Swot Analysis Essays - Burger King Advertising, Types Of Restaurants

Swot Analysis McDonald's vs. Burger King Organizational Diagnosis by Fastalk Consultants In diagnosing the McDonald's organization, the first issue we will examine is their company goals. McDonald's has a goal of one hundred percent total customer satisfaction. However, they do realize that this goal is not always attainable. Therefore, if for any reason they do not meet that goal, they will do whatever it takes to correct their mistake. McDonald's has a second company goal that sets them apart from most of their competitors. McDonald's was founded on the principle of giving back to the community, and that remains one of their primary goals today. Through their charities, Ronald McDonald's House and Ronald McDonald's Children's Charities, McDonald's has pumped millions of dollars back into the community over the years. McDonald's customer service policy is laid out in the McDonald's Guarantee. The McDonald's Guarantee states, Your food will be hot. Your service will be fast and friendly. And your drive-thru orders will be double-checked right. If you're not satisfied, we'll make it right. Or your next meal is on us. Guaranteed. The customer service procedures of McDonald's are centered on focusing on one customer at a time. They are more concerned with the quality of the service than the speed of the service. Employees usually take only one order at a time. They then prepare that order while the customers wait. After the present customer is satisfied, they move on to the next customer. This procedure allows great accuracy and quality, but lacks speed. McDonald's climate was not very appealing. Everything appeared to be focused around the business instead of the customers. Employees were working at a rapid pace, but it seemed like they had no time for customers. They acted as if it was a burden for them to stop and answer a simple question or refill a drink. The atmosphere was also very noisy. There was constant beeping, banging, and yelling coming from the service area. They did not provide a pleasant ambiance for customers to dine in. McDonald's communication and leadership were also lacking. The only communication between employees and customers was the placement of orders. The employees provided no feedback in terms of double-checking orders or communicating any delays that might occur. Communication between employees consisted of loud yelling throughout the kitchen. In terms of leadership, we did not see a manager present during our entire visit. Diagnosing Burger King was a little more difficult because they do not provide customers with literature (pamphlets) communicating goals and policies, as McDonald's does. However, Burger King's goals seemed quite clear. They want to individualize each customer's order and provide the fastest service possible. Burger King's policy is to give the customer many choices and to accurately and quickly provide whatever the customer chooses. This policy is reflected in their slogan, Your way, right away. Operating under this policy makes it very easy to achieve their goals. Through the many choices they provide it is easy to customize each order. Burger King's procedures are also consistent with their goals. In order to individualize each order they provide customers with many options when ordering. Some options include fries or onion rings, cheese, bacon, mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, pickles, and onion. The customer can pick any combination of these options that they desire. To facilitate fast service Burger King takes customer orders on a continual basis. One employee takes the customer's order, the customer then moves down the line where another employee is preparing the order. Meanwhile, the original employee is taking another customer's order. Customers also get their own drinks while they are waiting for their meal. This makes service much faster in that employees do not have to prepare drinks or provide refills. The climate at Burger King was very pleasant. The emplo yees conveyed the attitude that they were there to assist the customers in any way possible. The restaurant was very clean and there were no loud noises from the service area. They also provided relaxing music for customers to listen to while dining. Burger King possessed more than adequate communication and leadership. Employees gave the customers feedback on their orders. Each customer received a receipt, which enabled them to

Analyzing Latin Amеrica’s Hеritagе

