Saudi undergraduates' perceptions about English academic listening Dissertation

Saudi undergraduates' perceptions about English academic listening difficulties and their strategies to cope with these diffic - Dissertation Example For English language schools in Iran however, the skills of listening are not highlighted even with the significant access available in terms of listening materials in classrooms, such as CDs and DVDs. As a result, students believed that their difficulties in understanding what they were listening to did not match their competence. According to Graham (2006) persistent issues in securing listening skills may cause passivity as well as a decreased motivation and decreased involvement in the lessons. In other words, the listening skill is not given enough attention in the classroom and is not given sufficient value in the global setting (Graham, 2006). Two challenges are seen in the listening skill. One challenge refers to the understanding of the skills process itself, and another is on selecting the medium by which the listening strategy can be transmitted in the classroom (Graham, 2006). The latter may inhibit students from improving their listening skills at the lower levels in the classroom setting. Studies on explicit listening instructions seem to be important in terms of the choice of language and in securing listening strategies because the challenge at the lower language levels is to understand the context of teaching the listening strategies. ... Nagle and Sanders (1986) have secured a listening comprehension-processing model indicating how the automatic and controlled processes help listeners secure meaning based on an oral input. Moreover, evidence based on a varied context and input from the Constructivist construction by Vandergrift (1999) suggests how listeners can gain meaning based on oral support. Various studies highlight the types of learning strategies which second language learners apply during listening (Carrier, 2003; Chang and read, 2006). Authors contend that good language learner applications must be used in order to help students who are struggling in their language learning. Hassan and colleagues (2005) carried out a review of ESL studies which highlighted learning strategies from various languages. Most of the studies indicated that learning strategies, include metacognitive (learning awareness), cognitive (mental learning), and socioaffective learning (individual and social interaction behaviour). Hassan, et.al., (2005) identified learning strategies as strategies which learners use often in order to improve their learning. Chang and Read (2007) assessed visual support in the process of foreign language learning processes, evaluating the effect of various kinds of listening support on low level proficiently learners in English learning in Taiwan. Four groups took part in their study with two groups assigned to listening supports and another one focused on pictures or a written background text. A third group was a recipient to listening input repetition and the fourth group was the control group, not having any listening support. A listening proficiency test followed, then a short

The use of strategic operations management & innovation principles in Essay

The use of strategic operations management & innovation principles in Apple inc - Essay Example Furthermore, what Brown and his colleagues try to emphasise from their definition of operations management is that the activities involved in it are actually different forms of operations that take place in the whole operation of the organisation. For instance, marketing activities deal with understanding not just the company or industry but there is a need to substantially consider the entire market. Such leads further to consideration of the price, products, promotion and place. These are not the concerned of the production department but it is there concern to get information from the marketing department in order to come up with products that the market requires. In the same way, product innovations for instance is not the concern of the accounting department but they only coordinate with the marketing department and production department in order to essentially address the need of the operation to substantially flow effectively and efficiently. As it can be observed, the three d epartments involved different nature of operation from the other but when they are combined together as entire activity; there is a definite outcome or one whole flow of activities which defined the organisation’s whole operation. This has to be managed accordingly and such leads to operations management. However, in today’s time when competition is everywhere and becoming fiercely complex, an organisation needs to actually come up with strategy in order to be competitive enough. Thus, here comes the need for strategic operations management. There is a need to use strategy in order to achieve the ultimate goals an organisation has set to be achieved (Brown, Lamming, Bessant, & Jones, 2005). This paper tries to critically review Apple Incorporated on its operation management. Specifically, the proponent tries to include the following. Critical review of the organisation’s Strategic Operations Management activities from manufacturing, service & administrative pers pectives. Critical assessment of the organisation’s global capability & evidence of competitive advantage in their products & services in terms of design, planning, implementation of operations, etc. Critical review of information & their relative value to enhancing competitive advantage. Strategic Operations Management of Apple Incorporated Let us try to take a look at the strategic operations management of Apple Incorporated from manufacturing perspective. Product quality is so far the most obvious reason why until at present, Apple is renowned for its top-priced products for ipods, laptop computers and other line of products. Apple has concisely presented its financial performance and this is properly justified by different factors which of course include manufacturing considerations (Apple Incorporated, 2011). It has substantially stated that there is a wide range of importance that it has to take into account on product innovation strategy while trying to remain its comp etitive advantage on product quality and uniqueness. Furthermore, it has also identified the need to come up with unique products