Effects of Media on Adolescents

Effects of the Media on Adolescents Effects of the Media on Adolescents Sex and the secular lifestyle, seems to be the biggest selling industry on the marked, next to electronics; however has its fair share of effects on the adolescents of today. The media identifies or portrays the act of sexuality as the norm. The average television show often shows young girls being flirtatious, performing sexual acts, and disrespecting their parents. The media often display young men as sexual predators, acting like horn dogs, pressuring the girls for sex. Homosexuality is now more prevalent in the media, as other aspects of sexuality are. The good thing about the media and its advanced sexual content is that it helps to educate the youths about what is out there in these streets, such as sexually transmitted diseases, sexual predators, and how to deal with people such as homosexuals; who might be considered different. With the exposure to this type of media, the adolescents will be more aware and better equipped to deal with the situations that the might face while growing up. On the other hand, others may disagree with sexuality being so prevalent in the media. On the down side, too much sexual exposure may influence the youths to be more eager, and ready to participate in such acts. Even a young boy may think that the men they see dominating and assaulting women are cool, because of the level of control and power the men assume when the commit rape. It is very difficult to determine what may happen from viewing or listening to sexual media, so its best that some material be limited to the a specific age group; hence the rating on certain films. The media portrayal of sexuality was a big influence on me growing up. Being born on the Island of Jamaica, I grew up with a strong Christian background; loaded with good teachings of how to live with thy neighbor. So treating others as good as I would like to be treated, and honoring the commandments was my guide. However, the Island is also known for its culture of dancing carnival and whining, which are very sexual displays; also reggae music is either roots and culture or usually sexual lyrics. Along with the music, most parents or grandparents usually tell their children, that they know they might be growing pubic hair, but they are still children, and must respect their elders. As a child we could not watch any movies with sex scene, not even kissing, and public television had more fighting omitted romantic scenes. Though we understood sexuality, being limited to its exposure, in my opinion, helped to maintain a safer and less sexual environment, because we were less exposed to sex and more exposed to dancing dirty and fine art. Overall, the media can be good and it can be bad. It is for the parents and adults of today, to help censor some of the things that’s in the media as we deem fit for our youths and their households. At the end of the day, each home differs and people may react differently to the same type of exposure. I am more for less sexuality in the media, because the less a child knows about a certain thing, the less they will explore it. Eventually they will know it, but it will happen over time.

Firestarter

Firestarter is the 8th novel written by Stephen King/Richard Bachman and the 10th to be adapted into film. It came out in 1984 right on the heels of four other adaptations of King works released between 1983 and 1984 namely Christine, Cujo, The Dead Zone and Children of the Corn. Unfortunately, the commercial success of the book did not translate into box office receipts in spite of how closely it followed the book. Then again, it could also be said that its faithful adaptation diminished the impact it could have since film is a different medium altogether.The book’s plot followed a formula – that of a government experiment gone wrong. An experimental drug code-named Lot Six was administered by The Shop, a shady government agency, to twelve college volunteers. They wanted to see if psi ability can be stimulated by drugs and bring about telekinesis, thought transference and mental domination. The action in the film and in the book started when The Shop decided to bring i n the McGee family particularly Charlie McGee, the eight-year old child who was the result of the union of the only two remaining relatively healthy subjects who took Lot Six. The others had died or lost their minds and maimed themselves during the experiment or later committed suicide. Far from being an ordinary child, Charlie could make fires with her mind.As in the book, the movie used flashbacks to provide the background on how things came to be. In the book, this approach was used effectively since it can put in as much detail as it can not merely to explain the how and why, but also to gain sympathy for the characters’ plight. In the movie, however, this approach limited the development of the character. As it was, the characters became mere representations of the institutions they stood for. Perhaps, it was assumed that the stellar cast and their acting reputations would create audience empathy. It failed to do that, however.Stanley Mann’s script paid homage to the original lines found in the novel. It was necessary to create closer affinity to the book. No updating was necessary since the setting and context was still relevant at the time the movie was made such as the anti-Russian comment against warrant less searches. The Cold War was still very much felt in the 1980s. Aside from being a King novel, one other reason that this was made into a movie was its potential for spectacular effects of fire and explosions. Its target audience were obviously the fans of the Stephen King’s books who would most likely be curious how the fiery scenes would be pulled off. This was why the script followed the book as faithfully as it can so as not to alienate the purists as Stanley Kubrick did with The Shining. However, the book Firestarter is in itself not compelling.The origins of Charlie’s extraordinary ability was explained early on hence there was not real tension or suspense to be had. Once the pursuit started, their capture and the eventual escape were already predictable. The good guys and the bad guys were firmly established that there could only be one ending. King may have wanted the basic premise to be thought-provoking, that of inflicting unethical experiments on unsuspecting victims. The book focused on the consequence of the experimentation. However, the movie seemed to have focused more on reaching its climax than to pursue this premise. In the movie, there was no exploration of Andy and Vicky’s unease after their psychedelic experience. There was no feeling of dread over what had transpired. There was not feeling of common guilt of being responsible why Charlie turned out to be a firestarter.The director banked on Drew Barrymore to carry the movie and show the incongruity that such an angelic face can carry an ability that can only destroy. Dr. Wanless diatribe and should have explored   the horror of the immensity of her probable power but it just came out as politically preachy. Had the ap proach been altered so that it followed a chronological and continuous tale from the 1969 experimentation up to the pyrotechnic display, perhaps a certain suspense could have been maintained with the audience and the characters could have been developed more clearly which the audience can relate with. Also, the visual tricks of physical turmoil used in the movie such as the nosebleed on top of his facial contortions seem over the top. King did not use both devices in the book. He just made him turn pale and very tired and if we wanted something more visual, there were the explorations of numbness on his face.With Barrymore, her face was fully exploited. In the book, her character was becoming drawn, but in the movie she was in the peak of health. Every time she hurls fire, she gets a close u and her golden hair would be blown away from her face (the better to see you, my dear, so to speak) so one can be mesmerized by how beautiful she was as she hurled her fireballs of death. The so undtrack by Tangerine Dream also helped set the mood as its synthesized music shifts from slow to mysterious to panicky as appropriate with the action taking place on screen. The unilateral explosion of the cars in the Manders farm visually showed he spontaneity and the lack of control by Charlie over her powers as compared to the deliberate way made her fireballs and directed them towards specific subjects at The Shop’s compound.The choice of George C. Scott as John Rainbird was a notable deviation from the book. While Scott was truly effective as the assassin sociopath, being able to transform from a kindly orderly who’s afraid of the dark to the ruthless killer who can just as easily â€Å"strike her across the bridge of the nose, breaking it explosively, and sending bone fragments into her brain,† his native American ancestry was stretching the realm of make-believe quite a bit.   In the movie, his face was not deformed.His eyepatch was a perfunctory disgu ise and not used to actually cover up an eyeless socket. The book explained his deformity as a result of the stupidity of his stoned fellow soldiers in Vietnam. One can only guess why these details were left out. A true Native American may not have been chosen so as not to stir up any resentments and controversy for portraying a crazy man. Moreover, his lack of deformity would avoid questions as to how he got his battle scars. In 1984, moviegoers were not yet primed by Oliver Stone’s Platoon which came out in 1986 to the harsh realities of war.Then, there was Martin Sheen’s depiction of Hollister. The book had him losing his mind in the end, seeing things that were not there, a negative after-effect of Andy’s mind domination if he â€Å"pushed† too hard. Instead, he was made to play it like a fool in the movie, mindlessly following orders with no manifestations of incipient craziness.The ending was also rather stilted. After the climax and after running f or almost two hours, the movie just had to end quickly. There were no speculations as to what would happen to the Manders couple whose farm was the scene of the first outburst, and which The Shop knows about once Charlie sought sanctuary with them. There was no speculation about The Shop nor to the effects on Charlie who just lost her father and killed a lot of people (in self defense). The book showed The Shop running after her again and Charlie, on her own, found the Rolling Stones magazine to tell her story. It could be that the movie audience can reconcile it better if Charlie had adult supervision.Works CitedFirestarter, Dir. Mark L. Lester. Perf. David Keith, Drew Barrymore, Martin Sheen, George C, Scott. Universal Pictures, 1984.King, Stephen. Firestarter. New York: Signet, 1980.

Country of origin labeling Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Country of origin labeling - Research Paper Example On September 2008, The United States Congress expanded the provisions of the COOL law and added more food items like fresh fruits and vegetables under the jurisdiction of this law. This paper will discuss the Country of Origin Labeling law, its advantages, and disadvantages. Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) Although this rule was proposed several years before, it went into effect in the country on 30th September 2008. The Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 was amended by ‘the 2002 and 2008 Farm Bills’ as part of providing source country information to customers (National Archives and Records Administration, 2009). The 2008 Farm Bill includes a set of provisions such as addition of new commodities and requirement for labeling products of multiple origins. This framework also requires a supplier to share country of origin and other production information with the retailer. Retail firms which are functioning under the Perishable Agricultural Marketing Act (PACA) are legall y liable to comply with the provisions of the COOL. A person selling any type of perishable goods at retail comes under the jurisdiction of PACA. As per PACA requirements, retailers must be licensed when their invoiced purchase costs of perishable agricultural commodities exceed a limit of $230,000 during a calendar year (Rynn & Janowdky, LLP, 2010). According to this Act, perishable agricultural commodities include fresh fruits and vegetables. Since exporters are excluded in the definition, they do not need to adhere to COOL requirements. Similarly, other food service establishments such as restaurants, lunchrooms, bars, lounges, taverns are also exempt from this rule in addition to salad bars and delicatessens that supply fast food. In addition, processed foods- which refer to food items undergone several processing changes- like chocolate, bagged salad, mixed nuts, breading, and orange juice need to comply with COOL requirements (cited in GPO Access, 2012). However, it must be no ted that this law covers some additional items such as canned roasted peanuts although they are considered as a processed food. The origin of country labeling statute clearly directs that if the covered commodity undergoes the processes like frying, boiling, roasting, broiling, steaming, curing, grilling, baking, smoked, or restructuring, the item does not need to be labeled (Third Party Written Submission of Australia, 2010). As Johnecheck (2010) points out, the COOL rule clearly states that the labeling has to be specific and accurate. According to this statute, the labeling option may include sticker, label, sign, placard, twist tie, pin tag, stamp, or band. It is allowable for the retailer to give the information on the package, holding unit, display material, or the bin placed at the end point of the sale. The country of origin information must be displayed in a conspicuous place so that customer can easily read and understand the information during the course of purchase proce ss. The rule also specifically mentions that the country of origin information printed or handwritten should not overlay other labeling information mandated by the Federal regulation. Sometimes, retailers may use bulk containers to display a large number of products, including covered commodities from different countries. Under such circumstances, retailers are required to list all possible origins and other product information. Nowadays, the concept of e-commerce has attained

