Classic Airlines and Marketing

Classic Airlines and Marketing MKT/571 – Marketing September 17, 2012 Classic Airlines and Marketing Classic Airlines, the fifth largest airline carrier, currently serves 240 cities with more than 2,300 daily flights. However, Classic Airlines has experienced over the past three years a decline in their frequent flier program Classic Rewards along with customer confidence declining as well and stock prices has decreased by 10% according to University of Phoenix, 2012. Marketing is assigned the task of revamping the customer loyalty program and increasing membership while operating under a 15% reduction in expenses across the company.The challenges that the marketing management is faced with include a downward turn of morale among the employees; retaining and recruiting of new members for Classic Rewards, and the lack of support from upper management. Marketing management is the process of â€Å"creating, communicating, and delivering value to customers and for managing custom er relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders† (Kotler & Keller, 2006, p. 6). Identifying Marketing ChallengesThe marketing management team has identified that the majority (60%) of its Reward membership are at the basic tier, 25% are on the Silver Rewards level, and only 15% are Gold Rewards members. Of these members 80% are business travelers with the remaining 20% leisure travelers. With this information, marketing instituted surveys to determine what the needs of the members are. The replies from the business traveler ranged from the dislike for connections and delays, the desire for quality service, and the idea that the frequent flier points are the result of the airline’s investment in the customer.Whereas, the leisure traveler is more interested in lower air fare and is more willing to have more connections if it will save the traveler money. Strength, weakness, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis of Classic Airlines top thre e competitors—British Airlines, Northwest Airlines, and United Airlines—were completed by John Hartman, Senior Vice President of Human Resources. Based on the SWOT analysis, all three competitors have a strong and successful loyalty program. A common weakness between the three companies is the union at each airline.An opportunity recognized by the three companies is the customers’ needs are constantly changing and the airline industry is rebounding. Fuel and equipment along with competition are considered weaknesses by the three organizations. Gathering input from the Classic Rewards members was the responsibility of Renee Epson, Senior Vice President of Customer Service. Interviews of 500 Gold and Platinum Classic Rewards members revealed that advertising campaigns are failing in conveying an accurate and meaningful picture of the airline.In regard to the Classic reward program only 30% were either satisfied or very satisfied with the program and upgrades avail able. When asked if the members flew on other airlines, all categories excluding those who fly seven to 12 times a year responded that they flew other airlines more often than Classic Airlines. Only 8% have been Classic Rewards members for more than five years with the majority been members for one to three years. Strategic Planning The marketing management team has been performing strategic planning to implement a value chain.A value chain states Kotler and Keller, (2006), â€Å"identifies nine strategically relevant activities that create value and cost in a specific business† (p. 38). The team has identified opportunities, weaknesses, strengths, and threats for Classic Airlines’ competitors and through surveys and interviews for Classic Airlines. The identification of the concerns of the Rewards program members enables the marketing team to address these concerns and implement recommendations for improving the Classic Rewards program.This is part of the new offering realization program that enables Classic Airlines to develop and implement new high-quality products while remaining within the budget. Another part of the value chain is the identification of new markets to attract new customers. Classic Airlines needs to rebuild its customer relationship management process this in turn will improve relationships and understanding with both internal and external customers. ConclusionClassic Airlines marketing management is working on improving the organization’s rewards program while remaining within the budget that has a 15% decrease with the result of increasing the profits. A major challenge for the marketing management team is the lack of support from upper management. However, the team has begun the strategic planning of implementing a value chain method. The use of a SWOT analysis, surveys, and interviews of current customers has provided the team with an insight of the issues that must be addressed.Marketing is a process of deliverin g value to its customers while managing customers’ relationships and producing revenue and profit for the company and its stakeholders. References Kotler, P. , & Keller, K. (2006). Marketing Management (12th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson-Prentice Hall. University of Phoenix. (2012). Scenario: Classic Airlines. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, MKT571-Marketing website

