Historical Development of the Early Childcare Essay Example for Free

Historical Development of the Early Childcare Essay a) History and current status of childcare provision in Ireland During the early Twentieth century in Ireland there was a lack of job opportunities for women in the workforce. Women were still seen largely seen as the ‘stay at home figure’. Due to this environmental impact, children were cared for in their own homes mainly by their mothers. Therefore there was less of a demand in the Early Childcare Education sector. This ended when children started attending Primary school. During the latter part of the Twentieth century, during the times of the Celtic Tiger, the number of job opportunities for women in the workforce escalated. This resulted in an increase in urbanisation and a decrease in family support. For example: Families lived further apart from each other, and as a result, it did not make sense to leave the children with their grandmother or other family members due to financial restrictions such as the price of fuel, or time restrictions such as the length of time taken to leave the children from one  destination to the other. This lead to parents seeking the childminding services privately or within their local area. Statistics have shown that approximately 60% of children under six years of age attended a form of childcare service at this time. (Class Notes) There was a substantial increase in the demand for both private and community childcare services. In response to the rapidly increasing demand for childcare service, it was deemed necessary that an ‘Expert Working Group on Childcare’ was formed. The Expert Working Group came together and arranged a meeting to discuss ways to resolve the upcoming problems within the childcare services sector. They held discussions on how to make childcare services more readily available and accessible to families in Ireland. It was recognized at this point, that there was a need to develop a ‘National Strategy’ to assist them with the transformation of the current childcare services sector. Thus, a National Strategy was developed and was published in 1999. The National strategy recognized and contained the following principles: ‘The Needs and the rights of the child, Equality of access and participation, Diversity, Partnership and Quality’ (Class Notes Page 2) It also contained suggestions and advice on support for parents/guardians, Laws relating childcare, Qualifications, Employment, Planning and Co-ordination. In 2002, the Centre for Early childhood development and Education was established. This centre was set up to develop standards and to improve the childcare sector. The Centre for early Childhood Development and Education aimed to ensure that every childcare setting (whether it was a Full-time / Part-time service or a Public / Private service); met the criteria and quality standards that that were established by the Centre. The main objective of the Centre for Early childhood development and Education was to focus on improving more disadvantaged are as as well as the more advantaged areas so as to ensure that all areas within the childcare sector offered the same quality of services In 2006, ‘Siolta’ was launched. Siolta was set up to implement the first aim of the Centre for Early Childhood Development and Education which was to develop the current standards within the childcare sector. This was called ‘The National Quality Framework for Early Education’. This ensured that there was support in improving quality across all childcare services which contained children from 0-6 years of age. Further to this, in 2009, a new scheme was introduced within the Childcare sector. The Early Childcare  Education scheme ‘Free pre-school place’ was formed. The free pre-school place enabled children within the age range of 3 years and 3 months and 4 years 6 months in September of the relevant year to engage in one free academic year within a full time or seasonal service. If a childcare service/ centre wanted to take part in the Early Childcare Education scheme, the criteria set out by Siolta had to be met and furthermore the Principles set by An Siolta would have to be implemented within their current childcare setting. It is important to recognize that this is the first time that Early childhood education has received any direct Universal funding. As a result of the free pre-school place initiative, the demand within the childcare sector continued to grow. (Siolta) More recent developments within the childcare sector include the introduction of a new initiative called ‘Aistear’, which was established by the Department of Education and Skills through NCCA in 2010. Aistear from the Irish word meaning ‘journey’, is of relevant importance to childcare settings where children from the ages of 0-6 years receive their care and education. Aistear works closely alongside Siolta and consists of an informal curriculum that contains twelve principles and themes that give guidance to the childcare worker. Aistear recognizes that education and care are not separate within the childcare sector and they aim to help children grow and develop independently.(Aistear) b) Current range of childcare provision in Ireland Six types of services that can be categorised under sessional and fulltime services are: Naà onraà  – A Naà onraà  is a sessional service. It organises and communicates with the playgroup through the medium of Irish, they recognise each child as individuals. The service doesn’t put pressure on children to speak Irish, they still encourage and support children either way. As the children are surrounded in Irish they will gradually pick up and learn the language in their own time. The service is recognised by Forbairt Naà onraà . Parent and toddler groups – This is a sessional service and is supported by Early Childhood Ireland. Parents and their children/toddlers meet in one area, often held in one of the parent houses who are taking part in the service. It gives children the opportunity to gain the experience of interacting with others, therefore promoting and developing the child’s social skills. It also gives parents the opportunity to intera ct with other  parents, gaining support of each other. Montessori pre-schools – The pre-school is usually privately run, it develops its curriculum around the methods of Dr Maria. The Montessori focuses mainly on the child’s educational development, its curriculum is therefore more practical based, isn’t fully focused on play. This action of purely practical based education may be scrutinised by certain individuals as it thought by some theorists that children should experience and develop through the experience of play at this young age. The pre-school functions on academic year and mainly cares for children from three to six years of age. Home and community playgroups – Home and community playgroups care for children within the age range of 2 and a half to five years of age, they operate in either a home or community basis. Home playgroups are generally privately funded where as community playgroups receive funding from the government, each service usually opens and runs for a period of three to four hours each day. The service highlights and develops children’s social and emotional learning through play. Crà ¨ches, Nurseries and Day care services – These services are recognised as a fulltime service and cater for children from the age of approximately three months to five years of age. They are open at a minimum of eight hours a day and usually provide a day-to-day curriculum. The services can be privately or publicly run, an increase in demand for these services greatly increased after the Free Pre-School Year was introduced. Each service provides the children attending the service with a hot meal and snacks during the duration of the day. Each service helps met the child’s safety, welfare and developmental needs. They also help children make the best of their abilities, whether that be through play or practical learning. Family Day Care – Children are looked after in the childminders home. There is no specific age group that Family Day Care caters for, they can cater for all different age groups at once in the same facility. The hours that the carer caters for the children is arranged between the child’s parent and the carer. The children become easily settled in this form of day care as they are only interacting and building a relationship with one adult with the service. The children are provided with snacks and possibly hot meals, depending on the length of time the child is attending the service. The service is supported and recognised by Childminding Ireland. c) Current range of roles in childcare support organisations and agencies Health Service Executive (HSE) – is the first service contacted when there is a serious concern involving a child safety or family issue , the Health Service Executive then has the responsibility of bringing services and agencies together to help resolve the concerned matter. The Health Service Executive provides services that helps protect and support children, parents/guardians and families. There are many roles within the Health Service Executive, they include: Family support worker – The Family support worker offers support and supplies services to family’s going through emotionally distressing times. The Family Support Worker tries to keep families remained together unless there is a family member deemed at serious risk if kept together. Some of the services that The Family Support Worker will supply to the family to try help resolve the issues are, â€Å"Parenting Skills, Confidence and Personal Development, Home Care