Analyzing Latin AmÐ µrica’s HÐ µritagÐ µ Analyzing Latin AmÐ µrica’s HÐ µritagÐ µ Latin AmÐ µrican litÐ µrary tradition bÐ µgan with thÐ µ production of a numbÐ µr of truly brilliant and uniquÐ µ novÐ µls by such authors as Mariano AzuÐ µla at thÐ µ bÐ µginning of thÐ µ 20-th cÐ µntury and was followÐ µd by novÐ µlists likÐ µ Ana Gloria Moya almost 100 yÐ µars latÐ µr. IntÐ µrÐ µstingly, many Latin AmÐ µricas novÐ µls that wÐ µrÐ µ producÐ µd during thÐ µ past cÐ µntury dÐ µpict thÐ µ strugglÐ µ for indÐ µpÐ µndÐ µncÐ µ and thÐ µ quÐ µst for bÐ µttÐ µr lifÐ µ, which wÐ µrÐ µ thÐ µ idÐ µas promotÐ µd by AzuÐ µla and Moya. Such works also markÐ µd thÐ µ first timÐ µ that thÐ µ structurÐ µ and thÐ µ valuÐ µs of Latin AmÐ µricas sociÐ µty wÐ µrÐ µ put undÐ µr a critical microscopÐ µ of inquiry. BÐ µcausÐ µ many countriÐ µs likÐ µ MÐ µxico and ArgÐ µntina wÐ µrÐ µ wrackÐ µd by violÐ µncÐ µ, war, and forÐ µign occupation for most of thÐ µ 19th cÐ µntury, thÐ µ litÐ µrary production in this rÐ µgio n was limitÐ µd and unproductivÐ µ. Much has changÐ µd whÐ µn thÐ µ authors of nÐ µw gÐ µnÐ µration wÐ µrÐ µ born who startÐ µd dÐ µscribing thÐ µ lifÐ µ in Latin AmÐ µrica from thÐ µir own point of viÐ µw. ThÐ µy cÐ µntÐ µrÐ µd on picturing diffÐ µrÐ µnt layÐ µrs of sociÐ µty that influÐ µncÐ µd thÐ µ dÐ µvÐ µlopmÐ µnt of rÐ µvolutionary movÐ µmÐ µnts and strugglÐ µ for indÐ µpÐ µndÐ µncÐ µ. This papÐ µr, by rÐ µfÐ µrring to thÐ µ main thÐ µmÐ µs and charactÐ µrs prÐ µsÐ µntÐ µd in Mariano AzuÐ µlas ThÐ µ UndÐ µrdogs and Ana Gloria Marias HÐ µavÐ µn of Drums, illustratÐ µs how thÐ µsÐ µ authors link thÐ µir protagonists livÐ µs through plot dÐ µvÐ µlopmÐ µnt to thÐ µ rÐ µal Ð µvÐ µnts and common pattÐ µrns prÐ µsÐ µnt in Latin AmÐ µrica during thÐ µ Ð µra of indÐ µpÐ µndÐ µncÐ µ and thÐ µ bÐ µginning of thÐ µ 20-th cÐ µntury. WhÐ µn thÐ µ MÐ µxican RÐ µvolution got undÐ µrway, a writÐ µr by thÐ µ namÐ µ of Mariano AzuÐ µla publishÐ µd a novÐ µl, Los dÐ µ Abajo, or ThÐ µ UndÐ µrdogs, which introducÐ µd a complÐ µtÐ µly nÐ µw gÐ µnrÐ µ of fiction for thÐ µ Latin AmÐ µrican rÐ µgion. AzuÐ µla's novÐ µl tÐ µlls thÐ µ story of thÐ µ MÐ µxican RÐ µvolution from thÐ µ pÐ µrspÐ µctivÐ µ of pÐ µasants in thÐ µ countrysidÐ µ caught up in thÐ µ Ð µvÐ µr-shifting winds of thÐ µ movÐ µmÐ µnt. In thÐ µ novÐ µl, thÐ µ hÐ µro, DÐ µmÐ µtrio Macias, is a rÐ µsÐ µrvÐ µd pÐ µasant who Ð µnlists in thÐ µ RÐ µvolutionary Army of Pancho Villa and follows a twisty path of fighting, during thÐ µ coursÐ µ of which thÐ µ idÐ µological purposÐ µs of thÐ µ war arÐ µ swallowÐ µd up and lost. ThÐ µ only purposÐ µ lÐ µft to Macias in thÐ µ strugglÐ µ is thÐ µ fight itsÐ µlf. In thÐ µ last scÐ µnÐ µ of thÐ µ novÐ µl, Macias finds himsÐ µlf subjÐ µct to an ambush in thÐ µ vÐ µry placÐ µ whÐ µrÐ µ hÐ µ first joinÐ µd thÐ µ strugglÐ µ. His lifÐ µ comÐ µs to an abrupt Ð µnd as simply anothÐ µr casualty in what appÐ µarÐ µd to bÐ µ an Ð µndlÐ µss and ultimatÐ µly purposÐ µlÐ µss civil war. In thÐ µ procÐ µss of narrating thÐ µ story, Mariano AzuÐ µla portrays in vivid dÐ µtail thÐ µ contradictions of rÐ µvolutionary MÐ µxico that put thÐ µ simplÐ µ pÐ µasant against thÐ µ culturÐ µd urban intÐ µllÐ µctual; thÐ µ slÐ µÃ µpinÐ µss and routinÐ µ naturÐ µ of rural villagÐ µ lifÐ µ against thÐ µ chaos of lifÐ µ in thÐ µ big citiÐ µs and on thÐ µ battlÐ µfiÐ µlds; and tradition against an unfolding modÐ µrnity. This novÐ µl was thÐ µ first and pÐ µrhaps thÐ µ grÐ µatÐ µst rÐ µprÐ µsÐ µntativÐ µ of thÐ µ gÐ µnrÐ µ of rÐ µvolutionary fiction that morÐ µ or lÐ µss continuÐ µd to dominatÐ µ thà  µ contÐ µnt and stylÐ µ of thÐ µ national litÐ µrary production of MÐ µxico in thÐ µ 20-th cÐ µntury. This pÐ µriod in Latin AmÐ µrican litÐ µraturÐ µ is oftÐ µn rÐ µfÐ µrrÐ µd to as thÐ µ boom pÐ µriod bÐ µcausÐ µ it witnÐ µssÐ µd an Ð µxplosion of crÐ µativity that was uniquÐ µ to Latin AmÐ µrica and that influÐ µncÐ µd litÐ µrary trÐ µnds throughout thÐ µ world. Similarly to ThÐ µ UndÐ µrdogs, HÐ µavÐ µn of Drums is a historical novÐ µl that dÐ µpicts ArgÐ µntinas fight for indÐ µpÐ µndÐ µncÐ µ What makÐ µs thÐ µ story uniquÐ µ is that it takÐ µs placÐ µ during thÐ µ turbulÐ µnt timÐ µs whÐ µn thÐ µ country was still struggling to find a national idÐ µntity. It is also a story of lovÐ µ, involving distinct figurÐ µs that rÐ µprÐ µsÐ µntÐ µd thÐ µ ArgÐ µntinÐ µs sociÐ µty at that timÐ µ. ManuÐ µl BÐ µlgrado is an indÐ µpÐ µndÐ µncÐ µ hÐ µro who lÐ µads thÐ µ country to victory against thÐ µ Spanish forcÐ µs, but dÐ µspitÐ µ his opÐ µn disapproval for Blacks cannot hÐ µlp himsÐ µlf to fall in lovÐ µ with Maria Kumba, a voodoo priÐ µstÐ µss who is not only a lovÐ µr, but also an advisor to BÐ µlgrado. Maria is onÐ µ of thÐ µ principal hÐ µroÐ µs of thÐ µ book along with GrÐ µgorio Rivas, a MÐ µstizothÐ µ product of an Indian woman and a rich Spanish businÐ µssman. Rivas also bÐ µcomÐ µs Marias lovÐ µr, but hÐ µ is sÐ µriously disturbÐ µd by Marias commitmÐ µnt to staying with BÐ µlgrado, dÐ µspitÐ µ significant Ð µ vidÐ µncÐ µ that shows thÐ µ gÐ µnÐ µrals opÐ µn hatrÐ µd for Blacks. In thÐ µ fight against a common Ð µnÐ µmy, a tactical unity is crÐ µatÐ µd It is unity basÐ µd on liÐ µs and dÐ µcÐ µption, whÐ µrÐ µ African slavÐ µs and Indians undÐ µr falsÐ µ promisÐ µs of frÐ µÃ µdom arÐ µ bÐ µing usÐ µd as cannon foddÐ µr against wÐ µll-armÐ µd British and Spanish troops. Against thÐ µ odds, thÐ µy fight with grÐ µat stoicism, winning many battlÐ µs in placÐ µs whÐ µrÐ µ victory sÐ µÃ µms impossiblÐ µ to accomplish. But as victory is grantÐ µd and rÐ µality quickly sÐ µts in, promisÐ µ of frÐ µÃ µdom is also quickly forgottÐ µn, for it was nÐ µvÐ µr basÐ µd on thÐ µ prÐ µmisÐ µ of social justicÐ µ. OnÐ µ such glorious momÐ µnt in thÐ µ story that thÐ µ author dÐ µscribÐ µs is a British invasion in BuÐ µnos AirÐ µs with thÐ µ involvÐ µmÐ µnt of thÐ µ citys Spanish authoritiÐ µs. Maria whosÐ µ fathÐ µra whitÐ µ mannÐ µvÐ µr rÐ µcognizÐ µs hÐ µr, cannot bÐ µar thÐ µ biggÐ µst humiliation of hÐ µr lifÐ µ (Moya 86). ThÐ µ author says, HiddÐ µn in thÐ µ plaza markÐ µt, shÐ µ criÐ µd tÐ µars of shamÐ µ watching that group of blÐ µachÐ µd-Ð µyÐ µd soldiÐ µrs.. FrÐ µÃ µd mÐ µn and slavÐ µs formÐ µd militias gathÐ µrÐ µd in [Marias] housÐ µ to organizÐ µ thÐ µ forcÐ µs in thÐ µ barrio [of Еl Tambor] (Moya 86-87) ThÐ µ story bÐ µing told hÐ µrÐ µ is nothing nÐ µw from countlÐ µss storiÐ µs that numÐ µrous historians havÐ µ alrÐ µady put forward to dÐ µscribÐ µ Latin AmÐ µrica in thÐ µ Ð µarly 19-th cÐ µntury. What makÐ µs this story diffÐ µrÐ µnt is thÐ µ fact that it takÐ µs placÐ µ in ArgÐ µntinaa country that Ð µvÐ µn most of its citizÐ µns would dÐ µny thÐ µ Ð µxistÐ µncÐ µ of pÐ µoplÐ µ of African dÐ µscÐ µnt in thÐ µir country. In HÐ µavÐ µn of Drums, Ana Gloria Moya sÐ µÃ µms to havÐ µ agrÐ µÃ µd with thÐ µ fact of thÐ µ disappÐ µarancÐ µ of all ArgÐ µntinÐ µs blacks. In hÐ µr Ð µpiloguÐ µ, shÐ µ throws in somÐ µ passagÐ µs fillÐ µd with gloom and rÐ µprÐ µssÐ µd rÐ µsignation as shÐ µ Ð µxprÐ µssÐ µs hÐ µr sincÐ µrÐ µ sympathy toward all of thÐ µm [who] wÐ µrÐ µ shamÐ µlÐ µssly Ð µxtÐ µrminatÐ µd, as if thÐ µir blood was not important, thÐ µir pain too chÐ µap to invÐ µntory (Moya 187.) A truly intÐ µrÐ µsting passagÐ µ in thÐ µ book is thÐ µ onÐ µ that dÐ µscribÐ µs thÐ µ final yÐ µars of Maria Kumba Coming from bÐ µing war hÐ µro, rÐ µspÐ µctÐ µd hÐ µalÐ µr, bÐ µliÐ µvÐ µr of thÐ µ African gods likÐ µ Shango and OlorÐ µm, lovÐ µr of GrÐ µgorio RivasthÐ µ MÐ µstizo and thÐ µ othÐ µr hÐ µro of thÐ µ bookMaria is now rÐ µducÐ µd to bÐ µing a bÐ µggar. ThÐ µ author givÐ µs Rivas thÐ µ opportunity to Ð µxprÐ µss himsÐ µlf in thÐ µsÐ µ tÐ µrms. OncÐ µ in awhilÐ µ nÐ µws rÐ µachÐ µs mÐ µ that shÐ µ is bÐ µgging nÐ µar thÐ µ cathÐ µdral, with a black shawl covÐ µring hÐ µr facÐ µ. I wish it wÐ µrÐ µ not truÐ µ I took away from hÐ µr what shÐ µ lovÐ µd thÐ µ most. I lÐ µft hÐ µr with hÐ µr hands full of magic but Ð µmpty of lifÐ µ. But I took it away from mysÐ µlf too (Mayo 187). ThÐ µrÐ µ is clÐ µarly a big diffÐ µrÐ µncÐ µ with sÐ µxual plÐ µasurÐ µ and sÐ µxual happinÐ µss ManuÐ µl BÐ µlgrado, national hÐ µro, did not think Ð µvÐ µn rÐ µmotÐ µly possiblÐ µ of thÐ µ day that Maria Kumba would bÐ µ in nÐ µÃ µd of hÐ µlp, just likÐ µ shÐ µ was always thÐ µrÐ µ by his sidÐ µ, at his sÐ µrvicÐ µ (sÐ µxual or othÐ µrwisÐ µ) during thÐ µ darkÐ µst hours of thÐ µ war in thÐ µ mountains. ShÐ µ spÐ µnt hÐ µr final days as a panhandlÐ µr in thÐ µ dusty strÐ µÃ µts of BuÐ µno AirÐ µs, in total obscurity, out of sight and out of mind of thosÐ µ who now glÐ µÃ µfully claim that ArgÐ µntina is a whitÐ µ nation built by whitÐ µ folk hÐ µroÐ µs likÐ µ GÐ µnÐ µral ManuÐ µl BÐ µlgrado. In conclusion, it should bÐ µ notÐ µd that HÐ µavÐ µn of Drums and ThÐ µ UndÐ µrdogs arÐ µ truly intÐ µrÐ µsting novÐ µls ThÐ µy arÐ µ historical books fillÐ µd with intriguÐ µs that can rÐ µsonatÐ µ dÐ µÃ µp into thÐ µ hÐ µarts of thÐ µir rÐ µadÐ µrs. Both Ana Gloria Moya and Mariano AzuÐ µla arÐ µ vÐ µry skillful in dÐ µvÐ µloping thÐ µir charactÐ µrs. DÐ µspitÐ µ dÐ µpicting diffÐ µrÐ µnt Ð µras in thÐ µ history, thÐ µsÐ µ novÐ µls havÐ µ onÐ µ fÐ µaturÐ µ in common thÐ µ uniquÐ µ ability to link thÐ µ livÐ µs of thÐ µ fictitious charactÐ µrs to thÐ µ rÐ µal Ð µvÐ µnts such as fight and strugglÐ µ for indÐ µpÐ µndÐ µncÐ µ prÐ µsÐ µnt in Latin AmÐ µrica during thÐ µ 19-th and 20-th cÐ µnturiÐ µs.

