Integrating IT Service Management Requirements †MyAssignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about the Integrating IT Service Management Requirements. Answer: Introduction The international Information Technology standard, which allows a company to present a proof of their excellent practices in the industry, is the ISO/IEC 20000 standard. This standard presents the best industry service benchmarks so that the companies to provide evidence of their own services in comparison to the set benchmarks. This enables a company to reach a desired height of quality in delivering improved quality of IT services. It has now become a competitive differentiation between IT service provider companies and has helped in raising the quality of services provided in the IT organizations (Cortina et al. 2016). In this particular report, a case study of a webinar explains the functionality and importance of ISO/IEC 20000 for the IT industry. Further, the report would include discussions about Service Management Systems and in which way can it be incorporated into ITSM to enhance the services of ExcelIT. The report would next include a brief summary of the engagement highli ghted by the webinar spokesperson based on the iterative engagement approach of ISO/IEC 20000 certification journey and discuss major engagement challenges that have been encountered during the case study described in the webinar. The last part of the report would hold three key benefits of ISO/IEC 20000 certification. IT Service Management or more commonly known as ITSM are the policy driven activities of an organization as a whole. The system also involves organization-structured processes and their supporting procedures that involve providing the best quality of IT services to the customers (Laudon and Laudon 2016). The Service Management thus means for the better implementation of the IT services to meet the needs of a customer and to abide by the service that they have promised to deliver to their customers. This degree of implementation of a IT Service Management in an organization is measured by service providers through an mixture of people consisting of process an information technology. If the implementation is justified in the basis of discipline, ITSM has a much more similarity with general management approaches (Cots and Casadess 2015). These approaches are Quality Management, Software Engineering and Information Security Management. The presence of Service Management system in an orga nization ensures the excellence of the companys service provided to the customers. The ITSM system is being implemented by many organizations worldwide to support the service providing systems of the business. Since, it represents the way an organization agrees to manage its services therefore there are many set standards that evaluate the service management system of the organizations. ExcelIT or Excel Communications Pty Limited was first found in the year 1991 (Lobban et al. 2017). Since then it has become one of the main suppliers of the telecommunication products for Samsung providing services all over the areas of Newcastle, Port Stephens, Central Cost, Hunter region of New South Wales and Australia wide. The regions the company has been providing services to, were becoming obsolete with the passing days. However, ExcelIT has been successful in keeping pace with the changing times (Franco 2015). It provides services for supply, maintenance and installation of Samsung Communications Solution to the clients in need of value added services, expertise and ideas. H owever, in recent times it was found that the customers were not essentially satisfied with the services provided by the ExcelIT organization. Therefore, it was very necessary to implement ITSM into the organizational structure because the organization wanted to adapt the perspective mythology to adapt to the key aspects (Galvan-Cruz et al. 2017). This would allow the organization to involve the primary performance indicators. ITSM would provide the integration of the flow of information across all the areas or on all the premises in the organization. It would thus enhance the integration of the technological services provided in the organization. ITSM implementation in ExcelIT would pull together the information via disparate systems for delivering both the consolidation of events and an effective visualization into a distinct view. It also allows the organization to resolve problems much faster than the organization could actually do before the implementation of the system. The IT SM can identify problems much faster and propose an effective way to resolve the same to aid to the service system of ExcelIT. It makes a counteractive action. It provides with workflow assessment to streamline the count of a company asset, change management and problem management. The ITSM system also implements event analysis and root-cause analysis helps to separate problems and get them to the proper group for resolution in no time. Brief summary of the engagement highlighted by Mr. Basu based on the iterative engagement approach of ISO/IEC 20000 certification journey As per the case study, there have been a major criteria highlighted by Mr. Basu on the iterative engagement approach of ISO/IEC 20000 certification journey. Generally, there are two models of engagement approach of ISO/IEC 20000 certification. They are the Waterfall engagement model and the Iterative engagement approach (Herrera 2017). In the Waterfall method, the system of certifying a company with ISO/IEC 20000 certification follows a very general rule. This includes the planning, auditing and execution of the certification process by handing over the certificates. This is a manual and irreversible approach into auditing function of ISO/IES 20000 certification (YouTube, 2018). On the other hand, iterative approach has an iterated journey with the tasks to perform being broken down to several pieces of task and then complete each task depending on those