management, Diet, Nutrition and Health Care, Budgeting and family Finance†. (Class notes page 4) Community Childcare Worker The Community Childcare Worker works alongside professionals to give support to children who are in disadvantaged families, deemed at risk, deprived or in care. The Community Childcare Worker also helps children deal with or come to an understanding of why they are in that care home. Social Worker – works with problematic families and individuals, The Social Worker helps resolve problems in families whether that is emotional, behavioural or social problems. Social Workers also deal with problems such as child abuse, domestic violence, and adoption. Before removing children from their home and separating families social worker s have to prove that they have gave families every option possible, if the family /parents does not comply with any of the options, the matter continues to rise and the child/children are still recognised at risk then the case is taken to court and assessed by a Judge whether the child/children should be removed from the family home, thus action is seen as a last resort. Barnardos – Barnardos is Ireland’s biggest children’s charity. It is focused on working with children and families on, whether that be group work or one-on-one interaction. Barnardos help children make the best of their abilities when going through difficult situations, such as neglect, abuse,  or poverty. They provide a range of services to help families through distressing time’s i.e counselling, and bereavement help lines. Barnardos also protest against Government laws that affect children and their way of living e.g. child benefit cuts. d) Six National Childcare organisations Barnardos – Barnardos is Ireland’s biggest children’s charity, it is mainly focused on working with children and families. Barnardos provide a range of services to help assist and support families through distressing times, they also help children make the best of their abilities whilst going through or have gone through difficult times e.g. neglect. Childminding Ireland- is a registered Charity and was created in 1986. It was created by a small group of childminders that further grew into a bigger organisation. The organisation promotes home-based childcare. Forbairt Naà onraà  Teoranta – is a voluntary organisation which supports education and care for children from birth who are brought up in Irish. St.Nicholas Montessori Society of Ireland – Provide opportunities for Montessori teachers to further their profession. They also offer help, support and give guidance for Montessori teachers. The Irish Society for the prevention of Children’s Cruelty – Provide a 24hour support service for children who are going through a difficult situations. States that id high quality childcare service wants to keep their service high quality, then the service must ensure that there is good child protection within the facility. The organisation also recognises children are individuals and therefore the child’s right s and values should be supported. Border Counties Childcare Network – Is a network that services in counties such as Monaghan, Meath, Louth, Cavan, Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim in helping deliver a childhood service of high quality. LO4: Clear explanation the rights of the child in the context of an ECCE setting. A) Examine the UN convention on the Rights of the Child. The UN convention on the Rights of the Child has 54 articles. These  fifty-four articles are a written list of the different types of the child’s rights, if those rights are intentionally broken it is seen as breaking the law. The UN convention on the Rights of the child can be broken into four broad areas, these four areas are – Survival, Development, Protection and Participation. Survival – The child has a right to life and the right to the basic requirements to survive life e.g. food, water, shelter, clothing, medical aid. Development – The child has a right to education, religion, play, develop the identification of right and wrong and leisure. The child also has the right to be provided with a safe environment to develop these skills and knowledge. Protection – The child has the right to be protected against abuse and neglect. If a child has come in interference with and suffered from abuse then the child has the right to some form of counselling to come to an understanding and overcome the traumatic situation. Participation – The child has the right to join organisations e.g. clubs, groups, freedom of expression and speech. Standard 1: Right of the child. â€Å"Ensuring that each child’s rights are met, requires that she/he is enabled to exercise choice and to use initiative as an active participant and partner in her/his own development and learning.† (Siolta page 13) Component 1.1 – Choice for the child Practitioners could put component 1.1 into practice at meal time. By giving the child the options at meal time, this could be achieved by giving the child the choice of two different meals therefore enabling the child to make its own choices. If a child decides they do not want to eat at meal time the practitioner should respect the child’s decision. By having different utensils available at meal time e.g. chopsticks, this provides choice for the child. The child can then make the choice on what they want to eat there meal with. Component 1.2 – Use initiative A practitioners could put component 1.2 into practice with a child from twelve – thirty-six months by providing the opportunity of letting the child out on its coat independently, enabling the child to zip or button  the coat. The practitioner should talk the child through the process, encourage the child as she/he is trying to overcome and accomplish the task and support the child if he/she comes into difficulty. Component 1.3 – active participants A practitioner could put component 1.3 into practice with a child from birth to eighteen months by viably communicating. While/when the practitioner is changing the child’s nappy he/she could viably communicate to the child and make eye contact whilst changing its nappy. The practitioner could also sing nursery rhymes and act out movements to the child e.g. three little pigs, touching the child’s toes whilst singing the rhyme. This makes the child feel comfortable and an active participant throughout the activity. LO2: Detained description of the qualifications and experience needed for work associated with one occupation in the ECCE sector. a) Outline legislations, policies, practices and procedures pertaining to ECCE provision. Childcare Act 1991 Provides asset of rules relating to children/young adults under the age of eighteen in Ireland, it governs the care and protection of children in Ireland. (Classnotes) Due to this legislation the Health Service Executive has a mandatory duty to promote and protect the wellbeing of all children under this act. Children who are being abused or at risk, this Act allows those children to be removed or be placed under the care of the Health Service Executive. In relation to preschool services the Act is consulted with when rules and regulations are being drawn up for the supervision of children of pre-school services. Under the Act the pre-school carers have a responsibility and duty to implement safety and wellbeing of children under their pre-school setting. If the pre-school carer has concern for a child’s safety health it is their responsibility to notify the Health Service Executive. If a new pre-school setting is being set up or is intending to set up the local Health Service Executive must be notified. The Health Service Executive then has a duty to inspect the pre-school setting to  ensure the health and safety standards of the setting are being met. The rules and regulations drawn up from the Act must be strictly followed by the practitioners. Childcare (preschool services) Regulations 2006 The regulation outlines the standards that a preschool setting of any form must put/have in place before it can commence e.g. all forms of health, safety and welfare of the setting must be put in place to ensure full safety of the child is being met. It is the Health Service Executive’s duty for inspecting and giving a report of information on pre-schools of any sort or kind who care for children from the age of zero-six years of age. The regulation is arranged in six parts – thirty-three regulations and can be broadly covered over the following areas: â€Å"Health, welfare and development of the child Notification and inspection by the Health Service Executive Record keeping Standard of premises and facilities General administration† (class notes) Policies and procedures must be drawn up and developed from these points. Children First 1999 Children First was first made available in the year 1999 but was later replaced with Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children 2011. The general rule of the document was left unchanged but acknowledges past inspections and reports and feedback, due to this the document had been edited to set out distinctive guidelines that individual roles should take is concerned for a child’s health, safety and welfare. Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children 2011 main aims are to ensure children’s health safety and welfare are being constantly met. That society are aware that they should not assume but should report any concerns regarding a child’s health and safety and realise that it is their responsibility to put this action into place. The legislation provides advise/support for parents/guardians in regards to their role as a parent/carer. Inspections made by the ‘Department of Education and Science’ will take place through-out schools of all sorts to  reinforce and ensure that the new legislation is being enforced. Siolta Siolta is made up of twelve principals, sixteen standard and seventy-five components. The twelve principals provide the base of the frame work. Without the principals the components wouldn’t be able to be put in place. The principals give direction for childcare workers on how they should carry out their work in an Early Childhood Care and Education environment, how to interact and communicate with children and fillies, how subjects should be taught and how the services that the childcare worker works in should be organised. The twelve principles contain: Equality – is a necessary aspect to have in a childcare setting, it is essential every child feels equal. Diversity- Every childcare setting should recognise that each child comes from very different backgrounds. It is the childcares settings responsibility to confirm that they understand, respect and accommodate this with visual aids e.g. posters, dolls from different ethnic backgrounds, chopsticks in the home area ec t. Environment- The physical layout of the setting should be organised to meet, encourage and develop the child’s abilities so the child can reach their full potential. Welfare- The child’s health, safety and welfare is essential and should be met as much as it possibly can be e.g. if a child has chicken pock’s, that child should be removed to a room where no other children are present the child’s parents should be contacted and the child shouldn’t return until it has cleared to prevent it infecting other children. The role of the adult- The adult working in the setting has a responsibility to make sure the child is making the most of their experience and are reaching full potential while in that adults company. Teamwork-Good communication and respect should be shown and practised in settings between the various workers in the setting. If there isn’t respect among workers, there won’t be good teamwork skills therefore the children present in that company will pick up on the negative energy and put what they have picked up on into practice. Pedagogy- The study and theory of the methods and principals of teaching should be put in place in early childhood care and education through holistic play, as this is the most appropriate method of learning for children of that age range. Play-Should be promoted, as it is an essential part in a child’s development  whether that be physical or theory learning. Sioltas sixteen standards are essential and necessary in services as it give guidance for workers within the service, IT gives guidance on how to act, provide and develop services with the setting. The standards contain various elements such as the various elements such as the child’s rights to the legislation and regulation. It’s from the sanders that the seventy-five components are made up. The components help meet the standard. Without the sixteen standards and seventy-five components the knowledge of the twelve principals wouldn’t be able to be put in place as effectively. Siolta was created to improve the way childcare is taught, organised, carried out and viewed in the Early Childhood Care and Education settings who cater for children from the age range of birth to six years of age. It â€Å"defines, assess and supports† these improvements. Early Childhood Care and Education settings and services taking part in the free school year must implement Siolta, making more demand for the service. (siolta) Aistear Aistear, was established by the Department of Education and Skills through NCCA in 2010. Aistear from the Irish word meaning ‘journey’, is of relevant importance to childcare settings where children from the ages of 0-6 years receive their care and education. Aistear works closely alongside Siolta and consists of an informal curriculum that contains twelve principles and themes that give guidance to the childcare worker. Aistear recognizes that education and care are not separate within the childcare sector and they aim to help children grow and develop independently. (Aistear) The manager The manager is required to have a minimum level 7/8 qualification in childcare, they have to manage the day-to-day routine of the preschool setting, ensuring that the developmental needs, safety and wellbeing of each individual child are being met. The manager may also be required to work unsocial hours and must attend to relevant meetings. The manager also has the responsibility to ensure the child protection policy is being implemented within the setting, recording and concerns and also ensuring high sanders of safety are being maintained at all times. (Class notes) The Childcare assistant The Childcare assistant is required to have a minimum of a level 5 qualification in childcare and previous experience is required. They assist in the day-to-day organisation and preparation of the childcare setting. The Childcare assistant must maintain all personal information of the individual children as confidential and at times have to work unsocial hours. The assistant must ensure the children within their care are receiving high standards of care, safety and wellbeing whilst also ensuring the developmental need of the children are being met accurately. The Childcare Assistant will have to at times participate in fundraising activities, special events and outings. They must strictly follow the Child Protection policy and report any concerns. (class notes) The Playgroup Leader The Playgroup Leader is required to have a minimum of a level 5 qualification in childcare and previous experience in childcare is required. The Playgroup Leader is required to manage the day-to-day routine of the playgroup. The playgroup leader has the responsibility to ensure the safety, wellbeing and developmental needs of the children are being continually being met. They must keep all personal information regarding the children within the service, children’s family and staff strictly confidential. Must strictly follow and promote the Child Protection Policy, ensuring high standers of hygiene and quality are being promoted within the setting. Organise regular meetings with parents throughout the year. Must regularly carry out appraisal on the staff’s performance, make sure all staff and volunteers have guard vetting. Must try to obtain good staff more and show respect to other staff members. Special Needs Assistant A Special Needs Assistant must have a minimum level5 qualification in childcare. Must ensure that all personal information regarding children or staff they work with remains confidently then it should be reported. Must strictly follow the Child Protection Act and make sure the developmental needs of the child are being met. The assists are recruited to help assist  and support children with special needs or difficult behaviour problems in schools. The assistants engage regularly with the parents of the special needs child, they also participate in fundraising activities, special events and outings to further help the child or children with special needs. Montessori teacher Must have a minimum level5 qualification in childcare. Must strictly follow the Child Protection Act and make sure the developmental needs of the child are being met, ensuring high standards of hygiene and quality are being promoted within the setting. A Montessori has the responsibly to provide opportunities for children so they can figure out how to do something for themselves. Must observe children within the setting and comment on their development. They provide challenging tasks for the children, so they make the best of their abilities. Organise meetings with the parents throughout the year. Detailed description of the qualifications and experience needed for work associated with on occupation in the ECCE sector. One occupation in the Early Child Care and Education sector I have chose to further evaluate on is the pre-school manager. The pre-school manager has many roles and responsibilities such as: Being strictly confidential within and outside the Early Childhood Care and Education setting in relaxation to keeping personal information about the children, their family and also the staff. Ensuring when planned activities are taking place that each individual child’s developmental needs are being met. Making sure that every area and all facilities of the Early Childhood Care and Education setting are being met to Sioltas standards. Has the role of preparing and creating curriculum plans for the staff to carry out in the Early Childhood Care and Education setting. Making sure that there is good staff morale, resolving any issues that arise promptly and effectively Making sure that there the Child Protection policy is being promoted and that the policy is being firmly stuck to. If any concerns are arisen then the manager must document and record this. Organise meetings with parents throughout the year to inform them and discuss such things as the child’s progression and also  adhering to any concerns raised by the parents. It is also a role and responsibility of the manager to prepare and organise special event and outings for the children attending the Early Childhood Care and Education setting. ( class notes) The preschool manager must have a minimum qualification of level of seven/eight in childcare.