Standardized Testing Essay examples - 1573 Words

Standardized Testing Every year thousands upon thousands of children, ages seven and upwards sit down to take their scheduled standardized tests. This generation has been classified as the most tested in history. Its progress through childhood and adolescence has been punctuated by targets, key stages, attainment levels, and qualifications (Stalin in School 8). Each year the government devises a new standard and then finds a way to test how each student measures up to this standard. They have come to the conclusion that the easiest way to chart the success of school reform is to follow the results of standardized testing. But rating education strictly by the numbers is the wrong way to measure a process as complex as learning,†¦show more content†¦It is about motivating the student to think and come to logical conclusions and hypothesis on their own. This being the case, the standardized tests are not conclusive and accurate of what education and learning are. However, many people feel that these tests do not measure any sort of knowledge, but rather indicates the economic background the child came from. According to Kohn, a major spokesperson on the damaging effects of standardized testing, What standardized tests actually measure best is the economic backgrounds of the groups that take them (Gallagher). If you broke down the income of the test takers family and measured it in increments of $10,000 you would get a graph where for each increment of income the students score would undoubtedly increase directly. This is because higher income areas have more teaching resources readily available which gives the students a varied and comprehensive learning environment and also attracts more qualified teachers. The high salaries and vast resources available attract many well-qualified teachers vying for the space. Therefore, the school district has an advantage of a larger pool in which toShow MoreRelatedStandardized Testing1272 Words   |  6 PagesSynthesis Essay on Standardized Testing Standardized testing in the United States started in the mid- 1800’s (Standardized Tests - ProCon.org). This kind of testing was originally created to measure students’ performance and progress in school (Standardized Tests - ProCon.org). In recent years, the public school system has relied heavily on the information this test provides, in doing so creating controversy. Other than being a student myself, and participating in multiple standardized exams such asRead MoreStandardized Testing : Standardized Tests1186 Words   |  5 Pages Standardized Testing Impact Standardized testing is known to improve students’ education, but is it really needed in school? Standardized testing determines whether a student is prepared for the next grade based on their test scores. While some students do great on their test others struggle a lot. Not all students are good test takers; majority of the students do good in school but struggle when it comes down to testing. While many agree that standardized testing helps improve studentsRead MoreStandardized Testing And Standardized Tests1204 Words   |  5 Pagessomething we have all nearly fallen asleep to over our years of standardized tests. I myself can be included with you in that experience and I hope to give you a little more information on these all too familiar tests this afternoon. Today we are going to look at the origins of standardized testing, the purpose of standardized testing, and standardized tests around the world. But first, I want to ask you another question: what is standardized t esting? Is it A) something that has been used for some time inRead MoreStandardized Tests : Standardized Testing963 Words   |  4 PagesOct 2015 Standardized Testing in Florida In recent years Florida’s standardized testing program has taken a turn for the worst. After doing away with the FCAT (Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test) the debate has only grown due to flood of new tests being created such as the Florida Standards Assessment (FSA) or End of Course Exam (EOC). These tests are administered to test students’ abilities at the end of the school year. In spring of 2015, with only two months of testing between the EOC’sRead More Standardized Testing Essay836 Words   |  4 PagesStandardized Testing Scholar Bill Ayers believes standardized testing in schools does not accurately measure what is necessary to be successful in life. Ayers insists that Standardized tests such as the American College Test (ACT) and the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) measure specific facts and function which are among the least interesting and slightest important information that children should know. In an article titled â€Å"Testing the Right Way for Talent†, written by Hugh Price, arguesRead MoreStandardized Testing Should Be Standardized Tests1329 Words   |  6 PagesPretty much everybody in this generation has taken a standardized test in some level of schooling. A standardized test is defined as a â€Å"test that requires all test takers to answer the same questions, or a selection of questions from a common bank of questions, in the same way, and that is scored in a standard or consistent manner, which makes it possible to compare the relative performance of individual students o r groups of students† (â€Å"Standardized Test Definition†). There is lots of debate aroundRead MoreThe Use