English Literature Essay Example for Free

English Literature Essay Hannam University Department: English Language and Literature. Degree: Masters of English Language Literature. Title: The Kite Runner: The novel presents the story of a country and people in turmoil. An abridgment of a THESIS Presented to Professor Kim Ilgu, the Faculty of the Department of English Language Literature of the Hannam University in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Masters of English Language Literature. By Uttam Mallick Student ID: 20114012 An brief overview of Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner—Stories Views on education: Khaled Hosseini is an Afghan-born American novelist and physician. He is a citizen of the United States where he has lived since he was fifteen years old. Khaled Hosseini is the first Afghan-American writer to publish a work of fiction in English in the United States. The Kite Runner is Hosseini’s first novel, and his book has achieved a significant amount of success since its publication in 2003-now in its seventeenth printing with over 1. 4 million copies sold-and has repeatedly appeared on the New York Times Best Sellers List over the last three years. Even though bookstores and libraries have been inundated with literature about Afghanistan and Iraq, none appear to have achieved the same amount of recognition or success as The Kite Runner. Since the nineteenth century, critics have called into question the literary merits of sentimental fiction for its seemingly unskilled rhetoric and inauthentic sentiment. Although the aesthetic purpose of sentimental literature has been repeatedly trivialized by literary critics, sentimental imagery, language and themes have been effectively utilized by various authors in the past to critique controversial social, historical and political practices of the times, such as slavery in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852), and continue to be effectively utilized by contemporary authors, such as perceptions of Afghanistan and its people in Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner. To complete my final thesis, I will use books and reviews or published by scholarly journals as well as major and minor newspapers to analyze the popularity of the novel, including its literary strengths and weaknesses. I will try to use my own knowledge and criticism about the country and people in turmoil. Some scholarly articles on Afghanistan published shortly after 9/11 will be used to provide a social and historical context for Hosseini’s novel. Lastly, I will use both scholarly articles and books to explain the concept of â€Å"sentimentality† and â€Å"emotional narratives,† and their cultural importance, which will help me further articulate my critical approach to Hosseini’s text. Source of Data: For the research must be my own idea with some paper secondary data will be used.

Structural functionalism from a post modern perspective

Structural functionalism from a post modern perspective Jay, Lara and their children would be considered as a family. It is in examining the institution like the urban family and its wide range of issues and other intricate social arrangements where sociologists do most of their theorising. In sociology there are three broad areas of sociological study structural functionalism, symbolic interactionism and conflict theories (including feminism and postmodernism) but for the purpose of this paper structural functionalism will be looked at and critiqued by a post modern perspective in terms of the context of Jay and Laras family. Structural Functionists would observe the role the family provides and the purpose that they perform. In investigating the different parts of societys structure in relation to others, functionalists look at how different institutions contribute to the continuation and survival of the social system as a whole. The family operates in a society characterised by rules and these rules are ordered and reoccurring and these relationships occur throughout societies and can therefore be put under scientific rigor and testing in terms of a positivist quantitative outlook and this can be considered almost universal in application. So in simple terms the institution of the family contributes to socialisation of new members of society as this is the rule or function the family provides to society. Parsons (1951) argued the family plays a number of roles in socialisation of individuals. Two roles being key in Jay and Laras case are the socialisation of children into suitable values and norms. The other key point Parsons makes is the stabilisation of the adult personality through marriage which helps to cushion parents from the stresses and strains of day to day life. (These ideas will be discussed further later in terms of criminological theory). Jay and Lara are therefore the primary socialisers of their children. They are (perhaps unwittingly) passing along a belief that crime does pay if Jay is to continue to offend and move back into selling drugs, also that it is usual to carry a knife to protect yourself in their neighbourhood. It would also suggest that the family as a buffer to stresses and strains is perhaps one more characterised by conflict than harmony as originally suggested by Parsons. Parsons theory has very little argument as to what makes a family dysfunctional and other family pathologies or to recognise a family different from the nuclear American dream family of the 1950s era. Norms of family structure have changed overtime, and these changes in families can be thought of as the move toward a newer post-modern idea of family. For example, Weston(1991: 3) argues that Familial ties between persons of the same sex that may be erotic but are not grounded in biology or procreation do not fit any tidy division of kinship into relations of blood and marriage. There is increasing variation in family types. It is not that the nuclear family has been replaced it is more so a case that individuals move in and out of different family types throughout the course of their lifetime. Coontz (1992) has suggested central to these different types of families are the decline of child rearing and marriage as central defining characteristics. These define less of a persons identity and have less influence over the life course decisions and are no longer socially universal. The family is now, she suggests, characterised by greater freedoms to choose your own style of life. Leading individuals in either positive or negative directions as the family now presents less constraints to those who are a part of it. Post-modernism has tried to suggest that rather than a family serving a function in society it is more characterised by multiplicity, difference, particularity, locality, temporality, and the scattered and shifting character of contemporary social processes (Outhwaite 2002). This can account for Jays change in behaviour from a family centric one with the success of the job, which could be argued by functionalists as a success of the family socialisation to buffer Jay from stresses and strains of his local community to one where his individuality has been expressed by losing his job, and heading out for himself with no regard for his family and the outcome of his actions would have had on them which holds to be a very post modern dilemma. (put something here about the ramifications for social work from these two perspectives.) Writers and theorists with sociology disagree to the way actions of the state interfere with the family. Mclennan et al (2000) have noticed that modern families have come under state intervention more so than other periods in time. Some policy outcomes, such as the welfare state, have been seen as something that should be a function of the family rather than a function delivered by the government. Sociologists, however, do recognise that social policy can be an area which provides social change by changing individual behaviour (Wallerstein 1989). Jay and Lara and their family are affected directly by these policies but this paper shall look at family and child policies and how they affect social work and the family unit. During the past 10 years there have been a lot of changes in government policy regarding children and families. With the introduction of every child matters (HM Treasury 2003) which outlines how this agenda will restructure current services with multidisciplinary working and better information sharing, it also details how early intervention should be concentrated on. The ideas set out in every child matters suggests that early intervention is more cost effective and early prevention is possible because of the vast knowledge about risk factors and the negative impact these can have and that parenting is vital. The report also suggests that services such as social work fail to intervene in a positive way because they lack accountability and have not been sharing information well. The states policy is therefore one of a more active interventionist role in relation to children and their development. The sure start programme being an example of this and has been directly mentioned in the Conservative party Manifesto paying for more than 4500 new sure start workers and refocusing onto early intervention once more (Conservative Party website 2010). A further focus of Policy over the past 10 years has been to look at the role of parents. Parents have been suggested as the background for changes in anti-social behaviour and social exclusion. The state has also increased its role in parenting support asking local authorities to develop a parental support strategy and employ a single commissioner of parenting support services (family and Parenting Institute 