The Implications Of Internet Surveillance On Today s Society

Marcus Howard Prof Jeff Hotz ENG 203 21 September 2015 The Implications of Internet Surveillance on Today’s Society Bruce Schneier’s CNN article, â€Å"The Internet is a Surveillance State,† published on cnn.com on March 16, 2013 makes the case that there are times in which we do need the Internet to be a surveillance state. Schneier constructs a convincing case that by using the Internet, our privacy is given up without a fight. There are many implications that Internet surveillance has on our society, be it positive or negative. Nonetheless, there is a need for strong policies to exist to limit outright violations of privacy. In current American society, the concept of data collection and monitoring is ever-present, leading one to agree that we live in a surveillance society. Tamara Dinev’s article, Internet Users’ Beliefs about Government Surveillance – The Role of Social Awareness and Internet Literacy, defines internet surveillance as: â€Å"Historically, the concept of surveillance is often associated with activities carried out by government agencies. However, the identification, collection, ordering, and categorization of personal information carried out by marketers in the private sector can also be regarded as surveillance† (275). Dinev explains the use of internet surveillance from tasks such as acquiring knowledge about consumer preferences for commercial purposes to prevention of crime and terrorist activities. Dinev also asserts that, â€Å"The prevalence of monitoring andShow MoreRelatedThe Value of Digital Privacy in the Information Technology Age1283 Words   |   5 Pagesensuring the security of nations and enterprises on the one hand and the need for protecting the privacy of individuals on the other, are creating a myriad of conflicts regarding ethics, laws and personal rights. Never before in the history of modern society has there been such a strong emphasis on capturing, analyzing, categorizing and using personal data that had been highly protected in the past for purposes of securing nations (Ottensmeyer, Heroux, 1991). Correspondingly, there has never been a timeRead MoreCensorship Filters The Media Within The World1574 Words   |  7 Pagesfree expressions of men and women like a shadow throughout history. Censorship is a way to filter the media in the world by suppressing unacceptable viewings or hearings by not showing, bleeping out, and covering the distasteful parts. In ancient societies, China for example, censorship was considered a logical tool for regulating the political and moral life of the population. The term censor can be traced to the office of censor established in Rome i 443 BC. In Rome, in the ancient Greek communitiesRead MoreEdward Snowden and The Government Data Collection Program1439 Words   |  6 Pagesgovernment property and willful and unauthorized disclosure of national defence information. The most important thing revealed was a powerpoint containing sensitive information on the National Security Agency (NSA). It showed the NSA’s Prism internet surveillance scheme. Prism allowed the NSA to gather online Metadata. Metadata is data that gives information about other data. 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The days of people following each other to collect information on one another has changed now that technology is mainstream. Spying has taken a new form, so called surveillance. Thanks to technologies fast rise, privacy is becoming less of a right. When it comes to the topic of surveillance technology, most of us will readily agree that our privacy is beingRead MoreOpposing Viewpoints Of Foucault And Rayner Analyzed Through Ethos, Logos, And Pathos1184 Words   |  5 PagesOpposing Viewpoints 2 Whether we like it or not the society that currently exists is Panoptic, with cameras on every street corner or even just the constant surveillance of the internet we are always being watched and have lost our privacy in lieu of our own safety. Panopticism, the idea that someone is always being watched and thus they alter their actions to please those watching. It is very clear that Panopticism does shape an individual s actions, whether that be for better or worse. FoucaultRead MoreWar Is Equally Physical And Emotional1943 Words   |  8 PagesWar is equally physical and emotional; the art of war requires tactic and strength to participate in. Advertisers use a battle strategy to convince the consumers and society that their product is worth spending their money on. Unfortunately advertisers use unfair advantages such as celebrity endorsements to convey and manipulate the consumer. The reinforcements are the elite in their careers; these celebrities are fighting this battle become a role model for the an entire army and a perfect imageRead MoreInnovation For Government Digital Services1379 Words   |  6 PagesIterate. Then iterate again 6. This is for everyone 7. Understand context 8. Build digital services, not websites 9. Be consistent not uniform 10. Make things open: making things better In the 21st century GDS has a great impact on the society that we will live in today as everything we need to apply for is run through GDS such as student finance, Visas, Prison visit booking and many more services. The reason for all these services being available now is our technology. As technology gets more and moreRead MoreSocial Networking : An Overview3990 Words   |  16 Pagescertain products by using memes and other funny things on the Internet to lure potential customers (Ballard). Many people can now collaborate in near real-time as social networking sites remove the physical barriers of connecting with a person who is geographically far away. Finally social networking has allowed society to converge social interactions with the Internet through new and revolutionary means such as mobile apps and internet face to face methods such as Skype of communications to engageRead MoreIndividual Privacy vs National Security5833 Words   |  24 Pagesthey are constantly losing the ir privacy , when will it end, and how long will it continue. In this report, it will discuss where privacy issues began and where the public see individual privacy vs. national security come together in its most recent society. Do the public succumb to total governmental control, or do they propose continued debate in the nation’s process of the national security process. There are always two sides of a story, the pros and cons, the laurels and pitfalls, or the good and

Leadership Quality of Oedipus and Kreon Essay - 714 Words

The Leadership Qualities of Oedipus and Kreon Having leadership qualities means having charisma, resolves and protecting your citizens from any aspects that can come to harm them. The playwright portrays Oedipus as the King who cares for his people above all else and Kreon as a royalty, who attends only to hedonic lifestyle. In the citizen’s eyes, Oedipus is seen as a good leader. He demonstrates great leadership through several events. When the Oedipus learned of the plague, he â€Å"sent away [his] brother-in-law, son of Menoeceus, Kreon, to Pythian Apollo’s shrine† to hear from Apollo on â€Å"what [he] might do or say to save our city.† He notified the people that he understands their pain and suffering for the â€Å"soul inside [him]†¦show more content†¦Kreon demonstrates that even though he rules as an equal third power of Thebes, he asked Oedipus if â€Å"anyone prefer to rule and have to cope with fear rather than live in peace, ca refree and safe, if his power were the same?† In another sense, Kreon does not want to be a king and be burden with the people’s needs and concerns, since he has no intention to â€Å"[perform] royal acts†. Kreon is the type of person who does things according to his favor where there is a gain for him as he â€Å"not yet so mistaken in [his] mind that [he] want things which bring no benefits†. After all, Kreon tells Oedipus that he is â€Å"[greeted by] all men, and they all welcome me†, and those that wanted something from Oedipus â€Å"now flatter [him], since [he’s] the one who brings success in what they want†. However, Kreon did displays a little bit of leadership qualities during the accusation between him and Oedipus. Kreon tried to tell Oedipus calm down and listen because it is Oedipus’ â€Å"turn now to listen to hear [him] make a suitable response†. This shows that Kreon is a cool-headed person that thinks before he speaks, which is a good leadership quality. Furthermore, Kreon demonstrates his scholars’ intellects by telling Oedipus that â€Å"to throw away a noble friend is like a man who parts with his own life, the thing most dear to him. Give it some time†. In other words, Kreon is trying to tell OedipusShow MoreRelatedIs What Happens to Oedipus Fair? Are We Supposed to Respect Him? Would1625 Words   |  7 Pagestragedy ‘Oedipus Tyrannos. He presents the audience with an intense drama, which addresses the reality and importance of the gods that the Greeks fervently believed in. The play also forces the audience to ask themselves if there is such a concept as fate. From the very beginning of Oedipus, it is made clear that his destiny be one of fate and worse. The irony is that Oedipus unknowingly repeatedly predicts his own fate: It was I who called down these curses on that man. Oedipus has unconsciouslyRead More Oedipus Tyrannos by Sophocles1623 Words   |  7 PagesOedipus Tyrannos by Sophocles Sophocles uses a mixture of both visual and emotional imagery to create the morally questioning, Greek tragedy ‘Oedipus Tyrannos’. He presents the audience with an intense drama, which addresses the reality and importance of the gods that the Greeks fervently believed in. The play also forces the audience to ask themselves if there is such a concept as fate.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  From the very beginning of Oedipus, it is made clear â€Å"that his destiny be one of fate and worse†