Integrated Patrol v. Traditional Policing Essay

1. The 14-month results are impressive. What are the major factors for this success The protocol that Chief G is trying to implement with his police force is called intergrated patrol. How does this approach compare to the traditional model of law enforcement? The integrated patrol strategy brings a community-oriented concept of policing into play, which crime prevention and reduction efforts are applied in larger areas, rather than focusing specifically on a group of people within a particular location. The integrated patrol strategy, also calls for more enhanced investigative procedures. It also stresses the importance of information sharing between agencies. This is proven to aid in effective solutions to solving crimes and track trends and patterns. As a result these stratigiesto strengthen relationships between agencies.. In comparision the traditional enforcement strategy responded to crime after the fact, and only concentrated on a certain situation or crime. The traditional strategy is lacking when it comes to creating more organized and strategic plans for the force excercising it.The strategic planning is vital in stating the overall police mission. You might look at integrated patrol as a one team, one fight’ concept. While the traditional way of doing things, is every man for himself, point of view. Resistance in this situation will most likely come from Sam. He has worked for the force for 26 years. He started as a beat cop and has earned his way to the position he currently holds. He believes in hionesty,fairness, and putting in your time toi earn your stripes. Respect from Sam must be earned not given on first intrioduction automatically. Seeing as how Sam has spent 26 years of his life working his way to the position he holds now it is likely to assume that he wouldn’t appreciate someone brand new to the force being out into a position of any kind of his level without first earning it. So Sam will have a natural resistance to letting any other officers investigate becauser her believes again that you have to earn the right to be an investigater.We can overcome Sam’s personal conflicts with the ideals we want to set forth by reassuring him that he heads that department and the descision on who will be investigating will still ultimately be his. As well as the fact he should be told this is a trial and if it is not to work out then no harm no foul. The least resisitance in this scenario I believe will be coming from Peter. I believe he isn’t trying to throw up any kind of resistance at all. His  main number one goal it seems to me is to have an copasetic well organized and well operating force as well as. He is smart enough to know that resistance against this idea from chief would not change the courser of action that the chief would require him to start on but just cause conflict and possible demerrits for him. He welcomes this change and looks ahead to start the trial with a positive and hopeful attitude that this new intergrated patrol will succeed with their force just as it did with the experiment force they tested it with.

Modern Management Techniques Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Modern Management Techniques - Essay Example Site managers oversee either a whole sight or part of the many sights for larger schemes or they might be responsible for part of the project. Before the commencement of the project, the site management personnel are required to organize all the necessary facilities, prepare the sight, plan the work to be done and install the temporary work bases for workers (Johansen and Wilson, 2006). Most of the site managers are involved in the running of the project before the site development activities commence. Prior to the commencement of the project, the site managers are responsible for bridging communications between all the parties involved in the running of the project. They are required to enhance proper time management and ensure that all activities adhere to the set timescale once the project commences. They are required to be sufficiently flexible and able to manage any problems or delays that may be faced in the course of the project construction. Ranns and Ranns, (2005) assert tha t construction managers should also possess efficient skills to enable them to set the right priorities for the job and employ the necessary measures required for planning for safe construction. They are also required to preside over the communication roles with the external stakeholders. Role of Site Management Johansen and Wilson (2006) assert that despite the recent Government initiatives and the increasing expectations of the society, the theoretical roles of a site manager remain the same. They suggest that satisfying the high expectations of the society requires the managers to enforce the required strategies necessary for converting the theoretical measures into practice (Johansen and Wilson, 2006: 1309). Some of the responsibilities include ordering of new construction materials, ensuring that the site has the adequate workforce to complete the assigned task in time and preparation of reports and status updates for other senior managers. The site manager is also tasked with maintaining the safety of the workforce through ensuring that all the safety measures are adhered to and all the accidents or incidents endangering personnel life are reported to the necessary authorities for action. The manager should apply his or her competencies and expertise in the built environment to understand when changes to the original plans are required or the necessity of the projected completion dates. According to Hartley (2006), all these responsibilities cannot be ardently achieved if the manager is not present on the site; implying that site manager should personally scrutinize and delegate all the daily operations of a site. However, Griffiths (2004) posits that the recent technology has changed the management process whereby the manager can scrutinize the daily operation of a construction site online.  

The Trend of Job Relocation and its Influences Essay

The Trend of Job Relocation and its Influences - Essay Example Compared to other developed nations, like those in Western Europe or Japan, the United States' land area is expansive - we cover half of the North American continent. While in other places, job relocation happens relatively close to home due to the smaller geographic region of political and language borders, it is not the same in the United States. Our geographical boundaries are wide enough to hit two oceans. When we go across the country, ties with family and community are completely cut. Job relocation of any person in a family is harmful to the family structure. A key players is removed from the family unit, be it the father, mother, even children. Reimer conducted a research study that suggested job relocation was potentially harmful to families (2000). The possible outcomes of the trend "job relocation" are multiple depending on the specific demographic taken into account, family members involved in the move, and the stability of labor markets. For example, job relocation for migrant families depends heavily on the legislation concerning them, legislation concerning migrant worker programs, education patterns and benefits for children of migrant workers, and others. Globalization is another factor that will affect job relocation.