segregated models. In case of the case study, Mr. Basu had clearly stated that the iterative model is based on weekly work breakdow n by several interconnected steps flowing in a series including planning, gap analysis, team specific customisation, roles distribution, planning, go-live, monitoring, reporting, signing off and the auditing that follows after. Any system implementation process faces challenges during its implementation due to the internal and external problems arising in the organization (YouTube, 2018). These problems can be a challenge in implementing ITSM in the system. According to the case study, the major challenges that have been faced during the case study can be listed down as follows: Lack of Management Commitment: This is a major challenge arising due to the commitment issues that the management faces due to changing priorities and also due to the organizational changes in the structure halfway through the process. Organizational Change Concerns: Organization change in structure and in business process has the ability to create a major problem since this decision relies with the highest authorities in the organization. Therefore, the people in the lower authorities have very little involvement in the agenda including the junior and the mid-levelled staff. These challenges form a level of difficulty during the successful ITSM implementation in a system. ITSM processes relevant for ExcelIT to implement similar solutions as suggested in the case study The case study suggests that ExcelIT should implement the Iterative Model to improve their organizational service providing capability. This approach should start with the supervision of at least three consultants having no prior engagement to the organization. The gap analysis should be done to point out the issues with the service management system that the organization ExcelIT is facing. It needs to be analysed for the next two weeks. Firstly, test was performed for the existing service system (Lasrado, Vatrapu and Andersen 2015). Documentation needs to be checked thoroughly including the process documentation and the policy documentations to make out the situation perfectly. Effectiveness is to be tested next by analysing the practices of the organization and this is to be done by interviewing all of the stakeholders in the organization. After gap analysis, the identified problems are solved by redesigning the people, process, product and partner or the four Ps. The internal and external design models are to be checked next with the roles of process management, central point of contact and internal audits. The auditors should be distributed accordingly and ideally, the iteration approach thus run for almost 12 weeks to flawlessly implement ITSM in ExcelIT and should be handed over the ISO/IEC 20000 certification. It is noted that the implementation of ISO/IEC 20000 has resulted in benefitting the organization it has been certified with (Cots, Casadess and Marimon 2016). The three key benefits that the ISO/IEC certificate provides are to be listed as below: It aligns and improves the business processes and their practises. The practices and processes that a business follows may or may not be flawless. This can be a result of negligence, confusion, or many other factors, which affect the working strategic structure of an organization (Cots, Casadess and Marimon 2016). It may be possible that the organization has failed to satisfy the customers it has been serving to, which is remodelled by the ITSM implementation. It build up the relationship between the different departments in the organization, such as, this makes the business adapt to better clarity in definition and communication, responsibility and goals. It helps in revitalising the trust of the customers in the organization by ensuring them that the organization is reliable, efficient and trustworthy (Cots, Casadess and Marimon 2016). This increases the market base since the customers become increasingly intrigued with the organization itself as it becomes clear to them that there is no other priority to them as customer service providing. It strengthens the relationship between the organization and its customers and the organization never has to think about losing its target customer base. Business case to justify ISO/IEC 20000 certification project implementation at ExcelIT As the situation at the ExcelIT Company suggests, it needs to follow the Iterative framework model to implement ITSM and get the certification of the ISO/IEC 20000 certification (Ding 2015). This would follow the business case justification for the project implementation at the organization ExcelIT as listed below: Evaluation of the current practices Documentation and the evaluation of the differences Training teams as per the ISO/IEC 20000 standards Definition and implementation of the management system Implementation of ISO/IEC 20000 process Performing the internal Audit Performing the external pre-audit Performing external final audit Receiving of the ISO/IEC 20000 certification Conclusion Therefore, it can be concluded from the above case study that the implementation of ITSM in an organization benefits to the service management system of the organization. The case study helps in studying the fact of an organization called ExcelIT in Australia that had increasingly failed to satisfy their customers with the services provided to them. Therefore, the video case study that had Mr. Basu speaking about the benefits of ISO/IEC 20000 certification, describes that implementing ITSM in a organizational structure should be done in two ways, of which the iterative approach is much more reliable and popular amongst the others. The report had detailed description about the IT Service Management system and its implementation benefits into the organization ExcelIT. The second part of the assignment enlightened the facts about the iterative journey of the ISO/IEC 20000 certification system. How the iterative model is implied upon the