Integrated Pest Management Strategies In Zanzibar Environmental Sciences Essay

Integrated Pest Management ( IPM ) was adopted by Plant Protection Division of the Ministry of Agriculture, Zanzibar to better agricultural production on major harvests ( rice, banana, manioc and veggies ) at little graduated table agriculture system. The multi-disciplinary group of IPM facilitators created consciousness to husbandmans by carry oning seminars, workshops and treatments. The IPM groups were formed through Participatory Rapid Rural Appraisal ( PRRA ) . PRRA was besides used to place jobs and developing demands. Farmer field School attack was introduced utilizing the version of the methodological analysis adapted from South East Asiatic Ecosystem. Farmers were empowered on environmentally sound patterns such as disease free planting stuffs certified seeds, botanical control, etc. On-farm tests within Participatory Action Research ( PAR ) was besides conducted by participatory engineering development method. A sum of 52 husbandmans ‘ groups affecting 1,038 husbandma ns ( 549 males and 489 females ) have been trained. There was a output addition for all the harvests with the acceptance of IPM pattern, irrigated rice was from 2.2 – 4.4 tons/ha, rainfed rice 2.3 – 3.4 tons/ha, tomato 9.5 – 33.7 tons/ha, amaranthus 4.2 – 11.7 tons/ha, bananas 11.3 – 17.6 tons/ha, and cassava 15.9 – 33.6 tons/ha. The consequences had a good impact in footings of acceptance of engineerings by the IPPM husbandmans and the adjacent husbandmans. 1. Introduction More than 90 % of husbandmans in Zanzibar are resource-poor with no entree of input or recognition ( Abubakar, 2005 ) . They depend on subsistence agribusiness for their support, traditionally the cropping system is on little graduated table farms averaging 3 estates ( 1.2 hour angle. ) of cultivable land and really complex. Rice was ranked an of import basic nutrient harvest followed by bananas and manioc ( Saleh, 2007 ) . Vegetables are considered as a hard currency harvest instead than nutrient harvest. Farming is being practiced is all over the island due to its adapatation to diverse dirt and environmental conditions. As a monocrop, rice is grown in paddy countries whereas veggies, manioc and banana were largely grown on infertile dirts or as an intercrop with sweet murphy, yams or lasting trees such as cloves and coconuts. This pattern serves several intents such as guaranting nutrient security, optimum usage of dirt and infinite, eroding control and weed direction. Food securi ty is unstable due to rapid population growing of 3.1 % ( Mzee, 2000 ) , economic growing is deficient to maintain up with population growing. Most of the local cultivars were abandoned, their disappearing was linked with low opposition to plagues and diseases, drouth emphasis, market demand. The overall tendency in production has been diminishing due to figure of factors, depletion of dirt foods, population force per unit area. Output losingss caused by plague and diseases can be up to 80 % . This has forced husbandmans to increase the production by increasing land area. However the mean output is still really low of 2-7t/ha. In response to these agro ecological and socio economic jobs, alternate production systems were tested e.g. pesticide application, usage of chemical fertilisers, but resource hapless husbandmans can non afford them unless they get subsidies from the authorities. Therefore, to achieve an addition in nutrient production for the betterment of rural support, schemes for environmentally safe pest control steps have to be adopted. The schemes could be developed based on a thorough cognition of traditional cultural control methods or IPM. Integrated Pest Management seem to be the best attack to increase production and lessening poorness in Zanzibar An Integrated Pest Management ( IPM ) attack was adopted to cut down plague job and inordinate usage of pesticides ( Sharma et al. 2009 ) . The Farmer Field School ( FFS ) attack, a theoretical account for IPM plan worldwide, with dramatic consequences in South East Asia ( Erbaugh et al, 2002 ) was besides adopted. Plant Protection division with its authorization on harvest protection issue in Zanzibar implemented IPM on four harvests ( rice, banana, veggies and manioc ) . 2.0 The aim of presenting IPM plan was: To authorise husbandmans with the capacity to detect innovate or make solutions to their ain restraints instead than anticipating external inputs from the authorities. To increase production by developing farming engineerings utilizing locally available resources. To increase nutrient security and income of the rural support, therefore relieving poorness. 3.0 Methodologies Workshops/Seminars to make awareness to policy shapers, caputs of sections field agribusiness officers and husbandman. Multi-disciplinary squads of group of facilitators were formed dwelling members from different specialisation of agribusiness in the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Environment. Participatory Rapid Rural Appraisal ( PRRA ) was conducted to set up baseline information on husbandmans autochthonal cognition, jobs encountered. The activities employed were: Meetings, the first meeting discussed the aims and why work on participatory mode. Semi Structured Interview ( SSI ) : was based on checklist from which the inquiries were addressed to husbandmans to beg their responses. Individual interviews were besides conducted. The information collected from different sources was used for comparing the information to avoid confusion. Transect walk was made across the small town. The intent was to introduce the group with the farming system of the country, agro ecological state of affairs and socio-cultural feature of the people. Group Discussions: The group treatments were conducted after the single interview. Findingss and information were gathered presented and discussed. Training and Participatory treatments: A program of action was formulated based on jobs and developing demands identified during the PRRA. Training was done through treatments affecting relevant capable affair specializer ( SMS ) . Some subjects were covered when demand arises. Farmer Field School Approach ( FFS ) : FFS was adopted with the constitution to FFS, the construct of holistic attack was practiced without being restricted to the control of plagues and diseases. The rules followed were to turn healthy harvest, monitor field sporadically, analyze the agro-ecosystem ( AESA ) and do on-farm tests. 4.0 Consequences 4.1 Problem Designation The major jobs identified were from 4 major harvests. The general jobs for all 4 harvests were hapless harvest direction, usage of morbid seeds and seting stuffs, depletion of dirt foods, uninterrupted cropping on the same land on verifying SSI and ranking methodological analysis on participatory treatment ; the chief restraints became ; ( I ) plagues and diseases ( two ) hapless dirt birthrate ( three ) inaccessibility of seeds ( four ) deficiency of proficient cognize how. For rice really few plagues were present and the staying insects were natural enemies which does non hold any loss ; the major jobs were soil birthrate and harvest direction. Nematodes, banana weevils and black sigatoka were the job for banana. High figure of plagues were present in vegetable Fieldss but the of import 1s were African bollworms, fusarium wilt and bacterial wilt which is a large restraint. Cassava brown Streak Disease ( CBSD ) and Cassava Mosaic Virus ( CMV ) for manioc 4.2 Depletion of Soil Foods The diminution of harvest output was a effect of increased food emphasis which might hold been resulted in harvest susceptibleness of plagues onslaught and cut down capacity to retrieve from plague harm ( Spittel. 1997 ) . Farmers claimed hapless output was caused by uninterrupted cropping, and some of them is due to planetary heating, dirt eroding and scarceness of rains. Most of the husbandmans did non precisely describe the restraints of hapless oil birthrate. To verify, if the premise was right, dirt samples were collected indiscriminately at a deepness of 25 centimeters and exhaustively assorted. They were sent for analysis at Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro in 2007. The consequence of the Soil Analysis is as follows: 3.6 % organic affair, pH ( H20 ) 4.7, 0.06 % entire N, 0.36 meq/100g of Exch base 3.8meq/100g available P ( Brays PI ) and textural category of flaxen clay ( Sokoine University of Agriculture, 2007 ) . In all dirt pH, the organic affair content, N content and available phosphoric were really low. Even cassava and banana grows good at pH 6.0 aa‚ ¬ † 7.5.Low pH may take to toxicity particularly for rice and veggies ( Spittel, 1997 ) . Therefore together with husbandmans, it was decided to better dirt birthrate through harvest farming. 