Writing a First-Class Book Report

Compared with many other academic assignments, writing a book report doesn’t look like much. How difficult it may be – just read the book, then write about what it was like. Right? Wrong. This approach may be more or less appropriate in primary school, but it would certainly look utterly ridiculous in college. If you are going to be serious about it, you have to follow a pattern – and this guide is here to provide you with it. Book Report and Book Review: What Is the Difference and What Am I Writing? First of all, you should make sure you understand correctly what is expected of you. The terms â€Å"book review† and â€Å"book report† are often used interchangeable despite having different meanings; in addition to that, both of them can be understood differently depending on your academic level. Basically, the difference is as follows: Book report is a relatively short and simple description of the book. You give its title and the year of publication, name the author and provide some background information about him/her (year and place of birth, schools he/she attended, what family he/she had, marital status, occupation, significant life events, other notable works, etc.). Then you go on summarizing the plot of the book in a few paragraphs. Sometimes you may be asked to outline the themes and symbols relevant for the story, but not always. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CGNAujYHcw Book review is a much more serious affair. It is a critical and/or analytical evaluation of the text in question. It may contain the story’s summary (although sometimes it is assumed that readers are already familiar with it), but it is far from being the most important part of it. Review is first and foremost a commentary or argument – you are expected to express your own opinion, agreement or disagreement with the author, your evaluation of the work: where it hits the mark and where it is deficient. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UW5NL6Tb7PY However, this division is often vague, and some people, even teachers and professors, don’t differentiate between them at all. Book reports either acquire traits of reviews or these two terms are used synonymously. Alternatively, it is sometimes said that a book report should be an objective presentation of the book and analysis of its structure, while a book review should present a critical analysis and evaluation. The point we are trying to drive home is this: consult your teacher or professor before writing and make sure both of you understand the assignment in the same way. For the sake of completeness, this guide will cover all potential parts of this assignment. Before Writing In order to write a book review or report, first you have to read the book in question. It may sound self-evident, but if a book is given to you as a part of a course, and you don’t particularly feel like reading it, skimming through the text or reading an online summary becomes increasingly tempting as the deadline grows nearer. However, if you want to save yourself an embarrassment of writing something hilariously out of place, better read the book. And not just read it, but prepare to write a review as you go along. So, in the course of reading, ask yourself the following questions to focus your thinking: Does the author make his primary idea, point of view, theme evident? Do I agree with it? How can I characterize the author’s style? Is it formal or informal, does it suit the intended audience; if it is a work of fiction, does it change to express the peculiarities of different characters? What is the main focus of the story; who are the main characters? Do I like the way the story is handled? Do I find it realistic or relevant? As you read, you may encounter some paragraphs and entire passages that may be useful later on to prove your point. Don’t rely on your ability to locate them and remember that they exist – mark the corresponding places and make sure to return to them afterwards. Structure of a Book Report In its simplest form book report can be boiled down to a classic five-paragraph essay (introduction, 3 body paragraphs, conclusion). Depending on the academic level and complexity of the task, it may be larger, but the basic parts remain the same: 1. Introduction (supplementary information) Here you put all secondary information about the text in question that may be useful for understanding and evaluating it. Depending on your school’s guidelines, it may be more or less detailed – usually it is enough to mention the writer’s name and the book’s title and genre, but sometimes you may be asked to include publication information: publisher, year and number of pages. In larger assignments it may be necessary to provide some background information: writer and his personality, circumstances of his life, especially those that surrounded the writing and publication of this particular text, society he lived in (if it is relevant to the story), evaluations of the book by other well-known people and so on. Conclude it with your thesis about the book – it should be particularly clear-cut if you are going to make some kind of argument in the analytical part of the essay. 2. Body (summary and, possibly, analysis and evaluation) This section may be different depending on whether your assignment is closer to being a review or a report. In the first case, it will be divided into two parts: summary and analysis/evaluation. In the second case, there will be only summary. We will return to it later. 3. Conclusion (sums up your thoughts and formulates the main idea you’ve got from reading the book) Several sentences summing up and organizing your thoughts. You may emphasize the impression the book left you with, or point out what the writer was especially successful (or unsuccessful) in conveying, or point out what you consider to be the most important thing about it. Summary Irrespectively of whether you are going to go into deep analysis of the text, first you have to summarize it for the sake of the reader. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zgKOguRrRs There is no clear-cut standard according to which a summary should be written. You should take into account a number of factors: Will it be followed by in-depth analysis and evaluation? Who are your audience? Will you try to argue a point that will require backing up with concrete evidence from the book? If your book report is a true book report and you don’t have to express your own opinion and evaluation in addition to basic â€Å"What I liked most about the book†, go on and use most of your available word count to cover the summary. The amount of detail should be evident from the amount of space you are allowed – if you have to cram it into three-four hundred words, you should omit everything except what you consider to be vital. If you are given some elbow space, feel free to add the details. If, however, you are expected to analyze the text, then the summary should be as brief as possible, because analysis takes precedence. Feel free to omit some facts that you will have to bring up in other parts of the review as evidence – in a sense, your summary will be scattered throughout the paper, with facts and details appearing whenever you need to support your argument with the book’s contents. Also, take into account who you are writing the review for. If the book is a part of the course and you may be reasonably sure that both your professor and other students have read it, you may omit most of the summary altogether, only mentioning the facts that are relevant for the point you want to make with your review. If, however, you have chosen the book yourself, then you should make sure even those who encounter it for the first time know what you are talking about. Analysis and Evaluation If this part is at all present, it immediately steals the limelight for itself, which means that you should pay special attention to it. Analysis may be mainly concerned with the literary side of the text – that is, how well it is written and what exactly the author is trying to tell. In this case, you are basically limited to answering the following questions: Source: https://www.thewordfactory.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/5BQ.png As an alternative, your teacher or professor may pose a particular question you should answer and provide support for your opinion based on the book. Finally, sometimes you are not given any direct instructions – your task is to simply analyze the text. In this case, you may consider a number of questions to concentrate your attention on: What was the writer’s purpose in writing this text? Did he achieve it? Is the writing effective, beautiful, difficult to read? How can you characterize it in general? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the book in your opinion? Prove it. What is your general impression of the book? How did it influence you? Did you find it boring, fascinating, moving, thought-provoking or contrived? Why? Would you recommend it to others? Who, in your opinion, can benefit from reading it? Why? If you are dealing with multiple points, make sure to organize the review accordingly: divide it into paragraphs dealing with separate aspects of the book and your argument. If you are dealing with a large and complex text, it may be challenging; however, at the same time it will help you organize your thoughts, systematize your argumentation and present a fuller and more detailed point of view. However, make sure to avoid two practices that are often found tempting by beginners: Excessive use of quotation. You may be attracted by the idea of showing off your knowledge of the book and presenting what you consider to be irrefutable evidence. However, direct quotations are to be avoided unless they are no longer than a couple of words. You may express most of what the author had said in your own words. Comparisons and parallels with other books, either by the same author or other people. They may be useful in some cases, but try to keep them brief – it is a book review you are writing, not a comparative study of the author’s creative work or an entire genre. Conclusion In conclusion you have to restate your initial thesis about the book, this time taking into account all the evidence you’ve presented throughout the review. Or, alternatively, you may make a final evaluation of the book – it depends on the task you were given. However, you should take into account the following points: No new evidence at this point. Conclusion is for summing up, not for continuing your argument – if you have anything else to say that doesn’t fit into the existing body paragraphs, either omit it entirely or devote a separate body paragraph to it. Your conclusion shouldn’t come out of the blue. That is, if your final evaluation of the book is a positive one, you should found it upon positive points covered in the review’s body, and vice versa. If the essay body didn’t lead up to a straightforwardly positive or negative conclusion, you should state whether pros outweigh the cons and why. Some General Considerations These tips may come in handy throughout the process of writing: Try to define the objective of your review early on, while you still read the book, and start finding evidence that proves your point of view as you go along; Keep an eye out for symbolism. Even if the author didn’t intend something to be a symbol, it won’t prevent you from seeing it as such – and symbols are a very useful part of analytical arsenal; Be balanced in your judgment. Try to provide an objective argument and don’t engage in nitpicking. You may have a strongly positive or negative impression about the book, but if you either extol it or find fault with every sentence, the audience may suspect that you are being led by emotions. In general, a book report or review leaves you enough freedom to express your own personality despite putting someone else’s work in the center of attention. Make use of these tips, and there won’t be any problems!