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Samsung Essay

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Samsung - Essay Example Corporate social responsibility is a commitment by an organization to integrate responsible and ethical behaviour that contributes to both the economic development of the society and improves the quality of the life of the workforce, their families and the society by extension. It is a requirement today for firms to provide an annual report on the corporate responsibility status and how they intend to improve on such a situation (Yoo-Chul, 2010). Samsung is electronic manufacturing multinational that is based at the Samsung town in Seoul, South Korea and was founded by lee Byung-Chul in 1945; Samsung has grown to be one of the leading manufacturers of household electronics and other computer devices. It operates a number of conglomerates in different countries where most of its products are manufactured before distribution to the international markets. Samsung electronics, one of Samsung subsidiaries is the leading information technology companies according to a report released in 20 12 based on the revenues of the company. The company controls a sizeable influence of the economic and political policies that shape the development of the home country and is thus a powerful image in the country (Raymond, 2010). Samsung’s corporate social responsibilities Samsung has adopted a greater approach to corporate social responsibility that has contributed immensely to its development and growth and also to the positive image it has both in the home and international markets. This paper seeks to analyze the practices adopted by the company as part of their social corporate responsibility practices and how these practices has had an influence on the local and international markets (Lee, 2007). Samsung electronics believes that in their quest to realize sustainable growth and business performance that improves the value of the business, responsibility to the corporate citizens and the local communities must be improved. As a result, the company has developed a number of programs that aim at improving the lives of the people both within and without its ranks. The company, in line with this resolution established a social contribution program that seeks to help people with need within the local communities. In this program launched in 1995, all employees are enlightened on the need to contribute towards improving the life of the general population especially of those communities around the company’s establishments (Samsung Inc, 2011). A social contribution secretariat was developed by the company to coordinate the collection of the funds from the employees before developing framework on how it will be used. Experts in these secretariats develop policies that support employee’s volunteer programs that are part of the company’s corporate social responsibility program. The CSR motto of Samsung is ‘another family’ to illustrate the commitment of the company to the society as a whole just like any family within the soc iety would do. This program supports better future for the teenagers, assist children from low income families and the implementation of a family wellbeing program. In 2007, as part of the secretariats commitment to social responsibility, over 2500 company employees volunteered to contribute to in undertakings that were geared towards improving the lives of the surrounding communities (United Nations, 2009). Active involvements in societal activities improve an organizations image and

Ndividual Written Analysis of the Case Enterprise-Rent-A-Car Study

Ndividual Written Analysis of the Enterprise-Rent-A-Car - Case Study Example Enterprise also started developing its relationship with top insurance companies which helped in expanding its business. Moreover, in the year 1980, Jack stepped out from the top post and promoted his son Andy as the president of Enterprise which led to a frequent growth of revenue in the company. In the year 2010, Enterprise became the seventh largest private company in the United States with annual revenue more than 12 million US Dollars. The main reason for success of Enterprise was that the company stressed on providing the best customer service and which created the brand value for the company. Moreover, the company trained its managers in such a way that determined and reduced the demotivating aspects i.e. absence of feedback, misinterpreting the significance of a given task and lack of concern for inefficient performance. In addition, the company divided its market into two segments that involved the local market and the airport market which accounted for revenue of 20 million US Dollars and contributed to the success of the Enterprise (Busse and Swinkels 1-15). Thesis Statement. The study intends identify the key assets, competitive advantages along with activities of Enterprise. Besides, the key challenges as well as opportunities linked to the firm’s business model and practices will also be ascertained and subsequent recommendations will be provided. Enterprise had expended more than 10 million US Dollars to research on the satisfaction of the customers and their valuable experience. It has been revealed that Enterprise focused on the three main aspects which included the approach and effectiveness of the employees, the transaction speed and the hygiene factor of the car. Thus, if these three aspects were attained successfully than the customers’ would be satisfied. It was observed that over 70% customers were essentially satisfied and developed the intention of using the services of Enterprise again. Enterprise also used Enterprise Service

An overview of Argentina`s Economy and the State of its Economic Research Paper

An overview of Argentina`s Economy and the State of its Economic Progress - Research Paper Example ?s interim President, Adolfo Rodriguez Saa, announced a default on foreign debt of the government, which was the largest in the country’s economic history. Adolfo stepped down just a few days after assuming office. In early 2002, Adolfo’s successor, Eduardo Duhalde put to an end the pegging of the peso to the United States dollar. During that year (2002), Argentina’s economy declined with real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at 18 percent smaller than GDP in 1998. Approximately 60 percent of Argentines fell below poverty line in the same year. However, Argentina’s real GDP bounced back and achieved annual growth rate of 8.5 percent from 2003 to 2008. This rebound was attributed to increased industrial capacity and literate workforce. The growth in real GDP was also as a result of Argentina’s debt restructuring and reduction, implementation of expansionary monetary and fiscal policies and favorable global financial conditions. Argentina’s Growth and Productivity from 1961-2006 Period GDP % TFP 1961-1970 1971-1980 1981-1990 1991-2000 2001-2006 4.4 2.6 -0.8 4.1 4.1 1.2 -0.1 -1.3 1.4 1.0 1961-2006 2.7 0.4 Source: MECON and Coremberg et al. (2007). In early 2007, Argentina faced increased rate of inflation. The government led by President Nestor KIRCHNER, responded to the inflation by imposing taxes on exports as well as export restraints. There were also price restraints on businesses across the country. However, in late 2007 when Cristina Fernandez De Kirchner succeeded her husband as the president of Argentina, the swift economic growth that had been experienced in the last six years began to stall. In 2008, the government of Argentina held back its exports before the 2008 recession hit global economies. In 2010 he country’s economy bounced back from economic... This paper offers a comprehensive analysis of the economy of Argentina in the last decades and estimates the progress of the country’s economy over the years. Argentina has an interesting economic history and is one of the most researches about countries owing to the fact that it had attained advanced development status by the beginning of the 20th century, but its economic growth retarded afterwards. The country’s high rate of economic growth has been discontinuous following serious economic recessions, especially during the twentieth century. Argentina is amongst the countries endowed with rich natural resources. The country has very high literacy level. The agricultural sector is export-oriented with the nation’s industrial sector highly diversified. Because of intermittent economic crises, unrelenting deficits in its fiscal and current accounts, high and ever growing external debts as well as capital flight, especially during the twentieth century, Argentina slipped from its advanced economic status The economic recession of December 2001 is considered the worst recession in Argentina’s history. On December 2001, Argentina’s interim President, Adolfo Rodriguez Saa, announced a default on foreign debt of the government, which was the largest in the country’s economic history. After the wrath of the 2009 global economic downturn, the economy of Argentina has not been very stable. In 2012, the country’s economy experienced a sharp slowdown. However, the economy showed some signs of recovery at the beginning of 2013.

Citi bank Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Citi bank - Assignment Example Citigroup operates in six major regions in the world which are North America, Latin America, Asia, Europe, Middle East and Africa. An institution connecting millions of people from more than 1000 cities covering 160 countries, they represent themselves as a global bank. After achieving tremendous success domestically since its inception in the year 1812, they expanded globally with a sole purpose of serving their clients and shareholders effectively (Citigroup, 2013b). Citibank’s main objective of internationalization is to enter new markets and structure a banking relationship with a dedicated team of country specific officials who have thorough understanding of foreign markets and have a wealth of experience working with Citibank divisions across the globe. One of the primary global solution services of Citibank includes quick and easy opening of account in any of the 39 currencies from a single Citibank branch. Thus it spares the need for opening accounts country by country ; currency by currency. They also offer foreign exchange services to international clients thereby providing personalized one-to-one guidance from a foreign exchange specialist. They also offer 24 hours foreign exchange trading in 135 different currencies. In addition to that, Citibank also provides World Link service by means of which their international clients can make payments such as wires, automatic clearing houses or checks in any of these 135 currencies. Their multicurrency payment system offers a one-stop solution for their international clients to make payments using their preferred currency without opening accounts in different currency which they want to trade in (Citigroup, 2013c). The Citibank global business solution division helps its clients who are involved in internal business (importing materials or expanding overseas) by providing paperwork-oriented services thereby mitigating the risk. CitiBusiness trade services and manage trade transactions on behalf of their international clients thereby helping them to minimize their risk when dealing with counterparties from different countries (Citigroup, 2013d). As far as the Citibank’s international business operations in the Asia pacific region is concerned, its history dates back to 1902. They provide more services in the market, with a large base of clients, compared to any other financial institutions in this region through its institutional clients group and global consumer banking business. They employ more than 60,000 officials across 18 countries in this region. Citibank has a rich history of innovation and customer service in this region and has been as the region’s leading retail bank (Citibank, 2013e). As far as Europe, the Middle East and Africa is concerned, Citibank operates in 116 countries. However, it maintains physical presence only in 55 of them. Operating in this region has proven to be of great benefits for the organization, primarily because this region includes a thick combination of both developed and emerging markets. The main rationale for preferring Citibank over any other financial institutions in this region, as explained by the clients, is because of the bank’s global footprint, market position, in-country relationships and availability of wide

Typography in Business & Bauhaus Manifesto Dissertation

Typography in Business & Bauhaus Manifesto - Dissertation Example The document; ‘Using styles Training’ could appear as illustrated below after the effect of topography on it: How to Format Your Word Document Using â€Å"Styles† Microsoft Word has a tool known as styles, which help in formatting a document. Where is Styles found? The styles tool is in the Home ribbon of Microsoft Word. Styles functions. It allows the user to classify certain formatting characteristics as a specific â€Å"style†. How to use Styles. For example, if one wishes to have all Headers in a document to be Arial, size 18, and bold, one could create a style which encompasses these formatting characteristics. This style can then be applied to any other words in the document with one click, rather than having to manually format each word. Design entails making an assemblage of concepts and creating a format that reflects a visual solution that depicts functional and artistic usefulness. Design is more about transformation of ideas and words to achieve a desired result in the mind of an audience. The principles of design offer vast possibilities in crafting creative solutions. Good design would be flexible and reflect content so as to give an effective visual communication. The Bauhaus manifesto expressed the opinion of design as primarily involving industry and mass production as opposed to individual craftsmanship. That the definitive aim of all creativity is building. The manifesto refutes the existence of professional art. Bauhaus philosophy maintains that design is relevant only when someone is using it.

Business Strategy & Strategic Management Assignment

Business Strategy & Strategic Management - Assignment Example The Blue Ocean’s strategic concept is seen to attempt to essentially represent all the various potential markets that are seen to as yet not exist and must therefore be created. The blue Ocean Strategy was first proposed by INSEAD’s professors Kim and Mauborgne in the year 2005 (Uden, et al. 2013).As proposed by Kim and Mauborgne, the Blue Ocean Strategy fundamentally suggests that companies should attempt to create new demand across various uncontested market spaces with the sole objective of attempting to avoid competition. In line with the Blue Ocean Strategy, companies are required to ensure that they break down the traditional wall used in product definition, carefully rethink and re-strategize on exactly how their service or product will eventually be positioned in the market and eventually develop a series of new products as a result of their endeavors to ensure that they always attempt to think outside the box (Wong, 2010). According to Todd and Bessant (2011), as a result of the blue ocean strategic concept, it is normal for new markets to be created due to the challenging of the various boundaries that are seen to exist between different markets and industries, however, there at times happens to be whole new industries created as exemplified by those that in recent years have been seen to have been spawned by the internet. As such, it is evidently clear that both new entrants and incumbents play a crucial role in the formation of these new markets (Tidd and Bessant, 2011). Professor’s Kim and Mauborgne distinguish the Blue Ocean Strategies by attempting to try and compare them to the more traditional form of thinking which are seen to constitute of the Red Ocean Strategies (Ziesak, 2009). As opposed to the Red Ocean strategy of developing new products that compete in the currently existing market space, companies should ensure that they develop new products that have been positioned in uncontested market spaces which is in line wi th the Blue Ocean strategy. The Blue Ocean strategy also aims to try and make the competition irrelevant as opposed to attempting to beat this same competition as is commonly seen in a Red Ocean strategy (Siegemund, 2008). While the Red Ocean strategy attempt to try and fight for a share of the existing customers and market segment, the Blue Ocean strategy as proposed by Professors Kim and Mauborgn