Knowledge is generated through the interaction of critical and Essay

Knowledge is generated through the interaction of critical and creative thinking. Evaluate this statement in two areas of knowle - Essay Example People need to only reflect on how whoever writes history develops greater power and it becomes too painfully real how knowledge enhances different forms of power, including political and economic power. How people acquire knowledge and define it, however, is highly debated. The rise of emotional intelligence, for instance, questioned knowledge as pure logic. Feminists aim to call emotions and perceptions as equally valuable sources and components of knowledge. Some also argue of the unification of creative and critical thinking, because they are related and more effective in generating knowledge together (Mayfield 4; Paul and Elder 118). This paper evaluates this belief using the areas of knowledge of ethics and sciences. Knowledge is generated through the interaction of critical and creative thinking. Ethics refer to the people’s guiding principles of what is right or wrong (Means 52). Ethics uses both critical and creative thinking skills. This paper first defines and diffe rentiates critical thinking and creative thinking. In the traditional TOK Diagram, see figure 1 below, the ways of knowing are through emotions, reason, sense perception, and language. Creative and critical thinking are both ways of knowing, but they are closely interrelated (Paul and Elder 118). Critical thinking analyzes and evaluates a particular material, while creative thinking concerns inventing something new (Mayfield 4). Creativity, however, has a â€Å"critical component,† and not just portraying â€Å"imagination† or â€Å"inventiveness† (Paul and Elder 118). In business, for instance, creativity is valuable if it leads to innovation of products, services, processes, and systems. Creativity must also have a critical output too. In connection to the TOK diagram, critical thinking primarily involves reason and language, or the right side of â€Å"knowing† in the TOK diagram. Creative thinking uses emotion and sense perception, or the left side of â€Å"knowing.† Reason and language are often used by sciences, but ethics employ emotion and sense perception too. But clearly, the diagram is a circle. It shows the unity of all forms of knowing for all areas of knowledge. Ethics uses reason and language too. It must be reasonable to be embraced by people, and it must also use persuasive language to convince people of its effectiveness in differentiating right from wrong. Knowers should be able to use all four ways of knowing to arrive at a balanced and ethical decision or option (Paul and Elder 118). Figure 1: Traditional TOK Diagram Ethics cannot be arrived at by using only emotion and sense perception; it also needs the guidance of reason and language. An example is the ethics developed by Immanuel Kant. Kant argues that people should be responsible for their moral actions and they have a duty to act morally (Bartlett 224). This is based on both the emotions of doing what is right and the reason for choosing right over w rong. Emotions are important to ethics, because some people need to feel that they are doing the right thing. For instance, merely following instructions from a superior can seem right, but it can also feel wrong. This can be related to employees of Enron, who followed their corrupt executive managers, because they also wanted to be rich and improve the stock price of Enron. It seems right to be doing this for the company, but it feels wrong, because they are duping their shareholders, as well as their diverse stakeholders. Perceptions are further

Labor relations 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Labor relations 3 - Essay Example Hence, a grievance can be denoted as a dispute that crops up in a work related environment in relation to the interpretation, appliance, management or alleged violation of the specific terms of the collective agreement (Holley et al 468). Basically, it is a complaint that is filed by an employee as per his/her interpretation of the collective agreement. A grievance that is not settled in the course of its own procedures could be referred within given timelines as indicated by the collective agreement to Arbitration. Never the less, if a grievance procedure has been followed without any resolute being attained, then a single arbitrator or arbitration board should hear and determine the dispute that is referred to it, as his/her or its decision is final and should, therefore, be binding upon all the parties that are involved. Hence, it is seen as an absolute stage of resolution. Moreover, every grievance procedure operates within a specific time limit, which is present in each collecti ve agreement. These limits are put in place to deal with grievances promptly. They should be taken into consideration by both the employer and the union to ensure that limits are adhered to unless under specific permission that must be agreed upon by one or the other party. In case, this is not done chances are that the whole grievance procedure becomes invalid especially if it is in reference to arbitration. Either party is in a position to raise the lack of adherence to timeliness as a preliminary objection of having the grievance dismissed. Benefits of Grievances The grievance procedure has benefits, which helps the process to be in place. First, the process is capable of generating stability in day-to day employees’ relations as it ensures that employees have a sense of assurance within the collective agreement life of a mechanism that resolves issues rather than allowing them to continue. In fact, the presence of a grievance process at any work place ensures that dispute s do not escalate but rather get resolved at the appropriate time. Second, the process plays an important role in creating a sense of democracy in the work place especially when it allows employees to air their grievances without the fear of intimidation by the employers. Third, the process gives employees a chance to hold open discussions on issues that are related to their work, and improve communication between the employer and the employee (Holley et al 469). Furthermore, interpretation of a collective agreement is allowed as it presents an option of submitting problems to neutral third party. This builds up strong labor relations, improves morale and increases overall productivity. The common sources of grievances include: discipline and discharge, working hour and overtime, postings of job and seniority. Steps in a Grievance Procedure Every collective agreement denotes the steps as per their respective grievance procedures A typical grievance procedure of an individual employe e includes the following: Informal discussion Prior to a formal grievance filing, an employee must discuss the issue with the supervisor. At times, the grievance may be

Great Expectations Paper Essay Example for Free

Great Expectations Paper Essay When an individual loves someone else, it is difficult to let the person go or accept his/her return, because of the poor decision that one person made to leave his/her loved one. However, since the person already left, is it worth the pain and agony in the end to accept that person into the hurt individual’s life once again? In his Victorian Literature novel, Charles Dickens satirizes the Victorian Era multiple times within Great Expectations. For example, in the 1800’s the masculine class were the regulators of the family and weren’t aggravated by women, but in this novel the females obtain the upper position, like how Mrs. Joe overpowers Orlick. Charles Dickens named the novel Great Expectations, because its means that an individual is positive that something significant will occur with no warning if the individual wants it bad enough, but in English Victorian society, achieving expectations meant that someone was destined to collect vast sums of riches and success. Throughout Pips three stages in the novel Great Expectations, Charles Dickens utilizes the character of Joe, who out of compassion and sympathy demonstrates that suffering is a sacrifice one is willing to endure for the love of another individual, and how this idea changes what Pip’s views, personality, and values are at the end of his high expectations. During Pip’s first stage of expectations, Joe explicates that he suffers greatly because of Orlick, Mrs. Joe and Pip, but only wishes to steer Pip in the right direction and to have given enough ‘love’ to change Pip’s views and expectations. First, Orlick takes Joe by surprise when he starts to get angry and jealous of Pip and tells him â€Å"No favoring in this shop. Be a man!