Past and Present Native American Affairs

After examining the past of Native Americans, their wanting to have a piece of the government pie, and the present affairs under the reservations is different to the living circumstances of Native Americans. It starts with issues such as drug abuse and prevention within the tribes. The next step for them is to ensure they have enough money to support their tribes and encompasses all their needs. Finally, it is how the tribes give back to the states they decide to build casinos in. In the article, â€Å"Drug Czar Urges Tribal Leaders to Focus on Youth Drug Preventions,† posted by the US Newswire on September 6, 2000, discuses about how American Indian youth has the highest percentage of drug abuse in America at this time. The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy Director Barry R. McCaffery has promoted a campaign to prevent the drug use. The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) has invested in over $3 million reaching out to tweens and teens. Also, McCaffery thinks that if every parent in America along with American Indian parents would talk to their children about drugs, that it would make a huge difference. In the article, â€Å"In Shift, Interior Dept. May Allow Tribes to Build Casinos far From Reservations,† talks about the Bush-era rule â€Å"allows Indian tribe to build casinos far from the reservations, raising the possibility that new gambling resorts could be built close to New York and elsewhere around the country†. In 2008 tribes couldn’t open beyond their commuting distance, but this led to being rejected from at least 22 applications. This does not mean the casinos are approved yet though. Nelson Rose, a professor at Whittier Law School in California this there’s to much money involved. Some tribes like the Mississippi Band of Choctaws could benefit from this, since they plan for a $375 million casino/ hotel 175 miles away. It could be a benefit to others as well, considering it could bring thousands of jobs. But only five tribes have been approved for this in the 23 years Congress passed the Indian Gaming Regulation Act. In article one states that American Indians and Alaskan Native children were the highest drug users amongst teens. Since then, the National Drug Policy has invested the time, effort, and money to educate parents as well as their children about drugs and alcohol. In article two they are talking about the revenue they made the state and how much they were able to put into education funds. These casinos are not being built for teens to enjoy. They are meant for adult leisure. Article two showed how much money they are placing into education for the entire state and not just for certain populations. Both articles discuss education, however article two highlights it and makes it a positive thing for the state the casino is built in. Article one is explaining us that they had to invest money for this certain problem. This is not just an American Indian or Native Alaska problem. It’s our country’s issue. All over our country we are seeing proposals for casinos that are backed by Native American tribes. The government in some states saw it as an advantage and took it, while others still battle with the idea of having a casino in their state. Casinos are the adult’s version of Disney Land and the chances of the government lowering the age to gamble is non existing. There is no relation between drug use and where the casinos are. These casinos have been built and they are continuously pouring money back into the state and keeping the taxes low and filling the necessary gaps as well as putting in extra money where we need it. Education is one of the toughest battles when it comes to funding and if these casinos are putting money into this fund to allow all children to go to school and be safe, then what is the problem? I would not change the Columbus Holiday. Columbus is one of our founding fathers and he should be appreciated for that. For if he did not come over here, where would be now? We could still be over in Europe somewhere. A few other reasons why I enjoy Columbus Day are: it’s a day off from school and it gives me an opportunity to spend time with my two little brothers and my mom. I understand what he did to the Native Americans; however like many of our other founding fathers he did what he was right for his people at that time. That is why it is called history so we know not to repeat it.

Boston Bombing: Summary Essay

On Monday April 15 2013, which was Patriot Day, an atrocity happened in Boston, United States. As everyone already knew, it was the Boston Marathon Bombing. The annual Boston Marathon bombing started just like other years, without any clue of the calamity. The marathon began as usual and horde of crowds gather along the sidewalk, cheering for their families and friends. The contestants endured the tiredness and headed towards the finish line. A spontaneous chant of â€Å"Go, Go!† bursted out as the runners moved closer and closer towards the ending. But just then, a bomb was released on Boylston Street, near the finish line. Many people screamed, and the air was filled with dirt and gases. 13 minutes later, another bomb went off also on Boylston Street, but few blocks further. Debris from the building along the side walk was blown over into pieces, flying over in the air. Some runners collapsed on the ground, failing to stand up. They tried to combat the bomb but unfortunately, they couldn’t. The air was so polluted and you hardly could see anything. 3 people died, and 264 were injured. A exciting and interesting event turned into one that was a totally disaster and grievous. But fortunately, rescue workers came as soon as possible. According to FBI, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the weapons that took part in the bombing were pressure cooker bombs that was especially made for this marathon. These types of bomb was intended to damage the runner’s limb, making them unable to run. Most of the victims suffered severe leg injuries and wounds. This event was globally significant because it had caused a lot of reactions from people all over the world. In the united states, a moment of silence were observed on the day after the bombing to show respects towards the victims. President Obama ordered the flags lowered to half- staff, also to show a kind of respect. In China, people posted message on social websites to give comment about the death of a Chinese contestant, who was attending collage in Boston. People were aware of her death since many Chinese wanted to send their children overseas for collage. People all around the world will learn from this event and be more cautious.

Followership and Model I and II

The model of followership presented by Goffe and Jones indicates the significance of three emotions which an individual produces in a person which leads them to follow him. These three emotions are summarized as given below. (a) The first emotional response an individual evokes is that of a feeling of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   significance or importance. Thus leaders who create an impression in people that they matter will be able to obtain even the, â€Å"heart and soul† of their followers.    This is not just a response of blind adulation. It flows from an appreciation by   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   the leader not just their personalities but also their work. Thus the follower will    give loyalty and even implicit obedience. (b)   The second response is that of a feeling of community, a sense of belonging to an organization where the leader creates unity of purpose around the work   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   which they all do. The leader is one who the follower sees as having created a   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   feeling of the community. (c)   The third emotional response is the feeling of buzz, an excitement which is   Ã‚   created by the sheer presence of the leader. His energy and enthusiasm is   Ã‚  Ã‚   contagious.   Followers are willingly led by such leaders who provide them   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   excitement, challenge and a passion to live their lives. This may be called as    charisma but actually is much more than that. Argyris and Schon (Dick. Dalmau, 1990) have provided an understanding of the conscious and subconscious processes of reasoning. This fits in well with the emotional aspects of followership indicated by Goffe and Jones. Argyris Model II ideally fits into the theory of followership espoused by Goffee and Jones. In Model II, the leader provides a scope for double loop learning. This implies that there is open inquiry of issues thereby which people are placed in a position of significance and respond to a situation based on a community based pattern of involvement which is highlighted in double loop learning model of Argyris. The emotional feeling of a buzz created by a leader’s presence is heightened in the Model II for the leader provides inspiration. On the other hand, Model I is based on the single loop theory through which most leaders operate till they understood the advantage of the double loop theory (Argyris et al.   1985, p.   89). The excessive control exercised by the leader in Model I is not conducive to creating an emotional feeling of importance as well as a sense of belonging to a larger organization or establishment (Argyris, et al. 1985, p.   89). Power: How Its Meaning in Corporate Life is Changing Gary in his summary on the various views of power has provided us how perception of power has changed over the years. In the initial years it was the emotional response of charisma, the buzz that is categorized as the third factor by Goffee and Jones that was the essence of power in leaders. However gradually this perception has changed and power came to regarded as an issue for organizations productivity. This is the power used for creating a feeling of community of belonging and one which provided a unity of purpose. Thus we see a shift in power from Model I to Model II very gradually. Model II or the double loop theory propounded by Argyris is a power paradigm which can be associated with that advocated by David McCelland and David Burnham. Thus managers in this model were democratic and more willing to share their power with others with a view to creating a community feeling in the organization but one which was primarily driven towards achieving goals of the organization (McCelland. Burnham, 1995). James Hillman in his in depth analysis of power has indicated that there could be more elements or purposes to power than that indicated by the purely simplistic explanation of exercising coercive force. He provides a benign expression of power that of providing service to the organization (Hillman, 1995). While Model I denoted by Argyris has indicated power in its coercive function as defined by Hillman, for in it the leader will attempt to control unilaterally, the subsequent transformation indicates development towards Model II   (Argyris. 1985). Power in the Hillman model is to seek followership in which it is linked with the two emotions of making people feel important and creating a community feeling for achieving corporate goals. Ronald Heifetz indicates that power does not necessarily imply the ability to protect people from threat but to let them feel the threat through simulation and adaptation. This is the new model of power which is aligned to Argyris’ Model II wherein the protection offered by Model I which also includes protection of ones group of followers is done away with. By exposing followers to disorientation by the threats which are the essence of a new age, the 21st Century, it will lead people to transformations required to fit into the new age (Heifetz, 1994). The Living Company The Living Company is one which survives because leaders consider the company as a congregation of people and not as an organization which produces goods and services. Thus people are more valued than assets. This focus on the people is what makes these organizations perform consistently over a long period in some cases as the Sumitomo over the centuries. People are given importance which is due to them because they are working in the company efficiently and effectively. They provide a feeling of belonging to the organization such as Unilever and finally they have a series of leaders who define the trajectory of growth for individuals as well as the company. These leaders see themselves as shaping a human community The Living company follows the Argyris Model II with powerful double loop learning systems which effectively provides feedback, creates internal commitment as well as leads to informed decision making. This in turn continuously provides a perception of the deficiencies to the management which undertakes continuous improvements. This also leads to generation of new ideas and development of new businesses. Managing in the Cappuccino Economy The companies in the Cappuccino economy provide a high degree of importance to people even in junior positions by allowing them to make independent decisions. They are in turn spurred by the faith placed by the management in their abilities even for critical decisions which affect the company’s bottom line. On the other hand the non cappuccino companies do not provide such freedom to the management. The results achieved by these companies are of a higher order which is benchmarked by the rise in equity of these companies by the author. The top end companies of the Cappuccino economy follow Model II which comprises of empowerment and sharing in decision making right down to the last level. These companies also delimit control by the higher executives though given Argyris predictions once the companies grow, the instinctive response to control may come back. However by establishing training and coaching, Argyris has indicated that Model II skills can be built up in these companies on a continuous basis. The non Cappuccino companies on the other hand follow Model I; thereby they are unable to adjust to the changing circumstances lacking a double loop feedback. Empowerment : The Emperor’s New Clothes Empowerment implies enhancing an employee’s self worth which in turn will build his commitment to the organization. Thus a firm which demonstrates to an employee that he can control his own destiny, that he is important will get maximum commitment from him. On the other hand Argyris also indicates that the process of change itself does not make people feel important as it only indicates to them what change is required (Argyris, 1998).   It is change that is more important than the employee, thus he may not be fully committed to the process. Empowerment is many times inhibited by leadership in most organizations. These executives are control oriented, hence are unable to be seen as charismatic, â€Å"light houses†. He has also indicated that many people do not want to be empowered. They feel more comfortable in being led. Argyris also feels that it is performance per se which is the most important factor and not empowerment (Argyris, 1998). Thus some organizations in their enthusiasm for empowering the employee by making him feel important, tend to overlook the results that are produced by him. This empowerment is considered self defeating. Argyris Model I corresponds to external commitment that does not provide much leeway to employees to define their own goals and tasks. This thus does not profess empowerment (Argyris, 1998)   Control remains with the management or the higher leadership and employees are expected to merely follow the laid down norms. Argyris has advocated Model I for most routine jobs which may not entail too much empowerment. Such jobs are better performed through external commitment rather than internal. Argyris Model II corresponds to an organization which offers its employees internal commitment. This enables maximum participation by employees in the project in turn enhancing the way in which they are empowered. However implementing Model II as per Argyris is an extremely difficult and challenging process, hence many organizations profess rather than practice the same. Why Should Anyone be Led by You? Inspirational leaders are known to possess four basic qualities, they demonstrate willingly their own weakness, they rely on intuition for seeking the appropriate time for an intervention, empathize freely yet firmly with followers and are not afraid to demonstrate their own uniqueness. By showing to the followers that they have weaknesses as other men they convey a feeling of being human thereby building up a sense of community in the group. This also helps in establishing a common bond based on a feeling of want or need. The intuitiveness and unique differences that they demonstrate contributes to the charisma which creates a buzz about them and inspires other people. The demonstration of difference is also appreciated by followers as it indicates a spirit of adventure denoted by leaders as Sir John Harvey-Jones, CEO of ICI. By empathizing with their followers, the leaders indicate to them that they are an important facet of their lives, providing the led the sense of being of consequence, thereby inviting greater loyalty. The inspirational leader is also able to use the right quality amongst this at the most appropriate time. The last quality is what is most important for practical application as it enables leaders to practice leadership by being themselves rather than creating a faà §ade. The inspirational leader denotes Model II provided by Argyris which is evident from the fact that he is not only open to a double loop feedback but also welcomes it. He uses this to sustain and support the overall good of the organization. The leader in this case is willing to share control over his self with his followers which provides them a unique sense of empowerment building an infinite sense of loyalty. Leaders are also able to gain intuitive feedback of the system thereby contributing to the double loop of Model II. By being open, fair, transparent and appropriately empathizing with their subordinates, these leaders are the anti thesis of Model I organizations where leaders are aloof, directional and do not expect or welcome a feedback. Inspirational leaders thus seem to fit in ideally with a Model II organization. Reference:- Argyris, C.   (1985) Strategy, change & defensive routines.   Boston: Pitman. Argyris, C., Putnam, R., & McLain Smith, D.   (1985) Action science: concepts, methods, and skills for research and intervention.   San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Dick, B., & Dalmau, T.   (1990) Values in action: Applying the ideas of Argyris and Schon.   Brisbane: Interchange. Heifetz, Ronald. (1994). Leadership without Easy Answers. Belkap Press. Hillman, James. (1995) Kinds of Power. Currency Books. McClelland, David. Burnham, David. Power is the Great Motivator. Harvard Business Reprint. Jan-Feb 1995. (Case Study) Gary, Loren. Power: How Its Meaning in Corporate Life is Changing. (Case Study) Goffee, Robert. Jones, Gareth. Followership. Harvard Business Review. (Case Study). Gues, Arie de. The Living Company. (Case Study). Shapiro, Eileen C. Managing in the Cappuccino Economy. (Case Study). Argyris, Chris. Empowerment : The Emperor’s New Clothes. Harvard Business Review. May-June 1998. (Case Study) Goffee, Robert. Jones, Gareth. Why Should Anyone be Let by You?   Ha rvard Business Review. September – October 2000.

