Whole Foods Market Business Analysis Free Essays

Deals have multiplied from that point forward and 66% of the British grown-ups now devour natural food and beverages. Their shortcoming Is the reality they haven’t ventured Into the worldwide market aside from Canada and the ASK. There has likewise been a few reviews on brands bought by the organization. We will compose a custom article test on Entire Foods Market Business Analysis or on the other hand any comparable theme just for you Request Now The open doors have all the earmarks of being noteworthy In this retail advertise. There Is an Increasing want for natural, sound items which looks good for the accomplishment of opening new stores. The danger is rivalry as the interest develops and increasingly rigid guideline. Rental increments is additionally a worry. In settling on a choice on whether to put resources into Whole Foods Market, the government assistance and necessities of the inward and outside partners should be thought of. Development relies upon Bonds and Stockholders. The organization must demonstrate predictable development so as to have the option to have accessible acquiring outlets. The workers are instrumental in keeping the client feel needed and happy with their shopping. The encompassing network needs to feel good with Whole Foods offices, items and administration. Furthermore, the wholesalers providing the company’s item need to know there Is a responsibility from their clients. Entire Foods Market is a one of a kind, natural food and common item grocery store chain situated in the US, Canada and ASK. As a completely claimed auxiliary, they are headquartered in Austin, Texas and utilize roughly 64,200 individuals: 13,300 are low maintenance and 2,700 impermanent workers (Denominator, 2012, p. 4). They have an expansion in income in 2011 from the earlier year of 12. 2%, an expansion of 25% in working benefit and net benefit increment of 42%. (â€Å"Event Brief of IQ , 2012 Whole Foods Market Earnings†, 2012). These figures are critical in perceiving the company’s accomplishment in recouping from the downturn which hit them In 2008. By and by, the natural food showcase Is divided with numerous little mother and pops which presents numerous open doors for development by Whole Foods. Fred Meyer, a rebate chain, conveys an Increasing cluster of natural nourishments, however not the quality and amount of their top of the line contender. The company’s quality is in its engaged development plan. â€Å"The new store openings has empowered it to develop at an aggravated and yearly development pace of 26% during 1991-2011†. Denominator, 2012, p. 6). They have formalized their area for new and revamped stores by past examination of their victories and charms. The venture into the I-J advertise, specifically the 2007 securing of 80,000 square feet in London could be a significant advance into a market outside of the US. Deals have multiplied and 66% of the British open devours na tural food and drink. (Live Business News, 2012, p. 3) Their shortcomings lay in absence of venture into worldwide tasks, item review of specific brands, and expanding rental expenses. Reviews are an issue. They have needed to pull back Whole Foods Market Dairy Free pastry kitchen items since it contained milk which was not on the name. Texas needed to call cheddar items on account of an e-coli sullying and there was a potential Salmonella pollution for the Whole Foods, Carob Energy Nuggets in 2009. They have not had the option to effectively venture into business sectors other than a couple of stores in Canada and the I-J. They have not had the option to acquire serious costs from their wholesalers for these stores on account of the low volume. Entire Foods additionally has a powerless publicizing spending plan and depends vigorously on Internet and informal, an impediment when their rivals promoting techniques are ventured into different markets. (Live Business News, 2012, p. 7) Leases for space and gear have expanded fundamentally from 4. 8 million of every 2004 to 201 million of every 2007. Future development could be affected. The expanding interest for natural nourishments and the new rising ways of life of the American open show up as incredible open doors for Whole Foods Market. â€Å"According to industry assesses, the deals of natural food expanded three overlay since 2000 to surpass $28. Billion in 2010† (Denominator, 2012 p. 7) With this expansion in deals, the organization is as yet the main chain providing food and accessible to this market. They are persistently extending their item base to incorporate such nourishments for clients with facial dietary needs. The pattern of the American family is moving towards eating at home and practicing good eating habits. Rivalry in the food retailing market is exceptional. As of now, Whole Foods doesn't encounter huge rivalry in the natural food, normal items, and nutrient enhancement region. However, as the interest and want develop, so will the opposition. The most effective method to refer to Whole Foods Market Business Analysis, Essays

Porcini’s Pronto

