Whenever I talk to teachers I don't usually have to wait long before they start listing their concerns about students. I wonder what would come top of your list of teachers’ complaints about student behavior. My guess is that punctuality would come pretty high. It doesn’t sound too difficult on the surface to insist that students should come on time to their lessons but in practice there may be factors that make the lateness habit difficult to break.
Take country cultures, for example. Some countries, notably those in northern Europe or North America place a high value on punctuality. To be late is considered rude, sloppy, even insulting behavior. But in other countries, punctuality is not valued in the same way. Time is seen in a much less rigid way so being a late is quite acceptable. I remember attending an appointment in the south of France for which I was dutifully a few minutes early. After I had waited for fifteen minutes, I asked the secretary what was causing the delay. She looked quite surprised and said that the person I was seeing naturally didn’t me expect to arrive punctually and expected the appointment to take place about 30 minutes after the agreed time.
Personal circumstances can also be difficult for students too. Adults coming to evening classes, for example, might find themselves delayed by work or home commitments. I once had a student who was often late because he had to have regular kidney dialysis that was scheduled to end just before his class.
I think the trick is to weigh up the situation and then work round it. If it is a problem affecting just one or two students, ask them what it is that makes them late. If they have difficult circumstances, then you have to be understanding. If it affects many class members and you feel it will be impossible to change their behavior, devise a strategy for using the first ten minutes of the lesson in a way that will mean you are not going to be interrupted in full flow as the late comers arrive.
For example, you could assign that time for homework review. Get students to work in pairs, comparing their homework and circulate among them giving a helping hand and answering questions. Once everyone has turned up to class, you can begin the lesson proper. Okay, it’s a solution that may seem defeatist but you can’t change cultural norms and you need to understand when things are tough for students. And one thing is sure. If you discuss the issue with the class and suggest this solution, then if they don’t like it, they will probably make the effort to come on time. Win-win, or what?
Better Late Then Never
Advertising Techniques - That Your Moma Never Revealed
Okay, a couple of things need to be said before I get down to business. First, it is important to me that I try to practice what I preach as much as possible. This is not always the case and for that I am at times unhappy with myself. With that in mind, I am a person who believes in open communication. I don’t like hidden agendas. I also believe in the goodness of people and try to give people the benefit of the doubt. Also, I believe that in order to believe in people, risks must be taken in order for mutual respect to have an opportunity to grow. With that in mind I am going to take a risk and hope that no one abuses it, but respects a goal of mine and tries not to undermine it.
The goal: I want to invent a word and have it accepted into the Oxford English Dictionary. There are a few criteria that need to be met to successfully enter a word in the OED, which you can check on for yourself, but I think that I have my strategy and word all ready. What I’m trusting is that what I’m about to share will not be taken by someone else, thus supplanting a dream I’ve had for a long time. I’m going to tell you my idea and I hope that you appreciate it, but that it remains my idea to pursue and turn into a reality.
One of the criteria for the OED is that a word with a similar definition does not exist. Or in other words, there must be need for the word. That’s tough, but I think I have it. The English language has no word that means “A person or thing that is one’s least preferred. A person or thing that is one’s most hated.” This is essentially the opposite of “favorite”. We can get the idea across, but we have no single word that encapsulates “most hated” with the efficiency that “favorite” has for “most preferred or loved”. The word I think can solve this linguistic gap is “malrite”.
This surprises me, as languages tend to develop words that they need to express. It seems to me that in the history of English speaking countries there has been enough broad aggression and localized apathy, jealously and maliciousness to have a need to create this word. But, I began to doubt the need for such a word, until I began looking into online advertising techniques.
Aside from my personal psychotic ranting on online advertising techniques, I wasn’t really sure what the general public felt about the issue and I certainly wasn’t sure if the industry itself gave any consideration to it. Then I ran across an article headlined “The Most Hated Advertising Techniques”. Wow, if there ever was reason to recharge my pursuit of “malrite”, I have found it. This was an article that looked into a study that examined people’s malrite aspects of online advertising. But, the whole thing played itself out awkwardly as it lacked an appropriate word to describe the disgust, disdain and hatred felt by the study’s volunteers. This article indicated to me that the fact of the matter is that in life we all have our favorite and malrite things, and we need to be able to articulate that.
