. Golden Glow was the only soap in its product mix, produced and marketed by Sensi. Its reliable quality and value delivery had earned it a lot of respect in the market. Golden Glow equity was such that Sensi was known as the Golden Glow Company. Indeed, the brand name Golden Glow denoted purity, reliability, and gentle skincare. In 1994, Sensi UK increased its stake in the Indian subsidiary to 51%. Within months, all of Sensis products were given a facelift, thanks to the inflow of foreign capital. New packaging, new fragrances, new formulations and more variants were introduced. Only Golden Glow was left untouched. For, although it had a growing skincare business following some strategic acquisitions in Europe in the early eighties, Sensi UK was not a soap company. The UK marketing team ran an audit of every brand and product in the companys portfolio. But when it came to Golden Glow, it faltered. We dont know this one, officials at the parent company said. We dont want this one to be touched, Mahajan had said protectively, a sentiment tliat was endorsed by the managing director, Rajan Sharma. Golden Glow is too sacred, we will leave it as it is, he said. But the UK marketing team was confounded. What was a lone soap doing in the midst of toilet cleaners and fabric protectors; they wondered, however they somehow agreed that their proposed revamp strategy would only look at up-gradation, not tinkering with what wasnt broken. Indeed, for 30 long years no one had tampered with the Golden Glow brand. And Mahajan felt there was no reason to start now. Golden Glow, in his view, was a self-sustaining brand. That was a bit of an understatement because advertising for the brand was moderate and Sensi India had never used any promotional gimmick for it. Now, after four years of nurturing the other categories, Sensi UK had decided to launch its Vio range of skincare products in India. But Golden Glows presence and profile was a major roadblock to Vios success. It will create dissonance, confuse our skincare equity and deter the articulation of Vios credo. It will stand out as a genetic flaw, argued the UK marketing head. You need to do a rethink on Golden Glow. Mahajan protested. Why? It has such a strong equity and loyal following. So much has been invested in it all these years. Why give up all that? Rajan, however, had another idea. Let us then extend the Golden Glow brand. He said It was the simplest solution. Companies were now investing heavily in creating new equities for their brands. But in Golden Glows case, Sensi was already sitting on a brand with a terrific equity. He felt that extending this equity to other categories, such as skincare products would be successful. But Golden Glow needed a new positioning before it could be extended. Till a few years ago, it had been in premium category, priced at Rs. 15. Then new brands with specific positioning and higher price tags entered the market. This created a level above Rs. 15 soaps and pushed Golden Glow down to the mid-priced range. So Golden Glows price was not commensurate with its premium position and image. Over the years, Golden Glow had become so sacred that Sensi India had been too scared to do anything to it. As a result, the soap was left with niche category of loyal users. This category neither shrank or increased, just kept getting older and older, and with it the brand also kept growing older. For example, when Mahajans wife had her first baby at 25, her mother had recommended Golden Glow for her dry skin and also for babys tender skin because it contained sesame oil. That was in 1979. Today, Mahajans daughter had turned 21 and was being wooed by Dove, Camay, even Santoor, and Lifebuoy Gold, with their aggressive advertising. Golden Glow had begun to lose its image of being contemporary as newer brands came in with newer values. Today, at 46, Mahajans wife still used Golden Glow, but when she recommended Golden Glow to her daughter, she said, But Golden Glow is a soap for mothers, for older people. That was a major problem. The Golden Glow brand had aged, and Sensi India hadnt even been aware of it. While its equity had grown with its users, its personality had aged considerably in the last 30 years. I dont think you can keep the personality young, unless you keep renewing the brand. The objective now is to widen your equity so that your image becomes young, continued Rajan. For instance, if today you were to personify a Golden Glow user now, it would be a woman of 45 years using the same brand for many years, who is aver-se to experimenting, ver y skincare conscious, very trusting, and very one-dimensional. As you can see, this is not a very competitive personality. These are the strengths of our Golden Glow, but these are also its weaknesses, he analysed. The context had changed. Today, youth demanded brands that stood for freedom and fearlessness. They demanded bold brands that dared to cure, not just p;eserve. Preservation is for old people. Those are the attributes being presented in evolved markets, said Rajan. To make Golden Glow contemporary, the attributes had to be re-framed, he felt. You cant make a young brand trusting caring, loving, without adding other attributes to it. Today, youth stands for freedom, for laughter, for frankness, for forthrightness. Thats what Close Up, Lifebuoy Gold, Vatika, and other brands propagate. So, either come clean and say it is for older skin which needs trust and kindness, or reposition the brand, said Rajan. Repositioning was also necessary to address another anomaly in Golden Gl ows image: its perceived premium. Sensi India had been unable to do anything about Golden Glow slipping into the mid-price range following the entry of more expensive brands. Now, as Rajan mulled over the brand extension plan, Mahajan felt that Golden Glows premium positioning was its core equity and that had to be maintained. If you are premium priced in the consumers mind, your extensions are automatically perceived as premium. So, if you dont present the other products as premium, the consumer will not see them as extensions of the brand, he said. For example, if you are to launch a shampoo which is priced lower than Sunsilk, but higher than Nyle and Ayur, then whatever the rationale, the consumer will not accept your product. It is not the Golden Glow I know, will be the feeling, he said. Mahajan felt that since premium positioning was one of Golden Glows equity values, it would be very difficult to convince consumers that the brand was being extended without hanging on to this particular value. Will they buy you r rationale that the very same values and equity would now be available at a low price? To be in the premium segment now, you have to price it at Rs 35 or 40, almost on a par with Dove, he said. With Dove retailing at Rs 45, Golden Glow will be perceived as a cheaper option. We cant simply raise the price, said Rajan. What are we offering for that increase? You can t add value because you dont want to tamper with the brand. The consumers will then ask, Golden Glow used to be so cheap, what has happened now? The user will forget that 15 years ago, Rsl0 was expensive, because all her comparisons would be in today s context, said Rajan. So whats the option? asked Mahajan. You dont have to be expensive to be premium, said Rajan. Golden Glow already has the image of a premium brand, thanks to its time-tested core values of purity, credibility, and reliability. What we can do is reinforce the premium through communication and positioning. In fact) we should have tinkered with Golden Glow long ago. That is what HLL did with Lux. It also launched a bridge brand, Lux International, in the premium category, said Rajan. How could we have done anything to the brand? asked Mahajan. The product had such a strong following. It stood for gold, for sesame oil, for its subtle earthy perfume. We changed the packaging periodically, but thats all we could do. Remember the time we brought out a transparent green Golden Glow with the fragrance of lime? It bombed in the market. Rajan was not in favour of the premium positioning. It appeared very short sighted to him, given the bigger plan to extend the brand. Where are the volumes in the premium segment? He asked. For some reason, every manufacturer feels that skincare can be an indulgence of only the moneyed class. As a result, there is a crowd in the premium end of the market. Do we want to be yet another player in the segment? Fifteen years ago, Golden Glow was perceived as a premium product. But today, globa1brands like Revlon, Coty, and Oriflame were delivering specific premium platforms. Golden Glow did not have a global equity. Let us revisit the brand and examine what it stood for 15 years ago and examine the relevance of those attributes in todays context, suggested Rajan. Golden Glow stood for care, consciousness, love, quality and all that. But today, are these enough to justify a premium position? he asked Mahajan. These attributes are viable in the mid-priced segment. He said. The mid-priced brand is the proverbial washer-mans dog, said Mahajan. You dont know whether you are at the bottom end of the premium range or at the top-end of the low-priced range. You end up creating an image of being on the opportunity fence. It is a mere pricing ploy, with no strategic value. QUESTIONS 1. Discuss the nature of problem(s) in this case? 2. Suggest the kind of consumer research needed? 