\This qualification can be obtained in most IT’s. The duration of study that it would take to obtain this would be approximately three to four years depending on the level of qualification. To then further become a pre-school manager the level of experience the individual would need to have would depend on the Early Childhood Care and Education setting. Generally the minimum experience needed by the individual would be approximately two – four years. It would be appropriate that the individual had experience as a supervisor before becoming a pre-school manager. Employment and Career Opportunities in Childcare Funding that is made available to state to childcare services, such as the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme, the Early Childhood Care and Education Scheme / Free Pre-School year and Community Childcare Solovention scheme make the option of childcare services more appealing and therefore increase the demand for childcare services. As a result of the increased demand for childcare services, the demand for employment opportunities also increases. The Early Childhood care and Education Scheme / Free Pre-school year (FPSY) was introduced in 2009. The scheme recognized the importance of qualifications within the childcare sector and as a result it introduced a minimum qualifications standard for pre-school leaders. An important feature of the scheme is that it offers more funding for better qualified staff and because of this feature it can increase or decrease an individual’s employment opportunities e.g. if an individual applied for a particular position in which the state requires the potential employee to hold a Level 7 qualification, and the candidate did not hold a Level 7 qualification,  that candidate will most likely not get the position as a result as their employment would not benefit the pre-school. The Community Childcare Subvention Scheme is a support scheme that was set up to aid and support non-profit childcare services/centres. This scheme does not support profit childcare services. The schemes main focus is to help the non-profit childcare services. This scheme allows non-profit childcare services to provide their services at a lower rate, which enables children with disadvantaged parents the opportunity to attend childcare services. Each Community based service that takes part in the Community Childcare scheme, has the responsibility to make a guideline available of the different rates for each type of service that they offer to parents. There are four types of fee rates available; and the parent/guardian will be offered the rate depending on what price band or category they fall into based on their individual financial situation. This scheme enables more access to all types of parents and therefore increases the demand for childcare services and effectively increases employment opportunities. Special Needs Assistant – Due to the downturn in the Irish Economy, there have been substantial cuts in Special Needs Assistants. It has been revealed that approximately 1200 Special needs assistant positions will be cut in the near future. (Class notes) If this happens, there will be a sharp decrease in the amount of employment opportunities available within the childcare sector. It is also thought that as a result of the cuts, individuals that currently hold a Level 7/8 qualification may not be willing to apply for job opportunities that become available due to the poor pay conditions and low status of the childcare positions. Progression of qualifications within the childcare sector e.g. achieving a Level 5 and progressing to a Level 6, Level 7 and Level 8 qualification is becoming more important to childcare workers to help them increase their employment opportunities. The better the qualification that a childcare worker obtains means they have a higher chance of securing employment within the childcare sector. E.g. If an advertisement is published in a newspaper for a childcare position, and an individual that holds a Level 5 applies  while also an individual what holds a Level 8 qualification also applies, the individual with the higher qualification i.e. the Level 8 qualification, will have a higher chance of getting the position. After obtaining a Level 8 qualification i.e. A Degree in childcare, which is generally obtained over a three year period, there is a career opportunity to continue to study towards a Primary school teaching qualification. A further two years of study in Teacher training is also required before obtaining a qualification as a Primary school teacher. After achieving a minimum of a Level 7/8 qualification, there is also the opportunity to become a manager within a childcare setting. An individual seeking to further their career or who wishes to pursue a career in management would also need sufficient experience within the early childcare and education setting to secure a higher position. This career opportunity can only become available for the individual if they have obtained a Level 7/8 qualification.

Philosophy of Teaching :: Education Teachers Reflective Writing Essays

Philosophy of Teaching My philosophy of teaching is simple; learning should be enjoyable and individualistic. If the students find the lessons interesting they are more likely to pay attention and in turn grasp the concepts easier. Because every student is different, which I quickly found while teaching in Trenton, I feel that it is best to incorporate a variety of teaching styles into each lesson. With the use of multiple teaching styles and activities I will see that each students needs are met. If the students’ individual learning style is met by my multiple teaching methods they are more likely to grasps the concepts and enjoy the lessons. It is very important to me that every student succeeds in my class no matter what their ability or interest in mathematics may be, and attempt to show the students that mathematics is interesting and is relevant to their everyday lives. For many students their disinterest in mathematics is caused because they don’t see the relevance to their lives. By making real life connections to mathematics the students interests will be peaked and they will see the importance of learning the information. Through the use of various teaching methods I will accommodate various learning styles. In addition to lecture I plan to use manipulatives such as games and hands on explorations to make sure that each student stays interested in the lesson. Also, I plan to utilize the technology that I have access to and teach students how to use this technology in everyday life. I also believe that a good educator reaches out and grabs the attention of the kids who aren’t the ones sitting in the front of the room with there hands up after every question. I want to reach the students who are sitting in the last row feeling like school just isn’t for them. Because you must build upon each lesson from day one and from year to year in mathematics, it is vitally important that every student understand each concept. Unlike other subjects such as history, where understanding US history one year does not depend upon your understanding of world history the year before, if a student does not understand a concept one year it is difficult to build upon the next year.

Competition in Energy Drinks Essay

Porter’s five-forces model reveals that the overall alternative beverage industry attractiveness is high. Some beverage companies, such as PepsiCo and Coca-Cola, have mastered the art of brand building in the alternative beverage market and have been rewarded with rapid growth rates. The rising population of health conscious consumers is increasingly leaning towards alternative beverages that are believed to offer greater health benefits. The strongest competitive force, or most important to strategy formulation, is the threat of entry of new competitors. Competitive pressure from rival sellers is high in the alternative beverage industry. The number of brands competing in sports drinks, energy drinks, and vitamin-enhanced beverage segments of the alternative beverage industry continue to grow each year. Both large and small vendors are launching new products and fighting for minimal retail shelf space. More and more consumers are moving away from traditional soft drinks to healthier alternative drinks. Demand is expected to grow worldwide as consumer purchasing power increases. Another strong competitive force is buyer bargaining power. Convenience stores and grocery stores have substantial leverage in negotiating pricing and slotting fees with alternative beverage producers due to the large quantity of their purchase. Newer brands are very vulnerable to buyer power because of limited space on store shelves. Top brands like Red Bull are almost always guaranteed space. This competitive force does not affect Coca-Cola or PepsiCo as much due to the variety of beverages the stores want to offer to the customer. As a result of this certain appeal, the two companies’ alternative beverage brands can almost always be found shelf space in grocery/convenience stores. Distributors, like restaurants, have less ability to negotiate for deep pricing discounts because of quantity limitations. The weakest competitive force is the bargaining power and leverage of suppliers. Most of the raw materials desirable to manufacture alternative beverages are basic merchandise such as flavor, color, packaging, etc. The suppliers of these commodities have no bargaining power over the pricing due to which the suppliers in the industry are relatively weak. Raw materials for these drinks are basic commodities which are easily available to every producer and have low cost which makes no difference for any supplier. Low switching costs limit supplier bargaining power by enabling industry members to change suppliers if any one supplier attempts to raise prices by more than the cost of switching.

Evil Personas in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis...