Benefits of corporate gift giving can never be overstated
Why purchase corporate gifts? The benefits of corporate gift giving can never be understated! Highly successful businesses understand the importance of branding. To achieve that well sorted after branding, resources are poured into marketing, which will lead us to corporate gift giving!
Corporate gifts can be broadly categorized into internal and external branding. Internal branding can be achieved by acquiring gifts to be given to staffs within the company. This will help to foster the common identity to build that family spirit and morale which will increase productivity.
However I personally believe that external branding is by far the most important benefit of corporate gift giving between the two. Ultimately businesses are build around customers support. Therefore it is important to send signature corporate gift to customers to set your company apart and reinforce visual identity. Successful businesses are build on relationships
that is base on the service that they provide more than the products they sell. It is this relationship that helps to seal the next project regardless of the price!
Personalized corporate gift, which can be made affordable, is used as a gentle reminder that your company still exists and re-established the business again! Whenever possible, promotional or seasonal corporate gift are best sent to thank customers for the business support.
Corporate gifts and souvenirs are also prudently employed to launch new company at trade show to create their branding and target any possible new clients.
Making gifts in the form of donation for non profit or charities is another option that people tend to over look. The donation is not only tax deductible but also good in promoting the existence of the company. With the recent natural disasters like Tsunami in India ocean and hurricane Katrina in the State, more companies are coming forth with this sort of donations. I am totally agreeable with the gesture since it a win-win situation for all.
At Corporate-gift-ideas-guide, we aspire to add a new corporate gift item every other day for your corporate gift solution. We hope to pamper you with more choices to woo your well-deserved customers.
With these, I hope to reinstate that the benefits of corporate gift giving is truly a MUST !
Better late than never?
Have you ever sat back and wondered about the corporate decisions made by the executives at Microsoft? Well, I certainly have. It never ceases to amaze me how utterly clueless these people are. The blogosphere has been ablaze this week, with the news that Microsoft is entering the portable MP3 player market. One pundit or another is claiming that the new Microsoft Zune will be the ultimate iPod killer. On the other hand, there are a number of us that have serious doubts about Microsoft's ability to penetrate a market that is already saturated with their competitor's products.
However, one cannot help but wonder why they have waited this long. Apple has been playing in this space for years now, as have dozens of other companies in the consumer electronics industry. I can see the logic behind a wait-and-see approach, but this is a sad case of too little, too late for Microsoft. With the intellectual resources and working capital that Microsoft possesses, I am continually astounded by their lack of initiative in certain market spaces.
So why is a company that is an obvious titan in their chosen industry, so afraid to take chances? Is Bill Gates so preoccupied with his philanthropic work that he has allowed his company to drift off into the sea of irrelevance? When they are making moves, like their recent announcement of the upcoming Zune MP3 player, I seriously have to wonder what they have been doing for the last five years.
I realize that Microsoft has an unlimited marketing budget, but do they honestly think that they have any chance of penetrating the market that Apple so obviously dominates? Perhaps they have developed a novel way to turn back time, but in my humble opinion this may well be a complete waste of time.
For all the naysayers out there, I am aware that the Zune project is comprised of a number of strategic initiatives for Microsoft. Yes, the MP3 player is but one element of a larger corporate strategy in play here. Honestly, I wish Microsoft the best of luck in these new endeavors. Hopefully, they will release a product that will give Apple the motivation to develop their next-generation handheld gadget. AppleBerry, anyone? In this industry, competition drives innovation. Microsoft certainly is competitive, but have they ever been truly innovative? Time will tell. Unless, of course, Bill has found a way to turn back time. Now that would be innovative! You heard it here first, kids.