The Advantage of Wealth Free Essays

Since time immemorial, it has been a common notion that wealth defines a person’s status in the society. It is usually associated with the amount of material things that a person owns that wealth is determined. This essay would try to evaluate the advantage of wealth in the light of the novels ’ Hedda Gabler’ by Henrik Ibsen and ‘The Great Gatsby’ by Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald. We will write a custom essay sample on The Advantage of Wealth or any similar topic only for you Order Now A discussion of the basic concept of wealth in each novel will first be identified. A deliberation on the advantage of wealth in each novel will be highlighted. Lastly, the essay will compare the ideas in the two novels to establish the significance of wealth. The Great Gatsby, narrated through the eyes of Nick Carraway, denotes his enthusiasm to the life of his neighbor Jay Gatsby. The novel is a love story on the surface with the concept of betrayal and true love emanating from each chapter. Nevertheless, the novel connotes on the absurdity of life, wealth and social status during the 19th century. As can be reiterated, the novel tries to undermine the fact that ‘money is tantamount to power and authority in the society’.   Basically, the novel is about the pursuit of Daisy’s love by Jay Gatsby and the means that Gatsby had used to attain his goals. It is noted that Jay and Daisy had been in love prior to her marriage to Tom. Jay had to leave because of war but they promised each other that they will someday marry and live together. Nonetheless, when Jay came back, he discovered that Daisy had married a rich and wealthy man, Tom Buchanan. Gatsby’s dream is to be with Daisy forever and to win back Daisy’s love. Since Daisy is a woman of aristocratic heritage, it is a prerequisite for him to be rich and famous to be able to succeed her love. Thus, Jay Gatsby has been blinded by money. His dream has been based on the acquisition of money, fortune and fame due to the belief that material wealth can bring back everything.   To further emphasize this viewpoint, it can be helpful to understand some quotes from the novel itself. In a statement when Gatsby imagined that Daisy will divorce Tom, he uttered ‘I’m going to fix everything just the way it was before (Fitzgerald, p. 111)’. This statement holds his faith to his wealth; it shows that despite everything, he believed that money can still fix everything. When Nick advises him that ‘you can’t repeat the past’, Gatsby replied ‘Why, of course, you can (Fitzgerald p. 111)’.   The conversation further reveals Gatsby’s confidence in the power of wealth and determination towards what he wants. One of the most exquisite remarks that Jay Gatsby had uttered is that ‘Her voice is full of money (Fitzgerald p. 144)’, in reference to Daisy. Gatsby is aware of the fact that his love for Daisy is based on attraction towards wealth. In this regard, Gatsby believed that money can substitute love since Tom had substitute Jay’s place in Daisy’s heart. Like money, love is something that needs to be acquired which determines the purpose of being for Jay. Everything that Jay spends is a way towards fulfilling his dream. Daisy on the other hand displays the significance of wealth when she married Tom Buchanan despite the fact that she is not in love with him. The novel hinted the interest that Daisy still have for Jay after all the years when she inquired ‘What Gatsby?’ and when she drunk her self before her bridal dinner crying and holding a letter (possibly from Gatsby) in another hand saying ‘Tell ‘em all Daisy’s change her mind (Fitzgerald, p. 51)’. Wealth is seen as a way to relieve the pain of being left alone. By marrying a wealthy man, Daisy can more easily mend her broken heart. She had been able to ‘moved with a fast crowd (Fitzgerald, p.52)’ and able to maintain her reputation. Money is portrayed as a way out of loneliness. Wealth is displayed as a road towards happiness and fulfillment. Hedda Gabler is actually a play written by Ibsen showing how much societal pressure and norms confine a person into a specific stereotype. The story revolves around Hedda, who is newly married to George Tesman, an aspiring professor. Hedda is described as the daughter of an aristocratic General Gabler. It is apparent from the course of the dialogue between Hedda and the other characters that she does not love her husband. It also seems as if she only married him because he can at least provide her with her needs although it may not be enough. Hedda, all throughout the story manipulated other characters into doing her will. George, Aunt Julie and the other characters wants to please her and they do their best to reach her upper-class taste. Hedda has everything she need. Nonetheless, since she has to marry to maintain her social status, she chose to marry George Tesman. Tesman is a very bookish person. He even researched from libraries despite being on honeymoon. He relay his amazement of the museums and libraries to Aunt Julie, stating ‘Notes, documents- people didn’t know existed (Ibsen, p.13)’. Tesman is willing to do everything for Hedda yet she cannot be satisfied. The advantage of wealth lies on the respect and the treatment that Hedda receives from other people despite her unusually rude and manipulative character. Despite the fact that Aunt Julie was hurt when Hedda mistaken her new hat to be old and to belong to the maid, she still treat Hedda nicely. Aunt Julie stated ‘she’s lovely all her life (Ibsen, p.19)’. Thea also remark about Hedda’s difference with her status in the line ‘we’ve not been close†¦ you were always, in a different world from me, socially (Ibsen, p. 26)’. This shows that even though both are women of the same era, Thea still recognizes the fact that Hedda is different ‘socially’. Being a daughter of a respected and powerful general gives her enough freedom and authority, bestowed by the society, to be regarded more powerful than the other women. How to cite The Advantage of Wealth, Papers

An American Tail Movie project Essay Example For Students

An American Tail Movie project Essay An American Tail (1986) Director: Don Bluth Performers: Fievel Mousekewitz (Voice of Philip Glasser) Papa Mousekewitz (Voice of Nehemia Persoff) Mama Mouskewitz (Voice of Erica Yohn) Tanya Mousekewitz (Voice of Amy Green) Bridget (Voice of Cathianne Blore) Digit (Voice of Will Ryan) Gussie Mouseheimer (Voice of Madeline Kahn) Henri the Pigeon (Voice of Christopher Plummer) Honest John (Voice of Neil Ross) Irish mouse on boat (Voice of Warren Hayes) Italian mouse on boat (Voice of John Guarnieri) Moe (Voice of Hal Smith) Tiger (Voice of Dom DeLuise) Tony Toponi (Voice of Pat Musick) Warren T. Rat (Voice of John Finnegan) Summary Fievel Mousekewitz and his family (who are mice), who are from Russia run away from their homeland in the late 1800s, and board a boat headed for America to escape the Czarist rule of the Russian cats. Fievel, however, is separated from his family upon his arrival in New York Harbor. While hes searching for his family throughout NYC, he discovers that there are cats in America too (his father said there werent). Fievel meets a variety of friendly and hostile mice, and learns the ins and outs of NYC and how to survive as an immigrant. Eventually he makes friends with a cat named Tiger and together, along with others, Fievel finds his family and lives happily ever after. This is an immigration movie geared towards kids to show and teach them about immigration to America. It shows them the reasons they (the Mousekewitz) left their homeland Russia to come to America. In their case it was to escape the Czarist rule of the cats, parallel to most immigrants who escaped their land due to religious and political persecution. Once aboard the ship to America, it showed the long and unpleasant trip to New York Harbor, where in this movie, Fievel gets separated from his family to inclimate weather. Once they arrive in New York Harbor, it shows children the happiness immigrants got when they saw the statue of liberty and the process through Ellis Island to become a citizen of America. The rest of the movie takes place in America where it shows political machines, such as Warren T. Rat, who really is a cat but takes advantage of new immigrants by dressing as a mouse and receiving the mices trust. With trust came their money and broken promises, just as political machines really did back then. The movie shows the immigrants hardships and poor living conditions in America with tenement housing and unsanitary conditions. This is a typical coming to America immigration movie, showing with good detail the entire immigration experience to and within America, both good and bad. Within this movie the Mousekewitz function as two types of immigrants: The Dream Seeker: Papa Mousekewitz repeatedly talks about how great America is; that there are no cats in America and the streets are paved with cheese! (I know that you are singing right now Professor Hymes). They are the typical immigrants who believe that America is great and that there is no wrong there. They seek the American dream of having religious freedom and to seek great jobs to make more money. They believe in the American way of life and want to become it. The Societal Victim:Within the movie, Fievel become a victim of Warren T. Rat while in search of his family. He gets taken advantage of due to his trusting outlook, not knowing that he shouldnt trust everybody. In the end, due to his trust in others, Fievel is able to solve the problem in America (in his area mostly) by getting rid of the cats. Though he was a victim he was able to solve an American problem. .u2b6b03c4b0f35bab4ea2c21c2e71f3b1 , .u2b6b03c4b0f35bab4ea2c21c2e71f3b1 .postImageUrl , .u2b6b03c4b0f35bab4ea2c21c2e71f3b1 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u2b6b03c4b0f35bab4ea2c21c2e71f3b1 , .u2b6b03c4b0f35bab4ea2c21c2e71f3b1:hover , .u2b6b03c4b0f35bab4ea2c21c2e71f3b1:visited , .u2b6b03c4b0f35bab4ea2c21c2e71f3b1:active { border:0!important; } .u2b6b03c4b0f35bab4ea2c21c2e71f3b1 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u2b6b03c4b0f35bab4ea2c21c2e71f3b1 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u2b6b03c4b0f35bab4ea2c21c2e71f3b1:active , .u2b6b03c4b0f35bab4ea2c21c2e71f3b1:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u2b6b03c4b0f35bab4ea2c21c2e71f3b1 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u2b6b03c4b0f35bab4ea2c21c2e71f3b1 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u2b6b03c4b0f35bab4ea2c21c2e71f3b1 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u2b6b03c4b0f35bab4ea2c21c2e71f3b1 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u2b6b03c4b0f35bab4ea2c21c2e71f3b1:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u2b6b03c4b0f35bab4ea2c21c2e71f3b1 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u2b6b03c4b0f35bab4ea2c21c2e71f3b1 .u2b6b03c4b0f35bab4ea2c21c2e71f3b1-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u2b6b03c4b0f35bab4ea2c21c2e71f3b1:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Ishmael EssayThis is a great movie to describe immigration. It uses a childish standard of furry animal characters to tell an underlying mature story of immigration. At this level, anybody can understand what immigration was about. It is able to show every aspect that an immigrant went through to get to America and also why they came here to America. Once their arrival, it showed the Ellis Island experience along with the hardships and problems America faced. Within the movie was a little story of Fievel getting separated from his family, but .

