ABS Coursepack LA2125 Module 4 2018 a

Aston UniversityBirmingham Centre for English Language and Communication at Aston (CELCA) Aston Pre-sessional Programme in English for Academic Purposes COURSE PACK Module 4 LA2125 ABS 2018 0

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ContentsWeek 6 PageStudying at University 4 6 Group Project: ‘’Top Tips’’ 8 The Importance of Group Work 19 Features of Academic Writing I: Purpose, Organisation, Style… 23 Features of Academic Writing II: Genres in Academic Style 40 Constructing Research Projects 1: Finding Quality SourcesWeek 5 42Production Management 44 48 Working with text, Summary & Synthesis: Lean Manufacturing & Kaizen 50 Group Project: Kaizen Applied to Everyday Life 58 Constructing Research Projects 2: Recognising Different Sections 70 Constructing Research Projects 3: Introduction & Literature Review Constructing Research Projects 4: Methodology & ResultsWeek 4 78Marketing Management 80 86 Working with text: Luxury Brands 94 Student-led Seminars 98 Group Project: Student-led Seminar Discussion Constructing Research Projects 5: Discussion, Conclusion, Abstracts & 110 Summaries Listening & Responding to a Complex Presentation: DispatchesWeek 3 114Marketing Management Continued 115 Increasing the Impact of PresentationsWeek 2 122Assessment Preparation 123 Individual Presentation Preparation 132 136Week 1 140Team Project 142 152 Listening & Responding: Belbin Team Roles Reflection Additional Resources Copyright Declarations 2

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Aston Pre-sessional Week 6Theme: Studying at University 4

British Universities and British LifeBritish University History British Culture British WeatherDealing with differenceIN GROUPS: Select four topics from the list below to discuss some of yourobservations (15 minutes) 1. The difference between British English and other types of English that you have previously heard and spoken 2. Differences in housing / homes 3. Differences in family life and lifestyle 4. Differences in education and work practices 5. Differences in transportation 6. Differences in food, drink and eating habits 7. Differences in entertainment, leisure time and sport 8. Differences in shops and shopping habits 9. Differences in attitudes to health and medical practices 10.Misunderstandings that you have experienced and things that have surprised or shocked you 5

Group Project:Studying at universityMain aimsUnderstand general expectations of studentsstudying at a British University, and practiseteamwork and presentation skills 6

Group project: Studying at University as an international studentFamiliarise yourself with the texts on life as a student in a British university which can befound on Blackboard.In small groups you will be assigned a related topic by your tutor which you are asked toresearch further. Based on your findings create a poster with some “Top Tips” forinternational students studying at a British university.  Make sure the message on your poster is simple and clear, with a focused message.  Make sure to include relevant images or graphics to support your point.  Plan how you will explain the main message of your poster.You will plan your poster today, and finish it on Friday. Then you will share these posterswith other classes. Examples 7

The Importance of Group WorkDuring your degree studies you will be expected to work collaboratively with other studentsin small groups. You will, for example, work with other students on joint projects that will beassessed. This will require all members of the group to contribute to the planning, research,presentation of findings and to writing the final report. You will also work informally in groupsduring seminars, tutorials and practical work.Group work is a vital part of degree studies in British universities, and yet it is an area thattutors often highlight concerns regarding the performance of international students.Group size can be small, for example, 4‐6 students, but it can also be much larger, with up to15 or more students involved. The groups may be self‐selecting, or the tutor may organisethe composition of them to mix people from different backgrounds together.Most students have had experience of being a member of a group before they come touniversity. This is likely to be as a member of a social grouping of some sort: family,neighbourhood or community group, or member of a small or extended group for a particularinterest, vocational or educational related purpose.Every group of people will begin to form its own ground rules and ways of working together.The roles of people in these groups can be formalised and explicit ‐ complete with titles ‐ orimplicit and informal. For example, in the latter case, the dominant role of an older familymember may be implicitly acknowledged and accepted by others.Working in a group in university will bring with it for most students a mixture of the familiarwith the unfamiliar. Familiar, in the sense that it is another social situation in the life of thatperson that has to be negotiated, and navigated. But unfamiliar too, in that the 'rules of thegame' are unknown, and that the student's prior education experience may not have includedany previous opportunity to work closely in a group for assessment purposes ‐ and particularlywith a culturally diverse group of unknown strangers.OpportunityWhat are the advantages of group work? Group work presents an opportunity to:  Share your ideas and find solutions to problems  Work closely with students from a range of different cultural and social backgrounds  Develop your key skills, e.g. team working and time management, which are essential for most jobs today  Discover your specific strengths in group or team working  Learn how to deal with challenge and conflict 8