Major Themes of the Novel Things Fall Apart - 1062 Words

Introduction For many writers, the theme of a novel is the driving force of the book during its creation. Even if the author doesn t consciously identify an intended theme, the creative process is directed by at least one controlling idea — a concept or principle or belief or purpose significant to the author. The theme — often several themes — guides the author by controlling where the story goes, what the characters do, what mood is portrayed, what style evolves, and what emotional effects the story will create in the reader. Igbo Society Complexity From Achebe s own statements, we know that one of his themes is the complexity of Igbo society before the arrival of the Europeans. To support this theme, he includes detailed†¦show more content†¦Whatever the reason — perhaps a combination of these reasons — the British culture and its code of behavior, ambitious for its goals of native enlightenment as well as of British self-enrichment, begin to encroach upon the existing Igbo culture and its corresponding code of behavior. A factor that hastens the decline of the traditional Igbo society is their custom of marginalizing some of their people — allowing the existence of an outcast group and keeping women subservient in their household and community involvement, treating them as property, and accepting physical abuse of them somewhat lightly. When representatives of a foreign culture (beginning with Christian missionaries) enter Igbo territory and accept these marginalized people — including the twins — at their full human value, the Igbo s traditional shared leadership finds itself unable to control its whole population. The lack of a clear, sustaining center of authority in Igbo society may be the quality that decided Achebe to draw his title from the Yeats poem, The Second Coming. The key phrase of the poems reads, Things fall apart; the center cannot hold. Underlying the aforementioned cultural themes is a theme of fate, or destiny. This theme is also played at the individual and societal levels. In the story, readers are frequently reminded about this theme in references to chi, the individual s personal god asShow MoreRelatedCompare Things Fall Apart And The Second Coming805 Words   |  4 Pages The novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and the poem â€Å"The Second Coming† by W. B. Yeats are both highly praised pieces of literature. After reading the two works, one can come to the conclusion that there is a strong correlation amongst them, hence Achebe naming his novel after a line in the poem. Both pieces highlight a strong, stable society that is disturbed by change which comes with much chaos and confusion. In Things Fall Apart, one can interrupt that when you think things are perfectRead MoreThings Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and The Second Coming by Yeats1233 Words   |  5 Pages Things fall apart, this phrase being used in both the novel title Things Fall Apart and the poem written by Yeats, â€Å"The Second Coming† keeps us wondering how both are related. Achebe uses Yeats’ poem as an epigraph to foreshadow how the events in the novel later on might occur. Reading the epigraph, we come to understand that Yeats is referring to an image of disaster and to a society that is losing control. 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Disgusted by his late father, Unoka, and the reputation of incompetence and laziness he left behind, Okonkwo was determined to not let history repeat itself. He worked diligently and became a wealthy patriarch for his family. The beginning of Okonkwo’sRead Moreâ€Å"Theme of Post-Colonialism in Things Fall Apart†657 Words   |  3 Pagesâ€Å"Theme of Post-Colonialism in Things Fall Apart† The Post-Colonial literature that describes what happens to a strong African, Asian once colonist settle in the area. Post Colonial literature considers vexed cultural- political questions of national and ethnic identity, otherness, race, imperialism and language, during and after the colonial periods. 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When Achebe was young, he surpassed at the government’s college in umuahia and the same time at Ibadan University where he begin to study medicine. He didn’t continue because during his exploration, he became interested in Nigeria history and religious studies. He was not dilatory in changing his major from medicine to a major in the field of liberal artsRead MoreStudy And Investigation Questions On Chinua Achebe s Things Fall Apart 871 Words   |  4 PagesGeography 101 Name _______________________ Spring 2016 Things Fall Apart Study and Investigation Questions (post to the D2L page, turn in one copy at the beginning of class, save one copy for yourself) What are the farthest northern, western, eastern, and southern points in Nigeria as described in absolute terms? (4 absolute locations [estimate to nearest degree], 2 coordinates each) Find and note the same for the Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Estimate to the nearest degree usingRead MoreAnjalique Raghunauth. Mr. Maclachlan. Eng3Uo. January 20Th,1433 Words   |  6 Pagesweakness and failure, that leads to his downfall. In a way he is considered a tragic hero. A tragic hero holds a position of power and prestige, chooses his course of action, possesses a tragic flaw, and gains awareness of circumstances that lead to his fall. Okonkwo s tragic flaw is his fear of weakness, failure and his refusal to accept change. He is demonstrated in the beginning as a cold hearted fear less man. But as the story moves on he slowly starts to break down, making him feel weak. This allRead MorePostcolonial Literature (Persepolis Things Fall Apart)1504 Words   |  7 Pagesthe value to be i n using a particular critical approach. ‘Things Fall Apart’ by Chinua Achebe and ‘Persepolis’ by Marjane Satrapi follow a postcolonial critical approach. 