(15.65), but because Joe wants no trouble he lets him have the day off which makes Mrs. Joe terribly angry. Additionally, when Orlick offends Mrs. Joe, Joe defends her even though she was mad at him, because he loves her and is willing to suffer through Orlicks harsh words. Pip’s troublesome behavior at the table is brought to attention when Joe states, â€Å"You and me is always friends, and Id be the last to tell upon you, any timeBut such as a most uncommon bolt as that!†(2.8) Pip’s actions got Joe in trouble while he was trying to help Pip, because the helpfu l advice made Joe ignore Mrs. Joe and which made him have to face consequences such as being â€Å"pounced on† and â€Å"knocked [in] his head for a little while against the wall behind him† (2.8). Also, it expresses how Joe dealt with Mrs. Joe’s and Pip’s spiteful behavior all because he cared for them and was compassionate to all people. Pip’s behavior shows readers that as a child he didn’t have any expectations but eventually set the bar higher which was not what Joe truly wanted to happen. This helps readers understand how having sympathy and a good heart doesn’t always payoff at first, but latter lets people become the best of friends in the long run, like Pip and Joe. While sitting by the warm fire at night Joe explains to Pip that â€Å"When [he] got acquainted with his sister, it were the talk how she was bringing him up by hand†¦. [And] how small and flabby and mean he was†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and how he â€Å"†¦would have formed the most contemptible opinion of himself self!† (7.38) which makes Pip start to cry because he felt ashamed by how he acted, but grateful that Mrs. Joe and Joe stayed with him. At that time Pip, a commoner, didn’t care about anyone and just wanted to do what he wanted, although it made him look bad and unkind. In the long run Pip’s disobedient attitude and Joe’s loving heart was worth it because he and Joe became best friends which was held together by a strong bond of love. Lastly, Joe was affectionate and loving towards Pip even when Pip was cruel to him which shows readers the sacrifice Joe endured with Pip. The forfeit Pip watched Joe go through changed him because it made him want to do something more and become someone higher who wont have to deal with pain and sacrifice. In conclusion, Pip starts to change into the gentleman he wants to become while Joe is still remaining at is side, longing for his ‘old chap’. During Pip’s second stage of his expectations Joe sacrificed his dignity and friendship for Pip, because he felt sympathy towards him which makes readers wonder if Joe gave Pip enough ‘love’ to not make him leave his dear friend, Joe, and change his personality. To, begin, Joes love is tested and questionable when he tells Pip, â€Å"But if you think as Money can make compensation to me for the loss of the little child†¦and ever the best of friends!(18.116). Pip is shocked by how much he means to Joe, but still but doesn’t see how much Joe really loves him. Pip deserts Joe â€Å"whom he was so ready to leave and so unthankful to†(18.115), and thinks to himself â€Å"I’ll see you again†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦and â€Å"I’ll feel the loving tremble of your hand upon my arm, as solemnly this day as if it had been the rustle of an angels wing! †¦ â€Å"(18.115), which proves that Pip has not realized that this decision makes Joe sacrific e and suffer all the more. Furthermore, Joe had to scornfully respect his decision to leave and become a gentleman and bear the loneliness while he was away, but still loved him and waited for when Pip realized he should go back to Joe. Moreover, Pip changes his view on his future when Joe explains that â€Å"Divisions among such must come, and must be met as they come†¦ You and me is not two figures to be together in London; nor anywhere else but where is private, and beknown, and understood among friends.†(27.246) Likewise, when Joe is in London with Mr. Wopsle he wants to put pity on Pip and explain to him that they are different people in separate worlds and he wants to show Pip how it hurts when people leave their loved ones. Joe thinks he has sacrificed enough and wants Pip to come back, but now Joe realizes that they are separate people with different expectations. Additionally, Pip and Joe are still great friends; however their breaking relationship hurts Pip and makes him want to restart his life and be with Joe, but he still stays a gentleman. All in all, Joe leaving Pip just as Pip did to him, once again creates Pip to think differently and regret some of his decisions in the past. Throughout Pip’s final stage of expectations, Joe’s compassionate attitude is expected to make Pip change his values and stop Joe from suffering, but makes Joe ponder if he gave Pip enough sympathy to make him come back to him. Firstly, after Pip’s benefactor, Magwitch, dies Pip starts to become ill and also gets arrested because of his debt. While sitting back at his house Pip starts to realize that he always has someone there for him, Joe, and expresses his regret by saying â€Å"O Joe, you break my heart! Look angry at me, Joe. Strike me, Joe. Tell me of my ingratitude. Dont be so good to me!†(57.388). This statement said by Pip when Joe is by his side, expresses the point that even though Pip did wrong, Joe will always be there to comfort him and make him feel better, and that Pip thinks he should not be treated good by Joe at this point. Furthermore, Pip now understands, â€Å"There was no change whatever in Joe. Exactly what he had been in my eyes then, he was in my eyes still; just as simply faithful, and as simply right†(57.389), which proves that the compassion from other individuals do change peoples values and outlooks on all things in life and expectations. Likewise, Pip appreciates that Joe was faithful to him even though endures suffering because of his high expectations and dire choice to be a gentleman. Moreover, since Pip â€Å"†¦soon began to understand that the cause of it was in [him], and that the fault of it was all [his].†(58.395), he started to feel for his dear friend Joe, again as he once did and wanted to have never of met his benefactor that lead him to leave Joe. This connects to the main point because it finalizes how love is stronger then the pain someone causes another person and how it can shape an individual in different ways. Additionally, when the shameful Pip says, â€Å"Dont tell him, Joe, that I was thankless; dont tell him, Biddy, that I was ungenerous and unjust; only tell him that I honored you both, because you were both so good and true, and that†¦ I said it would be natural to him to grow up a much better man than I did.(59.404), it shows Joe and Biddy how much Pip is truly sorry for the choice he made and, reluctantly, they responded with, God knows as I forgive you, if I have anythink to forgive!(59.404). All in all, Joe’s compassionate and sympathetic heart pays of and lets him forfeit no more, which proves the point that suffering is a sacrifice one is willing to endure for the love of another individual even if the other person doesn’t see the good you are doing until the end. In conclusion, all of the suffering and sacrifice Joe endures, because of much love and compassion he has for others in Great Expectations did prove to make his ‘dear old chap’ Pip reconsider his views, personality and values towards life and his own expectations. The significance in this novel is that sacrificing yourself out of sympathy is a step anyone should be willing to take to have an even stronger bond within the relationship. The idea of sacrifice and suffering for another individual is in the real word, like how a mama bear feeds her cubs before herself, because she cares for them, and just like how Joe suffers and hates being away from ‘his cub’ Pip. All in all, without sacrifice and suffering people won’t have as much compassion for each other and would not endure the pain if they didn’t truly care for them.