2009). Further to this the Government committed itself to getting rid of child poverty by 2020 and halving it by 2010 (Conservative Party website 2010). This is due to the evidence from studies such as the millennium cohort study which followed 16 000 children and noted a difference in child performance based on socio economic status. Parents have also been called to be more involved with their Childs education including the hard to reach (Reynolds, 2006). This message is echoed in the Childrens Plan (2007) which states, Parents support for their childs learning is an essential foundation for achievement. Parents told us they want to be more involved in their childrens education, and schools see the benefits of greater engagement with parents (Department for Children, Schools and Families, 2007a, p53). To achieve this, direct transfers to families through benefits and tax credits have increased, focusing particularly on low-income families in employment. These have been accompanied by measures aiming to raise the employment rate among parents. Lone parents have been singled out as a target group for welfare reform, alongside measures to improve childcare availability and affordability. There has also been a major expansion in maternity leave provision, along with the introduction of the right for parents to request flexible working, in an attempt to make it easier for parents to balance work and family responsibilities. The final section of this report focuses on shifting family forms and family relationships, and the states role in helping couples to stay together and to parent their children after separation. Many challenges still remain in family policy, such as: integrating adult and childrens services to meet families needs; ensuring families have access to both good universal services and specialist ones; achieving child poverty targets; and creating real choice for parents in how they balance paid work and family responsibilities. The changes of the past 10 years have taken place against a background of national economic prosperity. The current recession is imposing new challenges on both families and public services, and even if the recovery is quick, the context for the next decade will be one of high public debt. It can be seen that the current conservative government hold that the family function is on that needs to be upheld. The previous labour government taking a more liberal (postmodern) view and less moral overtone to the ideas of family as can be seen with the policies introduced pre conservative government such as a focus on tax breaks and increasing resources being moved to low income families regardless of their married or unmarried status. With the new administration it may be argued that a more functional view of the family situation will be adopted where the ideal of the nuclear family as suggested by Parsons (1951) will be supported. The role of the social work will be therefore to protect these family institutions. Interestingly in light of the recent review of child protection after the Baby p case Henricson (2007) pointed out there was too much focus on structures and procedures and less emphasis on well trained social workers and other professionals with appropriate caseload s. Allowing them to fully understand the family situation and use their professional judgement in a more appropriate way. In reality practice is however fraught with resource limitations and need to provide help to those already in crisis rather than early intervention. In Building Britains Future the Prime minister promises a move from a system based primarily on targets and central direction to one where individuals have enforceable entitlements over the service they receive (Prime minister 2009, p18). This could have a great impact on Social Work services and service provision

Analysis of learning theories

Analysis of learning theories Education is very dynamic, and new initiatives, focuses and theories are constantly being introduced with the collective aim of enhancing both teaching and learning. The foundations of most educational theories appear to be behaviourism and subsequently constructivism according to Woollard (2010). As a result, this assignment will focus primarily on these two learning theories. I aim to compare and contrast behaviourism and constructivism with regards to their impact on teaching and learning. Focusing on three areas of the curriculum, I shall also consider how both behaviourist and constructivist approaches are applied and consequently the impact on an individual childs learning. Throughout the assignment I will make considerations for my own teaching and conclude with the implications on my personal philosophy. During my time in school I have had the opportunity to observe a teacher in year two and as a result I was able to analyse theory being put into practice. The individual child I have chosen to focus on is aged six and is in year two. For anonymity purposes I shall refer to the child as Child A throughout this assignment. Child A is not recognised as having special educational needs (SEN), but she is currently working at a level 1b which is considered to be below expectations by two sub levels in all core subjects (National Curriculum n.d., online). Taylor and Mackenney (2008) explain how several theorists have contributed to behaviourism, which have influenced teaching and learning in classrooms today. According to Taylor and Mackenney (2008), Skinner and Pavlov are the major contributors to behaviourism, therefore due to restricted word count, this assignment will focus on their work with regards to behaviourism. Davis and Sumara (2006, p.113) state that the work of Piaget is acknowledged as the major influence on constructivism and in turn is prominent within contemporary discussions of curriculum and pedagogy research. This assignment will focus primarily on Piagets stage theory of development. The stage theory of maturational development offers a universal process for learning, however, similar to the behaviourist view that a law of learning can be provided, it may be too over simplistic (Sigelman and Rider 2011). Bruner (1960) questioned whether the stage theory is realistic. He suggested intellectual growth must take natural ways of thought into account. Similar to Piaget, Bruner developed stages of learning and intellectual growth, however, Bruner does not believe that the stages represent different and separate modes of thought at different points of development Bruner (2003). According to Bruner (1961), learning can be achieved at any stage of development if concepts are taught at a simple level initially and revisited with a higher degree of complexity at another time. Gardner (1992) argued against the stage theory of learning as he claimed that cognitive skills develop at different and unrelated speeds (Gardner 1992, cited in Cohen 2012, p.48). This is also supported by McInerney and McInerney (2009) as they believe that although learning does appear to develop through stages, cognitive development does not progress in the neat stages originally suggested by Piaget. Piaget did however state that although all children develop through each stage in the same sequence, they do not all develop at the same pace (Nairne 2010, p.113). Gardner (1992) further questioned Piagets theory, as like Bruner, he believes earlier aspects of learning and ways of thinking are used throughout all stages of development and can be used to support learning in new areas (Gardner 1992, cited in Pound 2006). Skinner argues children cannot be taught skills they do not naturally posses, this aspect of development is similar to that of Piagets theory of readiness as both theories imply that before learning can be achieved, the child must be at the appropriate stage of maturation (Elkind 2011, online). Davenport (2002) stated that children are capable of thinking in more advanced ways before the age of seven as Piaget believed. Piagets experiments have been questioned by more recent researchers as I shall discuss. It has been put forward that Piaget may have presented tasks in particular ways in order to get specific results. When aged four to seven year old children were asked direct questions opposed to open ended questions, their responses were less artificial (Meltzoff 2007). This could have therefore mislead children and subsequently lead to underestimating childrens level of understanding and sophistication. In turn, questioning whether developmental stages undervalue the extent to which children constantly change as they are growing up. Thus again questioning the simplicity of Piagets theory. Culture and individual differences appear to be irrelevant in Piagets theory of learning, as he believed all children are equipped to learn and develop through the same stages (Snowman et al. 2011, p.70). This was criticised by Cole (2006) as he emphasised the role of society on learning and stated that children who live in traditional societies are more attentive to adults and therefore likely to develop a more observational approach to learning, whereas children from a less traditional society, are more likely to learn through verbal instruction. He evidenced his theory by conducting an experiment involving aged 6 to ten year old children and found his results were consistent with his theory. All children can learn and succeed, but not on the same day in the same way supports this theory (Spady 1994, p.9). According to Wood (2012), Behaviourists assume that behaviour is entirely controlled by the environment and prior learning. This theory is very much on the nurture side of the nature nurture debate and as a result many experiments, the majority of which involving animals, have been carried out. The use