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Human Resource Management Assignment Free Essays

ASSIGNMENT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT SHEET FOR SUBMISSION OF ASSESSMENT Serial No: 40074724 Please note: 1. Assignments must be submitted on or before the date due. 2. We will write a custom essay sample on Human Resource Management Assignment or any similar topic only for you Order Now Students must ensure that they are not guilty of plagiarism which is, essentially, referring to the words/ideas of others without acknowledgment. Students must comply with the statement below. | Students Declaration The attached assignment is my own work, and has never been submitted for assessment on any other course before. Proper referencing has been made to all sources: published or unpublished works and the ideas of other persons. (Student’s Signature) Yasas Kalubowila Full Name of Student Mr. Kalubowila Prathibha YasasDate submitted _14 Jan 2012_ Programme _BA (Hons) – Business Management (Singapore) Course Code _39604BH______ Name of Module/subject _Human Resource Management Class ____1__________ ————————————————- Assignment Title/Reference no. (if applicable) _HRM 08701 (Part 2) ————————————————- Teacher – Dr Allen / Mr Jeffrey Tan___ ___________________________________________________________________________ For Office Use| You are required to develop a two-day induction training course for Baristas (Day 1 should focus on company induction and Day 2 on job specific induction). The course is designed for all new baristas, and will be delivered to groups of 12-16 people. Write a report which includes a) The overall aim and specific learning objectives for the course. Aim of the Course According to Armstrong (2009), employees are far more likely to resign during the initial months after joining the organization. The main aim of this induction program is to welcome our new colleagues in to Cafe Co. family and to get them to understand their role within the organization. This will help them to settle into their jobs more easily and at the same time this will aid the staff to add value to the company which will help the management to align with the company goals and achieve competitive advantage in the long run. In any training program, the learning objective has to be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timely (Armstrong, 2006, p506) in order to archive the training goals 1. Understanding the organization and t * History * Understanding Vision, Mission Value Statement * Basic conditions of Employment ( Working hours, leaves, holidays, insurance schemes, ) * Organizational Structure 2. Working Culture * Effective team Management * Improve leadership qualities * Getting to know the line managers 3. Product Knowledge * Varieties of coffee and preparation methods Food Menu Beverage Menu 4. Customer service * Importance of customer service * Standard operation procedures (SOP) * Handling a customer complain * Customer appreciation Word Count 170 b) An explanation of how this training program will improve the performance of employees. * Give an understanding about the company history, short term and long term goals * Company’s vision, mission and value statement * Allow the tr ainees to embrace company culture and understand the rules and regulations * Get to know the management staff and the environment so he trainees will not feel cornered * Understand the food and beverages which will be sold together with coffee * Learning the coffee mixtures and varieties of coffee beans in order to give a good impression to the customers * Build a friendly attitude toward work and improve on customer service to attract new customers * Understand the sequence of service to give a smooth operation in service and decrease time lags Word Count 110 Day| Time| Venue| Description| Media| Remarks| 1| 8. 30 am– 9. 5am| Training Room Foyer | Breakfast Registration | N/A| The participant will be given with course materials, Employee Handbook and other necessary documentation. | | 9. 15am -9. 30am| Training Room`| Welcome speech| N/A| The managing Director of Cafe Co will deliver the welcome speech. | | 9. 30 am- 10. 15 am | Training Room`| Introduction to Cafe Co. | P rojectorVideo on Cafe Co. | The video will show and elaborate on Cafe. Co History and the current standing. -History -Current Standing in the market| | 10. 15am – 10. 0 am| Training Room Foyer| Morning Coffee Break | N/A| Buffet Spread with refreshments| | 10. 30 am-11. 