MMP Representation in New Zealand A Case of the Tail Wagging the Dog

In 1993 New Zealand citizens voted, in a national referendum, to drastically amend their voting system from the British-modelled traditional first-past-the-post (FPP) to a Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) representation (Bowler Farrell, 2006).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on MMP Representation in New Zealand: A Case of the ‘Tail Wagging the Dog’ specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The genesis of proportional representation (PR) in New Zealand can be traced back to the 1950s, when the political landscape of the country witnessed a gradual breakdown of public trust and confidence in politicians and parliament, followed by large-scale disillusionment with the old two-party system (National and Labour) among New Zealanders (Bale Bergman, 2006; Newman, 2010). Although the PR system initially received accolades as a powerful political instrument capable of making New Zealand the most effective, most inclusiv e democracy globally (Little, 2005), it has continued to draw criticisms from varied quarters, with some critics suggesting that it brings into the limelight a situation where the ‘tail wags the dog’ (Vowles, 1998). This paper purposes to illuminate evidence to support assertions made by MMP’s critics that PR indeed results in the ‘tail wagging the dog.’ Simply put, PR is based on the notion that if a particular party gets 20 percent of the vote in elections, then it is entitled to 20 percent of seats in parliament. Consequently, the major driving principle of PR, according to Bale Bergman (2006), is that political parties should be given power in proportion to the actual number of voters who vote for them. When it comes to the MMP system as practiced in New Zealand, each voter casts two votes, with one vote meant to decide their local member of parliament (electorate vote) and the other deciding which party they would like to represent them federal ly (party vote). Newman (2010) posits that â€Å"†¦under the MMP, the party that wins the greatest party vote on the election night is given the chance to form a government by†¦horse trading with potential coalition partners† (p. 1). As already mentioned, one of the major objectives of the MMP was to bring proportionality to the electoral system (Malpass, 2010), but this objective appears not to have been met even as New Zealanders prepare to go into the referendum to determine the effectiveness of the system.Advertising Looking for essay on political culture? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More A number of situations can be used to demonstrate evidence that PR results in the ‘tail wagging the dog.’ First, the critics of MMP have argued that although PR originally meant to achieve proportionality in New Zealand’s electoral system, it inarguably led to a system whereby small parties wielded, and continues to wield, disproportionate power (Vowles, 1998; Bale Bergman, 2006). One important consequence of such an electoral disposition is that the party with massive voter following must negotiate with other smaller parties in order to have important policies implemented. Consequently, and contrary to the maxims of a stable and representative government, it can be argued that the MMP as practiced in New Zealand permits coalition governments to form where minority parties have in their possession a disproportionate share of power, leading to a system in which the ‘tail wags the dog.’ A case in point is the smacking debate of 2009, which revolved around the issue of whether smacking children should be viewed as a good parental correction or a criminal offense (Ritchie, 2009). In this debate, the Green party successfully projected its anti-smacking campaign against the will of the majority who wanted the bill on smacking of children re-legalized, implying that it was the tail wagging the dog in this particular debate. To put it in perspective, MMP has brought into the fore situations in which major parties take superfluous and unpopular standpoints so as to pacify minor parties. Another consequence, which is intrinsically related to the first, is that minority parties, even if they have no real power, are not only capable of holding the bigger parties (National and Labour) to ransom, but are also able to project their opinion in parliament (Bowler Farrell, 2006). Such predispositions, according to Vowles (1998), are bad for democracy because they not only lead to a more consensual type of government, but also trigger a reduction of political transparency and accountability for laws passed by parliament. In 1996, for example, Winston Peters of the minority party New Zealand First, along with 13.3 percent of voters, held the other 87.7 percent of the voters to ransom by playing the ‘king maker’ in an exhibition of the way governments were to be created under MMP, not at the ballot box, but after, by a choice from minority parties between the two dominant parties – Labour and National (Vowles, 1998).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on MMP Representation in New Zealand: A Case of the ‘Tail Wagging the Dog’ specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It is important to underline the point that the political compromises the MMP has encouraged as a result of allowing smaller parties to wield disproportionate power has not only led to a more consensual form of government as elaborated above, but â€Å"†¦has also contributed to ad hoc law making, an inability of government to take proper charge of [the] legislative programme, and a pork barrel politics and back room deals† (Malpass, 2010 para. 3). For example, the government of the day is unable to take proper charge of its legislative programme due to the fact that minority part ies have a greater say in controversial legislation than their vote merits. In equal measure, it is possible for the prime minister of New Zealand to be defeated by a simple majority; that is, a majority of individuals who cast their votes or refrain from voting rather than a majority of seats in the legislature (Bale Bergman, 2006). This effectively implies that the office of the prime minister, which is traditionally the centre of power, is unable to govern effectively as power has been delegated to the periphery. A case in point here is the secret backroom deal between the National party and the Maori party in 2008 even after it was apparent that the National party was in a position to govern after securing the support of ACT and United parties (Newman, 2010). In respect to the New Zealand’s government not been able to either implement policies or take charge of important legislative programmes, political commentators are in agreement that MMP has only worked to perpetuat e some form of centrism in New Zealand politics which has, in effect, encouraged the sidelining of important issues (Bowler Farrell, 2006). Evidence to back this assertion arises from the prediction by the Royal Commission, who observed that there might be prolonged periods where the New Zealand government is inarguably unable to take decisive action when doing this seems the only right way to follow (Newman, 2010). A case in point is the sidelining of debate concerning the Maori seats, where the National party (with the majority) wish to abolish them but the Maori party (minority) wish to embed them. The perceived indecisiveness of the National party in this debate, ostensibly because it fears to loose the support of the minority party, implies that nothing progressive will be accomplished in this fundamental but unpopular area. Surely, it is a case of the ‘tail wagging the dog.’ It can also be argued that MMP has led to the proliferation of minority parties and other interest groups in parliament, setting the stage for a scenario where the stability and effectiveness of government are threatened (Bale Bergman, 2006). The system has been accused in various quarters for not exercising fairness and, as such, always puts political parties in a collision course at the expense of passing important bills for the country to move forward. There exists compelling evidence to support this assertion.Advertising Looking for essay on political culture? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More At the 2008 national election, for instance, the 4.1 percent of the vote received by New Zealand First successfully ensured that the party had no representation in parliament, whereas ACT, with only 3.7 percent of the vote and one constituency seat, went ahead to gain 5 MPs in parliament (Gallagher Mitchell, 2010). Such an inconsistency, in my view, can only serve to threaten the stability of government, and it is vivid pointer to the PR’s trajectory of the ‘tail wagging the dog.’ Lastly, it can be argued that the MMP system has drastically elevated the number of minorities represented in the legislature to a level of excessive overrepresentation (Gallagher Mitchell, 2010). Such overrepresentation, according to the author, is bad for democracy as it shift power from its rightful owners according to the wishes of the electorate to place it in other peripheral locations that do not in any way enjoy the support of the majority of the electorate. We only need to re call the overrepresentation of the Maoris to see how such an electoral and political disposition can cause elevated public outcry because of the actual or perceived fear among the electorate that the minorities are indeed calling the shots in government. To conclude, it is indeed true that New Zealand’s encounter with PR has unconditionally demonstrated that MMP provides minority groupings with disproportionate influence, which inarguably comes at a cost to democracy (Bowler Farrell, 2006). Evidence have been adduced to support this claim, including how these minority parties act to circumvent the implementation of policies perceived to be of great importance to New Zealanders, how they perpetuate centrism, how they curtail political transparency and accountability, how they contribute to ad hoc law making and back room deals, and how they hold major parties to ransom. With the coming referendum in November 2011, therefore, New Zealanders need to consider all the important i ssues highlighted in this paper and vote consciously on whether they want to retain the MMP system or whether its time to introduce a new electoral system. List of References Bale, T., Bergman, T (2006). Captives no Longer, but Servants Still? Contract Parliamentarism and the New Minority Governance in Sweden and New Zealand. Government Opposition, Vol. 41, No. 3, pp 422-449. Bowler, S., Farrell, D.M (2006). We know which one we Prefer but we don’t know really why: The Curious Case of Mixed Member Electoral systems. British Journal of Politics International Relations, Vol. 8, no. 3, pp 445-460. Gallagher, M., Mitchell, P (2010). The Politics of Electoral Systems, 2nd Ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Little, G (2005). Development of MMP in New Zealand. Web. Malpass, L (2010). Superseding MMP: Real Electoral Reform for New Zealand. The Centre for Independent Studies. Web. Newman, M (2010). Proportionate Representation, Disproportionate Power. New Zealand Centre for Pol itical Research. Web. Ritchie, K (2009). Kiwis Consumed by Smacking Debate. Web. Vowles, J (1998). Voters’ Victory?: New Zealand’s First Election and Proportional Representation. Auckland: Auckland University Press. This essay on MMP Representation in New Zealand: A Case of the ‘Tail Wagging the Dog’ was written and submitted by user Alexander Maddox to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Republic Of Panama Essays - PanamaUnited States Relations

Republic Of Panama Essays - PanamaUnited States Relations Republic of Panama An emerging nation is a group of people linked together through nationalism in the hopes to rise from obscurity with the common goal to become a more productive and cohesive country. Panama is indeed known as one of the worlds emergent nations. There are many plans under way to ensure a better, more productive future for Panama. The current president, Ernesto Perez?s main platform was to modernize Panama. He hopes to achieve this by reforming labor codes, investment laws, decreasing import barriers, privatizing the public sector companies, passing anti-monopoly laws and improve Panama-US relations, just to name a few. President Perez is planning redevelopment of the Panama Canal Zone. Efficient operation of the Zone is expected in the year 2000. The most important interest the United States has in Panama is definitely the Panama Canal. (2.)The Panama Canal Treaty of 1977 and1979 returns the Canal from the U.S. control to the Panamanians. Between that time the U.S. agreed to pay $10 million for control of the Canal until 1999. Also an annuity of $250,000 was tacked on and we promised independence for Panama. Each year the price we pay for the canal rises. The total in 1995 was $100.2 million due to certain provisions of the treaty. (1.)The treaty also set up the Panama Canal Commission Organization (PCCO). The PCCO is a part of the executive branch of the United States. It was enacted to manage, operate, and maintain the canal until the term ends on December 31, 1999. The commission is expected to recover all costs of operating and maintaining the canal through tolls and other revenue. This includes interest, depreciation, capital for plant replacement, expansion, improvements, and payments to the Republic of Panama for Public services and annuities. The revenues are deposited into a U.S. Treasury accounted known as Panama Canal Revolving Fund. (3.)The tolls being paid are based on ships tonnage. Currently the tolls are $2.39 per PC/U.S. Net Tons for Laden (w/passengers or cargo) vessels, $1.90 per PC/U.S. Net tons for Ballast(w/out passengers or cargo) vessels, and $1.33 for other miscellaneous vessels. Though tolls have been gradually increasing there is an expected deficiency in the future. In 1997 tolls increased 8.2% and in 1998 they are only expected to rise7.5%. In 1996 a total 13,536 and 198,067,990 in vessels and cargo passed through the canal. That equals $486,688,265 in tolls. We could probably have a substantial amount of profit from the tolls if we didn?t have to rent the canal from Panama every year until 1999. Specifically for U.S. interest, in 1995, 899 thousand long tons of Japanese?s automobiles were ship to the canal. Half of these were marked for the United States. Also, 44.1 million long tons of grain coming from the gulf went through the canal which was mostly heading for the far east. (4.)Approximately 13% of international seaborne trade passes through the Panama canal. This doesn?t seem like much but the United States is one of the major users of the canal. Economically, Panama hopes to the trading hub of this hemisphere. Anyone who has control of the Panama Canal will eventually be the trading hub this hemisphere. This includes instillment of a banking center of the world, free movement of capital, a better tourism incentive, and a restructured economy based on free markets. (5.)In 1995 Panama?s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was 6,961. The GDP per capita was 2,646. Panama?s natural resources are timber, seafood, and copper ore. Most of the products they export are bananas, corn, sugar, rice, coffee, shrimp, timber, assorted vegetables, and cattle. The United States is one of Panama?s major markets for their exports. There are 2 billion tons of copper ore which is reality able to be mines. Also they export approximately $14 million in tropical fruit a year. The export of vegetables has doubled in the last three years. Another of Panama?s resources is the tourist attractions. There are miles of white sandy beaches and numerous islands on each coast. This allows for excellent snorkeling, skin diving, and fishing adventures. The climate in Panama is tropical all year round. It is rather unclear to ma as what the United States should actually do with Panama. Do we really want to give the canal to the Panamanians. I don?t think so. Do we have to give the canal back. NO, we stole it first, fair and square. Yes we do have a treaty with Panama but it would not be the first time a country has broken a