of animals in behaviourist experiments is criticised by Robins (2012, p.36) for suggesting that animals and humans learn in the same way. Bjorklund (2011) described how humans are complex and behaviour changes of animals are instinctive, whereas human behavioural changes are due to learning. He also argues that humans are separate from animals as we are the only species with powerful intellect. The way in which we think and the technological and cultural innovations afforded by our intelligence set us apart from animals (Bjorklund 2011). The Stimulus Response theory was an attempt to discover general laws of learning (Wood, 2012). Piaget studied children and not animals, however Seltman and Seltman (2006) criticised Piagets research methods, as his theory of how babies develop was almost wholly based on his own children. This could suggest that his research samples were limited and therefore weakening validity (Robins 2012). The argument by behaviourists that behaviours are dependent upon prior learning and the environment implies that people have little or no control over their own actions Engler (2008, p.226). Popovic (2008) believes behaviourism offers no explanation for, and does not consider the possibility of behaviours being a result of mental events such as beliefs. Popovic (2008 p.87) also points out that if this was true of all learning, then we are unable to have any beliefs that we have not previously acted upon or verbally expressed, going against all sense of logic. Pastorino and Doyle-Portillo (2011, p.207) argued that Behaviourism is ignorant of the mental process, and disregards the activities of the mind, as only measureable and objective behaviours are regarded as learning. Put simply, if no explicit change in behaviours take place, then no learning has occurred. This strongly suggesting only quantifiable displays of knowledge are valid and any mental process is meaningless (Mingers 2006, p.11). Although in general, a change in behaviour is a result of learning, it may not always necessarily be the case (Lefrancois, 2006). Lefrancois (2006) offers an explanation as he describes how losing a hand modifies behaviour and states that the loss itself is not learning. He believes a person may learn to compensate for the loss of their hand by learning new skills, therefore changes in behaviours does not necessarily result in improved learning. One must question how children are able to solve problems without the trial and error method deemed essential by behaviourists, as Bandura (1977) suggests that observational learning and mental processes both contribute to development, as children learn by imitating behaviours and noting mentally the possible consequences of their own behaviours. Behaviourists believe that the teacher is responsible for all learning and as a result are in charge'(Huerta 2007, p.36). It may be argued that children will not be encouraged to work and learn independently, and creatively, therefore individuality and discovery will be nonexistent (Overall, 2007). Denby (2012, P.136) supports this by claiming that children are passive learners and purely learn what they are fed by the teacher. Palmer (2001) explains that simply teaching is not sufficient learning and supports her argument by stating Einsteins teachers did not teach him that e=mc ² (Palmer 2001, p.41). This thought provoking quote supports the need of discovery and independent learning. Palmer suggests purely acquiring knowledge which is taught and from prior experience, is not true learning. Piaget (1972), was also opposed to this theory as he suggested that teaching should not place emphasis on the passing on of knowledge and that children learn by discovery as they are naturally curious and well motivated to learn (Piaget 1972, cited in Kail and Cavanaugh 2012, p.124). He also believed that children should respond to their own curiosity and that education is making creators and not just resembling another adult (Piaget 1972, cited in Davenport 2002). As previously mentioned I have observed three separate lessons in year two and have been able to witness theory being put into practice. These lessons included Mathematics, Literacy and Science. Each lesson followed the same structure in which they began with a clear lesson objective and steps to success, with all the children on the carpet, developing on to the task and concluding with a plenary. The children appeared to be familiar with the structure of the lessons and due to the lesson objective and success steps, were aware of what they could expect from the lesson and in turn what was expected of them. Most children can learn curricular skills when the concepts are broken down into little steps and in the classroom a clear Learning Objective and Success steps would achieve this (Slavin 2000). This suggests that the childrens abilities to complete a learning objective gives a clear indication of what children do and do not know (Deiner 2009, p.121). This lesson structure appeared to be a behaviouristic approach to teaching as the lesson was broken down into small steps, however it may be criticised for discouraging spontaneity and not allowing for individuality if all the children are required to follow the same sequence (Curzon 2004, p.157). Some teachers do not care for the child who gives answers which do not comply with predetermined correct answers, which could be seen as inhibiting learning and development and promoting conformity (Sarsani 2005). A quantity of children are unable to work in an unstructured environment as they are reliant on consistency and the continuity and structure allow children to feel safe and secure (Tassoni 2002, p.238), which is, according to Maslow (1970), a basic need in order to learn effectively. During the literacy lesson of which I observed, the teacher read a story to the whole class on the carpet and afterwards dictated to the children the differences between thoughts and feelings. The teacher then asked the children to independently write down examples of thoughts and feelings offering a sticker for good examples. Although the children were being active, this appeared to be a behaviouristic approach as the children were told the information and worked alone with an extrinsic incentive. Child A failed to write any ideas on her board and as a result did not receive a sticker. The teacher may have interoperated this as Child A not understanding the task or having any ideas, when in fact, she may not have been confident in writing her suggestions or quick enough to complete the activity. Perhaps the children could have worked in pairs to discuss ideas and have the lower ability (LA) children paired with a more able child. If children have the opportunity to work with other children who are at a different cognitive level, they are likely to be encouraged by the more mature child, therefore advancing to higher understanding of the material (Wood 2008, online). As previously mentioned, the children were offered a sticker as a reward for completing their work. Kohan (1993) states that offering extrinsic rewards will reduce intrinsic motivation, which according to Piaget (1970) children are self motivated therefore extrinsic rewards are not necessary (Piaget 1970 cited in Groark and Eidelman 2011, p.40). Child A failed to complete the task and as a result she was upset because she did not receive a sticker. Slavin (2000) criticises offering rewards for completing work as it may lead to children only completing any task if a reward is given and suggests the emphasis should be on the process of learning and not the end product. Slavin (2000) continues to explain how the children may not always complete a task, but they have developed their knowledge and understanding through the process. I feel this is particular constructivist view of learning is very important for my own teaching practice, as it is important to recognise individual achievement which is likely to differ highly between children. Something which is taken for granted for one child, may be a big accomplishment for another. Following on from this, the children were then set tasks involving describing characters. Child A being in the LA group, was given a worksheet with a list of adjectives, in which she had to circle appropriate words to describe her chosen character. This was with adult support, who read out all the words and child A circled the ones she deemed appropriate. This appeared to be a constructivist approach as the adult could be said to be acting as a facilitator, however if the adult had asked Child A to attempt to read each word, rather than doing it for her, she may have improved her decoding and blending skills as well as highlighting knowledge and areas for development. The fact that Child A had to circle adjectives which were already provided on a worksheet, was perhaps not the most effective way of developing understanding, as Child A chose both evil and kind to describe the same character. This task does not necessarily demonstrate understanding. A behaviourist may argue that because Child A has circled many appropriate adjectives, she has displayed learning, when in fact she has chosen words at random or words she is familiar with. This activity could have also been made more active for the children by allowing them to study pictures and props and having to produce adjectives themselves following manipulation and assessment. As a result, a more accurate demonstration of understanding could be produced. Piaget believed children learn for themselves rather than being taught, and therefore construction is superior to instruction (Santrock 2001). Child A may be missing out on this opportunity and according to her maturational stage of development she should be