Teaching and Learning free essay sample

Cognitive Jean Piaget was a biologist when he started but by the time he was 21 moved to the development of children’s understanding, through observing them whilst he set them tasks. He has given us a better idea of how a child’s mind works and how they grow up. Cognitive theory is concerned with the development of a persons thought processes. It also looks at how these thought processes influence how we understand and interact with the world. When a child is born it goes through various stages of this development by understanding their environment from birth they can also process all the information around them using their developing thinking skills this then grows with age. People have always believed that there are 4 stages of cognitive development: * Sensorimotor stage. In infancy knowledge of the outside world is very limited but children learn through interacting with family and experiences when visiting other environments like the outdoors. We will write a custom essay sample on Teaching and Learning or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Pre-operational stage In early childhood your child will develop these skills and start to use more language and as the brain grows so will their memory, holding more information, they can then start to use their imagination through play. Although will still confuse fact with fiction. * Concrete operational stage In this stage, cognitive development uses intelligence to think through logical problems in relation concrete objects. Their basic math skills will be developing and they can now sort items into categories and think about two things simultaneously. * Formal operational stage This is late teens into adulthood and this is when they start thinking logically and abstractly including thinking of what might happen in the future. They can now transfer information from one situation to another and can solve complex problems in their head. * Psychoanalytical This is where according to scientists the mind can be split into two parts. The conscious mind and the unconscious mind. The conscious mind is when we are aware of things that are happening and are able to control them through our senses and emotions but the unconscious however is described as when you have unresolved issues that you think are resolved the mind can pick them out at any moment when you least expect them which can cause confusion. The basic tenet’s of psychoanalysis include the following: 1. Human behaviour, experience and cognition are largely determined by innate and irrational drives. 2. Those drives are usually unconscious. 3. Attempts to bring those drives into awareness meets psychological resistance in the form of defence mechanisms. 4. Beside the inherited constitution of personality a persons development is determined by events in childhood 5. Conflicts between conscious view of reality and unconscious( repressed)material can result in mental disturbances such as neurosis neurotic traits anxiety depression etc.. 6. The liberation from the effects of the unconscious material is achieved through bringing this material into the consciousness (via for example skilled guidance). Sigmund Freud was the founder of this type of psychology and his approach was to get an understanding of a person’s behaviour and emotions rather than locking people away that had mental health problems or treating them with drugs. Since Sigmund Freud’s day it has changed a lot and ideas have been revolutionised coming up with new theories which help us with all types of treatment for psychology. * Humanist Abraham Maslow believed in 5 needs of a person. The physiological needs, the needs for being safe, the need for belonging, the needs for esteem and the need actualize the self in that order. * Physiological These include the needs we have for oxygen, water, salt, sugar, calcium and other vitamins. The need to maintain a PH balance and keep at a good temperature. We also need to rest, sleep, get rid of body waste and avoid pain. * Safety This includes feeling safe and secure in our environment and feeling the need for protection. * Belonging and Love This is when you feel the need for friends, lovingness towards family and having a sweetheart even feeling fondly at being part of a community. * Esteem This includes respect for others, needs for status, fame, glory, recognition, attention, reputation, appreciation and dignity. Self actualization This involves the desire to fulfil potential and to be all that you can be. Abraham Maslow was one of the pioneers in the movement to bring the human being back into psychology and the personality back to the human. Social Learning Albert Bandura believed that aggression in adolescents was made from the environment they came from including the beha viours of the person/s they live with. After 100’s of case study’s he came up with general principles. The principles of social learning are: 1. People can learn by observing behavior. 2. Learning can occur without change in there behavior. 3. Social learning has become cognitive in human learning over the past 30 years. 4. Social Learning theory can be a transition between behaviorist learning and cognitive learning theories. Learning this way can be done through watching television, reading books listening to the radio and watching all around us. An example of this is when you have an idol or someone that you really look up to that behaves in a certain way you will start to watch and copy how they move and behave. * Operant conditioning Burrhus Frederic Skinner describes the effects of consequences of a particular behaviour on the future occurrence of that behaviour. We use or see examples of this in everyday life. At school a teacher may say whoever completes their homework can get a sticker this is giving a reward for good behavior. Or at home when you ask a child to pick up the toys off the floor and the child refuses and you sit them on the step for time out this is punishment for bad behavior. If the boundaries are set before hand then they have a choice in how they behave. Concepts of operant conditioning include: 1. Positive reinforce- using praise. 2. Negative reinforce-The removal of something they like. 3. Positive punishment-to reduce the behavior. 4. Negative punishment-to remove something until their behavior gets better. A distinctive part of B. F. Skinners theory is that it attempted to provide explanations for a large range if cognitive examples. He accounted for verbal and language learning within the operant condition paradigm but was strongly dismissed by other physiologists. * Behaviorists This came from the works of John B. Watson who claimed that psychology was not concerned with the mind or with human consciousness but with behaviour itself this way we could be studied objectively. This is the idea that behavior is learned through conditioning. There are 2 types of conditioning: Classical conditioning- this is a technique used in behaviour training. A natural stimulus is paired with a response. Operant conditioning-A process of behaviour modification in which the likelihood of a specific behaviour is increased or decreased through positive or negative reinforcement each time the behaviour is shown, so that the person comes to associate the positives or negatives of the reinforcement with the behaviour.