organization to deliver the company with an effect ive ISO/IEC 20000 certification so that the organization can improve their quality of service management is described in details in the report. In the end, it is suggested that the before implementation it should be properly researched upon to open quite a vast range of possibilities serving as the initial idea to further implantations of the ISO/IEC 20000 certification. References Cortina, S., Barafort, B., Picard, M. and Renault, A., 2016, September. Using a Process Assessment Model to Prepare for an ISO/IEC 20000-1 Certification: ISO/IEC 15504-8 or TIPA for ITIL?. InEuropean Conference on Software Process Improvement(pp. 83-93). Springer, Cham. Cots, S. and Casadess, M., 2015. Exploring the service management standard ISO 20000.Total Quality Management Business Excellence,26(5-6), pp.515-533. Cots, S., Casadess, M. and Marimon, F., 2016. Benefits of ISO 20000 IT service management certification.Information Systems and e-Business Management,14(1), pp.1-18. Ding, Y., 2015. Service Delivery Standards (ITIL, COBIT, ETOM, ISO/IEC 20000, Etc.).Wiley Encyclopedia of Management. Franco, H., 2015.Customer service management system. U.S. Patent 9,224,147. Galvan-Cruz, S., Mora, M., O'Connor, R., Acosta-Escalante, F. and lvarez, F., 2017. An objective compliance analysis of project management process in main agile methodologies with the ISO/IEC 29110 entry profile.International Journal of Information Technologies and Systems Approach,10(1), pp.75-106. Herrera, P.C., 2017. Innovation in Information Technology Services: Framework to Improve the Effectiveness and Efficiency of Information Technology Service Management Processes, Projects and Decision Support Management.World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology, International Journal of Social, Behavioral, Educational, Economic, Business and Industrial Engineering,11(8), pp.2003-2010. Lasrado, L.A., Vatrapu, R. and Andersen, K.N., 2015. Maturity models development in is research: a literature review. InIRIS Selected Papers of the Information Systems Research Seminar in Scandinavia 2015. Paper(Vol. 6). Laudon, K.C. and Laudon, J.P., 2016.Management information system. Pearson Education India. Lobban, F., Appleton, V., Appelbe, D., Barraclough, J., Bowland, J., Fisher, N., Foster, S., Johnson, S., Lewis, E., Mateus, C. and Mezes, B., 2017. An Iterative Case Study to Identify Key Factors Impacting on the Implementation of a Web-based Supported Self-Management Intervention for Relatives of People with Psychosis or Bipolar Experiences in a National Health Service: A Study Protocol.Implementation Science. Mesquida, A.L. and Mas, A., 2015. Integrating IT service management requirements into the organizational management system.Computer standards interfaces,37, pp.80-91. Pardo, C., Pino, F.J. and Garcia, F., 2016. Towards an Integrated Management System (IMS), harmonizing the ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO/IEC 20000-2 Standards.International Journal of Software Engineering and Its Applications,10(9), pp.217-230. Picard, M., Renault, A. and Barafort, B., 2015, September. A maturity model for ISO/IEC 20000-1 based on the TIPA for ITIL process capability assessment model. InEuropean Conference on Software Process Improvement(pp. 168-179). Springer, Cham. Ptak, C.A. and Schragenheim, E., 2016.ERP: tools, techniques, and applications for integrating the supply chain. Crc Press. nal, A., Karaomer, R.B. and Kaynak, O., 2017, September. Analysis of the Practices for the CMMI-SVC in an ISO/IEC 20000-1 Certified Organization. InEuropean Conference on Software Process Improvement(pp. 567-577). Springer, Cham. YouTube. (2018).Case study: Why you need ISO/IEC 20000 to ensure success?. [online] Available at: https://youtu.be/iyJLsV64s2k [Accessed 3 Apr. 2018].

Oedipus Rex By Sophocles Essay Example For Students

Oedipus Rex By Sophocles Essay Where Lies the Blame? In Sophoclese play Oedipus The King, the fate ofOedipus, the main character, was foretold at his birth that he would kill hisown father and marry his mother. As a young adult, he went to see an oracleafter hearing rumors. The oracle told him of his foul fate and he ran awaytrying to escape the chances of this awful future unaware he running towardswhat he thought he would escape. Oedipus was partially responsible for hisdownfall because let curiosity lead him to the oracle where he found out hishorrifying fate, he killed his own father when he should have avoided killinganyone, and if he wanted to avoid marrying his mother, he should have nevermarried anyone older than he. After the birth of Oedipus, his parents Lias andJocasta, King and Queen of Thebes sentenced him to death because the oracle toldthem that he would kill his father and marry his mother. They were unaware ofthe fact that did not die, but was adopted by the king and queen of Corinth. Oedipus was never informed that he was abandoned at a young age, found by ashepherd and adopted. One day while attending a dinner, a drunken man accusedhim of being a bastard. And I went at last to Pytho, though my parents didnot know. But Phoebus sent me home again unhonoured in what I came to learn, buthe foretold other and desperate horrors befall me, that I was fated to lie withmy mother, and show to daylight an accursed breed which men would not endure,and I was doomed to be the murderer of the father that begot me.(1735,860-868) In utter fear of his newfound knowledge, he fled from Corinth to makesure to none of what the oracle said would come true. On his travel, he tooklittle precaution in the field ensure falsifying the oracles prediction. Demanding to know all details about King Lias death he was described the sitewhere three crossroads met. Upon being told this information, Oedipus recalledthe time when had just fled Corinth and came to a spot similar to the onedescribed. Being so distraught with fear and so overwhelmed with emotions, histhinking and reasoning was clearly impaired. I was encountered by a heraldand a carriage with a man in itHe led the way and the old man himself wantedto thrust me out of the way by force.