Difference in Work for Information Technology Management with Sarbanes Essay

Difference in Work for Information Technology Management with Sarbanes Oxley Act - Essay Example The major focus is on the role of the Information Technology managers and how they are responsible to reengineer and manage the business processes to implement the Sarbanes Oxley act, with the key issues that really need to be addressed by the managers to be successful in implementing the act. The Sarbanes Oxley (SOX) Information technology controls play a sound role in business and accounting. These controls are activities especially designed to ensure that organizations business objectives are met. These controls are majorly related to data integrity and availability with the IT functions management. Information Controls get importance in United States after the release of Sarbanes-Oxley act in July 2002. The act was passed in response to the business and accounting scandals of USA corporate firms. This act provided new standards to the corporate firms which explicitly define the laws which are mandatory to be followed when working with financial data, interactions in corporate cul ture and audit controls that assure the accuracy of financial statements. Compliance with the laws should not be discouraged; it should be handled parallel to other legislative laws with appropriate analysis. Sarbanes Oxley Act The act affects American corporate firms in terms of what the management should do to ensure the auditor’s are independent of their clients. ... ct After the implementation of Sarbanes Oxley a big change come which affected the corporate companies and its management financially and legally (Tricia Bisoux, July/August 2005). Under the Section 404 the senior management will be responsible for every pros or cons in the financial statements and audit reports (Sans Institute,2005). These acts were defined when American company Enron personnel’s refuses to accept the discrepancies in their company’s financial reports. As a result this legislation meant a lot to the companies of USA. Responsibility of Information Technology Managers Information Technology has become an integral part of every organization which ranges from small private organizations to big multi-national or corporate firms. They will surely need an Information Technology department with the efficient management who will be managing the business process alignment with the business objectives. To attain this goal Organizations Company hires senior manage ment in the IT, who will act as a sole responsible for the business objective. As Sarbanes Oxley focus majorly on the laws that has become the mandatory part for every public trade company, these IT Managers will be serving as the chief role in accomplishing the act. They will need to ensure the compliance of the every function with the established principles by the senior management. What the IT Managers are required to reengineer the business processes in parallel to the laws to implement the act effectively and in different way. Every process should ensure compliance of standards. In this regards the most significant role is being played by the Manager himself. To fully implement the Sarbanes Oxley law they need go for the change of senior management and board of director’s way of working and

El Nino Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

El Nino - Essay Example The water undergoes precipitation processes that cause torrential rains resulting into floods in eastern areas such as Peru, US, and Chile. The events also result into prolonged droughts in western areas such as the Indonesia and the Philippines. The effects of El Nino are not only felt in countries bordering the Pacific, rather, they are felt all around the world. However, the main effects of this phenomenon are felt in the Americas. These effects result into losses worth millions of dollars and also claims human casualties. However, the effects of the El Nino have been greatly diminished as a result of early warning systems and design of buildings and structures that can withstand the effects of heavy floods. Still, more needs to be done to curtail El Nino’s effects, particularly those occurring due to floods. Governments in affected areas need to sensitize persons living on coastlines on the dangers of El Nino besides helping in evacuation efforts if need

Reading response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 20

Reading response - Essay Example In the second pathway, he attempts to analyse and predict the manipulation of behaviour and emotions through the use of pharmacology. The third pathway explores ways in which biotechnology will influence the politics of the future by prolongation of life. The fourth pathway focuses on genetic engineering, which explores the introduction of â€Å"designer babies†, which could bring a number of ethical and technical issues. This paper however makes an analysis of Our Posthuman Future and seeks to explain the implications of Fukuyama’s post-apocalyptic prophecies, their relationship with scenarios presented in (2003, p.556) and their plausibility. Fukuyama makes a consideration of the association of totalitarian states and eugenics and further addresses considerations in religion and finally makes an inspection of utilitarian concerns, his alternative for economic considerations. In the production of designer babies, we are likely to encounter the danger that biotechnology will aid in enforcement of politically correct methods of thinking and feeling. There will also be a surplus of â€Å"zero sum† engineering whereby for instance a person designed to be a faster runner will have no competitive advantage against other designs of faster runners in a race. A progress in the field of genomics leading to the creation of drugs that could alter the generic profile of individuals with minimal side effects(if any at all).This scenario is more likely to happen since as we speak, pharmacologists have come up with energy and pleasure enhancing drugs that are altering the way people behave. Steroids for example are known to enhance performance and change one’s moods. They may cause depression and to others they would feel extremely high, whereas others can feel so down for no apparent reason. In second scenario of stem cell research, we realize that stem cell research is alive and vibrant in places like California

Hip Hop Music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Hip Hop Music - Essay Example The term hip hop was coined by a rapper known as Keith Cowboy who was a group member of the Grandmaster flash and the Furious five band. He did this when he was teasing a friend who had joined the U.S. army by singing these words i.e. hip hop hip hop in a manner that imitated the rhythm of marching soldiers. He then used the hip hop rhythm in a part of his performance on stage from where other artistes picked. The word first appeared in print form in a book titled Village Voice that was authored by Steven Hager. Hip hop music is a music genre that is comprised of two major components, which are, rapping which is also referred to as MCing or it also goes by the name DJing; and record scratching. Rapping utilizes vocals where the performer speaks rhythmically to supportive beats which are in most cases generated from some bits of other songs. The history of hip hop has it that it has evolved through two main eras; the era of old school hip hop that ranged from the year 1970 and lasted till the year 1985. The new age or golden era of the hip hop school began in 1985 and lasted till the year 1993 Rappers are also known to recite poems in the course of making the hip hop performance. The other components include graffiti which is usually made on the clothing wore by the performers, and break dancing. Some instrumentals played in the version or trend that depicts hip hop are also categorized into this group hence regarded as hip hop. It is worth noting that hip hop music is part of the larger hip hop culture that comprises of fashion, music and art. Hip hop is characterized with a drum beat that regularly takes up the 4/4 time signature. It might be accompanied with vocal bit of the music which might also be ignored. The hip hop music might be presented by a live band or as produced music Roots of hip hop lyricism The roots of hip hop can be dated back to the 1970's. They can be found in music that was played by the West African and African Americans that were living in this era. These West African hip hops fore fathers also known as the griots played songs and made poems that had a musical style that was suggestive of hip hop music. They were composed of a group of singers and poets and they were engaged in much traveling and singing as their career. This group of singers also forms part of an oral tradition that existed hundreds of years past (Flores 2000P24). The other fore fathers of rap were found in the New York City who made their performances in a similar manner as the griots. They gave performances of a poetic nature as well as music that suggested hip hop. They held the traditions known as talking blues; signifying the dozens and jazz poetry- all of which makes part of oral tradition. Some other groups of people who made great contributions to the roots of hip hop include a group popular for poetry and that was known as the last poets, and a poet known by the name Jalal Mansur Nurridin who was vocal even in the 1960s The popularization of the block parties in the New York City during the 1970s led to the greatest development of the hip hop music. This can be attributed to the fact that music especially of the funk and soul music nature was often played heavily in these parties. Frequent playing of this music led to the discovery of a means of playing the percussion breaks in songs that had formed part of the most popular hits during those days. This was after it was realized that the parts that were isolated were the most danceable parts that entertained crowds the most. DJ Kool Herc has been famed as