Porcini's Pronto: â€Å"Great Italian cooking without the pause! † Porcini was opened in 1969 as a family-possessed eatery network and its business was effective with 4% overall revenue. Porcini’s was famous with its consideration regarding quality and value premium was moderately little contrasted with its quality and guileful introduction. Porcini’s had the option to keep up its high item and administration quality primarily on the grounds that it was a family-possessed café network which gave impressive measure of control and of its protected methodology on organization extension decisions.However, the administration was additionally seen as go-moderate and contrasting with its rivals like Olive Garden and other full-administration chain eateries like Denny's, Porcini’s brand acknowledgment was a lot of lower. The U. S. cafés industry had three significant portions: cheap food, single area full-administration eateries, and full-administration chain ea teries. Porcini's senior administration thought of a Pronto idea which might open up another region which nobody has entered yet.Key highlights of the Pronto idea included areas at interstate thruway leaves, Porcini's quality food and administration with quicker turnover of tables, and constrained lager and wine determination. Primary contenders would be inexpensive food chain which has been working along the interstate frameworks for a considerable length of time and explicitly focusing for voyagers, and furthermore full-administration chain eateries like Denny's. It will be basic to think of a reasonable differentiator to its rivals, on both quality and administration, and position itself against them.Chef Molise was taking it intense on building up a unique Pronto menu which would be less broad with somewhat lower cost than Porcini’s conventional menu. Additionally, Halloran, who was Porcini’s HR chief, put huge measure of exertion onto selecting the ideal individua ls and structure a â€Å"Pathfinder Team† with 3 or 4 exceptional Porcini’s representatives at each new Pronto’s area. One entire seven day stretch of preparing and teaching in the fast, quality help procedure and its usage components would be given.On the employing side, it was a genuine one. Right now work candidates would need to pass a few screens which incorporate meetings with HR, at that point Pathfinder Team, and the chief. What's more, a character evaluation test was given. It would appear to be legitimate and bode well to put center around making a modified menu, recruiting the opportune individuals, and structure a group with existing extraordinary workers to carry current prescribed procedures to the new eateries. Be that as it may, it may be off course or needless excess sometimes.For the redone menu for Pronto, it was essentially a stripped-down form of customary Porcini’s menu, so what separated it from Porcini’s? What's more, why cl ients should come to Pronto which had less menu decisions, and not Porcini’s? Despite the fact that it’s a quicker assistance didn’t mean clients would acknowledge lower food quality, even only a slight one. What's more, in particular, Porcini’s didn’t inquire as to whether it made a difference to them. On getting the ideal individuals for Pronto eateries, was it really a smart thought to shape a group with existing representatives, while the business nature was much different?Porcini’s centered vigorously around food and administration quality, where Pronto center around brisk assistance experience without relinquishing a lot of food and administration quality. It would be far fetched if workers could switch their training so effectively and rapidly. On the off chance that they proved unable, envision how it may affect the fresh recruits in the group. So as to ensure Porcini's Pronto could keep up a similar degree of nature of food and admi nistration, a client poll framework was made to gather data on client satisfaction.The thought was extraordinary and it offered a markdown card to clients who took the survey, so as to raise poll finishing rate and empower rehash visits. Be that as it may, the whole poll concentrated uniquely on food and administration quality like dinner quality, civility and productivity of server, eatery tidiness and so on , with practically no inquiries around the ideal opportunity for taking requests, food serving, and take care of tabs and so on. Likewise, questions like â€Å"are you voyaging or live in the area? † could give a feeling of what were the client fragments and did it line up with the focusing on clients originally.In expansion, it ought to request that the client rank the significance of the variables, or basically ask the most significant thing made a difference to them e. g. Food, administration, time, place and so on. Without clients telling the significance of each fac tor, Porcini would have no idea on what to be centered around. Another arrangement of measurements to be gathered would be measurements around interior tasks e. g. to what extent to situate a client and take her request, to set up a run of the mill course, etc. This should be possible by having mystery customers for example, and it would be significant information.After all, the Pronto idea was to offer â€Å"Great Italian food without the wait†, if Porcini couldn't ensure satisfactory table turnover time, achievement couldn't be guaranteed. So as to develop the business, there were three alternatives: organization claimed, diversifying, and syndication. As a matter of first importance, what