of Standardized Testing1088 Words   |  4 Pagesthe use of standardized testing has spanned centuries, some of the earlier studies include data from the early 1900’s. According to Frazier (2009), â€Å"there is a significant difference in scores on standardized tests when students have completed a technology education program†. This study shows a correlation between the use of technology within the school system and achievement on standardized tests. Students that are exposed to technology education are more likely to do well on standardized tests. Read MoreEssay on Standardized Testing1458 Words   |  6 PagesThe No Child Left Behind Act and Standardized Testing: State, National, and International American Education has been a work in progress for the past century and a half. To measure its progress, successes, and failings, there are standardized tests. These tests have been used to compare schools, states, and nations. The key subjects being tested as a universal measure are mathematics, reading, and science. To help improve the scores on these tests, the United States put into law the No ChildRead MoreEssay On Standardized Testing1137 Words   |  5 PagesStandardized testing in public schools has become a norm across the United States. But, in Texas it has been found that students spend more time taking standardized tests than any other state (â€Å"Too Much Testing†). Standardized testing may be an asset to measure education, or more measure testing skills across the nation, but at what cost does it come? What are its effects on moral within the public education system, and how does the state government of Texas interact within it. Why does the TexasRead MoreThe Shortcomings of Standardized Testing1636 Words   |  7 PagesSince the U.S. Congress passed the No Child Left Behind program, standardized testing has become the norm for American schools. Under this system, each child attending a school is required to take a standardized test at specific grade points to assess their level of comprehension. Parents, scholars and all stakeholders involved take part in constant discussions over its effectiveness in evaluating students’ comprehension, teachers’ competency and the effects of the test on the education system. Though

Five Simple Mindfulness Skills That Work Essay - 1008 Words

Five Simple Mindfulness Skills That Work By Debra Burdick | Submitted On April 01, 2012 Recommend Article Article Comments Print Article Share this article on Facebook Share this article on Twitter Share this article on Google+ Share this article on Linkedin Share this article on StumbleUpon Share this article on Delicious Share this article on Digg Share this article on Reddit Share this article on Pinterest Expert Author Debra Burdick Mindfulness meditation consists of skills and methods to unplug from the busy world around you and from the busy monkey brain so often experienced in today s life and particularly in ADHD, anxiety and depression. According to Jon Kabat-Zinn, mindfulness meditation trains and reinforces the ability to pay attention to the present moment, on purpose which helps to increase concentration, decrease anxiety, improve sleep, improve mood, decrease the stress response, and improve physical and emotional health. The studies are compelling about the health benefits of mindfulness meditation. In fact, studies show that mindfulness meditation actually changes the brain in positive ways. The cortex of the brain is thicker in certain areas of the brain in those who practice mindfulness meditation. And brainwave patterns are changed in healthy ways as well. Many people think that mindfulness meditation consists solely of sitting still and thinking about nothing for twenty or thirty minutes and are put off by the thought. In fact, mindfulnessShow MoreRelatedPersonal Learning And Insights From Ob 1 Class Sessions, And Your Proposed Plan For Your Personal Development Plan Essay1468 Words   |  6 Pagestraits are an accumulation of particular traits and attributes that characterize you and make you special. Knowing your personal style and adjusting this to a vocation bearing is a key variable to joy and achievement in work/life. Realize that you can and will be required to work outside of your personal style, yet in the event that you make your profession pathway in view of your personality you will probably discover a workplace where you can act naturally. To start with personal attributes weRead MoreComparison Of Ivan Pavlov And John Watson978 Words   |  4 Pageswas this experiment and theory that opened the door for behaviorism also known as behavior modification which assist patients in changing negative behaviors or emotional reactions and learn new skills (Watson 1920). According to Watson, life s most complicated acts are but combinations of these simple stimulus- response patterns of behavior (Watson 1920). In 1913 John Watson entire theory was based on this primes: behavior is the effect of some stimuli, the response and the consequence, goodRead MoreMy Volunteer Efforts At The Club873 Words   |  4 Pagesparticipated alongside members in a variety of passive and active activities. The theme of today’s session was â€Å"wheel of fortune†, working on participants use of vowels and consonants. Throughout the session it was my responsibility to help make up easy and simple puzzles for individuals to solve, whi le also aiding them on their teams to enforce rules and promote