30 am| Training Room | Our Business and Our Goals| Video, PowerPoint Presentation Speech| With aid of the Employee Handbook, the trainer will go through ,Company vision ,Mission,Value statement ,Goals – Long term and Short term| | 11. 30 am- 12. 00 Noon| Open area | Leadership icebreaker game| N/A| Trainees are divided into two groups to play the game â€Å"Magic Shoes†. Refer Appendix 1| | 12 Noon – 1. 30pm| Restaurant | Lunch| N/A| The Group will be taken for the lunch at a restaurant nearby| | 1. 0pm – 2. 30pm| Training Room | Employment Conditions| Presentation Speech| The HR manager will brief on the Employment Condition and benefits given by the company * Annual Leave * Abse nt Reporting * Hours of work * Overtime payments * Contract| | 2. 30pm -2. 45pm| Training Room| Q A| 2 wireless microphone, Facilitator| The Employees are to ask questions to clarify any doubts they have regarding the contract and the conditions| | 2. 45pm -3. 15 pm| Training Room | Organizational Structure and Career advancement opportunities | PowerPoint presentation| The HR Manager will ntroduce the top management and the company hierarchy. Job advancement opportunities and examples of the individuals who started as baristas which had advancements in their careers | | 3. 30pm – 3. 45pm | Training Room Foyer| Afternoon Coffee Break | N/A| Buffet Spread with refreshments| | 3. 45pm – 5. 00pm| Training Room| Introduction to Cafe Co. Products | PowerPoint Presentation,Video Clips | The Employees will get to see the line of products which Cafe Co. offering. | | 5. 00pm | End of Day 1| Day| Time| Venue| Description| Media| Remarks| 2| 8. 30 am– 9. 0am| Cafe Co. Ou tlet| Breakfast| N/A| Buffet Spread with refreshments| | 9. 00am -10. 30am| Cafe Co. Outlet| Food Hygiene and Safety Requirements | PowerPoint Presentation, Demonstration| The trainer will go through the food hygiene safety requirements. -Food preparation -Handling of equipments -Fire safety-Fire Extinguishers-Fire Drill | | 10. 30 am –11. 00am| Cafe Co. Outlet| Customer Service | PowerPoint Presentation| Trainer will give a presentation,-Importance of the customers-How to attract new customers -Customer appreciation -Customer Loyalty| | 11. 0am-12. 00 Noon| Cafe Co. Outlet| Handling Customer Complains| N/A| Role Play in groups of 3 to 4 -Each group is given a scenario -The trainer will assess them in handling the situation -Remarks from the trainer | | 12. 00 Noon- 1. 30pm| Cafe Co. Outlet| Lunch Meeting with the Line managers | N/A| Buffet Lunch-The Line Managers will go around and talk with the Trainees during the Lunch | | 1. 30pm-3. 00pm| Cafe Co. Outlet| Standard Opera tional Procedure of Cafe Co. | Demonstration and PracticalCutleries, Cutleries | The Trainer will Demonstrate the service sequence. Welcoming the Guest-Locating a table-Offering the Menu-Taking Orders-Serving -Attending to various requests from the guest -Table Settings (Cutleries)| | 3. 00pm -4. 45pm| Cafe Co. Outlet| Coffee Preparation Methods followed by Coffee Break| Coffee Machine, Coffee Cups, Sample Food in the Menu,| The Trainer will Demonstrate how to make Different Coffee Mixtures-Each Group will try to make their own Coffee-All the food items in the menu will be served during this session. -The trainer will emphasize on the importance of product knowledge. | | 4. 45 pm – 5. 5pm| Cafe Co. Outlet| Course Summery, Evaluation and Closing Address | PowerPoint Presentation, Evaluation Forms, Facilitator| The Trainer will give the Closing address and will leave the premises where the facilitator will conduct the Evaluations | | 5. 15pm| End of the Induction Program| Word Count 613 a) Explain the training methods and media you would suggest for delivering each part of the program, justifying your choices. (1000 words) Learning Styles Before planning a training program it is impotent for the trainers to understand different styles of learners. According to Honey Mumford, there are four styles of learning; they are activists, reflectors, theorists and pragmatists (Gray, Cundell, Hay and O’neill, 2004) Honey and Mumford also suggested that the use of the senses (hear, see, feel, smell taste) can enhance the learners learning experience. Figure 1 -They need models, facts and concepts to engage in learning -like to understand theories behind actions -Involves themselves in new experiences. -Willingness to take Risks -Have an open mind -people who learn by Doing Practical approach -like to put what they learn in to practice -Experimenting -like to try out new ideas -Learn by observing and thinking -takes time to come to conclusion -they avoid leaping in like to watch in the side lines Training Methods Choosing the correct training method to deliver the training is very important for both the trainer and the trainee. There are lots of factors to consider when choosing a method. Some of them are: Audience age, level of e ducation, learning style of the trainees, budget, trainer’s skills and training style. Training Method | Description| Advantages | Drawbacks | Where did we use? | Why did we use? | Lesson/Instructions| The trainer will deliver the lesson to a group of people | Ideal for smaller groups. Can archive transfer of information easilyCan make the learning experience more interesting with the use of the right media. | Cannot