would we like to concentrate on? At the earliest reference point, Pronto ought not be extended too rapidly before it could discover and build up the triumphant methodology. The initial scarcely any cafés were essential and steps should take slow.Also, full control ought to be acquired el se it could without much of a stretch leave track. Additionally, the disappointment pace of diversifying was really large. Porcini’s couldn't stand to have eateries shut down and influenced its image name. Syndication could give Porcini’s full control on eatery tasks. It would likewise be simpler to get a decent area as prime lacking areas were for the most part claimed by financial specialists. Be that as it may, forthright expenses were high. Now like a testing stage, it is smarter to take an increasingly slow exorbitant methodology before Pronto idea demonstrated itself to be success.Company-claimed would be the best choice to begin with and Porcini’s ought to consider diversifying and syndication subsequent to seeing benefits from the Pronto cafés and furthermore a solid norms could be come up which could rush to numerous eateries. To close, the Pronto idea was focused on a market space where nobody had entered previously and Porcini’s needed to guar antee this space. Be that as it may, a significant inquiry to pose would be the reason nobody entered this space in any case? Or then again did anybody entered yet failed?It appears that so as to convey great nature of food and administration while making it a â€Å"Pronto† administration is a major test itself. Also the objective clients are along the interstate roadways, would they say they are searching for acceptable nature of food, quick assistance, or a pleasant spot to chill? Appears that Pronto idea comprises of every one of these components, be that as it may, none of them is a genuine differentiator. Porcini’s the board will need to consider situating and upper hand which Pronto could bring to the table.

Ancient Roman Sandals and Other Footwear

Antiquated Roman Sandals and Other Footwear Taking into account how valued current Italian cowhide products are today, it is maybe not very amazing that there was a decent arrangement of assortment of the sorts of antiquated Roman shoes and shoes. The shoe-producer (sutor) was an esteemed specialist in the times of the Roman Empire, and the Romans contributed the whole foot-encasing shoe to the Mediterranean world. Roman Footwear Innovations Archeological examinations show that the Romans brought the shoe-production innovation of vegetal tanning to Northwestern Europe. Tanning can be cultivated by the treatment of creature skins with oils or fats or by smoking, however none of those strategies bring about perpetual and water-safe cowhide. Genuine tanning utilizes vegetable concentrates to make an artificially steady item, which is impervious to bacterial rot, and has brought about the protection of numerous instances of antiquated shoes from moist situations, for example, riverside places to stay and refilled wells. The spread of vegetable tanning innovation was more likely than not an outgrowth of the supreme Roman armed force and its flexibly prerequisites. The majority of the most punctual safeguarded shoes have been found in early Roman military foundations in Europe and Egypt. The most punctual safeguarded Roman footwear found so far was made in the fourth century BCE, in spite of the fact that it is as yet obscure where the innovation began. Furthermore, the Romans advanced an assortment of unmistakable shoe styles, the most clear of which are hobnailed shoes and shoes. Indeed, even the single-piece shoes created by the Romans are altogether not quite the same as the pre-Roman local footwear. The Romans are additionally liable for the advancement of claiming numerous sets of shoes for various events. The team of a grain transport soaked in the Rhine River around 210 CE each possessed one shut pair and one sets of shoes. Non military personnel Shoes and Boots The Latin word for nonexclusive shoes is sandalia or soleae; for shoes and shoe-boots the word was calcei, identified with the word for heel (calx). Sebesta and Bonfante (2001) report that these sorts of shoes were explicitly worn with the frock as were taboo to slaves. What's more, there were shoes (socci) and dramatic footwear, similar to the cothurnus. The nonexclusive calceus was made of delicate cowhide, totally secured the foot and was attached in front with straps. Some early shoes had faced upward bending toes (calcei repandi), and were both bound and lashed into place. Later shoes had adjusted toes.The wet climate required a boot called the pero, which was made of rawhide. Calcamen was the name of a shoe that arrived at mid-calf.The dark cowhide congresspersons shoe or calceus senatorius had four lashes (corrigiae). A representatives shoes were embellished with a bow shape on the top. Aside from shading and value, the representatives shoe was like the patricians costlier red high-soled calceus mulleus secured with snares and ties around the ankle.Caligae muliebres were unstudded boots for ladies. Another modest was the calceoli, which was a little shoe or half boot for ladies. Footwear for a Roman Soldier As per some aesthetic portrayals, Roman warriors wore embromides, noteworthy dress