Power & Duties of a Social Worker Essay

This paper discusses and explores both case studies in order to find the powers and duties a social worker acting in a statutory capacity might exercise in these cases, how might they be exercised and how might wider principles of welfare law impact on their decision making? It also analyses the tensions and dilemmas that may exist, referring to specific legislative provisions, and identify how anti-oppressive practice might influence the resolution of these case studies. It also demonstrates an ability to study relevant law in social work practice and have a critical and analytical understanding of the service delivery standards and powers and duties of social workers, demonstrate a working knowledge and understanding of key areas of welfare law that are significant to service users analyses the tensions and dilemmas that arise in the implication of the law in social work practice and be able to demonstrate a commitment to the anti-oppressive practice of social work law. This paper is focused on two separate case studies:First Case Study: Jack and Lauren have two Children named as Makayla aged 18 Months and Christopher aged 5 years. The local Authorities and Children’s Services have a referral from a relative who is concerned that the Children had witnessed Jack and Lauren fighting. What is more Jack brings people back to the house who drink heavily and Lauren has left the children alone at least twice to get drugs. When seen the children appear adequately dressed, clean, healthy and outgoing, and Christopher is attending school most days. The house is sparsely furnished but tidy and there appear to be a small number of toys. Makayla may have a development delay. She also may have difficulties with hearing and vision, which have meant numerous medical appointments, some of which have been missed. Second Case Study: Gracias speaks with pride of her house in which she and her husband raised seven children and points to the antiques she has collected. She knows the history of all the antiques she has had longest, but she looks troubled when asked about other items. Her eldest son has looked after her since he retired. She has eleven grandchildren, but she cannot remember their names. He moved in with her after she left the gas on twice and let a stranger into the house. He fells she could benefit from  re-housing since a stroke affecting her left arm and leg means she struggles with the stairs and with bathing, and recently she has begun to become incontinent at night. On the other hand, she still tends to her antiques with great care. He is also concerned that she is still managing her large account of savings and shares, which he will need to have access to if he keeps her at home. These two case studies are mainly different from each other if we study them with practical approach but certain things can be discussed simultaneously for the both cases i.e. family, approach towards the care of children, approach towards the looking after the parents, affects on children when they are ignored. Defining the FamilyA family becomes a family when two or more individuals have decided they are a family, that in the intimate, here-and-now environment in which they gather, there is a sharing of emotional needs for closeness, of living space which is deemed â€Å"home,† and of those roles and tasks necessary for meeting the biological, social and psychological requirements of the individuals involved. For our purposes in this text we mean by family â€Å"two or more people in a committed relationship from which they derive a sense of identity as a family,† thus including â€Å"nontraditional family forms that are outside the traditional legal perspective †¦ families not related by blood, marriage, or adoption† (Cohen, S., and T. A. Wills. 1985: 85)The state of marriageThe family, marriage, and the individual are inextricably interwoven. This simple fact constitutes a major conceptual and practical problem when considering the prospect of intervention in a marital problem, for it militates against clarity of thought and purpose. Certainly, conceptual distinctions can be made, and these are of central importance in the attempts of social scientists to shed light on the dynamics of family life; but such distinctions tend to rely upon the identification of boundaries that are perhaps seldom recognized, let alone drawn, by the individual experiencing the realities of marital and family life. As the father of modern family studies, Whittaker, J. K. and J. Garbarino. (1983) observed,  Ã¢â‚¬ËœWe know too much about the family to be able to study it both objectively and easily’Some family needs could be considered as being met through a combination of expressive and instrumental functions, such as child care, and health-related supports. This applies on both Case Studies. In line with the above, and in recognition of the diversity of contemporary society, we should emphasize that â€Å"respect for diversity requires that family be defined openly and broadly so as to include whomever the family itself- with its unique culture, circumstances, and history-designates† (Allen and Petr 1998:8). Practitioners should be prepared to understand and account for the special needs of minorities. As reflected throughout this volume, this means that we need to consider carefully in our practice the dimensions of race and ethnicity, including not only their significance for human functioning but also their impact on service delivery. In this regard, Pecora, P. J., W. R. Seelig, F. A. Zirps, and S. M. Davis, eds. (1996) assert: â€Å"Training practitioners for competence with diverse populations is high on the list of corrective initiatives to address †¦ inadequacies† in social work practice. A critical component of such training is learning how to promote the well-being of children and families. Promoting Child and Family Well-Being in Perspective of 1st Case StudyTo aid in our understanding of what families and children need to thrive in our society, we have developed a framework of needs and resources for family and child well-being. The framework is organized as a triangle depicting the three interrelated aspects of child and family wellbeing:†¢ What children need for their optimal Development,†¢ What families need to survive and fulfill their functions successfully, and†¢ The neighborhood, community, and environmental resources that families and their children require. At the center of the model is the overall goal for family-centered social work practice: safeguarding and promoting the well-being and Welfare Law of children and their families. We will refer to this framework throughout the paper, so as to highlight key points about promoting child and family  wellbeing and safety as well as delineate guidelines and principles for assessment and intervention. The model draws from the contributions of a number of sources in an attempt to show the range of interrelated family and child needs that, when met, promote optimal functioning and development. Resilience, Coping, and AdaptationIn their work with children and families, practitioners can be guided by knowledge regarding resilience, coping, and adaptation-key constructs in understanding human beings and human behavior. Before elaborating on each of these constructs, it is useful to consider the competence centered perspective on social work practice, which can serve as a frame of reference for practitioners. Competence-Centered Perspective & Principles of Welfare LawThe competence-centered perspective builds upon ecology as a metaphor guiding the study of the interactions between living organisms and their environments (Bronfenbrenner 1979). In particular, such a metaphor calls attention to the â€Å"influence of external environments on the functioning of families as contexts of human development† (Bronfenbrenner 1986:723). As an orientation to practice, ecology helps us to appreciate that human beings are engaged in continuous transaction with their environment; furthermore, the ecological view provides insight into the nature and consequence of such transactions both for human beings and for the physical and social environments in which they function (Germain and Gitterman 1996:5-19). Evaluation in perspective of Case Study 2By offering a broad conceptual lens to view human functioning and needs, ecology underscores that social work intervention should address the interface between human beings and their impinging environments: practitioners focus on improving the transactions between people and environments in order to enhance adaptive capacities as well as enrich environments for all who function within them (Germain and Gitterman 1996). In using such an orientation, practitioners can help mobilize the actual and potential strengths and resources of individuals, families, and groups while simultaneously seeking to render environments more responsive to the adaptive and coping needs of human organisms (Kagan, S. L. 1995). In addition, workers are helped to understand the relationships  between families and their environments and identify the significant sources of support as well as stress and conflict. They can then assess more objectively the complex personal and environmental factors affecting parents and children and arrive at more appropriate treatment plans and recommendations. The competence perspective draws from ego psychology; psychodynamic psychology; and learning, developmental, and family systems theories. In social work as in other fields, competence is generally defined as the repertoire of skills that enable the person to function effectively. However, a distinction should be made between the notion of discrete competencies or skills and the broader, ecological or transactional concept of competence. The latter may be defined as the outcome of the interplay among:†¢ A person’s capacities, skills, potentialities, limitations, and othercharacteristics. †¢ A person’s motivation-that is, her or his interests, hopes, beliefs, andaspirations, and†¢ the qualities of the person’s impinging environment-such as socialnetworks, environmental demands, and opportunities (Maluccio 1981). Stress, Risk, and Protective Factors in perspective of Both Case StudiesIn the course of their development, families and children encounter a variety of stresses and risks that need to be considered in any interventive plans or services. Stress and risk are closely related concepts. As Roskies (1991:412) indicates, â€Å"In spite of its widespread use, there is no single, precise definition of the term stress.† Saleebey, D. (2002) who is regarded as the father of modern stress theory, focuses on physiological reactions of the human organism in its struggle to resist noxious stimuli or stressors. Along with other theorists, Locke and Taylor (1991:157) define stress as â€Å"the emotional response, typically consisting of fear and/and anxiety and associated physical symptoms resulting from† perceived threats to one’s well-being or selfesteem. We think of stress as internal tension or strain produced in the human being in response to any one or more factors. Risk has been defined as â€Å"any influence that increases the probability of onset, digression to a more serious state, or the maintenance of a problem condition† (Fraser 1997a:3). â€Å"Risk or vulnerability represents a heightened probability of negative outcome based on the presence of one or more† factors such as â€Å"genetic, biological, behavioral, socio-cultural, and demographic conditions, characteristics, or attributes† (Fraser 1997:10). Examples of environmental risks are family dysfunction, child abuse, parental illness, and, above all, poverty. Protective factors are â€Å"those internal and external forces that help children resist or ameliorate risk† (Fraser 1997a:13). Rutter (1985:600) further defines protective factors as â€Å"influences that modify, ameliorate, or alter a person’s response to some environmental hazard that predisposes to a maladaptive outcome.