Evil Personas in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson Some believe that every individual has an evil persona trapped inside that is just waiting to get out! This may be true for some but it may also just be another excuse for one to commit evil deeds. In the novel Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, written by Robert Louis Stevenson, a prominent doctor (Dr. Jekyll) conducts a scientific experiment in which he compounds a certain mixture he consumes and transforms into an ugly, repulsive creature (Mr. Hyde), representing the pure evil that exists within him. This novel is truly an astonishing piece of literature that consists of many components that make it a marvelous piece of literature. Not only is the symbolism fascinating†¦show more content†¦At first, all he wanted to do was isolate Jekyll and Hyde, but he had gotten addicted to the high that Hyde gives him when doing those â€Å"hidden desires†. Dr. Jekyll symbolized the good in every person and Mr. Hyde repre sents the evil persona that everyone has. The symbolism in this novel makes it interesting and meaningful. The novel further proves that the inner devil is desperately trying to escape. The terminology for Jekyll and Hyde could also be found in a dictionary. Such definitions can be found: (1)â€Å"one who has a quasi-schizophrenic, alternating phases of pleasantness and unpleasantness† (2) â€Å"a person having a split personality, one side of which is good and the other evil† and (3) â€Å"this phase refers to a person who alternates between charming demeanor and extremely unpleasant behavior†. Sigmund Freud, a controversial psychiatrist with many questionable theories, described the symptoms of schizophrenia as the â€Å"Jekyll and Hyde syndrome†. Jekyll and Hyde were two opposite personalities that made up one person. Stevenson wrote his novel on the assumption that man is made up of only two parts- the good and the evil. In the novel, Mr. Hyde was depicted as being ugly, disgusting, and much smaller than Dr. Jekyll himself. This was because his evil side (Mr. Hyde) was a smaller portion than that of the good side (Dr. Jekyll), so Jekyll wasShow MoreRelatedThe Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde1052 Words   |  5 Pagescriticized in Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Apart from being an exceptional Gothic work, Stevenson’s novella is an excellent critique of the hypocrisy that dominated the Victorian era. In his novella, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson uses the characters of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to expose the double standards and moral pretensions that governed Victorian society. Dr. Jekyll, the protagonist in Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and MrRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Where Dr. Jekyll 1163 Words   |  5 Pages(Aronson 2) Being from Edinburgh, Stevenson was surrounded with the well-known tales of the past and a history of duality in his hometown. Deacon Brodie and Dr. Knox were both from Edinburgh and both lived â€Å"double-lives†, this undoubtedly had a major impact upon Stevenson’s imagination and later his writings. (Stefan 5) â€Å"While growing up Stevenson had a friend and the son of Sir James Simpson, the developer of medical anesthesia, the two friends would â€Å"experiment† with chloroform, for the enjoymentRead MoreGood vs. Bad of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson932 Words   |  4 PagesGood vs. Bad of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde â€Å"Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde† is a novella written by Robert Louis Stevenson, a Scottish author. Written and published 1886, this novella reflects on the individual, and societal behavior during the Victorian era. During the Victorian era people, were supposed to behave like a normal person. Certain behaviors were highly restricted for example, showing evil. Instead, they were expected to give respect for everyone. People who acted out against the norm duringRead MoreDr Jekyll And Mr Hyde Analysis1709 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"All human beings are commingled out of good and evil.† Robert Louis Stevenson was no fool when it came to understanding the duality of human nature evident within mankind. In his novella, the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Stevenson is able to explore his interests concerning the dark, hidden desires that all human beings are guilty of possessing. In his story, a well-respected professional by the name of Dr. Jekyll experiments with the idea of contrasting personalities and successfullyRead MoreThe Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde1186 Words   |  5 Pagesself-discovery and individuality to provoke new views of social norms. Three authors stick out as the pioneers of dualism: Robert Louis Stevenson, Oscar Wilde and Charlotte Brontë. Stevenson wrote a story to tell his audience that having a secondary life strictly for pleasure can destroy both of your lives. Wilde disagreed with Stevenson and believed that the second persona can be safe, and not affect anyone else. Brontë used her story to shed light on the secret desires of women by producing charactersRead MoreThe Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Louis Stevenson Essay1468 Words   |  6 PagesThe Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Louis Stevenson In the strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Robert Louis Stevenson makes the reader question the extent to which Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are in fact a single character. Until the end of the novel, the two personas seem nothing alike-the well-liked, respectable doctor and the hideous, depraved Hyde are almost opposite in type and personality. Stevenson uses this marked contrast to make his point: every human Read MoreThe Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde Essay1393 Words   |  6 Pages Jekyll/Hyde and Mary Reilly Comparison Final Paper The book of â€Å"The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde† was written nearly over a century ago. The fictional novella was written the year of 1885 in England, by Robert Louis Stevenson. The author wrote a gothic mystery story, told by a narrator that follows Mr. Utterson’s point of view. Mr. Utterson is the attorney of Dr. Jekyll, and his point of view comes from the outside of the home. Stevenson accomplished tremendousRead MoreDr Jekyll And Mr Hyde Analysis914 Words   |  4 Pagesnovel Dr. Jekyll Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson contains frequent situations where conflicts among the characters arise. This literary classic also has a prominent and iconic villain depicted in one of the title characters, Mr. Hyde. The general plot of the novel is as follows; Utterson, a respected lawyer, and Enfield, Utterson’s cousin, are on their weekly walk when Enfield tells Utterson about his first encounter with Hyde. During his retelling, Enfield explains how he witnesses Hyde trampleRead MoreThe Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde1126 Words   |  5 PagesAs Robert Grudin said in _______, â€Å"there is an almost tragic duality between outer and inner worlds, between the rush of experience and the immobility of awareness†. Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 novel, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, brilliantly exemplifies the philosophical phenomenon that is the duality of human nature through the 2 main characters that coexist interdependently together, Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde. According to Webster’s dictionary, the duplicity of human beingsRead MoreDuality In Dr Jekyll And Hyde933 Words   |  4 Pageslife. Duality is expressed in Robert Louis Stevenson’s book, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Which takes place during the Victorian Era. Duality was very common during the Victorian era. Many politicians and famous people during this time tried their best to hide their second li fe, which contained many secrets. Eventually, these secrets were publicly exposed, trashing their public image. The idea of hypocrisy, authenticity, and conformity contribute to evil and are all shown in the book

Listening to Podcasts in German

We discovered Annik Rubens and her five-minute Schlaflos in Mà ¼nchen podcasts first, and then it was about an hour with a Swiss-German dee-jay at jradio.ch in Zurich. (Cool to hear Schwytzerdytsch, the musics cool, but in English.) The variety of topics and sheer numbers of podcasts in German is amazing for such a relatively new phenomenon! People all around the world—including Austria, Germany, and Switzerland—are producing their own mini-radio shows on topics from art culture to porn, from daily life to rock, or world news politics. There are podcasts in German dialects and even kidspods for young listeners (Hà ¶rkultur fà ¼r Kinder). Youll find pro versions and podcasts by just plain folks. PodcastenaufDeutsch What is podcasting? Heres a definition in German: Der Begriff Podcasting meint das automatische Herunterladen von Audio-Dateien aus dem Internet. Meistens handelt es sich dabei um private Radio-Shows, die sich einem bestimmten Thema widmen. - podster.de (See the English explanation in the next paragraph.) Audio on the web is nothing new. However, das Podcasten is a new way of approaching online audio (and video). It really seems to be a good thing for language-learners. The term podcast is a play on words that mixes broadcast and iPod to come up with podcast. A podcast is a lot like a radio broadcast, but with some crucial differences. First of all, a podcaster doesnt need a real radio station. Anyone with basic recording and computer skills can produce a podcast. Second, unlike radio, you can listen to a podcast at any time and in any place. You can click on a podcast and listen to it immediately (just like streaming audio), or you can save it to your computer (and/or iPod) for later. Some podcasts require a free subscription and/or special podcast software (i.e., iTunes, iPodder, Podcatcher, etc.), but most podcasts can be heard using a normal Web browser set up for MP3 audio. The advantage of subscribing is that youll get your chosen podcast on a regular basis, just like a newsletter.  