Public administration Essay

‘Ethics’ is a difficult term to define. The meaning, nature and scope of ethics have expanded in the course of time. ‘Ethics’ is integral to public administration. In public administration, ethics focuses on how the public administrator should question and reflect in order to be able to act responsibly. We cannot simply bifurcate the two by saying that ethics deals with morals and values, while public administration is about actions and decisions. Administering accountability and ethics is a difficult task. The 1 levels of ethics in governance are dependent on the social, economic, political, cultural, legal-judicial and historical contexts of the country. These specific factors influence ethics in public administrative systems. This Unit will discuss the meaning, evolution, foci and concerns of ethics. It will bring out the different dimensions of ethics and their relevance for public administration. The significance of an ethical code for administrators will be analysed and the nature of work ethics will be discussed. This Unit will also examine the obstacles to ethical accountability. 21. 2 ETHICS: MEANING AND RELEVANCE ‘Ethics’ is a system of accepted beliefs, mores and values, which influence human behaviour. More specifically, it is a system based on morals. Thus, ethics is the study of what is morally right, and what is not. The Latin origin of the word ‘ethics’ is ethicus that means character. Since the early 17th century, ‘ethics’ has been accepted as the â€Å"Science of morals; the rules of conduct, the science of human duty. † Hence, in common parlance, ethics is treated as moral principles that govern a person’s or a group’s behaviour. It includes both the science of the good and the nature of the right. The ethical concerns of governance have been underscored widely in Indian scriptures and other treatises such as Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagvad Gita, Buddha Charita, Arthashastra, Panchatantra, Manusmriti, Kural, Shukra Niti, Kadambari, Raja Tarangani, and Hitopadesh. At the same time, one cannot ignore the maxims on ethical governance provided by the Chinese philosophers such as Lao Tse, Confucius and Mencius. In the Western philosophy, there are three eminent schools of ethics. The first, inspired by Aristotle, holds that virtues (such as justice, charity and generosity) are dispositions to act in ways that benefit the possessor of these virtues and the society of which he is a part. The second, subscribed to mainly by Immanual Kant, makes the concept of duty central to morality: human beings are bound, from a knowledge of their duty as rational beings, to obey the categorical imperative to respect other rational beings with whom they interact. The third is the Utilitarian viewpoint that asserts that the guiding principle of conduct should be the greatest happiness (or benefit) of the greatest number (Hobson, 2002). The Western thought is full of ethical guidelines to rulers, whether in a monarchy or a democracy. These concerns are found in the writings of Plato, Aristotle, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Penn, John Stuart Mill, Edmund Burke, and others. Rawl’s theory of justice revolves around the adaptation of two fundamental principles of justice, which would, in turn, guarantee a just and morally acceptable society. The first principle guarantees the right of each person to have the most extensive basic liberty compatible with liberty of others. The second principle states that social and economic positions are to be: (a) To everyone’s advantage, and (b) Open to all. A key issue for Rawls is to show how such principles would be universally adopted, and over here his work borders on general ethical issues. He introduces a theoretical ‘veil of ignorance’ in which all ‘players’ in the social game would be placed in a situation, which is called the ‘original position’. Having only a general knowledge about the facts of ‘life and society’ each player is to make a ‘rationally’ prudential choice concerning the kind of social institution they would enter into contract with. By denying the players any specific information about themselves it forces them to adopt a generalised point of view that bears a strong resemblance to the moral point of view. This view point revolves around moral conclusions can be reached without abandoning the prudential standpoint and posting a moral outlook merely by pursuing one’s own prudential reasoning under certain procedural bargaining. 2 The gist of wisdom on administrative ethics is that the public administrators are the â€Å"guardians† of the Administrative State. Hence, they are expected to honour public trust and not violate it. Two crucial questions raised in this context are â€Å"why should guardians be guarded? And â€Å"Who guards the guardian? † (Rosenbloom and Kravchuk, 2005). The administrators need to be guarded against their tendency to misconceive public interest, promote self-interest, indulge in corruption and cause subversion of national interest. And they need to be guarded by the external institutions such as the judiciary, legislature, political executive, media and civil society organisations. These various modes of control become instruments of accountability. 21. 3 EVOLUTION OF ETHICAL CONCERNS IN ADMINISTRATION It is essential to recognise that the discipline of Public Administration has been broadly influenced in the initial stages of its growth, by Political Science and the science of Management. While the philosophical premises of Public Administration were influenced primarily by Political Science, its technological facet was designed by Management Sciences. The early Political Science was taught as Moral Philosophy and Political Economy, while its current curriculum is the product of secular, practical, empirical and scientific tendencies of the past century. The American students of Political Science, in the early years of the last century, were dismayed at the inadequacies of the ethical approach in the Gilded Age. As a result of their interaction with the German universities and the influence on their thinking by scholars such as J. N Burgess, E. J. James, A. B Hart, A. L Lovell, and F. J Goodnow, they sought to recreate Political Science as a true science. They became increasingly interested in observing and analysing ‘actual governments’. Natural and Social Sciences substantially influenced their ideas and approaches. Later, Logical Positivism of the Austrian School influenced scholars such as Herbert Simon and thus there emerged a booming faith in developing a Science of Politics and a Science of Administration that would be able to `predict and control’ political and administrative life. As Dwight Waldo comments, the old belief that good government was the government of moral men was thus replaced by a morality that was irrelevant and that proper institutions and expert personnel were the determining factors in shaping good government. `The new amorality became almost a request for professional respect’. The eminence of Behaviouralism until the mid-1960s further marginalised the ethical issues in the study of Political Science and Public Administration. It was only after the advent of Post-behaviouralism in Political Science and of the accent on New Public Administration in Public Administration that the scientific methods of Behaviouralim and humanistic (read `ethical’) values struck a homogenous chord with administration and the dispute between facts and values was resolved substantially. The current discipline of public administration accords primacy to the `values’ of equity, justice, humanism, human rights, gender equality and compassion. The movement of Good Governance, initiated by the World Bank in 1992, lays stress, inter alia, on the ethical and moral conduct of administrators. While the New Public Management movement is more concerned with administrative effectiveness, the New Public Administration focuses on administrative ethics in its broader manifestation. Both the movements are complementary to each other. This complementarity of foci 3 is as truer today as it was a hundred years ago when the industrial world was