(1735, 878-882) The old man then struckOedipus on the head with a two-point goad. His impaired thinking angered him somuch, he attacked and killed everyone in the band of travelers, except for onesurvivor who managed to get away. If Oedipus was dead set on not letting thisprediction come true, he would have avoided any sort of conflict with any man. It was a very stupid, impulsive move on his part because he let his confidenceoverride the fact that the gods had planned his life. What Oedipus was unawareof, was the fact that one of the predictions had already come true. He hadkilled a total stranger not thinking twice about the prediction. Now having onlyone prediction to contend with, he still did not take any precaution intoavoiding the prediction. After coming to Thebes and answering the Sphinxsriddles, he was granted kingship. Since King Lias had just been murdered andQueen Jocasta was widowed, Oedipus married her unaware of his terrible mistake. Not thinking twice about the prediction after he ran away from Corinth, he led ahappy life and had four children with his mother. Again, Oedipus did nothing toprotect himself against the awful prediction believing he had already falsifiedthe gods prediction. When the townspeople came to Oedipus for help to get rid ofthe unknown plague sweeping through the city, he sought the help of his wife andmany others to help find the murderer of King Lias. All the information that wasgathered, he pieced together and finally made the realization he had been livingin a false reality that he had dodged the prediction entirely. From thebeginning he was dead-set on dodging his fate, yet his ignorance got in the wayof reasoning. He did not think twice that he was dealing with the gods. Heshould have just lived with the fact that the prediction would come true andmake the best of it. He could have turned the

Frank Mccourt Essays - Limerick, Angelas Ashes, Frank McCourt

Frank Mccourt Informal Essay on Angela's Ashes Angela's Ashes is a moving book full of poverty, suffering, and death that shows that no matter how difficult things seem, the hard tines can always be overcome. Angela and Malachy McCourt, both Irish, were married in America after a passionate night together that ended up producing their first son, Francis(or Frank as introduced to the reader). Later, the couple had another son, twins, and a daughter while living in a small apartment in New York. Margaret soon died and the family moved to Ireland where their lives were only worsened. Angela had two more children that lived, but the young twins died. Malachy was an alcoholic who rarely held a job and spent his wages at the pub instead of on his family. They were forced to beg for food and other necessities because relatives were cruel and selfish. This novel tells the tell of young Frank having to endure extreme poverty, starvation, and a broken family with strength and courage. He eventually raises enough money to go to America and break free from his depressing childhood. In my opinion, the theme of this book is that no matter how bad things seem to be, anyone can survive and become successful through perseverance and determination. For example, Frank grew up in just about the worst environment possible but was determined enough to get himself to America and eventually become the author of a Pulitzer Prize winning novel! Frank achieved his goals by taking any extra jobs that he could find and saving every penny possible until he could finally afford his passage to America. Because his father never brought home any money, Frank supported the family with what little wages he earned at his job and was determined to make a good life for himself, his brothers, and his poor mother. Frank learned to depend upon no one but himself and his determination to succeed won him a new life in America where he now lives happily married. I noticed numerous literary devices present throughout the book. One such device is the use of apostrophe. Apostrophe is used continuously when Frank speaks to the angel on the seventh step and also when he and his parents speak to the dead children such as Eugene, Oliver, and Margaret. The story is told from the point of view of Frank as he grows from a young boy of about three or four to a young man at nineteen. This point of view is especially effective because it shows how he feels about his experiences as he ages and how he felt at that exact time. His views change as he grows and his naivete vanishes. He becomes a stronger, smarter person with the reader following along. I also noticed frequent use of imagery. Frank describes his eyes when they are infected with ?red and yellow oozing? out of them. Vivid images are also used to describe the putrid smells in their house next to the lavatory that was used by the entire street to empty their chamber pots. McCourt also chooses to write very often in the diction of the old Irish language. This word choice adds to the mood of the book and attempts to bring the reader into Ireland. The book is also packed with humor. For instance, when the boys were playing outside, McCourt said that the women stand because ?all they do is take care of the children, clean the house, and cook? but the men sit because the spend their time ?discussing the problems of the world and wondering what to do with the rest of the day?(107). This is a humorous, almost satirical look at the traditional male-female roles in a family. Humor is also used while Frank waits for the angel on the seventh step and his naivete as a young boy. McCourt's novel is filled with wonderful, descriptive images that help to shape his fascinating tale from poverty to success. Biographies

Free Essays on Psychoanalytic Therapy