 Gain new, additional, and even creative perspectives on study topics Get to know a small group of students socially Make new friends \"Group work has helped Develop your communication skills improve my spoken English, and time‐management, as we all need to work together and communicate with each other.\" Postgraduate student from VietnamChallengeGroup work in a university context ‐ and particularly when assessment is involved ‐ presentsa challenge to students.For many students, particularly those who have studied in countries outside Britain, groupwork can be a very new experience. They may not know what is expected of them and so donot gain from the group, or contribute to it, as much as they could.Work in a group presents a challenge to all its members: to work together as a group and toovercome as a group any problems that occur.This text looks at the roles that people play in groups, and includes questionnaires tocomplete. It also looks at the stages of group formation, and the skills needed to succeed inany group today, whether it is at university, at work or in any other social situation.Like most significant human endeavours and encounters it takes effort, and knowledge, toget it right, so read on... 9

2. Why groups failA Nightmare ScenarioImagine you have joined a group of relative strangers to work on a project for your coursetogether. There are ten of you. From the start things go badly wrong – and get worse! Groupmembers fail to get on with each other and fail to work together successfully on the project.This is a nightmare scenario. So, what do you think would cause this to happen?Try and separate out the reasons into two types: process related reasons (the procedures forrunning the group don’t work) and people related reasons (there are problems among thegroup members themselves).Write in the spaces provided the reasons why a group would fail People related Process related 10

Why Groups Fail Process problems People problemsThere is no attempt to get to know each There are no ‘ground rules’ agreed, on, forother as people. example, when, where and how often the group will meet.One or two people try to dominate theothers. There are no agreed agendas for meetings – there is a lack of clarity on the purpose ofSome group members try to monopolise each meeting.the discussion. Specific roles or tasks are not agreed andSome group members do not speak at all – delegated to group members.they just sit in silence. No deadlines are agreed on.Most of the group wants to talk – and notlisten There is no chairperson agreed or allocated for each meeting.Individual members’ ideas are ridiculed ordismissed by other group members. Meetings start late or run on over time.Group members are reluctant to take the No record of the meeting is made, e.g. whoinitiative to start a discussion. has agreed to do what and by when.Individual members’ ideas are ridiculed ordismissed by other group members.Some group members make racist or sexistremarks that are not challenged.Individual members prove to be unreliable:they do not do what they say they will do.Group members are unpunctual or fail toshow up for meetings.Two or three group members quarrel andcreate a bad atmosphere.Some group members are deliberatelyisolated or ignored.Many problems in groups stem from the individual members themselves. Specific problems,particularly talking too much – or not at all - often arise from anxiety and misunderstanding.But we all have strengths to contribute to the success of any group – and weaknesses that we 11

need to be aware of. Try the exercise that follows to learn more about your potentialstrengths and weaknesses in any group.It can be a good idea if all the members of your group try this exercise and then discuss theresult collectively.3. Roles of individuals within a groupConsider your strengths and qualities as a team member. My qualities and strengths: What would I be good at in my work group/ study group and how would I fit best?4. Group development and changeGroup “Life Cycle”?Groups may pass through different stages of formation or group development. It is worththinking about how your group is changing and developing to make sure that you are going inthe right direction and that everyone is committed to the task. If the group is not developingas you think it should then you need to diagnose what is going wrong and try to put it right.There are a number of different theories of the typical group life-cycle, the most popular isthat of Bruce Tuckman's group development model (1965). Tuckman identified four stages ofgroup formation (and added a fifth stage 'adjourning' in the 1970's). When individuals cometogether in groups they often experience the different stages of Tuckman's group 'life cycle'. 12