3. How should Golden Glow be positioned/ repositioned to bring about the desired change among consumers? Give your reasons. CASE VI Impact of Retail Promotions on Consumers Shoppers Delight, a large retail store, had above-average quality and competitive prices. It advertised its retail promotions in local newspapers. Its TV advertising was mainly aimed at building store image and did not address retail promotions. The management knew it well that they had to advertise their retail promotions more, but they did not feel comfortable with the effectiveness of present efforts and wanted to better understand the impact of their present promotions. To better understand the effectiveness of present efforts, a study of advertising exposure, interpretation, and purchases was undertaken. Researchers conducted 50 in-depth interviews with customers of the stores target market to determine the appropriate product mix, price, ad copy and media for the test. In addition, the stores image and that of its two competitors were measured. Based on the research findings, different product lines that would appeal to the target customers were selected. The retail promotion was run for a full week. Full-page advertisements were released each day in the two local Hindi newspapers, and also in one English newspaper that devotes six pages to the coverage of the state. Each evening, a sample of 100 target market customers were interviewed by telephone as follows: 1. Target customers were asked if they had read the newspaper that day. This was done to determine their exposure to advertisement. 2. After a general description of the product lines, the respondents were asked to recall any related retail advertisements they had seen or read. 3, If the respondents were able to recall, they were asked to describe the ad, the promoted products, sale prices, and the name of the sponsoring store. 4. If the respondents were accurate in their ad interpretation, they were asked to express their intentions to purchase. 5. Respondents were also asked for suggestions to be incorporated in future promotions targeted at this consumer segment. Immediately after the close of promotion, 500 target market customers were surveyed to determine what percentage of the target market actually purchased the promoted products. It also determined which sources of information influenced them in their decision to purchase and the amount of their purchase. Results of the study showed that ad exposure was 75 per cent and ad awareness level was 68 per cent and was considered as high. Only 43 percent respondents exposed to and aware of the ad copy could accurately recall important details, such as the name of the store promoting the retail sale. Just 43 per cent correct interpretation was considered as low. Of those who could accurately interpret the ad copy, 32 per cent said they intended to respond by purchasing the advertised · products and 68per cent sad they had no intention to buy. This yields an overall intention to buy of 7 per cent. The largest area of lost opportunity was due to those who did not accurately interpret the ad copy. The post-promotion survey indicated that only 4. 2 per cent of the target market customers made purchases of the promoted products during the promotion period. In terms of how the buyers learned of the promotion, 46 per cent mentioned newspaper A (Hindi), 27 per cent newspaper B (Hindi), 8 per cent newspaper (English), and 15 per cent learned about sale through word-of mouth communication. The retail promotion was judged as successful in many ways, besides yielding sales worth Rs 900,000. However, management was concerned about not achieving a higher level of ad comprehension, missing a significant sales opportunity: It was believed that a better ad would have at least 75 per cent correct comprehension among those aware of the ad. This in turn would almost double sales without any additional cost. QUESTIONS 1. Why would some consumers have high-involvement levels in learning about this sales promotion? 2 Is a level of 75 per cent comprehension realistic among those who become aware of an ad? Why or why not? 3. Do you think such promotions are likely to influence the quality image of the retail store? Explain.

Implementing PING Without Using Raw Sockets

Implementing PING Without Using Raw Sockets Windows supports an Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) to determine whether or not a particular host is available.  ICMP is a network layer protocol that delivers flow control, error messages, routing, and other data between Internet hosts. ICMP is primarily used by application developers for a network ping. What Is a Ping? A ping is the process of sending an echo message to an IP address and reading the reply to verify a connection between TCP/IP hosts. If you are writing a new application, you will be better to use the Winsock 2 raw sockets support, implemented in  Indy, for example. Please note, however, that for Windows NT and Windows 2000 implementations, Raw Sockets are subject to security checks and are accessible only to members of the administrators group. Icmp.dll provides functionality that allows developers to write Internet ping applications on Windows systems without Winsock 2 support.   Note that the Winsock 1.1 WSAStartup function must be called prior to using the functions exposed by ICMP.DLL. If you do not do this, the first call to IcmpSendEcho will fail with error 10091 (WSASYSNOTREADY). Below you can find the Ping units source code. Here are two examples of usage. Example 1: Code Snippet uses Ping;...​const ADP_IP 208.185.127.40; (* http://delphi.about.com *)beginIf Ping.Ping(ADP_IP) then ShowMessage(About Delphi Programming reachable!);end; Example 2: Console Mode  Delphi Program Our next example is a console mode Delphi program  that uses the Ping unit:  . Heres  the Ping units source: unit Ping;​interfaceusesWindows, SysUtils, Classes;typeTSunB packed records_b1, s_b2, s_b3, s_b4: byte;end;TSunW packed records_w1, s_w2: word;end;PIPAddr ^TIPAddr;TIPAddr recordcase integer of0: (S_un_b: TSunB);1: (S_un_w: TSunW);2: (S_addr: longword);end;IPAddr TIPAddr;function IcmpCreateFile : THandle; stdcall; external icmp.dll;function IcmpCloseHandle (icmpHandle : THandle) : boolean;stdcall; external icmp.dllfunction IcmpSendEcho(IcmpHandle : THandle; DestinationAddress : IPAddr;RequestData : Pointer; RequestSize : Smallint;RequestOptions : pointer;ReplyBuffer : Pointer;ReplySize : DWORD;Timeout : DWORD) : DWORD; stdcall; external icmp.dll;function Ping(InetAddress : string) : boolean;implementationusesWinSock;function Fetch(var AInput: string;const ADelim: string ;const ADelete: Boolean true): string;variPos: Integer;beginif ADelim #0 then begin// AnsiPos does not work with #0iPos : Pos(ADelim, AInput);end else beginiPos : Pos(ADelim, AInput);end;if iPos 0 the n beginResult : AInput;if ADelete then beginAInput : ;end;end else beginresult : Copy(AInput, 1, iPos - 1);if ADelete then beginDelete(AInput, 1, iPos Length(ADelim) - 1);end;end;end;procedure TranslateStringToTInAddr(AIP: string; var AInAddr);varphe: PHostEnt;pac: PChar;GInitData: TWSAData;beginWSAStartup($101, GInitData);tryphe : GetHostByName(PChar(AIP));if Assigned(phe) thenbeginpac : phe^.h_addr_list^;if Assigned(pac) thenbeginwith TIPAddr(AInAddr).S_un_b do begins_b1 : Byte(pac[0]);s_b2 : Byte(pac[1]);s_b3 : Byte(pac[2]);s_b4 : Byte(pac[3]);end;endelsebeginraise Exception.Create(Error getting IP from HostName);end;endelsebeginraise Exception.Create(Error getting HostName);end;exceptFillChar(AInAddr, SizeOf(AInAddr), #0);end;WSACleanup;end;function Ping(InetAddress : string) : boolean;varHandle : THandle;InAddr : IPAddr;DW : DWORD;rep : array[1..128] of byte;beginresult : false;Handle : IcmpCreateFile;if Handle INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE thenExit;TranslateStringToTInAddr(InetAddres s, InAddr);DW : IcmpSendEcho(Handle, InAddr, nil, 0, nil, rep, 128, 0);Result : (DW 0);IcmpCloseHandle(Handle);end;​end.