4.3 Prioritization The tools for prioritization were semi-structured interview, ranking ( matrix pairwise ) and seasonal calendar. The husbandman group identified its restraints and restrictions. In nutrient harvest ranking, all the four harvests were of import since intercropping is the methodological analysis practiced by resource hapless husbandmans in Zanzibar. In group treatments, SSI consequences and matrix, the jobs were ranked harmonizing to their importance. The ranking was: ( I ) depletion of dirt foods ( two ) deficit of certified planting stuffs. ( three ) plague and disease ( CBSD for manioc, banana weevils for banana, fusarium wilt for veggies and inordinate usage of pesticides for rice ) 4.4. Community Training and Participatory Discussion The preparation plan was focused on restraints identified by husbandmans. They were trained and empowered on different attacks of deciding by choosing options which they thought would be appropriate in their vicinity. Planning was done with engagement of the husbandmans The community were empowered on recommended agricultural patterns, e.g. Compost readying, Agriculture Ecosystem Analysis ( AESA ) , usage of biopesticides for control of plague and disease, biofertilizers to increase birthrate and other demand driven preparation. It was conducted during the cropping season to synchronise with the activities For most of the jobs, harvest direction was found to be the best option. On-farm Tests were conducted on ; Banana Technology Transfer Trial. The consequence of paring banana corm on nematode direction and the consequence of pin downing on weevil direction. For banana sigatoka disease, the engineering adopted were the usage of tolerant cultivars and field hygiene. For CBSD, on farm tests were conducted on tolerant cultivars therefore, Mahonda, Kizimbani etc. , For Fusarium Wilt, the usage of tolerant cultivars eg. Salma, tegeru 99 was adopted. Other tests were on Cultivar Trial: Tests were conducted on seting several assortments improved, local, septic and non septic cultivars. It someway convinced husbandmans that were no symptoms on improved cultivars. 4.5. Farmer Field School ( FFS ) Plant Protection Division has been authorising staff and husbandmans through preparation to implement IPM-FFS in sustainable mode. The methodological analysiss adopted from were from West African and South East Asia Ecosystem of FAO. This attack should suit the subsistence and multi-cropping systems of Zanzibar husbandmans. The aim of FFS to authorise husbandmans to cut down the cost of production and maximise net income ( net returns ) , usage of farm inputs judiciously and seasonably, protect harvest production environment and minimise wellness jeopardies caused by inordinate usage of pesticides. At the FFS, the four cardinal rules: turning a wellness harvest, supervising Fieldss on a regular basis, conserving natural enemies, and doing husbandmans IPM experts were emphasized. Farmers were facilitated to pull off their Fieldss through regular observations, conduct on-farm participatory tests and finally made rational determinations about pull offing their Fieldss. The methodological analysiss of developing husbandmans at the IPM agriculture system was season long and it involved Agro-Ecosystem Analysis ( AESA ) , Participatory Action Research ( PAR ) and Particular Topics, Group kineticss and Evaluation. The ultimate purpose of this attack was the authorization of husbandmans to do appropriate determinations as to like an expert pull off their field jobs. Therefore Participatory Technology Development ( PTD ) which is the result of Participatory Action Research ( PAR ) which is a research conducted together with husbandmans on work outing field jobs. This was promoted by on-farm tests by proving tolerant assortments, harvest direction and betterment of dirt birthrate. The consequences were evaluated and empowered for acceptance if they were assuring. 5.0 Development of IPM During the formation of FFS, an rating was done sing the acceptance of IPM activities. The restrictions identified were: South East Asia Approach: IPM in S.E. Asia started to antagonize the indiscriminate usage of pesticides and pest revival in green revolution agribusiness ( Van de Fliert, 2006 ) . For the agrarian state of affairs in Zanzibar, husbandmans were barely utilizing any pesticides, and the farming systems was characterized by small-scale husbandmans wilt low dirt birthrate, plague and disease and socio-economic position. The IPM Program should see the facet of Crop production and betterment of harvest through different agriculture patterns. Therefore, the attack should be an integrated harvest direction ( ICM ) instead than IPM because of its holistic nature. The FFS attack of hebdomadal IPM preparation session was non really attractive for some harvests ( banana and manioc ) . It appeared that husbandmans of high-value harvests such as rice and veggies were more enthusiastic than banana and manioc husbandmans ( Van Huis and Meerman 1997 ) . Facilitation accomplishments: At the beginning of IPM development in other developing states, hapless acceptance activities were observed due to miss of preparation in facilitation accomplishments in managing and developing IPM bundles ( Alteiri 2000 ; Morse and buhler, 1997 ) . In Zanzibar, most of the facilitators were research workers or harvest production specializers with few extensionist. There was a demand for preparation, facilitation, participatory and socio-economic issues to hold effectual attacks. Consequently, this will better the acquisition capacity of husbandmans and determination shapers ( Van de Fliert, 2006 ) . Most of the members of husbandmans group were semi-illiterate. The techniques introduced did non affect active engagement by husbandmans. To guarantee acceptance, husbandmans should take part and understand the aim of on-farm tests. How of all time, it may be necessary to transport out on-station tests as the thought should be obtained about the potency of a certain pattern before presenting it to the husbandmans, peculiarly when the result is unsure ( Van Huis and Meerman, 1997 ) . Farmers outlook and Committednesss: The group consisted of 20 husbandmans at the initial phase, but 10 husbandmans remain after a twelvemonth. Follow-up was done by examining from their fellow husbandmans. The 10 husbandmans drop out because their outlooks were non met, though breast was clearly explained prior. There were few influential husbandmans who influenced the attitude of other husbandmans. However the attitude of staying husbandmans was cohesive and really participatory during execution. 6.0 Accomplishments With this attack husbandmans were empowered by agro eco system analysis to be the determination shapers, by being advanced and create solutions in their Fieldss. The production was increased by following participatory engineering development ( PTD ) . Hence there will be possible to increase nutrient security and income of the rural support, therefore relieving poorness. The advancement have been observed through different facets ; coaction is multi disciplinary, husbandmans were organized, committed and participatory. Furthermore, there is a considerable betterment of their cognition. A sum of 52 husbandmans group with 1,038 husbandmans ( 549 males and 489 females ) have been trained. A sum of 52 FFS were run, 26 in Unguja and 26 Pemba as planned. Crops covered were irrigated rice 14 FFS ( Unguja 8 and Pemba 6 ) , rainfed rice 8 FFS ( Unguja 4 and Pemba 4 ) , vegetables 6 FFS ( Unguja 4 and Pemba 2 ) , bananas 13 FFS ( Unguja 5 and Pemba 8 ) and cassava 11 FFS ( Unguja 5 and Pemba 6 ) . A considerable output addition for all the harvests has been achieved with IPM pattern compared to husbandmans pattern. For illustration, output addition for irrigated rice was from 2.2-4.4 tons/ha, rainfed rice 2.3-3.4 tons/ha, tomato 9.5-33.7 tons/ha, amaranthus 4.2-11.7 tons/ha, bananas 11.3-17.6 tons/ha, and cassava 15.9-33.6 tons/ha ( see Table 1 ) . The consequences were promising had a good impact in footings of acceptance of engineerings involved by the IPM husbandmans every bit good as some of the adjacent husbandmans outside IPM plan. Table 1: FARMER FIELD SCHOOL STUDY PLOTS FOR MAJOR CROPS ( IPM and Farmersaa‚ ¬a„? pattern ) Crop Farmersaa‚ ¬a„? Practice ( tons/ hour angle ) IPM Practice ( tons/ hour angle ) Addition in output( % )1. Irrigated rice 2.2 4.4 100 % 2. Rainfed rice Katrin BKN aa‚ ¬ † Supa Supa Subang 1.9 1.1 2.0 2.7 3.0 1.5 2.4 3.7 57.9 % 36.4 % 20 % 37 % 3.Vegetables – Tomatos 9.5 33.7 254.7 % – Amaranthus 4.2 ( 8,333 Bunches ) 11.7 ( 23,333 Bunches ) 180 % 4. Banana – Mtwike 11.3 17.6 55.8 % – Mzuzu 7.8 16.5 111.5 % – Mkono mmoja 14.3 15.6 9.1 % – Pukusa 13.1 13.6 3.8 % 5. Cassava – Kibiriti mweusi 18.5 31.3 69.2 % Decision IPM is a focal point in research and extension attack, it has been good developed in the past decennaries. IPM was foremost developed into conventional, top-down extension activities with its purpose of acceptance of inputs or recommendation. But, it had a low degree of success ( Bruin & A ; Meerman, 2001 ) . Traditionally, IPM was being practiced by resource-poor husbandmans before the term existed. The debut of pesticides displaced old incorporate pest control attacks ( Van de Fliert, 2003 ) . However, Zanzibar husbandmans do non utilize big sum of pesticides because they can non afford expensive pesticides, unless subsidized by the authorities. The recent developments of IPM seem extremely applicable to all facets of sustainable agribusiness. We need to concentrate what is accomplishable under the husbandman fortunes instead than what is technically perfect. IPM had a really successful history in footings of its acceptance by husbandmans from S.E. Asiatic states, with limited succ ess of acceptance among African husbandmans ( Van Huis, 2009 ) . IPM is site and status specific The S.E. Asia theoretical account could non be an adoptable bundle in Zanzibar since the jobs were different, such as socio-economic state of affairs and the type of farming system. The acceptance was on socio-economic and ecological parametric quantities associated with rules and development of IPM. The manner forward is to follow the engineering developed at community degree for long term footing. FFS is a good starting point for the development of sustainable agricultural system Recognitions Many thanks to Strengthening Plant Protection Division Project of Zanzibar for back uping and advancing this plan, Commissioner of Agriculture Mr. M.R. Said for the encouragement and counsel. I am profoundly indebted to husbandmans, IPM group for their priceless aid and coaction for the work making this phase, non burying Omar for his great aid while fixing this paper.