focusing on physical reality and should teach herself through direct experiences (Smart 2011, p.95). The teacher could then follow on from this lesson by looking at the describing words the children came up with, and building on their prior knowledge to develop their skills by introducing alternate (more complex) adjectives and lead on to produce a descriptive sentence. Piaget believed children can build on existing knowledge in order to concrete knowledge (Brain and Mukherji 2005, p.77). The children then had a fifteen minute phonics lesson which included nonsense words. Child A struggled to decipher which words were real words which appeared to have a negative impact on her self esteem as Clark (2012, online) suggests that the latest phonics tests do more damage than good. He continues to criticise the nonsense word strategy by questioning whether it demonstrates the childrens abilities to decode words rather than their ability to understand words in context. The maths lesson I observed was the introduction of estimations and sorting. At the start of the lesson the children chanted the three times tables and Child A participated confidently. The teacher then asked individual children a times table at random and when asked, Child A was unable to give the correct answer. It may be possible that Child A had learned to regurgitate the times tables in sequence, but has not got any reasoning or logic. It may be criticised that Child A has not been allowed enough opportunities to develop a depth of understanding (Tassoni 2007). An article in TES magazine (Brettingham 2007, online) reported that the rote learning focus devised from the numeracy strategy resulted in an increase in number skills, but a decrease in problem-solving. This was also supported by an analytical report of the Rose review, as it states children need not only to learn what to study but also how to study (Baker 2009, online). More recently, school Minister Paton (2012) claimed that children will increase their confidence with their number knowledge if they learn times tables by heart and rote learning should become a fundamental part of primary education. Ward (2012, online) criticises this theory of learning as he states that lessons should focus on logic not solely arithmetic. He claims that by placing greater emphasis on children knowing pairs of numbers by the end of year two instead of year one, there is a danger of assuming the children is successful however having no sense of reasoning or calculation. Mathematics does however appear to be gearing towards rote learning as recent article in the NUT confirmed that the Government are proposing by 2014 and teaching will be more directed, with rote learning a key method of delivery (Anon. 2012, p.23). Following the mental starter children were then shown a meter stick and the teacher modelled how an estimation would be made of the board. A child was asked to stand next to the meter stick and the teacher asked the children to estimate how tall the child was. Child A gave the answer sixty meters. It could be criticised that estimation is too abstract for year two because at age six, Child A is considered to be in the pre-operational stage of development, suggesting that she should not be able to understand the concept of logic or abstract thinking Sigelman and Rider (2012). Perhaps this particular lesson or unit of work was not appropriate for Child A in relation to her developmental stage. Pollard (2012, p.18) states that teachers have to start from where pupils are in their learning. He also says the Government need to set the framework and let the teachers take control, suggesting that concepts will be more individualised to suit childrens abilities. Constructivists believe children need time to practice and master skill as Piaget stated that teachers should not try to speed up the learning process, as children can only learn at their biological maturation level and therefore understanding would be incomplete (Hill 2001). One must be concerned about the children who may not be ready to move on as well as the children who grasp a concept quickly as Slavin (2000), suggested children who learn quickly will receive less instruction than others, therefore they will be held back and have to wait for others to catch up and consequently the children do not learn as much as possible. Guskey (1982) said work should be highly individualised and differentiated and the learner should not wait for others to comprehend a concept. The final task in mathematics was sorting shapes by their properties to understand classification. Child A seemed to lack concentration and barely attempted the task. Perhaps the teacher could have chosen something to sort that was of interest and relevant to Child A so she would be self motivated as when a child is self motivated, they are more engaged and likely to further their own development (Hill 2001). Donaldson (1978) argues that children need meaningful context in order to learn and understand why they are completing particular tasks. During the science lesson the children worked in the same groups as Literacy and Mathematics, (ability groups). While grouping by abilities may be appropriate in mathematics due to wide varieties of skills and understanding, science is an opportunity for children to work in mixed abilities. Whitney and Dean (2005, p.32-33) suggest that ability groups can be damaging to self esteem and result in teachers having lower expectations of LA children. The teacher could be denying Child A the opportunity to develop and extend her knowledge as Whitney and Dean (2005, p.33) also state that less able children are often stimulated when working in mixed ability groups and the more able do not appear to suffer. One of the possible reasons for teachers not placing children in mixed ability groups could be the fear of being marked down by OFSTED inspectors claims Harris (2012, online). In this recent report by Harris (2012, online) Michael Wilshaw (2012) the head of OFSTED, claimed it is critical to have high quality mixed ability teaching, if a child with low abilities is placed next to Oxford potential. He describes the ability to teach an individualised curriculum as hugely difficult and due to a combination of low expectations and inadequate mixed ability teaching, the brightest children are failing (Wilshaw 2012, cited in Harris, 2012, online). Despite this, Smith (2006, online) argues that science education in junior schools could be transformed by mixed ability grouping pupils as children lean to be more independent and communicate better with each other(Smith 2006, online). As stated in the introduction, Child A is said to be underachieving in all core subjects. It may be fair to suggest that she has not been given the chance to develop in science and due to her below average literacy and mathematical skills, has been generalised to be underachieving in all core subjects and Eshach (2006) argues that although scientific concepts may be hard to grasp, it does not mean that children are unable to think abstractly about scientific concepts. The terms below average expectations and lower ability are used often in schools. One must raise the question as to what is deemed to be average in order to establish expectations. Egan (2012 p.98) suggests the stage of maturational development theory highly influences the expectations set by teachers and the Government, as the National Curriculum is broken down into Key Stages, and years groups are determined by ages rather than abilities. It is argued by Kincheloe (2005, p.22) that this works by a one size fits all rule, which could prove detrimental to those deemed to be below average. A report by The Department for Education (Richardson 2011, online) stated that children who are slow to develop in early primary stages fail to catch up to where they should be as they move through school. This may be supported by theories of how the brain develops as Taylor (2002, p.23) states that there can be no doubts that learning is dependent upon the speeds with which nerve messages move and are sorted within the brain therefore learning is restricted the maturity stage of a childs brain. Newberger (1997) argues that childhood is the optimum time to provide children with new knowledge as the brain continues to grow throughout childhood and due to its plasticity it can grow in response to new experiences. Through critically analysing both behaviourism and constructivism and observing applications of both theories within the classroom, I have reached the conclusion that in order to reach each child and maximise potential, approaches are used hand in hand. Despite its criticisms, behaviourism is still an important aspect of education (OHagan 2003, p.37). My researched has allowed me to consider my personal philosophy for teaching and pedagogy, and my observations have further enabled me to see the implications of learning theories and strategies on an individual childs development. Through distinguishing between practice which appears to work effectively and practice that may not, I recognise the importance of understanding the stage of development each child is at and how my teaching must reflect that as a result. I feel that having high expectations of all children, allowing children to discover, construct their own knowledge and express individuality is important, alongside encouraging individuals to share ideas and learn from one another in both ability and mixed ability groups. The most prominent aspect, which shall impact on my emerging educational philosophy as a result of all my research, is that all children are individuals and one approach to learning and teaching is not effective to ensuring children fulfil their potential.