The Search for Identity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Search for Identity - Essay Example Hence, it must be inherent for a human to search for his or her own identity all throughout his or her existence on earth. In regard to the aforementioned facts, this paper aims to dissect and explicate the search for identity in the two novels namely "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston and "Run With The Horsemen" by Ferrol Sams. Moreover, quotes from the said novels shall also be cited as well as to determine how it can be a conscious and, at the same time, an unconscious process, thus exemplifying the essence of this essay. Janie Mae Crawford is the protagonist in this novel. Aside from her quest for true love and standing up for her rights, despite the hindrances caused by the seemingly double jeopardy of being a woman and a black citizen- both symbolized an undeniable societal inferiority, she also has a search to find her real identity, that is, who she really is and what she is standing for. Janie's search for her identity is but a conscious effort. She knew what she really wanted: she wanted to be free! At first, she was seemingly under the control of the values that Nanny, her grandmother, has instilled in her young mind, thereby submitting herself to marry a man whom she doesn't even love. Nevertheless, her efforts to set herself free can be seen in as early as the beginning chapters of the novel, particularly when she left Logan to go with Jody. Moreover, when her relationship with Jody was "on the rocks", she has an intense desire to be free from Jody's tyranny. Eventually, after Jody's death, she has won her price of liberty. In addition, after her third husband's (Tea Cake) death, she has definitely liberated herself from all the bondage entanglements in her life. The following quotations are the salient evidences wherein Janie consciously and successfully found her identity: 1. "Now that she is alone, she begins to examine her feelings and realizes that she hates Nanny for the values with which Nanny raised her" (ch. 9). Rationale/Analysis: She was able to identify her own values as distinct from that of her grandmother's, as a result of her experiences. 2. "She looks in a mirror and sees that she has aged but is still beautiful. She rips off her head-rag, freeing her imprisoned hair..." (ch. 8). Rationale/Analysis: Soon after Jody's death, she realized her worth and her new-found freedom through this symbolic act. 3. "[As she] trudges down the main road they envy her physical beauty, particularly her long, straight hair.... [but] she doesn't stop to talk to them" (ch. 1). Rationale/Analysis: This line from the story is actually the ending part, that is, the novel is just set to do a flashback. In this scenario, Janie was walking at the road in a carefree manner. After all that had happened, she has already found her true identity and therefore, she did not bother to care about what other people will think about her because she has now emerged as a confident and an empowered woman with a unique identity. The Search for identity as seen in "Run With The Horsemen" As Porter "Sambo" Osborne Jr., the protagonist in the story, sails his journey through adolescence, his search for identity can be regarded as a natural phenomenon. This is especially true in the developmental stage where he is into. According to Erik Erikson, a renowned developmental theorist whose works are constantly cited by

The Enlightenment and Its Social and Ideological Consequences Worldwide Essay Example for Free

The Enlightenment and Its Social and Ideological Consequences Worldwide Essay The Enlightenment in Europe, roughly from 1600 to the French Revolution in 1789, was an era that stressed, most of all, the rationalistic basis of science, and its application to all element of life. This essay argues that much of this rhetoric, such as from Bacon or Kant, is a mystification, and that the basic structure of the Enlightenment was about the rationalization of power and domination. This paper will begin its discussion on the Enlightenment with Immanuel Kant’s â€Å"What is Enlightenment? † move to the critique of this view from Adorno and Horkheimer, and see the more empirical approach of the Enlightenment worldwide through an analysis of some recent works on colonialism and the post-colonial ideology. Immanuel Kant wrote a very short piece on â€Å"What is Enlightenment? † in 1784. It is the chief work in this mystification. This is a piece that is easily accessible for the laymen–rare for Kant–and lays out the basic concepts of Enlightenment in the â€Å"freeing† of the mind from the shackles of tradition and religion. Kant holds that such shackles are created by the self from the motivation of laziness or complacency. It is easier to accept conventional truths than to struggle to find one’s own. Kant then holds that moral virtue, particularly courage, is necessary for true Enlightenment, since that courage is needed to go against received opinion. The truly enlightened individual needs to think for himself, develop their own conclusions, and hence, take nothing from authority. This movement is little more than a move from immaturity to adulthood; from the infantile life of the middle ages to the adult life of modern times. The formal properties of this motion is the release of the understanding from the prison of authority and received opinion. Hence, from this view of Kant, the Enlightenment and its scientific consequences have been associated with the rhetoric of liberation. The Enlightenment defines itself in the negative terms of the destruction of feudal relations based on religion and received opinion. The positive side (derive largely from Bacon and Descartes) is based on the concept that the release of the understanding can be done through the rigorous application of scientific methods to all areas of life, reaching an era of complete and true knowledge based on rational methods and principles. Hence, from Kant, science and its resultant technology is seen as liberation, and the creation of a new, utopian social order based on mechanization of all labor and the love of knowledge deriving from true principles. This rhetoric still dominates discourses about the Enlightenment and its negation of the â€Å"barbaric middle ages. † II. Adorno and Horkheimer on the Dialectics of Enlightenment It does not take long to get from Kant to Nietzsche. In fact, the amoral world of the infamous German is a mere brief step from the hyper individualism of Kant and his followers. Nietzsche took the Baconian dictum seriously that knowledge is power and of course, power is domination. The Kantian mystification of the Enlightenment had been exposed for generations in European letters from the conservative reaction against modern science to the leftist agitation of the above authors. In their 1944 work, Adorno and Horkheimer seek to eliminate the mystification that Kant had ushered in as the basic sense of Enlightenment self-definition. Their argument is a complex one, but it can easily be taken apart into eight specific movements or moments. 1. The Enlightenment, with its stress on science and hence technology, has not led to liberation, but to a hyper-centralization of power and technical authority. The knowledge necessary for specialized science and its administration are, by definition, available only to a few specialists. This means that Enlightenment individualism has led to a Nietzschian stress on the will to power of science. This will to power has resolved itself into a fetishization with central power and authority, and an esoteric sense of science as the new priesthood, available only to a few specialist and the moneyed powers who finance them. 2. This centralization of power and the domination of a scientific and technocratic elite has led to the creation of a uniform ideology: a sense of the power of science and the moneyed powers who control them. The issue here is that the scientific ideology is the only one, and that all problems can be solved by the judicious application of the scientific method, only if they receive enough money and power to do it. Science, at first a limited method of solving problem, has resolved itself into the domination of materialism and the creation of a scientific establishment, a set of institutions that identifies itself with â€Å"science† proper. In other words, the scientific establishment has taken the name of science and pinned it to themselves. 3. The domination of science and enlightenment capital relations has led to new forms of scientific consciousness like sociology, which has led to the standardization of society, and this standardization of social life has taken the form of labeling consumers. Creating consuming pockets of people who are seen not as people but as machines that buy the products that the capitalist technocracy has created. Citizenship has been replaced by consumption and being a part of the great chain of capitalist relations. 4. Even more than this, not only has political and economic power been tightly centralized, but even the very ideas of the population and their perceptions of the world are created and maintained by the â€Å"culture industry† that complex of capital and modern science that has sought to entertain the masses for profit, but have also replaced their own perceptions with that of the â€Å"cultural elite. † From the individualism of Kant, science and Enlightenment has created a new kind of human being: the slave that does not know he’s a slave. The entertainment industry that is so often a target of both left and right has taken upon itself, in the name of both profit and Enlightenment, to recreate the very perceptual matrix of the population as a whole. Replacing actual perception with their own, and hence, dictating music, dress, even cuisine according to its taste, quickly adopted by the masses who think they are thinking for themselves. 5. The movies, as well as the mass production entertainment industry of the technocracy, has recreated the person according to its own will. Reality itself is the creation of the â€Å"illusion industry† and has destroyed the last vestiges of individuality. Kant is exposed as a naive writer at best. 6. The creation of genre is part of the cultural domination of the technocracy. Genre is a pseudo-intellectual method of both standardizing production, but more importantly, the standardization of consumer taste. Genre is the destruction of culture for this reason. 7. This destruction of culture by forcing it into the standardization of genre means that art has been taken from the realm of the individual or the culture and placed into the realm of the machine: the culture machine that seeks to standardize art so as to make it amenable to scientifically planned consumption and production. Art is merely another commodity. 8. Finally, the culture itself becomes a single, commodified and standardized reality: the creation of the scientific technique as applied to film, entertainment and art. What has begun as a drive to liberate consciousness and the intellect has led to a scientific dystopia of enslavement to a series of media illusions, themselves based around profit and a centralized technocratic apparatus that has stamped out all free thought and has even commodified dissent from its own order.