1 Forming • At the forming stage, there is little sense of it being a group; it is still a collection of individuals. People in the group are cautious of each other and what is expected of them. Many individuals prefer to keep quiet rather than speak out at this stage, until they are sure of their role and position in the group. The group will seek direction at this stage from a ‘higher authority’, e.g. a tutor.2 Storming • As the group begins to work together, people become bolder, and conflicts may emerge openly. Factions may form, and individuals may jostle for dominant positions in the group. There may be mutterings about 'other people’s behaviour'. This can be a difficult stage in the life cycle of the group. The group needs to discuss problems openly if it is to move on to the next stage.3 Norming • Open discussion of problems in the group, or the urgency of a group task, can lead to the group ‘norming’ stage, when it begins to work collectively at the task. Informal or formal ground‐rules have been established, and group members are beginning to get to know each other and have more confidence individually and collectively. Individual differences are tolerated, providing all group members are working at their appointed tasks. • At this stage, the group is working well together. The group has its own unspoken rules and members are often very supportive of each other. The group may assert its own identity; it becomes ‘our group’. There may4 Performing be group rituals or rites of passage, to celebrate the completion of the task, e.g. a meal or a party.5. Cultural differences in group behaviourFor many international students, working in a group as part of an assessed project is anentirely new experience and it can raise two particular issues for them: about protocol andcommunication.ProtocolIn every country there are accepted protocols about the roles and behaviour of individuals ingroups. In many countries, for example, individuals learn that they need to assert their viewsto be heard, and that their status in the group can depend on the extent and ease of theirability to do this without upsetting other group members. So they learn that the frequency,pacing, pausing, intonation, and directness of their communication has an impact on this 13

process. They learn to present their personal opinions in a way that encourages others in thesame cultural grouping to give due attention to them.In Britain and the USA, for example, the individualistic nature of these countries can result inthe individuals involved seizing opportunities in groups to present a personal viewpoint, andto attempt to do it with enough confidence to gain the attention of others withoutantagonising them. This is a fine science, and not all get it right ‐ as we have seen in section 3of this guide. Nevertheless, this form of individualistic communication has been encouragedby their teachers, who tend to support and encourage the idea that we learn through debate,interaction and the expression of personal opinion.However, students from more consensual and collectivist cultures may have learned in a verydifferent way. For example, in parts of the Far East students learn through imitation andobservation. They may feel, subsequently, that they need to internalise and understand theexisting knowledge before they contribute their own ideas. To air one's unformed opinionson a half‐understood subject can seem like the height of arrogance to a student from such aneducational background.They may also be deeply uncomfortable in any situation, such as a group, where an argumentcan flare.Alan Macfarlane, Professor of Anthropology at Cambridge University, observed this, forexample, of Japanese students: \"Communication should never lead into disagreement. Interpersonal harmony is essential, and argument or debate avoided...much of British education is based on confrontational exchanges, where teachers and students are taught to think by way of an intellectual game or battle...Such an approach is puzzling to my Japanese students\" (The Times Higher, 10/08/2007, p.14).Most international students with little previous experience of group work in education aredriven hard by their need to succeed, and most will make a determined effort to fit in withthe cultural norms of the host country and with their allocated group: \"Group work with other international students can be a difficult issue. Once you are ‘tuned in’ or adjust to different communication styles, it becomes easier\" (postgraduate student from Dubai, School of Management).This process of adjustment can be eased by all students being aware that their peers mayshare very different experiences of group work. It should not, therefore, be assumed that aquiet member of a group has nothing to say, or is opting out of the discussion. It may be thattheir previous experience has not prepared them for this new situation ‐ and they need timeto weigh it up. For this reason, it is often a useful experience for students to share theircultural experiences of group work at an early stage of group formation. 14