Bilingual Education Essay

Fluency is a very important factor in many fields of work such as in schools, public and private sectors. It is requirement in the application of proper communication methods. This means, it is applied both in oral and written communications methods. Fluency refers to both reading and language. The two are often confused with one another. Reading fluency is the ability to read the texts with greater accuracy and at a high speed, while the proficiency in a language which is often foreign one is referred to as language fluency. (Cummins, 1989) In this particular essay, I am tackling the reading fluency which can be defined as the ability to read with speed, accuracy and proper expression. Fluency is not an easy task and most children and students in higher class who have not learnt to read with fluency finds it very difficult in their learning. This is because, lack of fluency hinder the understanding and meaning of sentences in a text. This leads to poor understanding of the whole text at the end of their reading. Fluent reading makes the readers to utilize less energy in their reading. This enables them to have proper expression of the meanings in the texts. Whether a child is reading aloud or in silent mood, he/ she reads in phrases and adds intonation which are appropriate. Thus there reading becomes smooth and full of expressions. (Cummins, 1989) Contrary to fluent readers, non- fluent reader make their reading to sound choppy and awkward. In addition, they make a lot of mistakes by either omitting some of the words. This makes many sentences to lack meaning, and in general sense the whole to text remains to be a mess to them. Their decoding skills are hindered and hence they read laboriously. In order to achieve fluency, three or more components must be incorporated in reading. If the three components are put in practices, then fluency is achieved without any objections. First and foremost is the component of accuracy. This is also known as automaticity. However, there is a slight difference between the two terms. Automaticity applies to the fast, effortless word recognition that comes with a great deal of reading practice. It refers to the child’s or any other person’s ability to read words in a text without missing its pronunciations. Some of the children find it very difficult to read because they cannot make the pronunciations of some words. This is made as difficult as the child is weak in combining syllables of a word. So, lack of phonemic awareness act as a barriers to fluency. This necessitates the child to be having a familiarity of word pronunciation. He can do so by reading some of the text especially the poetic kind of writing or songs. The third component is prosody. This one of the most ignored factor which most student lacks. They do not practise nor do they want to learn more about it. It is much concerned with the inclusion of stress, intonation and pauses. This can be referred to as reading feelings. They give good impression to the reader as well as to the audience. Reading without this component makes it very hard for the audience to depict the mood of the message being passed over through the text. (Cummins, 1989) It is therefore very necessary to have fluency in reading. This is developed gradually over time through practice. It first involves students reading in slow phase which is a bit laboured work. When students become fluent readers, they bridge word recognition and comprehension. Fluency therefore acts as bridge between the two. This means that fluency on its own does not ensure comprehension. However, it enhances the comprehension. Comprehension is very hard to achieve without fluency. The moment the non-fluent readers stop to decode and figure out unknown words, it is most likely the meaning of the already read parts get disrupted and the process of learning become laborious. When students are acquitted with fluency, they attain a better position in their study work. They pull together all their efforts and concentrate them on analyzing, interpreting and drawing of conclusions from the texts they are reading. Further more, fluency eliminates the concentrations on decoding the words thus the students keep on focusing their attention on what the text means. They are able to make the connections mange the ideas in the text and their background knowledge. Thus the fluent readers recognize the words and comprehend at the same time. This saves time of reading and interpretation giving student free time for leisure and other activities. Considering the fact that reading volumes increase with the transition from lower classes to the upper higher levels of education, it is very crucial for the teachers to help the students at the very beginning of schooling to gain fluency in their reading. Teachers are thus a major determinant for child’s fluency reading. Teachers are the first people who can recognize the problems of reading disorders with the children. They therefore need to take immediate action in order to improve the reading fluency of the child. Teachers can therefore do several things. This includes reading a text loudly while the child listens to him. He may also device other methods such as presenting loud tape messages to students. These two ways may help the child to listen to the words as they are pronounced, the prosody component is well heard and the other expressions are still well presented in this. The teacher must give much of the practice work to the student through having song and reciting poetic writing with the child. (Cummins, 1989) Reference: Cummins, J. (1989): Empowering minority students: California Association for Bilingual Education.

Competency Goal II Essay

I try to teach the children to stay healthy by getting the proper exercise that is needed for them. I take the children outside everyday if it’s not too hot, or too cold. I practice forms of yoga in the morning and the evenings with the children. This is to stretch their muscles, and to get their blood flowing. Exercising helps the children in the morning if they are still tired. Also, I’ve learned that the children have a better day when they are not tired and sleepy. Functional Area 5: Cognitive As a head start teacher I try to plan activities to develop strong thinking skills. I try to plan activities for cognitive development that make children think. I ask open-ended questions; play verbal guessing games, memory games, and other sensory motor activities. When I ask questions I use current events and experiences that the children can relate to. For an example, I’ve asked the children what happened to Goldilocks once she ran into the woods. Then, I wait for thinking gestures from the children. Their responses were the following: â€Å"She ran as fast as she can away from the Three Bears, she went home and told her mom, and she went home and called the police.† I also, play verbal guessing games such as, â€Å"Guess Who† â€Å"What is white, looks like a horse, and has black stripes?† The children guessed a zebra. I would do an activity like this after checking for prior knowledge (a story about zoo animals or a field trip to the zoo). In addition to open-ended questions and guessing games, I play the â€Å"Memory game.† First we look at all the pictures (starting with about twenty cards or ten mates). Then we place the cards face down and I model by picking up a card and turning it over. Then I turn over another and then the first child follows what I modeled. The children really enjoy this game. Their memory starts kicking in once I turn over quite a few cards. Lastly, but not limited to, I play a guessing game that uses the sense of touch. I use two paper bags, and each one has different contents. I put play dough in one and sand in another. I blind fold each child, allow them to feel the content  inside the bag, and chart their guesses from what they feel. They also describe it to the best of their knowledge. This game really gets them thinking. As a head start teacher cognitive development is very important as well as the other objectives for preschoolers. I try to plan activities to develop a strong thinking skills foundation for children. I try to plan activities for cognitive development that make children think, wonder, and explore. I believe that sensory motor games and memory games are great choices for developmentally appropriate actives to strengthen cognitive skills. Functional Area 6: Communication In order to know if a child is learning, I often ask questions. I give each child an opportunity to build their communication skills. Children really like when I interact and acknowledge what they have to say. In the morning meetings, I make sure that all the children have a chance to tell the class how they are doing and what they look forward to doing throughout the school day. While interacting with the children I remind each child to use their words in order to express themselves. Not only do I read to my children daily but I also play music with different vocabulary words in order for the children to learn new words daily. Functional Area 7: Creativity As a head start teacher, I once believed that creativity was a challenging task. When I start planning activities around the children’s interest, it became much easier. One day the children and I were discussing woodlands. The children where all excited to know that I planned a camp fire. I ask the children what could be used for a pretend fire. The children decided that a paper towel roll could be used as a log. Then I asked how can a fire be started? One child began to rub his two pointing fingers together. I said â€Å"Good idea!† Then I asked what could be used as sticks to rub together to start our pretend fire. Another child suggested that to use two yellow pencils. So we all took turns rubbing the sticks together. After the material was gathered together, I asked what color construction paper could be used to make our camp fire look like fire. Several of children decided on using the following colors: red, orange, blue, and even purple. The children and I placed the logs crisscross. The children and I  pushed the construction paper strips into a slip in the paper towel rolls. Then we used balls of white paper as marsh mellows, attached it to a pencil, and pretended to roast marsh mellows. One child said, â€Å"We need brown paper for gram crackers.† So the children and I cut squares of brown construction paper to make pretend gram crackers. This is how the camp fire was created. This was a creative activity that I planned around the children’s interest. I found it to be easier to plan activities for creativity by consulting the children first. I listen to their conversations from previous discussions and came up with the pretend camp fire activity. I have planned other creative activities using the same strategy to get the children involved.

Films Of The Mid-Seventies Era Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Films Of The Mid-Seventies Era - Essay Example In the film, the character of Bobby Dupea is the archetype of numerous heroes from that period. Bobby is stuck in two worlds. He is a man who cannot fit into the American society and is making efforts to find a place which he truly belongs to. One of the outstanding features of the 1970s films was the character’s struggle to deal with the problem of alienation that was prevalent in America at that time. This emerged from the sixties when there was the rejection of both the working class and leisure class values. The film portrays how an individual is trying so hard to deal with the alienation problem without being a counter-culture hippie. The post-sixties era mostly exhibited the theme of alienation - a theme that defined the mid-seventies era. However, the films of the 1990s and 1980s era extremely reflected the alienation theme with the so bloody and violent action genre. The heroes in these movies are violent, anti-social and alienated. They generally have no societal respect. The first scenes of â€Å"Five Easy Pieces† show the main character Bobby as a typical oil mine worker. Bobby puts a lot of energy in his work to get his money. He spends his leisure time drinking beer, playing cards, watching television and bowling. He stays with his girlfriend, a beautiful waitress named Rayette Dipesto. At the beginning of the film, Bobby is reflected as a happy person, but further progress of the movie reveals a man dissatisfied with his life. Rayette clingy mature annoys Bobby so much. He loathes country music and dislikes the way his girlfriend lives her life through Tammy Wynette songs. Rayette seems to play songs for every occasion of her life. When they go out with their friends Stoney and Elton, Bobby could not enjoy the bowling. He is angry and highly competitive at Rayette’s inexperience in the game. At some point, he later cheats on his girlfriend with a woman named Sally Struthers.