Board of directors Essay Example for Free

Board of directors Essay Introduction This case study analysis describes Sam Adams dilemma, whether or not to give a favorable recommendation to the board of directors for his friend and former colleague Bud Wizer. Sam was told by corporate that Bud listed him as a personal and professional reference on his job application. This triggered emotional turmoil in Sam because his friend was allegedly fired for sexual harassment from his last position. Sam’s values and moral standards will be tested during this analysis. Will Sam be loyal to his friend and say yes, or will he be loyal to his  company and tell what he thinks he knows? I will use Professor Badaracco framework, questions and test to analyze Sam’s dilemma and provide recommendations for what he may say to the board of directors. I will start by using question number one from Badaracco’s framework, which way of proceeding will get me the best net-net consequences? In this first step we are asked to explore the pros and cons of Sam’s ethical dilemma to determine who will win, who will lose and at what cost. As I create my list I see that the risks are significant. If Sam decides to tell corporate about  the alleged Sexual Harassment information about Bud and the information is not true or proven, corporate may view Sam in a negative light. If he does not tell corporate and they find out later that he knew his reputation could be tarnished and the level of trust that corporate has for him now will decrease. If Bud is not given an opportunity to work it will have an effect on him and his family. The benefits could also be significant, if Bud is hired, the corporation could gain an outstanding employee, and Sam would have helped his friend get a job and even perhaps a bonus. It appears that the greatest benefits and least harm would be if Sam did not say anything. Sam does not know for sure if the act was committed and Bud said the victim came to apologize and she did not feel harassed. The next question is about rights of individuals and groups that we cannot violate. In a democratic society, the legal requirements reflect the basic values of citizens so there is an overlap between law and morality (Hosmer, 2011, p. 62). Everyone has the right to the truth and everyone also has the right to privacy. The board of directors has a right to know the truth in regards to the employees and Bud has a right to his privacy. If Sam mentions the alleged sexual harassment to the board of directors he may be in violation of Bud’s individual rights. The third question of what message do I want to send about what I stand for about ideals and principles going forward? While in this position, Sam is being observed to see how he handles any situation but especially one that involves ethics and morals. When the board of directors or Bud is speaking of Sam he want to send the message that he wants to send is that he has integrity. He is trying to do the right thing and would want others to know that. What will work in the world as it is? Sam could take a chance to be bold and not tell the board of directors about Bud’s alleged sexual harassment incident. He could take the risk and Bud could end up being the best employee on the staff. Badaracco gave three tests to help choose an effective solution. The first is the newspaper test. As Sam makes his way to the board room he has to decide whether or not to tell about the alleged incident and be ok with the decision that was made knowing that he has now gone public. He needs to make sure that this is the best possible choice. Sam needs to make sure that what he saying has merit. The sexual harassment charge has not been proven. Sam should consider how he would feel if someone had information on him that was hearsay and reported it someone of significance. Sam should ask himself at this point if it would be fair to mention this to the board of directors without having all of the facts. The last test is the obituary test, the right way of dealing with the issue. The dilemma, what should Sam do. There is not time to call Bud and have him speak with the board of  directors directly. He will need to buy more time because morally he can’t give a recommendation without knowing all of the facts and he can’t let his friend down without knowing all of the facts. He should give Sam a stellar recommendation based on his professional performance only. Sam does not have any facts of what happened and should not bring it up to the board however; he should speak with his friend about the harassment case to clear the air. Reference Badaracco, J. L. , Jr. (2002). Defining moments: A framework for moral decisions. Harvard Business School Faculty Seminar Series. Retrieved from http://cb. hbsp. harvard. edu Hatcher, D. , Sommers N. (2011). A writer’s reference (7th ed. ). Boston: Bedford/St, Martins Hosmer, L. T. (2011). The Ethics of Management: A Multidisciplinary Approach (7th ed. ). New York, N. Y. McGraw Hill/Irwin. Chapters 1, 2, 3, and 4. Pauli, R. A. (2011). A question of loyalty: A case study. Retrieved from University of Maryland University College, College Park, Graduate School of Management and Technology website: http://tychong. umuc. edu/tycho/AMBA/610/1109/9042/conference/launchconferencing.