The Middle Ground Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Middle Ground - Assignment Example One plans to propose a resolution to the conflict, even in theoretical means, as disputing parties, particularly China, signify a selfish approach by indicating suggested resolution from the international organization that is assigned to resolve territorial disputes using the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS). In this regard, one hopes that the reader would understand the arguments posed by each party and decide for themselves, other alternative courses of action that would assist in resolving the dispute. 2) What did you learn from completing this assignment? Did you experience a new understanding of the topic? Did you change your perspective after completing the research? One learned that there are some issues or controversies that are not simple and that would require some form of third party mediation to resolve. However, in this case, it is more complex since China explicitly indicated refusal to accept third party resolutions to the dilemma. As a result, one definitely experienced greater depth in understanding the topic and enabled one to gain increased appreciation for conflict negotiations or resolving issues using middle ground concepts. 3) What difficulties did you encounter during the research, writing, or editing phases of the assignment? The difficulties encountered during the process were trying to locate authoritative information on the topic being researched and to find a balanced discourse that would present both sides of the arguments. There were also some challenges in trying to fit the arguments into the specified word count and therefore observe quality in writing. Finally, there was extreme difficulty in proposing a middle ground solution because of China’s stance on the issue. 4) What did you enjoy about this assignment? The assignment proved to be very enlightening and informative in terms of the knowledge gained from the research. One learned to use skills in research, writing and editing to ensure that the f inal structure would comply with the needed requirements. Therefore, the assignment was an opportunity for both personal and professional growth. 5) What made you decide to write about this particular topic? Is this a topic that you are discussing in another course? Is this a topic that concerns you in particular? The topic was decided on due to its current nature and the controversial issues that emerged. Likewise, one could note that since this is a territorial dispute between China and the Philippines, one might conclude that other countries are not, in any way, affected by the issues. However, one believes that its immediate resolution would benefit, not only these countries, but others who trade and inter-relate with them in any way. 6) Is there anything else you would like for me to know before reading your essay? None anymore, except that this middle ground essay is an effective way of enhancing skills in both thinking (analytical) and writing and is therefore a rewarding end eavor. The Middle Ground Essay Introduction and Claim The topic to be discussed, evaluated and expounded on is the current maritime and territorial dispute over Scarborough Shoal by two countries: China and the Philippines. According to the website Disputed Territories, â€Å"the Philippines controls and runs this group, but China (People's Republic of China) lays claim to it, as part of its Paracels, Spratlys, and Zhongsha Islands Authority, and Taiwan (Republic of China) expresses sovereignty too, in the context of being the 'true ruler of China'† (Disputed Territories par. 1). As disclosed by BBC News Asia, â€Å"China's claim includes almost the entire South China Sea, well into what the UN Convention on the Law

Leadership in Nursing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Leadership in Nursing - Assignment Example This study will be aimed at addressing the scope and need for development in United Healthcare with the intention to suffice the growing requirements for quality assured medical services within the next decade. Contextually, the study will also exhibit a strategic plan taking into account the aspects of network growth, nurse staffing, resource management and patient satisfaction in order to assist United Healthcare to deliver adequate support to the growing needs of the population. Strategic Planning for United Healthcare United Healthcare has been much concerned towards enhancing its performances by continually delivering proper and effective services to the clients (Patients), especially in the form of health insurance programs. As the organization aspires to improve the quality standards and effectiveness of the medical facilities being rendered to Americans, it becomes highly significant for the company to continually enhance its performances on the basis of particular strategic guidelines. Hence, to meet the rapidly increasing demand of global customers, the organization will need to redesign its strategies in regard to network growth, nurse staffing needs and procedure, management of the resources and quality standards (United Healthcare, 2013). ... However, since the health care needs of the population in America are increasing at a rapid pace, the organization would need to spread its operations or network to a wider extent. In this regard, the unit can establish some more hospitals under its umbrella, especially in the interior parts of the country where lesser numbers of quality health care service providing operators are available. This will further enable the organization to convert its aim of providing quality services to almost every citizen of the country into reality. Furthermore, adding more and more hospitals and health care professionals within its operations will further lead to an enhanced reputation of the organization throughout the country. Spreading its network in the interior regions of the United States, where there are lesser numbers of health care units, will also portray the responsiveness of the organization towards the societal needs; thus, sufficing its vision of responsiveness (United Healthcare, 2013 ; Lighter, 2011). Nurse staffing Nurses are quite a vital part in health care business. As a matter of fact, even though doctors are perceived to be bestowed with the primary role in any of the health care organization or service system, the role and the responsibility of nursing staff are irreplaceable. Nurses are often considered as the ultimate pillars in regard to acquiring maximum customer satisfaction. As stated earlier, with the increase in the demand of the customers for quality services in this sector, the health care units in America are in need to revise their nurse staffing strategies in order to develop an effective set of nursing team that would be able to meet the requirements of the customers with diversity and efficiency. United

Developing Twenty-first Century Civil Engineering Essay

Developing Twenty-first Century Civil Engineering - Essay Example Civil engineering is a discipline that is changing rapidly. There has been a major development of civil engineering in the twenty-first century due to changes in technology and weaknesses in the old civil engineering methods. This is because this century offers solutions to many problems in the building and construction industry. This includes upcoming of many institutions that offer formal training of civil engineers to create professionals in the field. There are firms formed by civil engineers that look at the construction needs and challenges to find solutions. They also act as a standard setting institution to certify civil engineers before they get to the construction industry so that they are competent enough. This century presents many challenges in civil engineering. This is because most problems that the society faces today have a direct relationship with this field. For instance, some road accidents are associated directly with poor road construction which is under civil e ngineering (Seely, 1999, p.8). This perception by the society calls for a change in the framework of our structures for professional and educational bit of this discipline. To cub this challenges, the civil engineering discipline liaises with other related disciplines like surveyors and architects so that construction of buildings is carried out to meet quality standards.It is for this reason that a framework has been set to improve the competency of civil engineering in this century.... There has been change in this trend due to factors like technology. It is for this reason that colleges and universities have been built to provide formal education on this discipline. The first college to offer formal education on civil engineering was known as Norwich University in the United States. They offered degree courses in this area to ensure that civil engineers came out competent and well equipped with all relevant skills (Seely, 1999, p.87). This has greatly led to an improvement in the construction industry. Developing Twenty-first Century Civil Engineering Civil engineering is a discipline that is changing rapidly. There has been a major development of civil engineering in the twenty-first century due to changes in technology and weaknesses in the old civil engineering methods. This is because this century offers solutions to many problems in the building and construction industry. This includes upcoming of many institutions that offer formal training of civil engineer s to create professionals in the field. There are firms formed by civil engineers that look at the construction needs and challenges to find solutions. They also act as a standard setting institution to certify civil engineers before they get to the construction industry so that they are competent enough. This century presents many challenges in civil engineering. This is because most problems that the society faces today have a direct relationship with this field. For instance, some road accidents are associated directly with poor road construction which is under civil engineering (Seely, 1999, p.8). This perception by the society calls for a change in the framework of our structures for professional and educational bit of this

Using Data Wrangling and Gemms for Metadata Management

Using Data Wrangling and Gemms for Metadata Management Sharan Narke , Dr. Simon Caton AbstractData lakes are gestated as to be a unified data repository for an enterprise to store data without subjecting that data to any of the constraints while it is being dumped in to the repository. The main idea of this paper is to explain about the different processes involving curating of data in the data lake which facilitates and helps wide range of people other than IT staffs in an enterprise or organization Keywords- Data Lake ; Data Wrangling ; GEMMS I. INTRODUCTION In the current scenario, data is seen as a valuable asset for an enterprise or organization. Many of the organizations are now planning to provide with personalized or individual services to its customers and this strategy can achieved with the help of data lakes. Data wrangling refers to the process which starts right from data creation till its storage into the lakes. James Dixon, the originator of terminology explains the difference between data mart, datawarehouse and data lakes as, If data lake is assumed to be a large water body, where in the water can be used for any purpose then data mart is a store which has bottled drinking water and datawarehouse is marked as a single bottle of water (OLeary,2014). Even though data warehouses, data marts,databases are used for storing data, but data lakes provides with some additional features and even data lakes can work in accordance with all of the above ones. Data lakes address the daunting challenge : how to make an easy use of highly diverse data and provide knowledge? Huge quantity of data is available,but most of the times data is stored in information silos with or without connections between these data. If any clear insight is to be derived then data in t he silos is to be integrated.(Hai , et al. 2016) Instead of performing the traditional methods of data warehousing for data management likewise transforming ,cleaning and then storing into repository, here in the data is stored in original format and as required the data is processed in data lake. By implementing in such approach data integrity is achieved (Quix, et al.2016) As per the present situation in the big data world, evaluating large data sets with their quality cleaning them which are of various types has become a challenging task and data lakes can help in achieving them (Farid, et al. 2016) II. LITERATURE REVIEW For easing the process of data curating there are two methodologies namely Data wrangling and GEMMS which helps in achieving the curation process. A. Data Wrangling B. GEMMS A. Data Wrangling Data Curation is in use to mainly specify the required necessary steps in order to maintain and utilize data during its life cycle for future and current users Digital curation involves following steps The data is selected and appraised by archivists and creators of that data Evolving the provisions of intellectual access, storage which are redundant, transformation of data and then committing the specific data for long term usage Developing digital repositories which are trustworthy and durable Usage standard file formats and data encoding concepts Giving knowledge regarding the repositories to the individuals who are working with those repositories in order to make curation efforts successful(Terrizzano, et al.2015) Figure 1: Data Wrangling Process Overview(Terrizzano, et al.2015) In the above figure it represents a number of challenges inherent in creating, filling, maintaining, and governing a curated data lake, a set of processes that collectively define the actions of data wrangling Different steps involved in the data wrangling process are:   Ã‚   1. Procuring Data: It the first step of data wrangling process, Herein the required metadata and data is gathered so as it can be included into the data lakes(Terrizzano, et al.2015) 2. Vetting data for licensing and legal use: After the data procurement is done, then the terms and conditions are determined so as the data can be licensed (Terrizzano, et al.2015) 3. Obtaining and Describing Data: Once the licensing relating to the selected data is agreed upon, the next task is loading the data from source to data lake and the presence of data alone cannot serve the needs, data scientist working on that data should find out that data to be useful so that it can be used to derive useful information out of it. (Terrizzano, et al.2015) 4. Grooming and Provisioning Data: Data obtained in its raw form is often not suitable for direct use by analytics. We use the term data grooming to describe the step-by-step process through which raw data is made consumable by analytic applications. During Data Provisioning, we now focus on getting data into the data lake. We now turn to the means and policies by which consumers take data out of the data lake, a process we refer to as data provisioning (Terrizzano, et al.2015) 5. Preserving Data: This is the final step of the data curation process isManaging a data lake which requires attention to maintenance issues such as staleness, expiration, decommissions and renewals, as well as the logistical issues of the supporting technologies (assuring uptime access to data, sufficient storage space, etc.). (Terrizzano, et al.2015) B. GEMMS(Generic and Extensible Metadata Management System) Generic and Extensible Metadata Management System (GEMMS) which(i) extracts data and metadata from heterogeneous sources,(ii)stores the metadata in an extensible metamodel, (iii)enables the annotation of the metadata with semantic information, and (iv)provides basic querying support (Quix, et al.2016) We divide the functionalities of GEMMS into three parts: (i)metadata extraction,(ii) transformation of the metadata to the metadata model and (iii) metadata storage in a data store Figure 2: Overview of GEMMS system architecture (Quix, et al.2016) (i). The Metadata Manager invokes the functions of the other modules and controls the whole ingestion process. It is usually invoked at the arrival of new files, either explicitly by a user using the command-line interface or by a regularly scheduled job (ii). With the assistance of the Media Type Detector and the Parser Component, the Extractor Component extracts the metadata from files. Given an input file, the Media Type Detector detects its format, returns the information to the Extractor Component, which instantiates a corresponding Parser Component. (iii). The media type detector is based to a large degree on Apache Tika, a framework for the detection of file types and extraction of metadata and data for a large number of file types. Media type detection will first investigate the file extension, but as this might be too generic (iv). When the type of input file is known, the Parser Component can read the inner structure of the file and extract all the needed metadata (v). The Persistence Component accesses the data storage available for GEMMS. The Serialization Component performs the transformation between models and storage formats (Quix, et al.2016). Evaluation of GEMMS System: The goal of evaluation had two parts and GEMMS satisfies these to a major extent (i). GEMMS as a framework is actually useful, extensible, and flexible and that it reduces the effort for metadata management in data lakes (ii). GEMMS system can be applied to a system having large number of files (Quix, et al.2016) II. CONCLUSIONS Data lakes is getting hotter in enterprise IT architecture. However, the company should decide what kind of data lakes  they need based on the current data process systems. Data lakes have its own assumptions and maturity growing framework. The IT leader in large organization should pay attention to the data lakes and figure out their own way for implementing these new IT technologies in their organization (Fang,2015) In this paper, we discussed about Data wrangling , which helps in design, implementation and maintaining the data. Along side the metadata management aspects using GEMMS, which efficiently eases the process and giving the evaluation how GEMMS stays on top in the meta data management in the  data lakes which helps large organisation in managing the data if that organisation is implementing Data Lakes REFERENCES OLeary, D.E., 2014. Embedding AI and crowdsourcing in the big data lake. IEEE Intelligent Systems, 29(5), pp.70-73. Hai, R., Geisler, S. and Quix, C., 2016, June. Constance: An intelligent data lake system. In Proceedings of the 2016 International Conference on Management of Data (pp. 2097-2100). ACM. Quix, C., Hai, R. and Vatov, I., 2016. Gemms: A generic and extensible metadata management system for data lakes. In CAiSE forum. Farid, M., Roatis, A., Ilyas, I.F., Hoffmann, H.F. and Chu, X., 2016, June. CLAMS: bringing quality to data lakes. In Proceedings of the 2016 International Conference on Management of Data (pp. 2089-2092). ACM. Terrizzano, I., Schwarz, P.M., Roth, M. and Colino, J.E., 2015. Data Wrangling: The Challenging Yourney from the Wild to the Lake. In CIDR.