Research into Phonological Mean Length of Utterance (pMLU)

Research into Phonological Mean Length of Utterance (pMLU) Specific language impairment (SLI) is a disorder defined by exclusion. Children with SLI exhibit language difficulties in the absence of other factors, such as hearing loss, mental impairment, physical impairment, emotional disturbance, or environmental deprivation (Bishop, 1992a, 1992b; Lubert, 1981). Children with SLI have difficulty acquiring one or more of the components of language, i.e. form (phonology, morphology, and syntax), content (semantics), and use (pragmatics). The field of phonological acquisition has made extensive efforts to measure its development through normative studies (Templin, 1957; Olmstead, 1971) and articulation tests (Hodsen Paden, 1991). Earlier, the research focus was on correctness of consonants as well as the analysis of segments in general. Recently the whole word complexity has been stressed (Masterson Kamhi, 1992, Ingram, 2002). One such measure is the Phonological mean length of utterance (pMLU). It is a whole word measure for measuring phonologic al proficiency (Ingram,2002). It measures the length of a childs words and the number of correct consonants. The pMLU for a speech sample is calculated by: (1) counting the number of segments (consonants and vowels) in each word as produced by the child; (2) counting the number of consonants produced in each word that the child produced accurately; (3) summing these two numbers; (4) totaling these sums; and (5) dividing this total by the total number of words in the sample. pMLU quantifies development of phonology and focuses on the childrens whole-word productions instead of specific segments. Ingram demonstrates the value of the pMLU measure by applying it wide range of contexts. NEED FOR THE STUDY Although pMLU has been addressed in normal as well as phonological disorders and cochlear implanted children, the same is not focussed on children with SLI. Since PMLU is a whole word measure, problems in phonology and morphosyntax are expected to reduce the score. Hence PMLU can be used to investigate the difficulties if any in phonology and morphosyntax of children with SLI. Hence the present study was planned. AIM OF THE STUDY: To compare the pMLU of children with SLI in comparison with typically developing Kannada speaking children. METHOD: This study followed a case control design. Participants were divided into 2 groups. Clinical group comprised of six individuals (5 males 1 female) with SLI in the age range of 4 to 6 years. The diagnosis of SLI was done on the basis of Leonards exclusionary criteria and the informal assessment of morpho-syntax by the primary investigator. The control group comprised of age matched 30 children out of which 15 were males and 15 females. Exclusion criteria considered were speech, language, hearing and neurological problems. A minimum of 50 spontaneous speech utterances were elicited from each child for a duration of 30 to 40 minutes which was audio recorded using SONY recorder. The childrens utterances were narrow transcribed and pMLU was calculated for each word produced by the child. The sum of each word in all the utterances were totalled and divided by the number of words produced by the child to obtain the pMLU scores. pMLU was calculated for all the children in both the groups. Mann Whitney U test was administered to find out the significant differences between the means of both the groups. RESULTS: The results of the Mann Whitney U Test revealed a statistically significant difference between the means of pMLU scores across the group at p DISCUSSION: pMLU is a whole-word measure for phonological development. The results of the present study revealed that the pMLU scores for the children with SLI were lower in comparison to children with normal language development. This could be attributed to the increased number of incorrect consonants in the speech of clinical group when compared to the control group. The decrease in pMLU scores in the clinical group could also be due to the deficit in the use of morphosyntax as these children were having morphosyntactic errors. This in turn suggests that children with SLI are inferior in the acquisition of segments and in their whole-word phonological proficiency to typically developing children. As this pMLU measure includes the number of segments in a word, pMLU can be used to indicate morphosyntactic abnormalities in children with SLI. This tool can also serve as an aid for monitoring the progress of a child when assessed pre and post therapeutically. CONCLUSION: The present study investigated pMLU in children with SLI in the age range of 4-6 years. The results revealed that children with SLI are inferior in the acquisition of segments including morphemes as well as in their whole-word phonological proficiency than the typically developing children. Hence, pMLU measure could be regarded as a yardstick for phonological and morphosyntactic development in children with SLI. INTRODUCTION: SLI is a disorder defined by exclusion. Children with SLI exhibit language difficulties in the absence of other factors, such as hearing loss, mental impairment, physical impairment, emotional disturbance, or environmental deprivation (Bishop, 1992a, 1992b; Lubert, 1981). Specific language impairment (SLI) has been estimated to affect approximately 7 percent of children (Leonard, 1998; Tomblin et al., 1997) and to persist into adolescence (Aram et al., 1984; Beitchman et al., 1996; Stothard et al., 1998;Johnson et al., 1999). Children with SLI have difficulty acquiring one or more of the components of language, i.e. form (phonology, morphology, and syntax), content (semantics), and use (pragmatics). However, as a group they show disproportionate difficulty with some areas, performing worse than typically developing children matched on vocabulary level or mean length of utterance. Several authors (eg, Leonard et al.,1992; Rice et al., 1995; Rice and Wexler, 1996; Oetting and Horohov, 1997; van der Lely and Ullman, 2001) observe that this is particularly the case in the area of verb morphology and it has also been reported in some areas of syntax, including the comprehension of passive sentences (Bishop, 1979; van der Lely and Harris, 1990; van der Lely, 1996) and formation of wh-questions (Leonard 1995; van der Lely and Battell, 2003). The field of phonological acquisition has made extensive efforts to measure its development through normative studies (Templin, 1957; Olmstead, 1971) and articulation tests (Hodsen Paden, 1991). Earlier studies have focused on correctness of consonants as well as the analysis of segments in general. Recent studies have focused on the whole word complexity (Masterson Kamhi, 1992, Ingram, 2002). One such measure is the Phonological mean length of utterance (PMLU). It is a whole word measure for measuring phonological proficiency (Ingram, 2002). It measures the length of a childs words and the number of correct consonants. The PMLU for a speech sample is calculated by: (1) counting the number of segments (consonants and vowels) in each word as produced by the child; (2) counting the number of consonants produced in each word that the child produced accurately; (3) summing these two numbers; (4) totaling these sums; and (5) dividing this total by the total number of words in the sample. PMLU quantifies development of phonology and focuses on the childrens whole-word productions instead of specific segments. Ingram demonstrates the value of the PMLU measure by applying it in a wide range of contexts. These include a comparison of monolingual children, a comparison across languages, and the diagnosis of impairment or delay. Very few studies have addressed the PMLU in different languages. One such study is by Ingram (2002) who proposed preliminary PMLU stages, reflecting the possible level of development in English speaking children which are as follows. Helin, Makkonen Kunnari (2006) reported that PMLU was much higher in Finnish speaking children than those reported for children acquiring English. Balasubramanium bhat (2009) reported the same in kannada speaking typically developing children. Other studies have focused PMLU on the disordered population. Schauwers, Taelman, Gillis Govierts (2005) reported lower PMLU scores in children with cochlear implant than age matched typically developing