boots with a catlike head that came almost to the knees. They have never been found archeologically, so it is conceivable that these were an imaginative show and never made for creation. Standard officers had shoes called campagi militares and the very much ventilated walking boot, caliga (with the minute caligula utilized as a moniker for the third Roman head). Caliga had additional thick soles and were studded with hobnails. Roman Sandals There were additionally house shoes or soleae to wear when Roman residents were wearing tunica and stola-soleae were thought wrong for wear with robes or palla. Roman shoes comprised of a cowhide underside joined to the foot with interweaving straps. The shoes were expelled before leaning back for a blowout and at the finish of the dining experience, the burger joints mentioned their shoes. References Sebesta JL, and Bonfante L. 2001. The World of Roman Costume. Madison: University of Wisconsin.van Driel-Murray C. 2001. Vindolanda and the Dating of Roman Footwear. Britannia 32:185-197.

Ramifications of working abroad (Hong Kong). What can you do to make Research Paper

Consequences of working abroad (Hong Kong). What would you be able to do to make it advantageous - Research Paper Example Leaving one’s own nation and migrating to somewhere else and calling it as the new and embraced country is without a doubt a Herculean errand since it includes recharged organizing potential outcomes and the possible fantasy of getting bombed and afterward returning to the previous home in any case. It is for sure something that acts like a hazard whenever seen inside the right settings and my case has been the same. At the point when I ponder the sort of dangers that I am going to embrace, I consider both the positives and negatives and afterward I gauge them to discover which dish is heavier of the two. I have consistently put stock in facing challenges for an incredible duration however it is the determined hazard that I am continually banking upon as opposed to shooting in obscurity which doesn't cut down any accomplishment for any one. On the off chance that I move to Hong Kong, I would need to forego all my own and expert ties that have been worked with the progression o f time inside the United States (Whalen, 2011). This would imply that my excursion will begin without any preparation most definitely. It will be another home for me and henceforth an absolutely new and rejuvenating experience. ... One needs to care for such a significant number of angles that it appears to be an extremely laborious errand in aggregate. Pushing forward, I have to contrast each and everything and what I am getting in the United States. This places me in an immediate correlation with what I will get inside Hong Kong and how I will marshal up enough certainty to get myself and my family to the new nation and start life once again. It would imply that I look at each and everything in a one on one premise, and discover where I am turning out badly and what positives and negatives stay for me over the long haul plan of things. There is simply such a great amount for me to comprehend that I believe I may be lost some place in the center. I have to consider the pay issues which will continue coming each month undoubtedly (Sibeck, 2011). Likewise the way that I have to discover a space for myself and my family is one of the most troublesome errands that I need to attempt right now. It will let me know p recisely where I remain similarly as settling on this migration choice towards Hong Kong. Generally the entirety of my correlations would be finished with the United States since this is the nation that will say goodbye to. I will consider the instance of transportation inside Hong Kong and what amount is it of an issue to move starting with one spot then onto the next. I will contemplate the measure of traffic there is inside Hong Kong and what I would need to do to move starting with one suburb then onto the next. These are a portion of the remarkable perspectives that I will think about on a diligent premise between where I am living presently (United States) and where I plan moving to (Hong Kong). On the off chance that solitary I am ready to discover every one of these answers inside the

Judicial review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Legal survey - Essay Example In England and Wales the Civil Procedure Rules necessitates that any case structure in regard of an application for legal audit must be recorded inside a quarter of a year from the time that the grounds to make the case first arose1. Legal survey licenses individuals with adequate enthusiasm for a choice or activity by an open body to look for legal audit in regard of the legitimateness of an authorization or a choice and activity or inability to act corresponding to the activity of an open function2. Legal survey can be turned to at whatever point right of request is missing or if all roads of advance have been depleted. In such cases the court may demand both the respondent and the inquirer to give proof to the presence of elective methods for settling their question and as such the court will view such prosecution if all else fails and won't issue any untimely cases. In Morbaine Limited v First Secretary of State3, the Secretary of State allowed arranging