The second important issue for international students is about communication ‐ andovercoming anxiety associated with speaking in public. \"I found out that the problem was not my language skill itself but the confidence to speak in English. Sometimes I was just not confident enough to speak out my thoughts\" (student from China). \"I wanted to join discussions like the others but used to get so nervous that my body shook. In my mind I was fully engaged in the classroom and had something to say, but feared making a fool of myself…” (African student quoted in Ryan, 2000, p.29)If English is their second language, then the responses of international students to discussionmay be slower than others, as they seek the right words and mentally frame them intocoherent sentences.All group members need to be particularly sensitive to this issue and give support tointernational students who need time and encouragement to contribute their ideas ‐ whichthe majority will want to do.For many international students faced with group work, the answer is to band with otherstudents ‐ if they have the chance ‐ in monocultural groups. This is understandable, but oftena mistake, and a loss of opportunity. “Working in a group makes synergy and you work faster; but when the group consists of people from more than one culture, it sometimes makes double synergy, as everyone in the group thinks from the different angle and has distinct knowledge\" (Postgraduate student from Pakistan, School of Management). “I think, on balance, it is good when students from different cultures are mixed together by the tutor. If left to their own devices students will stay in their own comfort zones and this often means grouping with others from the same country. In this situation you might have international students on the course, but it doesn’t make it an international course!” (Undergraduate student from Kenya, School of Engineering, Design and Technology).The way around this situation in self‐selecting groups is for two or three students from onecountry to form a small sub‐group, but then to try and integrate into a main group to workalongside students from other countries. In this way they gain support ‐ and often the courageto speak up ‐ from each other, but have taken an important step toward working acrosscultural boundaries. 15

6. Ten Top Tips for creating the teamLook at the suggested tips below for creating an effective team. Decide with your group howyou would list these tips in order of good team development and then explain theimportance of each of them. Set your team ground rulesBe positive and open to the group experience Decide on your group working practicesTake time to get to know your team Check your understanding of the taskGet everyone’s contact detailsEstablish your goal/aims Agree your next meeting date/timeDecide on your team/meeting roles Create a productive group environment 16

Check your answers from the previous exercise here.6. Ten Top Tips for creating the team1. Be positive and open to the group experience There are many benefits to working in a team. You may gain new knowledge and the ability to work well with others is highly prized by employers. See group work as an opportunity to develop key skills and experience for your CV.2. Take time to get to know your team It is worth spending time introducing yourselves and/or discussing group work at the start. What are your strengths? What are your fears? A team that takes time to talk to each other first, will bond and work better.3. Create a productive group environment Find a good place to talk as a group. Is it somewhere you won’t be disturbed or distracted too much? Can you all see and hear each other? Is everyone comfortable? Do you need any extra materials (pen, paper, flipchart etc.)? A good environment will help the team work better together.4. Set your team ground rules Ground rules are important! Everyone should feel safe, respected and able to voice their thoughts. People should attend meetings and apologise if they can’t make it. Group members should stick to deadlines and be professional in all communication. Write down the rules and give everyone a copy!5. Decide on your group working practices How often, when and where will you meet? How are you going to make decisions and allocate work? What will you do if you think someone is not contributing enough to the team effort? Effective teams sort this stuff out first! - See “Ground rules”6. Decide on your team/meeting roles It is usually helpful to have roles for your meetings. Common roles include: note-taker, time-keeper and meeting chair/facilitator. Roles can be set or rotate for each meeting. Roles can help keep meetings focussed and productive. 17

7. Check your understanding of the task It is vital that you check that everybody has a clear understanding of the task before you start. People often interpret things in different ways and every group should allow time to discuss this at the outset of a project.8. Establish your goal/aims Every group needs to have a clear idea of the overall goal of the group. Group members may have lots of different ideas and it is important that you allow time to discuss this and decide on the best course of action. A team that is clear on goals will not waste time with confusion.9. Get everyone’s contact details You should decide how the group is going to stay in touch (by email, phone, text etc.) and everyone should have each group member’s contact details.10. Agree your next meeting date/time Finally, it is surprising how many groups forget this last, vital step. It might be useful to agree a regular slot that is convenient for everyone so you don’t have to keep to keep remembering new times and dates every week! Parts adapted from the Learnhigher CETL, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution‐ NonCommercial‐ShareAlike 2.0 licence – Please see http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/ For further information on working in groups, follow the link below and view a series of videos designed to guide you through the group work experience http://www.learnhigher.ac.uk/groupwork/episodes.php 18