Business Plans For Entrepreneurs

Business Plans For Entrepreneurs Introduction In todays environment, the business plan is the entrepreneurs most important document when setting up a new business. Without the help of a well-designed and well- presented business plan the entrepreneur will find it very difficult to express its business goals or secure financing. Without a business plan, it is almost impossible for someone to take your business idea seriously or even consider investing in it. Because this thesis is about setting up a business plan for the start-up of a new kind of social network, we will first start with an overview about the concept business plan throughout the literature. In this literature study the term business plan is defined as well as the main functions of the business plan followed by an overview of the typical structure of the business plan. Furthermore, a problem discussion on the topic business plan in the literature is displayed. In the next part the main focus will lay on the composition of the financial plan. Subsequently, in the section Location Based Social Network a brief explanation is given about LBSN to give the reader an idea about what the business idea is all about. An entrepreneur willing to start his own enterprise stands before a lot of obstacles. Building up a company does not happen over one night. Theoretical framework Introduction There was a time that entrepreneurs only had to write a letter to propose their business idea and send it to some investors to secure funding. Nowadays, investors are far more demanding and expect a higher level of expertise and preparation from the entrepreneurs they choose to fund. Kleiner (2007), a legendary venture capitalist states that when examining a proposal, investors want to see much more than just a good idea and a bright young man or woman: they want to see a business plan showing that the concept has been thoroughly assessed and that the entrepreneur has carefully thought through the issues for taking the necessary steps of taking the idea and transform it into a successful company.  [1]   The emergence of the business plan The term business plan is a word that found its origin during the Second World War period. Back then it was mostly used to define the long term strategies of big firms. The Business Plan was a highly confidential document and was only exposed to a very limited audience. During the 80s the term business plan became more popular and it was then that the first articles appeared discussing the issues behind the business plan. From that decade on, the term business plan was mainly used to indicate the start-up of new and emerging companies. (Karlsson, 2005)  [2]. This may be the reason that when the term business plan is mentioned the first image that crosses peoples minds is the start-up business, which has not to be especially so because The Ernst and Young Business Guide (1987) points out that even established firms can have formal written business plans to determine or evaluate the accomplishment of business goals. Definition of a Business Plan The literature on the topic business plans is awash with information and offers a lot of definitions.. Essentially these definitions have all the same meanings. Abrams Barrow (2005) define the business plan as a roadmap to the companys targeted destination. Ideally, it enables the entrepreneur to get from the basic business concepts to a healthy, successful business. Barringer (2009) describe it as a written document that carefully explains every internal and external aspects of a new venture (Barringer, 2009, p. 1) The format of the business plan We can distinct three main factors throughout literature from which the BP structure will manly depend. To begin with, the format of the business plan will mainly depend on the purpose for which the BP is elaborated. For instance Barringer (2008) states that a BP established for a start-up company to investigate the feasibility of the venture may somewhat differ from that of a business in expansion that wants to evaluate the accomplishment of the business goals. For example, a start-up firm will not be able to dwell much about the companys history or past successes. Further, Mason and Stark (2004) argue that whether the entrepreneur is pursuing capital from a bank, a business angel or even a venture capitalist, the format of the business plan should be adapted accordingly. So we can conclude that depending on the firms level of development or on what purpose the business plan serves, i.e. to raise capital or for internal purposes, the emphasis on the topics will be different and the format of BP will vary accordingly. Functions of the BP The academic literature provides an abundance of information on the topic: functions of the BP. A single search with GoogleTM Scholar found 2.3 million hits for terms function* AND business plan*. After going through books and relevant literature we can differentiate internal as well external uses for the business plan. External purposes Raising finance: Most of the time when people think about the reason why a business plan is written, the first thing that pops up in their head is to raise money. It is a fact that most lenders or investors will not put money into a business without first seeing the actual business plan self. If the purpose of the bp is indeed to raise finance, its test will be how much interest it can generate from reviewers in as little time as possible and ultimately how much money it can attract from investors. Attracting Human Capital Zetterberg (2004) assigns another interesting external function to the business plan: it can also be used as a tool for attracting human capital. It is not uncommon that a potential employee wants to see the companys business plan before making a decision whether joining or not. Internal purposes It seems very unlikely that the sole purpose of a business plan is only that of a fund raising device. Instead, Abrams and Barrow (2005) argue that the business plan has a lot of intrinsic value. The authors of the Business Plan Guide Plan for start-up companies also support this theorem that while developing the business plan has chance to take advantage of two big opportunities: Marketing plan First of all, it gives the entrepreneur the opportunity to learn about the industry and the market. When writing a business plan the entrepreneur will have to go to the process of writing a marketing plan. This should give the entrepreneur some valuable insights in who the most important competitors are, who will be his main customer, and also facts about the industry like for example, the market restrictions, market size, and so on. Internal planning doc. Secondly it can be used as an internal planning document. Developing a business plan enables the entrepreneur to make the vital business decisions that enable the entrepreneur to focus on his activities and maximize his resources. Immers, while developing the business plan, one will increase the understanding of the many forces that have an impact on your businesss success, which in turn will give a stronger sense of control. Like for example understanding the financial aspects of the business including break-even and cash flow requirements. It is also interesting to note that a business plan can be used within different timeframes. First of all it can be used to determine the Viability of a Future Business Allen et al. (2006) describe the BP as a plan which can be used to develop ideas about how the business should be conducted. According to the authors, the entrepreneurs have, by investigating all the different aspects of the venture, such as finance and marketing,  the chance to make mistakes on paper rather than making them in the real world and refine their strategies accordingly. Determine/Evaluate the Accomplishment of the Business Goals Secondly, Schultz et al. (1987) point out that a business plan can be a retrospective tool, against which a businessperson can assess a companys actual performance over time. For example, the financial part of a business plan can be used as the basis for an operating budget, and can be monitored carefully to see how closely the business is sticking to that budget. In this point of view, the plan should be used as the basis for a new plan. After some time has elapsed, the business plan should be re-examined to see if the company has accomplished its business goals and if necessary needs redirection. To write or not to write a business plan / The relationship between Pre-start-up Formal Business Plans and Post-start-up Performance The opinions on the topic whether a business plan is a useful document or whether it is more a waste of time are not unanimous throughout the literature. Despite a lot of researches that have been conducted within this field, the findings from studies that examined whether there is a relationship between the pre-start-up formal business plan and the post-start-up efficiency of the company are not consistent throughout the literature. The word efficiency in this particular circumstance means that it has not been proved that the Business Plan will help a new venture in succeeding. Some studies claim that they found no relationship between a formal written BP and performance. For example: Does formal business planning enhance the performance of new ventures? (Lumpkin et al. 1998) This study examined the relation between planning and performance among 94 firms of which 54 new entrants. Results suggest that new startup companies who use formal written business plans fail to outperform those who dont. Of course there are a lot more factors outside writing a business plan playing a role in the future success of the firm. Initially raised capital, experience of the entrepreneurs, used business model, the age of the venture, are just a few to be named. Recent studies conducted by Lange et al. (2007) took all these factors into account and examined whether pre-start up business planning affects the subsequent post-start-up performance of the new enterprise. Their dataset contained 116 Babson College alums graduated between 1985 and 2003 that started a new business since graduating. From the results of the study it appeared that there is no difference in performance between new ventures that started with a written business plan and those who chose not to write one. Of course one could argue that the studied dataset has a few limitations. First of all the dataset only comprises ventures started by Babson College which is somewhat limited and will compromise the external validity. It will be difficult to generalize the findings of this study to the rest of the start-up ventures in business world. However, there are benefits at this bounded dataset: the respondents have similar educations. This will limit and take into account the influence from the independent variable, education. On the other hand the taken sample frame is randomized and longitudinal which will benefit the internal validity. This means that the research design allows to formulate a correct answer to the proposed hypothesis. From their findings Lange et al.(2007) suggest that unless a would-be entrepreneur needs to raise substantial start-up capital from institutional investors or business angels, there is no compelling reason to write a detailed business plan before opening a new business. Instead, the authors suggest that entrepreneurs should make financial projections, especially cash flow. It means that they should look at expected sales revenue and operating costs including material, labor and capital assets and open their business. That advice implies that they should do business planning but not write formal plans before starting their businesses. Then, if their business grows and needs external funding, they will be able to write a business plan that is more persuasive. In contrast to the studies from Lumpkin et al. and Lange et al. , some studies have shown that planning does go together with the success and growth of new ventures. Ford et al. (2003) conducted a study of 800 randomly selected American nascent companies and found a significant positive correlation between the degree of business planning formality and financial results in year 1 and 2. Liang and Gartner (2005) found, they found that the chances for survival of ventures in an uncertain financial and competitive environment was more likely when they engaged in planning in the early stage of the start-up activities. And that ventures were more likely to continue their activities if they started to plan late in the stage of start-up activities in a certain financial and competitive environment. For now, we will leave the discussion aside whether causality exists between writing a BP and the success of the venture and move on to asking ourselves why so many entrepreneurs bother to write the business plan. Many business people or entrepreneurs defend that the time that is needed to produce a formal written BP, would be better spent on pushing the new venture forward instead of writing a plan that no one will read. (Allen 2006) This might be true if we take into consideration that the venture capitalist or the firms that provide finance to businesses receive piles and piles of business plans and have no time to read them all. In fact, very few entrepreneurs have access to formal venture capital at the moment they launch their businesses. Bygrave and Hunt (2004), for example, estimate that in the US, fewer than one in ten thousand new ventures has the privilege to receive their financial funds of a venture capitalist. This is very rare, especially for the USA which has more than two-thirds of the total venture capital in the entire world. This means that receiving capital from VCs is by far the rarest form of funding. So why then go so many entrepreneurs through the process of writing business plans if the main objective of their plan is to secure funding from a venture capitalist and they know that they will almost always come up empty handed? One of the reasons may be that other sources of financial funding such as banks, business angels, equity investors require written business plans too. Another explanation could be that they write the plan for internal reasons. Although writing a business plan is a very laborious task and it takes typically several weeks to finish it could avoid costly, perhaps disastrous, mistakes later thanks to the planning process that helps the entrepreneur think through things thoroughly. (business plan guide 4 start ups) Furthermore, it is a fact that if you want your BP to be noticed by investors, the chance is greater if you get a personal introduction, instead of approaching them on your own (Barringer, 2008). This is definitely the case for all businesses in China. If you want to look for capital, or even if you just want to do business, you will need Guanxi. Guanxi literally means relationships. Since Confucius set-out the basic relationship rules 2000 years ago this has become the basis for conducting succesfull business in China. The reality is that the majority of Chinese people wont trust and will not do business with people that are not part of their Guanxi. If you win the confidence of a chinese business relation, he will be part of your Guaxi network and will be happy to do business or introduce you to other acquintances or information sources, thus expanding your Guanxi network. Seligman (2005) points out that it has been generally known for centuries that businesses in China with a widely developed Guanxi network are more succesful than those with a limited or no network. We conclude that is not about having a good or a bad business plan per se to secure finance but more about knowing the right people. This is why startup businesses have the disadvantage over established firms because they may not have such contacts. Anyway, a lot of authors recommend to do write the business plan because for the internal and external value that lies within the plan. Abrams and Barrow (2005) state that a good business plan for a sound business concept not only helps achieving the business goals, it also lets you save time and money by focusing on your business activities, giving you more control over your finances, marketing, and daily operations, and helps you raise the capital you need. Or as Kleiner (2004), a legendary venture capitalist states: Even if you have all the money you need, you still need a business plan. A plan shows how youll run a business. Without a plan, you dont know where youre going, and you cant measure your progress.