participation. It was interesting to see the range of abilities everyone had, and how each individual’s disabilities contributed to a great atmosphereRead MoreMeditation as a Preventative Measure to Reduce Morbidity and Stress1933 Words   |  8 Pagesthat immune function would alter the levels of T-cells, effectively influencing the immune system (1995). Carlson et al. performed a study of stress reduction, quality of life, and immune response in cancer patients which utilized a standardized mindfulness-based stress reduction meditation program (MSRB), taught over eight-weeks after diagnosis of a total of 59 cancer patients with a median age of 59, having either breast or prostate cancer. Participants were screened for the trial based on the stageRead MoreResponses For The Child And Her Father952 Words   |  4 Pagestheir coping skills including support systems, and the circumstances of the death (Slyter, 2012). She is in Erikson’s stage of Industry versus Inferiority, so the clinician might see her express the thought that she has done something wrong that caused her mother’s death. The father, although he can express his grief more directly, may find that he has conflicting feelings about processing his grief and simultaneously attending to his daughter’s needs. He may go through the five stages of griefRead MoreResearch Assignment . 15. Alyssa Swartz. May 2, 2017. Criminal3997 Words   |  16 Pagesinjection drug users. A study from Single Session Motivational Interviewing for Drug Detoxification Inpatients: Effects on Self-Efficacy, Stages of Change and Substance Use (Berman, Forsberg, Durbeej, Kallmen, and Hermansson, 2010) concentrated on thirty-five inpatients at a Stockholm hospital drug user detoxification unit. Users received single-session Motivational Interviewing (MI) between 2006 and 2008. At starting point and after 3 months, users were compared to a semi-randomized control group of fiftyRead MoreThe Opioid Crisis And Communities Nationwide3993 Words   |  16 Pagesinjection drug users. A study from Single Session Motivational Interviewing for Drug Detoxification Inpatients: Effects on Self-Efficacy, Stages of Change and Substance Use (Berman, Forsberg, Durbeej, Kallmen, and Hermansson, 2010) concentrated on thirty-five inpatients at a Stockholm hospital drug user detoxification unit. Users received single-session Motivational Interviewing (MI) between 2006 and 2008. At starting point and after 3 months, users were compared to a semi-randomized control group of fiftyRead MoreTaking a Look at Borderline Personality Disorder1420 Words   |  6 Pagesevidence that suggests a genetic component. People with BPD have an increased likelihood of having children who are prone to BPD and other psychiatric disorders. Genetic factors may also be linked to a person developing BPD. Precipitating Factors: Simple events can trigger symptoms of the disorder, such as separation from people they are close with, because of the fear of abandonment. There is an increase in severity of symptoms when person experiences isolation. Suicide and self-harm are two contributingRead MoreGlobalization And Diversity Application Paper1320 Words   |  6 PagesWilley December 09, 2016 Introduction Wadors (2016) believes that once hired employees often don’t feel a since of belonging and that in order to feel a sense of belonging â€Å"people want to be able to bring their whole self to work† (para.4). Along those lines organizations have begun to examine diversity and institute programs to help employees feel a sense of belonging. The idea behind these programs is based on the concept that â€Å"mitigating threats to a sense of belonging helpsRead MorePublic Health Leadership And Management2898 Words   |  12 PagesCross-Cultural Leadership: The increasing globalisation of the world is facilitating connections between countries. As such there is a growing need for health leaders to be culturally aware with the skills and capacity to lead teams from diverse backgrounds (Ledlow and Coppola, 2011). Perceptions of work and performance vary between different cultures, societies, nations, and ethnic groups, as do expectations of leadership (House and Aditya, 1997). It is therefore fundamental that leaders are responsive

Drug Use And Illegal Drugs - 1025 Words

Every year, 200 million individuals around the globe use illegal drugs. Individuals that use these illegal drugs make up around a â€Å"quarter of a million deaths per year.† (livescience.com) These individuals who are participating in drug use are not just adults however. They are also teenagers that walk the streets around us all day. According to teens.drugabuse.gov, â€Å"in 2006, 8% of youth in the United States between the ages of 12 17 met diagnostic criteria for abuse or dependence on illicit drugs.† This means that â€Å"more that 2 million† teens are hooked on drugs and could be the next victims of death. (teens.drugabuse.gov) However, if we compare the present to the past, it has been noted that â€Å"teens are taking better care of themselves†¦show more content†¦The D.A.R.E. program was found in 1983 by the â€Å"Los Angeles Police Department and Los Angeles Unified School District,† â€Å"a time when widespread drug use was devast ating neighborhoods and overwhelming police departments,† and has grown immensely since its birth. (â€Å"A Summary and Synthesis of†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"New D.A.R.E. Program Gets†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ) According to â€Å"New D.A.R.E. Program Gets†¦,† the program grew to 25 million students in 300,000 U.S. schools in all 50 states attended D.A.R.E. classes taught by 33,000 police officers†¦by 1998.