Psychoanalytic Therapy Sigmund Freud’s view of human nature is deterministic. The underlying assumptions are that our behavior is determined by irrational forces, unconscious motivations, and biological and instinctual drives. All of these evolve through psychosexual stages in the first six years of life. The primary characteristic distinguished by this approach is in making the unconscious conscious. A major area of focus and emphasis for Freud was that the personality consists of three systems; the id, the ego, and the superego. The id is ruled by the pleasure principle, which is based on a drive to satisfy instinctual needs and is mostly unconscious. The ego does realistic and logical thinking and formulates plans of action for satisfying needs. The superego works with both the id and the ego by inhibiting the Id impulses and persuading the ego to substitute moralistic goals for realistic ones. Anxiety is a major concept is the psychoanalytic approach. Anxiety develops out of a conflict among the id, ego, and super ego. It also warns of impeding danger. Ego defense mechanisms help to cope with anxiety. Repression, denial, reaction formation, projection, displacement, rationalization, sublimation, regression, introgection, identification, and compensation are all ways in which the ego is prevented from being overwhelmed. Erickson based his ideas on Freuds but also stressed that the psychosocial aspects of development goes beyond early childhood. Carl Jung based some of his views on Freud as well, but disagreed with him in the end. He placed importance on the psychological changes that are associated with mid-life. He stated that part of the nature of humans is to be constantly developing, growing, and moving toward a balanced and complete level of development. Another area of focus in psychoanalytic therapy is the contemporary psychoanalytic theory. A fundamental idea of this approa... Free Essays on Psychoanalytic Therapy Free Essays on Psychoanalytic Therapy Psychoanalytic Therapy Sigmund Freud’s view of human nature is deterministic. The underlying assumptions are that our behavior is determined by irrational forces, unconscious motivations, and biological and instinctual drives. All of these evolve through psychosexual stages in the first six years of life. The primary characteristic distinguished by this approach is in making the unconscious conscious. A major area of focus and emphasis for Freud was that the personality consists of three systems; the id, the ego, and the superego. The id is ruled by the pleasure principle, which is based on a drive to satisfy instinctual needs and is mostly unconscious. The ego does realistic and logical thinking and formulates plans of action for satisfying needs. The superego works with both the id and the ego by inhibiting the Id impulses and persuading the ego to substitute moralistic goals for realistic ones. Anxiety is a major concept is the psychoanalytic approach. Anxiety develops out of a conflict among the id, ego, and super ego. It also warns of impeding danger. Ego defense mechanisms help to cope with anxiety. Repression, denial, reaction formation, projection, displacement, rationalization, sublimation, regression, introgection, identification, and compensation are all ways in which the ego is prevented from being overwhelmed. Erickson based his ideas on Freuds but also stressed that the psychosocial aspects of development goes beyond early childhood. Carl Jung based some of his views on Freud as well, but disagreed with him in the end. He placed importance on the psychological changes that are associated with mid-life. He stated that part of the nature of humans is to be constantly developing, growing, and moving toward a balanced and complete level of development. Another area of focus in psychoanalytic therapy is the contemporary psychoanalytic theory. A fundamental idea of this approa...

The Effects of Technology on Warfare Research Paper

The Effects of Technology on Warfare - Research Paper Example This research will begin with the statement that Clausewitz, Maude, and Graham define war as the â€Å"act of violence intended to compel our opponent to fulfill our will†. War requires a party to defeat its adversary, till such time that the adversary does not offer any more resistance. Violence equips itself with the innovations of science and technology to compete against violence. A strategy is defined as the assimilation and deployment of the objects of war to thwart the opponent. The conduct of warfare depends on the military tactics and strategies employed. Tactics help to put strategies into effect by making decisions that do not necessarily have a long-term effect. With changes in the character of war and advances in technology, strategies and tactics have seen a change in their meaning. This paper explores the effects of technology on warfare and alterations in the internal threads that accompany technological breakthroughs. The paper also addresses how technology re quires a reformulated conceptual change in war-making. The first part of the paper deals with warfare in the early period, before Napoleon began his conquests. It then sheds light on the method of warfare used by Napoleon. The paper explores the use of technology in different wars such as the US Civil War, the First and the Second World Wars, the Gulf War and the Lebanese War, helping to establish how wars were lost or won by using technology and demonstrating its role in war-making. The latter part of the paper examines how technology mandates a subsequent change in internal threads, followed by a conclusion.  For the most part of history, strategies were considered to be the art of how the general conducted warfare and was aimed to tackle problems such as breaking into a fort, arranging the armed forces in a tactical maneuver to give them the advantage over the opponent force etc. Strategies began to change in the past two centuries primarily due to the concept of policies that had the support of the public, international coalitions, and technological advances. As a result, it became increasingly difficult to tell national policies apart from military policies.

