Employee Empowerment Essay

Employee empowerment is one of the management practices in today’s corporate business environment. It is a habit of allocating ideas, profit, recognition and control the costs with employees. According to the management theory of Kanter, mentioned by Rodriguez (2011) that by sharing power it will not only improve personal job satisfaction but also benefit the organization as a whole. The involvement and participation will allow them to gain greater job satisfaction and more committed to the organization’s goal (Lashley 2001). However, this management style also has some drawbacks like all leadership styles. One of the most important benefits of employee empowerment is the improvement in productivity in an organization. Employees who are empowered are more dedicated to the organization because of their active engagement. They are more responsible for the outcomes of their action, and better able to achieve job demands in an effective manner. In fact, commitment, accounta bility and the intention of fulfilling job demands are the qualities of an empowered employee (Kelleher, 2013). A satisfied employee will do their job successfully and also meet their personal target. Furthermore their responsible actions will make the success for the company and fulfil mutual commitment. That means by meeting personal targets the organisations economy is also boosted (Watson 2012). Engaged employees are dedicated to their job and have enthusiasm about their responsibility that means they love to do their duty. Another benefit is that empowered employee can have a great contribution to reduce the costs for an organization.For example, when employees have the authority to deal with customer complaints when they occur, and have the freedom to suggest a solution to the problem, that makes the employees self sufficient. This is efficient as it has less reliance on higher management approval (The Saylor foundation 2014). As a result, the organization encourages the employees to think creatively and critically which will allow them to communicate with their colleagues regarding the related problems and share innovative ideas, so it can cuts the cost of training and any overhead costs in some cases (Lashley 2001). For instance, a problem which can be easily solved by an empo wered employee could in other circumstances end up in court or compensation which could cost a lot of money for the company. The efficient use of resources by the employees can also reduce the cost. Even so, the work environment has a significant effect on how effective the employees can use the resources (Lashley 2001). The  three main desired aspects of work environment are, namely: undisturbed environment, easy accessibility and sufficient appropriate equipment to perform their job. For instance, comparing to construction work where people need protective uniforms for their job, in business there must have a computer network with Wi-Fi. These will make the employees independent and maximize the productivity of the company. The employees fell valuable and important, so there will be long-term employees who are loyal to the organization and this will reducing employee turnover costs (Owen.et.al.2014). However, the three main areas of concern regarding employee empowerment are as follow. Firstly, in a time of changing ownership or uncertain situation, it could make the decision making process lengthy (HE ATHFIELD 2014) because the rules and regulations can be different from previous as either the new management is coming or the condition is unstable where company might close down. Secondly, it could drive to disorder because the empowered employees have different solutions (HEATHFIELD 2014) for the same problem which may breach conduct according to the company policy. Thirdly, by empowering the employees the private information of the company become unprotected, this could damage the company if exposes because of the personal greed of the employees (HAMLIN 2014) while the information might be valuable to the competitors or it can create embarrassment. Though there are some disadvantages of employee empowerment, the increasing productivity and cost effectiveness can make this management style desirable for employees to work and mangers to control. Throughout the following paragraph the roles of mangers in past and present , will be discussed and how modern managers can apply these roles to find a possible solution for the problems faced by empowered environment. The role of the manager varies from company to company and time to time. However, the main responsib ilities are planning, organising, delegating, observing and evaluating (MURRAY 2014). In the past, the traditional style of management was disciplined and strictly following a chain of command. It was driven by the power of order(Gollakota,2014),but it has been developed over time.The modern managers support empowerment because it develops product and services more effectively, increases the satisfaction with colleagues, and overall it leads to create a unique place of work with advanced performance capabilities. SOURCE By applying these management skills modern managers can be able to make solutions for the  problems of employee empowerment.Fon instance, in a case where the ownership due to change and the situation is unstable,the modern managers can assure the employees about management support to recover the difficulties.Also,the managers should be able to make an adjustment(Liraz,2014) about the changes so that the employees are always up to date with the situation and sufficient training has been given to manage the situation with confidence. In an empowered environment where the solutions from employees varies from customers to customers, a modern manager can be mor e communicative about sharing the innovative thoughts and ideas by organizing frequent staff meetings with feedback.As a result, the employees are known from their colleagues about all the possible solutions to complains made by customers and also customers will have a choice. Also, there will not have any misunderstanding between the customers about the received solution from a company.Furthermore,though