† Problem-solving skills, a sense of self-efficacy, and an internal locus of control are examples of internal forces found in resilient children and youths. Examples of external forces are the strong family presence of a caring, supportive adult in the family and a safe and supportive school set- ting. As Benard (1997) explains, schools can provide a protective environment for many youths and children through the caring and support and high expectations of teachers and other school personnel as well as the opportunities available for meaningful participation in the life of the classroom, school, or community.Under certain conditions the interplay between risk factors and protective mechanisms leads to successful coping and adaptation: â€Å"An individual is able to cope so long as the balance among risks, stressful life events, and protective factors is manageable. But when risk factors and stressful life events outweigh the protective factors, even the most resilient children can develop problems (Werner 1989:80). â€Å"Through her longitudinal, life span study of 618 children, Werner (1994 and 1995) has demonstrated the role of protective factors within the family and community, such as socioeconomic supports, in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. As considered in subsequent chapters, social workers can play important roles in promoting resilience in children and youths. In particular, in conjunction with the concepts delineated in the preceding section, the constructs of risk, stress, and protective factors suggest several interrelated themes that can help guide social work practice with  families and children: †¢ Human beings are engaged in ongoing, dynamic transactions with theirenvironment and in a continuous process of growth and adaptation. †¢ Human beings are â€Å"open systems† that are spontaneously active andmotivated to achieve competence in their coping with life demands and environmental challenges. †¢ Varied environmental opportunities and social supports are necessary tosustain and promote a human being’s efforts to grow, to achieve self-fulfillment, and to contribute to others. †¢ Appropriate supports should be matched to the human being’s changingqualities and needs in order to maximize the development of her or hiscompetence, identity, autonomy, and self-fulfillment. Intergenerational Aspects and Principles of Welfare Law In perspective to Case Study 2Throughout human history and across societies, parents have relied on the extended family, especially grandparents, for help in care of their children. Such reliance is becoming increasingly problematic, due to such factors as the geographic mobility of families and, above all, growing societal problems in such areas as housing, poverty, substance abuse, and family violence. In addition, there is an increasing proportion of mothers at an early age, including early adolescence; the families of these young mothers are often struggling with their own issues, problems, and challenges. It has been estimated that, as of the early 1990s, between 2.3 and 4.3 million children lived in the homes of relatives without their parents (Everett 1995). The U.S. Bureau of the Census (1995) reports that approximately 3.9 million children were being raised in grandparent-headed households in 1995. While kinship caring is more common among families of color, it is seen also among white families. As extensively considered by Hegar and Scannapieco (1999), kinship care is a complex phenomenon-whether provided through informal arrangements or through state supervision. According to these authors, among the issues to be considered are the  following: How should formal kinship care differ from informal care arranged by the families? Should kinship care be classified as either out-of-home care or family preservation? Should foster families licensure or certification be required of kinship families? How long should the state subsidize placement with kin?In view of the above, practitioners need to give increased attention to the intergenerational aspects of family and child Welfare Law services. In particular, agency policies and programs should recognize the crucial role of grandparents in caring partially or fully for their grandchildren, including teenage granddaughters who are pregnant or have children of their own. Since they face multiple tasks during a crucial phase of their own development, parenting grandparents need a social service system that responds to their needs. As recommended by the Child Welfare League of America (Child Welfare League of America 1994; National Commission on Family Foster Care 1991), following are some of the strategies that are especially crucial in promoting intergenerational interventions:†¢ offering services to the parents as well as the grandparents to meet their own needs as caregivers as well as the child’s needs,†¢ providing adequate financial supports, especially in view of the precarious financial conditions of many grandparents,†¢ monitoring the child’s placement in kinship care, so as to ensure the child’s well-being as well as address the needs of the kinship family, and†¢ encouraging practitioners to appreciate and respect each the child’s and family’s cultural, racial, and ethnic identity. In addition, there needs to be attention to the ongoing psychosocial issues that many parenting grandparents experience as they are faced with their own basic physical, emotional, and financial adjustments (Poe 1992), the interaction between parents and grandparents, with its potential for frustration and conflicts, the issue of permanency planning for children placed with relatives, and the parents’ own need for help in connection with their own problems as well as their functioning as parents. Various authors consider these issues in detail. For example, Poe (1992) offers implications for policy and treatment in the situations of black grandparents. Doucette-Dudman and LaCure (1996) present guidelines for helping grandparents and social service professionals cope with the challenges  inherent in grandparent parenting. Generations United (1998) offers recommendations and strategies for dealing with economic supports, health care, education, child care, and legal issues in the situations of grandparents and other relatives raising children. Maluccio (1999) describes intergenerational approaches to helping families at risk, such as foster grandparent programs, mentoring of young mothers by elderly persons, and having older adults work with families experiencing child abuse or neglect. Child-Focused and Family-Centered Practice In perspective of Welfare LawSocial Work Practice requires that we maintain a principal focus on the child within a family-centered context. As discussed more extensively elsewhere, such a focus suggests that, in most cases, the child can best be helped by regarding the family as the central unit of service or focus of attention, whenever and as much as possible. Human beings can best be understood and helped within their significant environment, and the family is the most intimate environment of all. It is here that the child develops and forms her or his identity and basic competence. The family has the potential to provide resources throughout the life cycle, especially as its members are sustained and supported by various services (Germain 1999). The family’s own environment can be employed as the arena in which practitioners intervene to help strengthen communication, parenting skills, and parent-child relationships.As reflected throughout this volume, we consider the following guidelines as especially important in implementing child-focused and family-centered practice:†¢ There is emphasis on prevention and intervention strategies that reduce stress and risk and promote coping and resilience in children and families. †¢ Practitioners must understand the relationship between race/racenicity and issues such as family norms, child-rearing practices, childhood and family poverty, discrimination, and funding of social services. †¢ Assessment and intervention focus on the family’s transactions with its kinship system, school, community institutions, and other social networks that affect its functioning. Intervention strategies are directed not only toward engaging the family in treatment but also toward changing the social  systems that influence it. There is emphasis on case management strategies and community-based approaches that help empower vulnerable clients (Rothman 1994). †¢ Many parents can be helped to become rehabilitated or to plan responsibly for their children through family treatment approaches as alternatives to placement of children out of their homes or as methods of speeding up the reunification of placed children with their families. For example, birth parents of children at risk can be empowered through the use of group training. †¢ When children are separated as a result of hospitalization, imprisonment, foster home placement, or residential placement, family ties between them and their families should be preserved as much as possible, through such means as consistent parental visiting. The natural bonds between children in care and their parents may continue to be important for most parents and children long after they are physically separated for either short-term or long-term periods. †¢ Foster family, group care, or residential placement of a child should be seen as a part of the overall service rather than as the service-as a tool, rather than as an end in itself. In line with this, there should be efforts to have parents, foster parents, or other child care personnel regard themselves as partners in a shared undertaking, with common goals and mutually supportive and complementary roles. †¢ A major source of help often can be the family’s extended kinship system. (Danzy and Jackson 1997) as in situations involving parental substance abuse. As another example, in many cases the extended family, with agency support, can help a parent avert placement or reduce the duration of placement in an unfamiliar setting. †¢ Mutual aid groups, such as those for vulnerable adolescents, gay and lesbian youths, sexual abuse survivors, or bereaved children, can be therapeutic as well as empowering (Gitterman and Shulman 1994). References Allen, R. I. and C. G. Petr. 1998. Rethinking family-centered practice. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 68:4-15. American Humane Association. 1998. Assessing Outcomes in Child Welfare Services: Principles, Concepts, and a Framework of Core Indicators. Englewood, Col.: AHA, Children’s Division. Benard, B. 1994. Applications of resilience. Paper presented at a conference on the Role of Resilience in Drug Abuse, Alcohol Abuse, and Mental Illness, December 5-6. Washington, D.C. Cited in D. Saleebey 1997. Benard, B. 1997. Fostering resiliency in children and youth: Promoting protective factors in the school. In D. Saleebey, ed., The Strengths Perspective in Social Work, pp. 167-182. 2d ed. New York: Longman. Bronfenbrenner, U. 1979. The Ecology of Human Development. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Bronfenbrenner, U. 1986. Ecology of the family as a context for human development: Research perspectives. Developmental Psychology 22 (6): 723-742. Cohen, S., and T. A. Wills. 1985. Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis. Psychological Bulletin 98 (2): 310-357. Maluccio. 1999. The rationalization of foster care in the twenty-first century. In P.A. Curtis, G. Dale Jr., and J. C. Kendall, eds., The Foster Care Crisis: Translating Research Into Policy and Practice, pp. 225-242. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. Danzy, J., and Jackson, S.M. 1997. Family preservation and support services: A missed opportunity for kinship care. Child Welfare 76:31-44. Doucette-Dudman, D. and J. R. LaCure. 1996. Raising Our Children’s Children. Minneapolis: Fairview. Everett, J. 1995. Relative foster care: An emerging trend in foster care placements policy and practice. Smith College Studies in Social Work 65:239-254. Everett, J. E. 1997. Theoretical, policy, research and clinical perspectives for social work practice with African Americans. Special issue. Smith College Studies in Social Work 67 (3): 255-643. Everett, J. E., S. S. Chipungu, and B. R. Leashore, eds. 1991. Child Welfare: An Africentric Perspective. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press. Fraser, C. 1995. Suffering children and the Christian Science Church. Atlantic Monthly, April, pp. 105-120. Fraser, M. W. 1990. Program outcome measures. In Y.-Y. T. Yuan and M. Rivest, eds., Preserving Families: Evaluation Resources for Practitioners and Policymakers, pp. 77-101. Newbury Park, Cal.: Sage. Fraser, M. W., ed. 1997a. Risk and Resilience in Childhood: An Ecological Perspective. Washington, D.C.: NASW. Fraser, M. W. 1997b. The ecology of childhood: A multi-systems perspective. In M. W. Fraser, ed., Risk and Resilience in Childhood: An Ecological Perspective, pp. 1-9. Washington, D.C.: NASW. Generations United.1998. Grandparents and Other Relatives Raising Children: An Intergenerational Action Agenda. Washington, D.C.: Generations United. Germain, C. B. and M. Bloom. 1999. Human Behavior in the Social Environment: An Ecological View. 2d ed. New York: Columbia University Press. Germain, C. B. and A. Gitterman. 1996. The Life Model of Social Work Practice: Advances in Theory and Practice. 2d ed. New York: Columbia University Press. Hegar, R. L. and M. Scannapieco, eds. 1999. Kinship Foster Care: Policy, Practice, and Research. New York: Oxford University Press. Kagan, S. L. 1995. The changing face of parenting education. ERIC Digest (EDOPS-95-7). Urbana: University of Illinois, Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education. Kagan, S. L. and B. Weissbourd, eds. 1994. Putting Families First: America’s FamilyLee, J. A. B. 2000. The Empowerment Approach to Social Work Practice. 2d ed. New York: Columbia University Press. Locke, E. A. and S. M. Taylor. 1991. Stress, coping, and the meaning of work. In A. Monat and R.S. Lazarus, eds., Stress and Coping:An Anthology, pp. 140- 157.3d ed. New York: Columbia University Press. Pecora, P. J., W. R. Seelig, F. A. Zirps, and S. M. Davis, eds. 1996. Quality Improvement and Evaluation in Child and Family Services: Managing Into the Next Century. Washington, D.C.: CWLA. Poe, C. G. 1992. Social Work with Children and Their Families: Pragmatic Foundations. New York: Oxford University Press. Roskies, E. 1991. Stress management: A new approach to treatment. In A. Monat and R. S. Lazarus, eds., Stress and Coping:An Anthology, pp. 411-431. 3d ed. New York: Columbia University Press. Rothman, J. 1994. Practice with Highly Vulnerable Clients: Case Management and Community-Based Service. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall. Rothman, J. C. 1998. From the Front Lines: Student Cases in Social Work Ethics. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Rutter, M. 1985. Resilience in the face of adversity: Protective factors and resistance to psychiatric disorders. British Journal of Psychiatry 147:598-611. Saleebey, D., ed. 2002. The Strengths Perspective in Social Work Practice. 3d ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Werner, E. E. 1989. High-risk children in young adulthood: A longitudinal study from birth to thirty-two years. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 59:72-81. Werner, E. E. 1994. Overcoming the odds. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics 15:131-136. Werner, E. E. 1995. Resilience in development. American Psychological Society 4:81-85. Whittaker, J. K. and J. Garbarino. 1983. Social Support Networks: Informal Helping in the Human Services. New York: Aldine de Gruyter.