experiencing the rise of Scientific Management amidst a strong acceptance of the notion of administrative responsibility. John Kennedy, during his Presidency (19611963) had averred: â€Å"No responsibility of government is more fundamental than the responsibility of maintaining the higher standards of ethical behaviour. The ideal-type construction of bureaucracy, propounded by Max Weber also highlighted an ethical imperative of bureaucratic behaviour. Weber (1947) observed: In the rational type, it is a matter of principle that the members of the administrative staff should be completely separated from ownership of the means of production and administration. Officials, employees and workers attached to the administrative staff do not themselves own the non-human means of production and administration†¦. These exists, furthermore, in principle complete separation of property belonging to the organisation, which is controlled within the sphere of office, and the personal property of the official, which is available for his own private uses†. Weber’s analysis underscores the need to prevent the misuse of an official position for personal gains. Although his ideal-type construct on bureaucracy is not empirical, yet it has an empirical flavour, for it appears to have taken into account the existential reality of bureaucratic behaviour. From a normative angle – knowing that Weber was not normative in his ideal type constructs – also, the message is clear: Don’t misuse official property for personal benefit. Most critics of real-world bureaucracies, including Harold Laski, Carl Friedrich, Victor Thompson and Warren Bennis, have criticised bureaucrats for violating the prescribed norms of moral conduct. Even Fred Riggs, while discussing the traits of a prismatic society like `formalism’ and ‘nepotism’ points out the yawning gap between the `ideal’ and the `real’ in administrative behaviour. The deviations from the norms and mores have been too glaring to be ignored. Immoral behaviour thus has become an integral component of `bureaupathology’ 21. 4 CONTEXT OF ETHICS AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION Ethics, whether in an entire society, or in a social sub-system, evolves over a long period of time and is influenced, during its nurturance and growth, by a variety of environmental factors. Administrative ethics is no different. It is the product of several contextual structures and it never ceases to grow and change. Let us now look at some of these contextual factors that influence ethics in the public administrative systems: The Historical Context The history of a country marks a great influence on the ethical character of the governance system. The Spoils System in the USA during the initial phase of the American nation vitiated the ethical milieu of the American Public Administration. â€Å"To victor belong the spoils† asserted American President Jackson. Things would have continued the same way had not a disgruntled job seeker assassinated President Garfield in 1881. Garfield’s assassination spurred the process of civil service reforms in the USA, and the setting up of the US. Civil Service Commission in 1883 was the first major step in this direction. India has witnessed a long history of unethical practices in the governance system. Kautilya’s Arthashastra mentions a variety of corrupt practices in which the administrators of those times indulged themselves. The Mughal Empire and the Indian princely rule were also afflicted with the corrupt practices of the courtiers and 4 administrative functionaries, with ‘bakashish’ being one of the accepted means of selling and buying favours. The East India Company too had its share of employees who were criticised even by the British parliamentarians for being corrupt. The forces of probity and immorality co-exist in all phases of human history. Which forces are stronger depends upon the support these get from the prime actors of politico-administrative system. What is disturbing is that a long legacy of unethical practices in governance is likely to enhance the tolerance level for administrative immorality. In most developing nations having a colonial history, the chasm between the people and the government continues to be wide. In the colonial era, the legitimacy of the governance was not accepted willingly by a majority of population and therefore, true loyalty to the rulers was a rare phenomenon. Although the distance between the governing elite and the citizens has been reduced substantially in the transformed democratic regimes, yet the affinity and trust between the two has not been total even in the new dispensation. Unfortunately, even the ruling elite does not seem to have imbibed the spirit of emotional unity with the citizens. The legacy of competitive collaboration between the people and the administrators continues to exist. The nature of this relationship has an adverse impact on ‘administrative ethics’. The Socio-cultural Context Values that permeate the social order in a society determine the nature of governance system. The Indian society today seems to prefer wealth to any other value. And in the process of generating wealth, the means-ends debate has been sidelined. Unfortunately, ends have gained supremacy and the means do not command an equal respect. A quest for wealth in itself is not bad. In fact, it is a mark of civilisational progress. What is important is the means employed while being engaged in this quest. We seem to be living in an economic or commercial society, where uni-dimensional growth of individuals seem to be accepted and even valued, where ends have been subdued by means, and ideals have been submerged under the weight of more practical concerns of economic progress. Can we change this social order? Mahatma Gandhi very much wanted to transform the priority-order of the Indian society, but there were hardly any takers or backers of his radical thinking that was steeped in a strong moral order. To put it bluntly, ever since Gandhi passed away, there has been not a single strong voice in independent India challenging the supremacy of ‘teleology and unidimensionalism’. Neither have our family values questioned this unilinear growth of society nor has our educational system made serious efforts to inject morality into the impressionable minds of our youth. We have starkly failed on these fronts. The need is to evolve fresh perspectives on what kind of the Indians we wish to evolve and how? Till then, efforts will have to be focused on the non-social fronts. The issues of morality may or may not be rooted in the religious ethos of a society. Indian religious scriptures do not favour pursuit of wealth through foul means. Interestingly, Thiru Valluvar’s Kural, written two thousand years ago in Tamil Nadu, emphasises that earning wealth brings fame, respect and an opportunity to help and serve others, but it should be earned through right means only. Can this dictum form the basis of our socio-moral orientation? The level of integrity among Protestants and Parsees is believed by some to be relatively higher when compared to other religions and one can find the roots of such integrity in the well-ingrained mores of these religions. Nevertheless, it is only one point of view, as there are several other religious and secular groups, which are known for their high moral conduct. The cultural system of a country, including its religious orientation, appears to have played a significant role in influencing the work ethics of its people. For instance, the stress on hard work, so characteristic of the Protestant ethics, has helped several Christian societies to enhance their per capita 5 productivity. While Judaism has valued performance of physical labour by its followers, the Hindu and Islamic societies, on the other hand, have generally considered physical labour to be of lower rank than the mental work. Work ethics may or may not be linked with religious moorings. These are subjective issues but make for an interesting study. The family system and the educational system are influential instruments of socialisation and training of the mind in its impressionable years. If the values inculcated through the