The Fifty - First Dragon Essay -- essays research papers

â€Å"The Fifty - First Dragon†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Settings: The first setting is in a knight school where Gawaine is taught how to be a knight. It also takes place in the forest where he beheads all the dragons and is almost fooled into being eaten.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Plot: This story is about a student becoming a knight with no spirit at all named Gawaine le Coeur-Hardy. He was considered the least promising of all the pupils. The headmaster of the school thought he make better of Gawaine. He discussed about Gawaine with the Professor of Pleasaunce about how to make him more enthusiastic about training as a knight. Then they thought about training him as a dragon slayer. They knew that slaying dragons was dangerous but they knew they could find someway to trick him. The headmaster said that after Gawaine’ s training he would give him a magic word. He trained for a few months using papier-mà ¢chà © and wooden dragons using a battle-ax as a weapon. Gawaine felt that it was going to be a lot harder to behead a dragon later on. When a dragon ate the lettuce patch, they skipped his test and gave him his diploma, his battle-ax, and his magic. The magic word was Rumplesnitz. The headmaster said that if he says this word befo re slaying a dragon, he would be perfectly safe. When he goes to slaughter his first dragon, the dragon rushes towards him quickly, but he has enough time to say the magic word and he beheads the dragon. He goes out slaughtering many dr...

The American Civil Liberties Union :: essays research papers fc

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Where do you go if someone is threatening your personal rights? Do you go to the police, or maybe to the government? What if the police and government are the parties threatening your rights? All you have to do is just call the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union). Sounds like a commercial doesn't it. The ACLU blankets the United States with its legal protection. It is involved in so many aspects of the fight for civil liberties that it is difficult to cover it all. To fully understand what the ACLU has done for the United States would take much longer than I have. Therefore, I have picked a couple of incidents that, to me, exemplify what the ACLU is, and how they have affected our society. The ACLU, American Civil Liberties Union, is an organization that began the struggle to protect the civil liberties of the American people. The ACLU is defined as being a US non-partisan organization offering legal aid and other assistance in cases of violation of civil liberties.(Websters) Civil liberties contain a substantial body of law including: freedom of speech and press, separation of church and state, free exercise of religion, due process of law, equal protection, and privacy.(Walker 3) The Encyclopedia of the Constitution defines civil liberties as "those rights that an individual citizens may assert against the government." In a formal sense, the ACLU is a private voluntary organization dedicated to defending the Bill of Rights. Officially established in 1920, the ACLU now claims over 270,000 members. With offices in most of the states and the District of Columbia the ACLU justifiably calls itself " the nation's largest law firm."(Walker 4) The ACLU, despite its noble goal, has a terrible public image. The reason for such hatred or support is the fact that civil liberty cases generally involve moral and personal issues. These issues are those that incite feelings from all corners of society. The rights the ACLU is generally protecting are those segments of society that least agree with mainstream society. The ACLU has promised to protect the rights of everyone. Those rights include the free speech rights of such detested groups as the Ku Klux Klan, Nazis, and Communist. The Skokie Case is an example of the classic freedom of speech case the ACLU would undertake. This case which hit the media April 28, 1977, concerned the right of American Nazi Frank Collin to demonstrate in Skokie, IL. (Walker 323) This case like many before and after defended the rights of a person espousing one of the most universally despised ideology in the country.

A Brothers Murder Essay

In â€Å"A Brother’s Murder† by Brent Staples, found in Evergreen text book Brent Staples write’s about his younger brother, Blake, who took a very different path in life than his brother Brent did. In the beginning of the essay Brent writes that he receives a phone call that Blake has been murdered by being shot six times by a former – friend. The choices Blake Staples and his perception on life is what led to his death. It was just a matter of time before Blake either was to kill or be killed. The essay goes on to tell about the conditions in which Blake grew up. The neighborhood in which the brothers lived was violent, and young men grew into having a street life persona. Through-out Blake’s life he witnessed many situations caused by violence. Brent recalls a conversation he overheard there between two Vietnam veterans, in which one of them said how much he preferred to fight with young men from the inner city, who wear â€Å"their manhood on their sleeves. † They weren’t afraid to fight, believing that violence proved they were real men. Brent and Blake moved away from their home in Chester, Pennsylvania to escape the environment filled with violence and poverty. Whereas Brent moved to Chicago to better himself by becoming a journalist, Blake moved to Roanoke, Virginia into the same violent and drug infested environment. Blake chose his way of life by engaging and surrounding himself in negative behaviors such as drugs, guns, and gang violence. Blake’s actions provoked his death. When Brent came home to visit his brother sees that his Blake has been transformed and now hangs out with drug dealers and gangs. When Brent went to see his brother Blake in Roanoke, Virginia Brent realized his little brother was worse than when they left Chester, Pennsylvania. When Brent notices a wound on his brother’s hand, Blake shrugs it off as â€Å"kickback from a shotgun†. That he feared for his younger brother’s life and tried to talk some sense into him. Brent offered his younger brother a ticket to leave the dangerous drug infested projects and Blake refused never showing even though he said he would. My conclusion to this essay is that how two brother who faced the same struggles and who lived in the same environment can take two totally different paths in life by the choices that each of the individual’s take. Brent blames himself for his brother’s death feeling guilty and empty questioning himself what he could have done to prevent his brother’s murder and what if he intervened earlier offering him to leave the projects.