Competitors Analysis for Hoi Tin Tong Essay

Hung Fook Tong (HFT) founded in 1986 and more than 120 stores in China and HK. HFT turned traditional herbal tea shop into a modern and innovative enterprise over the years which have over 100 products, including herbal jellies, herbal tea, homemade soups, and preservative-free healthy drinks. An innovation that helped both the popularity and the portability of herbal tea, they have more than 3000 retail points across the territory, including supermarkets, convenience shops, schools and restaurants. Kung Wo Tong (KWT) was established in 1904 by an imperial physician in the Qing Dynasty, there are total 10 stores in HK and 1 in China. The stores located along a main street and keeps old-fashioned herbal drinks shops in typical sized with limited even no decoration over hundred years. Most of shops sell four to six kinds of herbal drinks, but the herbal jelly is one staple that seldom miss the list. They keeps tradition way and focus more on the health benefits rather than its taste. HealthWorks (HW) started as a traditional Chinese herbal tea shop in 1989 and decided to modernize the company in 2000 in order to follow their global expansion plan. HW use modern technologies involves in develop, produce and distribute an array of traditional Chinese natural nourishing productions including herbal soup, herbal tea, medicinal tea, herbal jelly and other Chinese medicinal diet. There are 22 shops which mainly at MTR stations with trendy decoration and more than 1500 point of sales distributing ready-to-drinks herbal tea in various supermarkets and convenient stores Compare to HTT, customer regard KWT is more traditional and believe the products have more medical function while HFT and HW are trendier and provide health supplement goods. So, customers who go to HTT and KWT will be the local people who believe traditional herbal benefits, mainly the adult and elderly. The customers who go to HFT and HW will be younger age customers with health conscious and even tourists. HTT lost the competitive advances to HFT on product range and market coverage due to HFT do a good job at distribution strategy which has lots of products and large distribution channels. HFT also use price strategy to set their price is the lower among these competitor, these advances make HFT become the biggest herbal tea group in HK according to survey by AC Nelson. HTT use location strategy and branding strategy better than other competitors who have many chain stories and strong image, so HTT have competitive advances on sales network, number of chain stores and customer loyalty.

Basics Of Mutual Funds

In this report, I decided to take advantage of this opportunity to obtain information on the best way to invest in my daughter 's university fund. Please choose between mutual funds or IRA. Thanks to the investigation I made about this, I have decided on the best way to invest my money. The main research I undertook about the IRA was done on the Internet via AOL. Through them, I discovered that the traditional Irish Republican Army exempts a tax of $ 2,000 per person per year. In other words, an investment of 2000 dollars will be deducted from the total income for that year. If you want to invest in your money, and if you are considering an investment trust as an option, are you also looking forward to more information about what mutual funds are? With information related to the basic knowledge of mutual funds, you can start your own investment yourself, with the help of financial planners and investment advisors. You want this information to be easy. If you are looking for this info rmation somewhere, this blog is for you. Here we will explain every aspect of the mutual fund, including basically what is a different type of mutual fund than a mutual fund. It will also focus on the analysis of mutual fund investment and the performance of the mutual fund statement. By understanding all these, you will have ideas about it, but we still have the best mutual funds you should know. In that study we measured the fundamentals of mutual funds as mutual funds and their origins, and in our research we looked at the history, performance, strengths and weaknesses of ABN AMRO MUTUAL FUND and BENCH MARK MUTUAL FUND in our research. We also examined portfolio management and its comparison. It was because the structure turned out to be the same. The rules and regulations, parts and processes are all formulated by SEBI, the main rule of the mutual fund. Investor's choice of investment will invest in mutual funds that use company outline and SEBI guidelines changed by Indian stoc k exchanges and board of directors. Investment trusts are like stock markets, so we will buy and sell them from the company. Investment trust. Different - Since different companies are studying ABN Amro's investment trusts, many plans are offered by investment trusts of Dutch banks in Indian investors to put money into the market

Organizational Structure and Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Organizational Structure and Culture - Essay Example An organization can have an informal or formal structure. A formal structure is presented diagrammatically in an organizational chart. It has positions, responsibilities, tasks, and relations among workers in different departments. An informal structure describes personal or social relations that are not stated in the organizational chart. It provides social satisfaction by helping workers meet their personal objectives. It contains communication channels that distribute information more rapidly than the formal system. An organizational chart can be vertical, horizontal, or rectangular. Informal structures require approval of the management and their techniques are closely monitored for effectiveness. Strong Memorial Hospital at the University of Rochester has a formal organizational structure. The organizational chart is drawn vertically. The chief nursing officer is the overall head of the nursing department. Every department has an associate director, who operates below the chief nursing officer. The nursing body also contains budget managers, recruitment, research department, information systems, and policy management. Staff nurses are at the lowest level and interact with the patients. The hospital has a decentralized system where each department has its own director and workers. These nurses are responsible for the welfare of patients in their departments, which provides client centered care. Staff nurses take care of the patients and provide a welcoming environment for their clients. They interact with patients and obtain information about their preferences and priorities. The hospital also has a patient educational program to educate the patients about their role in health practices (URMC, 2012). The hospital has a computerized information management system. Patient information is stored in the hospital database. Electronic medical records are used to reduce the patient waiting time. Human patient simulator is used by doctors to simulate treatment pract ices for patients. The institution has an information systems manager who oversees flow of information in the hospital. The system is accessible by all departments, which speeds up information sharing. A patient can have different complications which fall under different departments. Doctors and nurses in these departments require full health records for the patient before treatment. The information management system ensures availability of such information for all departments. The hospital has an interpreter service for deaf patients. An interpreter is used to aid communication between the deaf client and the clinicians. This facilitates information exchange for better services. Every clinician in the facility has a corporate email for effective communication within the staff. Face to face communication is used by nurses and doctors to attend to patients. This helps them understand the patient better and provide the requested services. It also helps create a good relationship betwe en the staff and patients. Doctors use notes to pass sensitive information in the presence of the patient. Consultation is done by staff before making important decisions regarding clients. Nurses and doctors hold discussions before performing operations, medication, and other major decisions. Human patient simulators are used during discussions to determine the right treatment process. Researchers hold lengthy discussions regarding their findings before making a conclusive decision. The