authorization for an enormous blended use improvement. A request was documented under the Town and Country Planning Act, in the court to subdue that decision4. This methods for challenge is accessible to any individual who is distressed by such choices. Anyway Blackburne J excused the application holding that the solicitors had no grounds of challenge as it needs adequate representing the reasons for area 288. This choice makes it adequately certain that candidate must have a genuine or certifiable enthusiasm for getting the alleviation looked for. In R v Enfield London Borough Council5, the chamber concurred authorization for Grade II recorded structure to be utilized as workplaces and for the development of a nursing home in the premises. The protection warning gathering assented to these recommendations. The inquirer fought that these choices were invalid because of the inclination intrinsic among the preservation warning gathering individuals. Richards J acknowledged this and suppressed the

Advanced Citizenship, 2016 Edition A Reading List for Becoming an Informed Voter

Advanced Citizenship, 2016 Edition A Reading List for Becoming an Informed Voter Four years ago, I wrote a post in advance of the presidential election that, in many ways, is both still relevant and widely outdated. Were facing what could likely be the most significant election in most of our lifetimes that will have the most wide-reaching and potentially long-lasting consequences. Some of my previous suggestions are still relevant (see: The Handmaids Tale,  Whats the Matter with Kansas, A Peoples History of the United States, etc.). But the American landscape had changed dramatically in the last four years, and the issues we face, that are most contentious between  the Clinton and Trump campaigns, are not only complicated, theyre fundamental aspects of American citizenship.  If youre looking for some primers to get up to date before you head to the polls on Nov. 8th, this updated list will help you out.         1.  Big Girls Dont Cry: The Election that Changed Everything for American Women  by Rebecca Traister.  Even though it was written after the 2008 election, Traisters examination of feminism and sexism in the midst of Hillarys first presidential run is all the more relevant now. Take the revelations in it and multiply them. 2. Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right  by Jane Meyer.  The Koch brothers are one of the most powerful forces in American politics, and with the passage of Citizens United, a bill that allows for previously illegal sums in political contributions that open the doors of influence, the red carpet was rolled out. With Clinton vowing to repeal it and Trump enjoying its spoils, this examination is required reading if you want to understand the economics behind our political system and why Trump likely hasnt paid federal taxes in 18 years. 3. Americas Bitter Pill: Money, Politics, Back-Room Deals, and the Fight to Fix Our Broken Healthcare System  by Steven Brill.  In the wake of Obamacare, Brills look at the political fight for its passage is great background when looking at possible futures of healthcare under either a Clinton presidency or a Trump presidency and understanding why it matters. 4. Ratf**ked: The True Story Behind the Secret Plan to Steal Americas Democracy  by David Daley.  You might think that voting rights are a thing of the past, a remnant of 1960s Civil Rights era politics, but in the wake of President Obamas 2008 election, Right Wing politicians scrambled to keep hold of an  electoral map that is  as red as possible, using among other things   Citizens United to do  so. The consequences of their underhanded tricks will be on full display in November. 5. Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS by Joby Warrick.  This Pulitzer Prize-winning look at the most prominent Middle Eastern terrorist group is told with the gripping narrative usually reserved for thrillers and mystery novels. Tracing the origins of ISIS (which includes two unwitting US presidents), Warrick paints a picture of our worlds most dangerous extremist threat.           6.  Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by  J.D. Vance. Part memoir, part social analysis, Vance examines poor rural America in the lens of his own Appalachian family. His family history reveals along with sociological studies the changing idea of the American dream and the shifted definition of the middle class. A personal and deeply moving look at the struggles of Americas white working class. 7. Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right  by  Arlie Russell Hochschild. Addressing the ever-widening gap between the Right and the Left, Hochschild examines a movement  (the Tea Party), a state (Louisiana), and an issue (environmental pollution) to reveal the heart of American conservatives and open a door, particularly to liberals who do not understand what’s happening in  the hearts  of the country’s right wing voters. Empathy, she argues, is key to closing that gap. 8. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates.  Perhaps one of the most politically divisive movements of the last few years is #BlackLivesMatter, and nowhere else is the root of racism in America better articulated than in Coates award-winning cultural critique. If you are looking for one book to read before the election, make it this one. 9.  