Demand Elasticity of Luxury Automobiles Essay

1. Introduction â€Å"As long as there is a society, there will always be fashion†. It was not surprised a fashion brands, especially a luxury fashion brands became a national treasure which effect the issues in business, political and social area in European countries. Since the Hermas established in 1837, a special development strategy model has formed and matured in European luxury group. Daniele de winter, the CEO of Daniele de Winter Cosmetics state that â€Å"the secret of successful fashion management is a complete blend of creative genius and business management acumen, skill and resourcefulness†. The develop strategy is the key issue for a successful luxury fashion company. With the development of economy and the increase of income, more and more luxury fashion companies expand their business into Asia- Pacific region, especially the Hong Kong and mainland China market. According to the annual report of Richemont, The Pinault-Printemps-Redoute (PPR), Hemes, Bulberry and other luxury fashion companies, the sale revenue of Asia- Pacific region accounts for more than 30% of the Group total revenue. The Change of Global Luxury Fashion Market The word â€Å"luxury† origin from Latin word â€Å"luxuria†, which means an item that â€Å"is expensive and enjoyable but no essential (Waite, 2012)†. In 186 BCE, the victory of army of Gnaeus Manlius Vulso brought such overseas luxury as bronze couches, and costly cloth spreads into Rome. For some Roman historians, the triumph of Vulso marked as the beginning of luxury industry in Europe. With the development of centres, modern luxury fashion industry has become a cross-sectors industry which offers high price goods and service for target consumers. However, in the space of two decades, the modern luxury market has changed beyond recognition. The narrow range of need and demand of target consumers and the exclusive- distribution channels, represented by French Fashion, have been replaced by a mass industry, accompanied by expansion brands with an affordable price by a wider range of consumers. Since the beginning of 1990s, the luxury industry has been recognised and restructured by designers and the fashion designers become the creator of art. According to the statistics from France Economic and Social Council in 2008 (France Economic and Social Council, 2008), with the strategy of â€Å"physical shop/ store† and expansion brands benefit seven million euros. Depending on the diversion and internationalisation, the luxury industry becomes an industry with wider consumers. For example, Hemes, managed by Jean-Louis Dumas, diversities their goods and creates new products. The French luxury manufacture gets a successful on brand art by purchasing crystal brand Saint Louis and Silversmith Puiforcat. Similarly, Richemont Family, the main competitor of French brand, also control numbers of brands, such as Carites, Baume & Mercier and Van Cleef & Arpells. The second change of luxury industry is the transformation from the handmade custom to industrial standardisation. Taking LVMH as example, there are three cores of product, as wines and spirit, luggage and leather, and fashion and perfume industry. The famous brands in luxury world, like as Moet & Chandon, Loewe, Vuitton, Givenchy, Kenzo, Dior and Guerlain, standardise the products like other heavy industries. Along with the profit-seeking financial logic, the marketing and the product standardisation become the major notion with the concept of large-scale product. In the new centre, the concept of luxury industry and the demand of consumers are changing all the time. â€Å"Heritage and Prestige† is the landmark of lots of luxury brands and the enduring value of numbers of particular brands. Comparing with the old style luxury brand â€Å"which used to be a heritage brand† (Coste-Maniere, et al. , 2012), the new concept of luxury, developed by Louis Vuitton and Burberry, means accepted by more consumers. For the occasional customers, they just enjoy the â€Å"right of luxury† in physical store against with the traditional customer-exclusive. In the new era, increasing the number of customers buy the fashion product they could afford, rather than become the royal consumer due to the high price. Consequently, emphasis of consumer need and the competitive advantage means centralising the core value and expending brand boundary simultaneously. 2. 2 The Development Strategy Model of Luxury Fashion Brand The luxury fashion brand originate in European countries which have plentiful historical and cultural background. With the development of servial centres, the luxury fashion industry in European, American and Japanese have become mature and standarlisation. Under this circumstance, the strategy of luxury development in western countries centralize on the brand expansion, striving for the core products and development of brand reputation. 2. 2. 1 Brand Expansion: the Foundational Strategy Under the press of financial-seeking strategy and the changeable of luxury market, the old style luxury fashion brand faces the challenge of development in the mature market in traditional European, American and Japanese region. Under this circumstance, the expansion of brands has become the foundational strategy for a large number of luxury fashion corporates, which offer a new opportunity to stress the brand image, the most significant assets for a luxury fashion company. (Albrecht, et al. , 2013; Uggla & Lashgari, 2012; Hoffmann & Coste-Maniere, 2012)Many luxury companies breakthrough the traditional product boundary and expensed their business into new market segmentations. For instance, Louis Vuitton, beginning with luggage, invested in other creative spheres: ready-to-wear industry as well as jewellery market (LVMH, 2012), and Gucci, beginning with leather goods, developed all sets of fashion products including leather goods, shoes, ready-to-wear, watches, jewellery and other products. (PPR, 2012). Meanwhile, there are some companies expensed segments into non-traditional area. For example, the luxury jewellery manufacture Bulgari and Italian brand Versace started to offer hotel under their brand (LVMH, 2012) and Armani provide different products from books, furniture and chocolates to restaurants, bars and spas. The another Italian luxury brand, Roberro Cavalli, famous for its fashion apparel for young generation, offer wine and vodka as well as run coffee bar (The Cavalli Caffe) and club (The Cavalli Club). 2. 2. 2 Striving for the Core: The Product Strategy For a global corporate, it is common rules of development depend on the core production or service and then diversification. However, even as diversification, the excellence core production and the strongest sectors within the luxury brands continued to earn the majority of its profits from the traditional products. (Ahrendts, 2013; Beverland, 2005; Miller & Mills, 2012). For luxury consumer, they expect to acquire a honorable brands and product so that they emphase on the value of core heritage. The leather goods, the core of Gucci Group, earn 59% of its revenue in 2012 (PPR, 2012). The iconic luggage is the tradition from the time corporate was founded and become the brand image of the LVMH Group. (LVMH, 2011) The turning of Burberry from a ageing British brand to a global luxury brand is a successful product strategy transition. Before 2006, through in a burgeoning global market. Burberry faced a low growth at a rate of 2 percentage every year and two competitors – LVMH and PPR had more than 12 times and 16 times Burberry’s sale revenue. By surving the sectors among Burberry products all over the world, the results indicate the outerwear, as the core, only accourted of 20% of Burberry’s global brand business. Figure 1: the Facts and Financial Statistics of Burberry (Resource from: Burberry, Yahoo Finance) [pic] After brainstorming and formalizing from the administrative board, the New Jersey factore which is making polo shirts was closed and invested in the Casteford factory in Yorkshire which make the heritage trech coat included traditional rainwear and exclusive waterproof gabardine. Burberry also hire Christopher Bailey as the global designer for innovation of core products. The facts and financial statistic of Burberry from 2006 to 2012 in Figure 1 showed that the decision to focus on the heritage opened up a wealth of creativity. By the end of 2012, the sale revenues and operating income had doubled than previous 5 years, achieving $3 billion and $600 billion respectively. (Burberry, 2007; Burberry, 2012) 2. 2. 3 The Brand Reputation: The Brand Strategy The brand is the most valuable part of luxury goods and the motivity of luxury consumption. Once separating from the luxury brand, the goods is the ordinary one. Every successful company sees the brand as the most valuable fortune. they use the advanced marketing logic and marketing operation to motivate the development, explore approaches to express the value and connotation of brands to luxury consumers and attract the royality of customers. As a tool of art, a carrier of history, and a spirit of classic, building-up a high quiality reputation is brand strategy for luxury companies. Since founded in 1847, Cartier, as one of the most established name in the jewellay market, is the reference of ture and timeless luxury. Designing by Cartier, the product distinguishes itself by the unique skills and excellence in design and execution. Nearly in 30 years, the extensive art activities are not competitive without the support by the Foundation Crtier pour l’Art Contemporain (Richemont, 2013). With the development of brand reputation, Cartier is the synonym of modern art and a pioneering approach. Meanwhile, most of luxury brands come from the centre of Renaissance 2. 