Music Education Advances Culture Essay examples -- School Art Essays

Music Education Advances Culture With many music programs now beginning to be cut from public schools, music educators now find themselves having to defend the value of their art in an educational setting. Most educators view music education to be an important aspect of overall education, but they view it as luxury rather than a necessity. Often times, music and art education unfortunately lead the way when tough budget cuts have to be made. Some people even believe that the arts should not be included in curriculum because it is difficult to evaluate art formally. Others believe that a culture as advanced as ours should have the arts as the keystone of our educational system. I believe that music education plays an important and valuable role in the further development of our culture and is essential to a good education. Music education is important in the development of a stronger culture and society because it encourages creativity and individuality. Students are provided with an opportunity to expand their minds and experience what their true potential is through the art of music. This encourages individual opinions and allows students to draw their own conclusions without a correct or incorrect answer. I believe that music education should be a keystone in the foundation of our educational system. As Williams states, "the arts are a basic and central medium of human communication and understanding."(Williams 190) Music communicates aurally what we can not put into words or visual images. Music and the other arts should be treated as essential to improving and strengthening our culture. Music always requires more than 100%. It is not enough just to play all the correct notes. Musicians strive for something greater than ... ...and increased math and reading scores. I think that we will find that music directly impacts math and reading skills. I believe that music requires a more diversified utilization of the brain, and that it inherently combines both math and communication skills. Yes, it is true that music may not fit into our modern mold of statistics, test scores, and financial value. Although music may not fit the mold, it is essential to all advanced cultures and its value is shown throughout the history of the world. Although technology in the modern world offers quick satisfaction, we must remember that without music and the arts culture becomes stagnant. Music is essential to our culture and should be essential to our educational system. Works Cited Dahl, Ronald. "Burned out and bored" Hughes, Robert. "Behold the Stone Age" Williams, Harold M. "Don’t Ignore the Arts"

Sigmund Freud’s Psychosexual Theory

Going back to the previous stages of Sigmund Freud’s Psychosexual Theory of Development I have been, I think I have been fixated at my Latency Stage during my elementary years because I was not that free to explore things on my own. I do not mix up with my other grade school friends back then that much. I didn’t even play basketball with my nearby neighbors that’s why until now, I do not know how to play basketball. I and my siblings used to stay at home all day, all night even our parents were not around. We are not allowed to go out of the neighborhood just to roam around and talk around. Maybe this is the reason why I do not know how to socialize totally with other people, keeps me of not being hooked up with some of naughty things and vices. And gets me out of danger and trouble in the way. I think I am a well-rounded person already, regardless of being my unsociable behavior wherein I can’t and I don’t easily get involved nor caught up with the jests of my friend and when it’s my turn, they always find me corny and some sort of out-of-the-world guy. But then, I still thank my parents for raising me up like this. In such a way that it’s only me and my family can understand each other. It’s quite selfish though, but I like it that way.

The role and value of play Essay

All children and young people need to play. Children’s play is behavior which is freely chosen, self-motivated and personally directed, and the impulse to play is in all of us. Through play the child explores the world and its creative potential, discovering all the while, a flexible range of responses to the challenges, she or he encounters. By playing, the child learns and develops as an individual and as a member of the community – be it at home, the street and area they live in, their school or a holiday play scheme. As such, play is a right, recognised in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child – Article 31. Play is essential for children’s physical, emotional and psychological growth, as well as their intellectual, creative and educational development. When children play they build up a sense of identity, self-respect, confidence and their own self-worth. Through playing with others, children build a resource of behavioural techniques to help them navigate complex social worlds including younger children not to feel intimidated by older children. The contemporary environment in which many children grow up is not designed with them in mind, and at times and in some areas provides limited opportunities for safe and creative play. Increasing traffic due to continuous property development, parental fears of strangers and lack of open spaces all restrict children’s play outdoors, but by providing and protecting play-rich environments for children we can counteract these limitations. Much has been written on the subject of play and there is visibility in legislation and guidance for professionals: – Stuart Brown, founder of the National Institute for Play, has said that â€Å"play is anything that spontaneously is done for its own sake†¦appears purposeless, produces pleasure and joy, leads one to the next stage of mastery† (as cited in Tippett, July 2008; italics added). – Edward Miller and Joan Almon describe play as â€Å"activities that are freely chosen and directed by children and arise from intrinsic motivation† (2009, p15). – Jeannine Ouellette refers to play as â€Å"activity that is unencumbered by adult direction, and does not depend on manufactured items or rules imposed by someone other than the kids themselves† (Ouellette, 2007, para13). – â€Å"The main characteristic of play – child or adult – is not its content, but its mode. Play is an approach to  action, not a form of activity.† Jerome Bruner, quoted in Moyles (1989) – â€Å"From an early age, play is important to a child’s development and learning. It isn’t just physical. It can involve cognitive, imaginative, creative, emotional and social aspects. It is the main way most children express their impulse to explore, experiment and understand. Children of all ages play.† (Dobson, 2004, p8) In June 2010 the coalition government set up a Childhood and families taskforce, Nick Clegg, Deputy prime minister said in his opening speech, â€Å"For too many British children, childhood has become a time of stress, anxiety and insecurity, when it should be a time of discovery, learning and adventure. My purpose in politics – and the job of this coalition government – is to change that, to live up to our responsibility and lay the foundations for better lives for our children.† At the launch of the revised EYFS, published March 2012, following the Tickell review, we were once again reminded that â€Å"play is essential for children’s development.† When children play, they are actively engaged in activities they have freely chosen; that is, they are self-directed and motivated from within. â€Å"Best Play† starts with a definition of play and with a set of values and principles. Both the definition and the values and principles are well recognised within the play work profession, (though they can be expressed in slightly different ways, for instance they can be found in the National Occupational Standards for National Vocational Qualifications in Play work and in the New Charter for Children’s Play (Children’s Play Council 1998), though perhaps less so outside it. It then looks at evidence and arguments about the role of play in child development and the consequences of a lack of good play opportunities. â€Å"Play is freely chosen, personally directed, intrinsically motivated behavior that actively engages the child†. This definition draws closely on the work of Bob Hughes and Frank King. Children choosing what they want to do, why and how they want to do it then when to stop and try something else is the simplistic breakdown of the definition. Free play has no external goals set by adults and has no adult  imposed curriculum. Although adults usually provide the space and resources for free play and might be involved, the child takes the lead and the adults respond to cues from the child. When children can pursue play under their own impulse and initiative, they are able to: Practice decision-making skills Discover their own interests Engage fully in what they want to pursue Develop creative problem solving skills Practice skills in resolving conflicts Develop self-regulation Develop trust, empathy, and social skills Develop language and communication skills Use their creativity and imagination Develop skills for critical thinking and leadership Analyse and reflect on their experiences Reduce stress in their everyday lives However, there is a growing consensus about some of the possible implications of play deprivation, based on reasonable assumptions about the role of personal experience and self-directed activity in the development of a range of competences. Depending on the types of play opportunity that are lacking, children could be affected in the following ways: Poorer ability in motor tasks Lower levels of physical activity Poorer ability to deal with stressful or traumatic situations and events Poorer ability to assess and manage risk Poorer social skills, leading to difficulties in negotiating social situations such as dealing with conflict and cultural difference Every child is different and will play in their way. As an adult and the manager of the After School Club (ASC) I need to recognise the impact that myself and co workers have on a child’s play opportunities. Throughout the session I take time to observe, consult, plan, and participate in play knowing the great potential for learning that play offers – developing skills and abilities, providing opportunities to co-operate, developing  friendships, taking turns, resolving conflicts and solving problems, and developing knowledge and understanding of the world. While children will sometimes need support, it should be recognised that they will often benefit from opportunities to play without adult supervision. Therefore we, the play workers, must understand the impact we have, giving consideration to the differences of each child including behaviors. Bob Hughes (2006), a playworker and play theorist, has identified sixteen play types, including creative, dramatic, explorat ory, fantasy, locomotor, mastery, object , role, rough and tumble, social, socio-dramatic, symbolic, deep (extremely risky) and recapitulative (ritual) play. Their very description indicates a relevance to the social, physical, intellectual, creative and emotional development. Snapshots of play at ASC: Eddie and Eleanor are playing a new game – Mancala. Eleanor was pleased to discover the game in the cupboard and is teaching Eddie as she has the game at home, she told Eddie how she loves playing it with her Dad. Eleanor explains the rules and object of the game, they play repeatedly, both enjoying the competitiveness. George, Robert and Calum have built a play scene on the wooden piano using the play animals, a piece of camouflage material and wooden tree pieces. They have built dens for their animals at different levels and then use blocks and vehicles they have made from lego to destroy the animal’s dens. The tigers dens is last to be destroyed says Calum â€Å"they are the fiercest animals and will fight you really hard to protect their home† â€Å"Foxes are fierce, said Robert, they ate my rabbit.† Libby, Evie and Katie asked to share a dance they had learnt at school today. Mrs. Colucci found the CD player for them to use. They had fun performing their routine to an audience and added props and different costumes to wear as they repeated their performances. They add a new piece to the end and are going to show that to their teacher tomorrow. Dylan and Alfie are playing with the cars, lining them up to move around the mat to get to the garage. Toby, Sam and Ben are building a ramp over the garage for the cars to be able to loop the loop and fly through the air! In summary – Play can be fun, challenging and enjoyable for both adults and children. By helping children to take part in different types of play on  their own and with others, and by providing a well-resourced play environment inside and outside, adults can greatly enrich the learning opportunities that play provides. â€Å"Play is the answer to how anything new comes about.† Jean Piaget REFERENCES FOR RESEARCH PURPOSES EVERY CHILD MATTERS, THE 5 OUTCOMES AND THE UNCRC NATIONAL OCCUPATIONAL STANDARDS FOR PLAYWORK PLAY ENGLAND – MAKING IT HAPPEN, IMPLEMENTING THE CHARTER FOR CHILDRENS PLAY PLAY ENGLAND – PLAY, NATURALLY – A REVIEW OF CHILDRENS NATURAL PLAY PLAYWORK PRINCIPLES. SKILLS ACTIVE PLAYWORK SECTOR / EYFS BRIEFING DOCUMENT Play, naturally A review of children’s natural play Stuart Lester and Martin Whilst researching material for writing this essay I enjoyed reading the following publication. Their suggested reading list is one I will work my way through to continue to extend my knowledge on this subject. A guide to child-led play and its importance for thinking and learning Playing to learn A publication commissioned by ATL from Di Chilvers Recommended reading list from the publication Broadhead, P. (2004). Early Years Play and Learning – Developing Social Skills and Cooperation. RoutledgeFalmer. Broadhead, P. (ed.) (2010). Play and Learning in the Early Years. Sage. Bruce, T. (1987). Early Childhood Education. Hodder and Stoughton. Bruce, T. (1991). Time to Play in Early Childhood Education. Hodder and Stoughton. Bruce, T. (2001). Learning Through Play: Babies, Toddlers and the Foundation Years. Hodder and Stoughton. Bruce, T. (ed.) (2006). Early Childhood – A Guide for Students. Sage. Lindon, J. (2001). Understanding Children’s Play. Nelson Thornes. Manning, K. & Sharp. A. (1977). Structuring Play in the Early Years at School. Ward Lock Educational. Moyles, J. (1989). Just Playing? The Role and Status of Play in Early Childhood Education. Open University Press. Moyles, J. (ed.) 1994. The Excellence of Play. Open University Press. Project Zero. (2001). Making Learning Visible – Children as Individual and Group Learners. Reggio Children. Siraj-Blatchford, I. et al. (2002). Researching Effective Pedagogy in the Early Years. Department for Education and Skills and the Institute of Education. Research Report 356.