Reading Skills Essay Example for Free

Reading Skills Essay Introduction Reading is a complex cognitive process of decoding symbols in order to construct or derive meaning (reading comprehension). It is a means of language acquisition, of communication, and of sharing information and ideas. Like all language, it is a complex interaction between the text and the reader which is shaped by the reader’s prior knowledge, experiences, attitude, and language community which is culturally and socially situated. The reading process requires continuous practice, development, and refinement. Readers use a variety of reading strategies to assist with decoding (to translate symbols into sounds or visual representations of speech) and comprehension. Readers integrate the words they have read into their existing framework of knowledge or schema. Reading is a process very much determined by what the reader’s brain and emotions and beliefs bring to the reading; the knowledge/information (or misinformation) strategies for processing text, moods, fears and joys—all of it. The strategies one uses  vary according to one’s purpose, including whether one is reading for oneself only (still the purposes vary) or for somebody else, such as reading to answer comprehension questions, reading to perform for listeners (including the teacher and classmates), and much more. Of course these social factors may generate confidence, fear, anger, defiance, and/or other emotions—it just depends. In sum, reading is both a psycholinguistic process (involving the mind actively processing the text) and a sociolinguistic one (with multiple social factors that can affect how one reads, how much one gleans from the reading, and more). Even word identification itself can be affected by these factors, because reading is as much or more a brain-to-text process as a text-to-brain process. For strong readers, the reading process may take only milliseconds. For beginning readers the process may be slower, yet rewarding, and over time will become automatic. For readers who are challenged, this process can be tiresome and frustrating. 2 Importance of Reading Process It is a well-known fact that when there were no televisions or computers, reading was a primary leisure activity. People would spend hours reading books and travel to lands far away-in their minds. The only tragedy is that, with time, people have lost their skill and passion to read. There are many other exciting and thrilling options available, aside from books. And that is a shame because reading offers a productive approach to improving vocabulary and word power. It is advisable to indulge in at least half an hour of reading a day to keep abreast of the various styles of writing and new vocabulary. It is observed that children and teenagers who love reading have comparatively higher IQs. They are more creative and do better in school and college. It is recommended that parents to inculcate the importance of reading to their children in the early years. Reading is said to significantly help in developing vocabulary, and reading aloud helps to build a strong emotional bond between parents and children. The children who start reading from an early age are observed to have good language skills, and they grasp the variances in phonics much better. Reading helps in mental development and is known to stimulate the muscles of the eyes. Reading is an activity that involves greater levels of concentration and adds to the conversational skills of the reader. It is an indulgence that enhances the knowledge acquired, consistently. The habit of reading also helps readers to decipher new words and phrases that they come across in everyday conversations. The habit can become a healthy addiction and adds to the information available on various topics. It helps us to stay in-touch with contemporary writers as well as those from the days of yore and makes us sensitive to global issues. Fluent reading: During the reading process, there is interplay between the readers preexisting knowledge and the written content. Fluent reading is an active process in which the reader calls on experience, language, and prior knowledge to anticipate and understand the authors written language. Thus, readers both bring meaning to print and take meaning from print. The nature of the reading process alters as person matures in reading. In the early stages of reading, word identification requires a readers concentration. Eventually, however, readers are able to use their reading ability (ability to interpret written language) for pleasure, appreciation, knowledge acquisition, and functional purposes. Thus, reading competence has many faces. Proficient, fluent readers locate materials and ideas that enable them to fulfill particular purposes, which may be to follow directions, to complete job applications, or to appreciate Shakespearean plays. In addition, fluent readers adjust their reading style as they move from narrative to expository content. 3 Three Stages of Reading: In order to achieve your goals regarding flexible and fluent reading, you must learn certain reading behaviors and then practice them until they become automatic. We call this practicing to the point of automaticity. In this way you will learn to increase your reading rate, maintain your focus and concentration, and enhance your comprehension. Reading process organizes itself most naturally into an examination of three phases: * Pre-reading. * Active reading . * Post-reading. * Pre-reading: It involves following functions: * Get the big picture overview skimming * Identify the main idea/thesis. * Read headings and sub-headings * Read captions accompanying pictures/graphics * Active Reading: * Think as one reads; read for ideas and concepts. * Visualize patterns. * Actively construct meaning. * Anticipate upcoming information. * Verify the main idea and identify significant details. * Consciously add to or modify schema integrating old and new knowledge. * Self-monitor; assess one’s understanding. * Evaluate comprehension. * Employ fix-up strategies as appropriate. * Post Reading: * Evaluate understanding/ comprehension * Evaluate one’s reading processing. * Did one choose an appropriate mode? * What changes do one needs to make in his/her reading? * What did one do well that he/she wants to repeat in future reading? 