it seems impossible to protect a company’s secret information modern managers can use their initiatives with the help of technology.Such as, a special type of software called â€Å"content management† allows the employees to access the data according to the length of employment, to add on, DLP-Data Loss Prevention can be used for inspecting sensitive outgoing data in a company’s network (FORD 2011). Overall, due to the protection of data managers can closely monitor the activities of the empowered employees and also can make a law which will not allow to bring the personal technologies at work so it could ensure the safety of company’s secret information. There are different ways of developing the employees. For example, Managers have to be passionate about their job (SCHAPPEL 2013) because if they do not show any attention or spirit, they will not be able to motivate the employees to contribute to the targets. Also, managers should always have appreciation for the employees so the employees feel they are valuable to the company.HEATHFIELD (2014) states, as an employee they wish respect and favour to support their thinking. So managers should give recognition for an achievement, but if employees are likely to follow a wrong direction managers can resolve that with a positive attitude. Furthermore, HEATHFIELD(2014) says, managers could involve the employees in the decision making.For example, promotions of new product, or improvement meetings, which will make them feel more involved than in their usual job responsibility.Furthermore Schappel (2013) emphasised on how the  mangers can make the work place comfortable for the employees t o work .After allocating the task managers can observe the progress, also give guidance and support if needed. The managers can share the target and forecast with the employees. As they could have a better idea not only to support and share the target but also a possible solution for overcoming any difficulties that could occur. Moreover, by sharing thoughts they can make it achievable as a team (HEATHFIELD 2014) (SCHAPPEL 2013). To empower the employees is not an easy task because it needs a atmosphere of belief and cooperation from the management of a company ( Quast,2011).Also management should have the practice of welcoming any failure from the employees so that the lessons will help others in future development. Employee empowerment is considered to be the best way to keep customers satisfied, because the employees have the authority to take a possible solution for a situation and their main priority to keep the customer satisfied 11 (Quast,2011).Though this management style can be time consuming for some organizations because of the traditional frame of management and also the dependenc e on managers for every instruction,however, the creativity, teamwork,communication and innovative ideas from an empowered employee can help to achieve success and challenges from competitors. No referencein conclusion Reference list: 1.RODRIGUEZ, P,F. , 2011. Management Theory of Rosabeth Moss Kanter: Understanding Kanter’s Change model to benefit your company [online]. [viewed 21 April 2011]. Available from: http://www.business.com/management/management-theory-of-rosabeth-moss-kanter/ 2.LASHLEY,C.2004.Empowerment.Burlington.Elsevier Butterworth Heinemann 3.Kelleher.B.2013.Who’s sinking your boat? [Online video].[Viewed 24 Aug 2014]. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4nwoZ02AJM 4 Watson.K.,2012.How Employee Engagement Can Boost Profits[online].[viewed 23 march 2012].Available from: http://www.yoursmallbusiness.co.uk/how-employee-engagement-can-boost-profits.html 5. THE SAYLOR FOUNDATION.,The Benefits Of Empowering Employees [online].Available from: http://www.saylor.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/BUS208-5.2-The-Benefits-of-Empowering-Employees-FINAL.pdf 6 Owen E and Richason IV.2014. What Are the Benefits of Practicing Employee Involvement & Empowerment?[online]. Available from: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/benefits-practicing-employee-involvement-empowerment-1842.html 7.Kristen Hamlin,2014.The Pro & Cons of Empowerment in an Organization.Available from: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/pro-cons-empowerment-organization-13397.html 8. MURRY,A.2014. What do Managers do? (The wall street journal)[online](Europe Edition)Available from: http://guides.wsj.com/management/developing-a-leadership-style/what-do-managers-do/# 9. Gollakota.S.2014.Traditional Vs Mode rn Management – Matrix Organization [online].Available from: http://www.citehr.com/200930-traditional-vs-modern-management-matrix-organization.html 10. Liraz.M.2014. How To Develop A Strategic Plan.[Online].Available from: http://www.bizmove.com/general/m6c.htm 11.Ford,J.,2011.The Leaky Corporation.[Online].[Viewed 24th February].Available from: http://www.economist.com/node/18226961 12. Susan M. Heathfield(2014). Top 10 Principles of Employee Empowerment[online].Available from: http://humanresources.about.com/od/managementandleadership/tp/empowerment.htm 13. SCHAPPEL.C.2013. 7 actions that create more effective managers.[Online].[Accessed 24 December 2013]. Available from: http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2013/12/24/7-actions-that-create-more-effective-managers/ 14.QUAST,L.2011. 6 Ways To Empower Others To Succeed. Online]. [Accessed:28 February 2011] .Available from: http://www.forbes.com/sites/lisaquast/2011/02/28/6-ways-to-empower-others-to-succeed/ AUOBLC. 2012. Overview of Kanter’s Theory on Structural Empowerment [online]. Available from: http://structuralempowerment.weebly.com/kanters-theory.html FORD, J. 2011. The Leaky Corporation. [Online]. [Viewed 24th February]. Available from: http://www.economist.com/node/18226961 KELLEHER, B. 2013. Who’s sinking your boat? [Online video].[Viewed 24 Aug 2014]. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4nwoZ02AJM LASHLEY, C . 2004. Empowerment.Burlington.Elsevier Butterworth Heinemann HEATHFIELD, S, M. 2014. Top 10 Principles of Employee Empowerment [online]. Available from: http://humanresources.about.com/od/managementandleadership/tp/empowerment.htm