A lot of the podcasting software and services are free. You dont have to pay for anything unless you want to. The free iTunes software from Apple (for Mac or Windows) has support for podcasts and is perhaps the easiest way to subscribe to podcasts in German or other languages. How to Find German Podcasts The best way is to use iTunes or some other podcast directory. Podcast.net lists over 20 podcasts in German. Thats where I found Annik and Schlaflos in Mà ¼nchen, but shes also listed in iTunes and other directories. (Some podcasts listed under Deutsch may actually be in English, because its up to the podcaster to select the category.) Of course, there are also German podcast directories, including das deutsche Podcasting Portal - German podcasts. The iPodder.org site has a page for podster.de, but you need to download the free Juicer client (Mac, Win, Linux) to use it. You can also use Google.de or other search engines to find podcasts in German. Some Selected Podcast Sites in German Most podcasters have a Web site related to their podcasts, often with a forum for feedback and comments. Most will let you stream their MP3 podcasts, but if you want to subscribe, try one of the podcast clients such as iPodder. Annik Rubens: Schlaflos in Mà ¼nchen 3-5 minute daily podcasts1st Intergalactic Podcast Ralfs tà ¤gliche handvoll Minà ¼tchen à ¼ber einfach allesAudibleBlog.de Topics: Large variety (business, Kinder, usw.) DIE ZEIT and audio highlights (3-12 min.) from audible.deGnak Podcast Verschiedenes von Nicole Simone in Là ¼beck

I Became A High Honor Roll Student - 866 Words

There comes a time in someone’s life when certain events don’t turn out the way they expect them to. This is the story about a time in my life that I did not anticipate happening. I knew what career I wanted to pursue when I was eight years old. My parents, both being chiropractors, helped me decide what I wanted to do for a living. With the knowledge of what I wanted to do, I knew early on that I needed to perform very well academically in order to succeed. Throughout the years, I became a high-honor roll student. I never had problems studying for exams or doing the homework assigned. My parents were good at disciplining me about school. By the time I graduated in 2013, I had found a college I wanted to attend, called Grove City College. At this point in my life, everything was going according to plan. I’d graduate, receive my Bachelor’s degree, go to chiropractic college, receive my Doctorate, and start my new career. The first problem came when enrolling in a degree. There wasn’t a â€Å"pre-chiropractic† degree offered by Grove City, so I originally enrolled as a Biochemistry major, thinking that I would be taking a balance of b iology and chemistry classes. After the first day of school ended, I realized that the chemistry classes outnumbered the biology classes. I would be taking more chemistry classes than what was necessary for chiropractic school. Thankfully, after a few days, I switched to Exercise Science. I felt that this degree gave me a more hands-on experience.Show MoreRelatedGrade Level Or Perform Basic Math Operations1093 Words   |  5 Pagescan tell you how to operate any form of modern technology. I noticed so many high school students facing the same issues so it propelled me to dive deep into some possible reasoning as to why it is a recurring problem. I decided to pick an elementary school that had been around for at least 15+ years and had seen both bad and good years. In other words, a school that had passing and failing grades from the state since they had been around. I chose S. A. Hull Elementary because of the urban neighborhoodRead MoreThe Theory Of Social Disorganization893 Words   |  4 Pagesperson physical and social environments are what causes their behavioral choices. This means that if a person is placed in a neighborhood where there is a high crime rate, or the neighborhood is not dynamic, this can cause them to participate in such crimes, or make the wrong behavioral choices within the youth. In the rural poor communities with high crime rate, children who are not supervised or are not giving rules, are likely to participate in juvenile crimes. Merton’s anomie theory can best be explainedRead MoreMy Adversities Give my Life Purpose899 Words   |  4 PagesMy adversities are the catalysts to the enhancement of my virtues in life. I believe that my life is constricted with great purpose. A purpose that has caused the hardships I have endured to be the core of my considerably various achievements, opened a door for me to support others and gave me the hope of an influential and resourceful future. When I was four years old, I was diagnosed with high myopia, an eye condition that causes severe nearsightedness. Three years after my diagnosis, My hospitalRead MoreMy Experience At Middle School983 Words   |  4 PagesI was in middle school which was 5th to 8th grade, I had multiple adjective to describe my experience in middle school. While in Middle School, it was a struggle which has stayed as an adult. For I am always looking at myself seeing all the flaws in my features, in addition when family members and/or friends state my beauty features, I will brushed them off by stating the negative. Until recently, I was able to overcome my inability of reading in public and/or to my peers. As my cousin passed awayRead MoreMy Life On The Eastside Of Oklahoma City960 Words   |  4 PagesLuther King Blvd. I grew up in a one story house with my mother, my older brother and sister, my grand-father and grand-mother, and on some occasions, my uncle would come stay with us as well. The h ouse belonged to my grand-parents, which coincidently was the home that my mother and uncle also grew up in. It only contained three bedroom with two of them belonging to my grandparent who slept separately. Early on I shared a room with my mother and my older siblings. As I grew older, I frequently madeRead MoreMy Experience At Middle School907 Words   |  4 PagesIn middle school, 5th to 8th grade, I endure multiple adjective to describe my experience in middle school. While in Middle School, I struggle with my appearance which has stayed as an adult. For I always look at myself and all the flaws in my features, as my family members and/or friends state my beauty features, I will brushed them off by stating the negative feature I visually observe. Until recently, I’ve overcome my inability of reading in public and/or to my peers. As my cousin passed awayRead MoreMy Life After The United States1273 Words   |  6 Pagesfeel about leaving their whole life behind in their native country? Well, I should know, since I am an immigrant who has migrated from The Dominican Republic to the United States. A lot of people do not know how difficult it is for people to leave their countries, it has been five years since I came to the United States. The situation was very hard for my family and I. Since I was 2 years old, I have lived with my father, but I have always been really close with my mother. My father and my grandmotherRead MoreMath Is More Than It All Demands Analytical Thinking1579 Words   |  7 Pagesand in life. Growing up, I sat in the back of the class, barely speaking a word to anyone. Though I seemed to lack the confidence gene, I excelled on my own. My work spoke for me. My mom always tells me how I’d come home from first grade and I’d immediately sit at the kitchen table and finish my homework before dinner. I did that every day after school until graduation. School requires hard work, especially when it came to physics and calculus, but I enjoyed the challenge. I never feared asking forRead MoreMy Motivation For Becoming A Health Care Professional1061 Words   |  5 PagesI have had a variety of experiences that contributed to my overall motivation to become a health care professional. My passion for medicine began when I was an adolescent being evaluated and taken care of by my pediatrician, Dr. Gonzalez. As a kid, I loved being active and playing several sports. However, I consistently had shortness of breath, wheezing, and tightness in my chest during my sports compe titions, which my parents quickly noticed. I visited Dr. Gonzalez who knew from the symptoms andRead MoreThe World Of Reading And The English Language1983 Words   |  8 Pagessmall obstacle never stopped me from learning how to read or even from reading at all. Now that I am eighteen years old, I have a big love for reading. Reading is a virtual escape that allows me to jump into many alternate universes. My journey to the world of reading and the English language was not a smooth one, but it turned out to be a rewarding experience. Throughout my years in elementary school, I resided in Miami which obviously has a big Hispanic population. There are people who speak Spanish

Materiality Concept as Applied in Wesfarmers Ltd 2015 Report