Developing a Learning Organisation: HRM

Developing a Learning Organisation: HRM You are a HRM manager in a global company. Your CEO has made it a strategic priority that the company should become a learning organisation. You have been asked by the CEO to manage this project. Discuss what is meant by a learning organisation, why it is important and as a HR manager how you would establish and develop a learning culture in the organisation. WHAT IS HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT? WHAT MAKES STRATEGIC HRM MORE STRATEGIC THAN HRM Strategic HRM has become topical in recent years but years but definitions as to what is meant by the term vary widely. XXX. Typically, strategic HRM bridges business strategy and HRM and focuses on the integration of HR with the business and its environment. The main rationale for strategic HRM thinking is that by integrating HRM with the business strategy, rather than HR strategies being a separate set of priorities, employees will be managed more effectively, organizational performance will improve and therefore business success will follow. This in itself may not be enough. Tony Grundy (1998) suggests: Human Resources Strategy in itself may not be effective. Integrating Corporate Strategy and HR matters into an Organization and People Strategy may prove more successful. Human resources management needs to be closely integrated with managerial planning and decision making (i.e., international human resources, forecasting, planning, and mergers and acquisitions). Increasingly, an organizations top management is aware that the time to consider organizational HRM strengths or limitations is when strategic organizational decisions are being formulated, not after critical policies have been decided. A closer integration between top managements goals and HRM practices helps to elicit and reward the types of behavior necessary for achieving an organizations strategy. For example, if an organization is planning to become known for its high-quality products, HRM staff should design appraisal and reward systems that emphasize quality in order to support this competitive strategy. Strategic HRM is an outcome, as organizational systems are designed to achieve sustainable competitive advantage through people. For others, however, SHRM is viewed as a process, the process of linking HR practices to business strategy (Armstrong, 2006). Strategic management of human resources includes HRM planning. The HRM planning process involves forecasting HRM needs and developing programs to ensure that the right numbers and types of individuals are available at the right time and place. Such information enables an organization to plan its recruitment, selection, and training strategies. For example, lets say an organizations HRM plan estimates that 12 additional information systems (IS) technicians will be needed during the next year. The organization typically hires recent IS graduates to fill such positions. Because these majors are in high demand, the organization decides to begin its recruiting early in the school year, before other organizations can snatch away the best candidates. WHAT IS AN LEARNING ORGANISATION According to Peter Senge (1990: 3) learning organizations are: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦organizations where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free, and where people are continually learning to see the whole together. A learning organization is simply put an organization that learns and encourages learning among its people and knowledge which innovates fast enough to survive and thrive in a rapidly changing environment. It provides exchange of information hence creating a more knowledgeable workforce. This produces a more flexible organization encouraging risk taking with new ideas, allows mistakes, learn from experience and adapt to new ideas and changes through a shared vision. Learning organizations are not simply the most fashionable or current management trend, they can provide work environments that are open to creative thought, and embrace the concept that solutions to ongoing work-related problems are available inside each and every one of us. All we must do is tap into the knowledge base, which gives us the ability to think critically and creatively, the ability to communicate ideas and concepts, and the ability to cooperate with other human beings in the process of inquiry and action (Navran Associates Newsletter 1993). (Navran Associates Newsletter.) THE FIVE DISCIPLINES Peter Senge is a leading writer in the area of learning organizations, whose seminal works The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization, and The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook: Strategies and Tools for Building a Learning Organization explain that there are five disciplines, which must be mastered when introducing such an organization: Shared Vision: The key vision question is What do we want to create together?. Taking time early in the change process to have the conversations needed to shape a truly shared vision is crucial to build common understandings and commitments, unleash peoples aspirations and hopes and unearth reservations and resistances.   Leaders learn to use tools such as Positive Visioning, Concept-shifting and Values Alignment to create a shared vision, forge common meaning/focus and mutually agree what the learning targets, improvement strategies and challenge-goals should be to get there. (Senge 1990: 9) Mental Models: One key to change success is in surfacing deep-seated mental models beliefs, values, mind-sets and assumptions that determine the way people think and act. Getting in touch with the thinking going on about change in your workplace, challenging or clarifying assumptions and encouraging people to reframe is essential.   Leaders learn to use tools like the Ladder of Inference and Reflective Inquiry to practise making their mental models clearer for each other and challenging each others assumptions in order to build shared understanding. (Senge 1990: 8) Personal Mastery is centrally to do with self-awareness how much we know about ourselves and the impact our behaviour has on others. Personal mastery is the human face of change to manage change relationships sensitively, to be willing to have our own beliefs and values challenged and to ensure our change interactions and behaviours are authentic, congruent and principled. Leaders learn to use tools like Perceptual Positions and Reframing to enhance the quality of interaction and relationship in and outside their teams. (Senge 1990: 139) Team Learning happens when teams start thinking together sharing their experience, insights, knowledge and skills with each other about how to do things better. Teams develop reflection, inquiry and discussion skills to conduct more skillful change conversations with each other which form the basis for creating a shared vision of change and deciding on common commitments to action. Its also about teams developing the discipline to use the action learning cycle rigorously in change-work.   Leaders learn to use tools like the Action-Learning Cycle and Dialogue to develop critical reflection skills and conduct more robust, skillful discussions with their teams and each other.   (Senge 1990: 10) Systems Thinking is a framework for seeing inter-relationships that underlie complex situations and interactions rather than simplistic (and mostly inaccurate) linear cause-effect chains. It enables teams to unravel the often hidden subtleties, influences, leverage points and intended/unintended consequences of change plans and programs and leads to deeper, more complete awareness of the interconnections behind changing any system. Leaders learn to use Systems Thinking Maps and Archetypes to map and analyse situations, events, problems and possible causes/courses of action to find better (and often not obvious) change options/solutions. (Peter Senge (1990: 23) THREE TYPES OF ORGANISATION LEARNING Single-Loop Learning Double-Loop Learning Triple-Loop Learning Are we doing things right? Are we doing the right things? How do we decide what is right? Single-Loop Learning Single-loop learning assumes that problems and their solutions are close to each other in time and space (thought they often arent). In this form of learning, we are primarily considering our actions. Small changes are made to specific practices or behaviors, based on what has or has not worked in the past. This involves doing things better without necessarily examining or challenging our underlying beliefs and assumptions. The goal is improvements and fixes that often take the form of procedures or rules. Single-loop learning leads to making minor fixes or adjustments, like using a thermostat to regulate temperature. Are we doing things right? Heres what to do-procedures or rules. Double-Loop Learning Double-loop learning leads to insights about why a solution works. In this form of learning, we are considering our actions in the framework of our operating assumptions. This is the level of process analysis where people become observers of themselves, asking, What is going on here? What are the patterns? We need this insight to understand the pattern. We change the way we make decisions and deepen understanding of our assumptions. Double-loop learning works with major fixes or changes, like redesigning an organizational function or structure. Are we doing the right things? Heres why this works-insights and patterns. Triple-Loop Learning Triple-loop learning involves principles. The learning goes beyond insight and patterns to context. The result creates a shift in understanding our context or point of view. We produce new commitments and ways of learning. This form of learning challenges us to understand how problems and solutions are related, even when separated widely by time and space. It also challenges us to understand how our previous actions created the conditions that led to our current problems. The relationship between organizational structure and behavior is fundamentally changed because the organization learns how to learn. The results of this learning includes enhancing ways to comprehend and change our purpose, developing better understanding of how to respond to our environment, and deepening our comprehension of why we chose to do things we do. How do we decide what is right? Heres why we want to be doing this-principles. LEARNING ORIENTATIONS CREATING A LEARNING ORGANISATION The very first thing needed to create a learning organization is effective leadership, not based on traditional hierarchy, but a mix of different people from all levels of the system to lead in different ways (Senge 1996). Secondly, there must be the realization that we all have inherent power to find solutions to the problems we are faced with, and that we can and will envision a future for our library system and forge ahead to create it. As Gephart and associates point out in Learning Organizations Come Alive, the culture is the glue that holds an organization together; a learning organizations culture is based on openness and trust, where employees are supported and rewarded for learning and innovating, and one that promotes experimentation, risk taking, and values the well-being of all employees (Gephart 1996,39). Here we will look at the three aspects of leadership that he identifies and link his discussion with some other writers on leadership. Overall, to create a culture and environment that will be the foundation for a learning organization, people must realize the beginning comes with a shift of mind from seeing ourselves as separate from the world to connected to the world (Senge 1996,37); from seeing ourselves as integral components in the workplace, rather than as separate and unimportant, robotic caricatures. Finally, one of the biggest challenges that must be overcome in any organization, is to identify and breakdown the ways people reason defensively. Until then, change can never be anything but a passing phase (Argyris 1991,106). Everyone must learn that the steps they use to define and solve problems can be a source of additional problems for the organization (Argyris 1991,100). References Single-Loop and Double-Loop Models in Research on Decision Making Author(s): Chris Argyris Source: Administrative Science Quarterly, Vol. 21, No. 3 (Sep., 1976), pp. 363-375 Published by: Johnson Graduate School of Management, Cornell University Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2391848 Senge, P. (1998) The Practice of Innovation, Leader to Leader 9 http://pfdf.org/leaderbooks/l2l/summer98/senge.html Senge, P. et. al. (1994) The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook: Strategies and Tools for Building a Learning Organization Senge, P., Kleiner, A., Roberts, C., Ross, R., Roth, G. and Smith, B. (1999) The Dance of Change: The Challenges of Sustaining Momentum in Learning Organizations, New York: Doubleday/Currency). Senge, P., Cambron-McCabe, N. Lucas, T., Smith, B., Dutton, J. and Kleiner, A. (2000) Schools That Learn. A Fifth Discipline Fieldbook for Educators, Parents, and Everyone Who Cares About Education, New York: Doubleday/Currency

Sophocles The Women of Tarchis :: Sophocles Women Tarchis Desire Essays

Sophocles' The Women of Tarchis Sophocles’s The Women of Tarchis tells the story of the desires that killed Heracles and Deianira, his wife. Heracles desires another woman, Iole, and, off stage, destroys her father’s kingdom so that he can have her and then sends Iole to his home. In response to this, Deianira, desiring Heracles to love her, and not keep another woman in their house, uses a deadly poison, which she believed was a love potion, hoping to make him love only her. Because of this, he dies, and she kills herself out of remorse. Both of them desire, both of them act on their desires, and both of them die because of desire. However, the way these desires are discussed and understood by the characters and, presumably, the audience are very different. Heracles desire is very direct. He desires people and acts on that desire. In other words, he sees what he wants and he goes and gets it, destroying anything that stands in his way. Deianira, on the other hand, is not the active agent. She desires to be desired by Heracles. Even the grammar used to talk about her situation is passive. When she does act on her desires, it is not straightforward, but through trickery and love potions. Later, when the potion’s true form is revealed, her actions are attributed to Nessus, the centaur that tricked her into believing the poison was a love potion. These descriptions reveal assumptions about desire, and what form it takes for men and for women. Heracles and Deianira, in Sophocles’s The Women of Tarchis, exemplify desire’s gender difference. An important aspect of desire in ancient Grease is that a deity represents this set of feelings. Eros, the young son of Aphrodite, it the imp the rules everyone’s hearts. Deianira describes his control over mortals when she publicly responds to the news that Heracles has fallen in love and literally taken a new wife: "How foolish one would be to climb into the ring with [desire] and try to trade blows with him, like a boxer. For he rules even the Gods as he pleases, and he rules me†¦You see that I would be altogether mad to blame my husband, because he suffers from this sickness" (441-446). She explains that it is foolish to fight with desire, but that desire will rule everyone at some point, including herself and Heracles.

Individual and Society During the Great War Period :: Essays Papers

Individual and Society During the Great War Period The concept of nationalism amongst European countries grew throughout the19th century and was maintained during the Great War. People began to see themselves as part of a nation, which came before the individual. As a result of this, individual freedoms, rights, and ideas were dismissed in order to solidify the nationalistic society. Nationalistic attitudes were implanted in the minds and hearts of the public by way of propaganda, education, and unification. People were under the belief that unification was necessary for the progression of their country, and were willing to give their lives for this ideal. This ultimately led to the beginning of the Great War. The imposition of national unity limited people from being individuals, separate from the whole of society, with their own beliefs, ideals, and freedoms. Nationalism purposefully limited them by creating a central norm which not all people were willing or able to adhere to. People's rights and freedoms were slowly whittled away at by the states entrance into their lives. The state did this in many ways. The impression of a distinct language and culture were done through the use of schools. They also accomplished this through programs and common goals. As a result of the growing number of schools and literate people, printed materials advocating nationalism and patriotism aided in this development.(1)Patriotism and loyalty to the state were instilled at an early age in the hope that the child would carry them through to adulthood. People's trust and dependence on the government increased during this period, increasing its power and influence over their lives. People believed that they were becoming unified in order to protect their common freedoms and their country's opportunity for progression. This unification of individuals into one body gave them the strength of a common bond. This would cause them to stand behind their nation, and put it above all else. The feelings that nationalism ignited within people, such as patriotism and loyalty to one's country, both aided in the development of World War I, and were used as ammunition by the rulers to enhance people's willingness to give their lives to the country through battle. People no longer viewed themselves as individuals, but rather, part of the nation. During the Great War, individual needs were set aside for the good of the nation. This was carved into the minds and hearts of the soldiers as well as those that were back at home.

Organizational Technology :: Technologies of Communication

We live in an age of communication. Communication is the problem and the opportunity addressed by a great deal of technology design and development. But because communication is an interpersonal and a social phenomenon, technology issues must be approached with a particular appreciation of human and social factors. The organization of societies today requires effective global communication between diverse and far-flung social and cultural systems. Only through technical mediation are we able to maintain the flows of commerce and information required by the world-wide interdependence. Technologies of communication become the means of production, or production format, of communication. Their use in communication is not transparent. In fact, technologies introduce new contingencies and context into communication. Analysis of communication and interaction in society today needs to account for the transformative effects of mediation. Technologies are rational by design, and in use, they rationalize human activity. Human communication and interaction, however, are neither rational nor designed. The difference between the technical and the human shows up in technology at what we call the "interface." In our case, we will consider this not just a user interface, but a social interface. It is social because it translates communication (messages, content) while also facilitating the subtle and tacit exchange of interpersonal acknowledgments. The latter, though they don't "say" anything, reproduce our relations. Social interface issues generally involve ambiguities of communication, intent, outcome and so on. These ambiguities result from technology's mediation of practices in which individuals are normally able to address and resolve ambiguities as they come up. It's at the social interface where the distinction between communication's content and participants' relationships becomes an issue, because the technology that's good for transmitting content may not be good for reproducing relationships. The implicit purpose of communication is to motivate a listener (or recipient) to do, or understand, something communicated. Thus the use of technology extends and limits the very power of communication. It extends our ability to access and connect, but limits our ability to communicate and bind. Repercussions can be seen at all levels of society, from individual and interpersonal to macro-social. Our study of communication technologies will borrow from pragmatics, which is branch of linguistics that emphasizes the "how" of what we say (in addition to the "what"). A pragmatics of mediated interaction would thus emphasize the production and performance of mediated communication and interaction, focusing on the practices developed around connectivity technologies.