3 The Features of Chinese Luxury Market Chinese market places the second place in the world of luxury consumption, surpassing the United States since 2008. Along with Japan, China is the strongest market with the increasing demand of 20 percentages. The consulting report from Glob Advantage estimate there are 18 thousand billionaires, 440 thousand multimillionaires and increasing the number of middle class achieving 250 million in 2015 in today’s China (Degen, 2009), which have the strong purchase power and need of luxury fashion industry. Even with the influence of the financial crisis, the sale revenue of luxury fashion in the mainland China rose by 16 percent, reaching about 64 billion RMB. The market research about Chinese market laid a foundation for the development and expansion strategy of luxury brands. The shifting attitudes to luxury brands, the greater sophistication of Chinese consumers and the new geographic markets have become the main features of Chinese luxury market. The three characteristics drive the global strategy of development for luxury brands. Figure 2. According to the survey of McKinsey & Company (KPMG, 2013), with the rapidly increase of income, more and more Chinese consumers shifts the attitude to luxury and feel comfortable to purchasing luxury products. The rich consumers which income over 300,000 RMB continued occupy the majority of the luxury purchase. Meanwhile, the statistics show that, the upper middle class (between 100,000 RMB and 200,000 RMB), which account for 22% of luxury goods purchase by the end of 2015, as the Figure 2 suggested, offers the biggest new growth opportunity. 2. 3. 1 The increasing number of overseas travel. In the information era, Chinese consumers have become more sophisticated than before. With the surge in the number of luxury stores, fashion magazine, the Web official site and the use of social media, Chinese consumers familiar with the luxury brands with the help of Internet, overseas travel, and the first-hand experience. For example, the research result indicated that in the last 12 months, the Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macro and Europe become the main destinations of overseas luxury purchase. Figure 3: Where did you purchase your cosmetics in the last 12 months? (Resource from: Global Reach of China Luxury of KPMG) [pic] 2. 3. 2 The increase of new market segmentation The rapidly growth of urbanisation and individual wealth emerge large quantity of geographic markets with sizable pools of luxury-goods consumptions. The luxury purchase and sale revenue of some medium and small cities, such as Qingdao in Shandong province and Wuxi in Zhejiang province, tripled than the previous 5 years. In the following years, the luxury consumption in these medium and small cities will achieve the same level with Hangzhou and Nanjing, the most developed market in mainland China, the sale of which will arrive at RMB 500 million yuan and account for 76% of whole market. 2. 3. 3 The increasing of Counterfeit goods Love for luxury, preference for counterfeit is a unique phenomenon in luxury consumption in Chinese luxury market. According to a report entitled â€Å"Transnational Organized Crime in East Asia and the Pacific† from Office on Drugs and Crime, almost 70% of global counterfeits luxury goods come from China and the value of counterfeit luxury goods imported into traditional luxury market on the order of $25 billion annually. In a confusion society , the luxury consumption of Chinese consumers become more irrationally than western consumer, which depended on the extenral need rather internal need (Zhang & Kim, 2013). For Chinese consumers, luxury brands are somethings â€Å"must to have† for them to reinforce their social status. however, the wealth gap between the rich and the poor in China is the largest all over the world, which offer the passion for consumption of luxury counterfeits. The young generation, aged 25 to 34 with limited budget for genuine luxury fashion goods, racked up nearly a quarter fo fake fanciers. 2. 4 The Passion for Luxury Consumption of Chinese consumers China is the second largest luxury market all over the world and attracting the attention of consumption of Chinese consumers. Under the influence of unique economic situation, cultural background and social factor, the behaviour of Chinese consumers in luxury fashion market have the distinctive characteristics. The bling factor influenced by economic situation, the saving face affected by the Confucianism and group orientation as the social factor drive the luxury consumption in Chinese fashion market. 2. 4. 1 The â€Å"Bling† Factor With the emerging of Internet, fashion magazines and social media, more and more Chinese consumers know the brands of luxury brands. However, the cultural concept and history of the luxury fashion brands are far away from numbers of Chinese luxury consumers. For many luxury fashion firms, there is not one typical luxury customer in China due to the different habits, different tastes and different income levels. The â€Å"bling† factor or following the whole market trend remains an important factor for the Chinese consumer in luxury fashion market. For example, according to luxury consumer report of Chinese market, almost 60 percent of the respondents in Tier 1 cities including Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai and other Tier 2 cities, stated that the key drivers for luxury consumption is the willingness to pay a product that just is popular or fashionable goods. Exclusivity or unique is an important understanding of luxury brand for Chinese consumption. There are about one fifth of customers consider that they will pay the luxury goods that are known and appreciated by the minority rather than the famous one. In terms of China’s unique cultural background, the Chinese consumers consider luxury brand value influenced by Confucianism. In the concept of Confucian, the notion of â€Å"mianzi† is defined as a reputation â€Å"achieved through getting on in through success and ostentation†. (Hu, 1944; Dong & Lee, 2007) The traditional cultural understanding and effecting about the face saving becomes the strongest and most conspicuous passion for luxury consumption, which means concerning about the impress to other and the visual display than the level of income. The Chinese consumer in luxury world trend to pay a premium product on the luxury brand rather than essential goods in daily life, due to strong desire and pressure of maintaining face. Taking the finding of KPMG as the example, comparing with the apparel, the stronger growth of market for fashion accessories is considerable. Nearly 40% of luxury consumers enjoy the luxury experiences and â€Å"the right of luxury† in a physical store/shop over purchases of luxury items. Overall, the face saving (saving mianzi) relates to the individual image of worth and reputation within a collectivism society. As the result, Chinese consumers are often careful not to lose face by standing out from the crowed when consuming luxury goods. The general strategy Although the market has its particular features, the development of luxury fashion strategy in Chinese luxury market is followed the general rules of luxury firms in global market. As the foundation strategy, the brand extension and production diversification also provide the base of the development in Chinese luxury market. The apparel, handbag, jewellery, fashion accessories and luxury servicers are offered in mainland China, especially in Tier 1 cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. Promoting the sale revenue of the core products in mainland China, as the product strategy, enhances the brand awareness in Chinese market. Expanding the influence, luxury fashion firms invest large amount of money to popularize the brand reputation as a simple of elegance and grandeur as well as the means of fashion and art. The marketing strategy: raising brand awareness. Due to the lower brand awareness and lack of knowledge of brand value, the royalty of brand in Chinese market is lower than its in traditional European market. The special situation provides a strong externally powerful tool, which means not only expand the value of the luxury brand into a regular group of consumers, but also sway them making a purchase. In recent year, luxury fashion firm invest increasing the number of budget into Chinese market not only promote the brand awareness, but also help the consumers inform a notion about †luxury goods and luxury lifestyle† and why they should purchase luxury goods and luxury services. The brand building-up develop based not only the advertising on hard paper and television, also included the display on luxury goods exhibition and the customised publications. Nowadays, more and more luxury fashion goods exhibition held in Beijing, Shanghai and other cities, which offer a good opportunity for Chinese consumers to visit the luxury goods frequently displayed in store. Meanwhile, more and more consumers visiting the exhibition are not an onlooker. The localisation strategy The luxury fashion brand with high brand awareness contain the European and American culture and value which is living standard of high level, the product and design of high quality. Those values accepted by and attract young generation who trend to, however, it is not accepted by all Chinese consumers who have their own value. Respecting to Chinese traditional culture and integrated it into the product value is the essential of luxury fashion business in China. For example, Louis Vuitton setting Du Juan, the one of top Chinese model all over the world, and advertising as the Chinese image step one right place on direction and help western luxury fashion companies overcome the cultural barriers. This kind of strategy could build up strong attachments among Chinese consumers and help them accepted the unique characteristic of luxury fashion brands. The pricing strategy Price is one of the most significant signals in Chinese business world. For most Chinese consumers, price