Facility Survey Report Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Facility Survey Report - Assignment Example Through the survey, the foundation will also get baseline data, which will help with the audit of the sports and recreational facilities in the area (El Pomar 1). The aims of the audit include improving the capacity of the foundation in providing access to recreation/sports information. The most important information to be collected and communicated to the users of the facilities includes contact information and the condition of the facilities. The other information to be provided, following the information collected, will include the location of the centers, the current and the future usage of the facilities and levels of access – to residents and the visitors of the area. Through the survey, the foundation will identify areas that require development and that will help in the channeling of facility improvement in the future. The survey tour will cover two El Pomar facilities at the Colorado area, namely, the El Pomar youth sports park and the E.A.TuttClub (BGCPPR 1). Followi ng the review of the two facilities, this paper will present a summary of the tour of the centers and discuss the good design. It will also expose poor design features, discuss main lessons learnt through the tour, and note the areas to be changed immediately (El Pomar 1). Summary of the tour El Pomar youth sports park The first facility covered by the survey tour was the El Pomar sports center, which has been in operation for about 13 years. The facility provides mind and body recreational services to the members of the colleges in the area, athletes, and members of the community. The facility is located at 2212 Executive circle, Colorado Springs (El Pomar 1). The website of the El Pomar youth Sports Park is given below: http://www.csyouthsports.org/ The website of the facility offers information on the people working at the facility, the facilities available at the center, the policies and the scheduling of the facility, the facility’s outreach as well as the news and the e vents of the facility. The website also offers information on the sponsors and the partners of the facility, as well as directions to visitors and contact information – for visitors and those making inquiries over the Internet (El Pomar 1). The manager (operations director) in charge of the facility is Vicki Martin. The operations director has served at the office since 2002, working as the contact person – responsible for games, tournaments, practice scheduling and scrimmage. She works directly with leagues, clubs, parents, coaches and the youths that use the park. She is also responsible for the handling of invoices, accounts receivables, and book keeping (El Pomar 1). The executive manager of the facility is Eric Parthen, who took office in July 2013. Mr. Parthen is a well-established leader and officer, holding more than 17 years of leadership at similar or higher executive posts (El Pomar 1). The E.A.TuttClub is a facility that offers recreation and learning facil ities. The facility offers both boys and girls, a fun and relaxing environment for learning, at the huge library, where members can learn all that they want. At the recreation room, the facility offers fooseball, house pool, poly pong tables, carpet ball and air hockey facilities. Other facilities at the center include a computer lab, an art room, a gymnasium and an open play ground with baseball and basketball fields, among other recreational grounds (BGCPPR 1). The facility is

Should Homosexuals Be Allowed to Marry Research Paper

Should Homosexuals Be Allowed to Marry - Research Paper Example In the present world, with increased change occurring at the societal and governmental level, homosexual marriage should be allowed. Homosexuals should be granted the opportunity to marry since they are citizens too. There is no place under the constitution that states gays to be second class citizens. In fact, it is clearly stated in the constitution plus the formulated Bill of Rights that all citizens have rights including homosexuals (Craig & Rimmerman, 2009). Hence a chance should be given to gays to hold marriages with their beloved ones. Marriage indicating the union between two people should at no point be interfered by the government or the society as it does not affect them all (Lopez, 2009). Therefore, in denying homosexuals to get marriage indicates discrimination of a country’s citizens (Craig & Rimmerman, 2009). Furthermore, in the Bill of Rights or the constitution, none states disregarding homosexuals to marry. Hence, the government should leave the union of two gay people to themselves instead of denying them. Since time immemorial, gay people have constantly been discriminated by various groups in the society, for example, religious groups. They have always been treated cruelly and some persecuted in some countries. ... Furthermore, marriage can be acceptable to homosexuals when they love each other as it provides a solid reason to tie the note (Gaita, 2007). Marriage is hence a fundamental right to all citizens irrespective of one’s sexuality and should be respected at all times. In accordance to the constitution, minority groups like homosexuals are expected to be protected by the government and not to discriminate those (Craig & Rimmerman, 2009). Denying homosexuals, a right to marriage is inhuman. Homosexuals are human beings and require to be treated equally in the society. For thousands of years, homosexuals have constantly been struggling for their rights so as to be treated equally like heterosexuals (Lopez, 2009). It is sad seeing fellow human beings who are homosexuals being insulted, mistreated, imprisoned, or put to death (White, 2008). From a humanistic perspective, one would always wonder if such acts committed to homosexuals depict the human nature in people. Therefore, as the world is changing and many countries have begun to embrace the concept of homosexuality in the society, so does gay marriage allowed (Gaita, 2007). Homosexuals should get married by proving a point that love sometimes can be stronger than words. In as much as people talk and write nasty things about not accepting gay marriages, but when compared to heterosexual marriage where love precedes, then homosexuals too should be left alone (Gaita, 2007). Marriage among homosexuals should not be a discussion of straight people to as they have never felt the love that co exists between two gays. Furthermore, it is unfair to deny two homosexuals in love to marry each other. In such gay marriages, couples often strive to get love plus

Bible 105 Essay Example for Free