The effect of economic crisis to the marketing strategy of Volkswagen Literature review - 3

The effect of economic crisis to the marketing strategy of Volkswagen in Asian market. The case of Vietnam - Literature review Example In addition to that, the report will also provide some recommendation regarding how the company can deal with the issue. According to Dicken (2007), the automobile industry is adjudged to be one of the most globalised industrial sectors in the world. Similarly, in Vietnam automobile sector is a booming. The major automobile companies operating in the market of Vietnam are Daewoo, Daihatsu, Ford/Mazda, Daimler Benz, Hino Motors, Isuzu, Mekong, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Toyota, Truong Hai and Volkswagen (Ohno and Cuong, 2004). These companies manufacture car of different shapes, sizes, designs and categories (Sturgeon, 1998). According to reports, Truong Hai is the market leader in the automobile sector of Vietnam with a market share of 28.9 %. Next to Truong Hai, Toyota holds 27 % of the market share. The report also pointed out that the overall sales of cars in Vietnam fell by 2 % in the year 2011 thereby reflecting a falling demand of vehicles (ResearchAndMarkets, 2012). In addition to this, due to the Thai flooding the manufacturing process had been also disrupted. Apart from the natural calamities, one o f the major reasons of reducing demand of commercial cars in Vietnam is the global economic crisis. As a result, companies are forced to cut down their operating cost and create a balance between the net income and net cost. Similarly, in case of Volkswagen, the demand of their cars in Vietnam has also reduced substantially. Due to the reducing demand for their cars, the company also reduced the costs pertaining to various operations. Moreover, the global economic downturn also had a substantial impact in the marketing strategy of the company (Volkswagen: Annual Report, 2011). Now in order to uncover, how and in what ways the economic downturn has affected the company, a primary research has been carried out. The findings from the study are presented below. The first research question of the study is related to the

The Power of Unions in the U.S. Today Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Power of Unions in the U.S. Today - Essay Example Both the organizations play a significant role promoting legislation and policies favorable to workers in US and Canada. When federal and state laws are applicable to public sector unions, National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) regulates private sector unions. While analyzing the labor history of the United States, it is clear that labor unions have played an inevitable role in improving the wages and working conditions of labors. Today labor unions have some political powers and influences to force the government to form and amend labor laws to enhance the welfare of US workers. As Greenhouse points out, union workers earned median weekly income of $943 in 2012 whereas this income was only $742 in case of nonunion workers. According to a federal government evaluation on the pay scale in the country (as reported in Schultz and Schultz), it was identified that members of labor unions earn up to 33% more income than nonunion members. In addition, employees in a labor union enjoy more job security, high quality work environment, and other benefits than their nonunion counterparts (271-272). Although labor unions have been assisting employees to enjoy better wages, working conditions, and other benefits for decades, studies and reports indicate that the power of unions in the US is declining. While analyzing the statistical data on the union membership, it seems that today American unions have only a fraction of the influence they had a few decades ago. To illustrate, as Leves reports in CNN, nearly 20% workers were union members in 1983 and currently it has been dropped to 12%. This decline has been worse in the private sector where union membership fell from 17% in 1983 to only 7% today. The annual summary of the unionization in the United States published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics also comes up with the similar claims. According to this report (as cited in Warner), the union membership of wage and salary

Developmental Psychology Unit 6 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Developmental Psychology Unit 6 - Essay Example ocial temperament can make an individual abusive without his even being aware of it, because he is not in touch with what is considered socially acceptable behaviour. There are also factors that influence partners of abusers to remain in the abusive relationship. They may have psychological issues, such as an extreme need for love and affection and low self-esteem. An important factor is cultural orientation. South American, Asian and Arab nationals would tend to be more positively regarded if they remained with their abusive husbands, admired as being more patient and forbearing. On the other hand, European nationals would leave immediately. The most important step society should take is to increase awareness of the problem through education and information dissemination. For those already in abusive relationships, shelters and support services should be provided, because there may be psychological or physical barriers to her leaving her partner. Free legal help must also be provided such women. Generally, the subject had a happy childhood with family, friends and peers. There were some times, however, when he felt depressed because he perceived his parents favored his younger siblings over him. He was an only child until about four years old, and though he welcomed the arrival of a brother and sister, when he was about 8 years old he felt that his parents made him do more of the house chores than his siblings. Of course, his brother and sister was only about four or five then, but that did not occur to him at the time, and he disliked having to be made to baby sit them because he could not go out to play. But he felt he should not disappoint his parents, so he just felt oppressed. However, when his parents did give him attention and conversed with him about the world of work and how responsibility and rights go together, the oppressive feeling would go away and eventually, he was able to adjust to the greater responsibilities of a big brother. Of the

The Business Cycle and Macroeconomic Objectives Term Paper

The Business Cycle and Macroeconomic Objectives - Term Paper Example Recognition of the relationship of withdrawals and injections has also been made which allows better overview of the markets. The relationship of withdrawal and injections has shown an indirect link similar to the savings and investments, taxation and government expenditures. The last and most essentials element of this paper is the discussion of the circular flow of income and the four macroeconomic objectives i.e. a) Economic Growth, b) Reduced Unemployment, c) Rise of Inflation, and d) Deterioration of Balance of Payments. The figure below provides a view on the relationship of the four main objectives of macroeconomics. The figure shows how in a short term the four objectives, i.e. faster growth of output, lower unemployment, lower inflation and the avoidance of balance of payments deficits are related to each other (Sloman and Sutcliffe). The relationship depends on the aggregate demand which is influenced by each phase of the business. a) Expansionary Phase: In this phase (phase 2), the aggregate demand grows very rapidly and the gap between the potential output and actual output is relatively narrower. Here the growth in the output will be relatively rapid and the levels of unemployment will be faced with a drop as well. This provides a solution for two issues however it leads to the other two sectors to be faced with issues (Sloman and Sutcliffe). With the higher levels of shortages the inflation is also affected and this leads to the deteriorating balance of payments which in turn leads to the domestic goods being less competitive in the international markets. b) Peak: At phase three of the cycle i.e. the peak phase, the level of unemployment is at the lowest and the output of the company is at the highest level.

A Self-Sustained Enclosed Ecosystem in a Jar Lab Report

A Self-Sustained Enclosed Ecosystem in a Jar - Lab Report Example An ecosystem can be describe as the dynamic biological environment that consist of living things in a specific region, abiotic , and environment physical components that interact with the organisms such as sunlight, air (oxygen and carbon dioxide), water, and soil (Hutchinson, 2005). Every ecosystem requires the three basic components that include producers, consumers, and decomposers. The three categories of ecosystem include freshwater, terrestrial, and oceanic ecosystems (Adams, 2001, pp. 33-44). Generally, the ecosystems are divided into main categories that are aquatic (freshwater and ocean) and terrestrial. However, the report focuses on the aquatic ecosystem. The system that the project created was an aquatic ecosystem (freshwater) that was supposed to meet the specific environmental factors to support the living organisms internally (self-sustaining and supporting). Aquatic ecosystems are defined as the ecosystems that are dependent on fresh water, which include rivers, estuaries, wetlands, and streams (Barbee, n.d.). According to Ecology Society of America, the aquatic systems shelter various organisms that are dependent on them. Aquatic systems factors are categorized into abiotic factors and biotic factors. Abiotic factors refer to the non-living components in an ecosystem that have a direct influence on the living organisms community. On the other hand, biotic factors refer to the diversified species that occupy an ecosystem where every specie action can affect the lives of other species in the region. In the aquatic system, the interactions of organisms are based on aquatic environment (Baron & Poff, 2010, p. 7). Consequently, the understanding of aquatic component such as the balance of oxygen in the water, pH, and light contributes to the creation of a successful self-sustained aquatic system. Shrimps in aquatic systems have a substantial effect on other living organisms in a similar ecosystem. The pH of about 6.5-8.0 and balanced oxygen is suitable for maintaining freshwater ecosystem (Bunn & Arthington, 2002, pp. 492--507). Remarkably, a main manner that living organisms affect each other is consumption. As a result, a food web develops among living organisms living in a same aquatic ecosystem (Sala, 2000). Aims and hypothesi s Aims The aim of the experiment was to create a self-sustaining freshwater ecosyste m. The experiment was focused in introducing the student on how to utilize the available resources in correct amounts to create a

Ethics In Criminal Justice Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ethics In Criminal Justice - Research Paper Example In criminal justice, ethics provides for making moral choices in case of uncertainties in various situations or problems. In the process of criminal justice, moral rules are desirable because they provide reliable guides for application in various circumstances. In criminal justice, ethics provides the grounds for reaching fair decisions in terms of law and for the sake of the criminal (Banks, 2004). It is also crucial to understand that ethics in criminal justice involves determining right and wrong in terms of human standards. Also, these two perceptions arise from the influences from parents, society or friends. Codes of conduct are influenced by religious beliefs and the law. Justice in human experience occurs as a process that moves within three concrete circles. The personal context represents the individual sense of justice. This context has the responsibility of examining the right or wrong and evil or good in life experiences. The second circle characterizes the community context for justice. This circle comprises the physical environment in which justice operates: urban, rural or suburban. It also includes the people in this system and their interactions. In the society, criminals do not operate in seclusion. Criminals require victims and circumstances. Crime relates to social conditions and circumstances through its subjectivity to the criminal justice system and the law. The social context of criminal justice ethics understands the necessity for recognizing criminals, not after the crime, but also through the comprehension of the environment and conditions that force people into crime. The social context of criminal justice ethics also involves t he self-judgment of individuals in relation to others (Schneider, 2009). The third circle of criminal justice ethics involves the processes of criminal justice. This provides the only perspective for understanding criminal justice ethics. This circle requires the