Asking for It: The Alarming Rise of Rape Culture and What We Can Do about It by Kate Harding. The term rape culture has finally entered the mainstream lexicon, but, Harding argues, the system still supports the accused over the accuser. With her no bullshit take, she examines rape culture, what that means in our modern political landscape, and how we can work to dismantle the system in which only 5 of 100 rapes results in a felony conviction.   10. The Morning They Came for Us: Dispatches from Syria by  Janine Di Giovanni. The civil war in Syria is at the heart of many issues in this political season: refugees, isolationism vs. interventionism, jihadism, etc. This intensely personal account of the authors last four years in Syria as the country underwent revolution and then utter devastation is a  heartbreaking  testimony to human resilience.       11.  The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness  by  Michelle Alexander. Former litigator Alexander scrutinizes the US criminal justice system, which operates ostensibly as a colorblind institution but which actually decimates communities particularly men of color. Also relevant is Alexanders explanation how the modern Republican party built its base. 12. Listen, Liberal: Or, What Ever Happened to the Party of the People? by Thomas Frank.  His iconic political treatise,  Whats the Matter with Kansas, made the last version of this list, but his unflinching examination of the Democratic Party is especially important in an election in which blaming the stupidity of Republicans  is an  easy answer for the rise of liberals. Its not that simple, Frank argues, and his extensive research into the ways in which modern  Democrats are failing to fulfill the  philosophical goals of the party is delivered with his trademark sardonic wit. 13. Too Dumb to Fail: How the GOP Went from the Party of Reagan to the Party of Trump  by  Matt K. Lewis.  Then again, the party of Trump really may be the downfall of the Republican party, whether the Democrats help it along or not. Lewis a young leader of the conservative movement traces the GOPs history and posits an argument to save the modern Republican party from falling into anarchy. 14.  The Court and the World: American Law and the New Global Realities  by Stephen Breyer.  Who better to explain the role of the Court in todays modern world than Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Stephen Breyer? And why should you care? Because the next president will choose at least two, possibly three or more justices, which will have so great an impact on the future of not only the country but the world that the scope is close to unimaginable. Justice Breyers examination takes the smallness of the world and the courts crucial role within it into consideration in this timely and necessary book. 15. A Question of Choice: Roe v. Wade 40th Anniversary Edition  by Sarah Weddington. Originally published for  the 20th anniversary of Roe v. Wade by the lawyer who argued the case in front of the Supreme Court, this updated version includes a new chapter about the current state of womens health in the political sphere. Just as Breyers book above provides a good overall view of where we stand with SCOTUS, Weddingtons book shows us exactly whats at stake.         16. The Fire This Time edited by Jesmyn Ward.  Inspired by James Baldwins landmark book about race  The Fire Next Time, Ward gathers 18 pieces from landmark writers who examine race in 21st century America, answering questions about whether we live in a post-racial world or whether people of color are any better or worse off than they were 50+ plus years ago,  since  Baldwins original essay was published. Its a stirring collection, full of original and powerful voices. 17. The Book of Unknown Americans by  Cristina Henriquez.  Examining immigration into America can certainly be done in nonfiction, but capturing the immigrant experience is best done in fiction, which is what Henriquez has done and brilliantly so. Through a love story between a Panamanian boy and a Mexican girl, readers  are asked to examine not only their own definitions of what it means to be an American, but the idea that more than one definition exists. 18. Redeployment by Phil Klay.  Winner of the National Book Award, Klays collection of short stories examines our ongoing wars and  the people directly impacted by them: soldiers and their families. As the characters come to terms with not only the things they seen and done, Klays moving and brutal language slams  home the point that no one makes it out unscathed. 19. Citizen: An American Lyric  by  Claudia Rankine.  Of course a book called Citizen is going on a list about citizenship. Rankines incredible volume of poetry addressing the everyday aggressions of racism in the US is a must-read, whether youre a poetry fan or not. 20. Bitch Planet, Vol. 1 by  Kelly Sue DeConnick and  Valentine De Landro.  Listen, I wont pretend that Im not terrified of an actual dystopian future in which President Trump jails women for acts against the patriarchy. Prepare yourself for the possible coming gender wars, friends. Sign up for True Story to receive nonfiction news, new releases, and must-read forthcoming titles.