Bible 105 Essay Proverbs poetically presents Hebrew teachings on the topics of wealth, marriage, family, self-control, and relationships. It distinctly outlines the differences between wisdom and folly as well as diligence and laziness. Wisdom and diligence will bless your life and the lives of those you touch, while laziness and folly bring nothing but failure and heartache to everyone involved. Hebrew wisdom literature provides sound advice in our daily walk with Christ. â€Å"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction†. Proverbs 1:7) The foundation of knowledge and wisdom is to fear the Lord. As a Christian, knowledge and wisdom are what we seek in our relationship with Christ. To despise these would mean that we don’t want a relationship with Him, and we would continue to walk in the ways of the world. Solomon’s wise sayings give fair warning about what it means to be wise in learning, and the consequences of rejecting God’s commands. â€Å"The wise in heart will receive commands, but a prating fool will fall†. Proverbs 10:8) Our hearts need to be diligent in making godly decisions so that God can continue to work in and through us. By choosing to hear God’s commands and following through with carrying them out day to day, we are preparing for our home in heaven. No one sets out to fail in life but when we are not open to applying the Word of God in all aspects of life then we will surely fall. â€Å"The crown of the wise is their riches, but the foolishness of fools is folly†. (Proverbs 14:24) The only reward for the fool is more folly which will result in total destruction. Foolishness may seem fun at the time, but before you know it your marriage has fallen apart, your family is gone, and you no longer have self-control over your actions. In order for our character to point to Christ, we must first have a heart that listens to His commands, actions that follow through with the commands, and by doing these others will witness Christ in us. â€Å"Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established†. (Proverbs 16:3) Submission to the will of God fulfills your righteous plans. This will give evidence to those around you that you are walking with God. It’s a testimony to your wife and family that you are committed to being a spiritual leader which points them to the will of God. A fool’s life is characterized by pleasure. The problem occurs when we no longer find pleasure in God, but find it solely in one’s own resources. â€Å"The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, while the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure†. (Ecclesiastes 7:4) Solomon reminds us to think clearly about death. In doing so it allows us time to examine the direction of our life and time to confess our sins, and find forgiveness from God. Eventually we all die and it makes sense to plan ahead which will allow us to experience God’s mercy rather than spending eternity separated from Him. The wise is honored and their soul is redeemed while the foolish is destroyed. â€Å"Notice the way God does things, then fall into line. Don’t fight the ways of God, for who can straighten out what he has made crooked†. Ecclesiastes 7:13) God is sovereign and controls all of creation. Our destiny is in His hands, and only doing things His way leads to wisdom and knowledge. One of my favorites is from Proverbs 3. â€Å"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths†. (Proverbs 3: 5-6) Trusting in God means to let go and give Him full control over your life. He knows the plans He has for you and by submitting to Him those plans can be fulfilled. Don’t try to be wise in your own eyes, but be willing to listen to God and make Him a vital part of everything you do. Let Him guide you because you are working to accomplish His purposes. The book of Proverbs has much to teach Christians today. Its wisdom will help us to avoid trouble and honor God in all we say and do. We don’t want to be the fool that ignores God. He wants His people to be wise, it shows that we seek to know and love God above all else. God views our success as having a good reputation, moral character, and the spiritual diligence to obey Him.

Historical Monuments Essay -- essays research papers

Historical Monuments When thinking about architecture, many visual images come to mind. The works of many are seen everywhere we go, from the average home to a New York skyscraper. As these buildings are fairly common to most of us, we forget to incorporate the work of our prehistoric man that gave us the foundation of early architecture. Pre-historic monuments provide us with numerous amounts information about our past and how life existed in these prehistoric times. When comparing two great works from ancient times, we will determine the main reason for these buildings as well as rituals that were held and there excavations and discoveries. The passage-tomb at New Grange was constructed around 3200BC, according to archeologist. This makes it older than Egyptian pyramids. New Grange was built only by stones, no metals or other foreign objects were used. This site was rediscovered in 1699. Charles Campbell, landlord at time, instructed his workers to gather some stones and soon enough, the entrance of the chamber was found. Excavations of the passage-tombs began on 1962-1975 by Professor Michael J. O’Kelly and his wife Claire O’Kelly. Each year, on winter solstice, a spectacular occurrence is witnessed as New Grange is illuminated by the sun. At sunrise, around nine o’clock in the morning, the suns strikes the front of New Grange creating a beam of light that stretches into the passage way and into its central chamber. This sun beam illuminates the chamber for a period of around seventeen minutes. It is remarkable how man constructed this tomb precisely to capture the sun every year with merely just s tone technology and no other equipment. According to O’Kelly, he felt the workforce of three hundred was used to create the tomb that took around thirty years to build. The total length of the passage stretches around seventy-nine feet, and is composed of three separate chambers. There is also a great deal of Megalithic Art inside New Grange as well as its sister sites Knowth and Dowth. In fact, in Knowth, nearly every stone is decorated, and the site has been hailed as having the largest collection of megalithic art in all of Europe. Over a quarter of all known megalithic art in Western Europe is at Knowth and its surrounding mounds (http:// mythicalireland.com/ancientsites/newgrange-facts/art.php). The most common categories of art at New Grange are lozeng... ... "stupa." Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica. 2005. Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica Premium Service 16 Feb. 2005 . 2. "Sanchi." Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica. 2005. Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica Premium Service 16 Feb. 2005 . 3. "arts, Central Asian." Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica. 2005. Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica Premium Service 16 Feb. 2005 . 4. â€Å"The Great Stupa of Sanchi† http://rogershepherd.com/WIW/solution12/stupa.html 5. "Buddhism." Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica. 2005. Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica Premium Service 16 Feb. 2005 . 6. â€Å"101 Fact on NewGrange â€Å" http://www.mythicalireland.com/ancientsites/newgrange-facts/art.php 7. "Boyne, River." Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica. 2005. Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica Premium Service 16 Feb. 2005 . 8. "Ireland." Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica. 2005. Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica Premium Service 16 Feb. 2005 . 9. "Stone Age." Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica. 2005. Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica Premium Service 16 Feb. 2005 .