Moral Problem Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Moral Problem Paper - Essay Example It will be argued that the U.S. participation in the possible humanitarian mission in Syria will be rather precarious from the point of view of Utilitarian moral theory, yet it may be conceivably justified by the use of Kantian ethics. FACTUAL DETAILS The incumbent President of the United States of America, Barack Obama assumed his office on 20 January 2009, and until the present time he has weathered a lot of major political crises, both of internal and external nature, in the course of his Presidency. In particular, Obama’s handling of the 2011 Middle East political upheaval is peculiarly contradictory, with the White House ignoring the crackdown on the protesters in Bahrain and Yemen, while enforcing the no-fly zone over Libya and supporting anti-government rebels in the latter nation. At the same time, it should be noted that Obama is widely perceived as a moderate, yet politically savvy character that combines his outwardly friendly appearance with the well-tested politic al experience. Irrespective of the domestic policy controversies in the U.S., it should be noted that Obama has managed to create a favourable image abroad, including the Arabic nations. This may be a determining factor in the relatively positive perception of his foreign policy in the Third World. At the same time, one might mention that Obama has repeatedly come under heavy criticism both from the right and the left for his alleged elitism and political indecisiveness, and consequently his major foreign policy decisions are distinguished by cautious and even vacillating attitude. However, as his handling of Afghanistan-Pakistan problem shows, he is perfectly able to resort to rather hard-line foreign policy measures, and he is clearly interested in pursuing a balanced world policy, without making drastic steps similar to those of his predecessor. Finally, the U.S. President is clearly interested in restoring/retaining his previous favourable image worldwide that was marred by the U.S. indecisive behaviour in the course of the global economic crisis, and he might be interested in more active U.S. position concerning the attempts of Middle East dictatorial regimes to suppress the currently rising dissent there. The situation in Syria is made complicated by the precarious balance of power between the supporters and opponents of the current regime. As a rule of thumb, it may be assumed that about 220,000 active personnel of Syrian Armed Forces and the unspecified number of pro-Assad higher bureaucracy, as well as about 1,5 million members of dominant Alawite minority that provides the backbone of support for Assad’s regime, are not interested in any major shifts away from the present situation, while the relatively underprivileged Sunni Arab majority and Kurdish minority (altogether about 81% of Syrian population) might gain much from the collapse of Ba’athist dictatorship and the institution of representative democracy system. With respect to curr ent Syria’s population dynamics, these figures will amount to about 2,000,000 and 16,000,000 persons, respectively. Finally, it should be noted that the pleasures that might be received by the parties to the situation from the pro-intervention course of Obama’s action include both lower pleasures such as guarantees of secure sustenance, and higher pleasures (i.e. the participation in the liberal democratic politics after the dictatorship’

The Glass Cliff Essay Example for Free

The Glass Cliff Essay Ibarra et al suggest that high-potential women often miss out on sponsorship, an element of mentoring that increases the incidence and speed of candidates’ promotion to upper management positions. Bruckmuller and Branscombe illustrate in their article, The Glass Cliff, a gender partiality that exists when companies look to hire a new executive. Companies with predominantly male executives and in stable financial states are more likely to hire another male executive, while a tanking company with male executives will favor the female candidate. Both articles contribute evidence to further back the claim that women receive fewer promotional opportunities than men and identify how our common assumptions about gender and leadership impede our movement towards gender equality. However, neither article does well to disarm the biased reader, consequently placing the transmission of an invaluable message at risk. If the authors’ underlying purpose for writing these articles is to promote equal opportunity at all organizational levels as a means to optimize the utility of available human resources, they do not effectively communicate their message. At first glance, it appears that these articles intend to increase awareness of the additional roadblocks women face on their way to executive suites. Numbers, experiments, and thorough analysis confirm that this is so. I have no doubt that a young ambitious female professional would likely feel outraged at the sight of these figures and feel compelled to join the crusade. However, a man who does not see the benefits of women in management or a woman who does not aspire to be a manager might perceive these articles as personal grievances and greet them with discord. Such an individual might contest that since every author is female, the articles are therefore biased and the integrity of the articles is compromised. In this instance, the message and potential progress towards equal opportunity is lost. To avoid this predicament, I might suggest presenting evidence that would appeal to male executives, as they occupy the majority of the upper echelon positions and thus, possess the mos t power to resist or catalyze change. Perhaps a worthy initiative would be to increase these managers awareness of the similarity–attraction principle, which explains how when given the opportunity to select another member to interact within a group, individuals have a proclivity to select persons who are similar to themselves (i.e. male). The argument could go on to explain to managers how such behavior can detrimentally serve a management team by inhibiting heterogeneity, which research suggests facilitates long-term team performance (Horwitz, 2007). Whether this is a sound argument is debatable, but this topic is much less likely to be met with resistance simply due to the nature of the subject matter. Every executive agrees that long-term team performance is a worthy pursuit. In this scenario, both parties understand the value of the message and have potential to mutually benefit from it. References Horwitz, Sujin K., and Irwin B. Horwitz. The effects of team diversity on team outcomes: A meta-analytic review of team demography. Journal of management 33.6 (2007): 987-1015.