family and the school have underscored honesty and ethics, the impact on the mind-set of citizens is likely to be highly positive and powerful. Legal-judicial Context The legal system of a country determines considerably the efficacy of the ethical concerns in governance system. A neatly formulated law, with a clear stress on the norms of fair conduct and honesty, is likely to distinguish chaff from grain in the ethical universe. Conversely, nebulous laws, with confusing definition of corruption and its explanations, will only promote corruption for it would not be able to instill the fear of God or fear of law among those violating the laws of the land and mores of the society. Besides, an efficient and effective judiciary with fast-track justice system will prove a roadblock to immorality in public affairs. Conversely, a slow-moving judiciary, with a concern for letter rather than the spirit of the law, will dither and delay and even help the perpetrators of crimes by giving them leeway through prolonged trials and benefits of doubt. Likewise, the anti-corruption machinery of the government, with its tangled web of complex procedures, unintendedly grants relief to the accused who are indirectly assisted by dilatory and knotty procedures. In India, there is hardly any effective anticorruption institution. As we have read in Unit 7 earlier on in this Course, the Lok Pal is yet to be established, Lok Ayuktas are feeble and toothless agencies, while the state vigilance bodies are low-key actors. The consequences are too obvious to warrant any explanation. The Political Context The political leadership, whether in power or outside the power-domain, is perhaps the single most potent influence on the mores and values of citizens. The rulers do rule the minds, but in a democracy particularly, all political parties, pressure groups and the media also influence the orientation and attitudes on moral questions. If politicians act as authentic examples of integrity, as happens in the Scandinavian countries, or as examples of gross self-interest, as found in most South Asian countries, the administrative system cannot remain immune to the levels of political morality. The election system in India is considered to be the biggest propeller to political corruption. Spending millions on the elections `compels’ a candidate to reimburse his expenses through fair or foul means – more foul than fair. While fair has limits, foul has none. It is generally argued that the administrative class – comprising civil servants at higher, middle as well as lower levels – emerges from the society itself. Naturally, therefore, the mores, values and behavioural patterns prevalent in the society are likely to be reflected in the conduct of administrators. To expect that the administrators will be insulated from the orientations and norms evidenced the in society would be grossly unrealistic. The argument, propounded here, has a convincing logic, yet there can be a counterpoint that the rulers are expected to possess stronger moral fibre than the subjects. Since there are hardly any instrumentalities to protect and nurture administrative 6 morality vis-a-vis the general social morality, such an expectation remains at the most an elusive ideal. Hence, there is an obvious need to go deeper into the problem. The behaviour of politicians has a demonstration effect on civil servants. Besides, the capacity of the less honest political masters to control civil servants is immense. It is ironical that the moral environment in a country like India is designed more by its politicians than by any other social group. The primacy of the political over the rest of systems is too obvious to be ignored. If the media is objective and fearless, its role in preventing corruption can be effective. It can even act as a catalyst to the promotion of ethical behaviour among administrators. Hence, those who own and manage the media should understand their wider social and moral responsibilities. The trend in this direction is visible now with many television channels regularly airing their ‘expose’ on malpractices in the system. This role of the media is important if performed with intent of social responsibility rather than sensationalism. The Economic Context The level of economic development of a country is likely to have a positive correlation with the level of ethics in the governance system. Even when a causal relation between the two is not envisaged, a correlation cannot be ruled out. A lower level of economic development, when accompanied with inequalities in the economic order, is likely to create a chasm among social classes and groups. The less privileged or more deprived sections of society may get tempted to forsake principles of honest conduct while fulfilling their basic needs of existence and security. Not that the rich will necessarily be more honest (though they can afford to be so), yet what is apprehended is that the poor, while making a living, may find it a compelling necessity to compromise with the principles of integrity. It is interesting to note that with the advent of liberalising economic regime in developing nations, there is a growing concern about following the norms of integrity in industry, trade, management and the governance system on account of the international pressures for higher level of integrity in the WTO regime. This is what Fred Riggs would call `exogenous’ inducements to administrative change. 21. 5 ISSUE OF ETHICS: FOCI AND CONCERNS An important question arises in connection with the moral obligation of an administrative system. Is the administrative system confined to acting morally in its conduct or does it also share the responsibility of protecting and promoting an ethical order in the larger society? While most of the focus on administrative morality is on the aspect of probity within the administrative system, there is a need to consider the issue of the responsibility of the governance system (of which the administrative system is an integral part) to create and sustain an ethical ambience in the socioeconomic system that would nurture and protect the basic moral values. Moral political philosophy assumes that the rulers will not only be moral themselves, but would also be the guardians of morality in a society. Truly, being moral is a prerequisite to being a guardian of wider morality. Both the obligations are intertwined. It is a truism that the crux of administrative morality is ethical decision-making. The questions of facts and values cannot be separated from ethical decision-making. Thus, the science of administration gets integrated with the ethics of administration. And in this integrated regime, only that empirical concern is valued, which respects the normative concerns in the delivery of administrative services. 7 Which are the essential concerns in regard to administrative ethics? There can be a long list of values that are considered desirable in an administrative action. However, in being selective, one has to focus on the most crucial values. Let us now concentrate on the values of justice, fairness and objectivity. Woodrow Wilson, â€Å"The Study of Administration† (1887), in his inaugural address averred that justice was more important than sympathy. Thus, he placed justice at the top of value-hierarchy in a governance system. Paradoxically, there has been a lot of discussion on the formallegal aspects of administrative law since then, but very little analysis has been made of the philosophical dimension of administrative justice. The other two issues of ethical decision-making, viz. fairness and objectivity are, in fact, integral components of administrative justice. When administrators are true to their profession, they are expected to be impartial and fair and not get influenced by nepotism, favoritism and greed while making decisions of governance. Objectivity should not be misconstrued as a mechanical and rigid adherence to laws and rules. From the decision-making angle, it has undoubtedly wider ramifications encompassing a set of positive orientations. Currently, the notion of ethics has expanded itself to involve all major realms of human existence. Let us attempt