ProBritain essays

ProBritain essays The British established colonies along the Atlantic coast in New England by the end of the 17th century. After a long series of wars with the French, Britain was in a financial bind. The pressing issue of taxing the colonists arose from this situation. Should the colonists be required to pay taxes to Britain? In my opinion, the answer to that question is yes. Britain founded the colonies. The country supplied the colonies with many valuable materials. The colonists should be grateful enough to the British government to repay them in the form of taxes for helping them prosper. The colonists owed their allegiance to their founding country. Not only did the British government supply the basic necessities to survive, but they also helped the colonists in time of war. While the colonists were fighting the Indians, Britain sent over a massive army to help conquer them. Many British men were expended in this effort. However, man wasn't the only thing that Britain shipped to the colonies in the time of war. They sent a million pounds in direct donations and millions more in food, supplies, and forms of transportation. The British government was already facing a national debt of 75 million pounds. The war effort caused that amount to increase to 133 million pounds. As you can see, Britain was facing major financial problems. The colonies benefitted considerably from Britain's military expenditures. Since the colonies were at a time of prosperity, the British government could find no other practical way of reducing their debt than by taxing the colonists. They had been helped in a time of need. Now it was their turn to return the favor to Britain. ...

Ethics of Sex Education in Public Schools Essay

Ethics of Sex Education in Public Schools - Essay Example irst understand and realize that the agencies involved in implementing these policies are in reality the Federal government, the state, the local agencies, the school board of education, the teachers and finally the students. Sex education is of vital importance and needs to be taught by an expert who is trained to impart a sensitive issue, the synonym of which is symbolic to the attitudes, beliefs and values of a stable mind set, in an expert manner. While the Federal government is the overall authority in formulating policies, it does not take interest in the execution of sex education principles and thus relies heavily on the state and local bodies for the same. (Irvine, 2002) At the same time, as all the major funding activities pertaining to the school education system is done by the Federal government and hence, it has the right to exercise control over the ways and means of compiling and executing the policies pertaining to sex education in a public school environment. On the whole, it is the state and the local bodies, with special regards to the school education board and the related teachers, who influence the curriculum and execute it to perfection. Hence, a majority of decisions are ideally made at the local level. (Irvine, 2002) It has to be noted that a state mandate is essential to implement a particular curriculum regardless of what the school thinks about it. For example, if the state mandate requires schools to include HIV/AIDS or the risk of having sex with multiple partners, the local body has no choice but to implement the same in their school prospectus. Similarly, if the state mandate puts a restriction on the use of HIV/AIDS or the risk of having sex with multiple partners, the local bodies would have to do as told and cannot overrule the state decision. (Went, 1985) The content of sex education is not fixed and varies in accordance to the community and the age of the students enrolled in the program. In all honesty, the course

Beck Depression Scale Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Beck Depression Scale - Essay Example One final goal of assessment is to get a clear understanding of the structure and functioning of the family. The MFT has specific information that he is looking to obtain during the assessment process. First and foremost, the MFT wants to gather as much information as possible on the problem the family is faced with. This includes the length of the current problem, the family's history of conflict, the family's history of solutions, and the family's motivation to rectify the current problem. The MFT also wants information about the structure of the family, such as any cultural or religious influences, socioeconomic status, and the hierarchy of the family. At the same time, the MFT wants to understand how the family functions; their conflict resolution strategies, how well they communicate with one another, each member's role in the family, and individual and collective goals. Finally, the MFT is interested in finding out what the family's goals are for therapy. There are many different ways in which the MFT can gather this assessment information, but they all fall into two broad categories: qualitative and quantitative. Qualitative assessment allows the therapist to make inferences about certain behaviors and reactions of family members during an assessment task, whereas quantitative assessment is in the form of a standardized instrument, usually a pencil-and-paper questionnaire or scale. There are many advantages of using qualitative assessments. The family plays a larger, more important role in the assessment process, the assessment becomes part of the treatment process since this type of assessment tends to be therapeutic in and of itself, the therapist can pick and choose different techinques that fit nicely with his specific theoretical orientation, it allows the therapist and family to work together in assessing the information obtained, the family is often more committed to therapy because of the vital role they play in the assessment process, individual family members learn from one another and can learn how each member is affected by the family as a whole, allows the family to be viewed in a three-dimensional context, and it can be used with families from various cultural, ethnic, and religious backgrounds (Deacon & Piercy, 2001). There are many qualitative techniques available for the MFT. Qualitative assessments include the use of art, guided imagery, photographs, role playing, sculptures, free association, metaphors, and circular questioning. The idea behind this type of assessment is that it takes the focus off of the individual, and places it on the task at hand, often making the clients less defensive and more emotive (Deacon &Piercy, 2001). While there are many advantages to qualitative assessment, it is not for everyone. Some therapists and clients may not feel comfortable with such exercises, and these exercises may in fact exacerbate any anxiety felt towards therapy instead of relieving it (Deacon & Piercy, 2001). In such a case, these exercises should not be pushed. If these activities are forced, the information gathered will most likely be scarce. Deacon and Piercy also note that while qualitative assessments can provide the therapist with a wealth of information, it cannot provide certain informa tion that can only be obtained through quantitative asse

The extent of bankers' awareness, attitude towards social enterprises Dissertation

The extent of bankers' awareness, attitude towards social enterprises business modes and social enterprises' ability to attr - Dissertation Example Major focus is placed on the objectives of the organizations. Social enterprises can be of different types. For example, a social enterprise can take the form of share capital organization, or it may be a non-share capital enterprise that is generally known to be as non-profit corporation, or it may take the form of a cooperative, or it may be built through partnership, or it may take the shape of a sole proprietorship. (Conaty, 2001; Martin and Thompson, 2009; Brooks, 2008) Very often, a social enterprise is created as a profit making independent organization having some particular social values implanted in its business activities. Some times a social enterprise is built in order to generate revenues for financing the activities of a non-profit enterprise, while in some other cases a social enterprise is simply a profit-generating subsidiary of a non-profit corporation. Most of the social enterprises operate at breakeven point or generate quite small level of profits. However, some social enterprises can be quite profitable. Everything depends on the purposes for which the social enterprises are set up. ... Second, Smallbone et al (2001) is of the opinion that the utilization of surpluses generated through their economic activities for fulfilling a social objective is the prime distinguishing characteristic of social enterprise. How social enterprises are financed: A number of literatures have put some focus on the financing of social enterprises (Smallbone et al 2001; Bnak of England, 2003, Conaty, 2001; Westall, 2001). Various studies have tries to identify the source of funds that social enterprises utilize to fulfill their noble objectives. In these studies it has been found that social enterprises generally are not capable of generating sufficient amount of revenues from the sales of goods and services for financing their social or environmental goals. The researchers have suggested that this shortfall in funding is most of time made up with grants. Grants towards social enterprises are generally provided by local, provincial or central government. Smallbone et al (2001) pointed ou t in his study that most of the types of social enterprise need grant support at the time of their initiation and early trading times. However, the level of grant support required generally varies on account of their activities and sizes. Smallbone et al (2001) interviewed 80 entrepreneurs who had set up social enterprises and they found that 39 percent of them obtained grants from European Commission, 49 percent from regional or central administration and 33 percent from the local government. This kind of funding is generally utilized to finance expenditures on capital. Conaty (2001) identified two largest sources of funds to finance expenditure on capital in social enterprises. One of them is