Question: Write report on materiality concept as applied in wesfarmers ltd. Answer: Abstract Materiality concept is discussed at large in this study. There are different instances that have been elaborated to enable easy understanding of this concept. The various places where materiality is applicable have also been looked into details and relevant examples have been given. Different firms including security firms and governmental firms have been given a cross-check on the materiality concept. A financial report for Wesfarmers Limited for the 2015 financial year is basically used as the case study. Using the 2015 financial report for Wesfarmers Limited provided, an analysis has been done to establish how the materiality concept has been applied in the preparation of the report. The International Standards regarding financial reports have also been examined on the basis of International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB). These standards have also been looked into details to examine their application on the Wesfarmers Limited 2015 Annual Financial Report (Carlile, Nicolini, Langley, Tsoukas, 2013, p.312). Various methods of establishing materiality have also been examined and various omissions and misstatements that occur in context to materiality concept. The various problems that are often are associated with materiality are captured in this study. The transformation of these problems in the Wesfarmers Limited 2015 annual report is also checked with their implications. The relationship between materiality employed in the Wesfarmers 2015 Annual Financial Report and the provision of the International Accounting Standards Board is given a close comparison. Conclusion based on the study that was undertaken is provided at the end of the study to enable one to quickly identify the basic focus of the study. Introduction Materiality is a term that is mostly associated with the financial institutions. Materiality is measured based on the nature and the size of the item or information in question. This concept is applicable when selecting items to be included when making a financial report. When material items are included in the financial report, the report will appear easy and well composed to use by the investors and other users. Wesfarmers Limited is an Australian Industry based in Perth, Western Australia. Wesfarmers Limited is a conglomerate industry, combines a number of corporations. This company was initially established as a co-operative to offer services and merchandize to the Western Australian farmers. It operates on chemicals, fertilizers, mining of coal, industrial and safety products (Eilifsen, Messier Jr, 2013, p.67) Wesfarmers conform to the requirement of AASB to release an annual financial report based on their operations. The Australian government formulated AASB in 1991 to set standards that are to govern Australian corporations and entities. AASB formulate standards and frameworks that govern the preparation of a financial report preparation for all Australian corporations, entities, and companies. Internationally, a body known as International Accounting Standards Board was formulated to provide frameworks and standards that have to be conformed to when preparing a financial report. All these standards AASB and IASB have their basis of the concept of materiality. Wesfarmers Limited also complies with all these standards to ensure they prepare a standard financial report that will not raise arguments and debates. Overview of Materiality Concept Materiality of an item or information is usually based on size and nature of such information or item. Materiality concept is an aspect of accounting where trivial matters are not disclosed in a financial statement and all important matters are disclosed. Example of Materiality based on Nature For instance, a company planning to base its operation in some geographical landscape would need to inquire about such section. If the company realizes that this segment had been a source of revenue to the company then, the information about this section of landscape would be noted in the financial report. Example of Materiality based on Size In 2015, Wesfarmers Limited had a net profit of $ 2,440million after tax. If it happens another company owed $23 to the company, the debt would, thus, be considered immaterial and would not be included in the report. The Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB) requires that financial statements for a particular company should disclose all the material information. AASB 1031 (paragraph 8) materiality standard identifies that consideration should be made regarding materiality as this is useful to various financial statement users (Schlesinger, Libby, Geiszler, 2013, p.31). According to the Corporations Act 2001, the financial statements presented by a given organization should be true and fair. This implies that the information presented in the financial report should not contain any material omissions or misstatements as that would influence the reasoning of a financial statement user such as an investor. The Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB) defines omissions or misstatements of items are material, if they could, individually or collectively, influence the economic decisions that users make on the basis of financial statements (Anderson, Doxey, Geiger, Gist, Janvrin, Polinski, 2016, p.125). In 2015, Wesfarmers Limited had a net profit of $ 2,440million after tax, if for example; a loss of $2million was made in the same financial year 2015. The procedure for calculating materiality of the loss is as follows; determine the base figure, the amount whose materiality is to be established is calculated as the base figure. If the percentage is equal to or more than 10% of the base figure, the amount is considered to be material. On the other hand, if the percentage is equal to or less than 5%, the amount in question will be deemed as immaterial. The net profit of $2,440 million is used as the base figure in this example. The loss would be disregarded since it only represents 0.082% of the net profit. The loss would, therefore, be considered to be immaterial since it will not have much effect on the decision-making of Wesfarmers Limited way-forward towards the 2016 financial year statement. A value that is between 5% and 10% will need the judgment of the account to whether it i s material or immaterial. Under such circumstance, the judgment of the auditors would be sought to decide whether to consider the item as material or immaterial. Problems of Materiality Materiality as studied is applicable in preparation of a standard financial report. However, applying this concept of materiality is always associated with some challenges. AASB 101 standards, paragraph 7 states that the materiality of an item may vary greatly depending on several factors which may include the size and nature of the omission or misstatement in the financial statement. The variance in materiality may be often associated with some problems or challenges. Some of the problems associated with materiality may include; Problem of Inaccurate Data Materiality always involves inclusion of important information and exclusion of material that is considered immaterial. However, at times the data that is included on the financial report may be incorrect; this will means that the users of the financial report will base their decision on incorrect data. Materiality cannot therefore help Wesfarmers Limited to establish whether the figures that are given in the report are the actual figures (Gaylord, 2014, p.123) Problem of Misstatements At times the auditors, of Wesfarmers Limited may make omission of information that is crucial for the users of their financial report. It may also happen that they dont include some amount that was to be included. Such misstatements may cost Wesfarmers Limited as this information is vital for the continuity of the business. The investors and other financial statement users might lack a point where to base their decisions. Languages of Disclosure IASB and AASB describe disclosure on materiality in their standards. The language used in writing the standards may sometimes not be very much clear to the preparers and auditors of the financial report; this may result into some vital information missing out in the financial report. In some instances, analysts may complain that some useful information for economic decisions is missing. This is because such information is not specified in the standards (even though standards clarify entities and firms need to disclose additional information that may be necessary to achieve the objectives a basic financial report). The language used by IASB/AASB standards may, therefore, not be easily understood by the analysts of Wesfarmers Limited. Use of inappropriate Judgment Level This has been a problem to the firms for quite some period of time. Large entities like Wesfarmers Limited will always tend to comply with what the International Standards such as IFRS state about unleashing a financial report. This has lead to such firms disclosing everything that IFRS specifies without regarding the materiality or understandability of such information. These firms claim they want to avoid arguments that may arise between users, auditors, regulators etc. Inappropriate level of judgment therefore arises among the preparers of the financial reports (Acito, Burks, Johnson, 2015, p.321). Materiality of an Item It is always a challenging task for the auditors of Wesfarmers Limited to decide on whether an item is material or not. At times, an item that one auditor may consider to be material may be considered immaterial by another auditor thus a confusion may arise. Basing on the auditors own judgment on the materiality of an item, decision on the materiality of an item needs critical thinking. Materiality concept is not well-handled with the existing IASB/AASB/IFRS standards and frameworks. Therefore, most audits for financial reports tend to depend much on the quantitative and qualitative judgment of the financial auditors of Wesfarmers Limited and even other related companies. A project on materiality needs to take into account the cause of inability, difficulty, or reluctance to use judgment. However, International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) is the process of introducing more standards that will help to guide the professionals on how to deal with the materiality concept. This will help about the