Plato Republic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Plato Republic - Essay Example The Socratic dialogue that was written by Plato around 380 BC focuses on defining what is justice and character as well as the order of a just man. This piece of Socratic dialogue further seeks to establish if indeed a just man is happier than a man who is unjust. In particular, this essay aims at supporting the arguments that were presented by Plato of which the main argument is that â€Å"the best form of government, aristocracy, will eventually devolve into the worst form of government tyranny.† This key argument is built on the premise that there are five forms of governments that comprise of lovers of honor also known as timocracy. The second form of government is lovers of money also known as oligarchy. The third form of government is lovers of freedom also known as democracy. The fourth form of government is the tyranny while the fifth form of government is the lovers of excellence, which is also known as the aristocracy or enlightened monarchy. Objectors of key premise s Of all the five forms of government, aristocracy is touted to the best since it is widely considered good and just. However, a common objection to this argument is that individuals, who are from the highest class of the society, are the ones posed to lead an aristocrat government and they usually have money, land, and power. Objectors argue that in general sense, aristocrats are not able to relate with the common person and therefore, they will not be able to understand what is justice and good governance in the eyes of the common persons who normally make up the biggest percentage of the population The key premise of the Plato’s argument is that the aristocracy government will eventually convert to the worst form of government tyranny. Objections to this premise lies on the fact that the best form of government normally makes provisions that will allow active citizen participation and healthy engagement with the opposition, which means that there will be measures of checks and balance to ensure the aristocrat government does not sway to undesirable form of government. Therefore, objectors argue that there is no possibility for an aristocrat government devolving to become the worst form of government tyranny. Another key objection to the premise that have been presented by Plato is the fact that governments are not purely made up of specific groups of people, for example, those who love money, honor, freedom, or excellence. Objectors argues that it is impossible to have such unique forms of governments because government is composed of a representation of the people and therefore, it will be made up of people from different corners of the nation who subscribe to different ideologies but have a common purpose of serving the interest of their constituents. Replies to the objections Aristocracy government is made up of noble men who have worked hard in their entire life in order to even earn honorary titles if not entitled to them by virtue of family lin eage. Therefore, they will instill the virtue of hard work to the common citizens whilst providing servant leadership. Secondly, the objections given above can be refuted on the basis that aristocrat have a reputation to maintain and therefore, in all natural sense they will work towards ensuring their reputation in maintained and upheld to the highest standards. Thirdly, because of the representation of constituents in the government, the aristocracy government will be able to know and understand the plight of the common citizens. Plato argued that the best form of government, aristocracy, will eventually devolve into the worst form of government tyranny. This argument is supported by the fact that the second generation after

Personal ethics action plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Personal ethics action plan - Essay Example The individual needs to involve ethics in his day to day operation to provide rational and ethical perspective to any prevailing situation. Leadership Leadership can be comprehended as the method of influencing a group by the individual to accomplish common goals. An individual leader needs to recognize the core values. He also needs to have the audacity to live them throughout the life in the service of common good. This is known as personal leadership. Character ‘Character’ in simpler terms can be comprehended as the numerous actions taken by the individual. The actions are thus taken for the purpose of carrying out the ethics, moral as well as values. It is to state that character may not be reflected in what is said by a person or in his intention to do something. It is reflected in what the individual does. Service Service can be explained as the action taken by a person for the purpose of helping someone. There is close relation between the service as well as leade rship. A leader is supposed to delegate the task to his followers and is also accountable for performing many other services. However, he also needs to assure that his followers are completing the task in an ethical manner for achieving the common goal of the organization. Section 2 Fraud Fraud is an ethical issue that impacts the success of the organizations as well as the leaders. The ethical decision is made when a person tends to recognize that a certain context has ethical components. One needs to develop ethical-issue awareness for the purpose of understanding the business ethics. It is the conflicts that give rise to the ethical issues. The conflicts may arise among the individuals’ personal moral ideologies as well as values, the values along with the culture in which they work in the organization and the society in which they live. It is to state that the ethical issues are problems, opportunities or situations requiring the individual, organization and the group to select among numerous actions that need to be assessed as right or incorrect along with ethical and unethical. It can be stated that if an individual involving himself in any kind of misleading and deceiving practices for the purpose of advancing his interest over those of the organization, then it that case they are charged of fraud. Fraud can be understood as the deliberate communication deceiving, concealing and manipulating the fact related to the organization for the purpose of creating a false notion. It is treated as a crime and thus a person fetched with it can be penalized such as imprisonment, fines or it may at times lead to both depending upon the severity of the case. The most common form of frauds as reported by the coworkers are shoplifting or stealing of the office supplies. It has been noted that in the modern times accounting fraud is more pronounced, and thus it has been an ethical issue. However, frauds are not limited to accounting. In the recent times, fraud ha s also been related to the consumers as well as marketing issues. Accounting fraud is becoming one of the serious issues in the corporate houses. It is the financial report of the corporation that helps the investors as well as the other related parties to make informed judgment regarding their deals. If this report or document is full

The Attitude and Action of York University Students with Regard to Research Paper

The Attitude and Action of York University Students with Regard to Medical Transplant and Organ Donation - Research Paper Example This research was driven by five objectives namely: to establish how students in York University (YU) perceive organ transplants (OT); to investigate the incidence of OT in the United States of America; to establish the attitude of students in YU towards medical transplants and organ donations; to identify the action of YU towards OT; and to identify countermeasures that can be put in place so that students in YU embrace and perceive OT positively. Chapter one of the study included the background of the study, statement of the problem, purpose of the study, study objectives, research questions, significance of the study, limitations of the study, scope of the study, assumption of study and definition of terms. Chapter two of the study offers an outline of medical transplants and organ donations. These ideas are going to introduce key concepts and understandings that link to the purpose and field of research. Chapter three describes the research design that provides information regard ing the population of the study, sample size and sampling procedure, instrumentation, data collection and data analysis techniques. Chapter four deals with data presentation and analysis; after data collection, the data was recorded. This data was interpreted and analyzed in order to draw varied conclusions from it, and gather meaningful information. Chapter five illustrates the summary of findings based on the analysis and interpretation of the data gathered. Keywords: organ transplant, organ donation CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of The Study Organ transplantation refers to the surgical removal of one or many organs from one person (the donor) to place it into the body of another person (the recipient) commonly for medical reasons. In most cases, the donated organs are derived from dead people, but in some times, these organs can be removed from living beings (Ballard, 2009). Commonly transplanted organs are the liver, kidney, pancreas, intestines, heart, liver an d lungs. Commonly transplanted tissues include the middle ear, skin, bone, heart valves, tendons, ligaments, stem cells, blood, platelets, cartilage and the cornea. The need for organ transplantation in the US and in the world as a whole has continued to rise in the recent past. Numbers of those needing OT in the USA, and in the world in general have continued to rise, even exceeding the available donors for this procedure. The shortage is so massive such that, approximately 20 OT patients die daily due to the afore-mentioned shortage. Statistics have revealed that over 4000 people register to undergo the procedure every month. Furthermore, about 80 people receive new organs every day in the US alone (Durrette, 2009). 1.2 Statement of the Problem For all its benefits and success, OT has received various criticisms and ethical concerns, which has reduced the number of people who are willing to donate organs. Various attitudes exist concerning the practice, and this is impacting negat ively on the success rate of the procedure (Finn, 2010). Unless these are addressed, the bridge between organ donors and recipients will keep increasing. 1.3 Purpose of Study The purpose of the study is to determine the attitude and action of York University students with regard to medical