A Look at the Biological Variances of Different Primate Groups

A Look at the Biological Variances of Different Primate Groups The evolution of primates arose from the ancestors who used to live in tropical forests. Thus the characteristics of species diversity regarding non-human primates represent their adaptions to life in this uncertain environment (Kinzey, 2012). However, the species of most primates remains partially arboreal except for the human beings, who inhabit almost every part of the continent, whereas most non-human primates live in Africa and Asia’s tropical regions (Abee, 2012). Non-human primates exhibit a wide range of characteristics. For instance, some primates such as the baboons and the great apes are predominantly terrestrial rather than arboreal. However, all species diversity regarding non-human primate possess adaptations for climbing trees. Some of the locomotive techniques exhibited by the non-human primates include knuckle-walking and swinging from one branch of the tree to the other (Kinzey, 2012). Additionally, the non-human primates are usually characterized by exceptional intelligence and better reliance on stereoscopic vision as a result of their dominant sensory system. However, exceptional intelligence and better reliance on stereoscopic traits are more advanced on great apes and monkeys and less notable in lemurs and the lorises (Abee, 2012). The three-color visual abilities and the sexuality dimorphic such as the body mass, the size of the canine tooth and the coloration also differs among species diversity with regards to non-human primates. Thus, primates with greater sizes have a slower rate of development to reach maturity and a longer lifespan, unlike those with smaller weights (Kinzey, 2012). Primates range in different sizes with regards to the particular species classification they belong in. For instance, the weight of the Madame Bertha’s mouse Lemur is about 30 grams in contrast to over 440lbs weight of the Eastern Gorillas (Platt Ghazanfar, 2010).Therefore, according to the fossil evidence, the genus species of Teilhardina was the earliest known trues non-human primates dated to over 55.8 million years old (Kinzey, 2012). Traditionally, the order of the non-human primates was categorized into two major groupings which include the prosimians and the anthropoids. The character traits of the prosimians are similar to those of the earliest primates such as the lorisoids, tarsiers and the Madagascar (Platt Ghazanfar, 2010). The category groupings of the anthropoids include the monkeys, apes and the hominins. However, the recent taxonomists have preferred to split the species diversity regarding non-human primates further into Strepsirrhini and the suborder Haplorhini. Strepsirrhini is the wet-nosed primates, and they majorly consist of the non-tarsier prosimians. On the other hand, suborder Haplorhini represents the dry-nosed primates such as simians and tarsiers. Additionally, simians are further classified into two groups which include the catarrhine and the platyrrhine (Tomasello Call, 2013). Catarrhine are the narrow-nosed monkeys and apes of tropical regions of Africa and the Southeast parts of Asia which includes the baboons, macaques, and gibbons. On the contrary, platyrrhine is the flat-nosed simians of the South and the Middle Americas tropical and subtropical regions. The platyrrhine consists of new world monkeys such as the howler, squirrel monkeys and the capuchin (Platt Ghazanfar, 2010). The classification of primate lineage is divided into six significant superfamilies which include the Lemuroidea, Lorisoidia, and Tarsioidea. Additionally, the Ceboidea, Cercopithecoidea, and Hominoidea are among the six significant superfamilies of the primate lineage (Tomasello Call, 2013). The family of Lemuroidea is characterized by closely spaced projecting canines and a claw on their second toes as opposed to the nail. Therefore, Lemuroidea consists of both woolly and sportive lemurs and the allies (Tomasello Call, 2013). Contrary to Lemuroidea, Lorisoidea primates are characterized very long legs and nails and large feet, hands, ears, and eyes. Most primates in Lorisoidea lineage are quadrupeds, and thus they include bush babies, lorises, and pottos (Kinzey, 2012). On the other hand, Tarsioidea is characterized leaping and clinging to vertical branches of trees and their nocturnal activity patterns. Tarsioidea primates consist of Tarsius eocaenus and the Hesperotarsius thailandicus (Tomasello Call, 2013). Cercopithecoidea, Ceboidea and the Hominoidea primates lived over 55 million years ago and consequently forms a single clade on the evolutionary stages of species diversity regarding non-human primates. Ceboidea is characterized by round and forward-facing nostrils and the upper and lower premolars on each side such as the squirrel and capuchin monkeys (Platt Ghazanfar, 2010). On the contrary, Cercopithecoidea includes the baboons and macaques which exhibits unique molar shapes and bilophodont. Finally, Hominoidea is mostly omnivorous primates, and thus have an excellent adaptation for chewing and digesting. Hominoidea primates consist of gorillas, chimpanzees, and orangutans (Tomasello Call, 2013). Although pro-simians and great apes are frequently used interchangeably, theyre