† This program has grown so much that it is now a part of â€Å"75 percents of our nation’s school districts and†¦more than 52 countries around the world.† (dare.org) This program costs around â€Å"$1 to 1.3 billion†¦annually.† (alcoholfacts.org) The original curriculum for the D.A.R.E. program includes lessons about â€Å"the effects of drug misuse, resistance techniques, building self esteem, managing stress, media influences, decision making, support systems, gang pressures, and taking a stand.† (crimesolutions.gov) The class was comprised of 10 weeks of classes, one week for each lesson. (â€Å"New D.A.R.E. Program Gets†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ) â€Å"A 1987 report by the National Institutes of Justice indicated that D.A.R.E. improved children s knowledge, attitudes and self-reported drug use.† (â€Å"New D.A.R.E. Program Gets†¦) However, the evidence was â€Å"reviewed †¦and found that after taking D.A.R.E. classes, children had improved

Essay Online Spatial Delivery System

Question: Write an essay onOnline Spatial Delivery System. Answer: Introduction Online Spatial Delivery System (OSDS) has to be migrated to a cloud provider. The most applicable model to execute the same is Platform as a Service (PaaS). PaaS provides the platform and environment to build the applications upon the same. Each and every entity plays a crucial role and a phased approach needs to be followed for achieving the best results out of them. Remote Administration Remote Administration is the act of handling and processing the system from any of the remote locations (cbigconsulting.com, 2016). The use of Remote Administration is however, discouraged owing to the shortcomings that it comes with. There are multiple tools that do not scale properly. It becomes tedious for the administrators to simultaneously work upon the network with varied speeds and that too in a secure manner. Multi-platform support is another issue that is seen with the implementation of Remote Administration in the architecture. Organizations make use of different operating systems such as Linux, Windows, iOS and many other and all of them need to be supported in an efficient manner. Mobile devices are also being used by most of the organizations and the OS of those devices need support too. Use of varied tools and devices with different platforms and operating systems is difficult to manage by the remote administrator. Regulatory requirements such as encryption, authentication and access controls also appear as an issue in the implementation of remote administration (sans.org, 2016). Resource Management Resource Management is the second components for OSDS that is required for successful implementation and migration of the services and applications on the cloud. There are multiple resources across various departments that are associated with OSDS. The key resources are as listed below. Business owners Database admin and team Operations head and team Development team Design team Network team Network admin Support and maintenance team DSI needs to develop strategies to efficiently mannage resources and other departments. The basic step in achieveing the same is to find answers to the following list of questions. Is there an already implemented resource tagging strategy in place? What is the internal resource management team that is associated with DSI and how does it link to the overall company model? What is the process that is used in the allocation of resources to a particular project or department? Are there required metadat and service instances available or need to be included? SLA Management SLA is a term for Service Level Agreement and it is a written legal contract that is agreed upon and signed between the service user and the service provider. A service along with all of its aspects is formally defined in this contract. There are a certain particular aspects such as scope, quality and responsibilities that are present in SLA in complete detail. One of the most important feature that is present in SLA is an agreed-upon delivery time. For OSDS, it will also include the time it would be required to completed migrate the services and applications on the cloud provider and also the details on every phase. This would be in terms of percentage that is how much percent of the entire service will be completely migrated in a specified time period. Other details that are defined in SLA are Mean time to failure (MTTF), Mean time between failures (MTBF) and Mean time to repair or recovery (MTTR). It would help in the identification os the parties that would be responsible for han dling the failures and dealing with the costs associated with the same. Levels in SLA Management Shared resources is a phenonmenon that is common in case of cloud computing. The most applicable SLA level in case of OSDS would be at the service level (Bose et al., 2011). The following factors play a major role in designing of SLA for OSDS: The services that have been agreed upon between DSI and the cloud provider Supply chain management team Accurate assignment of roles and responsibilities to the resources Complete analysis of the cost and description for each of the