to outline certain salient aspects of ethics in public administration. Broadly, they could be summarised as following maxims: †¢ Maxim of Legality and Rationality: An administrator will follow the law and rules that are framed to govern and guide various categories of policies and decisions. Maxim of Responsibility and Accountability: An administrator would not hesitate to accept responsibility for his decision and actions. He would hold himself morally responsible for his actions and for the use of his discretion while making decisions. Moreover, he would be willing to be held accountable to higher authorities of governance and even to the people who are the ultimate beneficiaries of his decisions and actions. Maxim of Work Commitment: An administrator would be committed to his duties and perform his work with involvement, intelligence and dexterity. As Swami Vivekananda observed: â€Å"Every duty is holy and devotion to duty is the highest form of worship. † This would also entail a respect for time, punctuality and fulfillment of promises made. Work is considered not as a burden but as an opportunity to serve and constructively contribute to society. Maxim of Excellence: An administrator would ensure the highest standards of quality in administrative decisions and action and would not compromise with standards because of convenience or complacency. In a competitive international environment, an administrative system should faithfully adhere to the requisites of Total Quality Management. Maxim of Fusion: An administrator would rationally bring about a fusion of individual, organisational and social goals to help evolve unison of ideals and imbibe in his behaviour a commitment to such a fusion. In situation of conflicting goals, a concern for ethics should govern the choices made. Maxim of Responsiveness and Resilience: An administrator would respond effectively to the demands and challenges from the external as well as internal environment. He would adapt to environmental transformation and yet sustain the ethical norms of conduct. In situations of deviation from the prescribed ethical norms, the administrative system would show resilience and bounce back into the accepted ethical mould at the earliest opportunity. 8 †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Maxim of Utilitarianism: While making and implementing policies and decisions, an administrator will ensure that these lead to the greatest good (happiness, benefits) of the greatest number. Maxim of Compassion: An administrator, without violating the prescribed laws and rules, would demonstrate compassion for the poor, the disabled and the weak while using his discretion in making decisions. At least, he would not grant any benefits to the stronger section of society only because they are strong and would not deny the due consideration to the weak, despite their weakness. Maxim of National Interest: Though universalistic in orientation and liberal in outlook, a civil servant, while performing his duties, would keep in view the impact of his action on his nation’s strength and prestige. The Japanese, the Koreans, the Germans and the Chinese citizens (including civil servants), while performing their official roles, have at the back of their mind a concern and respect for their nation. This automatically raises the level of service rendered and the products delivered. Maxim of Justice: Those responsible for formulation and execution of policies and decisions of governance would ensure that respect is shown to the principles of equality, equity, fairness, impartiality and objectivity and no special favours are doled out on the criteria of status, position, power, gender, class, caste or wealth. Maxim of Transparency: An administrator will make decisions and implement them in a transparent manner so that those affected by the decisions and those who wish to evaluate their rationale, will be able to understand the reasons behind such decisions and the sources of information on which these decisions were made. Maxim of Integrity: An administrator would undertake an administrative action on the basis of honesty and not use his power, position and discretion to serve his personal interest and the illegitimate interests of other individuals or groups. †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ There could be many more tenets added to the above catalogue of maxims of morality in administration. However, the overall objective is to ensure ‘Good Governance’ with a prime concern for ethical principles, practices, orientations and behaviour. There are no dogmas involved in defining administrative ethics. The chief concern while doing so is the positive consequence of administrative action and not just ostensibly rational modes of administrative processes. In the following Section, a few of the salient concerns and foci of ethics are being dealt with briefly. 21. 6 PERTINENCE OF CODE OF ADMINISTRATIVE ETHICS. The concept of ethics has been a latecomer in the realm of public administration. For too long, doing one’s duty well was considered to be an equivalent of bureaucratic ethics. Interestingly, in the United States, the original city managers’ and federal code of ethics placed notable stress on efficiency as ethical concept. In the early 20th century, the perspective began to change. In 1924, the International City/Country Management Association adopted the public sector’s first code of ethics that reflected anti-corruption and anti-politics facets of the municipal reforms movement. 9. In 1958, the US Congress imposed a code of ethics on the Federal Government and in 1978, founded the Office of Government Ethics as an upshot of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978. In 1992, the Office of Government Ethics released the Federal Government’s first comprehensive set of standards of ethical conduct, comprising standards pertaining to gifts, conflicts of financial interest, impartiality, misuse of office, seeking outside employment, and outside activities. Almost all the American states have also promulgated their respective codes of ethics, though compared to the federal initiative, they are less comprehensive. Today, codes of ethics, ethics boards, and ethics training have been accepted as integral aspects of public administration in the U. S. Moreover, ethics education has also permeated the discipline of public administration. The National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Public Administration has made ethics education a required component of a Public Administration Programme for its accreditation and has prescribed that all introductory text-books in public administration should include a discussion on ethics (Browman, Berman and West, 2001). Eminent professional associations of public administration also offer training programmes on ethical conduct for public managers. In India, there are a few training programmes on administrative ethics offered by the Indian Institute of Public Administration and other institutions for civil servants, but there is hardly any similar initiative taken up in the realm of education in Public Administration. The American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) had adopted in 1984 a Code of Ethics for its members (comprising intellectuals as well as practicing administrators). It was revised in 1994. Certain salient points of the ASPA’s Code of Ethics are as follows: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Exercise of discretionary authority to promote public interest Recognition and support to the public’s right to know the public business Exercise of compassion, benevolence, fairness and optimism Prevention of all forms of mismanagement of public funds by establishing and maintaining strong fiscal and management controls, by supporting audits and investigative activities Protection of Constitutional principles of equality, fairness, representativeness, responsiveness and due process in protecting citizens’ rights Maintenance of truthfulness and honesty and not to compromise them for advancement, honour, or personal gain Guarding zealously against conflict of interest or its appearance: e. g. nepotism, improper ou.