4 Types of Reading Following are the types of reading: * Scanning type of reading * Skimming type of reading * Light type of reading * Word by word type reading * Reading to study type of reading * Sub-vocalization †¢ Scanning Type of Reading: This type of reading involves running the eyes over quickly, to get the gist. For example, scanning a telephone book: * You are looking for it quickly. * You know what you are searching for (key words and names). * You see every item on the page, but you dont necessarily read the pages – you ignore anything you are not looking for. Thus, when you discover the key words being searched for, you will be unable to recall the exact content of the page †¢ Skimming Type of Reading: When you read quickly to gain a general impression as to whether the text is of use to you. You are not necessarily searching for a specific item and key words. Skimming provides an overview of the text. Skimming is useful to look at chapter/section headings, summaries and opening paragraphs. Looking over the text quickly to get a general idea of the content. Your eyes move quite fast, taking in titles of chapters, their beginnings and ends, and the first sentences of paragraphs. The purpose of skimming: * To check relevance of text. * Sets the scene for the more concentrated effort that is to follow, if the text is useful. †¢ Light Type of Reading: Reading for leisure tends to be light’. For example: * Read at a pace which feels comfortable. * Read with understand. * Skim the boring, irrelevant passages. 5 An average light reading speed is 100-200 words per minute. This form of reading does not generally require detailed concentration. This is reading fairly quickly without concentrating too hard or worrying about every single word. We often use it when reading an enjoyable novel. †¢ Word by word Type of Reading: This type of reading is time consuming and demands a high level of concentration. Some material is not readily understood and so requires a slow and careful analytical read. People use this type of reading for unfamiliar words and concepts, scientific formulae. It can take up to an hour just to read a few lines of text. †¢ Reading to Study Type of Reading: A method of reading for with the aim to understand the material in some depth. The method involves five simple steps; Survey, Question, Read, Recall and Review. Study reading involves thinking about what is being read so that it is understood and can be recalled. It needs to be worked at, with time for reflection, thought, analysis, criticism, comparison, notes made, points highlighted and emphasized, arguments followed and evaluated, the whole summarized. * Survey: skim through to gain an overview and not key points. * Question: devise questions you hope the text will answer. * Read: slowly and carefully. * Recall: from memory, write down the main points made by the chapter. * Review: revisit your questions compare these to your recall and establish how well the text has answered them; fill in any gaps by further reading and note-taking. †¢ Sub-vocalization: This is reading very slowly and methodically, either saying the words out loud or at least with a ‘voice’ in your head. It is painstaking but very slow. We tend to use it when trying out a recipe for the first time, or carrying out instructions as to how to assemble something we’ve bought. 6. Reading Skills Reading involves a combination of skills used simultaneously. Children begin with basic phonics but soon learn fluency and comprehension skills to make their reading experiences meaningful. The main goal of reading understands. If students can pronounce words but do not understand what they are reading, they are merely reciting word. Some of the important reading skills are: * Decoding * Fluency * Comprehension * Critical reading skills †¢ Decoding Skills: Decoding (also known as Word attack skills) is an early reading skill students learn in kindergarten and first grade. Decoding (sounding out) words are the foundation of reading instruction. Phonics is the method teachers use to instruct students. Letter-naming and recognition is taught along with initial sounds. Children must understand that each letter is represented by a corresponding sound before they can read text. Once children know sounds, they learn to blend them into words. This skill, phoneme segmentation, should be practiced daily along with alphabet and sound fluency until decoding becomes an automatic procedure. †¢ Fluency Skills: Fluency is the ability to read accurately and expressively while maintaining a rate of speed that facilitates comprehension. Students learn fluency in a variety of ways. Teachers model fluent reading in the classroom, and students listen to books on CD. Students receive direct instruction in fluency through guided practice using methods like choral and repeated readings. Teachers assess fluency with timed readings that give a score in words read per minute. Students who fall below the average score for their grade level receive additional, individual help. †¢ Comprehension Skills: Comprehension is the ability to understand what has been read. Comprehending involves strategies that students learn to use when reading independently. Teachers focus on several key comprehension skills. These are inferring, predicting, comparing and contrasting, sequencing and summarizing. Students usually learn how to use these strategies in a small group guided by the teacher who demonstrates their use. Students then practice comprehension techniques with a partner by discussing what they read, making connections with prior knowledge and identifying the main ideas in the story. 7 †¢ Critical Reading Skills: Critical reading skills are the ability to analyze, evaluate, and synthesize what one reads. They are the ability to see relationships of ideas and use them as an aid in reading. As readers make sense of what they read, they use various relationships of ideas to aid recognition and fluency. Critical reading as a goal includes the ability to evaluate ideas socially or politically. 