Business Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Business Research - Essay Example S. 2007). Quantitative research is descriptive or experimental. Descriptive establishes only associations between variables. It involves case, case series, cross-sectioning and cohort variables, hence it does not give detailed data of the study. Experimental establishes causality. Qualitative research design is appropriate particularly to a business organization. This is because, it enables a clear measure of what is going on in an organization or members of the business organization. (Greener, D. S. 2007). It also monitors financial data and other qualitative data, which can be established and monitored around the organization and which will be vital in the study of day to day management. For instance, when a business organization has incurred loss in sales, a clear study should be carried out to give a clear logistic statement or report of the daily or monthly usage of financial transactions. This will enable the manager of the business to change the norms of the

Major Characteristics Of Qualitative Research

Major Characteristics Of Qualitative Research CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.0 Introduction In this chapter, researcher will explain in detail on how the research will be conducted. This includes the research design chosen by the researcher, the research procedures, sample selection, methods of gathering data, and methods of data analysis used. In explaining the methods and procedures employed, the researcher also explains the rationale for choosing the particular methods and procedures conducted in this research. 3.1 Research Design Patton (1990) in Fraenkel and Wallen (2006) described one of the major characteristics of qualitative research is design flexibility where they suggested that a qualitative research should avoid from stick on a rigid designs or situation so that the situation can be understood in-depth. They also recommended a qualitative research should pursue new paths of discovery that suits with the researcher interest. From his own reading and opinion, the researcher would like to define qualitative research as a type of scientific research. It is because; generally scientific research consists of a proper investigation that seeks for answers to a question systematically by uses a predefined set of procedures. In order to answer the questions, researcher collects evidence and produces findings that were not determined in advance and that are applicable beyond the immediate boundaries of the study. Therefore to carry out his research qualitatively, the researcher would like to use case study as the method for the researcher to conduct this research. Case study is one of methods to conduct qualitative research where Robert Stake (1997) defines a case as a bounded system as it tells a story about a bounded system. A system refers to a set of interrelated elements that are wholesome while bounded outlines the boundary of the system (Holmes et al, 2008). However the researcher himself need to determine the case first and later the researcher will uses various data collection techniques such as interviews, observation through literature, and relevant documentary analysis to carry out a holistic study of the entity. By using case study, the researcher will actually attempt to investigate the components or parts that make up the system to see how they operate. By refer to this research; the researcher will investigate the science curriculum of Steiner Waldorf education as he will comp are the curriculum with Malaysian science curriculum. At one hand, the researcher will look at the important components of curriculum of both Malaysian and Steiner Waldorf education. On the other hand the researcher will compare both curriculums in order to look at the strength and the weaknesses in Malaysian science curriculum as compared to Steiner Waldorfs. Hence, the researcher believes that the researcher will experience the personal contact and insight as well as holistic perspectives on both curriculums by using case study and comparative analysis. 3.2 Research Methods According to Fraenkel and Wallen (2006) qualitative research employed three main techniques to collect and analyze data which are observing people and classroom, interviewing the subject as well as analyzing documents or other forms of communication. Therefore for the data collection the researcher employed the three different methods namely observations, interviews, and document analyses. By employing more than one methods, the researcher believe it will help to triangulate the data, to provide multiple sources of evidence as well as to increase the validity and reliability of the findings of this research. Below here are the explanations on each method: 3.2.1 Observations Observation basically conducted in order to investigate something that the researcher unfamiliar with. Because of that, certain kinds of research questions can best be answered by observation (Fraenkel Wallen, 2006). According to Holmes et al (2008) observation can be classified according to the role that the researcher plays. Fraenkel and Wallen (2006) suggested the same and as follow; Participant Observation, the researchers actually participate in the situation or setting they are observing and when the researcher takes on the role of a complete participant his identity is not known to the other members of the group or another role that could be play by the researcher is as participant as observer. This is where the researcher participates completely in the activities of the group being studied and on the same time telling the group clearly that he is doing research. Non-participant Observation, sit on the sidelines where the researcher does not participate in the activity being observed or actually he is indirectly involved with the situation being observed. There two roles that the researcher could play. First as observer as participant where the researcher immediately identifies himself as researcher and do not have to pretend as a member of the particular group being studied. Second one; the researcher could be complete observer which is totally contradicted with complete participant. The presence of the researcher may or may not, realize by the group because the researcher is actually observes the activities without any intention to participate. For this research, the observations carried out by the researcher were actually used both types of observation. In one situation the researcher plays his role as participant as observer and in yet, another situation, the role changed to observer as participant. The researcher adapted with the change of situation where it involved time and purpose of the observation. For