The Impact of Leadership on Business

The Impact of Leadership on Business This essay will discuss the impact of leadership on businesses. Leadership concepts can be categorised into three main theories. Transactional leadership which is mainly applied in a relatively stable situation, Transformational leadership which can be well used in an atmosphere where big changes have happened and contextual leadership which is used in a constantly changing and chaotic situation. Therefore the main difference is the environment within they function. Good and effective leadership has many details which are going to be described trough appropriate academic theories. Leadership has many aspects such as attitude towards objectives and operations or representation of the company. All of these aspects link together in order to achieve competitive advantage. Probably the most important factor is the influence of leadership on other members of the business, particularly on the followers. The main body of the essay will investigate how leaders behaviour and attitude navigates the company trough controlling employees. There are many opinions about which extent leadership describes a pattern of behaviour, a bundle of personal characteristics or its role fulfilled in a group. This part of the essay will give a better understanding of these criteria, however it must be pointed out that there is not a perfect answer for that, because of the waste number of academic arguments on this topic. In its essence, leadership in an organizational role involves (1) establishing a clear vision, (2) sharing (communicating) that vision with others so that they will follow willingly, (3) providing the information, knowledge, and methods to realize that vision, and (4) coordinating and balancing the conflicting interests of all members or stakeholders. A leader comes to the forefront in case of crisis, and is able to think and act in creative ways in difficult situations. Unlike management, leadership flows from the core of a personality and cannot be taught, although it may be learnt and may be enhanced through coac hing or mentoring. (www.businessdictionary.com) The popular view is that it does matter who is in charge, leadership quality determines the performance of the group and poor group performance can be overcome by leadership. A group of people is capable of working on their on, but only in a limited extent. Sooner or later one or more individuals will arise from the team because they think differently or imagine the solution in other ways. External factors will also cause the team to change in structure, for example someone has to represent the group and it is also necessary to monitor the tasks, consequently a member has to take responsibility. Without an appointed leader the management would be extremely difficult in an organisation. Living examples are all around us, the parliament, educational institutions, and successful businesses all with appointed leaders. There are some; however who believe in contrary view and argue that it does not matter who is in charge because there is n o real power (Chester Bernard) and that there are few differences between leaders and followers. (Skogdill 1949, Mann 1961) The contingency theory explains that the effectiveness of leadership depends on situation and Pfeffer (1978) argues that the group performance is determined by factors beyond the power of the leader. However the belief in the importance of leadership gives us comforting illusion of control. The theory further explains that there is not a best way to lead and in certain new situations the well developed leadership style may not be successful. This may result in certain very successful leaders become ineffective when they are transplanted into another situation or when the factors around them change. (www.snc.edu) This statement refers to how great leaders who were very successful made wrong decision when the business changed. A good example is Jurgen Schrempp and Robert Eaton, the CEOs of the Daimler-Chrysler merger. Both of them were very effective leaders in t heir own companies. These organisations are famous worldwide so naturally the leaders enjoy a prestigious position which assumes that they are people who really are the best and do not make mistakes. However, when the merger began and the cultural differences occurred, the lack of adaptation of leaders led to failure. Contingency theory does not differ much from situational theory because both assume that there are more options about the right way to do things. Situational leadership assumes that the best action of the leader depends on a range of situational factors. Contingency theory involves a wider view which includes contingent factors about the individuals capability and situational theory focuses on the behaviour of the leader in different situations. (www.changingminds.org) For example in a given situation the good leader will not act in a single style i.e. transactional method but will be able to adjust his behavioural pattern so he makes the most out of the situation. A c lear example is the army where leadership is highly situational complemented by transformational effects. Soldiers without motivation are performing totally differently and just a little lack of performance can lead to total failure, meanwhile the general or whoever is in command needs to adapt to the current situation quickly and reasonably as possible. There are many aspects which will influence the decisions such as the capability and motivation of followers and their relationship with the leader. External factors such as stress and mood will also affect the leaders behaviour. Yukl (1989) distinguishes between six main variables: Subordinate effort: the motivation and actual effort expended. Subordinate ability and role clarity: followers knowing what to do and how to do it. Organization of the work: the structure of the work and utilization of resources. Cooperation and cohesiveness: of the group in working together. Resources and support: the availability of tools, materials, p eople, etc. External coordination: the need to collaborate with other groups. (www.changingmins.org) According to Tannenbaum and Schmidt (1958) there are three main forces which influence the leaders decisions and actions. These forces are present in both the leader, followers and in the situations which causes the leaders behaviour variable. Liputt and Whites (1943) research on after school club shows that leaders adopted one of three leadership styles which affects the performance of the members of the group. These are: Autocratic, whereas followers are just told what to do and good performance is only achieved when the leader is present. This style involves low morale. Laissez faire style can be described with the phrase just let people get on with it, meaning there are no strict instructions. In this case there is a moderate moral and the performance is generally low and only rises when the leader is absent. The Democratic style provides the best results -high morale and perform ance and it is achieved by involving people in the decisions and encouraging discussions. There are radical examples for these styles out there. One of the simplest is politics. Parliaments in most of the countries operate in a democratic style. People work together and they are equal but a formal leader is present. Whereas in autocratic societies it is inevitable to notice low moral in certain groups and opposition towards autocratic parties. Zaccaro, Fotit and Kenny carried out a research questioning what kinds of people occupy leadership positions: (Four Tasks Model) Do the same people emerge as leaders irrespective of the task, or does it depend on the task? (This leads back to contingency theory.) Participants completed Snyders self monitoring scale and the results show that only individuals who are able to be flexible can emerge as leaders across different tasks. Lord and Alligers meta analysis shows, (1986) (A meta analysis treats all evidence as if it came from a single study using statistical techniques) that same people will not always make good leaders and they will not be always preferred in different groups, same kinds of people will not become leaders in real organisations -but it depends on situation and factors influence perception of leadership. (Contingency theory) Leadership is positively associated with quality of speech, quality of ideas and friendliness (Malloy and Ianowsky 1992) Leaders acquire their positions in different ways. It could happen by seizing power by force, which is called usurpation or it can be inherited. Other ways are election/popular acclaim or appointment. It is essential to investigate how leaders emerge and what kinds of people become successful in this position. One of the theories discussing this topic is the Great Man Theory. It assumes that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾Leaders are born and not made and great leaders will arise when there is a great need. (www.changingminds.org) Studies on leadership in the past examined individuals who were already great leaders. There were almost always from aristocracy because it was difficult for lower class people to emerge amongst the ranks of society. However there are exceptions such as Robin Hood. He represented a very appealing organisational vision and he gained a waste number of followers via communicating the right policies. He created a very successful organisation by advertising his company values, so successful that even the present formal authority which represents for example a big competitor company had troubles gaining market share. This suggests that the quality of leadership is indeed what wins in business. The notion that great men would arise in the time of need often bare mystical aspects and it was easy to justify by mentioning historical characters such us Churchill or Jesus. Many studies discuss which kind of personalities are the best suited for leadership positions. Leaders are generally good in handling people but this does not necessary mean being friendly over the top. Keeping a bit of distance can keep up the respect and authority. While leaders, especially transformational ones tend to care a lot about the feelings of their followers, it does not mean that they would not be task oriented. They are indeed achievement focused but they realise the importance of filling up followers with enthusiasm in order work together towards the vision. The work of Hua Gu ofeng represents (leader of China for a perioid after of Maos death) real transformational leadership. He himself did not take credit for his work that caused fundamental changes in the governance of the nation but instead aimed to influence many others to work towards his vision. The Trait Theory assumes that People are born with inherited traits. Some traits are particularly suited to leadership. People who make good leaders have the right (or sufficient) combination of traits. (www.12manage.com) There are several researches about these traits, usually studying great and successful leaders. According to McCall and Lombardo (1983), there are four main traits and Stogdill (1974) summarised the typical traits and skills a good leader probably possesses. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾Emotional stability and composure People with these characteristics are able to handle stress, they are self confident, organised and cooperative. A leader should be adaptable to situations, learn from their mistakes instead of covering them up. Good interpersonal skills are a requirement; the leaders manner of speech has to be diplomatic, fluent, intelligent and able to persuade others. It is essential to have knowledge about many areas, to be assertive and reactive to social situations and be a ble to take responsibility. It is undeniable that leadership skills can be coached and an individual can learn to become a better leader and some argue that situational factors are much more important then inherited characteristics. An interesting study about twins who were separated at birth however reveals that there are far more genetically inherited traits then previously supposed. Another interesting fact that many historical leaders lived with some handicap that they had to overcome. It could be traumatic childhood or reading problems or just being relatively short compared to others. There are very well known examples such as Hitler or Napoleon. According to Bales (1950) leadership has two key roles and one individual can not occupy both. Task specialist persons offer opinions and give directions in task oriented aspects of group life, and socio emotional persons respond and pay attention to feelings of other group members. According to the Contingency theory leadership effectiveness depends on situation. Fiedler (1965) differentiates between three contingencies: The first is about the quality of leader-member relation, the second is task clarity and the last one speaks about the amount of power the leader has. Combinations of these contingencies determine which side is most effective. According to Tetlock (1979) the behaviour of the leader is critical does the leader encourage open discussion or not? Group decision making involves two main aspects: The