Features of Academic Writing I: Audience, Purpose, Organisation, Style, FlowTask 1Work in pairs or groups and consider the following fundamental characteristics of writing:audience, purpose, organisation, style, text type/genre, flow. Discuss the reasons why theyare important.Task 2Read the fragments of texts below and answer the questions: 1. Who were they written for? What kind of publication would you expect to see them in? 2. Why were they written? 3. How are they organised (e.g. think of paragraph length and any organisational patterns)? 4. How would you describe the style of writing? 5. Are sentences and ideas connected together? If so, in what way?Text A The public is being encouraged to donate old mobile phones to help raise money to feed a London child. The parenting website Netmums and the charity Kids Company have joined forces to try to raise more than £1m to feed hungry and vulnerable children. They say each phone donated will provide a month's worth of meals for an at-risk child helped by Kids Company. In a survey of 1,116 parents, Netmums found one in four (24%) knew of a child in their area who may be going hungry. Just under a third (29%) said they had seen a rise in children suffering \"food insecurity\" over the past two years. Over the past 12 months, Kids Company, which works in deprived areas of the capital, has reported an increase of more than 200% in the number of vulnerable children using its services.Sellgren, K. 2012. Mobile phones 'key to feeding needy children'. BBC, 5th July. Retrieved fromhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-18708068, accessed on 5th July 2012. 19

Text B National and ethnic cultures affect the objects or things that people have as well as the ideas, values, attitudes, and beliefs that they adopt (Adler, 2002). People make assumptions about the way things should be based on their cultural backgrounds, and these assumptions influence their behavior in individual, group, and organizational situations. But when individuals become exposed to other cultures, situations may not turn out as expected based on these inevitable differences in cultural backgrounds. The extensive research conducted by Project GLOBE demonstrates the pervasiveness of cultural differences among the world’s population. Project GLOBE was a multiphase, multimethod research project in which some 170 investigators representing all major regions in the world collaborated to examine the interrelationships between societal culture, organizational culture, and organizational leadership across 61 nations (House, Hanges, Javidan, Dorfman, & Gupta, 2004). One of the most common situations in which different cultures may collide in today’s global workplace is in work groups or teams. As numerous scholars have noted, the current team environment is often both intercultural and dispersed, leading to global virtual teams (Brake, 2006; Gillam & Oppenheim, 2006). Intercultural teams have the potential to become the most effective and productive teams in an organization when their diversity becomes an asset and a productive resource for the team (Kirkman & Shapiro, 2001; Earley & Mosakowski, 2000). Functional intercultural teams bring more perspectives and more alternatives to a task as well as strengthen commitment to the group’s task (Adler, 2002). However, because of the potential for misunderstanding, miscommunication, and conflict, poorly managed intercultural teams can also become the least productive teams in an organization (Matveev & Nelson, 2004). The group dynamics in an intercultural team may be complex and time-consuming, also adversely affecting the team’s productivity. Communication issues such as information overload and geographic distance between team members are also challenges to team performance (Gillam & Oppenheim, 2006; Jarvenpaa & Leidner, 1999). In addition, the team’s performance will be influenced by the cultural context of the global organization as well as by the cultural backgrounds of the individuals comprising the team (Randel, 2003; Earley & Mosakowski, 2000; Ferraro, 1998). Thus, intercultural teams become more effective when team members are able to identify and bridge their cultural differences (Adler, 2002).Humes, M. & Reilly, A. H. 2007. Managing Intercultural Teams: the Eorganization Exercise. Journal ofManagement Education, 32 (1), pp. 118-137. 20

Text C In 2009, as I was approaching the end of my Phd program, I wrote a blog post titled, Some Thoughts on Grad School. It described lessons I learned during my time at MIT [Massachusetts Institute of Technology]. Since then, I’ve received many requests to revisit the theme. Now that I’m a professor — albeit a new one — I thought I’d once again reflect publicly on what I did well and what I wish I’d done better. With this in mind, I want to offer a pair of thoughts on a topic of particular importance to my path as an academic: complexity.Text C: Newport, C. 2012. Some More Thoughts on Grad School. Study Hacks: Decoding Pattern ofSuccess, 17th May. Retrieved from http://calnewport.com/blog/2012/05/17/some-more-thoughts-on-grad-school/, accessed on 5th July 2012 21