Organizational Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Organizational Analysis - Essay Example One could not simply analyze Starbucks Indiana Commons as disconnected from the entire organization since it sourced all policies, regulations, and standards from one main source. B. Type of organization: Starbucks Corporation is a non-educational organization that offers specialty coffee through strategically located branches all over the world. Its standard industry classification code is 5812 which is defined as â€Å"eating places (which includes) establishments primarily engaged in the retail sale of prepared food and drinks for on-premise or immediate consumption. Caterers and industrial and institutional food service establishments are also included in this industry† (Marigold Technologies, n.d., p. 1). It is therefore also classified as a global business concern that caters to different people around the world. According to the information disclosed in nyjobsource.com (2012), the total number of Starbucks stores as of April 2012 is â€Å"17,420 locations worldwide wit h 12,570 in the Americas† (par. 1). C. Classification according to Blau and Scott From Blau and Scott’s types of organizations, it could be deduced that Starbucks is classified as a business concern where external customers are served from offering specialty coffee and other food products in various strategic locations. D. Funding source(s) In a report published online by Obi (2009), it was explicitly disclosed that â€Å"Starbucks’ primary source of financing comes from proceeds from issuance of commercial papers† (Obi, 2009). From a review of its financial statements, it was specifically indicated that operating activities provide funds sources amounting to as much as â€Å"$1.6 billion for fiscal year 2011† (Starbucks Corporate, 2012, p. 36). The noted operating activities specifically mean selling coffee and other products offered in Starbucks store outlets. E. Brief history of the organization including major changes and developments The first Starbucks store was reportedly opened in 1971 at Seattle’s Pike Place Market (Starbucks Corporation, 2012). Having been in operations for 41 years now, Starbucks has grown into a global organization with 54 coffee blends. Aside from coffee, other drink options include Frappuccino, chocolate beverages, smoothies, Tazo teas, and Refreshers (Starbucks, 2012). Likewise, there are an array of food products such as sandwiches, pastries, breakfast offerings, yogurt, ice cream and petite treats. The opening of other store locations within the United States had been unprecedented since marking 17 new stores in 1987 to 1,412 ten years after that. To date, specifically as of July 1, 2012, its official website revealed a total of 17,651 stores has been established and is currently operational globally. For Indiana Commons, this particular store outlet was opened five or six years ago, as revealed by Liz, the Shift Supervisor that one successfully interviewed. Thereby, when compared to th e entire organization, the Starbucks Indiana Commons is relatively new. It is likewise noteworthy that Starbucks has grown, not only in terms of offering more coffee varieties and food products or in the number of stores opened around the world; but more so, in the number of rewards garnered through the years. The following rewards have been recently acknowledged and received, as shown in Table 1: Table 1: Recent Rewards, Starbucks Corporation Reward Awarded By Year â€Å"

Should students be required to take general education course Essay

Should students be required to take general education course - Essay Example specialization courses, understanding of values and cultures goes for a toss (Goessl), till the passed out students realize the pressure of working in multicultural job places. There is more. In 2013, a person trained to be a businessman and an administration manager could not fare well in the post Recession world where he had to revive his father’s business of selling medication. His haste to check the growing debts kept him under stress to the extent that he took to drinking and marijuana that only further worsened his condition. Fact is life after college is filled with challenges. Some of these challenges come up in daily life while some come up in emergencies like the Global Recession. Today’s world is more dynamic and is built on the foundation that economic growth is not possible without an all-round approach to ethical, environmental, and educational investments that society at large needs to undertake. We have ignored the balance long enough, and we are the ones to have paid the price. Children growing up in today’s world understand that unless a multi-dimensional approach to education is adopted then surviving the various pressures of post-education life is not possible. However, by the time college education reckons, the expectations of teenagers and adolescents change and in their impatience to finish studies fast, a concentrated approach is what most students prefer to adopt. Students entering the portals of college life always begin by selecting the subjects of their preference and try to stick to them. However, mid-way through their studies they realize that the subject they have chosen may not be suitable for them and that is when they opt to look for a change in subjects or elective. An irony of the Western education policy is that school life does not offer the general education that empowers students to take a right decision and make a wise choice basing on their own strong points. School curricula are mostly designed to allow the

The Medication Technician Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6250 words - 1

The Medication Technician - Essay Example Medication technicians are also referred to as medication aides, medication assistants, certified residential care medication aide, medication assistive person, registered medication aide, medication aide credentialed, qualified medication aide, etc. The duties of medication aides are determined according to the medical practice act of every state. It is not required for medical assistants working under the direct supervision of a physician to become a medication technician in order to be able to administer medication. A medication technician is involved in distributing and administering medications to patients. They usually work under doctoral supervision. They assist patients in consuming medications topically, orally or intravenously. They are required to follow strict medical protocol and administer correct dosages in the right manner. They are also required to supervise patients to make sure that no adverse reactions are occurring. The complete medication history and medication records of patients have to be maintained by medication technicians for each medication that has been administered (Durgin and Hanan, 2004). A medication technician is required to know the proper methodology of administering all kinds of medications, whether they are administered topically, orally, intravenously, vaginally, rectally or transdermally. They should also possess knowledge on medication administration through nebulizers, inhalers and tubes. Medication technicians administering medications to patients should be free of communicable infections such as sore throat, cold or open lesions (Durgin and Hanan, 2004). This requirement is of importance, both for the drug administrator and the patient. Patients are often susceptible to acquiring nosocomial infections as they are weak and because their immune system could be compromised because of radiation therapy, surgery and other such procedures in addition to other reasons such as disease, malnutrition or

Tabloid, Celebrity Internet Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Tabloid, Celebrity Internet Assignment - Essay Example The new Internet values, therefore, undermine the traditional internet values whereby infotainment becomes rampant. The audiences, therefore, get obsessed with tabloids and the tabularization culture in the modern society. Hence, there is something beyond the social media or the Internet availability factor that is a driving force towards this appetite (Holmes and Redmond 46). More important, the desire towards this move is by the fact that tabloid significantly immersed in exploring the privacy of various celebrities. It is obvious that this counts towards the sales of tabloids. For instance, the tabloids had sold millions of issues to the public through the internet by the ridiculous heading of the cover reading: ‘Obama gay scandal.’ Therefore, the celebrities such as entertainers and athletes considerably advance the spread of tabloids as their names and their images sold to the public in an engaging manner. In many occasions, the lives of the famous people end up revealed by the camera through the Internet drawing on a set of stylistic features. More often, such actions taken by media persons in the move to the sale or reach to the public in a massive manner thereby, use celebrities to make a profit (Holmes and Redmond 49). The proliferation of the electronic media also changed people’s taste of reading news with a view to the general generation. The public has developed the culture of learning about the everyday life of top celebrities through the internet. For instance, many celebrities have their twitters, Facebook and blog most managed by them. Therefore, this makes the celebrity issues a neighbor to the public on the internet. Hence, the public ends up more interested in peeking onto the affairs of the new neighbors (Barkin 34). The move also fueled by the means of getting the news related to celebrities in the modern society. For instance, the advancement

The Implementation Imperatives and Critical Success Factors of Enterprise Systems Essay Example for Free