component Broad level flow chart highlighting the critical features Performance indicators (mitsm.de, 2016) Service Levels Agreements are output based in nature which means that the results that will be recived by the customers would be the subject and source of the agreement. The (expert) service provider can demonstrate their value by organizing themselves with ingenuity, capability, and knowledge to deliver the service required, perhaps in an innovative way. OSDS can also explain the details and specifications of these services agreed with the provider in a specification document. The major services and details that will be covered in the SLA for OSDS would be as listed below: Primary resposible source for all the services along with the secondary points of contact. What all services will be covered? What would be the time constraints that would apply on these services? Will there be any extrenal entities that would be required in the service Completion? What will be the design that would be followed and will it apply to all the services or on a particular section of services? For every service, the contribution ot be made by DSI and the one to be done by the cloud provider would also be contracted to avoid the disimilarties and differences in opinions later on. Application Resilience Every application has a set of critical and high on priority requirements. OSDS also has a set of the same which are termed as High Availability (HA) requirements. There needs to be a step-by-step approach to be developed for the complete execution of such requirements. The strategy would include the following: A fault tolerant application in cloud that would help in maintenance of availability and reliability of the services Adherence to the guidelines Applicable and required data storage options Architecture of cloud Data Storage Backup Storing and managing the huge data is a task in itself and there are Big Data tools that can be utilized for this purpose (Goes, J. 2016). There is database named NoSQL for performing this task and it also provides additional features such as easy visualizations, flexibility and creation of reports. Predictive analysis on the data to correctly manage and store the same is also possible through NoSQL (Pentaho, 2016). Mongo DB, Elasticsearcg, CouchDB, AmazonSimpleDB and Terrastore are some of the NoSQL databases that provide good storge and indexing features (Big Data Made Simple - One source. Many perspectives., 2014). Disaster Recovery Disaster Recovery (DR) comes in to the picture when the attack or any such event takes place and the data needs to be recovered. These are the measures that should be adopted to avoid the risks at the first place and recover from the same. Preventative Measures for firsthand security like use of antivirus, firewalls and deployment of physical security guards fall under this one. Reactive They are the ones that are adapted once the event already takes place. Detective Measures such as intrusion detection and motion detection fall in this category of countermeasures Administrative These are used to make the processes adhere to the defined guideleines. DR, as already stated is the set of processes that is used to recover as much data as possible and is required for maintenance and management of the same. DR would allow the recovery process to be enabled in multiple locations (Kiblin, 2011). Many strategies are present to have an application recovered (aws.amazon.com, 2016). Cloud for disaster recovery is a viable option for DSI both from the financial perspective and from the control perspective as well (Dix, 2016). Conclusions Opportunities and Risks OSDS needs the components as Remote adminstration, SLA management, data storage and back up along with the disaster recovery during its migration to a cloud provider. Remote administration suffers from a few drawbacks related to scalability and multi-platform support. Resource management is necessary for accurate utilization of resources and their skills. Critical requirements, data storage and recovery also play an important role for OSDS. Cloud suffers from certain potential and probable risks as well that mainly revolve around data protection and information security. These risks include loss of data, accessing of the data by an unauthorized user, denial of services, attack of malicious software, spoofing, phishing and inadequate due diligence. Such risks possess a threat to the confidentiality, integrity and authneticty of the information, Use of authorizations measures along with proper access controls are mandatory to protect the data belonging to OSDS. The data associated is private and confidential in nature and the landing of the same in unauthorized hands could be extremely adverse for DSI. ("Risks of cloud computing | Queensland Government", 2016). References Bose, S., Pasala, A., Ramanujam A, D., Murthy, S. and Malaiyandisamy, G. (2011). SLA Management in Cloud Computing: A Service Provider's Perspective. Cloud Computing, pp.413-436. Big Data Made Simple - One source. Many perspectives. (2014). A deep dive into NoSQL: A complete list of NoSQL databases. Business.qld.gov.au. (2016). cbigconsulting.com, (2016). Dix, J. (2016). Cloud computing causing rethinking of disaster recovery. Goes, J. (2016). How to choose a NoSQL analytics system. Innotas. (2016). Project Resource Management Benefits | Innotas. Interoute. (2016). What is PaaS?. mitsm.de, (2016).