Learning Disabilities Essay

Puzzling is the term teachers use to describe students with learning disabilities.   They tell us that these students look entirely normal, seem intelligent, carry on intelligent conversations – that they don’t appear to any different than other students. Yet these students have difficulty doing certain tasks – not all- in school.   Some have difficulty reading; others perform poorly in spelling; still others make frequent mistakes in math.   Teachers in many schools tell us that these students are very hard to teach – that they simply do not learn in the same ways or as easily as others their age.   They tell us that these students have special needs and are not easy to teach in large classes in which most other students perform reasonably well.   They tell us that modifying instruction so that these students can profit from teaching is an intricate process. Because of the heterogeneous nature of this group of children, the concept of specific learning disabilities has been hard to define or describe in few sentence or by a numerical score such as an IQ or by a decibel loss. Furthermore, because the field has been of interest to educators, psychologists, psychiatrists, neurophysiologists, pediatricians, ophthalmologists, optometrists, speech pathologists, and others, the problem has been viewed in each of those disciplines from different perspectives. Hence there is really the need for several definitions for learning disabilities and thus we can conclude that its definition is defined in â€Å"case to case† basis. Definition of Learning Disabilities Historically, the following terms were used to name children with Learning disabilities: ââ€"   perceptually handicapped ââ€"   brain injured ââ€"   neurologically impaired Then, there came two broad aspects of concern in defining and or identifying those children: biological etiology- â€Å"minimal brain dysfunction†, psychoneurological learning disorders. behavior – â€Å" developmental disparity in psychological processes†, developmental imbalance† The definition of learning disabilities in an educational term has derived its heritage from: ââ€"   neurology ââ€"   psychology ââ€"   speech pathology ââ€"   ophthalmology ââ€"  Ã‚   remedial reading      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Wiederholt (1984) has traced the history of Learning disability and has delineated three dimensions of disorders namely: (1) disorders of the spoken language studied primarily by neurologists and ophthalmologists such as; ââ€"   Samuel Kirk developed a test, the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities, for use in describing language functioning and developing remedial programs. disorders of written language represented mostly by psychologists, speech pathologists, and educators such as; ââ€"   Grace Fernald established a clinic at UCLA where she perfected remedial reading and spelling techniques. disorders of perceptual and motor behaviors studied mostly by a number of disciplines such as; ââ€"   Goldstein, Werner and Strauss as pioneers of the field which listed the following behavioral characteristics that differentiated between those with and those without brain injuries: excessive motor activity, hyperactivity, awkwardness and consistently poor motor performance, erratic behavior, poor organization, high distractibility and faulty perceptions (like reversals) and ââ€"   Samuel Orton was a neurologist who believed that lack of cerebral dominance was a cause of language disorders. (In normal individual either the left or right side of the brain has dominance in controlling specific functions.) ââ€"  Ã‚  Ã‚   Cruickshank focused his efforts on the study of brain-injured children, specifically children with cerebral palsy. ââ€"   Getman, Marianne Frostig, Newell Kephart, and Ray Barsch focused on the correlation of perceptual disorders and developed remedial procedures ranging from optometric eye exercises, tracing and copying patterns, and differentiating figure from background in a puzzle, to making angels in the snow.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Today, there are various provinces in Canada that have established programs for learning disabilities which was instituted for example by ââ€"   The Ontario Ministry of Education ââ€"   Saskatchewan Department of Education ââ€"   Halifax Board of Education and ââ€"   Quebec Ministry of Education But the most widely used definitions is the one incorporated by the Learning Disabilities Association of Canada or LDAC (2002) which state that, the term â€Å"Learning Disabilities refer to a number of disorders which may affect the acquisition, organization, retention, understanding or use of verbal or nonverbal information. These disorders affect learning in individuals who otherwise demonstrate at least average abilities essential for thinking and/or reasoning. As such, learning disabilities are distinct from global intellectual deficiency. Learning disabilities result from impairments in one or more processes related to perceiving, thinking, remembering or learning. These include, but are not limited to: language processing; phonological processing; visual spatial processing; processing speed; memory and attention; and executive functions (e.g. planning and decision-making)†. Further, LDAC mentioned that learning disabilities range in severity and may interfere with the acquisition and use of one or more of the following: oral language (e.g. listening, speaking, understanding); reading (e.g. decoding, phonetic knowledge, word recognition, comprehension); written language (e.g. spelling and written expression); and mathematics (e.g. computation, problem solving). Further, the U.S. Department of Education regulation further states that a student has a specific learning disability if: the student does not achieve at the proper age and ability levels in one or more of several specific areas when provided with appropriate learning experiences; the student has a severe discrepancy between achievement and intellectual ability in one or more of these seven areas: (a) oral expression, (b) listening comprehension, (c) written expression, (d) basic reading skill, (e) reading comprehension, (f) mathematics calculation, and (g) mathematics reasoning. To summarize, all these definitions of learning disabilities, it includes the following major concepts: The individual has a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes.   Ã‚  Ã‚   (These processes refer to intrinsic prerequisite abilities, such as memory, auditory   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   perception, visual perception, oral language, and thinking.) The individual has difficulty in learning, specifically, in speaking, listening, writing, reading (word-recognition skills and comprehension), and mathematics (calculation and reasoning.) The problem is not primarily due to other causes, such as visual or hearing impairments; motor handicaps; mental retardation; emotional disturbance; or economic, environmental, or cultural disadvantage. A severe discrepancy exists between the student’s apparent potential for learning and   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   his or her low level of achievement.   In other words, there is evidence of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   underachievement.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The various definitions of learning disabilities have several elements in common: neurological dysfunction uneven growth pattern difficulty in academic and learning tasks discrepancy between potential and achievement exclusion of other causes Identification of Learning Disabilities In identifying individuals with learning disabilities, the following common characteristics must be observed: ââ€"   Disorders of attention: Hyperactivity, distractibility, poor concentration ability, short attention span; ââ€"   Poor motor abilities: Poor fine and gross motor coordination, general awkwardness and clumsiness, spatial problems; ââ€"   Perceptual and information processing problems: Difficulty in discrimination of auditory and visual stimuli, auditory and visual closure, and sequencing; ââ€"   Oral language difficulties: Problems in listening, speaking, vocabulary, and linguistic competencies; ââ€"   Failure to develop and mobilize cognitive strategies for learning: Lack of organization, active learning set, metacognitive functions; ââ€"   Reading difficulties: Problems in decoding, basic reading skills, and reading comprehension; ââ€"   Written language difficulties: Problems in spelling, handwriting, and written composition; ââ€"   Mathematics difficulties: Difficulty in quantitative thinking, arithmetic, time, space, and calculation facts; and ââ€"   Inappropriate social behavior: Problems in social skills deficits, emotional problems, and establishing social relationships. There are also other practical classification schemes that are useful: (1) the academic learning disabilities ( reading, arithmetic, handwriting, spelling, and written expression) (2) the developmental learning disabilities: ( attention, memory, perceptual skills, thinking skills, and oral language skills) A somewhat more systematic way to look at characteristics of students with learning disabilities is to look at those factors referenced in screening devices.   