Methods Used to Assess Learners Writing Ability Assignment

Methods Used to Assess Learners Writing Ability - Assignment Example As a result of their proven utility, tests as well as other standardized assessments are broadly applied in educational settings. To reap the potential benefits that are associated with tests, it is critical that they are understood completely and their strengths and weaknesses evaluated (Wall & Walz, 2004). Testing is a special way of collecting information that can be employed while making decisions about a person, a program or an organization and tests consist of items that prompt responses from a person. Testing does not comprise of the simple administration of a set of questions or tasks that have to be performed as the tests need to be scored and the results used for evaluation (Wall & Walz, 2004). Essay tests are usually considered to be more valid as compared to multiple-choice questions when measuring the writing ability of students as they have the ability of sampling a broader range of composition skills. On the other hand, variance in the scores associated with essay tests can demonstrate irrelevant factors like speed and fluency under the pressure of time or penmanship (Weigle, 2002). Multiple choice testing over-predicts the performance of minority students as far as essay testing is concerned and there is no certainty as to whether these tests have fundamentally equivalent predictive validity for candidates who are not in the same academic discipline where what they are supposed to write is not the same. The best tests that assess writing ability blend both essay and multiple-choice questions but this approach may be too expensive while the alternatives that may be relatively cheaper may have a compromising effect on the quality of the assessment. Â  

Applying Microeconomics to Business Research Paper

Applying Microeconomics to Business - Research Paper Example on, Tisdell and Hartley (2001) states that businesses managers could take advantage of knowledge of government microeconomic policy as well as its economic impacts in a number of ways. For instance Tisdell and Hartley (2001) explains that they apply it to project how the economic situation of their businesses or the industry may change as a consequence of a change in the microeconomic policy, for example with removal or cuts in tariffs or subsidies previous enacted to protect the industry. Secondly, a lot of countries have regulation prohibiting certain trade practices. In particular situations, governments may prohibit mergers of firms or acquisitions of companies supposing they could reduce competition within an industry to considerable levels, or lead to monopoly. Thus, it is essential for business managers to be aware of these laws and regulations and this requires that they understand microeconomic concepts (Tisdell and Hartley, 2001). It is also beneficial for business managers to understand economic arguments and concepts that might be used as a counter argument for a business merger or acquisition if the government opposes it. Certainly, there are several other areas of government economic policy that require business managers to have a good understanding of microeconomics. These areas include economic concept of science and technology, specifically the economics of intellectual property laws. As Kahneman and Tversky (2000) explains intellectual property rights entail patents, copyrights and plant variety rights and trade marks. Mumbo adds that public policies to control and exploitation of environment and natural resources have recently become more widespread ad these normally have an economic justification. Microeconomic effects of industrial relations policies, international business, investment polices and public finance aspects usually have a critical consequence for the economic performance of a business. Managers can as well use