Students need to produce an industry report, (BMW) highlighting their Essay

Students need to produce an industry report, (BMW) highlighting their research on the industry, the main players, their understanding of trends and their suitability - Essay Example activity vehicles; and innovative features such as, dynamic stability control or the integrated driving system introduced by BMW, known as the I-Drive (Fleischmann, Ferber and Henrich, 2006). The growing demands of customers for individual configuration specifically in premium cars have made automobile companies like, BMW, to come up with creative ideas so as to stand apart in this fierce competition and gain significant competitive advantage. Alongside the classical markets in North America, Europe and Japan, newer markets such as, China and the Eastern Europe, are also emerging. The product life cycle in emerging markets are supposed to be dissimilar from the one that is witnessed in already developed markets. This provides big opportunities for companies like, BMW, to sell models, which have been discontinued in the established markets, in these relatively newer markets. BMW has been implementing effective strategies in order to set up their production sites throughout the globe for bringing their production closer to markets and thus, satisfy growing needs and demands of the customer base. This has enabled them to accrue benefits by attaining country specific advantages. Example of such advantages attained by the company include incentives for investments and accessibility to cheap labour that they have obtained by gaining entry into emerging markets such as, India and China (Fleischmann, Ferber and Henrich, 2006). This study involves a thorough analysis of BMW’s strategic management. The following sections will discuss BMW’s strategic planning aspects and their business model will be subsequently explained. Thereafter, the company’s understanding of current trend in the industry will be explained. The report will also include Porter’s five forces analysis of the automobile manufacturer and lastly, a recommendation will be provided. The BMW Group headquartered in Munich, Germany, is primarily engaged in the manufacturing and sales of BMW, Rolls Royce

Business environment jewellery, organic food and tesco Essay

Business environment jewellery, organic food and tesco - Essay Example The jewellery and watches market is highly competitive in terms of both supply and retail. Recent years have seen the emergence of several luxury-goods and high-fashion conglomerates into the market, which possess strong brands that are supported by substantial financial resources. In addition to the above implications of excess capacity in Jewellery market, the major implication is the phenomenal change in customer buying behavior. To what extent might the traditional small jewellery and watch operators be considered to be suffering from unfair competition from 'luxury-goods and high-fashion conglomerates' 10 marks Traditional small jewellery and watch operators suffer a major setback in business because of the increasing competition from luxury goods and high fashion conglomerates. There are many instances where the traditional jewellery has lost its importance and the demand for the same is fading because of the evolution of new type of fashion jewellery. Some of the critical aspects for major setback for traditional jewellery Evolution of high fashion conglomerates in the jewellery industry paved way for changing consumer behavior and shift in the purchasing methods and dimensions. The conglomerates use their financial strength to identify key locations that are expensive for better customer segment reach. The traditional firms are a way behind in reforming their practices and are slightly reluctant to change any dimension of their jewellery setup. Whereas the conglomerates are ready to spend fortune on effective advertisement and branding techniques and deploy promotional strategies to attract customers and achieve brand loyalty paving way for effective customer retention. After the great depression, there has been a shift in consumer... The Supply factor out paces the demand of jewellery leading to reduction of prices, minimizing the ultimate corporate profit by a small percentage and increase in job cuts as a measure of sustainability. Traditional small jewellery and watch operators suffer a major setback in business because of the increasing competition from luxury goods and high fashion conglomerates. There are many instances where the traditional jewellery has lost its importance and the demand for the same is fading because of the evolution of new type of fashion jewellery. The traditional firms are a way behind in reforming their practices and are slightly reluctant to change any dimension of their jewellery setup. Whereas the conglomerates are ready to spend fortune on effective advertisement and branding techniques and deploy promotional strategies to attract customers and achieve brand loyalty paving way for effective customer retention. After the great depression, there has been a shift in consumer buying behaviour, their choice and preferences leading to more modified buying motives. With the effective marketing initiatives, the customer target base is attracted towards designs which are fashionable and simple for official purpose.

Dyson Crafting a Deployment Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Dyson Crafting a Deployment Strategy - Essay Example Education, knowledge, culture, supporting high tech start-ups and financing high tech start ups were his proposals. He laid emphasis on exploiting knowledge, challenging the government to consider investing in university or industry research, where there are possibilities of making specializations and excellence in certain fields. There is a general acceptance among leaders in public and private sectors that UK has a strong scientific base, which lays a good foundation for making innovation a reality. Support should continue to be given to local institutions of learning and research with emphasis on those which utilize innovative approaches to provide sustainable solutions to the problems or needs of people in the country or globally. Research and development is nowadays a common feature of any institution which needs to grow and remain relevant to the demands and needs of relevant consumers. It is especially essential that R & D be not a totally separate department where innovation exists, whereas the other areas in an organization remain stagnant. R & D should be incorporated into the general structure of the company and everybody should view it as part of the means to achieve an organization’s purposes. This paper aims to obtain experiences from clients who use Dyson products in their homes and offices. Specifically, clients will be asked to explain why they prefer Dyson products or generally how the products differ from others they have used before. To get the right and helpful answers from the clients, it’s critical to design the questions in such a way that they are not confusing to the customers, and that they are convenient and comfortable for the clients to give comprehensive and correct answers or responses. The questions should be straight to the point or direct. Methodology This study employs a cross sectional strategy whereby information will be collected from clients of the company once, without any follow up except for clarification . Questionnaires will be used to collect information and they will be self administered unless there is request for questions to be read. This data will be analyzed quantitatively to obtain measures of central tendency and variation, and a final report will be written to inform the company on what customers expect from them. There shall be feedback where the information obtained from clients will be presented before senior management of the company so that any clarifications can be made to enable the company make informed decisions regarding the design and manufacture of their products (Dyson, 2012). Obtaining of information from clients or customers is very critical for any organization, because it helps the organization to be able to know the feelings or attitudes of the customers and potential clients regarding their products or what they sell. This specifically helps companies in coming up with decisions which can greatly help the company to move forward. Basically, asking for c ustomer response helps in efficient decision making, and many companies capitalize on this when making critical decisions regarding the running of the companies. These responses may be collected using questionnaires or interviews, both physical and telephone interviews, where customers are

Divorce's affects on children Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Divorce's affects on children - Essay Example Ending a marriage is not a one-time event that occurs in a courthouse, it is a process. As well, the effects that divorce has on the families involved are of the utmost importance, especially in regards to the children. Both the short-term and long-term effects that divorce has on children are incredibly significant, and few would stand to argue that children are not incredibly affected by divorce. Although the greatest focus of divorce's effect on children is most certainly put towards regards to the first weeks and months following the divorce, the reality is that the long-term effects are often times the most critical. In order to come to a clearer and more knowledgeable understanding on this subject matter, the issue of divorce itself must be thoroughly addressed, as well as the key elements in relation to it. The aim of this paper is to discuss the events and phases of divorce, and the effect that divorce has on children. This is what will be dissertated in the following. Divorce is an intensely stressful experience for all children, regardless of their age or developmental level; however, statistics show that is especially hard the younger the children are during the time of the divorce. There are many reasons for this, one of the most primary being that during the younger years of their lives, family is all the children really have to rely on; they do not have friends to help relieve their stress and they have no one to talk to or to express themselves to. "A study in 1980 found that less than 10% of children had support from adults other than relatives during the acute phase of the divorce." (Eleoff, 2003). This leaves them with a feeling of helplessness and loneliness, and issues like this are supremely relevant and must not be neglected or ignored. The pain which is experienced by children at the beginning of a divorce is composed of many things, such as: a sense of vulnerability as the family disintegrates; a grief reaction to the loss of the i ntact family (many children do not realize that their parents' marriage is troubled at all to begin with); loss of the non-custodial parent; a feeling of intense anger at the disruption of the family; and strong feelings of powerlessness - to name a few. It is especially difficult for younger children during the situation of divorce, in that it is harder for them to deal with the sudden onset of life change, and the neglect they often times begin to feel. The developmental considerations in response of the children are significantly more severe in regards to the younger children: preschool children (ages 3 - 5) are likely to exhibit a regression of the most recent developmental milestone achieved. Additionally, sleep disturbances and an exacerbated fear of separation from the custodial parent are common. There is usually a great deal of yearning for the non-custodial parent. During early latency (ages 6 - 8) children often openly grieve for the departed parent. There is a noted preoccupation with fantasies that distinguishes the reactions of this age group. Children have replacement fantasies, or fantasies that their parents will happily reunite in the not-so-distant future. Also, children in this developmental stage have an especial ly difficult time with the concept of the permanence of the divorce. During late latency (ages 8 - 11) children experience severe feelings of anger and