The Implementation Imperatives and Critical Success Factors of Enterprise Systems Essay Ever since the appearance of enterprise systems (ESs) for businesses in the 1990s, the research of this promising, highly-integrating software package for business solutions has never stopped. The first objective of implementation of ESs are focused on large organizations, e. g. companies of Fortune 500, as small and medium enterprises (SME) are considered to inappropriate for lack of resources to introduce the systems. Yet with the saturation in the market almost every one of those large enterprises was equipped with ES, the target began to change to SME, as a result the corresponding research started to develop. The design of ES is aimed to upport, manage and integrate all the resources, activities, and information flows of organizations. By eliminating redundancy and constructing uniformity across all the functional areas, ES gives organizations a vision of improving efficiency and reducing costs simultaneously. The definition of an enterprise system by Piccoli is â€Å"a modular, integrated software application that spans (all) organizational functions and relies on one database at the core†. However, ES is a double-edged sword which all managers should carefully ponder before starting to utilize it. The covering scope of ES may cross a number of corporations or industries. The resulting costs and efforts for adjusting to the system before, during and after the implementation process are tremendous. Time devoted will last for years. Most importantly, the impact of the failure of ES to the company is disastrous. As Davenport (1998) illustrated, â€Å"the growing number of horror stories about failed or out-of-control projects should certainly give managers pause. † In fact, based on a survey conducted by a consulting organization of 236 companies in which 36 percent had or were in the process of implementing ES, 51 percent of those regarded ES implementation as unsuccessful. In other words, half of the companies failed in this decision. While the benefits of ES are praised by the service providers and those equipped and successful organizations, strategists should see through its glory and be aware of the underlying limitations and drawbacks. This paper gives a summary and synthesis of the present literature for implementation imperatives of enterprise systems; a discussion about critical success factors (CSF) is included. Through the present literature, a well-constructed overview for the implementation of enterprise systems will be introduced. Influence of Enterprise Systems With the advent of ESs, more and more companies began to invest their resources into the installation of ESs. However, before the determination of the investment, organizations should first notice the consequences of ES implementation, including its benefits and limitations. Benefits There have been a lot of research and literature discussing the benefits and their classification of enterprise systems (Piccoli, 2008; Leon, 2007; Shang and Seddon, 2002; Murphy and Simon, 2002; Remenyi et al. , 1993). Piccoli (2008) summarized four advantages of introducing enterprise systems, including efficiency, responsiveness, knowledge infusion and adaptability, wherein the efficiency refers to improved efficiency by saving direct and indirect cost; responsiveness is about improvement of an organization’s ability to respond to external requests; knowledge infusion refers to immediate access to state of the art and best practices in the industry which are embedded in the code of ESs; and adaptability refers to well-adjusted ability to design the best appropriate enterprise system according to different contexts of organizations. Leon (2007) stated that investment in enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems can be classified into tangible and intangible benefits. The tangible ones include costs reduction of inventory and inventory carrying, manpower and material, improved sales and customer service, and efficient financial management. The intangible ones include several perspectives on reducing duplicated data entry in accounting-related systems, greater control over product and process design based on product structure database, establishment of realistic schedules accessible to and commonly shared by everyone to improve production and materials management, generating accurate manufacturing and delivery report to provide a strong cornerstone to customer service, and complementary and enhanced advantages on management information system function. Shang and Seddon (2002) listed five dimensions in an enterprise system benefits framework, which include operational, managerial, strategic, IT infrastructure, and organizational, and each of them includes several subdimensions. As to operational benefit, there are cost reduction, cycle time reduction, productivity improvement, and customer service improvement; as to managerial benefit, ES offers the benefits of better resource management, improved decision making and planning, and performance improvement; regarding strategic benefit, ES helps in business growth, business alliance, business innovation, cost leadership establishment, product differentiation, and external linkage establishment; with respect to IT infrastructure, the benefits include establishment of flexibility, IT cost reduction, and enhancement of IT infrastructure capability; and about organizational benefit, it is demonstrated in changing work patterns, facilitating organizational learning, empowerment, and common vision establishment. Murphy and Simon (2002) categorized the benefits into several frameworks through comparison: tangible vs. uantitative, temporal, external vs. internal, hierarchical, and based on organization factors and technology infrastructure standardization. In addition, by adopting Remenyi et al. ’s (1993) theory of intangibility and quantifiability into Shang and Seddon’s benefits framework of five dimensions, Murphy and Simon rated the degree of intangibility and quantifiablility for each subdimensions, and therefore provided an index of profitability to the organizations according to each subdimension. Limitations In contrast to the abovementioned, the implementation of enterprise systems may also bring inevitable risks and limitations to the organizations. Piccoli (2008) considered that the critical issues of enterprise systems are trade-off between standardization and flexibility, the limitations of best practice software, the potential for strategic clash, and the high costs and risks in the implementation process. The trade-off is whether the organization should accept the standard version of the ES by taking advantage of a faster implementation process, predictable cost, and easier transition from the original version to an updated one. With respect to the promising characteristic of best practice of ES, it is impossible to have a universal design for every organization, and the best practice in one company may become an impediment to another. For strategic clash, it is about securing a competitive advantage of the organization from the implementation of the enterprise system, which may not cover original strength of the organization, and result in a loss of superiority against competitors after the implementation. As to high costs and risks, obviously, the implementation of a large-scale system is costly and risky. It needs a lot of time and money to adopt, adapt and maintain, and a single error within the system may affect overall operation of the organization. Leon (2007) pointed three basic issues that will induce risks for the implementation of ERP systems, which are people, process and technology. The main people issues include change management, which is to properly manage transformation brought by the implementation; internal staff dequacy, which is to have employees within the company that have sufficient skills to construct the system to prevent additional cost of hiring consultants; project team, which is to find the best-fitted people in the team as well as to prevent assigning the one who is only available at that time; training, which is to ensure employees have sufficient training in order to take full advantage of the system and to prevent occurrence of error; employee re-location and re-training, which is to deal with the change of position or new skill required for employees from the ES implementation; staffing, which is to deal with the transition phase between leaving of trained employees and entering of new ones during the implementation process; top management support, which is to gain full and sufficient resources to sustain the implementation; consultants, wh ich are the ones who may bring potential failure for the company if they are not familiar with its culture and needs; discipline, which is to make sure all the people in the company from management to subordinates follow the plan; and resistance to change, which is to educate employees to adapt to the system and make them willing to use it. For process risks, the main concerns are program management, which is the lack of program management in traditional ERP since all organizations require up-to-date information integrity and availability at the right time and in the right way, even though some of this information is included in ERP scope, the rest about program management is not; business process engineering, which stands for tremendous change to almost every aspect of the organizations. If there is no appropriate and careful response to these changes, an organization will break down. Stage transition, it is the responsibility and roles transition from person to person; and benefit realization, which is failure to realize promised benefit after constructing ES if the operational phase is not planned properly. For technology risks, there is software functionality, which stands for proper selection of functionality and features of enterprise systems since equipment of unnecessary features could become an impediment and failure to the organization; technological obsolescence, which stands for selection of technology that will not easily become out-of-date; application portfolio management, which is to consider saving the rest and available resources in the organization for possible future projects; and enhancement/upgrade, which is to consider closing a vendors service or stopping support of upgrading the system before signing the contract. Markus and Tanis (2000) stated there are three major factors for not adopting enterprise system, or partial adoption or discontinuance of ES. The first one is lack of feature-function fit between firm’s demands and the packages available in the marketplace. According to the type of industry and in concern with size and scale of operations of organizations, there may not be suitable off-the-shelf software for them. The second one is a set of reasons including Company growth, strategic flexibility, and decentralized decision-making style. Those organizations which have their own unique growth rate and strategy may not be appropriate to incorporate normal enterprise systems. Additionally, the spirit of ES is to integrate the processes and centralize the decision-making of organizations, it will conflict with the style of decentralized decision-making and weaken the strength of these organizations. The third one is availability of alternatives for increasing the level of systems integration. For instance, data warehousing and re-architecting systems with middleware are alternatives for ES, both can reach an extent of integration without sacrificing as much limitations as ES has. In addition to the abovementioned factors, Markus and Tanis (2000) also pointed out other factors including cost, competitive advantage and resistance to change. From the above literature, we can find that each of them has its own emphasis on different perspectives. In terms of benefits, Piccoli (2008) listed four major advantages; he did not itemize all the related entries or functions. Instead, he stated four elementary and common results of implementing ES to synthesize all the details. Compared to Leon (2007) and Shang and Seddon (2002), although it looks shorted and simplified, Piccoli (2008) provided a clear overview for the readers to realize in first sight what effect ES will bring to the organization by four single-worded headings which are easily understandable for those who do not have professional knowledge in this field. Leon (2007) and Shang and Seddon (2002), on the other hand, provided a relatively precise classification of ES benefits. Leon (2007) categorized them based on tangibility and intangibility, that is, whether or not it is directly related to financial perspective. Nevertheless, he pointed out that intangible benefits can still be uantified in terms of cost savings. Generally, Leon (2007) stressed the perspective of cost. Shang and Seddon (2002) organized a sound framework which includes overall discussion of ES impact to the organizations from perspectives of human resources and elementary operational function to business strategy, infrastructure and vision. Even though classifications of the benefits in both of them may not be as readily interpretable as those in Piccoli (2008), they provided detailed, complete and in-depth analysis which may be useful as a reference for IT professionals. With regard to Murphy and Simon’s (2002) work, they combine two studies, Remenyi et al. s (1993) theory of intangibility and quantifiability and Shang and Seddon’s (2002) benefits framework, to create a further application for the management for evaluation and reference of profitability. In this respect, they came up with an evaluation chart for the management to examine through each subdimension and know which one plays an influential role in their organizational profitability based on marked scales of intangibility and quantifiability. In terms of limitations, Piccoli (2008) pointed out four basic points of implementing ES. He introduced a macroview impact to organization when running implementation, and a general consideration that the managers need to contemplate. Leon (2007), on the other hand, divided the risks induced by ES implementation into three categories and elaborated each of them in detail. Leon’s (2007) work analyzed the risks into three components that are an necessity to and composition of an organization. By emphasizing those risks, he gave a different point of view on where the limitations would happen. For example, in concerns of people risks, he mentioned that without top management support, the project cannot obtain sufficient resources to run ES implementation smoothly. It reversely pointed out that the implementation of the enterprise system is costly and risky. All the available resources have to be devoted accordingly. Markus and Tanis (2000), from another aspect, gave reasons for not, partial or stop adopting enterprise system. They especially indicated that even though organizations choose not to, or are unavailable to, incorporate ES, there are still some other options for them on the market by accepting certain defects and embracing benefits that traditional ES cannot have. Although each of them focused on a distinct aspect, there are still some consistencies among all the advantages and constraints of ES implementation. For example, it is good at cost savings, process integration and service improvement, yet with high risk and complexity in determination and selection, tremendous influence to organizations, and huge cost in implementation. These criteria show that the enterprise system is not an elixir to all the problems, one who does not examine its requirements carefully before deciding to take it will definitely undergo inevitable and unbearable loss and failure.

Starbucks Negative Points Essay Example for Free

Starbucks Negative Points Essay Starbucks is Hypocritical about community service. Although they supposedly pride themselves on being involved with projects that help improve the community, recycling and making a difference in the world , In actual this is not the case . The Plastic cups which they use are not recyclable, and even if they were, many Starbucks stores do not have recycling bins. Starbucks bought 2. 5 billion cups for stores in North America in 2007. The 10% recycled paper cups used by Starbucks are not recyclable, because the plastic coating that prevents the cup from leaking also prevents it from being recycled. The plastic cups used for cold drinks are also non-recyclable in most regions. Starbucks cups were originally made using plastic #1 (polyethylene terephthalate, PETE) but were changed to plastic #5 (polypropylene, PP). The former type of plastic can be recycled in most regions of the U. S, whereas the latter cannot. Starbucks is considering using biodegradable material instead of plastic to line the cups, and is testing composting of the existing cups. It does not track recycling at licensed locations in airports, grocery stores and elsewhere. Environmentalists are not happy with Starbucks environmental record. They are concerned about everything from new plastic stoppers for coffee lids to Starbucks bottled water brand, Ethos. The Starbucks does not use recycled plastic in Ethos bottles, but the product is manufactured by PepsiCo, which uses recycled plastic in its own bottles. Off Late Starbucks gives customers a 10-cent discount when they bring their own reusable cup, and it now uses corrugated cup sleeves made from 60 percent post-consumer recycled fiber. But the same is still not propagated in all the regions Also there are various complaints from the customers about the rude behavior of Starbucks Staff and poor customer service from the Staff. Although this may vary from region to region and store to store the baseline is being such a big name in the Industry Starbucks needs to concentrate more on Staff training on Hospitality and customer handling

Does plato’s republic still stand in today’s society?