Global Management John Lewis

Question: Using information found in at least two interviews with John Lewis Chairman Sir Charlie Mayfield, describe the leadership characteristics of Sir Charlie using one of the models below (remember to support your answer with evidence): Servant Transformational Charismatic Authentic Authoritarian Democratic Laissez-faire Describe the trading performance measures (KPIs) that John Lewis use to measure their annual performance, and suggest two improvements that could be made. Using the Pyramid of Corporate Social Responsibility describe and evaluate John Lewiss approach to Corporate Social responsibility John Lewis says Our Partnership model gives us our distinctive culture. This, combined with the efforts of our Partners, gives us our competitive advantage.Explain how the John Lewis employee partnership model couldgive John Lewis competitive advantage. Answer: Executive Summary In this report, the case of a leading department store chain, John Lewis is discussed. According to the opinion of its managing director Andy Street, that the companys sales performance saw increase to a greater extend especially in the Christmas season. The success of the business can be due to the many contributing factors. One of which is the democratic leadership style followed by John Lewis, in which the employee partnership model is followed. Another aspect of success is the effective Corporate Social Responsibility showed by the company towards the society. Evaluation of its trade performance with the support of KPIs is also a major factor for John Lewis to enable more expansion in the international market. Introduction John Lewis is one of the leading department stores in UK. The store saw a drastic improvement in its business performance in the recent period, especially the Christmas sales contributed to an increase up to 734m in five weeks. According to the managing director., Andy Street, company is planning to expand to more branches in the international market and estimates to open 65 stored by 2023. The success of the store is mainly due to the employee partnership model, the pyramid corporate social responsibility model followed by John Lewis and the suitable KPI used by the company to measure to measure its trade performance. All these aspects are discussed in this report. The leadership characteristics John Lewis is one of the successful department store chains in UK and the company tries o double its size including the launch of a French website and the overseas operations. The secret behind John Lewiss success is the impact of its effectual partnership model as well as the leadership style that the company implements. The employees are performing in a most efficient manner in this department store which results in the increases in its sales by 6.9pc to 734m in the five weeks in December month, during the festive season of Christmas. The partnership model of this department store is that it is owned and run by the staffs. The success of an employee owned business is that it follows a democratic leadership style (Gosenpud, Vanevenhoven, 2011). In John Lewis, employees are given more role in the decision making process as seen as one of the traits of the democratic leadership. There involves more participation by the employees in John Lewis and there is one of the reason that the employees in John Lewis finds more motivated towards their work and this leads to the higher productivity on the work performance of the staffs. This can be taken as one of the reason for the success of this departmental store. The contribution to the business scenarios will be increased when a democratic leadership is followed. Group of employees are encouraged to share their opinions and ideas to the company in such leadership styles. Moreover, it is also evident that John Lewis gives more attention in maintaining employee relationship. For instance, the company plans to keep a celebratory event for staff as a part of its ce lebrations for its 150th anniversary. This shows that in following a democratic leadership, the company also encourages the creativity of employees, which ultimately results in higher business success, which John Lewis has attained over years. Trading performance measures (KPIs) It is noted that the trading performance of John Lewis has been improving from that of the previous years. The company sees a steady uplift in its trading and then plateaus. Though the peak in the trading performance has been late, it contributed to a higher performance level to the department store. The growth in its trading performance has made John Lewis to start several new projects. In fact, the company plans to start new stores outside UK within the next decade. The growth plan involves the strategy of doubling the size of the company. These growth plans in the trading performance has been strategized using trading performance indicators, which the Key Performance measures. Using the KPI, the department store will be able to know the level of success of its business operations and also whether there is any improvements needed in any of the business areas. Primarily, KPI helps in utilizing the market opportunities as well as in mitigating the risks. The business objectives can be bettered only knowing the current business information. It is this Key performance measures that supports John Lewis to know whether the expansion and growth plan is viable and double the size and expanding to international operations can bring in the desired results. The KPIs gives the estimation about the level of growth possibility. By applying KPIs, the CEO of John Lewis, Mr. Street, comes to an estimation that by 2023, John