The Effect of Cognitive Functions and Related Anxiety - Free Essay Example

From the results of the present study, it shows that there exist no sex differences with regards to all the variables under study, most importantly boys and girls do not differ in term of their mathematical achievement. This finding is in agreement with the study of Hyde, and colleagues (2008) where the children from grades 2 to 11, had no sex difference for math skills. Another study by Spencer, and colleagues (1999) explored sex differences among men and women who had a strong math background. Moreover, it is seen that Intelligence (fluid intelligence) failed to predict mathematical achievement. It is a very common notion that we hold is, performing good in mathematics means that the child or the person has a good level of I.Q, but there is more specificity related to it. Taub, and Benson (2013), revealed that general intelligence does not directly influence the Quantitative Reasoning Skill rather it directly influences the Specific Cognitive abilities and processes which again influence the mathematical reasoning. Previous literature and present findings both show that Working Memory and Processing speed are positively and significantly correlated with mathematical achievement and predicts mathematical achievement. It is seen that all the components of Working Memory influences mathematical achievement. Recent research viewed, among the important sections of specific cognitive abilities mentioned in C-H-C model, Processing speed is one of the components influencing mathematical achievement. According to McGrew (1997) Keith (2010), one of the strongest predictors of mathematics achievement is Processing Speed. Moreover, Executive Functioning predicted the mathematical achievement beyond working memory and processing speed. EF might influence achievement in math in several ways. For example, updating could assist in holding relevant information during the problem-solving activity, and in the storage and retrieval of partial results. Inhibition may suppress inappropriate strategies, or prepotent number representations, retrieval of number bonds, or use of information from a word problem that is irrelevant to the solution. Shifting skills may help to switch between operations, strategic solutions, quantity ranges, and notations, and between the steps of a complex multistep problem and appears to predict both mathematics and reading scores across the developmental ages. (Yeniad et al., 2013). Finally, it was seen that Mathematical Anxiety predicted Mathematical achievement beyond the previous model presented. Both the existing literature and present research showed that Mathematical anxiety is negatively correlated with Mathematical achievement. Mathematical anxiety is a form of fear or tension which is linked with thinking about mathematics or doing tasks where we need to solve mathematical problems. It is seen that Anxiety hampers the performance by deteriorating the cognitive abilities like Working Memory, Proce ssing Speed and Executive Functioning which is evident from the decreasing beta value of these variables while Mathematical anxiety was entered. It even alters the strategic thinking while doing mathematics, thus creating a decline in math performance. Hence, it plays a great role in influencing mathematical achievement, especially in low-achieving students. Thus, they need special intervention to record success in dealing with mathematical problems. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have found that according to Young, Wu, Menon(2012), math anxiety is associated with reduced activity in WM-related brain regions i.e; dorsolateral prefrontal cortex as well as according to Lyons Beilock(2012) hyperactivity in brain regions associated with the processing of negative emotions and pain i.e; right amygdala; bilateral dorsal posterior insula. However, metacognitive awareness could not predict mathematical achievement in the present study. Zimmerman (1998) stated that in learning students it is not just enough to have metacognitive knowledge, but they also should have metacognitive regulation and it can get hampered due to the presence of anxiety. But there are ample amount of contradictory studies available. Thus, more light is needed in this area for better, focused and detailed explanations.