8 Reading Strategies Reading is not just pronouncing words—it requires understanding. Most experienced readers use a variety of strategies to understand texts. Reading strategies are used many times rapidly, in unison with one another. Therefore, most reading strategies are evident before, during, and after reading, although not necessarily with the same emphasis. Some of the reading strategies are: * Predicting * Connecting * Inferring * Synthesizing * Visualizing * Self-Questioning * Skimming * Scanning * Determining Importance * Summarizing/Paraphrasing * Re-reading * Reading On * Adjusting Reading Rate * Sounding Out * Chunking * Using Analogy * Consulting Reference The following descriptions of each strategy give some indication of when in the reading process they are generally employed. Different texts and different contexts require readers to use different reading strategies at different times. For example, â€Å"synthesizing† is used during and after reading while â€Å"scanning† is typically used before close reading. Here are the major reading strategies associated with the process of reading: * Predicting: Predicting helps readers to activate their prior knowledge about a topic, beginning the process of combining what they know with new material in the text. Predictions are not merely wild guesses, they are based on clues within the text such as pictures, illustrations, subtitles, and 9  plot. Clues for predictions will also come from readers’ prior knowledge about the author, text form, or content. Readers can be encouraged to make personal predictions before and during reading. During reading, effective readers adjust and refine their earlier predictions as new information is gathered and new connections are made. They tend to rehearse what they have learned and move on with some expectations of what comes next. * Connecting: Efficient readers comprehend text through making strong connections between their prior knowledge and the new information presented in text. The type of connections made by efficient readers can be categorized into: * Text-to-Self Connections: Involves readers thinking about their life and connecting their own personal experiences to the information in the text. * Text-to-Text Connections: Involves readers thinking about other texts written by the same author or with common themes, style, organization, structure, characters or content. * Text-to-World Connections: Involves readers thinking about what they know about the world outside their personal experience, their family, or their community * Inferring: Efficient readers take information from a text and add their own ideas to make inferences. During the process of inferring, readers make predictions, draw conclusions, and make judgments to create a unique interpretation of a text. Making inferences allows students to move beyond the literal text and to make assumptions about what is not precisely stated in the text. Efficient readers also can infer the meaning of unknown words using context clues, pictures, or diagrams. * Synthesizing: When comprehending text, efficient readers use synthesizing to bring together information within a text. Synthesizing involves readers piecing information together, like putting together a jigsaw. This activity encourages them to keep track of what is happening in the text. During the process of synthesizing, readers may be connecting, inferring, determining importance, posing questions, and creating images. * Visualizing: Efficient readers use all five senses to create images continually as they read text. The created images are based on their prior knowledge. Sensory images created by readers 10 help them to draw conclusions, make predictions, interpret information, remember details, and assist with overall comprehension. Images may be visual, auditory, olfactory, kinesthetic, or emotional. * Self-Questioning: Self-questioning is the strategy effective readers use to draw on existing knowledge, to investigate a text as it is read, to analyse the beliefs and motives behind the author’s surface meaning, and to monitor comprehension. Whether posed in-head, sub-vocalized or noted in writing, self-questioning is critical to maintaining connections between existing and new knowledge. Self-formulated questions provide a framework for active reading by directing the reader’s attention to key information. Efficient readers continually form questions in their minds before, during, and after reading to assist in comprehending text. Often these questions are formed spontaneously and naturally, with one question leading to the next. Questions may relate to the content, style, structure, important messages, events, actions, inferences, predictions, author’s purpose, or may be an attempt to clarify meaning. Self-formulated questions provide a framework for active reading, engaging readers in the text as they go in search of answers. * Skimming: Skimming is glancing through material to gain a general impression or overview of the content. It involves passing over much of the detail to get the gist of a text. Skimming is the most common strategy used by a reader to assess quickly whether a text is going to meet his or her purpose. Effective skimming lets a reader know in general terms how difficult a text is, how long it is, how it is structured, and where the most useful information can be found. Effective skimming strategies are critical for adolescents due to the volume of electronic text they read. Websites, CD ROMs, and multimedia texts are designed for, and subject to rapid reading practices where the reader gets the gist from sub-headings and key points, determines difficulty and usefulness, and assesses the content flow. Skimming is often used before reading to †¢ assess quickly whether a text is going to meet a purpose; †¢ determine what is to be read; †¢ determine what’s important and what may not be relevant; †¢ review text organization; †¢ activate prior knowledge. * Scanning: Scanning involves glancing through material to locate specific details such as names, dates, places, or some particular content. For instance, readers might scan a contents page or index to find the page number of a specific topic. They may scan a dictionary or telephone book in search of a particular word or name, or they may scan as they re-read 11 a text to substantiate particular responses. Like skimming, scanning is particularly important for comprehending selected parts of websites, CD ROMs, and multimedia texts. Readers may also scan a text looking for picture clues that may help them to identify any unknown words. * Determining Importance: Efficient readers constantly ask themselves what is most important or what the main idea is of what they are reading. They benefit from understanding how to determine the important information, particularly in informational texts. Factors such as purpose for reading, knowledge of topic, prior experiences, beliefs, and understanding of text organization help readers to identify important information in a text * Summarizing/Paraphrasing: Linked closely to the strategy of