The following outline reflects the types of difficulties often observed in learning disabled students: (1) significantly different classroom behaviors difficulty in beginning or finishing tasks difficulty in organizing inconsistent in behavior difficulty in peer relationships (2) significantly below-average performance in auditory comprehension and listening difficulty in following directions difficulty in comprehending or following class discussions inability to retain information received aurally difficulty in understanding or comprehending word meanings (3) significantly below-average performance in spoken language use of incomplete sentences or unusual number of grammatical errors use of immature or improper vocabulary or very limited vocabulary difficulty in recalling words for use in self-expression difficulty relating isolated facts, scattered ideas difficulty in relating ideas in logical sequence (4) significant academic problems difficulty in reading fluency difficulty in associating numbers with symbols incorrect ordering of letters in spelling confusion of manuscript and cursive writing avoidance of reading confusion of math concepts – addition, multiplication (5) orientation difficulties poor time concept, no grasp of meaning of time difficulty in â€Å"navigating† around building or school grounds poor understanding of relationships (big, little, far, close, under, on, near) inability to learn directions (north, south, left, right) motor disabilities or significant underdevelopment for age poor coordination very poor balance awkward, poorly developed manipulative or manual dexterity lack of rhythm in movements III. Intervention for Learning Disabilities. This knowledge of the characteristics of learning disabled students is one basis for intervention. Thus, we have seen that children with learning disabilities compose quite a diverse group.   It should be no surprise then to find that the teaching and strategies approaches designed to help those children are also quite a diverse. But it is possible to cluster the various approaches into three broad educational strategies: task training, in which the emphasis is on the sequencing and simplication of the task to be learned. ââ€"   Ysseldyke and Salvia (1984) have advanced tow theoretical models namely: (a) analyzing the child’s abilities and disabilities and (b) analyzing the task and the direct training of the terminal behavior or task. This view is supported by behavioral analysts who advocate (1) finding out what the child can and cannot do in a particular skill, (2) determining whether or not the child has the behaviors needed to succeed in the task, (3) defining the goals in observable terms, and (4) organizing a systemic remedial program using reinforcement techniques. The applied behavior analysts do not infer processes or abilities that underlie difficulties but rely solely on the child’s interactional history and the current behavior and environmental situation.   They feel that their approach, which is task oriented and observable, is the most parsimonious approach, and to some it is the only approach needed. ability or process training, in which the focus is on the remediation and simplification of the task to be learned. Quay (1983) discussed the relative efficacy of ability or process training.   He stated that three approaches to remediation have evolved: (1) remediating a disability so that learning will be facilitated at a later date, (2) training and ability or process for its own sake, and (3) direct training of the task.   He concludes that the direct instruction method (task training) should be tried first and then discarded in favor of other methods if direct instruction is not successful. ability – or process-task training, in which the first two approaches are combined and integrated into one remedial program. Raschke and Young (1986) support this approach.   They compared the behavior – analysis model with the diagnostic-prescriptive model. They state that neither approach alone has the answer and propose what they call a dialectic-teaching approach into one system. Essentially the model assesses the abilities and disabilities of the children (intraindividual diffences), makes task analyses of the skills to be learned, and prescribes remediation in the functions and skills to be developed. This dialectic system they maintain â€Å"permits the teacher to assess, program, instruct, and evaluate the child’s psycholinguistic characteristics in the same system as his skill competencies and consequential variables†. Hence, the task of developing a definition of learning disabilities proved to be a formidable challenge.   Indeed, defining this population is considered such an overwhelming task that some have likened learning disabilities to Justice Potter Stewart’s comment on pornography: impossible to define, â€Å"but I know it when I see it.† Thus, defining learning disabilities in a way acceptable to all has continued as a debatable issue since the inception of the field.   Although a number of definitions have been generated and used over the years, each has been judged by some to have some shortcomings.  Ã‚   There are many types of disabilities, each of which may require a unique diagnosis and a unique remedial method. POSITION PAPER   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The definitions of learning disabilities are numerous and so varied that it is difficult to present taxonomy or even a specific list of these different definitions.   The definition of learning disabilities is a problem in much of the nations throughout the world. This problem first came out when some parents in the United States became concerned because their children who were not learning in school were rejected from special education since they were not mentally retarded, deaf or blind, or otherwise handicapped.   Their children were called by various names such as; neurologically handicapped, brain-injured, aphasodic, dyslexic, and perceptually handicapped. In spite of its current widespread use, the term learning disability is vulnerable to misunderstanding and misuse. The condition is difficult to define operationally since the designation learning disability is an umbrella term for a variety of deviations that are not included in traditional categories of exceptional children. Also it has been confused with general learning problems that are common to some degree in most children. In addition, it has been misused to include educational retardation, which is found in slow learning children and in children who have not learned because of poor teaching or absence from school. Another vulnerability of the term comes from the difficulty in drawing an explicit line between normal and abnormal.   Some allowances must be made for biological and psychological diversity, and considerable variation in abilities is accepted as normal. So, the question now is, â€Å"If there are objections to the term learning disabilities, why use it?   Why not use some other term? Well and good, if a better term can be found.   Other terms are either too specific or too broad.   Dyslexia for example, only refers to severe reading disability and it is not the only learning disability.   Brain injury has little or no educational relevance.   Perceptual handicaps exclude children with language disorders. Hence, the label learning disability has evolved to encompass the heterogeneous group of children not fitting neatly into the traditional categories of handicapped children. And that, substantial number of children show retardation in learning to talk, do not acquire other communication skill, do not develop normal visual or auditory perception, or great difficulty in learning to read, to spell, to write, or to make arithmetic calculations. Some of them even, are not receptive to language but are not deaf, some are not able to perceive visually but are not blind, and some cannot learn by ordinary of method of instruction but are not mentally retarded. Although such children are from a heterogeneous group and fail to learn for diverse reasons, they have one thing in common: they do not perform as well in school as they could. Discussing the problem and the difficulties of names for these children, Kirk (1963) explained that sometimes classification labels block our thinking. He further stated that it is better to state that a child has not learned to read than to say the child is dyslexic. So he advised that the name should be functional.   