English coursework (Oscar Wilde) Essay

In an essay of 3-4 pages discuss how Oscar Wilde uses stereotypes and concepts from traditional fairy-tales and in invert them in his short stories. In the majority of Oscar Wilde’s fairytales there are numerous stereotypical characters and concepts. In an exemplary fairytale there is the philanthropic character, who is very important to the format of fairytale, for instance a Prince or King, This individual usually, forms an advantageous partnership with a bi-character such as Princess, Queen, Frog, or a Wizard, this may work in reverse in some fairy tales where e.g. the Princess is the leading character and the King is the sub-role. The enemy of the protagonist is called as a villain whose only existence in a fairytale is to try and prevent the leading character and his/hers acquaintances from saving the day or more importantly the world. The evil being is primarily associated with negative images for example bad manners, ruthless personality, or the trademark evil express of amusement. In contrast the valiant hero/heroine is linked with a clean depiction. Witches, Dragons, and Wolves are more often than not portrayed as Villains. Fairy-tale writers use techniques in which they lead the reader to believe that the hero/heroine will prevail in the battle against evil, because the story gives the impression that the villain is superior to the central character. Almost ever fairy-tale begins with the opening phrase ‘Once Upon a Time’ and end with ‘†¦and they live happily ever after.’ Use of these phrases result in the reader instantaneously recognises that it is a fairy-tale. Castles are prominent buildings in fairytales because most of fairy-tales were written in medieval-times where castles were the biggest buildings you would see, and they are also related to Kings and Queens. Wilde makes extensive use of traditional fairy-tale characters, which do not exist in real life, in his stories such as ogres, giants and talking birds. I think Wilde choose to do this because he knew bizarre creatures put the message of his choice across much easier to the readers, children in particular. I know this from ‘The Happy Prince’ and ‘The Selfish Giant’ where the winter season is given human characteristics and actually given a voice to speak: â€Å"He is too selfish†. What separates Oscar Wilde from other writers in Victorian times is that he uses traditional fairy-tale characters to address contemporary issues to express his opinion. In ‘The Happy Prince’ Wilde embarks upon the difficulty of poverty and privilege, which were disregarded subjects in that era. When the Prince was alive he lived in the palace of San-Souci, here he wasn’t allowed to see the outside world, that didn’t bother the Prince because there he had everything he wanted and needed. He was very happy this led to people naming him the Happy Prince: â€Å"My courtiers called me The Happy Prince, and happy I was indeed, if pleasure be happiness. In the Palace no grief would enter, his courtiers fearing the happy prince would see true misery and sadness. The Prince lived a very luxurious and rich life and was easily pleased with his wealth. When he died they made a statue of him and placed high above the city. From this position he had a respectable view of everything. This meant that he was able to life outside the Palace: Beggars starving, children being abused, poverty all this made the Happy Prince grieve because he was powerless to stop any of this as he was a statue. Here Wilde makes a direct comparison between the rich and the poor. Wilde does this to make the reader sympathise with the poor people: When the Swallow flies over the city he sees rich people sitting in the warmth of their expensive residences and beggars sitting outside of their gates. The Swallow also spots to children hungry and cold lying in each others arms for warmth under a bridge to seek shelter from the heavy rain, but they are told to leave by the watchman, and they walk back out into the rain. Incidents like this make the Happy Prince cry every single day as he sits and watches the wretchedness of the city. Wilde sends the message that human fickleness is a weakness in ‘The Happy Prince’. As a statue the Happy Prince was very beautiful and expensive. His body was covered in leaves of fine gold, he has two bright sapphires as eyes and a large red ruby encrusted in his sword-hilt. The Happy Prince was admired by many people in the city as a consequence of this awe-inspiring appearance. A mother says to her child: â€Å"Why can’t you be like the Happy Prince† She uses the Happy Prince as a role model for her son, little does know of the Happy Prince but him being a very expensive statue. This show how people judge based on small assumptions of physical appearance only. Eventually the Happy Prince loses all his fine possessions, as he has given them away to those whose needs are greater, and two townsfolk spot the statue. They decide to take it down; they compare its value to that of beggars: â€Å"As he is no longer beautiful he is no longer useful†. The Arts Professor believes that without beauty the statue is useless. This indicates that they didn’t place the statue above the city as a symbol representing something with a deep philosophical intent, but merely as an appealing decoration for the city. Wilde also shows some fickleness and its consequences in ‘The Nightingale and the Rose’ where the nightingale observes a young student who is in love with his teacher’s daughter. He wants to give her a rose which symbolises his love for her, but cannot afford one. The nightingale sympathises for the young student, he decides to go through agony and in the end sacrifice his life to get that rose for him. The student receives the rose, and goes to the professor’s daughter to ask her if she will accept his rose, but she frowns and says that she has been given far better gifts from another man. The student walks away in disgust and throws the rose into the gutter where gets flattened by a cart-wheel. The nightingales sacrifice was in vein. The student decides to exclude himself from ever loving again and he dedicates the rest of his life to studying philosophy. This tale has had an important morale stressed by Oscar Wilde. He uses a dramatic ending to emphasise his point. He undoubtedly shows the destructiveness of a fickle nature. The fairytale ‘The Selfish Giant’ explores selfishness and ignorance by portraying the stereotypical character of a giant as a ruthless monster in some part of the story. Wilde uses little children to contrast the enormous giant’s dominance. When the giant arrives at his castle he finds children playing innocent games in his garden. The giant furiously chases them away and builds a high wall around his garden. As a result of this no seasons but winter enters his doomed garden. As summer, autumn and spring comes and goes one constant climate remains in the giant’s garden and his only. Wilde uses the endless winter a metaphor for the ongoing sentence of the giant’s misery, that winter has sentenced him for being selfish and cruel to the children. The giant soon realises his that all that time he was away, the little children had been preserving his garden and now that they were away it was winter forever. He figures this out when he sees one of his trees blossoming because a group of children climbed upon it. The giant apologises to the children and breaks down the stone fence: â€Å"†¦and my garden shall be the children’s playground for ever and ever†. The giant’s change of heart causes his garden to blossom and allow the ‘other’ seasons to enter accordingly. When the giant dies, he goes to paradise. Wilde does this to stress the story’s morale and message by showing that if you stop being selfish you will be rewarded. Wilde does use many traditional fairytale conventions but still his stories are different from the tradition in a variety of ways. Traditionally the good triumph when they have made a noble sacrifice. Wilde doesn’t necessarily do this. In fact he tends to not do it at all. This is evident in ‘The Nightingale and the Rose’ where a nightingale unselfishly sacrifices his life for something as minor as getting a red rose to a student who is in love. In the end the student is rejected by the girls he loves, and the nightingales sacrifice was in vein. This story shows that Oscar Wilde will write sorrowful endings if he has to emphasise his point. A reasonable amount of Wilde’s tales do not introduce the story with the phrase ‘Once upon a time†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ and conclude it with ‘And they all lived happily ever after.’ Wilde is very attentive in the ways in which he opens a fairy tale, but when it comes to ending one he usually goes with a harsh approach, and does not include psychological twists. In a world of magic and wonder Wilde does not exclude the use of religious imagery, this is hardly ever done in fairy tale. For example; when the Happy Prince and his little assistant the swallow both die doing their heroic deeds. God orders an angel to bring Him the two best things in the city the angel chooses the Happy Prince and the Swallow, because they were recognised for doing good deeds and therefore rewarded with an entry to God’s paradise. In the ‘Selfish Giant’ we also see Wilde’s strong belief in God, when the giant dies and allowed entry in Paradise by God, because the giant has become a better individual. I think Wilde does this because he himself believes that good things come to those who deserve it, and he wants to encourage the readers to believe in that too. This is especially aimed at younger readers. Though Wilde’s stories are fairy tales they bare a resemblance to modern day life. In the beginning of storytelling fairy tales were used as a form of entertainment and written for that purpose as well. Where Wilde’s tales differ is when the tales carry a message hidden behind a great storyline, this not only done to give the reader a good read but also to teach and educate things that they perhaps didn’t know or had a different perspective of. Nowadays stories always have these messages in them, but Oscar Wilde was one of the first to introduce this style of story-formatting, as readers crave for more than just a good story. The drama and intensity was also quite unusual elements Wilde added in his tales. These days drama is an essential ingredient to almost every genre of literature, Wilde was one of the first to discover this, which is one of many reasons why his tales are still loved and admired across the world to this day.

HR Generalists vs. Specialist Essay

Working in construction teaches you a good deal of generalist versus specialist management. It is often understood that general managers are what hold the projects together; however, the specialists are who get the job done. Similar to this functionality, human resource management also struggles to decipher the value of both types of managers. Whether it is in construction, accounting, finance, business administration, health care, law, etc., there are always individuals who obtain knowledge on different levels. Having less knowledge of a particular specialty doesn’t make them less valuable. In my professional opinion, I believe the value of a generalist and a specialist are more often based on the volume of the project or organization. Timothy Bartram and his fellow colleagues discuss these relationships in their article titled â€Å"Editors’ Note: Specialist Versus Generalist Managerial Roles in HRM.† Bartram collects a few articles by various authors to convey what happens in the corporate world between these positions. From my understanding, the authors of this article are advocating for the HR specialists of the world. They find that the specialists often get bullied by the general managers because of their perfectionism. According to the authors, human resource generalists focus more on the rate of productions while HR specialists focus on protecting the organization from legal liability (Bartram, 2013). Since in most case, the specialists report to the general manager, it is common for the general manager to feel superior; however, Bartram and his colleagues beg to differ. Although they seem to be the voice of the HR specialists, they are in no way undermining the work of HR generalists. In the second article I read the authors Steven J. Cesare and Coleen Thornton discuss the importance of both managerial positions and their responsibilities. Though they may not have intended to, they’re article seems to suggest that generalists are more anxious to climb the corporate ladder while specialists work to achieve their own goal and recognition from their peer specialists. This is an interesting argument and relatively true in many cases. I, also, have come to learn that generalists more often seek the approval and applause of their superior while specialists are more interested in being innovative and furthering their knowledge. Cesare and Thornton mention how individuals evaluate themselves as either position according to their education versus their profession. For example, if an individual obtains a degree in  engineering and works as a project manager, they consider themselves an engineer which is the specialty while a project manager is more general. Vice versa, people also identify themselves as their profession over their academic degree.