Tnb-Financial Analysis Essay Example

Tnb Tnb-Financial Analysis Paper Tnb-Financial Analysis Paper INTRODUCTION OF CORPORATION PROFILE3 TENAGA NASIONAL BERHAD FINANCIAL ANALYSIS 1998-2007 i)PROFITABILITY RATIOS AND SALES REVENUE5 ii)LEVERAGE MANAGEMENT 9 iii)EARNINGS PER SHARE11 iv)LIQUIDITY RATIOS12 v) FIXED ASSET TURNOVER15 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY17 REFERENCE18 APPENDIX 1: RAW DATA APPENDIX 2: ANNUAL REPORT 1998-2007 INTRODUCTION OF CORPORATION PROFILE Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) is the largest utility company in Malaysia. It is also the largest power company in Southest Asia with RM65 billion worth of assets serving over six million customers throughout Peninsular Malaysia and the eastern state of Sabah. Its core activities are generation, transmission and distribution of electricity. TNB is the only Malaysian energy company to rank among the top 50 energy companies in Asia in 2006 (based on the Platts’s survey of the top 250 Global Energy Companies) while internationally it is ranked as 168th. TNB was formed in 1990 by the Electricity Supply Successor Company Act 1990, as the successor of the National Electricity Board of the States of Malaya (Lembaga Letrik Negara Tanah Melayu). It was listed on the Bursa Saham Securities Berhad in the year 1990. TNB Group currently has a complete power supply system generating capacity of about 11,200 MW. In Peninsular Malaysia, TNB contributes to 55 percent of the total industry capacity through six thermal stations and three major hydroelectric schemes. It also manages the transmission network i. e. National Grid which links TNB power stations and IPPs to the distribution network. The National Grid is linked via 132kV HVAC and 300 kV HVDC interconnection to Thailand and 230kV cables to Singapore. TNB’s distribution network is managed through a comprehensive distribution system; customer service centres and calls management centres. Through its subsidiaries, TNB is also involves in the manufacturing of transformer, high voltage switchgears and cables, provision of professional consultancy services, architectural, civil and electrical engineering works and services, repair and maintenance, research and development and project management services. TNB also offers higher education through its university – University Tenaga Malaysia (Uniten). The Group mission is â€Å"We Are Committed to Excellence in Our Products and Services† FINANCIAL ANALYSIS (1998 – 2007) The purpose of this chapter will cover the analysis of financial statement from year 1998 to 2007 of Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) to help evaluate the operating performance and financial positions. Operating performance analysis focuses on how well the organization is matching revenues and expenses or expenditures while financial position analysis focuses on how well positioned the organization is to pay its bills. The Groups principal activities are generating, transmitting, distributing, operating and selling electricity . Other activities include repairing, testing and maintaining power plants, providing engineering, procurement and construction services for power plants related products, assembling and manufacturing high voltage switchgears, coal mining and trading . Operations are carried out in Malaysia, Mauritius, Pakistan, India and Indonesia. Profitability Ratio And Sales Revenue Profitability ratio has increased tremendously from a negative 28% in 1998 to a positive 18% in 2007. This shows how well TNB is performing by analyzing profit earned relative to sales, total assets and net worth. The Group recorded a 14. per cent growth in revenue to RM23,320. 4 million in FY2007 from RM20,384. 2 million in FY2006 and 110 per cent growth in revenue from RM11,075. 6 million in FY1998. This can be seen in a staggered rise and was driven by various factors such as the implementation of the new tariff structure which took effect in the middle of Y2006, foreign exchange translation gains and a 5. 3 per cent increase in electricity demand. This is also reflected by higher electricity sales which increased by RM2. 7 billion or 13. 6% and cost savings. EBITDA increased to 37. 6 per cent compared to 35. per cent last year while net profit increased by 90. 9 per cent from RM2,126. 9 million (Y2006) to RM4,061. 1 (Y2007) million which is almost double the amount; and also a huge increase from a loss of RM3,093. 9 in Y1998. TABLE 1:TNB PROFITABILITY RATIOS 1998 2007 Ratio/Year1998199920002001200220032004200520062007 NET PROFIT MARGIN-0. 280. 070. 100. 150. 060. 060. 050. 070. 100. 17 ROA-0. 070. 020. 030. 040. 020. 020. 010. 020. 030. 06 ROE-0. 240. 060. 090. 130. 050. 070. 050. 080. 110. 17 TABLE 2: TNB CHANGES IN SALES REVENUE 1998 – 2007 RM/Year1998199920002001200220032004200520062007 Sales Revenue (RM million)11075. 6011716. 1013220. 00 13,951. 80 15375. 1016457. 8017712. 1018326. 4019707. 4022384. 00 FIGURE 1 FIGURE 2 FIGURE 3 FIGURE 4 Leverage Management Apart from registering its highest profit ever, the Group has for the past reduced its loan from RM27. 