not the same according to the scientific point of view. Pro-simians and Great apes are among the non-human primates that have evolved differently, with each exhibiting different physical and mental characteristics. However, they somewhat share similar traits, such as they are both from the same Animalia kingdom, mammal class and order of primates. Additionally, they all come from the same Haplorhini suborder and the simiiformes suborder (Abee, 2012). In as much as the pro-simians and the great apes shares similar traits, they also have different characteristics. Although pro-simians can communicate with each other, great apes possess a more developed and sophisticated cognitive and language skills. They cannot speak like human beings. However, they can use sign language skills and other bodily gestures to communicate with each other effectively (Platt Ghazanfar, 2010). Also, based on the evolutionary and genetic terms, the species of great apes are much more close to human beings than the pro-simians. Great apes are more intelligent and can manage to exhibit human-like behavior as opposed to the latter (Platt Ghazanfar, 2010). Pro-simians and great apes differ on the lifespan perspective. Unlike, great apes which can live up to 60 years, pro-simians can only live up to 30 years. The body structure of great apes is also different from that of the Pro-simians. Contrary to great apes, pro-simians are characterized by large eyes and a more significant sensitivity of nocturnal vision, a strong sense of smell, complex tactile hairs and the large and independently movable ears (Kinzey, 2012). Although monkeys exhibit the same external physical appearance, a close scrutiny on their physical appearance makes it easier to distinguish between the old and the new world monkeys. Old world monkeys are catarrhine, and thus narrow-nosed in contrast to the new world monkeys which are platyrrhine, and hence flat-nosed (Kinzey, 2012). Also, the nostrils of the old world monkeys are closer together and open downward, whereas the nostrils of the latter are far apart from each other and open sideways (Kinzey, 2012). Additionally, there is a significant variance in size between the old world and the new world monkeys. Contrary to the new world monkeys which exhibits a smaller and medium-sized weights, old world monkeys are mostly large sized primates, and thus have greater weights (Kinzey, 2012). Unlike, the new world monkeys who are mainly tree dwellers, the latter have a wide and varied habitat such as the deserts and the rainforests. In conclusion, I believe diversity exists between the species as a result of genetic variation which make up a particular species. Genetic diversity enables species which shares the same genetic characteristics to adapt to the changing environments (Abee, 2012). Thus, when the habitat changes, the species can be able to adapt to survive. The ability of the species to adopt to the changing environmental conditions determines their ability to cope with various challenges regarding the change of the environment. Therefore, genetic diversity is essential as it is vital in determining the survival and survival and adaptability of a particular species (Kinzey, 2012).

History response 17 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

History response 17 - Assignment Example Family, on the other hand, is the basic unit of society. The concept of family is important in understanding socialization since it is one of the most important agents of socialization that every one person is subjected to; in fact, it is the basis through which one is introduced to the values, norms, beliefs, interpersonal relationships, and opinions. From the TED Talk; I gathered that education and technology, which are important tenets of culture, play a critical role in socialization. The social realities that people are faced with, taught or experience, usually shape their understanding of their cultures. It is true that people always interpret their social actions through morals, norms, sentiments, and values, as the essence of social life (Grusec and Hastings 83). Family socialization alone cannot influence the upbringing of a child, social institutions and formal education also plays a major role in the shaping of the life of a person. It is worth, reiterating that socialization is that process through which people acculturate, people learn about their society’s norms, values, and beliefs. It is through socialization that a person can bear resemblance to another person; this is why a person is usually defined as being normal on the basis of the beliefs, standards and norms of the society that he is in (Grusec and Hastings 102). People are indirectly and directly influenced by the education they acquire from school, the family, church, media, as well as peer groups. Family, as a unit of socialization imparts beliefs, sociological or otherwise in on children through its acceptance, biases or approval of certain beliefs, values, or ideologies. The fundamental scope of socialization, however, remains embedded in culturalization; it is a lifelong happening (Grusec and Hastings 112). The culturalization of persons is achieved through a myriad of social institutions in the society, of which the family, church, and school are part of. Thus,