represented the value of luxury fashion goods. As a result, the luxury fashion products should not go on discount, no matter what the consumer is. The pricing strategy about goods, especially about core products, could bolster a brand’s prestige. For other items, companies could adjust the price according to the market condition and the inventory in order to long-term brand building. The retailing strategy A stupendous store belongs to the luxury fashion company located in the luxury area build up a sense of important and identified by the market. The luxury fashion positioning enhanced if the boutiques are visible to a lot of consumer in major fashion cities. The landmark stores opened in Chinese Tier 1 cities, such as Beijing, Hangzhou and Guangzhou, are the best locations to building the brand image and attracting the target customer groups. The commercial centres and shopping malls in luxury area are welcomed by most of fashion lovers, luxury followers and luxury intellectuals. Meanwhile, the investment on the landmark store is the best and effective way to generate profits and build-up brand royalty. In an Internet era, shopping online has become the major shopping way, especially for the young people. Although most luxury fashion companies have shied away from online channels due to the fearing that e-commerce might reduce the value of the luxury brand. However, for a long-term return and brand building, online platform provides not only a purchase channel, but also an information exchange channel between luxury fashion brand and Chinese consumers. With the developing of GDP and individual income of consumers, the global luxury fashion market and such the emerging market as China, have become the strategic focus of luxury market researcher and the consult company. This report attempts to identify development strategy of the luxury fashion brand, especially in mainland China market through the analysis of the change of global luxury fashion brand, overview of Chinese luxury market and the passion for luxury consumption. All those factors were identified depend on a comprehensive review of luxury fashion goods related researches and market consulting reports. The findings of this study provide a new insight of global and Chinese luxury fashion market for the consumers who interests the luxury fashion brand and a clear strategy guide for market managers of the luxury fashion firms, particular in the time of the company expand their business in mainland China. In addition, the study helps reduce the risks and costs of market research and helps the company overcome the huge gap in a multicultural business environment. First, the findings about the global luxury fashion market and the general development strategy in luxury fashion market all over the world indicated that the achieving the growth while remaining exclusive positioning, and attracting more consumers without losing cachet of brand value is the core strategy for every luxury corporates. The more loyal consumers may weaken due to the popular brands launched in the market because they choose pay a premium goods that majority and identified by small group. Consequently, the balance between growth and unique, the price and quality may be tougher in China than in any other market. However, customization develops quickly as the new trend of luxury fashion industry. The customizing activities have launched in different business sectors, but which is yet adopted by the luxury industry on a board. At presents, the customization just limited on the area of fashion accessories, apparel, handbags, and jewellery, and emphasising on customizing standard products, point of delivery customization and service and producing bespoke goods. Secondly, the increasing the number of consumers, overseas traveller, new market segments and the counterfeits goods have become the main features in the Chinese luxury fashion market in recent years. The features are important of stress the benefits of investment in mainland China. Based on the research findings, International marketers should setting extension strategy that is coherent with branding, merchandising and global image by serving China’s globetrotting shoppers, striking the balance between store numbers and quality and focusing anti-counterfeit goods. For Chinese globetrotting shoppers, the customer relationship management should emphasis global view rather than on mainland China. In the view of higher management board, the corporate organisational structure of the luxury fashion company should reflect the significant of Chinese market by sorting up the processes for generating direct communication between Chinese luxury consumers and the home headquarter. Based on the new market segmentation, the luxury company should upgrade current stores and outlets in order to keep consistent with the global image and emphasis on the business in Tier 1 cities. As the market statistics indicated that the luxury counterfeit goods have become the barriers for development in China, including seizing sale revenue and weakening brand value. Luxury fashion companies should co-operate with customs officials to seize fake goods at ports. Working with international national organisation or international associations should be the third path for anti-counterfeit activities. The co-operation should ranges from such international associations as World Intellectual Property to regional groups like US-focused International Anti-Counterfeits Coalition. Thirdly, the research findings about the passions for Chinese luxury fashion consumption indicated that the â€Å"bling† customers who lack of knowledge about luxury fashion goods or just following the trend account of a part of Chinese luxury consumers. Besides that, Chinese luxury consumption deeply influenced by saving faces and group orientation, which are the part of traditional Confusion value. Targeting different drivers of luxury consumption, managers should have different strategies. For the bling customers, the global luxury firms should invest in improving the brand awareness and expanding the brand value, which could offer a global opportunity to attracting potential customers and building loyalty and repeat customer groups. For the consumers who care about saving face, International luxury fashion markers should draw the outline of visual and outward appearance of rank and status when unfolding their marketing activities. Meanwhile, the companies should emphasise the brand’s country of origin, so the Chinese consumers have the confident to identified and distinguished with other mass products. In addition, the package of luxury goods also need to be recognisable in order to fit the moderate and lifestyle associated with Chinese consumers. Furthermore, in light of the results about group orientation, the management board company should stress the profit of luxury fashion goods as a symbol of social marker and the sale assistants inspire consumer purchases because of the goods could generate a sense of group belonging and conformity of the elite. Due to the group belonging, a special attention should be given to the layout of the physical store and the luxury service of sale staff. No matter who is the consumer, friends will be involved during the decision making process and become potential consumers in the future. Proving high-quality services and creating luxury experience for non-buyers also benefit for making sure that the brand accepted by group and that the consumer does not stand out from others. Finally, about the current expansion strategy in mainland China market, most of luxury fashion companies emphasis the strategy on marking, localization, pricing and retailing coherent with the global business aims. Raising brand awareness and expressing the luxury lifestyle lay the foundation of marketing strategy. In order to respect to Chinese traditional culture, luxury brands should integrate Chinese culture and art into design, package, and store layout of products, which accepted easily by Chinese consumers in different social class. Meanwhile, the research findings indicated that the price is the most important factor which influenced Chinese luxury consumption. Luxury marketers should balance the price between Chinese market and overseas. As for the retailing strategy, the luxury brand stresses the developing of boutiques store and the setting up online distribution channels. However, there are several special attention should be given to price gap between China and overseas, and the online distribution channels. On one hand, comparing with that rarely go on discount in mainland China, the luxury fashion goods is often at a discount at overseas, especially for the non-core products and in the time of Christmas or Summer Sale. On the other hand, the high rate of tax and fees raise up the price of luxury fashion goods in mainland China. According to the law and regulations in China, a luxury fashion goods, such as the eye cream of Estee Lauder native to the UK, is imported into Chinese market with 10% import tariff, 30% consumption tax, 5% sales tax and 17% value-add tax. Including the managing fees, advertising costs and other issues, the price of the eye cream is double in the UK. In the respect of the luxury company, the appreciate discount in Chinese market could promote the desire of consumption and boost the sale revenue; in the respect of tax policy makers in mainland China, reducing the rate of import tariff and consumption tax of international luxury fashion goods could Finally, luxury fashion goods, as a subject of nature, play different or scenarios, different income level, education background, and social – economic factors, as well as exam the type of relationship that seek from luxury fashion brands. On the view of passions for luxury consumption, there are many other drivers, such as collection, appreciation, should take the consideration into further research.