Tenerife Airport Disaster Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Tenerife Airport Disaster - Case Study Example Air travel is undoubtedly the safest way to travel. This claim is best expressed by a statement of an aviation researcher at the University of Miami, Earl Wiener who stated that in USA alone "There are 15,000 to 20,000 takeoffs a day. Half a billion passengers a year, in a hostile environment, get to their destination safely and quickly" (Chandler, 1996,p.52). While we encounter almost daily news about land transportation mishaps and regularly hear news of ships, large or small, sinking in seas, air transportation mishaps come far and in between. Thus, it is the best preferred means to travel, especially involving long distances. Because of such growing transport demand, the number of aircraft in operation is constantly on the rise while bigger, behemoth aircrafts which are capable of transporting a large number of people are being built. Thus, when air accidents occur, we hear of many people perishing in such accidents. Despite the fact that modern airplanes are now designed to be as safe as possible and are now built with stronger materials with more powerful engines and at faster speeds and are much bigger and heavier and with improvement in its equipment and its operation that practically ensures safety, yet airplane crashes still occur (Grolier, 1994). In January 2010 alone, 2 airplanes crashed i.e. one involving the Ethiopian Airlines that crashed in Beirut, Lebanon and killing all 90 people on board (Walker, 2010) and the other one involving the Alaska CentralAir Disaster 3 Express cargo airplane that crashed off Sand Point, Alaska and snuffing the lives of the 2 pilots aboard (Anchorage Daily News, 2010). It seems that airplane mishaps is inevitable and that people concerned have no option but prepare a good emergency response plan and management to mitigate the disaster and rescue whatever can be rescued. Statistics show that from 1954 to 2004, 1402 crashes had occurred and that 25,664 lives had perished in the process (1001crash.com). It is also a known fact that more than 50% of all accidents occur during the final approach and landing stages. But what is considered more dangerous is the climbing stage of the aircraft, where fatal accidents may occur. It is possible that airplane defects may go undetected as the plane leaves the gate but such defect will become apparent when the plane takes off the ground and begins climbing. When the pilots realize that such defect exists, they

See order instructions Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

See order instructions - Case Study Example Whichever way the debate goes, the obvious fact is that in manning the college sports, the NCAA earns a lot of revenue and as such, a little token of appreciation would be necessary to the contributing athletes. This paper will argue that the NCAA has been unfair to college athletes, and since it benefits in many ways from college games, college athletes should receive part of the income just like employee athletes of the body do. The tussle between the NCAA and the college athletes make headlines in April when the Northwestern University Basketball players presented the National Labor Relations Board with a proposal to form a union. The idea of the union is to protest against the NCAA which does not treat them like employee athletes. The debate was further ignited by government officials stating that the NCAA was in no way liable to the students since they were not recognized as employees of the body. The reiterations further claimed that the students should be awarded by their colleges since it is they who benefit most from participating in the games. Normally, the only rewards offered to successful college athletes are scholarships, medical covers, and expert coaching. According to Bowen (n.p.), the students’ demands are deep-rooted, largely being influenced by the fact that schools themselves have to struggle much to make more money out of sports. Again, it seems like coaches of college teams are t he biggest beneficiaries, reaping from the students’ games more than they do. For instance, the coach of the University of Kentucky basketball team makes approximately $5.5 million every season. Broadcasters on their part make an approximate $1 billion off the games. This happens even as schools try to accommodate more tournaments and games every season just so their athletes can be better exposure and earn some rewards from their skills. One

Personal Reflection Essay Example for Free

Personal Reflection Essay This reflection will discuss personal diffidence and how it has influenced my academic studies, including my practice within placement settings. Gibbs reflective cycle (Gibbs, 1998) has been utilised as it illustrates a clear structure for the process of reflection. To conclude this reflection will draw together the themes which have emerged and highlight a clear action for future learning that will be used in order to enhance my future practice. Within my previous occupation as a health care assistant I was subject to workplace bulling which was allowed to continue for an extensive period of time due to ineffective management of the situation. Vartia (2001, p. 68) suggests that one of the consequences for the targets of workplace bulling is a feeling of low self confidence. This is indeed true of myself; although this occurred prior to commencement of university, I perceive that I am diffident stemming from this experience. This diffidence has influenced my academic studies and my practice upon placement. Feelings: I feel that I find it challenging to settle down within new groups of people. Whilst on placement I feel it takes a significant amount of time to work within my fullest capacity within the team. Spouse (2008, p. 21) state that entering a new placement area can be a daunting experience; suggesting this may be because you are joining a team of strangers who already know each other. However I feel that my previous experience has heightened my apprehension and indeed Bach and Grant (2009) suggest past experience contributes to our attitudes and values and affects what we notice about other peoples behaviour and how we interpret it. Therefore I may unintentionally be vigilant for behaviour that represents past experience. I feel I become emotive when conflict arises both upon placement and within the university environment; therefore I have a tendency to avoid sources of conflict. Furthermore; although I am aware of the need to challenge poor practice witnessed and have done so within the past; it is something that I find particularly challenging and uncomfortable to deal with. I find it uncomfortable to challenge people because I perceive this as a negative source of conflict. I am somewhat afraid of the reactions this may evoke and the impact this could have on my working relationships within the team I am placed. Within my academic studies in the university learning environment specifically; this diffidence has manifested as an apprehension of speaking within groups. This is especially apparent when it is required to perform group presentations. Although my one to one communication and communication within familiar groups is of good quality, communication within unfamiliar groups can be hindered by this diffidence. I am concerned that if allowed to continue; diffidence could be detrimental to my future practice as a nurse. Hagbaghery et (2004) qualitative research findings suggest that nurses perceive competence and self confidence as the most important personal factors influencing nurses clinical decision making, therefore in order to enhance my future practice I feel that it is imperative that I overcome this. Evaluation: Upon evaluation of these feelings I perceive I have progressed and gained confidence thus far, however there is still margin for improvement. I feel that upon a recent eight week placement period whereby I moved across four placement settings; I had an abundance of practice within adapting and participating within new teams. Although I felt that transition across four settings somewhat hindered myself working to my fullest capacity; the positive aspect of this was that it facilitated gain in self confidence. Nash, Lemcke and Sacre (2008) suggest that initially when encountering a new workplace culture trying to be accepted within this new culture can be uncomforting and lead to feelings of inadequacy; however by the end of this eight week period I feel I gained a significant amount of self confidence and I felt confident with my ability to integrate into new teams effectively. Communication is the interaction with people and is at the core of nursing according to McCabe and Timmins (2006, p. 4), therefore I acknowledge that in order to work to my fullest capacity within the nursing profession it is imperative I overcome this apprehension of speaking within groups and performing presentations. I have reflected upon previous experiences within university; contrasting performing our first group presentation to a recent group presentation experience. I perceive a vast improvement however again there is still margin for improvement and gain in confidence. Brankenbridge and Blows (2008, p. 216) have highlighted that there are different ways in which you can challenge, constructive and destructive. Constructive challenges highlight alternatives and leave the person with something of which they can reflect upon, build upon and change. Destructive challenges are delivered in an unskilful fashion leaving the person who has been challenged feeling put down and bad and potentially could be a source of conflict and negative feeling. This is why in the past I have perceived challenging people in practice as a negative action, possibly due to lacking differentiation between destructive and constructive criticism. Analysis: Although I perceive myself as diffident upon analysis I am unaware of how others may perceive my self. According to Barber, McLaughlin and Wood (2009, p. 76) The Johari Window; Luft and Ingham (1955) can show us aspects of ourselves that we believe is how others perceive us, however they further suggest that these aspects may only be a small part of our ‘personality’ as a whole and not necessarily how others perceive ourselves. Which means although I perceive myself as diffident; others may not necessarily perceive my self in this manner and it is essentially necessary that I develop further self awareness. Barber, McLaughlin and Wood (2009, p. 76) perceive development of self awareness as crucial in highlighting how we view and respond to others and in turn how they view and respond to us. The National Health Service (NHS) Modernisation Agency Leadership Centre (2005) have corroborated this view by suggesting self awareness can assist with understanding ones own emotions and the impact of one’s behaviour on others. Therefore one of the many benefits of self awareness for myself may be understanding my colleagues, learning to relax, identifying my strengths and weaknesses and indentifying my own learning needs, Burnard (1997). I perceive assertiveness of which Siviter (2008, p. 116) defines as respecting the rights and feelings of others whilst standing up for yourself and your own rights as a necessary skill which will further facilitate a gain in self confidence. In order to be assertive it is necessary to possess the ability to express your feelings in a direct, open, honest and appropriate manner. Breckenbridge and Blows (2008, p. 217) further suggest that assertive communication is the key to successful relationships for patients, family, nurses and colleagues alike; therefore further development of my assertive communication skills will enhance my future practice and communication with staff, family and patients alike. Development of assertive communication skills may aid when and if the need arises in future practice to challenge colleague’s actions or the actions of people in general. Indeed Breckenridge and Blows (2008, p. 17) suggest assertiveness is a key feature within effective challenging and therefore is an essential skill of which is required to be developed. Assertiveness aids conveyance of important messages and helps individuals stand up for the rights of themselves and others; one example of such being advocacy. Advocacy is reflected within The code in full (Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2008) who state that nurses must act as an advocate for those within their care. Therefore learning to be assertive is not a choice, it is a must if I am to live up to what is expected of me within my role as a student and future nurse. Conclusion and Action Plan: The challenge for the future is that I totally overcome this diffidence. I envisage being able to achieve by developing self awareness. I could develop self awareness by using a tool such as The Johari Window. Academically the challenge is to overcome apprehension regarding communication with unfamiliar groups of colleagues. I anticipate achieving this by taking more time to consider what I am going to before I begin and being prepared for situations where I am required to speak. With regard to performing presentations I will be prepared and rehearse what I am going to say in advance.