Language of the Neanderthal Essay

It is understood that the Neanderthal was an exceptional thinker and communicator; but there are heavy debates that question whether or not it spoke with a language. Some argue that the hyoid bone of the Neanderthal was too high in relation to its larynx to enable its tongue to form words, while others argue the opposite. With respect to both theories, it was indeed a linguistic hominid. The Neanderthal skull is more similar in shape to the Homo sapien than that of hominids before it; which would make it reasonable to believe that it was able to speak using language. Since it was the transitional species however, it may have been limited in its development of language usage. History of the Neanderthal Before analyzing the arguments discussing the language used by the Neanderthals, it is important to understand what is known about them. Homo neanderthalensis is the last species in the evolution of hominids, which is not considered a â€Å"modern human.† After many years of study, and dozens of findings, scientists observed the differences in the shape of Neanderthal skulls compared to Homo sapiens. They discovered that the brain was smaller, the bones were much more robust, and that the Neanderthal had no chin. The first findings of Neanderthals were in Belgium, Germany, and Gibraltar, in the early to mid 1800s. Some of the most important findings of the Neanderthal were in the La Chapelle- aux- Saints caves of Southern France. The ideas that have come from these rolling hills have both hurt and helped the progress for valid information in Neanderthal studies. In 1908, Jean and Amà ©dà ©e Bouyssonie’s findings led many scientists to conclude that Neanderthals lived strictly in caves. This is now proven to be false. These rumors however, created widespread generalization that made Neanderthals appear vastly inferior to modern humans. One such generalization held sway and brought about artistic depictions of the Neanderthals being sluggish and  awkward creatures. These depictions were created in reflection of the reconstruction of the â€Å"OId Man of La Chapelle- Aux- Saints† by French paleontologist, Marcellin Boule. The bones in the reconstruction of this particular Neanderthal were arthritic; and â€Å"although Boule was aware of the deforming illness†¦his reconstruction apparently did not take it into account sufficiently† (Sommer 2006:213). It wasn’t until the mid- 1900s that paleoanthropologists discovered that the Neanderthal walked upright and wasn’t slouched over at all. Discussions on the Neanderthal Hyoid Bone Despite all of the progress that has been made in figuring out just who Homo neanderthalensis was, anthropologists still have a long way to go. There are many sub-topics about the enigmatic skeletal remains of the Neanderthal that are stirring up heated debates in the world of anthropology, and are still left to skepticism. One of the most controversial is whether it was able to speak with flexible tongue movements that were able to create sophisticated variances in sound; that moreover allowed it to live with social interactions that rivaled the ones we use today. The hyoid bone and larynx position of the Neanderthal compared to Homo sapiens is the most explored aspect of this debate of language. In these arguments, the morphology of the organs and bones in the neck are often times more of a concern than their functionality. The hyoid is a U shaped bone, responsible for harnessing the movements of the tongue. It is located just above the larynx, which is also known as the voice box. The larynx and hyoid bone are positioned in a way that work together to form the words heard among modern day humans. In the early 1970s, scientists E.S. Crelin and Philip Lieberman reassembled the larynx of the Neanderthal and came up with a strong theory that is still agreed with today. They found that the Neanderthal â€Å"larynx is positioned high, close to the base of the skull, and the tongue lies almost entirely within the oral cavity† (Lieberman 1975:494). Lieberman is an expert in the evolution of language and has spent a greater part of his career discussing the major differences between Neanderthal and modern human language. He has written volumes that greatly detail the morphology of the Neanderthal’s mandible and laryngeal bone structure; and has for the most part concluded that Neanderthal language was nowhere near that of modern day humans. Shortly after Lieberman and Crelins’ reconstructed Neanderthal skull, there was not yet an actual Neanderthal hyoid bone found; and other scientists and thinkers in the 1970s disagreed with the way the Neanderthal skull was reconstructed. They based this off of the fact that Crelin was using only five specimens of Neanderthals from the La Chapelle Aux Saints site and also that the culminated skull was reconstructed incorrectly. Many paleontologists believed that the way it was put together would have made it impossible for it to swallow food. â€Å"One cannot help wondering why the vocal tract remodeling concentrates so heavily on La Chapelle when La Ferrassie I is in a much better state of physical preservation† (Carlisle and Siegel 1978: 370).Despite the valid statements made by Carlisle and Siegel that account the pristine condition of the skull that was put together at the La Ferrassie I site; it still did not give any more evidence that pointed to advanced vocal communication among the Neanderthals. Around the late 1980s the first Neanderthal hyoid bone was found in the Kebara Caves of Mount Carmel, Israel. It was discovered in the middle Paleolithic layers of soil that date back to sixty thousand years ago. Upon investigation of the bone, it was discovered that it was nearly identical to those of modern humans. It is important to point out that many of noted paleontologist, Philip Lieberman’s studies were based on comparing the hyoid bones of Chimpanzees to Neanderthals. Lieberman and his colleagues reached a consensus that Neanderthals spoke more like Chimpanzees than modern humans. Chimpanzees have been reportedly able to communicate with very subtle changes in tonality, which indicates there is a primitive language there. That being said, the shape of the hyoid bone of the chimpanzee is worlds apart from the Homo sapien. Whereas, previously mentioned the hyoid was nearly identical to the Homo sapiens’. The chimpanzee’s hyoid bone is much smaller and narrower in comparison to its larynx which is partly what makes its language usage, extremely limited. Not only that, but its brain is much smaller than not only the modern human, but also the Neanderthal. Lieberman’s vast knowledge of Linguistics has made him an important figure in Archaeology, but his morphological ideals that are commonplace have left out some of the more obvious similarities between Neanderthals and Humans. Neanderthal DNA The functions of the DNA structure of the Neanderthal are often times abandoned entirely in the arguments defending their â€Å"lack of language.† Proteins extracted from digs surrounding Neanderthal sites have been analyzed in labs and their DNA structures have given researchers positive reinforcement that the Neanderthal was very similar in its genetic makeup. According to Dr. Julien Riel- Salvatore from the University of Colorado at Denver, â€Å"Genetically, they [Neanderthals] share with modern humans a distinctive mutation of the FOXP2 gene, which seems to be intimately associated with speech† (Julien Riel-Salvatore, personal communication 2011). This same mutation is not exhibited in the Chimpanzee. Neanderthals and Human Breeding There are other debates that coincide with Neanderthals being able to speak, for instance a study that shows Neanderthals may have been able to breed with humans. This is a paradox in that it would rule out the term Neanderthal entirely, because in order to breed, an animal must be of the same species. If this is true not only would it point out that Homo neanderthalensis could speak as eloquently as the Homo sapien, but the Homo neanderthalensis was a Homo Sapien. The differences would be more in the light of behavior, nomadic skills, and tool technology that made the Homo Sapien with a chin able to out-survive the other. Playful notions aside, this is still a very debatable sub-topic of Neanderthal language and many more discoveries will have to be made to prove its total validity. Misleading Theories Other noted archaeologists believe that the large nose of the Neanderthal made it incapable of speech, insisting â€Å"†¦Contrasts in facial morphology probably led to nasal-like vocalizations†¦[and for]†¦advanced hmmmmm sounds† (Mithen 2006: 226). The brief description that Mithen uses to back up this opinion does not prove anything about how the nose may have certainly caused vocal limitations. Its nose was larger in size, but so were other parts of the Neanderthal, and they were no impedance to how it got around. Conclusion Corrosion of bones and more importantly muscle tissue make many aspects of anthropology a challenging field. It is not always clear how the muscle  tissue that once surrounded the skeletons of our ancient relatives operated in relation to nerves, connective tissue, and bones. The Neanderthal is a confusing hominid because of its somewhat smaller cranial capacity, and extremely large skeletal frame. The shapes of its bones are like larger replicas of ours, aside from the skull which is unique in its brow ridge and lack of chin. The conclusions of inter-breeding seem a bit far-fetched. It may have been able to speak as well as modern humans, but perhaps in comparison to the Darwin Finches, its slight variances in structure may have selected it to extinction. Acknowledgements I would like to thank Dr. Riel- Salvatore for his feedback on the Neanderthal. I am not a professional analyst in anthropology, and am grateful that he was able to provide me with some of his personal inquiries on the controversial debates centered on Neanderthal language. Works Cited Boellstorf, Tom (Editor) 1978 Additional Comments on Problems in the Interpretation of Neanderthal Speech Capabilities Vol 80 American Anthropology Association, Virginia. Lynch, Michael (Editor) 2006 Mirror Mirror on the Wall: Neanderthal as Image and Distortion in Early 20th- Century French Science and Press Vol. 36. SAGE Publications, California. Mithen, Steven 2006 The Singing Neanderthal. Harvard University Press, Massachusetts. Riel- Salvatore, Julien (Interview) 2011 Original notes from email. Ruff, Christopher (Editor) 1996 Structural Harmony and Neanderthal Speech: A Reply to Le May Vol. 45 Wiley-Liss, New Jersey.