1 billion in Y2006 to RM23. 9 billion in Y2007. For the past 3 years, a major restructuring of loan has been done. As we can see of RM32. 4 billion in Y2004 to RM23. 9 billion in Y2007, reflecting a RM8. 5 billion or 26. 2 per cent reduction. During the same period, TNB has managed to collect RM553 million from major delinquent debtors and also eduction in theft. Due to the various cost management initiatives undertaken by the Management, the Company has realised around RM2. 4 billion in terms of value creation since 2004. TNB also saw increasing foreign investors’ interest in its shares, when foreign shareholding reached 28. 4 per cent in May 2007; it’s highest since the Company’s privati sation. Given the continued strong financial outcomes, the Company is poised to undertake appropriate growth opportunities within its core business areas. TABLE 5: TNB LEVERAGE MANAGEMENT RATIO 1998 2007 Ratio/Year1998199920002001200220032004200520062007 DEBT RATIO0. 70. 70. 70. 70. 70. 70. 70. 70. 70. 6 DEBT-TO-EQUITY2. 22. 41. 91. 72. 12. 22. 21. 861. 40. 78 FIGURE 5 FIGURE 6 Earnings Per Share During the year 2007, the Board announced a dividend policy for the purpose of providing stable and sustainable dividends to shareholders while maintaining an efficient capital structure and ensuring sufficient funding for future growth. Under this policy, TNB will distribute 40-60 per cent of the Company’s annual free cash flow as dividends. As such, the Board of Directors is recommending a final gross dividend of 16. sen per ordinary share less income tax of 26 per cent to shareholders of the Company. Together with the interim dividend of RM632 million, the total dividend declared for this Financial Year amounts to an estimated RM1,154. 5 million. From track record Y1998 to Y2007, Y2007 has the highest payout. This change of a negative EPS of 99. 8 sen in Y1998 to a turnaround posit ive 94. 9sen in Y2007 (an 81% increase compare to Y2006 of 52. 5sen). TABLE 6 : CHANGES IN EPS 1998 2007 Ratio/Year1998199920002001200220032004200520062007 EPS-99. 824. 942. 967. 830. 734. 126. 132. 052. 594. 9 FIGURE 7 Liquidity Ratio The current ratio can give a sense of the efficiency of a companys operating cycle or its ability to turn its product into cash. It measures a companys ability to pay short-term obligations. Liquidity ratios measure the short-term ability of the entity to pay its maturing obligations and to meet unexpected needs for cash. As per the above calculation, current ratio and quick ration for TNB decrease from year 1998 to 2000 but increase from 2000 to 2007. The increase in both current and quick ratios from 2000 to 2007 indicates improvement in liquidity (Current ratio from 0. 5 times in 2000 increased to 1. times in 2007; quick ration from 0. 4 times in 2000 to 1. 2 in 2007). The current ratio means for every dollar of current liabilities, in year 2007, TNB has $1. 50 of current assets compare to 1998 which has only $0. 80. While for quick ratio, TNB performed quite well too. Ratio increased from year 2000 to 2007. The peak was in year 2004 with the quick ratio of 1. 4. The company is â €˜cash rich’ and able to pay off short-term obligations without relying on the sale of inventories. TABLE 4: TNB LIQUIDITY RATIO 1998 2007 Ratio/Year1998199920002001200220032004200520062007 CURRENT RATIO0. 0. 70. 50. 70. 80. 91. 71. 21. 41. 5 QUICK RATIO0. 60. 50. 40. 60. 60. 51. 411. 11. 2 FIGURE 8 FIGURE9 Fixed Assets Turnover Assets management ratios measure how effectively TNB is managing its assets. Fixed assets turnover ratio for the company is increasing from the year 1999 to 2007, from 0. 27 to 0. 41, 51% improvement over 9 years of business operation. Over the 9 years TNB’s total assets turnover ratio increased from 0. 25 times in 1999 to 0. 34 times in 2007. This indicates that the company is generating sufficient volume of business given its total assets investment. Sales increased, some assets were sold, or a combination of these steps had been taken. TABLE 3: TNB ASSET MANAGEMENT RATIOS 1998 – 2007 Ratio/Year1998199920002001200220032004200520062007 FIXED-ASSET TURNOVER0. 280. 270. 290. 290. 300. 320. 330. 350. 370. 41 TOTAL ASSET TURNOVER0. 260. 250. 260. 260. 270. 270. 280. 300. 310. 34 FIGURE 10 FIGURE 11 Executive Summary In summary, it can be seen that Tenaga Nasional Berhad has increased its performance quite steadily for the past ten years. It has managed to improve its performance from losses to steady growth of earnings and profit. It has done by steadily increasing its tariff, earnings from foreign exchange translation gains and increase in electricity demand. Tenaga Nasional Berhad are also able to manage its debt by decreasing it quite considerably. The company managed to collect its debt from major delinquent debtors and also reduction in theft. Though its total revenue increases, there is large escalation in total operating cost. This in turns has resulted into slight decrease of its profit margin. It has shift its operation