Obesity in Children Essay Example for Free

Obesity in Children Essay What parents allow their children to eat can affect their bodies and their life. Most children don’t realize the effects of long term illnesses such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart condition and high blood pressure. Taxing unhealthful foods and beverages could prove an important strategy to overconsumption and potentially aid in weight loss and reduced rates of diabetes among children and adults. Junk food should be taxed because it will reduce obesity, type 2 diabetes, and health care costs. First of all, taxing junk food will lower obesity among Americans. The increase in both soda and pizza found that many Americans would still buy junk food regardless of a price increase. Taxing of sugary beverages at a penny-per-ounce rate with the goal of decreasing consumption of obesity caused in drinks. The junk food tax would fund obesity related health initiatives such as diabetes care. Obesity has been acknowledged as a national problem, notion of taxing junk food doesn’t seem so bad. Secondly, Americans need to take better control over what they eat and what they feed their children. We must take a stand against obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease in children and young adults. Most fast foods contain process meats and considered unhealthy in children. Americans don’t have an ideal what they are eating in fast food restaurants. How the government determined what foods should be served in schools. A couple of school systems such as Texas and California had a great idea to remove soft drinks, pop, soda, energy drinks and cola from the schools lunch rooms along with fast foods such as burgers, French fries, hot ogs and convenience stores, too fight the obesity epidemic among the United States and children. Replace drinks with orange juice, and water. Replace fast foods with fresh fruits, vegetables, salads and exercise. Obesity in the United States has risen from 48 percent to 65 percent within the last thirty years and so has health care which has sky racket. We need to be more proactive in saving our children by eating healthier f oods in the home and school. Schools need to change the vending machines to reflect eating healthy will help the body to become healthier. The school environment, nutrition, organizational support groups, school policies that take away things such as sweetened beverages, and replace them with water, juice, fruit, vegetables and less junk food. Availability of less healthful food and beverages in schools is worldwide. Despite changes in improving school food environment, availability of high fat food such things as pizza and hamburgers remain high in United States schools. Canadian elementary schools seem to have fewer vending machines, but less healthful food and beverages are available to all grades as they are made available through outlets such as cafeteria, school stores. It is said that schools may influence students into eating unhealthy by the lunches they provide and the vending machines that are in schools. Lastly, fast foods are not good because they have no nutrition value, most children that consume fast foods on a daily basic start to gain weight due to lack of exercise. Children watch more TV and play more video games than exercising. Less exercise in schools, have also been a major factor contributing to obesity in children. Fast foods make children tired, the more you eat the less energy you have. When you walk into a store whether it’s a large grocery store or a small convenience store the lack of fruits and vegetables are small. Most children and adults are unaware that they have high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Most children who suffer from obesity also have a high rate of asthma. It would be a good idea if governments would rate schools on lunches they are providing to students. The school should prohibit advertising of fast foods, sweets and pop, prohibit use of less healthful foods , provide advertising that deals with eating healthy and healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, seek educational requirements for school food and include requirements for nutrition education. Include exercise in the diet each day that way children won’t feel tried after eating lunch. They will burn off fast and their bodies will feel better and become better in the long run. We need our children to be healthy. We need to avoid sickness, obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. Americans need to limit the intake of fast foods and start looking at healthy choices for themselves and their children. Medical bills have sky racket. If we plan to keep our generation of children around we better start looking at better ways of eating and providing nutrient in our everyday diet. Most people have cars, less people walk, ride bikes, or exercise. We have become lazy when it comes to exercise and eating healthy. Look at your children and ask yourself, do I want my child to continue looking like this, obese, sick and unhealthy.