Art Notes

Crytek Art Notes [Company Name] [Street Address] [City, ST ZIP Code] [Recipient Name] Art Notes [Hotel Name] [Street Address] [City, ST ZIP Code] Dear [Recipient Name]: I am a frequent traveler and have been a loyal customer of your hotel for many years because I appreciate your emphasis on value and excellent service. Yet a recent episode at your hotel has made me question my loyalty. [Describe your experience. For example: I stayed in your Lilburn, Georgia, hotel, room 203, from Monday, September 1 through Thursday, September 4.Throughout my stay my towels were consistently dirty and the bathroom plumbing was faulty. To make matters worse, one of my neighbors was extremely loud and entertained visitors until 3:00 AM. I complained to the front desk manager and requested another room but was told there were no other rooms available. No one from the hotel spoke to the noisy guest on my behalf. Despite my repeated complaints, it was not until the third day of my stay that the plumbing was fixed and my towels refreshed.Because of the noise, I was unable to sleep comfortably for two nights, and hence, my business meetings were far more stressful than they needed to be. ] I am writing to encourage you to improve your customer service. It is extremely distressing for a loyal, frequent traveler to experience such poor service. I enjoy staying at your hotel for a number of reasons. Overall the atmosphere makes me feel as comfortable, as if I were at home. I hate having my positive feelings about your hotel ruined by one visit. I hope this problem will be corrected prior to my next visit. Sincerely, Crytek

Colombian Trade Treaty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Colombian Trade Treaty - Essay Example Moreover, the market will also be expanded and consequently will competitiveness in general U.S businesses due to the large market created. Considering the fact that the United States account for most of the imports that Colombia receives, elimination of tariffs and other barriers to U.S exports will be advantageous to the U.S. because there will be less spending in regard to customs duty. The U.S. shall also in be a position to increase the number of goods it exports that will have a significant increase in the American jobs created. This is because increase in jobs will be as a result of increased market and increased demand for goods (â€Å"Benefits of the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement† 1). Furthermore, American investors will have an opportunity to be protected from unfair practices and treatment in Colombia. This means that, American investors will have an open and level field to conduct their business, and also have a neutral means to settle any disputes that occur as a result of investing. In addition, those (American investors) taking part in procurement business have a guarantee to be treated fairly and in a nondiscriminatory manner when it comes to providing services and products to government agencies and public service (‘Benefits of the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement† 3). As a result of having a free trade agreement, the long term economic benefits towards the U.S. will be in excesses because trade between Colombia and itself accounts for less than 1% of the total trade. Thus, scraping tariffs for imports from Colombia will be more of a way to find market for its surplus and financial benefits. Colombia stands to lose a lot despite the other gains made from the trade agreement. The agreement sets an unfair trade relationship with its basis on rules undermining the wellbeing of its people. This is because farmers remain worried that they will be driven out of business and more into poverty, due to imports of cheap goods

Safeguards for Educational Records Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Safeguards for Educational Records - Essay Example If a student’s educational records appear incorrect, parents or eligible students have the right to review their educational records and request for changes to be made when appropriate. If the school disagrees to changing the student’s records, the parent or eligible student has a right to a formal hearing to discuss the matter. Divorced parents must provide custody information that is set forth from the court order. In cases where the parents are divorced, the courts may order for one of the parents to have full custody of the student. In this instance, the parent who has lost his or her custody may not have written permission to access the student’s educational records. In this situation, I will require the parent to provide documentation before the student’s educational records are released. Grandparents must provide a written statement that grants them permission to access the student’s records. Grandparents will be required to provide me with documentation for permission to access the student’s educational records. If the grandparents have custody of the student, I will require grandparents to provide a written statement that shows proof of custody. Foster Parents must provide the proper documentation for the student before the student’s information is released to them. The foster parents must prove that they have guardianship over the student. As a teacher, I will keep an updated copy of the current foster parent of the student to protect the student’s safety and educational records. Step-parents need permission from the student’s parent/legal guardian to discuss the student’s educational records with the step-parent. I will implement a system that requires the step-parent to provide proof of legal marriage to the student’s parent. As a safety measure, I will keep an updated copy of the step-parent authorization form to review the student’s records. Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) help to enforce the privacy of the student’s educational records and alleviate unauthorized individuals from obtaining access to the student’s educational records.

The Transfer of Japanese-Style Management to American Subsidiaries Research Paper

The Transfer of Japanese-Style Management to American Subsidiaries - Research Paper Example Firstly, the organization should desist from over-depending on personal relationships. Within Japanese sales situations, personal relations with customers are the single most crucial aspect of sales. This is hardly ever the case in the US. Although personal relations are essential in the US, they are not as vital as in Japan (Beechler and Yang 482). Americans are more independent than the Japanese and do not conform to a culturally established need to seek out personal relationships. Often, Americans find it vital to deter the appearance of favoritism opting to conduct business strictly on an emotionally distant basis. It is, therefore, critical that the Japanese realize that they should conduct business primarily on the basis of price, product fit or quality regardless of personal relationships. A notable benefit to the Japanese company is that, as a consequence of the natural interpersonal distance in the US business relations; the conventional Japanese requirement of sending expen sive seasonal gifts to potential, current, and past customers is not necessary. In truth, many Americans consider Japanese gift-giving practices as expensive, excessive and reason for ethical concern. In addition, the Japanese company will also need to change its culture of disparaging the company. In order to show humility and proper hierarchical status, Japanese businesspeople often criticize, disparage and demean themselves, their own products and company. Although this form of outward humility is a norm in Japan, it can result in diminished sales in the US. A Japanese customer automatically understands that a Japanese businessperson demeaning his company or product does so out of cultural behavior even in the event that the product is the best in the industry (Beechler and Yang 486). This is not so in the US, hence in order to attain success in the US production industry, Digital Frontier should express confidence by touting the strength of its  products and services.