Task 3Now, still working in pairs/groups, make a list of features of writing for Text B grouping themunder the categories you have discussed:Students, academics Text Audiencetype/genre Writing 22

Features of Academic Writing II: Academic Style 23

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From: Gillet, A., Hammond, A., Martala, M. (2009). Successful Academic Writing. Pearson Longman: Harlow. pp.88-96, 105-110Task 4: Practice with Summary Words 31

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From: Swales, J.M. & Feak, C.B. 2004. Academic Writing for Graduate Students. 2nd ed. Ann Arbor: TheUniversity of Michigan PressOther features of academic writing which were covered in the previous lecture: - Complexity - Precision - Explicitness - Accuracy - ReponsibilityTo find out more about them, follow this link:http://www.uefap.com/writing/feature/featfram.htm and do the exercises. 34

Genres in Academic StudyPart I. Read the following information about a text’s purpose and style Authors’ purposes In the textbook Writing Today, Johnson-Sheehan and Paine discuss purpose more specifically in terms of the author of a text. They suggest that most texts written in college or in the workplace often fill one of two broader purposes: to be informative or to be persuasive. Under each of these two broad purposes, they identify a host of more specific purposes. The following table is not exhaustive; authors could easily have purposes that are not listed on this table. Informative Persuasive to inform to persuade to describe to convince to define to influence to review to argue to notify to recommend to instruct to change to advise to advocate to announce to urge to explain to defend to demonstrate to justify to illustrate to support (Johnson-Sheehan & Paine 17) STYLEAudiences’ purposes Simple/Complex Formal/InformalAuthors’ purposes tend to be almost exclusive active if only becauseauthors conscientiously create texts for specific audiences. But Easy/Difficultaudiences’ purposes may range from more passive purpose to more Academicactive purposes. Friendly Technical Table: Audience Purposes JournalisticMore Passive Purposes More Active Purposes First person/Second person to receive notice to examine Subjective to feel reassured to quantify Objective to assess Criticalto feel a sense of unity Poetic to be entertained to make informed decisions Scientific to interpret Choppy to receive instruction to evaluate Wordy to enjoy to judge Detailed Dense to hear advice to resist change Succinct to be inspired to criticize Descriptive to ridicule to review to disprove Conversational to understand Concise to learn This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue (https://owl.english.purdue.edu/). Contributors: Ethan Sproat, Dana Lynn Driscoll, Allen Brizee. 35

Part II. Fill in the following information for each genre. You will find these on Blackboard.Example:Source: TextbookAuthor: Peter G. NorthouseAudience: StudentsPurpose: “A textbook or coursebook (UK English) is a manual of instruction in any branch ofstudy”Main Idea: This text combines an academically robust account of the major theories and models ofleadership with an accessible style and practical exercises that help students apply what they learn.Each chapter of Peter Northouse's Leadership: Theory and Practice follows a consistent format,allowing students to contrast the various theories, and three case studies in each chapter providepractical examples of each theory or trait discussed. The Sixth Edition adds an important newchapter on Servant Leadership.Style: formal, clearly structured, language for students, technical, organised, short-med sentences,main points clear, objective, academic, etc…Organisation of text: …………………………………………………..Source: Journal ArticleAuthor:Audience:Purpose:Main Idea:Style:Organisation of text: 36

Source: News ArticleAuthor:Audience:Purpose:Main Idea:Style:Organisation of text:Source: Magazine ArticleAuthor:Audience:Purpose:Main Idea:Style:Organisation of text: 37

Source: Case StudyAuthor: Business Case StudiesAudience:Purpose:Main Idea:Style:Organisation of text:Part III. Answer the following question.What is the purpose of using Case Studies in Business courses?Part IV. Compare two genresChoose two of the texts that you have analysed and compare them using your notes. Be prepared totell your classmates about the different academic features. 38

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Constructing ResearchProjects 1: Finding QualitySources at the LibraryMain AimUnderstand how to find quality sources at thelibrary that address a research question 40