handle Larger groupsVery trainer centered Standard of the training depends too much on the trainer| Most of the activities on the first day was more based on this method of training -Our Business and Our Goals -Employment Conditions Organizational Structures and Career Advancement Opportunities-Food hygiene and Safety requirements | This is the most common method of transferring the information out to an audience. Even though this can be bit monotonous, using of a mixture of media like videos can make the learning experience more effective. The topics like business and our goals, employment conditions and etc are very straight forwards topics which can use lessons to deliver. Seeing, Hearing | Demonstration | The trainer will demonstrate a task in front of the trainees. How to Fold a NapkinHow to prepare an espresso | Aids understanding and retention Stimulates learners interest Can give learners a model to follow| Must be accurate and relevant to learnersExamples require lengthy prep timeMay be difficult for all to see| Standard Operational Procedure of Cafe Co. Coffee Preparation Methods| By Looking at the demonstration they will get an idea on how things are carried out. Also by giving them an opportunity to practice the above demonstrations will increase the effectiveness of the training Researches suggests, by using kinesthetic learning will increase the results in learning outcomes (teaching Mineralogy, 2011) Seeing, Feeling and tasting | Training video| These videos can be specially designed for training purposes or it can be normal media which can be taken from the web| Easier to understandImages and motion pictures can be recalled easily than words and phrases | Production cost can be high for training videos| Our business and our goals. Introduction to cafe. o| It is interesting to see something than listening to someone for few hours. Easier to capture the attention of the trainees. Seeing,| Role play| Trainees act out characters assigned to them. Information regarding the situation is provided to the trainees by the trainer. | Focus on interpersonal responses The more meaningful the exercise, the higher the level of participant focus and int ensity | Outcomes depend on the emotional (and subjective) reactions of the other trainees. | Handling Customer Complains| Role playing can be a very interesting way to see how a person reacts to a certain situation. But the scenarios has to be well prepared and the trainer must always facilitate to keep the trainees from derailing away from the desired learning objectives We used this method in order to prepare the trainees or the future employees to handle difficult situations with no hesitation. Furthermore they will be well prepared to face different types of customers with different attitudes and to handle the complains well. Feeling| Games| This is to improve the decision making and sense making capabilities of the trainees. | Build a fun and enthusiastic atmosphere in the training program. Improve the critical thinking skills of the learnersTime management and team building skillsBring out the leadership qualities of the participants. | Time consuming. Competition might arouse the conflict among the participants| Leadership Icebreaker Game| The game â€Å"Magic shoe† is used to choose a leader within the group. This will improve the team dynamics and at the same time it will build a unity among the team members. This will benefit the participants in enhancing their decision making skills and consequently improve their time management skills as well. Word Count 904| e) Outline your evaluation strategy for the course. (250 words) Evaluation can be defined as a way of assessing or judging the value of a piece of work (Tufo, 2002). It is the systematic assessment of the worth or merit of some object (Trochim, 2006). The evaluation of this induction program is based on kirkpatrick’s 4 levels of evaluation model. Figure 2 shows the 4 levels of learning and the how it effect the participants. Figure 2 Level 1 (Reaction) – This is used to understand how the trainees or the participants felt about the program. Happy sheets’ and feedback forms will be given to the trainees soon after the induction program is over in order to identify the effectiveness of course delivering methods. For long term evaluation, customer satisfaction surveys and employee performance evaluations will be conducted every three months. Level 2 (Learning) – Learning evaluation can be identified as the measurement of the increase in knowle dge before and after the program (Chapman, 2009). Observations will be conducted after the induction program on how the new employees handle the coffee machines and equipment. Furthermore a questioner will be given to the new employees to identify the improvement regarding the product knowledge. Level 3 (Behavior) – In one month time follow up surveys will be conducted to both employees and managers in order to identify whether the employees are applying the things which they have learned during the induction program. Also customer service feedback forms will be given to the customers after one month time to find the improvement and the application of knowledge. Level 4 (Results) – Measuring the performance of the