Apple Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Apple Company - Essay Example It took Apple only five years from 2003 to 2008 to have the market value of its shares increased by as many as 25 times, as the value of Apple’s share in 2003 was $7.5 which increased to $180 in the year 2008. â€Å"At July 2008 prices, before the US Financial Crisis, Apple stock market capitalization was $160 billion. In January 2010 Apple shares topped the $210 mark† (Vertygo Team, 2011). The case study of Apple Company provides an excellent practical example of how the theoretical marketing principles can be brought to life by incorporating them into the business strategies, and their benefits can thus be obtained. This paper discusses the potential ways of integration of the marketing theory with practice, and explores the comprehensive marketing strategy adopted by the Apple Company that has led it to the profound success. The secret of Apple’s success lies beyond the design standards of its products as well as the core philosophy of Apple which suggests tha t â€Å"the user doesn’t always know what they want† (Tiojanco, 2012). ... potential hurdles in the way of integrating marketing theory with practice, and recognition of the measures that can be taken to overcome those obstacles. Subjectivity in the knowledge of marketing theory is introduced by the conflicting and complimenting marketing theories of different scholars and educationalists. There is not a single established way of marketing that has gained mutual consensus of all scholars and authors. In fact, different good practices have been explained in different books and literatures depending upon the context, circumstances, organizational objectives, and internal and external environmental and cultural factors that vary from one case study to another. However, there is a need to generalize certain marketing practices and principles that have been approved by a vast majority of scholars. Such marketing principles include but are not limited to improving the brand image by fulfilling corporate social responsibility, incorporating innovation and diversit y in the product design so that the product addresses the needs of a vast majority and diverse population of consumers, and selecting the right medium and the right time to advertise the products. Application of the marketing theory in practice requires understanding of difference between the role of advertisement and promotion. â€Å"[A]dvertising-like messages are used for longerterm strategic efforts to build brand awareness and attitude while promotion-like messages are designed for shorter-term tactical needs to stimulate an immediate sales response† (Percy, 2008, p. 28). Some of the hurdles in the integration of marketing theory with practice include lack of consistency between the organizational structure and the scope of work and organizational objectives, lack of involvement of

Environmental issue in Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Environmental issue in Business - Essay Example Resources may be available in abundance but they are not limitless. To cope up with the growing demand of energy consumption, alternate ways of energy are used and these nuclear plants are costly but give more energy than common fossil fuels. Also, generally they are less hazardous than fossil fuels which emit higher levels of C02. Here are a few benefits in comparison with fossil fuels. The paper discusses in detail the various elements of fossil fuels along with the benefits that can be derived from nuclear forms of energy. Fossil fuel plants emit higher amounts of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide. It leaves trails of soot and arsenic which are poisonous to humans as well as to other forms of living beings. If compared the process of mining to the exhaust material generated by a nuclear plant, the mining process emerges as a filthy process with higher emissions of CO2 due to the burning of coal. The cost of a nuclear plant is high than a coal mine but the raw mat erial used to produce electricity is barely minimum. The uranium needed to get a nuclear reaction is less than the amount of coal or gas needed to heat up turbines to produce friction and generate electricity. Also, nuclear plant can run aircraft in minimum resources. The nuclear energy is generated internally in the raw material and thus can be used successfully to generate large amount of electricity as needed. The nuclear power consumes fewer resources. As a result, it is assumed as the safest form of power generating technology as compared to uranium that has limited usage in generation of electricity. Another big question that is looming large is the possibility to benefit from the renewable technology to achieve efficiency in energy consumption. However, the technology to generate renewable energy is still in its nascent stages of development. Until it is developed and made fully functional, the levels of CO2 needs to be kept at low and at the same time, cater to the needs of the society. Thus, ensuring that the CO2 gas emissions are restricted from further damage to the Ozone layer that gives rise to global warming (Storm van Leeuwen, 2007). Nuclear power can be used as a mode of transport, to generate electricity, to run ships, to generate and distribute electricity with minimum resources involved. This is going to help in the long run as fewer resources will be exhausted and the fossil fuels that are not much in quantity can be saved. The area of using nuclear energy has been explored to the very minimum and is an area that can help the world in conserving the already limited resources that we have. The Nuclear Power Plants have countless benefits. At the same time, it poses serious challenges to the economies. For instance, the primary by-product of the nuclear energy is the production of radioactive material which is in large quantity. When the atom is split, it creates isotopes as well as plutonium that is a heavier form of atom. Importantly, the p rocess of formation of nuclear energy does not require these atoms which makes them nuclear waste (Greenpeace International, 2009). Furthermore, the nuclear waste is highly radioactive even though its quantity is less than the quantity of the waste of a Fossil Fuel Plant. This radioactivity can be dangerous to human kind much more than the waste material being left over and being emitted by fossil fuels therefore, it becomes a question as to how this radioactive mater

Criminal justice, procedure and human rights Coursework

Criminal justice, procedure and human rights - Coursework Example Of course, these are the extreme limits and the judge imposes sentence based upon the facts of the case. Although by statute there is no distinction drawn between voluntary and involuntary manslaughter, that is to say there is only one crime manslaughter, in general the distinction between the two are commonly acknowledged. There are two major categories that fall within the scope of involuntary manslaughter. These are: Constructive manslaughter assigns guilt to the defendant even though they may not have intended the injury or death of the victim and a reasonable person may not have conceived that the death would result, but the responsibility for the death, none the less, is found in the commission of an illegal "quite unconnected and possibly minor unlawful act" (LAWCOM 237, 1996: p. 13) which resulted in the death. ... Constructive Manslaughter Constructive manslaughter assigns guilt to the defendant even though they may not have intended the injury or death of the victim and a reasonable person may not have conceived that the death would result, but the responsibility for the death, none the less, is found in the commission of an illegal "quite unconnected and possibly minor unlawful act" (LAWCOM 237, 1996: p. 13) which resulted in the death. As found in Creamer1: A man is guilty of involuntary manslaughter when he intends an unlawful act and one likely to do harm to the person and death results which was neither foreseen nor intended. It is the accident of death resulting which makes him guilty of manslaughter as opposed to some lesser offence. In R v Mitchell2, at appeal the court found that several criteria must be met in order to establish that manslaughter due to an unlawful act had been committed. Upon decision the court found that to be convicted the following four conditions need to be met: The defendant committed an illegal act The act was dangerous in that a reasonable and sober person would recognise the inherent danger of act committed The death of the victim resulted from the act The defendant intended to commit the act even though they may not have foreseen the consequence of the death of the defendant In order to understand the criteria of each point required to show cause for a guilty verdict of involuntary manslaughter, it is necessary to review the case law for each of the above points. R v Franklin3 established the precedent that the defendant must have committed an unlawful act in order to be convicted of manslaughter. This was upheld in R. v. Lamb4. In R v Dalby5 the court attempted to establish that the defendant's