Examine the reasons and implications of the decline of trade unions in Essay

Examine the reasons and implications of the decline of trade unions in Australia - Essay Example The greatest decline of trade unionism however occurred in the 1990s and was attributable to a combination of government and employer policies which have resulted in a populace focused on free enterprise rather than collectivism. Trade unions by definition are an organized body established to principally negotiate pay rates and employment conditions on behalf of its members; such bodies generally comprise a collective of workers who are separately and jointly assigned as representatives of its members in dealing with management (Aktaruzzaman, 2006). In other words their purpose is to protect their members by improving and maintaining their employment conditions and keeping non-unionists out of the labour market (Time of our lives, 102). The problem with this model of representation however, is that empowerment is taken from the people under representation; they become passive observers while trade union reps solve problems on their behalf exterior to the workplace environment. Trade unions are also part of government structure in much the same way as political parties and thus must adhere to the laws of government and democracy. Support from trade unions towards governments however, wavers in accordance with the level of shared labour market goals and the extent to which they can increase power (Johns, 2002). They are astute at â€Å"positioning themselves in civil society† (Johns, 2002, p.3) but are weighted with their involvement with government by being placed alongside government as the primary cause of its own demise. This was never more evident than when they worked in support of the Labour government to lay the way for an economy that was more open and included enterprise bargaining (Johns, 2002). Employment conditions within Australia were primarily decided by state and federal awards that opted in favour of union members but the situation changed after 1986 whereupon awards were changed, enterprise bargaining came into existence and agreements w ith non-union members were provided for collectives (Bowden, 2009). Late in the 1980s awards were restructured (Bowden, ), and starting with Keating’s Industrial regulations Reform Act 1993 that introduced enterprise bargaining, followed by Howard’s Workplace Relations Act 1996 (Cranston, 2000; Caspersz, 2007) that provided for individual workplace agreements (Bowden, 2009) as well as collective agreements between employees and companies (Johns, 2002), and then a further amendment in 2006, it seems that government support for unions has disappeared (Sappey, Burgess, Lyons & Buultjens, 2006, cited in Caspersz, 2007, p.3). Added to this, the majority of Australian states implemented laws to stop compulsory membership of unions in order to make the transition from award systems to those focused on individual enterprise and bargaining more effortless, and later the federal government under Howard brought obligatory membership to an end (Leigh, 2005). Such legislations crea ted a massive exodus of union members who were then given choice rather than obligation to pay their union dues. Trade unions during this time faced massive changes in terms of legislative deregulation of the labour market (Cranston, 2000) which in turn affected the financial and economical sectors of the

Chronic Illness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Chronic Illness - Essay Example With the fact that this is a serious problem in mind, it is important to take a critical look at some of the specific trend details, with particular attention to demographics and the state-by-state basis. This owes to the fact that different demographics is affected differently and states have diverse localized approaches to dealing with t problem, such as community health programs. Another important element to address includes the interventions that have been put in place in dealing with the problem as well as ways in which national and local policy impacts health care of individuals with chronic illness. This paper seeks to illuminate, among others necessary, the aforementioned issues and concepts. The basic definition of a chronic illness is one that cannot be cured, but can be treated. There is a wide range of them, including diabetes, cancer, heart disease, dementia and different mental health problems among many others. One would add that there are various ways in which chronic illnesses can be prevented because they are preventable. Apart from prevention, they can be managed effectively using frequent exercise, improvements in diet, therapy, and early detection (Chang & Johnson, 2014). Chronic illnesses occur throughout one’s life cycle, aggravating in old age. It has been noted that, over the last one decade, chronic diseases have replaced infectious diseases to become the leading cause of death and disability in the United States. In addition, their prevalence has been on the rise. In a report that was presented in 2011, based on a primary research study, it was noted that chronic illnesses have not only increased among older adults but has also led to an increase in disability and impairment cases (Hung et al, 2011). This study established that chronic diseases are increasingly affecting adults between