towards fuel- fix in order to reduce the cost of coal usage and also maximizing its gas and hydro usage from its multi-fuel plants. The rising coal price has increase the total fuel cost. However its foreign exchange gain and continued effort in cost management has increased its pre tax profit. TNB would need to resort to the capital market to finance its capital expenditure requirements due to increases in operating cost and requirement to enhance its electricity supply reliability. TNB also has plans to further increase its tariff in 2008 due to the increasing cost i. e. the increase in the selling price of independent power plant (IPP) where it purchases some of its energy requirement This has lead to a lot of debate in the government and also its consumer. There are pressures for TNB to review its current contract with the various IPP to ensure that TNB will be able to fully benefit and earn a profit from its agreement with them. It remains to be seen if TNB will do so despite pressure from its consumer to not increase the tariff. In conclusion, TNB should be able to sustain its current growth and further increase if profit. However TNB must be mindful of its operational cost in order for it to sustain its profit. REFERENCE ?Tenaga Nasional Berhad Annual Reports 1999-2007 ?www. tnb. com. my ?http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Tenaga_Nasional

Avatar movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Avatar - Movie Review Example Anthropology is the scientific research of human beings and their ancestors. â€Å"When his twin brother is killed, disabled ex-Marine Jake Sully is recruited to aid a mining expedition on the distant jungle moon of Pandora as only his DNA will bond with the alien hybrid body, known as an Avatar, which allows humans to breathe the toxic air.The initial impression one gets about the Na’vi aside from their alien trappings, is that they are a primitive race. Primitive is a relativistic term and here it is used to mean that they are technologically backwards compared to the humans who come to Pandora. The Na’vi subsequently faced with the challenge that comes when a tribal community comes into contact with a more technologically advanced civilization. The humans who come to Pandora are there to mine the local minerals to be used back on their home planet. This begs the question, ‘what happened to their home planet?† The Na’vi cultural practices resemble those of other pre technology civilizations. They live in small villages spread throughout the planet. They have developed a form of religion, a system of government and have learned hunting as a source of sustenance. They also have their own language used for communicating with one another, and with the local wildlife using their body language combined with high pitched shouts and clicks.The language is more intuitive more than descriptive. For example when they say â€Å"I see you,† it mostly means that they see into you rather than a visual interpretation of the observed object or individual. Their language is also accompanied with hand signals and movements to emphasize emotions and ideas communicated (Chris, 2012). As history has attested time and time again, when a more technologically advanced civilization comes into contact with what they perceive to be a primitive society, the humans take it upon themselves to â€Å"civilize† the Na’vi. Motive aside, th e impression that what the humans have in terms of technological advancements is I think misguided. The Na’vi are not the one who have bled their home planet dry, and have then travelled halfway across the galaxy in search of the aptly named mineral unobtainium. In the aim of civilizing the natives, the human open school, teach the Na’vi their language, they also try to trade their medicine and food with the Na’vi with the aim of obtaining the unobtainium (Chris, 2012). The Na’vi on the other hand feel that the humans are misguided, and also unsuccessfully try to teach them their way of life until the arrival of Jake Sully. There is a mutual sense of ethnocentrism within the two communities, and whether it is justified is a matter of opinion. The humans feel that their way of life is superior to the Na’vi while the Na’vi feel that their way of life is the only way to live harmoniously with their environment. The Na’vi live in the jung les of Pandora, their main food source is the jungle. They are hunters and gatherers. They also domesticate the local wildlife and use it as a means of transport. They also use the animals to hunt and defend themselves. As with most hunter gatherer communities, prowess in hunting is highly valued and strength greatly affects the individual’s status within the community. They have a sense of brotherhood and oneness with their prey since it is part of them, part of the jungle and thus part of Eywa. They do not needlessly kill their prey and only hunt what they eat. They even go out of their way to reduce instances of confrontation between themselves and the hostile wildlife in the jungle. This