determining importance, summarizing/paraphrasing is the process of identifying, recording, and writing the most important information from a text into one’s own words. The ability to reduce a larger piece of text to its most important messages is done through summarizing. The re-statement of the text is referred to as paraphrasing. Summarizing/paraphrasing involves using key words and phrases to capture the general gist of a text. * Re-Reading: Efficient readers understand the benefits of re-reading whole texts or parts of texts to clarify or enhance meaning. Reading or hearing a text more than once benefits all readers, allowing them to gain a deeper understanding of the text. Re-reading can also be used as a word-identification strategy. Efficient readers sometimes re-read to work out the meaning of difficult words using context clues. The opportunity to re-read a text also helps to improve fluency * Reading On: When readers cannot decode an unfamiliar word within a text, they can make use of the â€Å"Reading On† strategy. Skipping the unfamiliar word and reading on to the end of the sentence or the next two or three sentences often provides the reader with sufficient context clues to help determine the unknown word. Once the unknown word has been determined it is important for students to re-read that section of text. â€Å"Reading On† also refers to continuing to read in an attempt to clarify meaning that may have been lost. * Adjusting Reading Rate: It is important that students give themselves permission to adjust their reading rate and to recognize when this may be necessary. The purpose for reading will often dictate the 12 most appropriate rate. Readers may slowdown to understand new information, to clarify meaning, to create sensory images, or to ask questions. Readers may also speed up when scanning for key words or skimming to get an overall impression of a text. * Sounding Out: When adolescents meet new and unfamiliar words, they will use their knowledge of letter/sound relationships to identify them. * Chunking: As readers encounter greater numbers of multi-syllabic words, it is important to encourage students to break words into units larger than individual phonemes or single sounds (/b/). Readers might chunk words by pronouncing word parts such as onset and rime (spr-ing), letter combinations (ough), syllables, or parts of the word known as morphemes which carry meaning (ed, ing). * Using Analogy: When readers manipulate or think about words they know in order to identify unknown words, they are using analogy. They transfer what they know about familiar words to help them identify unfamiliar words. When using analogy, students will transfer their knowledge of common letter sequences, onset and rimes, base words, word parts that carry meaning, or whole words. * Consulting Reference: The use of word-identification strategies such as â€Å"sounding out† or â€Å"chunking† may unlock both the pronunciation and meaning of words. However, if the word is not in a reader’s meaning vocabulary, the reader may not be able to understand the meaning of the word. Consulting a reference is an additional strategy that supports students to unlock word meaning. Being taught how to use a dictionary, thesaurus, reference chart, or glossary will help students locate the meanings, pronunciations, or derivations of unfamiliar words. 13 Conclusion: As the discussed topics demonstrate, the process of reading for meaning has bottom-line commonalities. Among these, perhaps oddly, is that at any given moment, one cannot reliably predict what a reader will do next. Eric Paulson (2005) has drawn an analogy between eye movements and the weather, both of which can be described in terms of chaos theory in physics, he argues, but neither of which is exactly predictable. And he writes: â€Å"When looked at through the lens of chaos theory, reading is clearly not a process of plodding along the text at some regular, predetermined rate but is instead a process that ebbs and flows† (p. 355). We set our purposes (or not), begin to read, perhaps question what we are reading, maybe return and reread, sometimes read ahead, go back again, maybe skim or skip some, occasionally decide not to finish reading whatever it is, maybe go ahead and read at least the headings (of an informational selection) and the conclusion, or  the final chapter or page (if a novel or short story)—all the while using strategies that are universal among proficient readers, but uniquely applied. Metaphorically, during any reading event, reading ebbs and flows, like waves. We might think of waves crashing upon the beach as meaning achieved (and perhaps examined critically), the end product of reading a stretch of text. But with such achievement, the reader is simultaneously and near simultaneously processing other parts or aspects of text and the ideas in ways that are unpredictable at the micro level. This is akin to what we often see on a beach: different waves, and different aspects of the reading process, forming, swelling, cresting, crashing, and ebbing. While one part of the reading process and event crashes and ebbs—with something processed into short- or even long-term memory, perhaps—other facets of the process are just beginning again, increasing, coming to a head, collapsing into memory (or not), and receding from the reader’s immediate attention. Yes, while I often speak of the reading process, as if this cognitive and constructive process were totally uniform, during any given reading event, whoever the Although, reading means different things to different people and skills vary with every individual, reading is a skill that can be improved. Students from various backgrounds are in reading courses for a variety of reasons. Weaknesses in vocabulary, comprehension, speed, or a combination of all three may be the result of ineffective reading habits. Active reading is engaged reading and can be achieved through comprehension regulation strategies. We should never take reading for granted, for many, these skills come slowly and with a great deal of difficulty. It is important to use a multi-sensory approach whenever possible, some memory training, tap into previous knowledge before moving forward and make it meaningful. 14 References * http://en. wikipedia. org * http://www. heinemann. com * http://www. palomar. edu * http://ababasoft. com * http://www. scribd. com * http://www. sil. org * http://www. ehow. com * http://www. stepspd. com * http://www. palomar. edu.