New Product Questionnaire Essay Example for Free

New Product Questionnaire Essay As a woman you are created with a special gift, it’s like little extra ingredients that all women have within them. The poem â€Å"Phenomenal Woman† by Maya Angelou, she speaks about the elegance of a woman, her inner being the way she glow without saying a word Maya expressed how men are amazed by her presence â€Å"men themselves have wondered what they see in me† (line 31-32). It’s hard to put your finger on it all women were born with the power. In the poem â€Å"Still I rise† by Maya Angelou she described the struggles of life trials and tribulations you face in society and the way people may judge you. As if she was writing about a woman â€Å"does my sassiness upset you? †She also wrote in another stanza â€Å"does my sexiness upset you? †She used this comparison to show she is a sexy woman who demands respect. Maya’s attitude in this poem is portraying a confident black African American woman. She is really laughing at men challenging them. They cannot stop her from rising above all expectation. This poem gives you not only inspiration encouragement to be fearless; to the end of it all you must believe you still rise above it all. The title gives a sense of entity and power. This masterpiece the poem â€Å"phenomenal woman† has also empowered women to get more in touch with their inner beauty. Maya describes in great detail the mystery of women and the behavior of men and their reaction. It shows women to not only love your-self but to embrace every aspect of your mind, body and soul. Maya show that sexuality isn’t only related to outer beauty, or by the way you dress it more about how you feel within your own skin . she shows you instead of hating your body love it from the crown of your head to the sole of your feet. In society today women enhances their body by doing plastic surgery to feel accepted. She feels inferior clearly stating that every part of a woman is beauty. In comparisons to â€Å"Phenomenal Woman† and â€Å"Still I Rise† both poems Maya speaks about not bowing to the â€Å"oppressor†. You can feel her compassion in every word in Phenomenal Woman â€Å"now you understand why my head’s not bowed† (lines 47). Still I Rise forth stanza â€Å"with head bowed and eyes lowered? †Within these lines she stresses that she will not conform to what society made her out to be, that she will soar above and beyond everyone expectations. The little gives a sense of entity and power. In conclusion these two poems have few similarities; Maya characterized the strength of an African American woman. By using powerful words she described the emotional aspect of inner beauty, standing proud professing no one will ever bring her down not by the color of her skin nor the fact of being a woman that there’s more within.