Economic Impact of the Olympic Games Coursework

Economic Impact of the Olympic Games - Coursework Example Thus this study contains a detailed economic analysis of the host country's economic activities that are directly and indirectly attributable to the conduct of Olympic Games. The study demonstrates that the economic benefits of the Olympic Games can be influenced by government policies and both the government and the business community would focus their efforts on strategic policies and initiatives in order to maximize the long term gains to the host country in particular (Kirkup, 2006). However it's the aggregate demand and supply shift that matters so much in this analysis. Thus the long term impacts of the Olympic Games on the host country's economy include, Olympic Games can be identified in three phases such as, the pre-games phase, the games duration and the post-games phase (Caimbridge, 1998). In the first phase it is characterized by two different impacts which are associated with Olympic Games, such as the construction and associated infrastructure of the Games site. And in the duration of Olympic Games there would be a significant increase in international visitors to the host country in particular. During the post-games phase there would be a significant improvement in inbound tourism in the host country. As with the past experience of countries like China, Canada and others, it has been recognized that there would be an increase in labor productivity in the post-games period though its real impact on the domestic economy is uncertain (Bing, 2002). With the Olympic Games it would increase aggregate demand through construction activity, additional tourism, sales and Olympic Games related outputs e.g. export of the Olympic televis ion rights, Olympic promotion and ticket sales and so on.A significant number of factors have been identified in relation to the micro economic impacts of Olympic Games, such as conditions in the labor market. e.g. wage rates and the sources of Finance. e.g. price changes. As a result of the Games the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and additional jobs would increase in the year of Olympic Games (Holger, 2004). These jobs are identified as part-time and full-time jobs and people would easy to find the works in such Game periods. As such, it would boost the productivity of labor and wages rates would increased due to the Olympic related construction and projects. There is also a significant increase in outcomes of the service industry including transport and communication, finance, housing sector, tourism and so on (Peter, 2005). Foreign exchange rates can be affected by the Olympic Games because when the exchange rates increase potential foreign investors would buy the domestic currenc y

Language Assessment Principles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

Language Assessment Principles - Essay Example other words, this meant viewing as a student rather than as a teacher. Only after I understood what the student was seeing could I understand what would benefit the student, and therefore provide the necessary means of delivering that lesson. It basically allowed me to assess him based on what was challenging to him as a learner who was struggling to understand the language, rather than as the student of someone who was very fluent in the language. Another misconception I quickly became aware of was that I had always thought assessment was purely for the benefit of the student. While this is partially true, in an indirect way, assessment of a student can also greatly benefit the teacher. In fact, for a good teacher the assessment of a student is vital because through assessing the student, one is able to assess himself as a teacher, possibly better than he could through any other method. When a student struggles with certain aspects of language, but cannot point out exactly where ass essment helps to narrow it down and give information of which areas need more practice and which areas the student is weak in. This allowed me, as a teacher, to focus on those areas, and draw on the aspects of language which Anees was familiar with, or more comfortable with, to help make those unfamiliar areas more accessible for him. In other words, assessment helps a teacher asses his own process of teaching, and decide which areas need to be focused on and which areas can now be left on the student to practice in his own time.... Only after I understood what the student was seeing could I understand what would benefit the student, and therefore provide the necessary means of delivering that lesson. It basically allowed me to assess him based on what was challenging to him as a learner who was struggling to understand the language, rather than as the student of someone who was very fluent in the language. Another misconception I quickly became aware of was that I had always thought assessment was purely for the benefit of the student. While this is partially true, in an indirect way, assessment of a student can also greatly benefit the teacher. In fact, for a good teacher the assessment of a student is vital because through assessing the student, one is able to assess himself as a teacher, possibly better than he could through any other method. When a student struggles with certain aspects of language, but cannot point out exactly where, assessment helps to narrow it down and give information of which areas ne ed more practice and which areas the student is weak in. This allowed me, as a teacher, to focus on those areas, and draw on the aspects of language which Anees was familiar with, or more comfortable with, to help make those unfamiliar areas more accessible for him. In other words, assessment helps a teacher asses his own process of teaching, and decide which areas need to be focused on and which areas can now be left on the student to practice in his own time. Through the various assessment tasks I provided Anees, I found very clear insight into which aspects troubled him, which in turn made my job of teaching him much easier. Therefore, it can be said that assessment of a student is also a means of assessment for the teacher, and both student and teacher can find much to learn