Does plato’s republic still stand in today’s society? Few philosophers in ancient and modern history continue to have as much influence as Plato. More than 2500 years after Platos death, his teachings regarding justice and the ideal state continue to inspire discussion and debate. The ideal community he envisioned in The Republic continues to influence leaders and political thinkers, and his study of the ideal state formed the foundations of political science. This paper examines the continuing relevance of the book The Republic, with particular focus on Platos concepts of justice, happiness and the ideal society. Plato was born in Athens in 427 BC. He belonged to an aristocratic family, as his father was a descendant of an Athenian king while his mother was distantly related to the lawmaker Solon. Platos father died early, and his mother re-married an associate of Pericles, the statesman. Based on familial ties, Plato had strong connections with both democracy and the oligarchy. Following his stepfathers footsteps, the young Plato had political ambitions. Soon, however, he became disillusioned by the corrupt and inefficient political leadership in Athens. Plato then followed his older brothers who had become pupils of Socrates. Plato eventually became a great follower of Socrates, adopting the great teachers basic philosophy and style of debate. Plato also vigorously adopted Socrates motto, Know thyself, and he pursued this knowledge through Socrates dialectical system of questions, answers and additional questions. This critical method of instruction, however, caused Socrates to fall into disfavor with his students. The teacher was tried for religious impiety and corruption of youth and was sentenced to death. Socrates death further increased Platos dissatisfaction with all existing political regimes. In 387 BC, Plato founded his own school, the Academy, in Athens. This university was for higher studies, with instruction in the sciences, mathematics and philosophy. The academy attracted students for more than nine centuries. Plato continued to teach and served as president of the Academy until his death in 347 at the age of 80. In The Republic, Plato proposes his theory that the ideal state or polis can only be achieved through a balance of elements. Political justice can only be present when people serve their functions, as determined by their tripartite souls. Plato believed that the human soul is divided into three elements. First, there are the bodily appetites, expressed through bodily needs such as hunger and thirst. Second are the spiritual elements, expressed through emotions like love, anger and compassion. Above all, the third element that separates people from animals and makes them unique is the human ability to use language and reason. Plato compared the soul to an organism. An imbalance among these elements leads to conflict, sickness and misery. Plato also believed that there are three types of personalities. The most common is the person dominated by bodily appetites. This person is desires, money and possessions. The second personality is dominated by the spirit. This person would be driven by goals like success, fame and power. Finally, there is the person who is dominated by reason, the person who aspires towards truth and wisdom. He or she would be willing to give up family, forgo basic appetites and live the austere lifestyle to discover the unchangeable human essence. Plato believed that happiness comes when these three elements of the soul are satisfied under the rule of reason. This is a difficult endeavor, for the bodily drives often conflict with reason. However, knowledge and right conduct can only come from a soul dominated by reason. Hence, only those who are governed by reason and knowledge should be in a position to govern the other members of society. Like the human soul, Plato also viewed society as an organism. In Platos ideal society, each persons social role will be determined by the element dominant in his or her soul. People who are ruled by bodily appetites would make the best producers farmers, laborers, hunters, merchants and the others whose work sustains a populaces physical needs. People who are driven by spiritual desires like honor, loyalty, fame and other spiritual elements should be members of a citys auxiliary and military staff. Finally, there are the men and women who are ruled by reason. They are devoid of family ties and do not possess private property. Through years of training, they could enact laws and make decisions based on reason and wisdom, on what Plato termed the idea of the good. These, Plato believed, are the philosophers who should also be kings. Only people who are dominated by reason should become guardians. Plato was critical of Athenian society, which allowed even people who are ruled by bodily appetites to govern. In Platos view, this leads to an imbalance in the social organism, manifesting in the societal conflict and corruption that turned him away from politics as a young man. Platos belief in establishing harmony within conflicting human and social elements led him to conclude that an ideal society must be governed by knowledgeable and reason-driven elite. Platos descriptions of justice, virtue and happiness are very different from the modern understandings of these terms. For Plato, all these concepts are entwined in his understanding of the ideal state and, again, his concept of the tripartite soul. In The Republic, Plato wrote of his concept of individual justice as an offshoot of what he sees as a tripartite soul. Plato believed that the human soul is divided into three elements. First, there are the bodily appetites, expressed through bodily needs such as hunger and thirst. Second are the spiritual elements, expressed through emotions like love, anger and compassion. Above all, the third element that separates people from animals and makes them unique is the human ability to use language and reason (Rice 58-61). The theory of political justice parallels the theory of individual justice. For Plato, a city is man writ large against the sky. Since people are social animals, cities are a natural extension and mirror of the human soul. In Platos ideal society, each persons social role should be determined by the element dominant in his or her soul. Political justice occurs when the guardians rule wisely and the other classes do their tasks, ensuring the smooth function of the social organism. As in the body, when all aspects of society function as one, there will be harmony. This harmony engenders the reign of political justice, resulting in a state that is free from war or civil disorder. An imbalance among these elements leads to conflict, sickness and misery. Individual happiness can only happen when all three elements are in balance. Only when this balance occurs can a person live a just and harmonious life (Rice 61). For Plato, ensuring that the guardians rule wisely and the other classes do their tasks will facilitate the smooth function of the social organism. When all aspects of society function as one, there will be harmony. This harmony begets the reign of political justice, resulting in a state that is free from war or civil disorder. Only in such a society can human happiness be possible, as the alternative is chaos. Plato thus viewed happiness as an abstract, a fringe benefit of living a virtuous life and facilitating a harmonious social organization. Plato used the haunting allegory of the cave as a metaphor for the human condition. Plato believed that ordinary humans who do not bother to, in the Socratic tradition, examine their lives were doomed to live like prisoners in a cave. These prisoners can only see shadows, which are created by artificial light and manipulated by unseen overlords (Plato 514a-519a). These individuals cannot have proper concepts of their existence and their needs. They do not have the knowledge to recognize their victimization and therefore have to desire to be free. Any interruption in their ways of thought such as a prisoner who escapes and returns, telling of the sunlight outside the cave is regarded with disrespect and suspicion. Only by leaving the cave can these prisoners ever learn the difference between what is real and what are artificial shadows. Several criticisms have been written regarding the weaknesses in Platos formulations. Though a modern reading of Plato would find his concepts of democracy and justice as strange, criticisms regarding this work began much earlier. For example, Platos formulation of happiness is understandable given how the ancient Greeks stressed the importance of the polis. However, viewed from a modern perspective, what Plato defines as happiness is more like contentment. People live their lives according to an inner nature that is inflexible. They derive satisfaction from fulfilling their assigned societal roles. Platos definition, however, lacks an important component of happiness passion. True human happiness involves the active and passionate pursuit of a goal. Platos student Aristotle was also one of his earliest critics. Aristotle recognized the weaknesses of Platos concept of happiness and introduced a much-needed layer of empiricism to Platos philosophy. Aristotle was critical of Platos reliance on intuitive reason and a supposedly immutable world of ideas. Instead, Aristotle believed that knowledge should be anchored in real experiences that can be perceived by the senses. Plato thus viewed happiness as an abstract, a fringe benefit of living a virtuous life and facilitating a harmonious social organization. Like Plato, Aristotle also placed emphasis on the virtuous life. However, Aristotles concept of happiness also differed significantly from his predecessor. In contrast to Platos tripartite soul, Aristotle divided the human soul into two elements the rational and the irrational. While humans share irrational elements with animals, they also possess faculties that are distinctly human. For example, humans have the ability to control their bodily desires through reason. In addition, only humans are capable of logical calculation and intellectual activities, which Aristotle defines as intellectual virtue (Grant 256). Unlike Platos concept of happiness as an abstraction, Aristotle believed that happiness is based on human nature. The nature of happiness is itself based on human nature. For Aristotle, happiness can only spring from the rational part of the human soul and is therefore a goal unique to humans (Grant 256-257). The contrast between the two philosophers illustrates one of the greatest weaknesses in Platos philosophy. By emphasizing the all-importance of reason, Plato neglects other important aspects of human nature. These include the emotions, such as happiness and love, as well as desires, such as sex. This strict division of social labor between the social classes runs counter to many feelings that are considered fundamental parts of human nature. For example, while Plato is one of the few philosophers who believes that women can be governed by reason, he also stipulates that guardian women must not raise their own families. If they procreate and bear children, their offspring will be raised by another woman from the lower social ranks. With regards to sex, Plato views the sexual appetites as illicit. The failure to impose restrictions on ones appetites makes a person the victim of disorganized and unfocused demands. This leads Plato to make conclusions that corruption and social illnesses spring from uncontrolled human appetites (Kraut 325-226). Furthermore, other critics have pointed to the absence of a concept of good character in Platos teachings. There is no concept of sympathy or empathy for fellow human beings. As philosopher Max Eastman later writes, Plato sees the good person as ruled by reason, whereas most moral codes see good people as ruled by a passion that of love forfellow (humans) (96). The analogy of the cave underscores Platos emphasis on the importance of the examined life. People who see only manipulated shadows fail to see the bigger picture outside and can thus never be able to make properly informed decisions. They will continue to hold false values and ideals, and will continue to resist efforts made on their behalf to improve their lives. Though Platos vision of the ideal polis is rightly criticized for its strict hierarchical roles, he makes a significant contribution to political thought by maintaining that the political community must promote the well being of its citizens. After all, Plato wrote at a time when tyrants routinely used the resources of the nation-state in their own interests. The idea of the greater good being more important than the rights of the sovereign ruler is thus an important departure. As a result of this, Plato maintained that a good political leader must be educated. Also, while Plato is rightly criticized for ignoring human needs when he abolishes family ties for the ruling class, this severing of ties is geared towards the abolition of property. By removing family and property ties, Plato hopes that a political leader can truly make informed decisions based on reason and not simply based on their won or their loved ones interests. Finally, perhaps the most remarkable feature of Platos Republic is his startling idea of equality although limited among the sexes. Plato believed that qualified women can become members of the guardian class. Like men, Plato believed that there are women who are governed by reason and, by rights, should be accorded the responsibilities of governing (Smith 467). In addition to the Philosopher-Kings, Plato also believed in the possibility of Philosopher-Queens. Plato later expanded this thesis in Laws, saying that all citizen women should be allowed to take part in public affairs. They should be allowed to join athletic and military training, to dine in public communally and to receive education in political virtues (Saunders 480). In summary, much of the weaknesses in Platos political theory, as set about in the Republic, arise from an imperfect and rigid classification of human nature. Plato does not make allowances for basic human emotions and needs. As such, he prescribes social roles that, while supposedly serving the greater social good, force people to sublimate their own needs and desires. However, these weaknesses do not take away from the enduring importance of the Republic. First, Plato laid the foundations for a true democracy by stipulating that those who govern should act in the best interests of their citizens. Second, Plato recognized the importance of education, both in ensuring the qualifications of those who govern and that the citizens themselves can make informed political decisions. Most importantly, Plato presents an ideal community, where no one person is automatically privileged by wealth, birth or gender. It is an attractive ideal, where no ones needs are ignored and where every member strives to live an examined life. Platos ideal society has figured prominently in many later normative conceptions of ideal social orders. In Utopia, the influential 16th century vision of the ideal state, Thomas More incorporated Platos earlier negation of private property and the necessity for educated and qualified rulers. By the 18th century, French philosopher Emile Durkheim once again wrote of society as an organism requiring the integrated function of its parts in his The Division of Labor in Society. More recent history continues to show appropriation of Platos work, even though in very different forms. Max Nomad found significant parallels between the supposedly classless society of the Soviet Union under Nikita Kruschev and Platos ideal society. This included the division in Soviet society between peasants and merchants, the warriors/soldiers and finally, the members of the elite government (Nomad 10). Platos rejection of Athenian democracy should be viewed in its proper historical context, since during his time, the highest government offices were chosen by lottery. Though some may contest whether current democracy, as practiced in the United States, is truly representative, the availability of free expression and genuine public debate remains a cornerstone of many democratic societies today. In summary, despite their limitations, many of Platos ideal principles continue to hold relevance today. First is the general belief that leaders should be qualified through education, and that voters should be empowered to make informed decisions. Most societies also subscribe to the idea of a meritocracy, where the ability to rule is measured independently of wealth, gender or other forms of privilege. Finally, Platos belief in the importance of debate and dialogue continues to be upheld. In conclusion, Platos Republic was, in many ways, a product of its time. It was born out of Platos dissatisfaction with the way Athens was governed, a corrupt democracy and oligarchy that was ruled by the inept. As such, the ruling government did not take care of the needs of its citizens. Those who dared to question their authority, like Socrates, were executed. Many have rightly criticized Platos formulation of the tripartite soul and, based on this principle, the ideal society of guardians, auxiliaries and producers. This formulation privileges reason over other essential aspects of human nature, like emotions and passions. However, a critical reading and appropriation shows that Platos Republic has much to offer political and democratic theory today. The idea that governments should act in their citizens interests seems a given, but tyrants and despots were the norm when Plato wrote about his ideal society. Furthermore, the idea of a meritocracy a system that allows people to progress based on their own qualifications, rather than on privileges of wealth or status remains a strikingly modern idea. In the Republic, Platos most important contribution was to imagine an ideal that addressed the prevailing political and social injustices of his time. Today, more than 2500 years later, societies around the world continue to strive for Platos ideal. Works Cited Durkheim, Emile. The Division of Labor in Society. Translated by W. D. Halls. New York: Free Press 1997. Eastman, Max. Seven Kinds of Goodness. New York: Horizon Press, 1967. Grant, Michael. The Classical Greeks. New York: Charles Scribers Sons, 1989. Kraut, Richard. The Defense of Justice in Platos Republic. The Cambridge Companion to Plato. Richard Kraut, ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992. Nomad, Max. Political Heretics: From Plato to Mao Tse-tung. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1963. Rice, Daryl H. A Guide to Platos Republic. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. Plato. The Republic. Translated by Allan Bloom. New York: Basic Books, 1968. Saunders, Trevor J. Platos Later Political Thought. The Cambridge Companion to Plato. Richard Kraut, ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992.