peers and they also concluded that the earlier implanted children were more proficient than the later implanted children. Prasad, Hossabetu, Balasubramanium Bhat (2010) studied phonological mean length of utterance in children with phonological disorder and they reported, children with phonological disorder are inferior in the acquisition of segments as well as in their whole-word phonological proficiency than the typically developing children. NEED FOR THE STUDY: Although pMLU has been addressed in normal as well as phonological disorders and cochlear implanted children, the same is not focussed on children with SLI. Since PMLU is a whole word measure, problems in phonology and morphosyntax are expected to reduce the score. Hence PMLU was used to investigate the difficulties if any in phonology and morphosyntax of children with SLI. Hence the present study was attempted in this direction. AIM OF THE STUDY: To compare the pMLU of children with SLI in comparison with typically developing Kannada speaking children. METHOD Participants The study followed a case control design. Participants were divided into 2 groups i-e the control group and clinical group. Clinical group comprised of six individuals (5 males 1female) with specific language impairment in the age range of 3 to 6 years. The control group comprised of age matched 30 children out of which 15 were males and 15 females. The diagnosis of specific language impairment was done on the basis of Leonards exclusionary criteria and the informal assessment of morpho-syntax by the primary investigator. The exclusion criteria for the controls were the history of speech, language, neurological and hearing problems. Procedure In order to assess the phonological mean length of utterance, spontaneous speech utterances were elicited from each child for duration of 30 to 40 minutes. Samples consisted of minimum of 50 utterances. The experimenter served as a conversational partner and introduced the child to age appropriate toys and questions. The samples were obtained in an informal setting within the school premises for the control group and in the therapy premises for the clinical group. Audio recording was done using a portable Sony Recorder in a relatively quiet environment. The words were accepted for analysis according to the rules suggested by Ingram and Ingram which are mentioned in the table mentioned in appendix. The childrens production of utterances was narrow transcribed and PMLU was calculated for each child. For each word, the number of segments (consonants and vowels) as produced by the child was counted and summed with the number of correct consonants in a word. The sum of each word in all th e utterances of a single subject were totaled and divided by the number of words produced by the child to obtain the PMLU scores. Mann Whitney U test was administered to find out the significant differences between the means of both the groups. RESULTS: The results of the Mann Whitney U Test revealed a statistically significant difference between the means of pMLU scores across the group at p Group Statistics DISCUSSION: pMLU is a whole-word measure for phonological development and is used to investigate the difficulties if any in phonology and morphosyntax. The present study compared the pMLU of children with SLI in comparison with typically developing Kannada speaking children. The results of the study revealed that the pMLU scores for the children with SLI were lower in comparison to children with normal language development. This could be attributed to the increased number of incorrect consonants in the speech of clinical group when compared to the control group as these children were neutralizing the sound contrasts and also exhibiting syllable reduction strategies. Whether it is syllable structure reduction or sound contrast neutralization, it reduces the overall pMLU score. As children with SLI are inferior in the acquisition of segments as well as in their whole-word phonological proficiency than the typically developing children, phonological errors are reflected in the pMLU scores. Hence it can be concluded that pMLU reflects on the phonological errors. The results of the present study are in consonance with findings that the developments of phonology in children with SLI are much later in comparison to typically developing children (Balasbramanium Bhat, 2009) and also that children with phonological disorder are inferior in the acquisition of segments as well as in their whole-word phonological proficiency than the typically developing children (Prasad, Hossabetu, Balasubramanium Bhat 2010). Hence, pMLU can be used as an assessment tool for children with SLI as this provides an objective assessment tool in the evaluation process. The decrease in pMLU scores in the clinical group could also be due to the deficit in the use of morphosyntax as these children were having morphosyntactic errors. This in turn suggests that children with SLI are inferior in the acquisition of morphemic segments when compared to typically developing children. As this pMLU measure includes the number of segments in a word, pMLU can be used to indicate morphosyntactic abnormalities in children with SLI. This tool can also serve as an aid for monitoring the progress of a child when assessed pre and post therapeutically. CONCLUSION: The present study investigated pMLU in children with SLI in the age range of 4-6 years. The results revealed that children with SLI are inferior in the acquisition of segments including morphemes as well as in their whole-word phonological proficiency than the typically developing children. Hence, pMLU measure could be regarded as a yardstick for phonological and morphosyntactic development in children with SLI. REFERENCES: Aram, D. M., Ekelman, B. L., Nation, J. E. (1984). Preschoolers with language disorders: 10 years later. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 27, 232-244. Beitchman, J., Wilson, B., Brownlie, E. B., Walters, H., Lancee, W. (1996). Long-term consistency in speech/language profiles: I. Developmental and academic outcomes. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 35, 804-817. Bowen, C. (1998). Developmental phonological disorders: A practical guide for families and teachers. Melbourne: The Australian Council for Educational Research Ltd. Bishop, D. V. M. (1979). Comprehension in developmental language disorders. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology 21, 225-38. Bishop, D. V. M. (1992a). Comprehension problems in children with specific language impairment: Literal and inferential meaning. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 35, 119-129. Helin, K., Makkonen, T., Kunnari, S. (2006). The Phonological mean length of utterance: the methodological challenge from cross linguistic perspectives. Journal of Child Language, 33, 179-190. ÂÂ  Hodson, B., Paden, E. (1991). Targetting Intelligible speech: a phonological approach to remediation. Austin TX: Pro-edition. Ingram, D. (2002). The measurement of whole-word productions. Journal of Child Language, 29, 713-733. Johnson, C. J., Beitchman, J. H., Young, A., Escobar, M., Atkinson, L., Wilson, B., Brownlie, E. B., Douglas, L., Tback, N., Lam, I., Wang, M. (1999). Fourteenyear follow-up of children with and without speech/language impairments: Speech/language stability and outcomes. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 42, 744-760. Lakkanna, S., Venkatesh, K., Bhat, J. (2007). Assessment of language development. Mangalore: Codeword processors. Leonard, L.B., mcgregor, K.K., Allen, G.D. (1992). Grammatical morphology and speechperception in children with specific language impairment. Journal of Speech and hearingresearch, 35, 1076-1085 Leonard, L. B. 1995 Functional categories in the grammars of children with Specific language impairment, Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 38, 1270-83. Leonard, L. B. (1998). Children with specific language impairment. Cambridge, MA: Bradford. Lubert, N. (1981). Auditory perceptual impairments in children with specific language disorders: A review of the literature. Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders, 46, 3-29. ÂÂ  Masterson, J., Kamhi, A. (1992). Linguistic interrelationships in school age children with and without language disorders. Journal of speech and Hearing Research, 35, 64-75. Olmstead, D. (1971). Out of the mouth of babes. The Hague: Mouton. Oetting, J., Horohov, J. (1997). Past tense marking in chldren with and without specific Language impairment. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 40, 62-74. Polite, J ., and Leonard, B. (2006). Finite verb morphology and phonological length in the speech of children with specific language impairment. Clinical Linguistics Phonetics, 20, 751-760. Radish, B., Jayashree, S. (2009). Phonological Mean Length of Utterance (Pmlu) in Kannada-Speaking Children. Language in India, 9, 489-502. Rice, M.L., Wexler, K., Cleave, P.L. (1995). Specific language impairment as a period of extended optional infinitive. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 38, 850-863. Rice, M. Wexler, K. (1996). A phenotype of specific language impairment. In M. Rice (Ed.), Toward a genetics of language, pp. 215-238. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc. Stothard, S. E., Snowling, M., Bishop, D. V. M., Chipchase, B. B., Kaplan, C. A. (1998). Language impaired preschoolers: A follow-up into adolescence. Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research, 41, 407-418. ÂÂ  Templin, M. (1957). Certain language skills in children. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota press. Taelman, H., Durieux, G., Gillis, S. (2005). Notes on Ingrams whole-word measures for phonological development. Journal of Child Language, 32, 391-405. Tomblin, J. B., Records, N. L., Buckwalter, P., Zhang, X., Smith, E., OBrien, M (1997). Prevalence of specific language impairment in kindergarten children. Journal of Speech Hearing Research, 40(6), 1245-1260. Van der Lely, H. K. J. Harris, M. 1990 Comprehension of reversible sentences in specifically language-impaired children. Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders 55, 101-17. Van der Lely, H. K. J. 1996 Specifically language impaired and normally developing children: Verbal passive vs adjectival passive sentence interpretation, Lingua, 98, 243-72. Van der lely, H. K. J. Ullman M. T. (2001) Past tense morphology in specifically language impaired and normally developing children. Language and Cognitive Processes, 16: 177-217. Van der Lely, H. K. J. Battell, J. (2003) Wh-movement in childrenWith grammatical SLI: a test of the RDDR hypothesis, Language 79,153-81.

Issues in special education Essay

Legal disputes between parents and school officials can be very costly. The cost is not just in dollars. It also involves costs in terms of the diversion of resources, the toll on school personnel, and, most importantly, the breakdown in the relationship between the parents and the school. The best way to deal with a legal dispute is to prevent it from occurring in the first place. In 1975 Congress passed landmark legislation designed to provide the nation’s students with disabilities with unprecedented access to educational services. Originally known as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (1975), that legislation is now known by its new title, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (1997). The statute, as amended, calls for school districts to provide students with disabilities with an appropriate education in the least restrictive environment. The law also provides students with disabilities and their parents with due process rights, including the right to contest school district decisions regarding the provision of a free appropriate public education. Consequently, since the enactment of the law in 1975, literally thousands of lawsuits have been filed challenging school district decisions. The IDEA is not the only law governing special education in the schools. In addition, section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the ADA provide students with disabilities with additional protections. Section 504 prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities by recipients of federal funds. The ADA expands section 504’s discrimination prohibition to the private sector, but includes provisions applicable to public entities. In addition, all states currently have laws governing the provision of special education. Procedural issues Evaluation and Classification The IDEA requires states, and consequently school districts, to establish procedures to assure that all students with disabilities are properly identified and evaluated (IDEA, Â § 1412, a, 2, 1997). Those procedures, along with the test instruments chosen, may not be culturally or racially biased. In fact, students whose language or mode of communication is not English, must be evaluated in their native language or usual mode of communication (IDEA, Â § 1414, b, 3, 1997). The IDEA stipulates that all assessments are to be administered by trained personnel in conformance with the instructions provided by the test producer (IDEA, Â § 1414, b, 2, 1997). If a student is found to be eligible for special education, the school district is required to develop an individualized education program (IEP) for that child, but the IEP can be invalidated if it is based on a flawed evaluation of the child (Bonadonna v. Cooperman, 1985). The student is entitled to an independent evaluation if the parents disagree with the school district’s evaluation. However, the school district is required to pay for the independent evaluation only if the parents can show that the district’s evaluation was not appropriate. If the parents do obtain an independent evaluation, the school district must consider the results of that evaluation (Assistance to the States, Â § 300. 503, 1999). However, that does not mean that the school district must adopt the recommendations of the independent evaluator (G. D. v. Westmoreland School District, 1991). Rights of Parents and Guardians Parents are given considerable due process rights on behalf of their children in the special education process. The intent of the IDEAis for them to become partners with school district personnel in the development of IEPs. The school district must provide the parents with proper notice before it proposes to take any action regarding the child’s identification or placement (IDEA, Â § 1415, b, 3, 1997). The parents must be invited to participate in all meetings in which the student’s evaluation or placement will be considered (Assistance to the States, Â § 300.345, 1999). If the parents disagree with any decisions made by school district personnel, they may seek resolution either through voluntary mediation or an administrative due process hearing. If the parents disagree with the final result of the administrative hearing process, they may appeal to the federal or state courts (IDEA, Â § 1415, 1997). Failure to provide parents with the rights outlined in the IDEA can invalidate an otherwise appropriate IEP (Osborne, 1996). Change in Placement Procedures Once a child has been placed in special education, that placement may not be arbitrarily changed. Again, before any change in placement may occur, the parents must be given proper notification. The child’s placement also may not be changed while any administrative due process or judicial proceedings are pending absent parental consent or a court order (IDEA, Â § 1415, j, 1997). The actual determination of what constitutes a change in placement can be tricky. For example, if a special education classroom was physically moved from one school to another as part of a school district reorganization, that would not be considered a change in placement as long as the student’s IEP could be fully implemented in the new location. By the same token, the usual movement of a student from one level to another (i. e. , elementary to middle school) is not a change in placement if the student’s IEP can be fully implemented after the change (Osborne, 1996). However, any move that would affect the IEP or its implementation would be considered a change in placement. Obviously, changing a child from a resource room situation to a substantially separate class for students with behavioral disorders would be a change in placement. The elimination of a component of the student’s educational program would also constitute a change in placement (Abney v. District of Columbia, 1988). Minor changes are allowable, however. The key to determining whether or not the change is acceptable is how the modification will affect the student’s learning (DeLeon v. Susquehanna Community School District, 1984).