Local Development Planning in the Philippines

at the Local Level A  report  by: Sheryl  I. Fernando â€Å"Local governments do not have the luxury d of time to delay the development of their de own capabilities whic will allow them to ch achieve their cherishe objectives. ed They should help them mselves and not stagnate while the rest of the world go by. st Local governments he elping themselves is the essence of the home ru It is also the ule. cornerstone of democr ratic and just institutions. â€Å" LOGODEF,  1993 Local governments in the Philippines have th roots in the colonial administration of Spain, heir which lasted in the Philippines for some 32 years. These three centuries under Spanish 27 government were characterized by a highly ce entralized regime. The Spanish Governor General in Manila actually governed the provinces and cities in the whole country. After Spain, the US d came in the early 1900s and Filippinized local government administration. The last 50 years of the present century saw several develo pments towards decentralization. The Local Autonomy Act of 1959, the passage of the Barrio Charter and the Decentralization Act o of 1967 were all incremental national legisla ations in response to the clamour for a self? rule concept. The Philippine Constitutions of 1972 and 1987 also significantly influenced the movement for political devolution.The most significant constitutional provisions (Article 10 on Local Government) are the following: s The Congress shall enact a local government code which shall provide for a more responsive and accountable local government structure instituted through a system of s decentralization with effective mechanisms of recall, initiative n and referendum allocate among the different local government m, units their powers, responsibilities and resources and provide for the qualificati ions, election, appointment, removal, terms, salaries, power functions and duties of local officials and all rs, other matters relating to the organization and opera tion of the r local units†. The legislative initiative promoting local auto onomy was strongly supported by academics and public servants who spearheaded the nec cessary reforms in changing the structure and organization of local governments and includ new functions to enable local governments to ded address a changing environment. The strugg for decentralization that lasted more than 50 gle years culminated in the passage of the Loca Government Code in October 1991.The Local al Government Code is a most comprehensiv document on local government touching on ve structures, functions and powers, including tax xation and intergovernmental relations. † unescap. org According  to  Panadero (2008)  the  dece entralization  of  governance  was  influenced   by  local  Ã‚  and  international  events  (see  Figure e  1). He  also  added  that  at  the  International Internat tional  Events POSITIVE ? Technological Advances ? Globaliz ation crisis ? Trade/Investment liberalization ? Poverty focus flu) Political †¢ 3  changes  in   administration †¢ EDSA  II  &  III †¢ Increase  Insurgency †¢ Terrorism †¢ Charter  Change †¢ Political  Uncertainty NEGATIVE ?Episodes of world economic Slowdown & economic ? Rising oil prices ? Terrorism ? Heath problems (e. g. SARS, Eco onomic †¢ Boom  bu ust  economic   growth/cr rises †¢ Liberaliza ation/   Deregular rization   Policies †¢ Rising  Ur rbanization †¢ OFW  Deployment †¢ Fiscal  &  d debt  problems DECENT TRALIZATION Social †¢ Persistent  poverty †¢ Lower  budget   allocation For  social  services †¢ Rising  inequality †¢ Disasters Figure  1. Economic,  Social  &  Political  Environme ent  in  the  Last  Years  of  Decentralization level, globalization has the most pervasive influence on the decentralization, which was haste ned by trade and investment liberalization and technological advances.On the Social Sector, there was a focus on the reduction of poverty; on the Economic Sector, the new international issues such as terrorism had positive and negative impacts at the local level, while the economic scenario at the national level significantly shaped local development. The national government in the 1990 sought to upgrade local government by 0s delegating some limited powers to local su ubdivisions and by encouraging people to participate in community affairs. Local auto onomy was balanced, however, against the need to ensure effective political and admin nistrative control from Manila, especially in those areas where communist or Muslim ins surgents were active. During Marcos's authoritarian years (1 1972? 86), a Ministry of Local Government was instituted to invigorate provincial, mu unicipal, and barangay governments.But, Marcos's real purpose was to establish lin of authority that bypassed provin cial nes governments and ran straight to Malacanang. All local officials were beholden to Marcos, who could appoint or remove any provincial governor or town mayor. Those administrators who delivered the votes Marcos asked for were rewarded with community development funds to spend any way they liked. y After the People's Power Revolution, the new Aquino government decided to replace all the local officials who had served Marcos. Corazon Aquino delegated this task to her political ally, Aquilino Pimentel. Pimentel named officers in charge of local governments all across the nation. They served until the first local elections were held under the new constitution on January 18, 1988.Local officials elected in 1988 were to serve until June 1992, under the transitory clauses of the new constitution. Thereafter, terms of office were to be three years, with a three? term limit. Local government units (LGUs) are territo orial political subdivisions of the Philippines that include provinces , cities, municipalities and barangays (the smallest political unit in the country). Because local government officials ar voted into power by the people, their primary re role is people's welfare. Their offices are the major institutions responsible for the e coordination, overseeing and monitoring of dev velopment projects at the local level.The devolution of significant powers and functions formerly held by national line agencies mmunity development and poverty alleviation in to LGUs made them powerful conduits for com the countryside. Among the responsibilities tr ransferred to the LGUs were agriculture, health, social services, environment and natural resources, maintenance of local infrastructure facilities (such as farm? to? market roads, bridges and irri igation) and others. Local legislative powers such as decision? making, resource allocation, rule? m making and enforcement of laws related to these powers were also delegated to LGUs. Governor  Lilia  G. Pineda  meets   with  barangay  officials  of  flooded? municipalities  in  the  province  as  she  instructs  them  to  further   intensify  their  efforts  in  ensuring  the  welfare  and  safety  of  their  r respective  constituents. Board  Member  Cris Garbo,  Provincial   Social  Welfare  and  Development  Officer  (PSWDO)  Elizabeth  Bayb bayan and  Agriculture  Consultant  Roy  Imperial  join  the  meeting  of   the  local  officials. (Photo  by  Jun  Jaso,Pampanga PIO) The planning process in starts at the barangay level. Plans are prepared by the Barangay Council, and then adopted by the Barangay Development Council, composed of barangay y officials elected by the people (Figure 2). Gene erally, barangay officials have completed only the elementary levels of schooling, and have little or no training in development? related activities.Hence, barangay development plans usually consist o nly of lists of projects that focus mainly c on the infrastructure facilities that are the most obvious and easiest to identify. Some communities do have better planning processe but these are rare. es, Level National Planning  Institutions National  Economic  Development   Authority  (NEDA),  Central  Office Regional NEDA,  Ã‚  Regional  Office Provincial Provincial  Planning  and   Development  Office  (PPDO) Municipal Municipal  Planning  and   Development  Office  (MPDO) Barangay Figure  2. Planning  process  and  institutions  in  the  Philippines Barangay  Council/ Sangguniag Barangay Barangay development plans are submit tted to the Municipal Planning and Development Office (MPDO), which comes under the jurisdiction of the Office of the Mayor.The MPDO is in charge of planning activities at the municipa level. Generally, the MPDO consolidates the al â€Å"shopping lists† of projects and prioritizes them in accordance with the plans of the municipality. Before this consolidated plan bec comes the official Municipal Development Plan, it must first be adopted by the Municipal Develo opment Council. From the municipal level, plans are forwarded to the Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO) where they are again D consolidated and prioritized on the basis of the province's own particular plans. e The provincial development plans are also reviewed by the Provincial Development Councils before adoption.They are then sub bmitted to the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Regional Office, which cons solidates all the provincial plans and prioritizes them, based on regional importance. The plans should also be reviewed by the Regional p Development Councils before adoption. The plans are then forwarded to the NEDA Central Office Inter? Cabinet Coordinating Committee for consideration, together with the priorities of f the various government line agencies. Based on the national thrust s and priorities, the projects o that are selected are then consolidated and included in the National Medium? Term Development Plan. The Local Government Code (LGC) man ndates the LGUs with significant local planning functions.In particular, Section 106 of the Code provides that â€Å"each LGU shall have e comprehensive multi? sectoral development pla to be initiated by its development council and an approved by its Sanggunian. The institutional responsibilities for plan formulation, e financing and implementation are likewise clearly g, prescribe by the Code: ed ? The Loc Development Plan (LDP) shall be prepared by the cal Local Development Council (LDC); P ? The LDP will be approved by the Sanggunian; ? Funds for the development plan shall be allocated by the Local Fin nance Committee (LCF); and ? The Loc Chief Executive (LCE), together with the executive cal departm ments, will implement the development plan. This case study highlights the experience of undertaking a Priority e Implementation Partnership on incorporating disaster risk impact assessments into the construction of new roads in the Philippines, implemented by the National Disa aster Coordinating Council (NDCC) and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) with support from Asian Disaster Preparedness Cent (ADPC), UN International Strategy ter for Disaster Reduction (UN/I ISDR) and Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). † Towards Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction into the Planning Process of Road Construction Safer Roads A Priority Implementation Partnership between the National Disaster Coordinating Council and the Department of Public Works and Highways, Philippines Under the Regional Consultative Committee on Disaster Management (RCC) Program on Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction into Development in Asia Road Sector a priority for mainstreaming disaster risk reductionBACKGROUND The Regional Consultative Committee (RCC) on Disaster Management under its program on Mainstreaming disaster risk reduction into development (MDRD) have identified Roads and Infrastructure, Agriculture, Education, Health, Housing and Financial Services as priority sectors to initiate mainstreaming disaster risk reduction . With the massive infrastructure development in Asia underpinned by the investment in highways, roads and bridges, prioritizing the Road Sector is certainly a necessity. In the RCC which comprises of heads of the National Disaster Management Offices of 26 Asian Countries, members had submitted expression of interest (EoI) to mainstream of disaster risk reduction into particular sectors depending on the development priorities of their country.The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) of the Philippines which is a member of the RCC expressed interest in taking-up MDRD into road sector in partnership with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the agency responsible for national road construction in the country. Accordin gly in the first quarter of 2006, the Priority Implementation Partnership for mainstreaming disaster risk reduction into the planning process of road construction in the Philippines was started by NDCC and DPWH. The partnership was technically supported by the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) with financial support from UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR) through Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). ource: Mapping Philippine Vulnerability to Environmental Disasters – Manila Observatory/Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Floods and earthquakes make the road system in the Philippines prone to landslides, road slips, embankment scouring and other sediment related disasters. Roads are often closed for several days when hit by such disasters causing disruption in transportation services that affects the access of passengers, goods and services. The impact of flooding and typhoons in creating havoc to the c ountry’s economy as well as to damage to property is recognized in the Medium Term Philippine Development Plan of 2001-2004 and accordingly the DPWH has also aligned its policies and strategies.Priority Implementation Partnership (PIP) – a Process towards mainstreaming disaster risk reduction Similar to other countries, the Road sector in the Philippines also works in close collaboration with various government departments like Planning, Finance, Environment and Local Government. While the development of national roads (30,000 km of length) is under the jurisdiction of DPWH, the remaining road network (172,000 km of length) falls under the concern of local government units. In addition, road projects are based on area development plans produced by the National Economic Development Agency (NEDA) and the Regional Development Councils (RDC). Similarly the feasibility reports prepared for each road project undergoes an environmental and a social impact assessment led by th e Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).In order to mainstream disaster risk reduction, further collaboration is required with NDCC and technical agencies responsible for producing hazard information related to natural disasters like the Philippines Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), Philippines Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA). A MULTI-AGENCY TECHNICAL WORKING GROUP TAKES THE LEAD With this understanding, the PIP formed a technical working group of the NDCC at the beginning with multi-agency membership to steer the process of implementation of mainstreaming disaster risk reduction into the planning process of road construction. procedure of road planning and identifying the windows of opportunity to introduce disaster risk reduction.Accordingly the scope of activities was detailed as follows: †¢ Documentation of existing procedure for development of road projects with respect to hazards; Documentation of contents of pre feasibility/ feasibility report of road projects in the country over the past 20 years; Analysis of past damage to road infrastructure; Identification of specific steps that