example when the researcher participated in the programs organized by the Steiner Waldorf department in Plymouth the researcher also carrying out his observation and informed the member of the group that he was carried out observation for his research. However during his visit to the Steiner school in Plymouth, he was no longer participant as observer; instead, he was observer as participant where he observed the teaching and learning process, condition and environment of the school as well as the activities that the school had along that day. It was same with the observation carried out by the researcher in Malaysia. The researcher plays his role totally as observer as participant with the groups of students and teachers involved in this research. However when it involved with his personal experience as in-service teacher, he was actually a complete participant, where he observed the phenomenon occurred in the group that he studied without telling them the actual situation. But it was a very minor part from the observations that the researcher carried out. 3.2.2 Interview Interview is a common tool usually used in qualitative research. It is used by researcher to know and understand peoples experiences and their inner perceptions, attitudes, and feelings of reality (Zhang.Y, 2006). By referring to its structure, interview can be divided into three categories: structured interview, semi-structured interview, and unstructured interview (Fontana Frey, 2005) and as in Frankael and Wallen (2006) the unstructured interview term is used as informal interview. Structured interview is the interview that has a set of predefined questions and the questions asked to the respondent in the same manner. Structured interview is similar to survey and questionnaire except that it is conducted verbally rather than in writing. Semi-structured interview can best be described in terms of the flexibility in the interview process. Just like structured interview, this type of interview consists of a series of questions which designed to elicit specific answer from respondent. However it usually more open-ended than questions in a structured interview but in the course of interview, interviewers has a flexibility to adjust the sequence of the questions to be asked and add questions based on the context of the conversations. Informal interview as the term implies shows that the interview conducted is less formal as compared to structured or semi structured interview. It is also similar to a casual conversation and basically carried out to pursue the interests of both the researcher and the respondent in turn. This type of method is commonly used in qualitative research. For this research, the researcher carried out the three types of interview. Informal interviews were used by the researcher at the initial part of this research. The interviews were conducted on few teachers, lectures and students in the attempts to find out the problem of Malaysian science curriculum. During his visit to Plymouth, the method changed to semi structured interview as the researcher hoped to gather as much information as possible to gain some insight about the Steiner education. The questions designed basically to help the researcher to get the intended answer from the respondents. Time is always being the limitation of any research. Therefore when the researcher traveled back to Malaysia, the researcher still hopes that he could get more information about science curriculum from the Steiner education. Therefore he conducted email interview with few Steiner teachers, lecturers and its ex-students. In the email the researcher explained briefly about research that he conducting as well as instruction how the respondent should answer the questions. The researcher classified the email interview method as structured interview in the sense that questions asked were fixed (in term of number) and no further probing were carried out. Email interviews conducted by the researcher as part of member check which is a term of method that use in qualitative research to verify what the researcher had understood based on the previous interviews, observations and document that he analyzed or as mean of validating via triangulation. 3.2.3 Document/Content Analysis It is a technique that allow the researcher to study human behavior in an indirect way such as through an analysis of human communication, written content of communication, textbook, essays, newspaper, journals, magazines, articles and others (Frankael Wallen, 2006). Content analysis also has been defined as a research method for the subjective interpretation of the content of text data through the systematic classification process (Hsieh Shannon, 2005) and also as an approach of empirical, methodological controlled analysis of texts within their context of communication (Mayring, 2000). Therefore in this research document refers to written sources that the researcher have obtained from the online sources (articles, reports and journals) and other written sources such as books that explain about Steiner and Malaysian science curriculum. The documents gathered include official publications which discuss the aims and objectives of science education and other aspects of curriculum such as implementation, assessment and the performance. These different documents were analyzed and discussed in relation to the findings gathered through observations and interviews carried out by the researcher previously. 3.3 Research Procedures Since this is a comparative study between 2 different curriculums, there are procedures that need to be carried out by the researcher in two different countries which is Malaysia and Britain. Therefore, the researcher will explain the procedures in number of different stages as detailed below; Stage 1 To identify the problem about the Malaysian science curriculum, the researcher had informal interviews with few senior teachers and lectures with science education background. Besides that the researcher also conducted few informal interviews with students in mainstream science class. The idea to compare the Malaysian and Steiner science curriculum actually came from colleagues who had general idea about the Steiner Waldorf education. Stage 2 (Initial Study) The researcher gathered information about Steiner education including the history, approaches and its curriculum as well as read about the research conducted on Steiner education. At the same time, the researcher also contacted the Head of the Steiner Waldorf education in University of Plymouth and liaises with the Senior Tutor of the Industrial linkages of that university via email to establish rapport before the visit to Britain. Meantime, the Head of the Steiner Waldorf department helped the researcher to