problems of unclear languages of disclosure that has been making auditors leave out important information. Evaluation of Materiality Materiality concept is crucial for all decision-making processes and it is necessary to understand and put into practice the General Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). In order to measure the level of materiality of item or information, a contextual qualitative and quantitative analysis is always done to such provisions. The following factors are important for Wesfarmers Limited when evaluating the materiality of an item or information; Environment or Surrounding One needs to observe their environment /surrounding when evaluating the materiality of an aspect. Therefore, the preparers and auditors of financial report need to look at the prospect economical, environmental, social surroundings before establishing the materiality of an item. Rank of information or an item An item or information in this context is the specific thing whose materiality is to be determined. The ranking refers to how much value Wesfarmers Limited attaches to the information or item. The more important issues are considered more material than those that are less crucial. Priority is, thus, given to the items or information that much value is attached. The concept of materiality postulates that when unleashing financial reports, very important information is included in the statement while the less important information is disregarded or omitted in these reports. On the aspect of omission, some misstatement might also occur resulting in inaccurate judgment basing of the financial report users. These misstatements may inconvenience the decision of the financial report users. It is, therefore, necessary that these misstatements be taken good care of. The obvious causes of these misstatements may be; Lack of accuracy in collecting data. Disregarding disclosure of an important information. Variation in the amount, description or grouping of the financial report. Materiality is determined without regarding the degree of inherent uncertainty that is involved in measuring different aspects. This concept is usually applicable in two steps; Strategizing the approach This involves setting on how to carry out a detailed materiality test. Preliminary materiality is acquired and divided into portions. These portions or segments are known as audit segments. Evaluation of the results Here, the results are cross-checked. Total value errors are identified for every edit segment of the preliminary materiality. Comparisons are then made of the total value of error with the level of preliminary materiality. Materiality Establishment Materiality establishment is an involving stage of financial report statement. Wesfarmers Limited tends to establish materiality by planning the whole financial audit process into audit phases (Carlile, Nicolini, Langley, Tsoukas, 2013, p.355). When the preliminary materiality at a lower level than necessary is determined, the risk that within the financial audit engagement to be effectuated an additional activity of audit collecting evidence is determined. When the materiality establishment is at a higher level than it should actually be imposed, then, it implies that the risk of not identifying some significant errors is determined (Hsu, Lee, Chao, 2013, p.124). Comparing the materiality, and the level of the audit risk, there is always an inverse proportion report. That is, a higher material level implies a smaller audit risk and vice-versa. The estimated value of errors can be calculated as; Approximated value of errors = Errors in the Sample x Total value of the analyzed Total Value of the Sample amount (of the audited account) However, these audit risks can be diminished. In order to achieve this, the auditors and financial statement preparers tend to; Reduce the risk of external non-detection by modification of the background control. Attenuation of evaluated risk by making an erroneous presentation. Here, some extended test controls are carried out. Relevance of Materiality Employed in Wesfarmers Limited Annual Report In order to meet IASB and AASB standards, materiality as a concept was applied in making the 2015 financial report for Wesfarmers Limited. Non-material information was disregarded while the material information for use in decision by the financial statement users was included. The basis of Wesfarmers 2015 Annual Report is as follows; Wesfarmers Limiteds financial report has been prepared on the basis of historical cost except for a few financial assets and liabilities measured at a fair value. Wesfarmers Limiteds financial report has been compiled in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards and other pronouncements of the Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB) and the Corporations Act 2001. The 2015 financial report for Wesfarmers Limited is outsourced and released following the Financial Reporting Standards and framework that was administered by International Accounting Standards Board. In context with basic provisions of AASB on materiality, the following aspects were employed by the auditors of Wesfarmers Limited in preparing the 2015 Annual report; Separation of material items It is a provision of AASB that material items or information of different types be presented differently in the financial statement. The categorization is based on the nature and size of the material items or information. In the financial report released by Wesfarmers Limited, different items and information were categorized according to their nature. For instance, there is a category known as Auditors Remuneration (pg.129), Director and Executive Disclosures (pg.133). The information is categorized according to their nature. The earnings of each individual employee is clearly stated and each amount is classified on what it actually represents e.g. share based on capital, retirement benefits. Disclosure There are standards provided by the AASB that should be disclosed by a company. The provisions of AASB that should be disclosed are; The weighted average number of ordinary shares used as the denominator in calculating basic and diluted Earnings Per Share (EPS) and a reconciliation of these denominators to each other. Amounts used as numerators in calculating basic and diluted Earnings per Share (EPS) and a reconciliation of profit or loss. All these information is provided in the 2015 financial report released by the auditors of Wesfarmers Limited. There is a provision of Executive Remuneration and EPS over the past years presented (pg. 133). These are necessary provisions that are required by AASB due to the quantity and quality of their materiality. Interval of Financial Reports AASB requires that all the entities and companies based in Australia should provide a financial report annually. Wesfarmers Limited provides an Annual Financial Report, thus, Wesfarmers Limited is complying with the requirements of AASB on the frequency of recording a financial report. An annual financial report summarizes all transactional reports that were carried out by Wesfarmers Limited for a single financial year (Legoria, Melendrez, Reynolds, 2013, p.101). Materiality is essential when executing an approved audit plans provision and helps in making conclusions of a financial audit. When materiality is applied while making a financial report, the report will appear to be well composed as only important details will be included. Otherwise, the report would have seemed huge to prepare and even the users and investors would lack the courage to use it as it would be containing a lot of unnecessary data. When unleashing a financial report, material items are included while the immaterial ones are disregarded or omitted. However, at times, a number of misstatements might take place. These misstatements can be categorized as either likely misstatements or known misstatements (Carey, Potter, Tanewski, 2014, p.113). The misstatements as a result of misapplication of financial accounting principles are the known misstatements while the likely misstatements are those that arise as a result of overlooking or misinterpretation of data. Such misstat ements may cost the Wesfarmers Limited since the financial report users will base their decision on false data or information. Conclusion The all study was primarily based on materiality concept and its employment in making the financial report of Wesfarmers Limited 2015 Annual Financial Report. It is depictive that materiality is greatly deployed in the report and materiality proves to be an important factor of consideration when preparing a financial report. Materiality comprises of expressions of materiality and it expresses the maximum error level that is admissible of the data that is given in a financial statement. This is significant in avoiding the possibility of the users decision being affected. Materiality also constitutes essential elements in decision-making process in financial audit in the planning phase. On the decision on materiality of information, most auditors tend to base the materiality of an item on their own judgment and experience. These auditors rarely try to adopt innovative methods to obtain materiality. It is, thus, advisable that ample statistical methods to be applied in accounting for decision-making on the materiality of an item. In circumstances where guidelines for materiality is not applied in making decisions, qualitative and quantitative methods are often in determination the position of the accountant on materiality in decision making. Qualitative approach may include the accountants own decision or view which may be based on past experiences and the quantitative method may be based on historical financial and non-financial data of the organization. References Acito, A., Burks, J. J., Johnson, W. B. (2015). 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