company in increase or decrease of sales. Daily sales level followed by monthly sales level. In period of 3- months’ time measure the increase or decrease in product quality and the customer feedback. Consequently by evaluating the effect on company profit will give a broad description on how the induction program has an impact on the business in long run. Word count 311 Reference 1. Armstrong, M. (2006). Handbook of HRM practices, 10th Edition, London, Kogen Page. 2. Armstrong, M. (2009). Handbook of HRM practices, 11th Edition, London, Kogen Page 3. Chapman, A. (2009). Kirkpatrick’s learning and training evaluation theory. Business balls. [Online]. Available at: http://www. businessballs. com/kirkpatricklearningevaluationmodel. htm . [Accessed: 12th Jan 2012] 4. Fleming,N. ,and Mills,C. ,(1992). Kinesthetic Learning. Teaching Mineralogy. [Online]. Available at:http://serc. carleton. edu/NAGTWorkshops/mineralogy/xtlsymmetry/kinesthetics. html [Accessed: 14th Jan 2012] 5. Gray,D. Cundell,S. Hay, D. O’neil, J. (2004) Learning through the Workplace 7th Edition, Cheltenhan, Nelson Thornes LTD. . Leadership games. (2012). Leadership games for groups. Leadership games. [Online]. Available at: http://leadershipgames. org/ . [Accessed: 14th Jan 2012] 7. Trochim,M. K. W. ,(2006). Introduction to Evaluation. Research methods Knowledge base. [Online]. Available at: http://www. socialresearchmethods. net/kb/intreval. php . [Accessed: 15th Jan 2012] 8. Tufo,S. (2002). What is evaluation?. Evaluation trust. [Online]. Available at: http://www. evalua tiontrust. org/ . [Accessed: 15th Jan 2012] Appendix 1 Magic Shoes Make 2 lines on the ground at least 8 feet apart and have the participants break into 2 groups, with each team having one pair of â€Å"magic shoes. † Instruct the team to gather behind one of the lines and have them cross the lava (the ground they are crossing) with only one person at a time using the â€Å"magic shoes† to be able to walk across the lava safely. Each team will be challenged to select a leader who would plan the strategy on how to have the entire team cross without being burned (Leadership games,2012). Section D – Student reflective statement Please complete the questions below and submit with you assessment on Friday 15th January 2012. Please note that this is worth 5% of your assessment mark and should be approximately 500 words. What have you learnt in the process of completing your assignment? Human Resource Management (HRM) can use as a powerful force to archive organizational goals. But I feel that in the Singapore Context these practices are not carried out effectively. Especially local firms, they name the department as HR department but they only do administrative work. Basic things like Recruiting and selection. I feel that they need to focus more on things like HR Development and training in a strategic level. This will give the company an edge in the competition. All in all it gave me lot of insights on to the role of a HR manager and the importance of him or her in the top management to make decision making easier. What helped or hindered you progress? My work experience as a manager helped me in doing this assignment. Lot of the things mentioned in this module is similar to what I do at work. But the tough part is searching for relevant materials and resources and giving references was slowing down my progress. Nevertheless by reading the course materials and the lecture slides gave me a broad understanding regarding Human resource management and also how to build the induction program effectively. But time management was a difficult task for me as I have work during week days and weekends as well. Therefore it hindered my progress and resulted in rushing through the assignment. For each section please reflect on whether you are satisfied with you submission and if not, why not? Considering the overall work, I am contended and happy because with all the time barriers I managed to finish it on time. But because of the given word counts I had to limit my thoughts and findings which was not satisfactory. Furthermore I have doubts in my referencing method and the amount of references I used because I was unable to attend to the special class where the lecturer conducted in regarding referencing. What actions will you take as a result of what you have learnt while doing this assessment? I am working in a small company which has close to 25 employees in the whole Singapore branch which is the head office for all the other branches in Malaysia, Indonesia, India and Thailand. Last week I was in Indonesia for one of the training sessions which they were conducting for some of their trainers (We are dealing with Schools). And I was very happy how they conducted their training. It was a well detailed and well structured. After the training they had the training program I took some feedback from the trainees and they were very good. On the other hand the training which we conduct here in Singapore is very informal sessions which don’t really follow any standard. So with the help of my knowledge I am going to change the training structure of our company and standardize for all the other countries as well. How to cite Human Resource Management Assignment, Papers