He suggested further that since the parents were interested in service to their children, it might be preferable to use a term related to teaching or learning and that the term learning disability might be preferable over the currently used terms such as cerebral function and brain injured. The term learning disabilities were agreed by these parents and they consider it more appropriate since it implied teaching and learning and since they were interested primarily in service for their children. So, one of the major problems of definition is that a learning disability is not as obvious or homogenous as blindness or deafness. There are many types of disabilities, each of which may require a unique diagnosis and a remedial method may vary differently from another condition also termed a learning disability. It is no wonder that many students, teachers, and parents have become confused about the term learning disability and the characteristics of children so labeled. This confusion appears to be international and is illustrated by the remarks of a teacher who, in testifying to a government committee studying the subject (Learning Difficulties in Children and Adults, 1986), stated:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I find myself asking the following questions:   What does the term â€Å"learning difficulty† mean?   Does the term â€Å"learning difficulty† mean the same as â€Å"learning disability†? How about the term â€Å"dysfunction†? What does the term â€Å"minimal brain dysfunction† mean? Do they all mean the same? Certainly, all these labels are not necessary, or are they? Does labeling a child with learning problems create more problems? It all becomes a bit confusing†¦The terminology changes often, varies from state to state and from country to country. Out of these definitions, came my own definition of learning disability: Learning disability describes a result rather than the cause of the learning disability.   Therefore, the conditions we call a learning disability is defined in terms of the student’s difficulties – what he can and cannot do in school – and focuses primarily on the academic performance.   So, one cannot be labeled as learning disabled if he has not yet started formal schooling as the label learning disabled indicates that a student is having unusual learning difficulties and involves speculations to possible causes, but it specifically indicates that the primary cause cannot be a condition such as mental retardation, hearing or visual impairment, and so on. Learning disabilities should be identified in the formal school context. Thus, preschoolers should not be labeled as learning disabled as growth rates are so unpredictable at young age,   In addition, very young children who appear to have problems may be identified under a noncategorical label, such as developmentally delayed.   For many children, learning disabilities first become apparent when they enter school and fail to acquire academic skills.   The failure often occurs in reading, but also happens in mathematics, writing, or other school subjects.   Among the behaviors frequently seen in the early elementary years are inability to attend and concentrate; poor motor skills, as evidenced in the awkward handling of a pencil and in poor writing; and difficulty in learning to read.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the later elementary years, as the curriculum becomes more difficult, problems may emerge in other areas, such as social studies or science.   Emotional problems also become more of an impediment after several years of repeated failure, and students become more conscious of their poor achievement in comparison with that of their peers.   For some students, social problems and inability to make and keep friends increase in importance at this age level. A radical change in schooling occurs at the secondary level, and adolescents find that learning disabilities begin to take a greater toll.   The tougher demands of the junior and senior high school curriculum and teachers, the turmoil of adolescence, and the continued academic failure may combine to intensify the learning disability.   Adolescents are also concerned about life after completing school.   They may need counseling and guidance for college, career, and vocational decisions.   To worsen the situation, a few adolescents find themselves drawn into acts of juvenile delinquency.   Because adolescents tend to be overly sensitive, some emotional, social, and self-concept problems often accompany a learning disability at his age.   Most secondary schools now have programs for adolescents with learning disabilities. Many teachers in Canada suggested that we abolish the label learning disability, and merge it with the emotionally disturbed and the educable mentally retarded and only deal with the child from an instructional point of view by defining learning tasks so that they can be taught step by step.   I strongly opposed with this suggestion.   Though maybe it is possible for the child with severe learning disability, but this approach is not sufficient to mild learning disabilities students. This is one of the greatest sources of controversy about the identification issues. The question of how much academic and learning retardation is evidenced before an individual should be identified as learning disabled.   Aside from identifying children with learning disability, it is very important to judge the extent of a child’s learning disability as either mild or severe.   Determining the level of severity is helpful in placement and in planning teaching delivery.   I strongly suggest that students with mild learning disabilities should be given different remediation from those of students who have severe learning disabilities. At this point, it is very crucial to differentiate the two cases.   Mild learning disabilities describe the problems of many students.   Students with mild learning disabilities usually have a disability in just one or two areas of learning, and although they need supportive help and special teaching, they can probably get along – at least for part of the day – in the regular classroom. So, within the regular classroom, the regular teachers should often make changes in instruction that will benefit these students. On the other hand, students with sever learning disabilities pose a very different problem and they require quite different educational services.   These students are likely to lag significantly in several areas of learning and to have concomitant social, emotional, or behavioral problems.   They need the environment of a special classroom, should contact mainly with one teacher, and should be given special services for most of the day.   Because of the intensity of their problems, the special class should be given fewer students than the regular classroom.   I suggest the 1:3 teacher to student ratio is the best to maximize and hasten the remediation process.   However, students with severe learning disabilities can gradually be mainstreamed for special subjects or activities or placed in the resource room, or even back in the regular classroom as their progress permits.   Because of these definitions; teachers, guidance councilors, and other school personnel, play the biggest role in identifying, diagnosing, remediating or treating this kind of disability within the school context.   So any teaching/service delivery should best meet the requirements needed to serve properly learning disabled students within the regular classroom.   Hence, learning disabled students should be treated or given remediation within the given school context with the greatest help of the regular classroom teacher but the guidance of the learning disabilities specialist.   So, it is implied that each school should have a learning disabilities specialist. With this, a change in the administrative arrangements for the placement for instruction of children with learning disabilities is a must.  Ã‚   It is important to take note that in the past, the rapid growth of special education was in the direction of removing atypical children from the mainstream of regular classroom and placing them into special education programs. Even the regular education supported this movement which maybe because the responsibility of educating children with a variety of learning problems is transferred to the domain of special education, and that would really lighten the work load of regular teachers.  Ã‚   But that should not be the case and I do not support that movement. The trend should be reversed and all students with learning disabilities should be brought back into the regular classroom with the regular students and in the hands of the regular teacher with the help of the learning disabilities specialist.     Ã‚  A number of movements and researches support this claim. The influential movement that supports this claim is the REI or the regular education initiative led by Madeline Will, the director of special education in the U.S. Office of Special Education in 1986.   She stated that this initiative is designed to promote collaborative efforts among regular and special educators and â€Å"shared responsibility† (Will, 1986).   In this initiative, regular and special educators were encouraged to pool their talents and coordinate their efforts in planning and teaching.  