The Good and Evil Angelo of Measure for Measure Essay -- Measure for M

The Good and Evil Angelo of Measure for Measure   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, Angelo emerges as a double-sided character.   Scholars have argued for centuries whether or not Angelo is a moral character or an evil character.   Those scholars who support the notion of Angelo as moral often cite the following facts: the Duke obviously trusts Angelo, Angelo is disheartened enough by the end of the play to offer a sincere apology, and Angelo tries to resist the temptation that Isabella presents.   On the other hand, others have argued that Shakespeare depicts Angelo as a purely evil man.   These critics emphasize Angelo's treatment of Marian, the Duke's possible suspicion of Angelo, his desire for Isabella, and his broken promise to Isabella.   By examining Angelo in both of these circumstances, it will become apparent that the most successful interpretation of Angelo's character is a combination of both of these facets.    Angelo depicts a few moral qualities throughout the course of the play.   The firs instance of Angelo's depiction as a possible moral figure occurs in Act I, scene i.   It becomes apparent here that the Duke has enough trust in Angelo to leave him in charge of his people.   The Duke tells Angelo that he has the power to "enforce or qualify the laws/ As to your soul seems good" (I.i.66-67), which demonstrates that he must feel some respect for Angelo.   Obviously, if Angelo does a poor job, it will reflect poorly on the Duke's judgment as a leader.   Therefore, it would appear to be a foolish move if the Duke left Angelo in charge and assumed that Angelo might do something disreputable (Rowse 360).   On top of this, the Duke's speeches demonstrate that he is an intelligent, sensitive man w... ...randes, Georg.   William Shakesperea.   New York: Macmillian Company, 1924, pp. 401-10 Parrott, Thomas marc.   Shakespearean Comedy.   New York: Russel and Russel, Inc., 1949, pp. 335-65. Raleigh, Walter.   Shakespeare.   London: Macmillan and Company, Ltd., 1965,,pp. 164-73. Rowse, A.L.   William Shakespeare; A Biography.   New York: Harper and Row, 1963, pp. 360-65.    The student may wish to begin the essay with the following quotes:    Lord Angelo is precise; Stands at a guard with envy; scare confesses That his blood flows or that his appetite Is more to bread than stone. [I.iii.353-56]    Man, proud man, Drest in a little brief authority, Most ignorant of what he's most assured, His glassy essence, like an angry ape Plays such fantastic tricks before high Heaven As makes angels weep. [II.ii.145-50]

Internet Essay -- essays research papers

How to use Internet as a management resource? Introduction: Internet is a global network, connecting thousands of host servers worldwide. The United States Department of Defense established it in the beginning of the 1960 ¡Ã‚ ¯s. Today, there are now 10 to 20 million people using an Internet comprised of more than 30,000 networks spread out over 78 nations all over the world. Now the Internet has become a great electronic gateway that provides instant access to global news and information. The databases, documents, files, and programs that are  ¡Ã‚ °sitting ¡Ã‚ ± on Internet computers contain a tremendous amount of information. You can search for and find up-to-the-minute stock market activity, weather reports, music, recipe; you can make free long distance call; you can purchase goods; you can chat and see your friends. It seems you can do any thing you want. In order to cope with increasing competition, the managers have always effort to gain a competitive advantage throughout the implementation of Internet. So the fundamental purpose of our report is to outline the effective ways associated with the implementation of Internet that can help managers to improve their performance. Our report would like to discuss the effective ways for managers to use Internet in three aspects. The first is how managers can compete in the business world through searching and monitoring external information by using Internet. The second aspect is how managers can approach specific kno...

History of R. Buckminister Fuller Essay -- Geodesic Domes R. Buckminis

History of R. Buckminister Fuller Fuller was most famous for his geodesic domes, which can be seen as part of military radar stations, civic buildings, and exhibition attractions. Their construction is based on extending some basic principles to build simple tensegrity structures (tetrahedron, octahedron, and the closest packing of spheres). Built in this way they are extremely lightweight and stable. The patent for geodesic domes was awarded in 1954, part of Fuller's decades-long efforts to explore nature's constructing principles to find design solutions. Previously, Fuller had designed and built prototypes of what he hoped would be a safer, aerodynamic Dymaxion Car ("Dymaxion" is contracted from DYnamic MAXimum tensION). To this end he experimented with a radical new approach. He worked with professional colleagues over a period of three years, beginning in 1932. Based on a design idea Fuller had derived from that of aircraft, the three prototype cars were all quite different from anything on the market. For one thing, each of these vehicles had three, not four, wheels - with two (the drive wheels) in front, and the third, rear wheel being the one that was steered. The engine was located in the rear. Both the chassis and the body were original designs. The aerodynamic, somewhat tear-shaped body (which in one of the prototypes was about 18 feet long), was large enough to seat 11 people. It somehow resembled a melding of a light aircraft (albeit without wings) and a Volkswagen van of 1950s vintage. The car was essentially a mini-bus in each of its three trial incarnations, and its concept long predated the Volkswagen Transporter mini-bus that was conceived by Ben Pon in 1947 and first built in 1950. Despite its length, and due to its three-wheel design, the Dymaxion Car turned on a small radius and parked in a tight space quite easily. The prototypes were efficient in fuel consumption for their day. Fuller poured a great deal of his own money (inherited from his mother) into the project, in addition to the funds put in by one of his professional collaborators. An industrial investor was also keenly interested in the unprecedented concept. Fuller anticipated the car could travel on an open highway safely at up to about 100 miles per hour (160 km/h); however, due to some concept oversights, the prototypes proved to be unruly over the speed of 50 mph... ...s friends with Boston artist Pietro Pezzati. He experimented with polyphasic sleep. A new allotrope of carbon (fullerene) and a particular molecule of that allotrope (buckminsterfullerene or buckyballs) have been named after him. On July 12, 2004 the United States Post Office released a new commemorative stamp honoring Buckminster Fuller on the 50th anniversary of his patent for the geodesic dome and on the occasion of his 109th birthday. [edit] Neologisms World-around is a term coined by Fuller to replace worldwide. The general belief in a flat Earth died out in the Middle Ages, so using wide is an anachronism when referring to the surface of the Earth — a spheroidal surface has area and encloses a volume, but has no width. Fuller held that unthinking use of obsolete scientific ideas detracts from and misleads intuition. The terms sunsight and sunclipse are other neologisms, according to Allegra Fuller Snyder collectively coined by the Fuller family, replacing sunrise and sunset in order to overturn the geocentric bias of most pre-Copernican celestial mechanics. Fuller also coined the phrase Spaceship Earth, and coined the term (but did not invent) tensegrity. History of R. Buckminister Fuller Essay -- Geodesic Domes R. Buckminis History of R. Buckminister Fuller Fuller was most famous for his geodesic domes, which can be seen as part of military radar stations, civic buildings, and exhibition attractions. Their construction is based on extending some basic principles to build simple tensegrity structures (tetrahedron, octahedron, and the closest packing of spheres). Built in this way they are extremely lightweight and stable. The patent for geodesic domes was awarded in 1954, part of Fuller's decades-long efforts to explore nature's constructing principles to find design solutions. Previously, Fuller had designed and built prototypes of what he hoped would be a safer, aerodynamic Dymaxion Car ("Dymaxion" is contracted from DYnamic MAXimum tensION). To this end he experimented with a radical new approach. He worked with professional colleagues over a period of three years, beginning in 1932. Based on a design idea Fuller had derived from that of aircraft, the three prototype cars were all quite different from anything on the market. For one thing, each of these vehicles had three, not four, wheels - with two (the drive wheels) in front, and the third, rear wheel being the one that was steered. The engine was located in the rear. Both the chassis and the body were original designs. The aerodynamic, somewhat tear-shaped body (which in one of the prototypes was about 18 feet long), was large enough to seat 11 people. It somehow resembled a melding of a light aircraft (albeit without wings) and a Volkswagen van of 1950s vintage. The car was essentially a mini-bus in each of its three trial incarnations, and its concept long predated the Volkswagen Transporter mini-bus that was conceived by Ben Pon in 1947 and first built in 1950. Despite its length, and due to its three-wheel design, the Dymaxion Car turned on a small radius and parked in a tight space quite easily. The prototypes were efficient in fuel consumption for their day. Fuller poured a great deal of his own money (inherited from his mother) into the project, in addition to the funds put in by one of his professional collaborators. An industrial investor was also keenly interested in the unprecedented concept. Fuller anticipated the car could travel on an open highway safely at up to about 100 miles per hour (160 km/h); however, due to some concept oversights, the prototypes proved to be unruly over the speed of 50 mph... ...s friends with Boston artist Pietro Pezzati. He experimented with polyphasic sleep. A new allotrope of carbon (fullerene) and a particular molecule of that allotrope (buckminsterfullerene or buckyballs) have been named after him. On July 12, 2004 the United States Post Office released a new commemorative stamp honoring Buckminster Fuller on the 50th anniversary of his patent for the geodesic dome and on the occasion of his 109th birthday. [edit] Neologisms World-around is a term coined by Fuller to replace worldwide. The general belief in a flat Earth died out in the Middle Ages, so using wide is an anachronism when referring to the surface of the Earth — a spheroidal surface has area and encloses a volume, but has no width. Fuller held that unthinking use of obsolete scientific ideas detracts from and misleads intuition. The terms sunsight and sunclipse are other neologisms, according to Allegra Fuller Snyder collectively coined by the Fuller family, replacing sunrise and sunset in order to overturn the geocentric bias of most pre-Copernican celestial mechanics. Fuller also coined the phrase Spaceship Earth, and coined the term (but did not invent) tensegrity.