can be taken for incorporating hazard considerations in project development and approval process; List of future priority projects for construction of roads in the Philippines. †¢ PIP Technical Working Group comprises: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Chairperson; Planning service, DPWH Co-chairperson; Planning division, NDCC Members Bureau of research and standard, DPWH Bureau of design and bridge division, DPWH Philippines Institute of Civil Engineer Department of Environment and Natural Resources Philippines Institute of Volcanology and SeismologyPhilippines Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration Asian Disaster Preparedness Center †¢ †¢ †¢ The technical working group met frequently over the PIP implementat ion period to look at the mentioned activities above and developed the final report which details recommendations for integrating DRR into the planning process of new road construction in the Philippines. BROADER CONSULTATION PIP LOOKED INTO The technical working group engaged in consultation and decided on the following activities for initiating mainstreaming. Since it was realized that the ultimate aim of mainstreaming could only be achieved by bringing change in the entire system, which road projects are developed, designed, constructed and maintained.Hence this particular partnership would emphasize on understanding the existing The findings of the PIP were shared during a national workshopheld in February 2007, in which a wide range of stakeholders particpated including the Government, technical agencies, UN agencies and the Asian Development Bank. The recommendations were discussed in detail and future steps were identified. The Project Development of a typical infrastructure project in DPWH follows a cyclic process consisting of four phases: Project identification, Project preparation, Project implementation and Project operation and evaluation. consolidated form, with limited access to detailed report on damages and their corresponding costs. Also of equal importance is to benchmark hazard intensities with their Return periods/Damages.This is particularly difficult due to: lack of updated topographic maps at 1:5,000 or higher resolution, a sparse network of hazard monitoring stations (seismic and flood) as well as short monitoring period and limited processed data on hazards. The following key documents were collected during the project to conduct the analysis: †¢ Standard Terms of Reference for Strategic Environment Assessment for Plans and Programmes Standard Report Format for Strategic Environment Assessment for Plans and Programmes Sample of Damage Report DPWH District Office Sample of Consolidated Damage Report by NDCC Sample of Bridge condit ion Inspection Form Sample of Pre- Feasibility and Feasibility Reports of Road projects starting 1984 List of future projects of DPWHAfter the projects are identified, feasibility studies are conducted which includes investigations and analysis to determine the extent and degree of desirability of a project against technical, economic, social, environmental, financial and operational aspects. As part of this project, sample feasibility reports over last 20 years were analysed in terms of content and it was realized that the structure of the report largely depends on the source of funding of the project. Typically due to lack of funding for construction of national road projects, DPWH administers a basic feasibility study, but for foreign-assisted projects the assessment process is more in-depth and extensive.However, it was noted that post 2000, the feasibility reports do tend to include a section on â€Å"Review of hazard specific threats on road sections† though it is prima rily limited to protecting the road segments from geological hazards such as landslides and debris fall. In addition, DPWH feasibility study includes an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). The EIA report structure considers the impact of hazards by defining an â€Å"environmentally critical area† of the project site where it is frequently visited by the natural hazards. However, it does not explicitly provide details on how to address natural hazard vulnerability and risks to infrastructure and the consequent impact from its damage or failure.Similarly, Cost-benefit analysis cover only the planned use of the facility and does not factor in other costs (risk based cost) arising from potential damage or possible failure of the structure to function to a certain event. Assessment of damages to roads affected by a natural disaster is carried-out by DPWH at the district level. There is no fixed format followed for collecting information needed for the assessment and the reports are directly sent to NDCC for the preparation of an overall disaster assessment report. Hence, it becomes difficult to trace these records at the regional or central offices of the DPWH. Similarly the damage information of past disasters available from NDCC is in a †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢It is also realized that since mainstreaming of disaster risk reduction involves a broad range of stakeholders, interrelated plans and programs, disaster risk reduction concerns need to be linked with ongoing projects of DPWH such as: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ The earthquake rehabilitation program and similar seismic vulnerability assessments DPWH national roads improvement and management program, Phase II DPWH road maintenance investment programs The study on the nationwide flood risk assessment and the flood mitigation plan for the selected areas in the Philippines Technical Assistance for risk assessment and management Benefit monitoring and evaluation of selected r oads, Phase II, ADB Capacity Building Study on risk management for sediment related disaster on selected national highways Similarly close linkage needs to be established with the ongoing project of NDCC in partnership with UNDP on Hazard Mapping and Assessment for effective community-based disaster risk management (READY). †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢KEY FINDINGS †¢ DPWH adopts a basic â€Å"one size fits all† format for feasibility studies of road projects that does not specifically require assessment of disaster risks. During detailed design, disaster risk reduction aspects are incorporated into the project if required. Mostly national budgets do not provide funds for surveys and investigations at the feasibility study stage, and it is therefore unusual for disaster risk reduction measures to be incorporated at early stages of project preparation. Externally funded projects are prepared to higher standards, particularly in relation to environmental assessments (whe re disaster risk aspects are described if required by the particular agency) and resettlement planning.There is uneven application of building codes and design standards between national and local roads. Absence of one fixed format for collecting information on damage to roads and bridges from natural hazards prepared by district-level offices. Hydrological data are available for major river basins in the Philippines but these information have not uniformly been processed to provide flow/stage relationships for different return periods, which could be used for road design. Learning The key to successful integration of disaster risk reduction on road projects lies in the planning phase of the project cycle which includes project identification and preparation of the feasibility study.Assessing the possible impact on the project of natural disasters or other hazards at this stage means that the appropriate risk reduction measures can be included in the scope, layout and arrangement of the project’s major components—and that these measures will be allowed for in the cost estimate. If such measures are not included at the planning phase, their inclusion at the later stages is unlikely, or could be costly and inconvenient (i. e. possibly requiring a supplementary budget). Attempting to include risk reduction measures at the design stage (after major elements of the project have been decided and the budget has been allocated) cannot adequately satisfy the need for disaster risk reduction. †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Recommendations DPWH needs to have a standard on project identification and preparation procedures to eliminate quality discrepancies between nationally and externally funded projects and to pave the way for mainstreaming disaster risk reduction in road projects. Feasibility reports should include assessments of the impact of potential disasters. An enhanced natural hazard/impact assessment component should be included in the EI A for nationally-funded and foreign-assisted projects The existing system for monitoring road needs to be improved to allow for the recording of damage caused by natural disasters. Standard formats and reporting standards should be introduced for monitoring and for collecting damage data from the impact of natural disasters on roads.Capacity of staff to assess the impact of natural disasters needs to be increased, particularly at the regional and district levels. The key to successful integration of disaster risk reduction on road projects lies in the planning phase†¦ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Next Steps for mainstreaming disaster risk reduction into road sector in the Philippines In order to take forward the momentum gained under the PIP, the technical working group has identified the following next steps to realize the recommendations: †¢ Identifying two pipeline road projects in a hazard prone area of the Philippines. The two projects would be at different stages namely a pipeline project without a feasibility study and a pipeline project with a feasibility study completed.Integrating disaster risk reduction (DRR) into the planning process of two identified pipeline project. Capacity building of officials from DPWH responsible for conducting feasibility studies on how to integrate DRR. Experience of PIP incorporated in the RCC Guideline on mainstreaming disaster risk reduction into Infrastructure †¢ To share the experience gained during the process of implementation of the PIP with the remaining RCC member countries, the technical working group represented by DPWH and NDCC participated in a regional technical workshop on developing the RCC Guideline on incorporating disaster risk assessments as part of planning process before construction of new roads.The lessons learned from the PIP acted as the guiding approaches for initiating mainstreaming disaster risk reduction. †¢ †¢ Regional Consultative Committee on Disaster M anagement (RCC) The RCC comprises of members who are working in key Government positions in the National Disaster Management Offices of countries of the Asian region. To date, 26 countries are represented by 30 RCC Members from the Asia and Pacific regions, namely, Afghanistan, Bangladesh Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor Leste and Vietnam.RCC Program on Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction into Development Policy, Planning and Implementation in Asia (RCC MDRD) A key priority identified by the RCC is the integration of disaster risk considerations into development planning. To initiate action on this agreed direction, the RCC Program on Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction into Development Policy, Planning and Implementation (MDRD) was launched at the 4th RCC meeting in Bangladesh in March 2004. The RC C 5 adopted the Hanoi RCC 5 statement on Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction into Development in Asian Countries which prioritizes mainstreaming of DRR to be initiated in National development planning process as well as Sectoral development.It identified six priority sectors namely Agriculture, Education, Health, Housing, Urban Planning and Infrastructure and Financial services for mainstreaming of DRR. The program has five components for implementation: †¢ †¢ Component 1: Developing Guidelines and Tools for MDRD Component 2: Undertaking Priority Implementation Partnerships (PIP) in MDRD in RCC Member Countries Component 3: Showcasing good practice on MDRD and Monitoring Progress Component 4: Advocacy for Building awareness and Political Support to MDRD Component 5: Mobilizing Partnerships for ongoing and sustainable implementation Lay-out and graphic design by: Philipp Danao †¢ †¢ †¢The Hanoi RCC 5 statement identified the following sub themes within the Urban Planning and Infrastructure to initiate mainstreaming of disaster risk reduction: For more information, please contact: †¢ Aloysius Rego, Director and Team Leader Email: [email  protected] net †¢ Arghya Sinha Roy, Project Manager Email: [email  protected] net Disaster Management Systems Team Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) P. O. Box 4 Klong Luang Pathumthani 12120 Thailand Tel: (66 2) 516 5900-10 Fax: (66 2) 524-5350, 5360 Email: [email  protected] net website: www. adpc. net Introducing Disaster Risk Impact Assessments into the construction of new roads and bridges; Promoting the use of hazard risk information in land-use planning and zoning programsThis case study highlights the experience of undertaking a Priority Implementation Partnership on incorporating disaster risk impact assessments into the construction of new roads in the Philippines, implemented by the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) and Department of Public Works and Highwa ys (DPWH) with support from Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC), UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ ISDR) and Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). References:  Ã‚   ONLINE  :   Guide  to  Comprehensive  Development  Plan   http://www. mongabay. com/reference/country_studies/philippines/GOVERNMENT. html   Accessed:  June  26,  2012 Local  Government  Code. http://www. chanrobles. com/localgov1. htm   Accessed:  June  26,  2012   Local  Government  in  Asia  and  the  Pacific:  A  Comparative  Study. Country  paper:  Philippines   http://www. unescap. org/huset/lgstudy/country/philippines/philippines. tml  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Accessed:  June  26,  2012   Luz  Seno? Ani. Participatory  territorial  planning:  the  farming  systems  development  approach  in   community  planning  in  the  Ph ilippines,  1995–2002. http://www. fao. org/docrep/005/Y8999T/y8999t06. htm      Accessed:  June  26,  2012      Philippines? Government   http://www. mongabay. com/reference/country_studies/philippines/GOVERNMENT. html   Accessed:  June  26,  2012      Rationalizing  the  Local  Planning  System   http://www. dilg. gov. ph/PDF_File/reports/DILG? Reports? 2011712? ea7ba5859e. pdf      e? BOOK/BOOK:      Panadero,  Austere  A. (2008). Strategy  to  Further  Decentralization  in  the  Philippines. LOGODEF   Journal  on  Ã‚  Local  Governance.Towards  Mainstreaming  Disaster  Risk  Reduction  into  the  Planning  Process  of  Road  Construction         PHOTOS:   Gov. meets  with  brgy  officials:   http://pampangacapitol. ph/2011/10/06/gov? meets? with? barangay? officials/      cory  caricature from  the  Filipino  mind:  Bobby  Tuazon   http://thefili pinomind. blogspot. com/2009/08/cora? aquino? how? politics? of? reform? lost. html      Cover  photo  by  Sheryl  Fernando,  documentor,  Executive  management  course  for  Ã‚  PSWDOs  and   MSWDOs  in  Mindanao A  report  submitted  in  partial  fulfillment  of  the  requirements  in   Development  Management  in n  Development  Organizations Submit tted  to: Dr. Jedida  L. Aquino Profe essor Submitted  by: Sheryl  I. F Fernando MD DM