Managerialism is a set of beliefs and practices

Managerialism is a set of beliefs and practices Explore to what extent the managerialist model of management and leadership adopted in England and Wales has influenced management culture in China and the impact that this has had on my management and leadership style. Introduction Managerialism is a set of beliefs and practices, and it assumes that better management can solve the various problems existing in the public sectors (Pollitt,1993). In either England and Wales or China, Managerialism has been a stable indispensable ingredient in the policy of government in order to operate state schools, in contrast to the traditional bureaucratic ideals, it provides high priority to management and leadership (Pollitt 1993). Leadership, is a complex social phenomenon, and it has been studied and developed over many years. It is a process in which an individual influences the group of individuals to accomplish the common goals and targets. Leadership is born in an organization context, that is to say if there is no organization or group then there can be no leadership. Leadership includes attention to goals, which means leadership impacts in contexts where everybody is moving toward a goal. So leadership seems like a power relationship existing between leaders and followers (Northouse ,2007). Management is defined realistically in the context of an organization. That is to say that management is a process which enables organizations to set and achieve their objective by planning organizing and controlling their recourses, including gaining motivation from their employees. Although it is being argued that the application of some managerialist approaches cause problems, in England and Wales, education is overseen by the Department for Education according to managerialist principles. Almost all state-funded schools are maintained schools funded by the government in which the local authority, Ofsted and the TDA are influential partners. Proponents of the new managerialism in education argue that managerial methods are necessary to respond to the demands of a changed environment with dramatically increased degrees of uncertainty in a knowledge-dependent society. In this paper, I argue that the ongoing changes in education management are better understood in England and Wales as well as in China. I will focus on as follows: To explore and contrast how government in England and China control schools in their respective countries. To compare and contrast how leadership is exercised in schools in China and England. (trait, style, transformational leadership) To reflect on what leadership theory I might be able to apply when I return to China. Literature review 2.1)Managerialism in English Education Managerialism has become the predominant ideology in English educational management. Although there are different definitions of managerialism, as a fad and buzzword, it has been given various names including, New public Management, New Managerialism, Entrepreneurial Governance and Neo-Taylorism (Power 1997 cited in McGrah. 2004) Managerialism was introduced to English education in 1980s and there has been as a belief that effective leadership and management is considered as the most important element for operating successful schools and colleges (Bush 2004 cited in McGrath). Bush (2004) summarised its typical traits as follows: managerialism , Firstly, it empowers managers right to manage, which is raising the process of management above that which is to be managed. Secondly, it uses cost centres and devolved budgets to achieve greater financial control. Thirdly, managerialism uses contracts instead of the high-trust relationship to organise sub-units. Fourthly, managerialism uses performance assessment to link the individuals aim and the objectives of organisation. Last but not least, a virtual-market environment is created , it promotes competition and transforms students into customers. In regards to the features of managerialism mentioned before, better management and leadership have become requirements and a trend. Pollitt (1993:49) stated that managerialism is the acceptable face of new-right thinking concerning the state. It is an ingredient in the pot pouris which can attract support beyond the new right itself. During the last two decades, Bush (1986, 1995, 1999, and 2004) also consistently claimed that effective leadership and management play a crucial role in the successful operation of schools and colleges. Bush (2004:2) suggested successful management requires a clear link between aims, strategy and operational management. In his view there are three aspects which should be clear, that is: formal aims, organizational or individual aims and the determination of aims. Gunter (1997) accepted the same conception that managerialism has to emphasise managerial efficiency rather than the direction at the achievement of educational objectives. Although opposition to managerialism has never stopped, the government continually emphasises the effective management and leadership in schools, colleges and universities as the means by which governmental and organisational goals may be achieved (Simkins cited in Mcgrath 1999). However, the fact that managerialism has affected the development of education and society and the trend has shown that it will continue to play an important role in education system. 2.2) Managerialism in Chinese education In China education is a state-run system of public education run by the Ministry of Education. In the basic education, the Chinese government established a uniform standard for basic education, to control the national curriculum, the system of enrolment examinations, and teacher qualifications level. The Chinese education system is reforming, through studying advanced educational counties and excessive government control is being reduced. Similarity with all most countries in the world, education is a long-term priority in China, it has never been ignored by Chinese government Since the founding of New China, the Chinese government has always attached great importance to education, It is establishing the worlds largest education system (Basic Education in China(2010)). The Ministry of Education (2009) stated that China has been unremitting efforts to explore a path of educational development with Chinese characteristics. It is well-known that education system is controlled by central government who was in charge of basic education and high education before the market economy replaced the planning economy in 1985. In short, the curriculum and leaders and teachers management were all administrated by government. After 1985, the educational system was no longer compatible with the prevailing economic system and social needs, there was a transition that happened in the highly centralized administrative system of education(Su 2004). The National Conference on Education stated that The reforms were intended to expand their management and decision-making powers, this policy gave administrators the necessary encouragement and authority to ensure smooth progress in educational reform. Lee (2006) gave a clear explanation that local governments were given some administrative powers. The basic education was mainly the responsibility of local governments. In higher education and vocational education, colleges and universities were more independent decisions-making power than before. Furthermore, the investment system underwent a gradual change under which the state made unified development plans and provided budgetary appropriations for education. In 1993 after the greatest reform in Education happened in china. The Education Law of the Peoples Republic of China states that the Ministry of Education is responsible for formulating guiding principles for education, establishing regulations, planning the progress of educational projects with expanded administrative scope and power and it is co-ordinating the educational programs of different departments, and standardization educational reforms. In short, The Ministry of Education is highest power of education in China. As followed years, the simplification of administration and delegation of authority were made the bases for improving the education system. This devolution of management from central government to the autonomous regions, provinces, and special municipalities made local governments have more decision-making power. Despite that the new Ministry assumed a central role in the administration of education, the reform decentralized much of the power it previously wielded but decided-power just belongs to local governments. That is to say, the local government establishes curriculum and admissions policies in response to the State Planning Commissions requirements. In summary, local management is running in basic education and excessive central government control over colleges and universities was reduced than before, but the location management is more power to control colleges and universities. 2.3) Compare and contrast Admittedly, government control in education system has been placed at a different level in England and China. Su (2003) analysed that In the Chinese context, the remaking of public play the role of top policy makers, there should be a dilemma in between the state hierarchy and market mechanisms and the controversy of property rights. During the reform era, the top Chinese policy makers have been trying to gain not only a realistic policy making role for the party-state at the macro level, but also feasible approaches in the remaking of public management at the micro levels. Although State Council (central government) still played a central role in the administration of education and the new ministry of education is in charge of all organisations, there has been decentralisation to constituent educational bureaus and local governments. These local organisations have the power to establish curriculum and admissions policies. Education law of the peoples republic of China (Article 14) states that: The State Council and all local Peoples government at different levels shall supervise and manage the educational work according to the principle of management by different levels and division of labour with individual responsibility. Secondary and lower education shall be managed by the local Peoples government under the leadership of the State Council. Higher education shall be managed by the State Council and the Peoples government of province, autonomous region or municipality directly under the central government. Similar reforms china stated later , in England and Wales, the school leaderships are reduced to implement the policies and values of government and its agencies (Bush 2004.p 4). The government is very appreciative of school leadership who continue to give their time and energy to the voluntary work of serving on school governing bodies. Although governments have the constitutional power to impose their will but successful innovations require the commitment of those who have to implement these chances in the England and Wales (Bush 2004.p 4). He explained if the teachers and leaders believe the policies are not suitable for teaching and learning, which should give rise to a lack of passion and enthusiasm to implement an initiative. Therefore, government should encourage schools to have visionary leadership as long as the visions and values of school are close to government imperatives. Bush(2004) argued that to what extent the leadership is able to modify government policy depends on school-level values and vision. Different ideas , Furlong (2002) claimed that the professional status of teachers has been reduced because of increased government control of education. That is to say, in England and Wales, professionalism is allowed to exist only by the grace of central government due to the central monitoring of teacher performance. (Bush, 2004 p5) Governing bodies and individual governors should also review their effectiveness and carry out self evaluation of their own skills and evaluate the skill set possessed by the governing body as a whole so that any skills gaps can be met. Governors should also receive defined information to enable them to challenge and hold the school leadership team to account 2.4 Leadership theories in common use in England schools Undoubtedly, managerialism needs high quality management or leadership and policy maker have placed great emphasis on the good leadership. So the model of leadership has been promoting. Although there is no unified definition of leadership at present, it is different from management. Yukl(2002) and Northhouse (2007) described that leadership is an influenced process where individual influences a group or organization through his or her actions and motivation. Bush(2004) clarified this by suggesting three dimensions to define leadership. that is, leadership as influence, leadership and values , and leadership and vision . Because the significance of effective leadership has been increasingly acknowledged, not true beause its important new therories have been developed researchers never stop to study and analyse leadership theories. In consequence, there are many leadership theories according to different concerns the style approach emphasized on and various social context. However, in England, every leader has their own leadership style which very often can be analysed using trait, style and transformational leadership. Trait theory is leadership theory with long history. It originated in the 19th century, is based on the Great Man theory of leadership. Where from The Great man theory believes that a successful leader should have certain innate characteristics that make them special and concentrate on their success. Trait theory developed out of the Great man theory and emphasises the identification and analysis of the superior qualities of leaders. This theory concentrate on the personality which are innate traits that a leader requires. (Power 1997 cited in McGrath. 2004) As a theory, the traits leaders should hold have been studied since its birth. Although no one has been able to provide the definitive list of traits which are different between leaders and non-leaders, there are seven typical traits that have been considered important. That is: self-confidence, intelligence, helicopter effect (explain it) , persistence, integrity, motivation and responsibility, which emphasise what qualities a leader should have. ( McGrah. 2004)(reference) For the reason that trait theory is still important at present, two strengths should be mentioned. The greatest one is that it is very easy to understand, people likely think about what their leader is and what their leaders should be like. Another great function of trait theory is that trait theory can be used to filter candidates and identify those with leadership qualities. These strengths also affect following new theories, but as a theory, the greatest weaknesses also constrict its development. The greatest weakness is that the definitive list of traits has not been agreed. That is to say, if a new list is identified the recognized leader should be in dilemma, because they likely do not have all the traits specified. ( McGrath. 2004 )(quotation if u copy other words say situation some Compared with trait theory that focus on the personality, style theory concerned with the behaviour. Northouse (2007) comments that generally there are two kinds of behaviour which should be considered. One is task theory which aids goal achievement and other is relational theory which assists interpersonal support. Style theory seeks a way to help leaders to effectively combine these two behaviours. As a theory, the greatest strength is that it established the idea that the leaders style is composed of two major components- task and relationship, more importantly, the key to good readership is finding the right balance, which changes the focus of research to what leaders do and how they act while it provides leaders with an insight into how others see them. However, there are three doubts about this theory. First, how does style of leadership impact on performance and attitude of staff? Secondly, whether there is a style that is effective in all situations? Thirdly, it does not take account of the context or situation in which leadership is exercised (Northouse 2007). Currently, the Transformation Leadership theory (TL) has become popularised in the educational leadership field. Transformation Leadership theory focuses on values, ethics standards and long-term goals. A connection leaders create is characterized by raising the level of motivation and morality in both the leader and followers. Caldwell and Spinks (1992) commented that transformation leadership theory is crucial for self-managed schools. As opposite to them, Bennett et al(2003) argued that because this theory put too much on the top leader as a heroic figure and encourage manipulation of followers, it gave rise to overemphasis on conception of distributed leadership. ( for leadership )Similarly, Bush(2004) discussed that transformational model is popular in the literature but the contemporary policy climate cannot provide enough condition for its growth, because the English system increasingly requires school leaders to adhere to government prescriptions which affect aims, curriculum, content and pedagogy as well as values(Bush 2004,p78). Bottery (2001) holds a the same view that the more centralized , more directed, and more controlled educational system that has dramatically reduced the possibility of realising a genuinely transformational education and leadership. (2001: page) However, transformational leadership theory is consistent with the collegial model in which a challenge should be faced is that leaders and staffs have shared values and common interests. 2.5) Management and leadership approaches used in China Government control, on the one hand, built a solid basis of education; on the other hand, it produced a constriction on leadership. Although being one of the major public policies, educational decentralization is a popular reform of governments around the world including China. Admittedly, there are considerable autonomy and variations in and among the autonomous regions, provinces, and special municipalities, but decentralization is by no means an entirely new policy initiative or a recent policy product. Leadership has to be impacted by local government and it has to adopt diversified strategies to obedience to authority. (reference ? why ) Indeed, in China, leaderships in school are strategic compliers of policy and government. The reason is that what is extent of which the government policy can be changed by leaderships who develop alternative approaches based on school-level. In general, the aim of schools for basic education is to enter higher school and the target of high education is to be in business in China, In face of increasing financial constraints and under increasing pressure of government inspect and social intervention., on balance, leaderships in school have to pursue three Es (efficiency, effectiveness, and economy) to follow the policy of government. 2.6 Reflection: what extent could that trait, style and transformational leadership used in China Despite a fact that government control, to some extent, impacts the development of leadership in China, with managerialism development, leadership theories also exerted influence on leadership style. Trait, style and transformational leadership theories are paid attention more. Exactly, trait theory is the oldest theory and the earliest used in china, this theory is not solely copy of the Great Man theory, but it is based on Great Man theory, summarized the common traits of successful leaders. Up to now in China, likelihood, if an organization wants to look for a leader or someone want to work as a leader in educational institution, the basic qualities as first sieve should be required, these traits are as followed: Intelligence: leaders should have professional knowledge and be intellect to deal with issues and problems. Self-confidence: it is quite different between leaders and their followers. No matter how hard the leaders confront with challenges, leaders should be confident to tackle them, it is not fake it but positive to seek effective way due to a believe you can deal with them. Helicopter effect: China is a country whose thought is more collective, as a leader, she or he should be able to encourage everyones aim to be same with organization. leaders need to motivate not only themselves but also staff. Persistence: as good quality, the leader must have it. As leaders in education, they should meet challenges, obstacles and results that are not expected. Never giving up and keeping forward are ever objectives. Integrity: it come from respect and trust and integrity is foot of respect and trust. Responsibility: leaders should put responsibility before accountability. Reference here who wrote it With popularity of transformational leadership theory in western, this theory is permeating to China. It is part of the new leadership paradigm that give more attention to the charismatic and effective elements of leadership. It meets the needs of todays work groups who want to be inspired and empowered to succeed in times of uncertainty, because this theory focus on the intrinsic motivates and followers development. It provide easier way for leaders to combine the aim of organization and individuals targets. It is more humanism, and it consider emotions, values, ethics, standards and long-term goals and includes assessing followers motives, satisfying their needs and treating as full human beings. That is why this theory is broad researched and applied in China. These three theories have their own strengths and weaknesses, how to exert their advantages and avoid their disadvantages is strategy and tactic. Conclusion : 500 In conclusion, therefore, it can be seen that despite widespread opposition to managerialism. It is common sense that there are two sides for everything in the world, although opposition of managerialism has never stopped, managerialism has become a dominant ideology in educational management either in England and Wales as well as in China. It is a production of development of society even though the application of managerialist approach can cause some problem. However, managerialism emphasizes on managers right to manage. It is typified by a set of practice including the assumptions, techniques, ideas and behaviours, so the practice of management is raised above importance of the function being managed. So the introduction of manageriamlism led to a greater emphasis being place on management and leadership as these skills were necessary to meet the new requirements. Reference here who said quotation According to managerialism, government needs the good management and leadership to control education. However, the government policy cannot be changed by leaderships who develop alternative approaches based on school-level. In other words, governments in England and Wales have the constitutional power to impose their will but successful innovations require the commitment of those who have to implement these changes; while in China, central government controls and manages at different levels. On the one hand it keeps educational development stable; on the other, it limits innovation. Management and leadership As a predominant ideology in educational management, managerialism needs the effective management and leadership which are required by governmenal and organizational. Management is of mind so it is important. As a science, it is concerned with now and here, which means manager need to do things right; while leadership is concerned with future, as a art, leadership is sole and heart, it need to do right things. So management and leadership, in most time, could not be divided. Indeed, leadership theories have provide a dramatically different view of the driving forces behind leadership. As is mentioned before that in England the trait, style and transformational leadership are very often analysed by most leaders even if they have their own leadership style. During the process of development of leadership theory, the researchers and leaders have been looking for the best way to obtain the sense and avoid their weakness. This is why some good strengths of old theory (traits and style theory) are still important for today. With the development of leadership theory, the new theories always fit requirement of age in order to fit effective management and leadership. Areas of weakness in what you have done I have done my best to show the educational management and leadership in England and Wales and China. Because the aims of education are more diffuse and contested. As is known, the educational aims are tied up with peoples values and beliefs, so educational management and leadership should be different with other public areas. In addition, because of the differences of context and tradition in different countries, management and leadership in China and England are in different way, although it is in very subtle, implicit ways. The analysis and discussion have been shown; some of these were somewhat out of date. Although it is not clear which leadership style is the best for England and China, at least, the strengths and weakness mentioned before are meaningful for further research if it is merely reflecting way for me to see my own leadership style. However, in the long run, negative effect of managerialiam and leadership theories should be attractive my eyes. As we know that things will change, but only slowly. Research in these areas is important, the eventual solution would identify the better way to manage schools, colleges and universities in other words, a greater respect for aims of education to look for a fittest management method. (3982)