organize Steiner and science related programs for the researcher to attend during the visit and one of which is a visit to a Steiner school in Plymouth. Stage 3 Prior to conducting this research in the UK, the researcher needed to obtain permissions from the following parties: The Dean of Faculty of Education of University Teknologi Mara (UiTM) to obtain permission to submit the proposal to the UiTM International Linkages Centre (UiLC); The Head of UiLC for the approval of the fund needed by the researcher to conduct this study in Britain; The Vice Chancellor of UiTM to obtain the approval for the researcher to conduct this study in Britain; and The Head of Steiner Waldorf Department in University of Plymouth for permission and to be involved in this research. Stage 4 When in the UK, data was gathered or obtained through varying sources and methods as highlighted assistance earlier, namely subsequent Joined a week program organized by Steiner Waldorf Department in University of Plymouth. The program also involved a class of first year students who doing their Bachelor in Steiner Education; Group interview with the few lectures and students from the Steiner Waldorf Department; Interview with the Head of Steiner Waldorf Department in University of Plymouth; Educational visit to one Steiner school in Plymouth where interviews were carried out with a few teachers from different backgrounds; Observation of one science lesson; and one practical or experiment session; and Exchange of emails with the few science teachers, lecturers and students who graduated from Steiner schools. Stage 5 Once the intended data were obtained from the UK, this stage will more focusing on data analysis and to find more evidence to further support the earlier findings. Conducted email interview with few Steiner science teachers, lectures and ex-students. Doing analysis on documents about Steiner curriculum specifically on science. Conducted a group interview with students from 2 different schools in Petaling district. Analyzed data gathered. 3.4 Sampling Strategy A sample in a research study is the individual or group on which information is obtained (Fraenkel Wallen, 2006). Another opinion, a sample consists of a group of individuals drawn from the population where the sample is actually a fraction from the whole population (Holmes et al, 2008). A group of sample can be very small or maybe quite large depending on the number of population as the sample drawn is actually supposed to represent the entire population. There are two major types of sampling which is probability sampling and non-probability sampling. For this research, the researcher chose purposive sampling and convenience sampling when conduct this research. A convenience sample is group of individuals who (conveniently) are available for study while purposive sample is chose based on the researcher judgment where the sample is believed could give useful information for the research (Fraenkel Wallen, 2006). On the other perspectives, Holmes et al (2008) in his book stated that purposive sampling is a way where the researcher, in choosing sample, considers the subjects that belong to a specific group. Basically this method is appropriate for a topic that has not been studied much before while convenience sampling is a means studying of whomever or whatever is available. In attempt to study on Malaysian and Steiner Waldorfs science curriculum, the researcher was actually blended the method in sampling. Even though the sample might involve personal networking of the researcher, there were few aspects that the researcher gave due consideration and judgment. That is why the researcher chose to use purposive and convenience sampling. In order to understand a phenomenon from perspective of participants, the researcher chose sample who gave more useful information. In addition, the researcher also look at the participation, willingness and cooperation of the sample to involves with the research so that it will made much easier for the researcher. 3.5 Sample 3.5.1 Sample for Malaysian Science Curriculum The samples that the researcher chose to gather useful information regarding Malaysian science curriculum can be divided into three categories, namely as; expert (lecturer with science education background), practitioner (teacher) and students. 3.5.2 Sample for Steiner Waldorf science curriculum The samples that the researcher chose to understand about Steiner Waldorf education and its science curriculum also can be divided into three categories, namely as; expert (lecturers with Steiner education background and Steiner science education background), practitioner (teacher) and students. 3.6 Data Analysis Data analysis is one of the important parts in any research. It requires systematic procedures to manage the data gathered and the ability to analysis the data critically and thoroughly. However, to carry out the analysis, researcher will use the research questions and research objectives that constructed earlier as the guide. He believes that, it will help the researcher to shows the right direction of the exploration of the data. As the researcher employed observations, interviews and document analysis as the methods to gather the data, each method will undergo different levels of analysis at one point and later will be combined as a rich data that will be able to answer the research questions. Any notes that made by the researcher during his observations, informal interviews, transcript of email interviews, videos recorded, journals, and any publications related were organized accordingly into its own category. Next, the data were analyzed in order for the researcher to look at any existing patterns or themes and help the researcher to identify basic features of the data. This will help the researcher to develop and document a database structure and on the same time to describe about the data extensively by using qualitative software. The software will allow the researcher to code, retrieve and analyze data which could make the rich data become more organized and useful. 3.7 Summary The framework of this research took place within qualitative procedures since the aim of this research is compare the Malaysian and Steiner Waldorf science curriculum. Interviews conducted with the teachers, lectures and students from both systems as well as the observation that the researcher carried out in Malaysia and Britain were the main research tools. The information gathered was supported by the analysis of documents such as journals, articles, official publications and several ministry documents related to science education. The data transcribed with the aid of qualitative data analysis software helped the researcher to come out with the findings of the research.