Case Study: Hunter Douglas Group

Case Study: Hunter Douglas Group This is a case study report to analyse how Hunter Douglas Group manages its human resource planning and how the activities involved in the human resource planning process contributes to the success, as well as to ensure future success, of this large multi-national organisation in line with its corporate vision, mission, core values, strategic planning and objectives. Human resource planning provides the means to accomplish the desired outcomes of the organisation and achieving objectives by ensuring that the organisation has the right number of quality people available to achieve objectives through strategy implementation. This is based on a close working relationship between the human resource practitioners and line managers in each company (business unit) of its decentralised organisational structure. The human resource practitioners serve as consultants to line managers concerning the people management implications of business objectives and strategies. Line managers, in turn, have the responsibility to respond to the business implication of human resource objectives and strategies. We also see that the environmental and contextual changes present a number of competitive challenges to this organization which requires its human resource management to be involved in helping to create and build new capabilities. The challenges include: Globalisation: the challenge is to move peoples ideas, products and information around the world to meet local needs. Technology: the challenge is to make technology a viable, productive part of the work setting Competition: in order to remain competitive and remain as a market leader, Hunter Douglas is aware of the importance of continuous training of its people. Economics: economic growth or lower interest rates cause the increase in spending and often increase in business opportunities. Changes in the labour market has an impact on the organisations ability to find and keep employees Workforce changes and ability to cope with change: these include resignations, terminations, leave of absences, death, change in employment status and retirement The success of a business is directly linked to the performance of those who work for that business and Hunter Douglas Group is fully aware of this as it believes in the power of learning and providing its employees growth opportunities to develop their skills. Hunter Douglas Group acknowledges that its employees commitment is the key ingredient to the Groups continued growth and success. Hunter Douglas Group prides on the diversity and strength of its corporate culture that empowers its employees to build and run the business like their own businesses. The Hunter Douglas Group acts like a federation of entrepreneurial companies who think globally but act locally. The character and creativity of its 21,000 employees in 169 countries worldwide have built the dynamic and entrepreneurial company that the Group is today. With numerous benefits encouraging wellness and a work-life balance, Hunter Douglas Group regards its employees as its most valuable resource which is the key to the Groups success. Background Corporate Mission and Core Values Corporate Mission: Hunter Douglas is the worlds market leader in manufacturing a wide range of innovative and quality architectural and window covering products. Hunter Douglas provides on-time delivery, reliable and friendly service at a competitive price. Its aim is to offer fulfillment to its staff and to secure a reasonable return to its shareholders. Core Values: Customer Oriented Putting customers first Providing reliable and friendly service. Achieving on-time delivery Innovation Seeking continuous improvement and new ideas to create value to our customers Striving for creative ways of doing our work better Teamwork Working together harmoniously to achieve common goals and objectives Integrity Honouring commitments to customers, staff and organisation Being sincere and truthful Communication Showing respect and understanding for each other Being frank, open and receptive Staff Well-Being Providing continuous training and development Recognising good performance Corporate Structure Board of Directors Hunter Douglas Group has a one-tier corporate structure. Under its Charter, the Board of Directors is responsible for the overall management and control of the Company. The Board is appointed by the shareholders at the annual General Meeting. The Board has four regular meetings per year and additional meetings as required. Board members may not be members of more than five boards of public companies. Independence The Board has six Members, of whom four are independent. It acts collectively by majority resolution. Functions The Board reviews the overall strategy, financial objectives, budgets, acquisi ­tions, divestments, capital expenditures, currency and aluminium hedging, port ­folio composition and returns, results and risks in the Companys business. Audit and Compensation Committees The Board has an Audit and a Compensation Committee, whose members are independent. The Audit Committee reviews the Companys accounts, internal controls and meets with the Companys external Auditors twice a year. The Compensation Committee reviews the Directors and Officers compensation and stock options. Chairman, President CEO Mr. Ralph Sonnenberg is Chairman of the Board of Directors, President and Chief Executive Officer. Officers The Board annually appoints the Officers of the Company: the President, the Co-Presidents, four regionally responsible Vice Presidents, two Staff Vice Presidents and a Corporate Secretary. The Vice Presidents and Corporate Secretary report to the President. Financial Reporting In accordance with the applicable reporting principles, the consolidated financial statements give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss of the Group. The annual report includes a fair review of the development and performance of the business and the position of the Group, together with a description of the principal opportunities and risks associated with the expected develop ­ment of the Group. Major Business Processes A business process is a collection of structured, related tasks or activities which produce a specific product or service which serves a particular goal for customers. The main types of business processes observed in this case study report are Management Processes, Operational Processes and Supporting Processes. Management processes: processes which govern the operation of a system in an organisation. Typical management processes include Corporate Governance and Strategic Management. Corporate Governance The Hunter Douglas Group is incorporated in The Netherlands Antilles and has its statutory seat in Curaà §ao. Hunter Douglas is therefore not subject to The Netherlands Corporate Governance Code. However, Hunter Douglas adheres to good Corporate Governance. The Group has the following key internal controls: Conflicts of Interest Policy The Conflicts of Interest Policy is applicable to all key employees covering relations with customers, suppliers and other third parties. Insider Trading Policy The Insider Trading Policy, as prescribed by the Authority Financial Markets (AFM), restricts trading in the Companys shares by Directors, Officers, key employees and related persons. Internal Audit Function Hunter Douglas principal Operating Companies have an Internal Audit Program. Authority Limits Every Manager, including the Regional Vice Presidents, has clearly defined Authority Limits. Whistleblower Policy Hunter Douglas has a Whistleblower Policy in each and every Company within the Group. Compensation Compensation is reviewed by the Compensation Committee of the Board. The Company also follows the best practices: Stock options Stock options are granted for five years with vesting starting after two years. Stock It is not the Companys Policy to provide stock at no cost. Loans Loans to Directors, Officers or other employees bear market interest. There is no forgiveness of principal or interest. Investor Relations Hunter Douglas has an Investor Relations Website, regularly issues press releases and holds analysts and investor meetings. Strategic Management Strategic management is a process through which organizations analyse and learn from their internal and external environments, establish strategic direction, create strategies which are intended to move the organisation in that direction and implement those strategies, all in an effort to satisfy stakeholders, as illustrated in the diagram below: External Analysis (External Environment) Strategic Controls Direction Setting: Generate, Allocate Build Develop Vision Evaluate, and relationships Control Mission and Manage Systems Values Select, Resources Design Strategies Structures Measure and Evaluate performance Internal Analysis (Internal Environment) Strategy Formulation Strategy Implementation and Evaluation Hunter Douglas Group has been successful over the long term because the Group has effectively acquired, develop and manage resources and capabilities that provide competitive advantage. The Group has, over the years, achieved strong brand recognition such as the HunterDouglas ® in North America and Asia as well as for Architectural Products worldwide. Luxaflex ® for residential window coverings in the rest of the world. The Hunter Douglas Group, with its 21,000 employees in 169 countries worldwide, takes advantage of its organisational strengths and environmental opportunities. It continues to neutralise or overcome organisational weaknesses and environmental threats by managing its business processes well and applies best practices. Operational processes: processes which constitute the organisations core business and create the primary value stream. Typical operational processes include Purchasing, Manufacturing, Marketing, and Sales. As a highly decentralised organisation, each company in each region within the Hunter Douglas Group manages autonomous operations with minimum interference and maximum accountability, growing their businesses within the groups entrepreneurial environment following the corporate governance, vision, mission and values. Supporting processes: processes that support the organisations core processes. Examples in this category include Accounting, Recruitment, Technical support. Although highly decentralised, each company in each region within the Hunter Douglas Group has to follow an Internal Audit Program when it comes to financial and accounting matters. Recruitment and Human Resource matters are set in line with the business plan and strategies of each company in each region as well as in line with the directions and corporate governance, vision, mission and values of the Group. Business Strategy Porters Generic Strategies Target Scope Advantage Low Cost Product Uniqueness Broad Cost Leadership Differentiation (Industry Wide) Strategy Strategy Narrow Focus Strategy Focus Strategy (Market Segment) (Low Cost) (Differentiation) Hunter Douglas Groups strategy is to grow the market and the Groups market share by continuing to introduce innovative and proprietary new products and by expanding its presence in key geographic markets. It was observed that Hunter Douglas Group has been successful in using the Differentiation Strategy by having the following internal strengths: Access to leading research and development Highly skilled and creative product development team Strong sales teams with the ability to successfully communicate the perceived strengths and benefits of the product. Corporate reputation for quality and innovation Differentiation Strategy A differentiation strategy calls for the development of a product or service that offers unique attributes that are valued by customers and that customers perceive to be better than or different from the products of the competition. The value added by the uniqueness of the product may allow the firm to charge a premium price for it. The firm hopes that the higher price will more than cover the extra costs incurred in offering the unique product. Because of the products unique attributes, if suppliers increase their prices the firm may be able to pass along the costs to its customers who cannot find substitute products easily. The risks associated with a differentiation strategy include imitation by competitors and changes in customers tastes. Generic Strategies and Industry Forces Industry Generic Strategies Force Cost Leadership Differentiation Strategy Focus Strategy Strategy Entry Ability to cut price in Customer loyalty can Focusing develops core Barriers retaliation deters discourage potential competencies that can act potential entrants entrants as an entry barrier Buyer Ability to offer lower Large buyers have less Large buyers have less power Power price to powerful power to negotiate to negotiate because of few buyers because of few close alternatives alternatives Supplier Better insulated from Better able to pass on Suppliers have power Power powerful suppliers supplier price increases because of low volumes, to customers but a differentiation-focused firm is better able to pass on supplier price increases to customers Threats of Can use low price to Customers become Specialised products core Substitutes defend against attached to differentiating competency protect substitutes attributes, reducing against substitutes threats of substitutes Rivalry Better able to Brand loyalty to keep Rivals cannot meet compete on price customers from rivals differentiation-focused customer needs Relationship With External Entities In order to remain successful and continue to expand its market share, Hunter Douglas Group has learned to develop and manage relationships with wide range of organisations, groups and people that have a stake in their business. The emergence of a fiercely competitive global economy means that the companies within the Hunter Douglas Group have to expand their networks of relationships in their region and cooperate with each other to remain competitive. Education Hunter Douglas Singapore team up with the National University of Singapores Department of Architecture to organise the NUS-Hunter Douglas Award for the innovative use of technology in Architecture. Hunter Douglas Group has developed multi-level training and education programs for its fabricators, retail dealers, professional designers and installers. It holds consumer seminars to help prospective buyers under ­stand the importance of window coverings for home fashions and for light control and energy efficiency. It provides training seminars and hands-on workshops for retailers, designers and installers, which includes CD-Roms, videotapes and web-based instructions, through ­out the world. It has created the industrys first and only formal Retail Alliance Program, offering its very best dealers a choice of tiered partnership options that reward their brand loyalty with lucrative business-building benefits, including financial incentives and exclusive products and programs. Through Hunter Douglas Group exclusive partnership with Archiprix International, it builds relationships with the next generation of architects as they begin their careers after college. With Hunter Douglas Groups support, Archiprix organises a biennial international com ­petition for the best graduation projects in architecture. Finalists travel to a host city with hundreds of architects from around the world where an independent jury evaluates the student entries and recognizes the most outstanding work with the Hunter Douglas award. Hunter Douglas Singapore was conferred the Singapore Institute of Architects Friend of Architecture Award in recognition of the companys contribution to Architecture in Singapore and its continuous support for the Singapore Institute of Architects. Its Windows of Opportunity seminar on the use of window fashions in interior design reaches more than 2,500 design school students and designers in major United States markets each year. At the Fashions Institute of Technology in New York and other leading design schools, Hunter Douglas provides design students with industry overviews and a business perspective through teaching opportunities. At the renowned Pratt School of Architecture, Hunter Douglas has sponsored design studio projects that challenge students to envision new and novel ways to integrate its products and materials into architectural structures. Corporate Citizenship Hunter Douglas Group actively supports the com ­munities in which they live, work and do business. Decisions about which causes to support and the form that support takes are made locally by the management in each country. It provides window coverings to hospitals, research centres and healthcare facilities around the world. It supports educational opportu ­nities for the families of its staff and less privileged members of our communities. In the United States and Canada, Hunter Douglas sponsors Habitat for Humanity, donating custom window cover ­ings for the homes Hunter Douglas has built for low-income families since 1993. Hunter Douglas employees have also contributed thousands of hours in sweat equity assisting with the building of these homes at the local level. Hunter Douglas stimulates students awareness of its products and encourage their creativity through competi ­tions in which they are judged upon the innovative application of its products in their design projects. Hunter Greenà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ and Keen on Green are important new company-wide environmental initiatives being undertaken by the Hunter Douglas branded compa ­nies to reduce energy consump ­tion, water usage and its overall carbon-footprint. It also includes an ongoing consumer marketing effort creating increased aware ­ness of Hunter Douglas corporate commit ­ment to the cause as well as the superior energy-saving benefits of its products. The Process of Human Resource Planning in the Organisation Manpower Planning Manpower planning is a process of getting the right number of qualified people into the right job at the right time. It is a system of matching the supply of people internally, who are the existing employees, and externally, potential talents to be hired or searched for, with job openings which the Group expects to have over a given time frame. This planning requires the human resource departments in the Group to prepare an inventory of skills and talents already available as well as coordinating and controlling various activities in the Hunter Douglas Group. Manpower planning involves reviewing current manpower resources, forecasting future requirements and availability as well as taking steps to ensure that the supply of people and skills meets demand. It utilises the concept of planning to visualise how the Hunter Douglas Group can go through the allocation and control of its manpower resources in a better manner. It is also a tool for higher management to equip themselves with the necessary data on its human resources available immediately within the Group and from outside, when the need arises to meet markets demand. Manpower Planning Model Forecast Demand Forecast Supply Considerations: Internally Product/ Service demand Staffing tables Economics Balance Supply and Demand Markov analysis Technology Skills inventories Financial resources/ limitations Recruitment (Shortage) Management inventories Absenteeism/ turnover Full-time Replacement charts Organisational growth Part-time Succession planning Management philosophy Recalls/ transfers Overtime Externally Techniques: Outsourcing Demographic changes Trend analysis Reductions (Surplus) Education of workforce Managerial estimate Terminations Labour mobility Delphi technique Layoffs Government policies Leave without pay Unemployment rate Outplacement Demotions Retirement Factors Economic Competition Government action Organisational Divisional Skills and Historical Data Objectives Department abilities Nature of company Objectives required Skills Inventory Net human resource Types, numbers, requirements Human Resources Negative: Layoff, terminations, resignations, retirement Manpower planning, as observed in the Hunter Douglas Group, consists of the following steps: Identify the Groups objectives and strategies which are stipulated in the business plan and from the strategic planning processes of the companies within the Group. Determine the impact of the organisations objectives on specific organisational units. For this purpose the cascade approach can be used, whereby the organisations long term strategies are translated into the shorter term performance objectives and time schedules per division and department. Define the skills, expertise and total number of employees (demand for human resources) required to achieve the organisation and department objectives by using the different statistical methods and managerial estimates. Perform an analysis of the Groups current human resources. By doing a skills inventory will shed light on the number of current employees in terms of their different competencies, skills, training levels, qualifications, work experience, etc. Determine the additional (net) human resource requirements in light of the Groups current human resources. Develop action plans to meet the anticipated human resource needs which may include a comprehensive succession plan for each department, resultant recruitment strategies, the design and implementation of managerial development and other training programs, making available bursary schemes for current participants who may eventually fill scarce positions, designing compensation packages to attract and retain quality staff. The key activities of Human Resource Management carried out by both line managers and the Human Resource practitioners in the Hunter Douglas Group are: Organisation Organisation structuring: developing an organisation which caters for all the activities required, groups them together in a way which encourages integration and cooperation. Job design and role specification: deciding on the contents of the jobs which involve the employees duties and responsibilities and the relationships that exist between job holders and other employees within the Hunter Douglas Group. Organisational development: stimulating, planning and implementing programmes designed to improve the effectiveness with which the organisation functions and adapts to change. The employment relationship Improving the quality of the employment relationship Creating a climate of trust and self propulsion Developing a more positive psychological contract Achieving a highly committed organisation Resourcing Human resource planning: assessing future people requirements in terms of both numbers and all levels of skill and competence. Formulating and implementing plans to meet those requirements through recruitment, training, development, etc. Recruitment and selection: obtaining the number and type of people the organisation needs Performance management Getting better results from the companies, teams and individuals by measuring and managing performance within agreed frameworks of objectives and competence requirements; assessing and improving performance. Human resource development Organisational and individual learning Skill improvement through systematic approach to training Reward management Job evaluation: assessing the relative size of jobs as a basis of determining internal relativities Pay: developing and administering pay structures and systems Non-financial rewards: providing employees with non-financial rewards e.g. recognition, increased responsibility and opportunity to achieve and grow. Employee benefits: providing benefits in addition to pay which cater for personnel security and personal needs Employee relations Employee relations involving managing and maintaining formal and informal relationships with trade unions and their members Employee involvement and participation which means sharing information with employee and consulting them on matters of mutual interest Communication: creating and transmitting information of interest to employees. Health, safe