Bilingual Education Essay -- A Level Essays

Bilingual Education Bilingual education has been a politicized topic of debate for years. There are many whom support bilingual education being incorporated into students’ curriculums while others are adamant that it should not be a part of the classroom. Those that are opponents of bilingual education seem to fear the idea of students being exposed to a second language or becoming proficient in two languages. Bilingual education has many dimensions and definitions, which can cause some confusion, but the benefits of its inclusion into student’s curriculum are irrefutable. What Is Bilingual Education and How Did It Come About? An encompassing definition of the term bilingual education is, The use of two languages, one of which is English, as mediums of instruction for the same pupil population in a well-organized program, which encompasses all, or part of the curriculum and includes the study of the history and culture associated with the mother tongue. A complete program develops and maintains the children’s self-esteem and a legitimate pride in both cultures. (Blanco 1977, p.123). Bilingual Education began in the United States in the mid- 60’s. The time that the bilingual movement started coincided with the height of the civil-rights movement for African Americans. During this time there was a great outcry from Latino activist that protested against discrimination that led to a high drop out rate for Spanish speaking students. In 1968 congress approved a bill to aide in equal education opportunities, this was the Bilingual Education Act. Its intentions were merely to help Limited English Proficient (LEP) students become literate in English, today goals of Bilingual education have advanced (Porter 2003). On... ...al.org. April 29, 2003. â€Å"Bilingual education/Limited English proficient students† National Center for Educational Statistics. www.nces.edgov. April 18, 2003. Blake, P (ND). â€Å"A Summary of Prop. 227† Second Language Acquisition University of California Davis Institute. www.secondlanguageacquisition.com. April 23, 2003. U.S. Department of Education (1995). â€Å"Model Strategies in Bilingual Education: Professional Development† Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Language Affairs. http://www.ed.gov/pubs/ModStrat/. April 28, 2003. Magazine Article: Porter, R. (ND). â€Å"The case against Bilingual education† The Atlantic Online. www.theatlantic.com. April 23, 2003. Zehr, M. (2003). â€Å"New Arizona Chief clamps down on Bilingual rules† Education Week.http://www.edweek.org/ew/ewstory.cfm?slug=24arizona.h22&keywords=bilingual%20education. April 28, 2003.

Quiet Revolution Essay -- Canadian History

In 1960, a series of swift and sweeping reforms, were in processing in Quebec, and the reforms carried out by Jean Lesage, who is the leader of Quebec Liberal Party. This term was commonly believed for six years from 1960 to 1966 (Cuccioletta & Lubin, 2003). Before the Quiet Revolution, Quebec was under control of its leader Maurice Duplessis, who is an ideologically conservative traditional politician. He insisted on preserving the traditional role of Quebec from 1944 to 1959. It is believed that some policies of Duplessis’s regime were regarded as the factors that resulted in the Quiet Revolution. In the first place, Duplessis has dominated Quebec’s economy in his term as the leader of government, and he almost expropriated the autonomy of his ministers and place Quebec’s economy in the hand of foreign companies. The profile of Quebec before the Quiet Revolution is a church-ridden and agricultural society while some other North American countries were industrialized ones in the same time period (Behiels, 1985, P. xi). Duplessis encouraged and entrusted the development of Quebec economy to the English-speaking Canadians and some foreign companies. At the meantime, he set barriers, and even block the development to French-Canadians’ economic groups. Therefore, foreign companies and English-Canadians owned much more power and rights than the French-Canadians; francophones have no choice but to work for Anglophone and foreign companies. Nevertheless, French-Canadians still obtained much lower wages compared to English-speaking workers. These unfair treatments to francophones led to unsatisfied of the contemporary government. Besides supporting the English-speaking and foreign economy, in Duplessis era, positive interference of unio... ...identity regarded themselves as Quebecers but French-Canadians no longer. Works Cited Behiels, M.D (1985). Prelude to Quebec's Quiet Revolution: Liberalism versus Neo-nationalism 1945-1960. Kinston and Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press. Gagnon, A.G & Montcalm, M.B (1990). Quebec: Beyond The Quiet Revolution . Scarborough: Nelson Canada. Cuccioletta, D. & Lubin, M. (2003, September 22). Article: The Quebec quiet revolution: a noisy evolution. Retrieved February 14, 2011 http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-118986705.html Gauvreau, M. (2005). The Catholic origins of Quebec's Quiet Revolution, 1931-1970. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press Clibbon, J. (2010, June 21). Re-examining the roots of Quebec’s ‘Quiet Revolution’. Retrieved 2 24, 2o11, from CBCNews. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2010/06/18/f-quebec-conradblack-interview.html

Short History of Gangs :: essays research papers

Since the beginning of time, youth groups or gangs have been in existence. These groups have had many negative effects on society for many years. These youth groups or gangs, as they are commonly called, have participated in many criminal and illegal acts that have plagued society. They have been stereotyped with such negative names as rowdies, bad kids, troublemakers, and many other mischievous names. Some of the earliest records of gangs date back to the fourteenth and fifteenth century in Europe. Some of the activities that these youths had been recorded as partaking in have been theft, robbery, extortion, and rape. At the same time in London, some of the names these gangs had were the Mims, Hectors, Bugle, and Dead Boys. These gangs did many types of vandalism to the city. Some of the recorded vandalism that had taken place was various buildings with broken windows, taverns that had been destroyed by the gangs, and assaulting the watch. And if the violence on the public was not enough, these deviant groups also had fights with themselves. When there would be a fight, the separate groups or factions would dress up with different colored ribbons so that they could tell who was with what faction or group. There were also other places where gang violence had been recorded. During the middle ages in France, there were factions that started fights with other factions that were from other places. In Germany during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, gangs were a part of the society. Gangs did not appear to have spread to the United States until the early 1800’s. Many Europeans migrated to the United States, mainly the east coast; in seek of a better way of life. After coming to the United States, the money that many of the Europeans had quickly became depleted. Many of these people had to take out loans to survive with local merchants. Seeing how many of the others had little to no money at all, they also had very little chance for any health care whatsoever. People were dying due to poverty and disease all over. Many people could not take care of there children. It was very common to see children wandering the streets in search of food, shelter, and clothing. These youths that roamed the streets were mainly in the New England areas like New York, Boston, and Philadelphia.

Tom Ang

Tom Ang grew up playing the clarinet. His dream was to become the first clarinet for the London schools symphony orchestra. he never made his dream in the musical world so he turned to the world of Medicine. he stayed in the Nottingham medical school for 3 years before he decided that this wasn't his passion either. he traveled to Hong Kong many years later and saw the beauty that he has never seen before. he then decided that this was his passion. to photograph the things people pass by everyday and to have a new world seen from right under our noses.He traveled to mexico to see not the poverty that is riddled throughout the land but to see the happiness that the families share even in the dark times. to show that it doesn't matter how much money you have to care for your family but how much heart. In his trip to mexico he realized that people don't want to always see the darker things in life that may seem interesting. he saw past the mirror that makes other people resilient and ch ooses to take pictures of the obvious things that others won't see.Tom decided that these pictures are the ones that show true heart and are willing to break the boundaries of normal lifestyle and show the cultures of many other races and nations. he also visits New York in that same year and tries to show New York from the outside worlds perspective. this meaning the poverty that surrounds New York so that it seems similar to mexico and the other countries. he soon realizes that these people are not like the ones in his other photographs that these people are dangerous and are not fueled by heart and love but they are fueled by hate and greed.He tries to capture these pictures as best as he can but did not post many because he believed that they didn't show the true feeling he felt when taking the photos and it doesn't have the same effect if it doesn't feel the same. At this point in time Tom started working with Fay Godwin as his assistant. he was asked if he knew how to print be cause that would be his basic job, and of course he responded yes. He claims that he was a total amateur and did not want to admit it because he needed the job. Yet for some reason she kept him on the team and trained him to become a better printer so he can print for her book and galleries.Tom traveled back to Hong Kong and took many more homescape photos while on his vacation there. Tom had upset a large nest of bees when photographing there. they attacked him very vigorously and sent him to the operating table. he says that his life could have ended right there. after his battle with the bees he traveled to japan in search of a dream boat that kept appearing every time that he would dream. he searched through all of japan taking pictures of boats so he could find it. but sadly this boat was never found.