Ã‚   I greatly support this initiative as the underlying premise of this concept is that student’s learning disabilities can be more successfully taught in the regular education classroom than in special education classes or resource room. By promoting the merging of special and regular education, the regular education initiative reflects a major change in the way students with learning disabilities are identified, assessed, and educated. The approach is supported by many special educators (Lloyd, Singh, & Repp, 1991; Maheady & Algozzine, 1991; Biklen & Zollers, 1986; Greer, 1988; Reynolds, Wang & Walberg, 1997).     Ã‚  A specific example is, more than fifty years ago, Samuel Kirk, in his presidential address to special educators, emphasized that all teachers (regular and special educators) have the responsibility for teaching learning disabled children.   Kirk implored that â€Å"every teacher †¦ is a teacher of learning disabled children† (Kirk, 1941).   He further wrote the following: Actually the education of exceptional children is not wholly the responsibility of any one group of teachers †¦. It is hoped that in the future all special class teachers will not only be responsible for the education of children in their classroom, but will take on the added responsibility of contributing their knowledge and special skill to the regular classroom teacher †¦ who (has0 many learning disabled children in (the) classroom. (Kirk, 1941) In 1968, Lloyd Dunn wrote an influential article about the benefits of having special educators work with regular teachers in serving learning disabled children (Dunn, 1968). Another view to change the administrative arrangement in special education is to group children with different disabilities together for instruction.   This categorical system in special education historically evolved as the field of special education developed.   Each category of disability (such as visual impairment, hearing impairment, mental retardation, orthopedic disabilities, speech disorders, emotional disturbance, and learning disabilities) became established individually over the years when there was sufficient interest in that particular area of exceptionality.   This concept emphasizes the common characteristics among students with disabilities and the common instructional methods for teaching students with various disabilities.   In this system, students with learning disabilities, behavior disorders, and mental retardation are often grouped together. Some parents and special educators are concerned that children with learning disabilities might be lost in the shuffle of this kind of placement, if such classes become a dumping ground for students with a variety of unrelated problems.   The resulting diversity of learning and behavior problems would impede teachers in helping students with learning disabilities. But this view is also opposed by a number of authors and has even provoked unusual levels of confusion, emotion, and debate within the special education community (Jehkins & Pious, 2001).   Moreover, other special educators and parents, express concern regarding the regular education initiative movement and caution that more study is needed before making full-scale and far-reaching changes in procedures and policies that will affect the lives of students with learning disabilities (Lloyd et al., 1991; Journal of Learning Disabilities, 1988; Cannon, 1988; Kaufman, Gerber, & Semmel, 1998; McKinney & Hocutt, 1988, Lerner, 1997). But these opposing views have no substance and should be disregarded altogether.   Fuchs & Fuchs (2000) have conducted research on the perceptions of and attitudes toward the regular education initiative among both regular and special educators.   These studies suggest that neither regular nor special education teachers are dissatisfied with the current special education delivery system.   In fact, the teachers favored the resource room model over the consultant model.   Many of the teachers saw no improvement in the achievement levels for either special or regular education students as a result of the regular education initiative reforms.   The success of the initiative depends on the support of regular and special teachers (Semmel, Abernathy, Butera, & Lesar, 1991; Coates, 1989).   Moreover, the research prove that merely shifting the responsibility from the resource room teacher to the regular or a consultant is not enough to ensure the success of the reform. Hence, major policy changes in regular education profoundly affect students with learning disabilities.   Several recent national study commissions on the poor quality of schools serving the learning disabled students.   It is my fear that, most school’s pursuit for academic excellence standards will left behind students with learning disabilities – or they will be the losers.   Being unable to meet the educational standards set by the pursuit-of-excellence movement, some students with learning disabilities will be denied a high school diploma and thus be denied the opportunity to complete their schooling.   Further, if regular teachers are held accountable for the academic excellence of their students, they will be reluctant to accept the responsibility for hard-to-teach students.   Some special educators predict that the push for excellence may serve to widen the schism between regular and special education (Pugach & Sapon-Shevin, 1997). Hence, it is my challenge to educators and healthcare professionals to undergo another education reform movement where school curriculum requirements for the learning disabled should be added to the current curriculum standards for the regular students. So in this recommendation for curriculum changes, a greater consideration should be given for the learning disabled students.   But this should be within the context of the regular education curriculum. This approach is same with the integration of regular and special education.   Some special educators also are now urging that the integration process should be taken much further – that the current special education system should be drastically restructured and that regular and special education should be merged into a single system (Kauffman & Trent, 1991).   Such educators cite several reasons for changing the current system.   Special education, they maintain, is not effective when it occurs outside of the regular classroom.   In addition, the physical separation of students with disabilities is demeaning and degrades instruction.   These special educators maintain that integrated special education is more effective than separate programs. So the delivery options for teaching students with learning disabilities should also include regular classes and resource room classes.   This approach is concomitant to the observation that successful adults with disabilities have learned to function comfortably in society as it exists – an unrestricted environment composed of all people.   To promote experiences in the greater society, it must be ensured that, to the extent appropriate, students with disabilities should have experiences in school with regular (or non-special education) students. Since society includes the family, parents too should not be forgotten as an important element in the entire complex.   Parents are a vital component in the student’s education. These parents of children with learning disabilities need help in accepting their situation.   Mental health professionals should help make parents be aware that the problem must be faced both by the child and by other members of the family.   In addition to an honest acceptance of the disability, there must be recognition that improvement is often a slow process. So any approach concerning children with learning disability should establish healthy parental attitudes and ensure parent-teacher cooperation is of course, very necessary.   Parent support groups and family counseling are effective in assisting parents understand their children and their problems and in finding ways to help their children within the home.   In addition, parent-teacher conference can become a bridge between the home and school and can involve parents in the educational process. Learning disabilities is now at a crossroads, as it seems to have been throughout its thirty-year history.   Many innovative ideas are only in their beginning stages and will develop more fully in the years to come. The approach I suggested as discussed in this paper is one of those ideas.   It is very important for this approach that more students with learning disabilities are served through regular education.   In addition, there should be more collaboration between special and regular educators.   A consequence of all of these shifts is that the responsibilities of learning disabilities teachers will change to meet the new demands. References Bush, W., and Giles, M.(1979).   Aids to Psycholinguistic Teaching. Columbus,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ohio: Charles E. Merrill. Clements, S. (1986). Minimal Brain Dysfunction in Children.   Public Health   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Service Publications. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Washington, D.C. 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