Constructing Research Projects: Finding Quality SourcesWhen you go to the library to find a source related to your research project. Before you go,discuss with your class about how to find quality sources. What makes a quality source: Texts that have been reviewed and edited and published by a reputable publisher, such as - Journal articles, books, textbooks, government reports Not quality: .co or .com websites, student papers, etc. How can you tell? If there is no author listed, is it quality? If there is no date is it quality? Are there ads on the website?My Research Question(s):The kind of sources I need to answer my question:After finding your source at the library, show your tutor the following: Source Citation How I will use this (which section, which main point, etc.): 41

Aston Pre-sessional Week 5Theme: Production Management 42

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Working with Text:Summary & Synthesis in texts onProduction ManagementMain aimUnderstand how to summarise andsynthesise information from complextexts 44

WORKING WITH TEXT 4: Summary and SynthesisTEXT A: Kocakulah, M. C., Brown, J. & Thomson, J. W. 2008. Lean Manufacturing Principlesand their Application. Cost Management, 22 (3), pp. 16-25.TEXT B: McCormick, T. 2012. Classic Operational Tools to Reduce Costs. Accountancy, 44(3), p.63.TaskLook at the excerpts from two journal articles: Lean Manufacturing Principles and theirApplication and Classic Operational Tools to Reduce Costs.From the information given, decide what are the key aspects of each manufacturing methodas well as the meaning of Lean Manufacturing in general.When you have identified the key facts, write a summary of the most important information.The following points may help you to identify key information:Text A 1) On the first page, the second paragraph gives a brief definition of ‘Lean’ 2) On the next page, there is a discussion of the Toyota Production System – why is this system an example of ‘lean manufacturing’? 3) The third paragraph under the subheading ‘Six Sigma’ gives a summary of the main aims of this approach 4) What ‘attitude’ does Kaizen represent? 5) What benefits are thought to result from a ‘Kaizen culture’? 6) What are the ‘Five Elements’? 7) What do companies that adopt Kaizen train their employees to do? 8) What does Hoshin mean in practice what does ‘each staff member’ have? 9) Is there a difference between Hoshin and Kaizen?TEXT B 1) What does lean production try to eliminate? 2) How is ‘value’ defined? 3) What does Six Sigma attempt to identify and why? 45

TEXT C: Moore, R. 2006. Selecting the right manufacturing improvement tools. Boston:Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann.Task 1: Reading for general understandingRead chapter 8: Kaizen for general understanding, using the strategies of surveying andskimming.Task 2: Reading and making notes a) Read each section of the chapter again. Make notes of the key ideas and supporting information, using your own words as much as possible. b) Decide on the best English glossary for each Japanese word (Kaizen, Muda, etc).Task 3: Synthesising textsYou have now read three texts on production management. Work in groups and write asynthesis of the three texts.Task 4: Language focus – data commentaryLook at Table 8-1 (p.162 of the chapter) Effectiveness of Idea Programs. Write a paragraphcommenting on the data. 46

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Group Project: Kaizen Applied toEveryday LifeMain aimsPractise researching and applying atheory to a real situation; working as ateam on a presentation 48

Group Project: Paired Presentation - Kaizen applied to everyday lifeWorking in pairs or threes, you will deliver a 10-15 minute presentation on the topic of Kaizen appliedto everyday life.Presentation Details:This week’s topic is Production Management, but the idea of Kaizen, or continuous improvement,could be applied to many things we do. Perhaps you already use some of the concepts. Read aboutthe philosophy of Kaizen and prepare a presentation on how it might be applied to your everydaylife.Your presentation should be supported by visuals such as PowerPoint slides or Prezi graphics. Youshould try to make each member’s contribution of equal length and coordinated so that it is clearlyone presentation with two/three parts, rather than two/three separate presentations.Aim to speak for between 8-10 minutes per pair, 12-15 minutes per trio. Ensure your presentation isnot too short or too long. Be prepared to answer questions at the end of your presentation.Finally, note that you should include references (sources of data and graphics) at the end of yourslideshow.You will present on Thursday afternoon. Ensure you Plan, Prepare and Practice your presentations inadvance. Our Group Notes 49