Comparing Schools Essay

This report provides advice on the collection and reporting of information about the performances of Australian schools. The focus is on the collection of nationally comparable data. Two purposes are envisaged: use by education authorities and governments to monitor school performances and, in particular, to identify schools that are performing unusually well or unusually poorly given their circumstances; and use by parents/caregivers and the public to make informed judgements about, and meaningful comparisons of, schools and their offerings. Our advice is based on a review of recent Australian and international research and experience in reporting on the performances of schools. This is an area of educational practice in which there have been many recent developments, much debate and a growing body of relevant research. Our work is framed by recent agreements of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG), in particular, at its meeting on 29 November 2008: C OAG agreed that the new Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority will be supplied with the information necessary to enable it to publish relevant, nationally-comparable information on all schools to support accountability, school evaluation, collaborative policy development and resource allocation. The Authority will provide the public with information on each school in Australia that includes data on each school’s performance, including national testing results and school attainment rates, the indicators relevant to the needs of the student population and the school’s capacity including the numbers and qualifications of its teaching staff and its resources. The publication of this information will allow comparison of like schools (that is, schools with similar student populations across the nation) and comparison of a school with other schools in their local community. (COAG Meeting Outcomes) Our work also has been framed by the recently endorsed MCEETYA Principles for Reporting Information on Schooling (see Section 1. 4). Before summarising our specific recommendations, there are some general conclusions that we have reached from our review of international research and experience. The specific recommendations that follow are best understood in the context of these general conclusions: †¢ Vigilance is required to ensure that nationally comparable data on individual schools does not have the unintended consequence of focusing attention on some aspects of the purposes of schooling at the expense of other outcomes that are as important but not as easily measurable. Parents/caregivers and the public are interested in a broad range of information about schools, and nationally comparable data should be reported in the context of this broader information. †¢ Although it has become popular in education systems in some other parts of the world to use statistical models to develop ‘measures’ of school performance and to report these measures publicly in league tables, we believe that there are very v Reporting and Comparing School Performances  sound technical and educational reasons why school measures of this kind should not be used for public reporting and school comparisons. †¢ Related to this point, we are not convinced of the value of reporting ‘adjusted’ measures of student outcomes publicly. Measures of student outcomes should be reported without adjustment. †¢ To enable the comparison of unadjusted student outcomes across schools, we believe that a ‘like-schools’ methodology should be used. This methodology would allow parents/caregivers, the public, and education systems to compare outcomes for schools in similar circumstances. †¢ While point-in-time measures of student outcomes often are useful, it is difficult to establish the contributions that teachers and schools make to point-in-time outcomes. In general, measures of student gain/growth across the years of school provide a more useful basis for making judgements about the value that schools are adding. †¢ Measures of gain/growth are most appropriately based on measurement scales that can be used to monitor student progress across the years of school. The NAPLAN measurement scales are an example and provide educational data superior to that available in most other countries. Consideration should be given to developing national measurement scales for early literacy learning and in some subjects of the national curriculum. †¢ Initially reporting should build on the understandings that parents and the public have already developed. For example a school’s NAPLAN results should be reported in forms that are consistent with current NAPLAN reports for students. Although much work needs to be done in defining the most appropriate measures, the principle should be to build on the representations of data that are already familiar to people. Recommendations Our report makes the following specific recommendations: student outcome measures †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected on the literacy and numeracy skills of students in each school, using NAPLAN (Years 3, 5, 7 and 9). †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected on the tertiary entrance results of students in each senior secondary school. These data could be reported as the percentage of students achieving tertiary entrance ranks of 60 or above, 70 or above, 80 or above, and 90 or above (calculated as a percentage of the students achieving tertiary entrance ranks). †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected on the percentage of students in each senior secondary school completing Year 12 or equivalent; the percentage of students applying to all forms of post-school education; and the percentage of students completing VET studies. vi Reporting and Comparing School Performances †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected on the achievements of students in core national curriculum subjects (English, mathematics, science and history), beginning in 2010. National assessments could be developed initially at Year 10. †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected on the early literacy learning of children in each primary school. These assessments will need to be developed and should be administered upon entry to school and used as a baseline for monitoring progress across the first few years of school. physical and human resources †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected about sources and amounts of funding received by each school, including all income to the school from State and Commonwealth governments, as well as details of fees payable by parents, including those that are mandatory and any voluntary levies that parents are expected to pay. †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected on the numbers and qualifications of teaching staff in each school. Basic data would include academic qualifications, details of pre-service teacher education, and details of any advanced certification (eg, Advanced Skills Teacher; Level 3 Teacher). student intake characteristics †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected on the socio-economic backgrounds of students in each school. Data should be based on information collected at the individual student level, using at least parental occupation and, possibly, parental education levels, under the agreed MCEETYA definitions. †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected on the percentage of students in each school of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander background under the agreed MCEETYA definition. †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected on the percentage of students in each school identified as having a language background other than English (LBOTE) under the agreed MCEETYA definition. †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected on the geo-location of each school using a 3-category scale: metropolitan, provincial, and remote. †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected on the percentage of students in each school with special educational needs. A nationally agreed definition of this category will need to be developed. like-school comparisons †¢ In reporting student outcome data for a school, data for like-schools should be provided as a point of comparison. Like-schools will be schools in similar circumstances and facing similar challenges. †¢ In determining ‘like-schools’, account should be taken of the percentage of students with Indigenous backgrounds, the socio-economic backgrounds of the students in the school, and the percentage of students from language backgrounds other than English. vii Reporting and Comparing School Performances †¢ For each school separately, like-schools should be identified as the schools most similar to that school on the above characteristics (rather than pre-defining a limited number of like-school categories). †¢ Work should commence as soon as possible on the development of an appropriate like-schools methodology. public reporting †¢ For the purpose of providing public information about schools, a common national website should be used to provide parents/caregivers and the public with access to rich information about individual schools. †¢ The national website should provide information about each school’s programs, philosophies, values and purposes, provided by the school itself, as well as nationally comparable data, provided centrally. †¢ Nationally comparable student outcome data should, wherever possible, provide information about current levels of attainment (ie, status), gain/growth across the years of school, and improvement in a school over time. †¢ The complete database for each state/territory should be made available to the relevant state/territory departments of education and other employing authorities, enabling them to interrogate data for their schools and to make judgments about school performances using aggregated data and national summary statistics. We believe that almost all nationally comparable data collected centrally could be reported publicly. The exceptions would arise when the public reporting of data may have negative and unintended consequences for schools. For example, we can envisage negative consequences arising from the reporting of the socio-economic backgrounds of students in a school, or of the financial circumstances of struggling, small schools (both government and non-government). We also believe that data reported publicly should be factual data about a school, and not the results of secondary analyses and interpretations that are open to debate (eg, value-added measures). viii Reporting and Comparing School Performances 1. INTRODUCTION In education, good decision making is facilitated by access to relevant, reliable and timely information. Dependable information is required at all levels of educational decision making to identify areas of deficiency and special need, to monitor progress towards goals, to evaluate the effectiveness of special interventions and initiatives, and to make decisions in the best interests of individual learners. The focus of this  paper is on the provision and use of information about individual schools. The starting point is the observation that relevant and reliable information about schools is required by a range of decision makers – including parents and caregivers, school principals and school leadership teams, system managers and governments, and the general public – all of whom require dependable information that they can use to maximise opportunities and outcomes for students. 1. 1 Audiences and Purposes  Parents and caregivers require valid and reliable information to evaluate the quality of the education their children are receiving, to make informed decisions in the best interests of individual students, and to become active partners in their children’s learning. They require dependable information about the progress individuals have made (the knowledge, skills and understandings developed through instruction), about teachers’ plans for future learning, and about what they can do to assist. There is also considerable evidence that parents and caregivers want information about how their children are performing in comparison with other children of the same age. And, if they are to make judgements about the quality of the education their children are receiving, they require information that enables meaningful comparisons across schools. School leaders require reliable information on student and school performances for effective school management. Research into factors underpinning school  effectiveness highlights the importance of the school leader’s role in establishing an environment in which student learning is accorded a central focus, and goals for improved performance are developed collaboratively by staff with a commitment to achieving them. School managers require dependable pictures of how well students in a school are performing, both with respect to school goals for improvement and with respect to past achievements and achievements in other, comparable schools. Governments and system managers require dependable information on the performance and progress of individual schools if they are to exercise their responsibilities for the delivery of quality education to all students. Effective management depends on an ability to monitor system-wide and school performances over time, to gauge the effectiveness of special programs and targeted resource allocations, to monitor the impact of policies, and to evaluate the success of initiatives aimed at traditionally disadvantaged and underachieving sections of the student population. Accurate, reliable information allows system managers to measure progress against past performances, to identify schools and issues requiring special attention, to target resources appropriately, and to set goals for future improvement. 1 Reporting and Comparing School Performances 1. 2 Forms of Information Because there are multiple audiences and purposes for information about schools, the forms of information required for effective decision making are different for different stakeholders. Parents and caregivers require a wide range of information, including information relating to their immediate needs (eg, Is the school easily accessible by public transport? Does it have an after-school program? What fees and/or levies does it charge? ); the ethos of the school (eg, What evidence is there of bullying/harassment? What are the espoused values of the school? Do students wear uniforms? What level of discipline is imposed? Who is the principal? ); their child’s likely educational experience (eg, Who will be my child’s teacher next year? Will they be in a composite class? How large will the class be? Does the school have a literacy intervention program? What extra-curricular activities are provided? ); and the school’s educational results (eg, Does the school achieve outstanding Year 12 results? ). School leaders require other forms of information, including information relating to staffing and resources (eg, What resources are available for music next year? How many beginning children have special learning needs? ); the effectiveness of initiatives (eg, Is there any evidence that the extra class time allocated to literacy this year made a difference?); and academic results (eg, How many Year 5 students did not meet the minimum performance standard in Reading? Have our results improved since last year? Are we still below the state average? How did last year’s Year 12 results compare with those of the neighbouring school? ). System managers and governments require still other forms of information, including information to monitor system-wide trends over time, to evaluate the effectiveness of attempts to raise standards and close gaps, and to identify schools that are performing unusually well or unusually poorly given their circumstances. In general, the schoollevel information required by system managers and governments is less fine-grained than the information required by parents, teachers and school leaders. Figure 1 displays schematically various forms of information that could be made available about a school, either publicly or to specific audiences (eg, system managers). The forms of evidence represented in Figure 1 are: A: student outcome measures that a school could choose to report Most schools report a wide range of information about the achievements of their students to their school communities. This information is reported in school newsletters, local and community newspapers, school websites, and at school events. The information includes details of Year 12 results, analyses of postschool destinations, results in national mathematics and science competitions, language certificates, awards, prizes, extra-curricular achievements, community recognition, and so on. Most schools take every opportunity to celebrate the achievements of their students and to announce these achievements publicly. 