Lewis is likely to have 65 stores opened across the globe when compared to the 40 stores that it currently have along with an increase in the annual revenue from around 4bn at present to 7bn. Thus performance measures are of two types. One is measuring the ratios of return to risk. The return from an investment and its risk is measured in this performance measure. The second type is the -adjusted return of an asset, where the predetermined standard or estimation is compares with the actual return on investment (Nickels, McHugh, McHugh, 2011). Pyramid of Corporate Social Responsibility Pyramid of Corporate Social Responsibility is founded by Carroll (1991). According to Carroll, there are four layers of Corporate Social Responsibilities which is depicted in a pyramid model. There are four types of responsibilities as per this model. They are the economical, legal , ethical and philanthropic responsibilities, which form the four layers of this pyramid model. The economic responsibilitiesof a company is to enhance its sales and reduce the costs incurred. This also involves the effective strategic formulation. Looking at the instance of the department store, John Lewis, the company fulfills its economic responsibilities from an increased sales volume during the Christmas season in which John Lewis outperformed in the market and generated sales over 35m. The legal responsibilities of the company are also one of the companys contribution towards the society in which the company is expected to adhere the laws and regulations of the country. Even in the mode of expansion to other countries as planned by John Lewis to expand its stores outside UK, the company will have to ensure that it strictly obey the laws and regulations of other countries as a part of its CSR policy (Hengliang, Weiwei 2012). Ethical responsibility is not a mandatory aspect for a company, but it is needed and expected by the society. The company has to follow the ethical means of conducting its business so that the trust on customers and brand image of the company can be improved. The philanthrophic responsibilities include comes in the top most position in the pyramid. According to Carroll, this responsibility of the company is to improve the quality of life of the people in the society, by providing programs and encouraging the people to volunteer. In this case, as a part of the celebrations of the 150th anniversary, John Lewis conduct a celebratory event for staff and a one-off event for customers. Also, the company enables a best pension program all over UK, in which the Final salary, non-contributory, accrual rates best in the market. Also, Mr.Street argues that the corporate governance of the company is different from other corporate as the companys operations are transparent and communicated to the people. There is nothing to hide from the people, which show John Lewis having a good corporate social responsibility towards its society (Carroll, Buchholtz, 2014). John Lewis employee partnership model One of the main critical success factors of John Lewis is that the company follows the employee partnership model. The outperformance of the company in the Christmas days, increase in the sales volume by 6.9pc to 734m, the growth plans of the company including the launch of a French website, expanding its operations outside UK etc all are the impacts of the effective employee partnership model. When employees are given the decision making power, they feel more motivated and committed towards the company (Welford, 2013). Thereby, the increased morale of the employees paved way to the higher performance level. As a result of this, the sales volume of the department store has increased. This enables the success of the business in an overall basis (Schaffer, Agusti, Dhooge, 2014). Conclusion To sum up, it is understood that the success fo every business is based on the vital aspects like its leadership style, employee relations, the corporate social responsibility shown by the company towards the society as well as the use of proper Key performance Indicators to measure its trade performance. With the effective use of all these elements, the company can achieve higher sales volume, profit margin, expansion possibilities will be achieved and good employee and customer relationship (Apte, Dietrich, Fleming, 2012). As seen in the case of John Lewis, the renowned department store chain was able to outperform in the market with the combination of implementing all these vital ingredients within the company. References Hengliang, W., Weiwei, Z. (2012). A Customer Churn Analysis Model in E-business Environment.International Journal,6(9), 296-302. ObradoviĆ¡, S., Fedajev, A., NikoliĆ¡, Ä . (2012). Analysis of business environment using the multi-criteria approach: Case of Balkan's transition economies.Serbian Journal of Management,7(1), 37-52. Gosenpud, J., Vanevenhoven, J. (2011). Using tools from strategic management to help micro-entrepreneurs in developing countries adapt to a dynamic and changing business environment.Journal of Applied Business Research (JABR),27(5), 1-14. Nickels, W. G., McHugh, J., McHugh, S. (2011).Understanding Business 9th ed. Irwin, McGraw-Hill New York. Carroll, A., Buchholtz, A. (2014).Business and society: Ethics, sustainability, and stakeholder management. Cengage Learning. Schaffer, R., Agusti, F., Dhooge, L. (2014).International business law and its environment. Cengage Learning. Apte, C., Dietrich, B., Fleming, M. (2012). Business leadership through analytics.IBM Journal of Research and Development,56(6), 7-1. Welford, R. (Ed.). (2013).Hijacking environmentalism: Corporate responses to sustainable development. Routledge.