risky shift: groups tend to recommend risky alternative rather then the individuals. Polarization: tendency for groups to make decision that are more extreme than the indivi dual members initial decision in the direction favoured by the mean. Polarization has four aspects: social comparison, persuasive arguments, self categorisation and repeated attitude expression. Sanders and Barens Social comparison model: Comparing behaviour and opinions with thoughts of others in order to establish correct (socially approved) way of thinking. People are influenced by information that supports their decision and thus become more extreme in their view. This is called persuasive arguments. (Burnstein and Vinokur) When talking about Transformational leadership, various theories overlap both operationally and conceptually. Bass Transformational Leadership Theory assumes that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾Awareness of task importance motivates people and a focus on the team or organization produces better work. Others like Burns argues that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾Association with a higher moral position is motivating and will result in people following a leader who promotes this. Working collaboratively is better than working individually. (www.changingminds.org) He describes transformational leadership as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾a process where leaders and followers engage in a mutual process of raising one another to higher levels of morality and motivation.' In general transformational leadership assumes that individuals will follow inspiring people. Someone with a vision and passion can reach goals and it is possible to achieve great things with enthusiasm. A good example is Mahatma Gandhi. He satisfied the needs of his fo llowers, while remaining loyal to a higher purpose instead of using his position to seize power. His visions about a greater good and not about himself were passed on to many of his followers. To work under a transformational leader may be a very good experience because such leaders are interested in success of others and they carry out their job utilising a great deal of energy. The first thing transformational leaders begin with is to develop a clear vision and plan the future which will motivate potential followers. Selling the vision is the second most important factor. This takes commitment and some people need more time to join but many individuals follow radical visions quickly. Therefore a transformational leader will use every opportunity to convince others to follow and these aspects all contribute towards winning in business. The leader has to be very careful who he trusts and in creating trust and personal integrity is critical because they are not only representing the vision but selling themselves as well. Looking forward on the way may be differ, some leaders already know the right path and simple needs others to follow, some do not have a developed plan but are willing to explore possibilities towards success. The important fact is to make progress and to accept occasional failures. The transformational leader who has a developed vision knows the direction and will be satisfied as long as progress is being made. Transformational leaders will want to represent their group and are always visible. This is the last stage during the development of the vision. They are acting as a role model by their actions, showing how their followers should behave. They also put constant effort into delegating and motivating their inferiors and listening to their opinions. According to Bass charisma is important but not sufficient. Leaders with such attribute will influence the followers emotions and cause identification with the leader. Bass also notes that authentic transformational leadership has moral aspects. These are Idealized influence, Inspirational motivation, Intellectual stimulation, Individualized consideration, moreover The moral character of the leader, The ethical values embedded in the leaders vision, articulation, and program (which followers either embrace or reject), The morality of the processes of social ethical choice and action that leaders and followers engage in and collectively pursue. Their commitment encourages their followers to go on even when questions arise about the possibility of the fulfilment of the vision. If people are demoralised their efforts will eventually decrease causing the business to loose or to give advantage to its competitors. Methods of sustaining motivation include several techniques such as use of cultural symbolism of the company or ceremonies. According to Burns the usage of these motivational tools (social and spiritual values) is very useful because it gives people the feeling of being connected to the higher purpose giving their work a meaning and identity to themselves. Little changes and acknowledgement of peoples performance give them the feeling of significance and enha nce their progress. The transitional leader has to keep a good balance between his attentions to actions which contribute towards progress and to constantly cultivate the mental state of their followers. They believe that success is being achieved trough commitment and they are naturally people oriented. Burns opinion is that transactional leadership is less effective because it involves selfish concerns. By appealing to social values people are encouraged to work together. Burns also clearly differentiates between transformational and transactional approach. The characteristics of transactional leadership will be explained in the next paragraph in more detail. Transformational leaders aim to constantly transform the organisation and this transformation naturally has an effect on the people in it. They might be transformed in a way as well, maybe to be like the leader himself. Bass emphasizes the way leaders transform their followers: Increases the followers task importance and valu es, influence them that instead of their own interest keep the organisational goal in front of them and activating their higher-order needs. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾Transformational Leaders are often charismatic, but are not as narcissistic as pure Charismatic Leaders, who succeed through a belief in themselves rather than a belief in others. (www.changingminds.org) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾In contrast to Burns, who sees transformational leadership as being inextricably linked with higher order values, Bass sees it as amoral, and attributed transformational skills to people such as Adolf Hitler and Jim Jones. This paragraph aims to give an insight into transactional Leadership. The transactional style assumes that followers are encouraged by reward and motivated by punishment. It also argues that if clear commands are present then it will enchance the operation on social systems. When speaking about employees doing their job their also have to accept their managers as authority and that they role and purpose is to carry out the tasks their supervisors betrust them. This already starts when the potential employees sign their contracts whereby they are provided salary in return for their subordination. The typical transactional leader gives clear instructions to their subordinates whereas hes expressing what is expected to do in order to to fullfill their role and thus acquiring their rewards. Naturally it leads to disciplinary action in case of unsatisfying performance. These punisment measures are not always mentioned but employees usually know these formal systems. When the subordinate r ecevies his task, he is considered fully responsible of it and expected to be able to do it. In a sitation when things are not going according to plan, it is going to be the subordinates responsibility and fault. This will attract punishment measurements. Transactional leaders often do not pay attention when something operates as defined even if subordinates exceed their normal performance. However these situtations require extra appreciation to keep the moral of the subordinates up, to reward their extra effort in their work, because in the opposite case they will not feel that they should work with extra enthausism in the future. Transactional leadership does have many limitations but, however being a working method it is often used. When differentiating between management and leadership it is undoubtedly closer to management. There are several limitations in this approach as it only takes into account the rational follower who is driven by money and reward with a predictable beha viour. However it is not as simple to describe peoples behaviour because there are emotional and social factors. Behaviourism is what supports this leadership style but it has to be emphasized that in an economic situation where there is a need for skill and demand for employees this leadership styles would be often insufficient. It is essential that we differentiate between Leadership and Management. Often people use these notions interchangeably however there are major differences which need to be adressed. The main difference is how leaders and managers motivate people. Managers become leaders as well if there is a need to follow a path which is different form usual or something new. People who are inferior to a manager are called subordinates and there is a formal authority present. Naturally there are levels of power which is called seniority. On the other hand, leaders have followers who may be subordinates in case they are managers but following is a voluntary behaviour and thus formal authorial control needs to be given up. To win in business there has to be cooperation between management and leadership. It is truth that the aspects are different but both are essential. Leadership vision and strategy becomes the real achievement if it is managed effectively (Mullins) If within an organisation there is good leadership present it still requires an effective management team to carry out the objectives. It servers as a pillar and without it the result will be inefficient. On the other hand a good management team can not get proper feedback and directions without effective leadership. These aspects of the business need to work cooperatively and to achieve competitive gain a combination between skilled leadership and competent management is required. (Kotter 1990) We have discussed transactional and transnational style already and generally we can apply these theories when distinguishing between managers and leaders. As described, managers bear with authority and their subordinates carry out task as ordered and in return expect an agreed reward. Managers work for a company and usually do not make fundamental decisions. They are getting payed to work within à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾tight constraints of time and money so it is natural that they expect the same working style from their subordinate s. Thus this is a transactional approach. However when leading people something more is needed than financial credit because followers have to want to follow you and perhaps go into certain situations they would not risk otherwise. Leaders have to inspire followers and appeal to them enough to make them believe in the goal. The power of this can be tremendous. A good example is Alexander the Great who was able to convince his warlords to be loyal for decades in his campaigns. This may happen trough a charismatic, transformaional style only when enough appreciation and attention is given. Leaders who have strong charisma often find that people will follow them and their ambitions because it does not only give them financial benefit but also has a positve effect on their lifes and personalities. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾They are always good with people, and quiet styles that give credit to others (and take blame on themselves) are very effective at creating the loyalty that great leaders engend er. A different aspect is the attitude towards risky decisions and and new methods. Leaders generally investigate these ways in order to improve the business and constantly look out for opportunities. They consider it part of their job to encounter problems and come up with new and better solutions. In contrast managers are risk aware and they stick to well working procedures and rules. In the always competitive world of businesses organisations need to constantly focus on improvement and change. Given the challenges which occur because of the competing companies over the market, the factor of leadership is very important. To complete the estimated mission and to make out the most of employee abilities trough the companys vision, effective leadership is necessary. Leadership is a force which manages organisational procedures and coordinates the employees to achieve the companys objectives. The actions of the leadership represent the organisation itself, motivate followers and encourage them to work in accordance of various ethics and values. To win in business coordination of the followers is fundamental because they are the core of the operation functions. Therefore a good relationship between leaders and followers is essential to achieve a good performance.