2 Reporting and Comparing School Performances Figure 1. Forms of information that could be made available about a school B:a sub-set of student outcome measures on which it is agreed to collect nationally comparable data Within the set of student outcome information that might be reported for a school, there could be a sub-set of outcomes on which it was agreed to collect nationally comparable data. A reason for identifying such a sub-set would be to ensure some common measures to facilitate school comparisons – within a local geographical area, across an entire education system, nationally, or within a group of ‘like’ schools. Inevitably, nationally comparable data would be collected for only some of the outcomes that schools, parents and communities value. Performances on common literacy and numeracy tests in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 are an example of nationally comparable data currently in this category. C. physical and human resources measures that a school could choose to report Schools provide information in various forms and to various audiences about their physical and human resources. Information of this kind includes details of staff qualifications and teaching experience, staff turnover rates, school global budgets, computers and other technology, newly constructed facilities, bequests, results of fundraising drives, and so on. Some of this information may be reported to the school community; some may be kept confidential to the school, education system or government departments. D: a sub-set of physical and human resources measures on which it is agreed to collect nationally comparable data Within the set of physical and human resources measures reported for a school, there could be a sub-set of measures on which it was agreed to collect nationally comparable data. For example, there have been recent calls for greater consistency and transparency in the reporting of school funding arrangements (Dowling, 2007; 2008) and for more consistent national approaches to assessing and recognising teacher quality (Dinham, et al, 2008). 3 Reporting and Comparing School Performances E. student intake measures that a school could choose to report Most schools have considerable information about their students. For example, they may have information about students’ language backgrounds, Indigenous status, socio-economic backgrounds, learning difficulties and disabilities. This information usually is reported only within education systems or to governments and is not reported publicly, although schools sometimes provide information to their communities about the range of languages spoken by students in the school, the countries from which they come, the percentage of Indigenous students in the school and the school’s special Indigenous programs, or the number of severely disabled students and the facilities and support provided for these students. F: a sub-set of student intake measures on which it is agreed to collect nationally comparable data. Within the set of student intake characteristics reported for a school, there could be a sub-set of measures on which it was agreed to collect nationally comparable data. Some progress has been made toward nationally consistent definitions and nationally consistent data collections on student background characteristics. G. all other information that a school could choose to make available Beyond information about student outcomes, student backgrounds and their physical and human resources, schools provide a range of other information to the communities they serve. 1. 3 Nationally Comparable Data Acknowledging the many purposes and audiences for information about schools, and the various forms that this information can take, the specific focus of this paper is on the collection and reporting of nationally comparable data for the purposes of evaluating and comparing school performances. In other words, the focus is on categories B, D and F in Figure 1. We envisage three broad uses of such data: †¢ use by parents and caregivers in judging the quality of educational provision and in making informed decisions in the best interests of individual students; †¢ use by school leaders in monitoring a school’s improvement and benchmarking the school’s performance against other, comparable schools; and †¢ use by education systems and governments in identifying schools that are performing unusually well or unusually poorly given their circumstances. As noted above, these three stakeholder groups are likely to have different needs. The ways in which nationally comparable data are analysed, combined and reported may be different for different purposes. We see the process of reaching agreement on the core data that should be available about a school as a national collaborative process, and see little value in arriving at different conclusions about these data for different parts of the country. 4 Reporting and Comparing School Performances 1. 4 Principles for Reporting The Principles for Reporting Information on Schooling (see pages 6-7) adopted by the Ministerial Council for Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCCETYA) provide an important point of reference for any proposed collection and use of nationally comparable data on schools. These principles recognise the multiple audiences and purposes for information about schools, the need to collect broad evidence about student and school performances, and the desirability of monitoring intended and unintended consequences of reporting information on schools. Australian governments have undertaken to ensure that data provided for the purposes of comparing schools are reliable and fair and take into account the contexts in which schools work. Governments also have undertaken not to develop simplistic league tables of school performances. 1. 5 Structure of Paper This paper first considers the kinds of nationally comparable data that might be collected about schools for the purposes outlined above. We draw on national and international research and experience, attempt to anticipate the likely requirements of different audiences, and take into account what measures currently exist and what additional measures might be desirable in the future. Each of the three data categories in Figure 1 is considered in turn: †¢ †¢ †¢ student outcome measures physical and human resources measures student intake measures (sections 2-3) (section 4) (section 5) We then consider alternative ways of evaluating and comparing school performances. Two broad methodologies are discussed: †¢ †¢ the direct comparison of student outcomes the construction of measures of school performance (section 6) (section 7) Finally, we consider issues in reporting publicly on the performances of schools: †¢ †¢ audiences and purposes for reporting options for public reporting on schools (section 8) (section 9) 5 Reporting and Comparing School Performances MCEETYA PRINCIPLES FOR REPORTING INFORMATION ON SCHOOLING There is a vast amount of information on Australian schooling and individual schools. This includes information about the educational approach of schools, their enrolment profile, staffing, facilities and programs, and the education environment they offer, as well as information on the performance of students, schools and systems. Different groups, including schools and their students, parents and families, the community and governments, have different information needs. The following principles provide guidance on requirements for information on schooling, including the types of information that should be made readily available to each of the groups noted above. These principles will be supported by an agreed set of national protocols on the access to and use of information on schooling. Good quality information on schooling is important: FOR SCHOOLS AND THEIR STUDENTS. Principle 1: Schools need reliable, rich data on the performance of their students because they have the primary accountability for improving student outcomes. Good quality data supports each school to improve outcomes for all of their students. It supports effective diagnosis of student progress and the design of quality learning programs. It also informs schools’ approaches to provision of programs, school policies, pursuit and allocation of resources, relationships with parents and partnerships with community and business. Schools should have access to: †¢ Comprehensive data on the performance of their own students that uses a broad set of indicators †¢ Data that enables each school to compare its own performance against all schools and with schools of similar characteristics †¢ Data demonstrating improvements of the school over time †¢ Data enabling the school to benchmark its own performance against that of the bestperforming schools in their jurisdiction and nationally FOR PARENTS AND FAMILIES. Principle 2: Information about schooling, including data on the performance of individuals, schools and systems, helps parents and families to make informed choices and to engage with their children’s education and the school community. Parents and families should have access to: †¢ Information about the philosophy and educational approach of schools, and their staffing, facilities, programs and extra-curricular activities that enables parents and families to compare the education environment offered by schools †¢ Information about a school’s enrolment profile, taking care not to use data on student 1  characteristics in a way that may stigmatise schools or undermine social inclusion. †¢ Data on student outcomes that enables them to monitor the individual performance of their child, including what their child knows and is able to do and how this relates to what is expected for their age group, and how they can contribute to their child’s progress †¢ Information that allows them to assess a school’s performance overall and in improving student outcomes, including in relation to other schools with similar characteristics in their jurisdiction and nationally. 1 Any use or publication of information relating to a school’s enrolment profile should ensure that the privacy of individual students is protected. For example, where the small size of a school population or of a specific student cohort may enable identification of individual students, publication of this information should be avoided. 6 Reporting and Comparing School Performances FOR THE COMMUNITY. Principle 3: The community should have access to information that enables an understanding of the decisions taken by governments and the status and performance of schooling in Australia, to ensure schools are accountable for the results they achieve with the public funding they receive, and governments are accountable for the decisions they take. Students are an important part of our society and take up a variety of roles within it after leaving school. The community is therefore a direct and indirect consumer of the product of our schools, as well as providing the means of public funding. Information about schools in the public domain fulfils the requirement that schools be accountable for the results they achieve with the public funding they receive, including relative to other ‘like’ schools; it should also give the community a broad picture of school performance and a sense of confidence in our school systems. The community should have access to: †¢ Information about the philosophy and educational approach of schools, and their staffing, facilities, programs and extra-curricular activities that enables the community to compare the education environment offered by schools. †¢ Information about individual schools’ enrolment profile, taking care not to use data on student characteristics in a way that may stigmatise schools or undermine social inclusion †¢ National reporting on the performance of all schools with data that allows them to view a school’s performance overall and in improving student outcomes, including in relation to other schools with similar characteristics RESPONSIBLE PROVISION OF SCHOOLING INFORMATION Australian Governments will ensure that school-based information is published responsibly so that: †¢ any public comparisons of schools will be fair, contain accurate and verified data, contextual information and a range of indicators to provide a more reliable and complete view of performance (for example, information on income, student body characteristics, the spread of student outcomes and information on the value added by schools) †¢ governments will not devise simplistic league tables or rankings and will put in place strategies to manage the risk that third parties may seek to produce such tables or rankings, and will ensure that privacy will be protected. †¢ reports providing information on schooling for parents and families and the community will be developed based on research on what these groups want to know and the most effective ways the information can be presented and communicated. FOR GOVERNMENTS Principle 4: Governments need sound information on school performance to support ongoing improvement for students, schools and systems. Government also need to monitor and evaluate the impacts (intended and unintended) of the use and release of this information to improve its application over time. Good quality information on schooling enables governments to: †¢ analyse how well schools are performing †¢ identify schools with particular needs †¢ determine where resources are most needed to lift attainment †¢ identify best practice and innovation in high-performing schools that can be mainstreamed and used to support improvements in schools with poorer performance †¢ conduct national and international comparisons of approaches and performance †¢ develop a substantive evidence base on what works. This will enable future improvements in school performance that support the achievement of the agreed education outcomes of both the Ministerial Council for Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs and the Council of Australian Governments. 7 Reporting and Comparing School Performances 2. STUDENT OUTCOMES Information about the outcomes of a school’s efforts is key information for parents and caregivers if they are to judge the quality of educational provision; for school leaders to monitor a school’s performance and improvement; and for education systems and governments to identify schools in need of additional support. However, schools work to promote many different kinds of outcomes for their students. For some schools, an important objective is to improve school attendance rates. For others, assisting students to make successful transitions into the workforce is a high priority. Some schools are more focused than others on supporting the social, spiritual and emotional development of students. Still others measure their success in terms of entry rates into highly sought-after university courses. Decisions about the outcomes to be reported publicly for schools are important because they influence judgements about how well individual schools are performing. This is particularly true when education systems and governments attempt to construct ‘measures’ of school performance: Perverse incentives can arise when the [school] performance measure has both a large impact upon actors and focuses on an aspect of schooling that does not reflect the true or overall purpose and objectives of schools. Unfortunately, this can be common in school performance measures if the performance measure is too narrowly defined. (OECD, 2008, 26).