Reflection Report And Learning From An Experience Education Essay

Reflection Report And Learning From An Experience Education Essay The reflection report is a form of thinking, how to analyze based on knowledge and feeling. As a manager self analyze to think about weakness and strengths. In this report, it is need to focus on communication skills, time management, scope management, risk management, analysis, self motivation and management (self judgment, self evaluation, self reaction, and self satisfaction), problem solving, team effectiveness and project planning. The main objectives of this report are needed to discuss and focus on following element: Life long learning after this dissertation course experience Experience and Importance of group work and relationship with team members Importance to keep daily dairy for long run projects such as dissertations, research work reports or any long technical projects. Reflection is a series of step to note down for future reference and help Importance of analysis and research we did for our project- processing of running project Quality of work related to topic Tutor and group members suggestion and advises then note down in reflection dairy Basically reflective knowledge is a method to examine him/her self internally and deeply and finding out the issue of nervousness, settle down by the experience which creates the meaning of self. And learns from the same repeating experience and changed him/her self effectively by the result of experiences. Reflection practice is the form of self awareness and self appraisal and describes the result and outcomes of persons actions. Recollection of Experiences (Weekly Detailed Dairy) Week Date Activity 01 14 -06-2010 First week, we attended the introduction session of AMP Module given by Vincent Ong, and learnt how to write a report and how to follow the format etc from supportive tutor. After that Academic Liaison Librarian has give the detailed information about way to put the referencing in our report and module handbook of AMP was provided to all of us. Next day activity was about the plagiarism and turnitinUK. JBK explained us regarding paraphrasing and feature of turnitinUK. They also helped us in search of related articles from digital library. First time, I have learnt that how to put key words in advance search and get the journals and articles called rational research to identity and support our work. Rob explained us about the reflection report and how it is relevant with our report and what makes a good reflection report and what should be the structure of report. After that we have collected handbook of AMP topic. During this week we have formed a group of 10 members as we all previously worked together so we knew each other. One thing in our favor that working with known group members will reduce time taken to start performing and understanding of each frame of work. Beginning of this week we all felt excited and optimistic. As we received information about work we became more apprehensive, confused and uncertain and our topic also made us very uncertain and anxious. But after two days brain storming with group members and detailed discussion with tutor reassured us, and gave us clarification and showed right direction. In general we learnt that wide range of resources and journals are available in our library; it was analyzed that without the tutor guidance may be we would be on the wrong direction. We also understand the importance of referencing. How to comparing and contrasting the material from different authors and importance of sharing ideas as well as we understand the importance of secondary research. Learned about the importance of the time management in project and proper referencing; may be some problem will be encountered during the project like in personal planning and in managing a group. Learning solution in this week would be like how to find relevant information more effectively and learned the need to maintained records about daily activities of progress. 02 21-06-2010 . This week, I have read the handbooks and all material given by tutor. Two articles in handbook are very much helpful for understanding the topic. Today we start our project; we did research and found 5-6 articles about target market selection and difference between B2B and B2C practices. Facing much difficulty in research about the relevant topic because our topic is much tricky and confusing. After two day struggling and with different key words as suggested by tutor, we came at one point of start. Need to understand the synthesis Main Report like how to draw evidence and evaluate and present our own thoughts in Report. It was advised that the main report should be synthesis rather than descriptive. A lot of hurdles came while searching the topics. To day I got some useful articles and after reading got some useful points of my requirements. This week we had a meeting on Friday to solve the issues regarding the understanding of topics and their key wordings for search. 03 28-06-2010 This week, feeling much difficulty while reading, reviewing and comparing the articles of different authors and different sides regarding my topic and key words. Before start writing the literature review, I must needs to understand and study the Harvard System for proper referencing. So Google it and find and understand the many ways of putting referencing for article, journals and books such as articles with missing date, missing authors name , with more than one or two authors work etc. Today, I started my work on dissertation and I made a folder of my all downloaded article and took the print and read two of them then make the synthesize point from them I have been started my work from literature review which is the main body of the report in which we needs to put our ability to produce a quality of work there. I had written my synthesis point from two articles. This week we had a 2nd meeting on Friday to solve the issues regarding the understanding of topics and share some ideas as well as searched article with each other also our project manager send us some useful topic related to inviting tender of technological solutions. I have decided to divide my work chapter wise as guided us by our AMP module Coordinator. So we come the point that work should be start from literature review section. 04 05-07-2010 Today I got my result; I had passed my in all modules. Thanks to Almighty GOD. Today I also review the one more article which is presented in an international conference regarding issues related to ICT facing by SMEs companies. So extract some main point from this article and note down. In our meeting we discussed about the difference between E-business and E-commence, it found about a detailed reading that e-commence is linked to the B2B and e-business is linked with B2C. Moreover from studies one thing come out that is digital-related products and digital-unrelated product. Our project team leader explained and clearly differentiated that digitally related product i.e. software applications, mobile phones, digital cameras were more suitable for e-commerce, and more easily sold over the internet unlike digitally unrelated products like furniture where consumers must want examine physically before a purchase is made. We also discussed and studied further on the key issues and consideration regarding the tender invitation for website development solution. 05 12-07-2010 In literature review, comparison of all researchers and authors work relevant to topic is very much difficult and different nature of work for me. It is noticed that all researcher focusing the similar issue that affecting the operation while company is moving to B2C market and suggests the same requirement and key consideration. As I am having the first experience at this level of literature review and work but it is much interested and knowledgeable effort for me. It is very easy to divert from the original topic during the literature reviewing process. Felt much difficulty like diversion from my original topic in this part of work. May God help me to do this in good and best ways related to exact topic requirement. 06 19-07-2010 This week I was not able to work on my report due to my some personal engagement and some family issues so I was out of station. 07 26-07-2010 This week, I started to understand and revise some articles and documents on tendering. As I need to understand that how to invite the tender for technological and software solutions. Issues come up while writing on inviting tenders for technological solution. Because invitation of tenders for technical and non technical solution are much confusing and related work. But feel like interesting as I am having the new expertise and expertise in this new area of tendering. I dont have any experience of reading such type of documents. As I was stuck on the step of inviting tender so today I consulted with the team leader of our group so she help me out in understanding of this specific point that what are the key requirement for inviting the tenders as I was thinking on the format like that regarding tendering but she solved my issue and sent some articles for literature review related to this. She is very much helping person and nice lady and she should be a good team leader in future. 08 02-08-2010 Confusion- writing on invite tender for web development that whether it should b E-tendering or normal traditional way. Another issue that I was facing that in most of tendering article there is no proper author or researcher name. Mostly the company and organizational name are mentioned while inviting tender for the technological or software solutions. Got some article and journal on tendering and outsourcing the IT related work and technological solution. This week I have made my final schedule and divide the days till final review of report and how to close my work within the month of august. Understand and learnt about the use of indexing in table of contents in MSWord; how to use the proper referencing. 09 09-08-2010 This week I met with my one of the group member in LRC and discussed about the e-book refereeing and how many references we can use and whether mostly should be journals articles and could be from any where else? So she suggested that we should email to Peter Godwin as well as we get some information from LR guide or referring within digital library. After that we discussed about recommendations on topic. Should we need to suggest or put some recommendation related to our kind of work? This week, I got some good article but this is my targeted week in my time table to finish all the literature review and writing. And should be focus and emphasized on the synthesis, analysis and comparison of the report in last 3 week. This week, I need to scale down and windup my all review work. Today is the end of this week and I have closed my literature review writing and my next stage is to syntheses the report and exacts the key point for analysis and discussion. 10 16-08-2010 Today I have started my work on review of my work with detailed and syntheses point of view. Feel some ambiguity regarding references in analysis and discuss stage that whether we need to put the Harvard reference within the analysis and discussion portion like we did in literature review or not? To resolve this issue I put an email to our team member and waiting of there reply. 11 23-08-2010 This week is very much tough and crucial as I totally put my effort on the revision and focus on my whole work and balance the report in a proper flow and come out with corrected some mistakes After that I can better focus working on the conclusion and recommendation of the topic. Today end of this week, I wrote down my conclusion and recommendation. 12 30-08-2010 Working on reflection analysis report and syntheses my all work into final version. Recompiled daily dairy log of my all 3 month works Personal feelings and learning from the experience Research work is really very much interesting but time consuming. I spend my neat hours and hours on this report and this work should be helpful and very much supportive for my future work and learning at this level and above this. Meetings and regular Google talk and email exchange about AMP report work, experiences and discussion with group members. Some major difficulties were come in front while reviewing the literature like comparison of all researchers and authors work regarding my topic. As it is noticed that all researcher focusing the similar issue that affecting the operation while moving to B2C market and suggests the same requirement and key consideration for outsourcing processes. As I was having the first time experience at this level of literature review and work but it was much interested and knowledgeable effort for me. I enjoy a lot with my work and feel much happy at this stage and got much knowledge from last three month efforts. That how to make the comparison of other authors work and note down in own my wordings. It was very easy to divert from the original track during literature reviewing phase as well as in writing the report process. My God help me out to do this thing in good and best ways that I was linked to my topic. Issue regarding literature review and other relevant work are resolved very smoothly with the help of all my group members collective participation and efforts. We had arranged the meetings until all the members are cleared and much satisfied with the understanding of topic and data collection as we had three weekly groups meeting with team leader after the AMP week. My team was very much generous with the commitment and time punctuality. My contribution was also remarkable as well and I was linked with my group members all the time 24/7 through email, facebook and mobile. And I was much satisfied with my work and with group members response. Group Dynamics and Learning from the experience Here I must mention one thing that my current AMP group members are not fresh new members. We were having same group in all our previous course work. So we were much comfortable with each other and knew each other frame of mind and algorithm of work. And we understand the group dynamics and responsibilities. As a whole I didnt feel any problem in my work with my members. Since I was linked with my group members all the time 24/7 through email, mobile and all the group members were much satisfied with my contribution and with my quick response on any issue related to our work. I fulfill my all responsibilities that were given by our team leader. Out supervisor consultancy was very much helpful for us regarding the understanding the actual topic and how to search the relevant material from digital library. He did very level best to solve our issues. I learnt that the group work is very much effective and helpful for this type of big projects as the work is distributed and every member come up with good and different ideas and knowledge. And the project will meet the deadlines very smoothly. Lessons for the future Projects The lesson learned dairy was kept in order to bring all the lessons together that we learnt during the dissertation work, which would be the guideline for other future projects. The weekly diary was updated whenever I have learned some thing new during the project whether it was positive or negative lesson. From experience with the proper management of work start to end and all the group members cooperation; many positive and good lessons was learned for future projects. Such as weekly meetings, time management and good communication with members will push up our progress. With a good time management, now we have a lot of time for quality review and correction before the deadline. I learnt very much from group work experience as it will help me out in increasing good management skill and to achieve the objectives according to prefix quality standards within the time constrains through the planning and good control especially at initial stage. Daily log helped me out to plan and schedule the weekly tasks and overall progress of my work. Following are the key lessons I have learned for future project as a group. Good understanding and friendly work environment. meetings with group members and weekly dairy and should be maintained Time management and planning Good communication and updates sharing. Conclusion The project was managed very calmly and smoothly with help of supervisors guidelines from the first stage and good teams effective communication via (email, phone and weekly meetings) motivation, planning and time management, risk management and most important is self management and motivation. Each team members was very much delegated, punctual and showed their responsibility. The tool of weekly dairy helped me out to align and monitor my each stage and there objectives. We received the feedback and make the updates with weekly group meeting at the start. However, with good time management and understanding of work, our group members met the deadlines but we faced few issues and hurdles regarding understand of topic and search of relevant material like e-article, e-journal and books. But with effective communication between all members via meetings, email, phone all the risks and issues will be overcomes with the time beings. Finally, my project was successfully finished with the mercy of Almighty God and the equal contribution of all team members at there level best and my mothers prayer was with me all the time. At the end, I believed that good management skill and supportive project leader as well as enough support from the supervisor in AMP Week were the reasons for no major issues, hurdles, and deviations from the track. As good management and clear communication helped out greatly to avoid the likely issues and conflicts as every team members were aware of their own deadlines and their own responsibility. I must appreciate this new method of self recording of our daily work for such type of long project which kept us on right path and lesson for time management and reflection of our work for future prospects. I am much satisfied with my work at this stage and learnt a lot for future things as this whole experience of UK changes my lifestyle and it was the lifelong learning for me.

A Study of Joe Christmas in Faulkners Light in August Essay -- Light

A Study of Joe Christmas in Light in August      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Joe Christmas's eating disorder and antipathy to women's sexuality (or to the feminine) in Light in August also can be traced back to the primal scene in the dietitian's room.   However, the primal scene is not the final piece of the puzzle in the novel.   The primal scene is already given as a working condition for a further analysis of Joe's psychology.   Readers are first invited to interrelate the scene and Joe's behavior in the rest of the novel.1   Yet drawing one-to-one relations between the primal scene and Joe's symptomatic behavior merely repeats Freud's theory for its own sake.   The mechanic connection of the dots does not solve the most crucial problem of the novel, Joe's racial identity.   The primal scene, like a dream, asks for a further inspection of its undersurface - something distorted or untold.   It also urges to expand the Freudian perception of the unconscious.   The unconscious is not just a personal trashcan of one's own repressed sexual energy.   As Joe Christmas's case proves, the unconscious is always already cultural and social.   The unconscious is multiple and full of others.  Ã‚   Focusing on the primal scene, this essay shall explore Joe Christmas's psychology and the problematics of his racial identity.      The above excerpt is provided to allow the student a better understanding of the focus of the paper. The complete paper begins below:         Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   We witness Freud's reductive glee; we literally see multiplicity leave the wolves to take the shape of goats that have absolutely nothing to do with the story.   Seven wolves that are only kid-goats.   Six wolves: the seventh goat (the Wolf-Man himself) is hiding in the clock.   Five wolves: h... ...ginally published as Mille Plateaux, volume 2 of Capitalisme et Schizophrà ©nie by Minuit in 1980 in France. Faulkner, William. Light in August.   New York: Vintage, 1990. Originally published in 1932. Karl, Frederick R.   William Faulkner: American Writer.   New York: Ballantine Books, 1989.    Notes   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1   Joe's symptoms of anorexia nervosa, his dislike to objects, which remind of women's genitalia, and his disgust at anything or anyone with feminine faculties are closely interconnected to the primal scene.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2 It is interesting that psychic determinism in Joe's case opposes to Gavin Stevens's theory of black blood and white blood.   While the former attributes Joe's symptoms to "nurture," Stevens's essentializing blood theory attributes to "nature."   The conflict between "nature" and "nurture" has become an important American theme.