Techniques of Selling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Techniques of Selling - Essay Example Blades & Razors is Gillette's leading business division, accounting for around 41% of sales. Division growth for the year, at 11.9%, was slightly down on 2003 (12.6%); however, performance should still be considered strong given the increase in competition, in particular from Energizer's Schick Quattro 4-blade razor product. Driving growth was the company's continued investment in product innovation, its ongoing focus "trading up" to premium, higher margin products and growth in emerging markets. A notable increase in advertising also contributed. Major product launches during the year were the M3 Power razor and the Venus Vibrance razor for women. Blades & Razors accounts for by far the largest proportion of operating profit, at 63% in 2004, at US$1.6 billion, due largely to higher sales and margins. Performance in 2004 represented an increase of 14% over 2003. Operating profit fell slightly in 2003 chiefly due to a US$50 million charge relating to the realignment of the European manufacturing and distribution operations. Focusing on Gillette's core sectors, its primary interest lies in men's razors and blades in which it was ranked number one in the world in 2004 with an increased market share of 65.5%. Gillette competes with Energizer Holdings, which was ranked second in 2004, with a market share of 15.3%, and Bic, in third place with 4.8%. Although its strong performance in 2004 meant that lower placed rivals had little chance of making up ground, razors and blades witnessed intensification in competition which while not causing Gillette to lose ground stopped its ascendancy. In late 2003, Energizer launched its Schick Quattro 4-blade razor product despite an attempt by Gillette to halt the market entry through the law courts. As a result, following three years of market share gain, Gillette recorded stagnation in 2004. Gillette responded to this launch in 2004 with a new introduction of its own, presenting the M3 Power product, a battery powered wet shaving system, in North America in May 2004. The product has since been given a wider global roll-out. Gillette have launched their new product, it's a partially new product called the Mach 3, it has had minor changes from their existing product the Sensor Excel, and they have invested heavily in the development and launch. Although this is really just a product improvement on their old razor through continuous development, Gillette has also incorporated room for product additions. This could be seen as repositioning their old product. Gillette gives continuous innovation to their products, whether it's a new product line or a new product all together. Why launch a new product I hear you say, consumer needs haven't really changed, and nothing has created new consumer needs, Gillette must have accessed competitor activity and realized a decline in the market of there existing products. There existing razor had gone through the product life cycle, it had been introduced, experienced growth, reached maturity and then entered a decline. Description of the launch strategy Gillette has identified the potential of the new product. They have analyzed the competition and technology, and taken into account the consumer problems, behavior

Compare two images Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Compare two images - Essay Example "Vermeer did not do a preparatory drawing to be filled in by color. The first stage of his paintings consists of a structure of clearly contrasting light and shade where form emerge without drawing," Arasse (1993, p.52). One of his celebrated paintings, Mistress and the Maid clearly expresses the suppressed motion and activity, where maid brings a letter to the already letter-writing mistress and both seem to be aware of the importance of incoming letter. The letter writer has stopped writing while gazing at the letter in maid's hand. It is a painting full of motion, activity, and both women are caught in mid-conversation. Vermeer, born in 1632, son of a silk merchant, had excess to the world of fashion and fine clothes and his paintings reflect this knowledge in a sophisticated and effective way. They grant opulence to the painting and its dcor. Exceptionally luminous figures, almost three dimensional against the dark background are highly coherent in their fashion and movements. If the mistress is showing the high fashion of the day of genteel families, maid, though representing a lower salaried class, is extremely neat, correctly attired and almost as attention-catching as the mistress in luminous yellow. It is not a mean feat, as maid is wearing almost a merging colour and she is pitted against the bright yellow full of life worn by a more beautiful woman. Still Vermeer does not fail in making them equally attractive. Many of his women were bright yellow and golden yellow. The cut and style of head dresses of those days was very different from styles of other countries. They are entirely Dutch styles of the day. Hair is kept simple without elaboration. In this painting, fashionable wardrobe helps to bring across the visual dialogue between the two women, while showing the difference in class, work and attitude. It is dif ficult to miss the intense psychological impact created by the just arrived letter. Vermeer is famous for using 'camera obscura' to view his subjects and present them in a moment of fluidity. MUSIC LESSON http://essentialvermeer.20m.com/catalogue/music_lesson.htm A famous painting of excellent composition, brilliant and uncommonly real foreground, with a double bass on the floor, Music Class reflects a tender moment between the pupil and music teacher. Some critics have mentioned that Vermeer might have immortalised love, pointing out the blue chair and untouched double bass on the floor; but this could be mere speculation. Painting catches a moment of arrested action as per the blurred reflection in the mirror. Most of Vermeer's painting colours show the costumes of rich Dutch merchant class in mid 17th century. After the execution of Charles I, Cromwell's administration was not a particular period of art's supremacy in England and France was plagued with internal troubles and hence, Holland had the centre stage for fashion in Europe and this has reflected many times in his paintings. The ebony framed mirror which reflects the girl from a rather impossible angle that cannot be noticed in her demeanour becomes the focal point of the painting. Vermeer, who had a special penchant for light and shadow display clearly gave more attention to that pleasure than to his subjects and it could be seen in both paintings that light has been used with

Jane Cazneau Essay Example for Free

Jane Cazneau Essay Hudson posits a Native American grandmother, although there is no solid evidence of this. Her first marriage apparently dissolved, but there is no divorce record. She may or may not have had an affair with Aaron Burr, an early mentor. Hudsons most significant claim is that Jane Storm is the journalist who coined the phrase manifest destiny (pp. 60-62). Hudson argues that later historians have simply assumed that John OSullivan wrote the Democratic Reviews many unsigned editorials. But Hudsons computer analysis (Appendix B) of OSullivans and Storms signed works shows that the grammatical errors in the famous editorial that first contained the phrase exhibit a much closer correlation with those commonly made by Storm than with those made by OSullivan. What is certain is that she migrated to pre-revolutionary Texas and speculated in land grants and immigration schemes. Writing under the pen name Montgomery (later, Cora Montgomery), Storm became a regular correspondent of Moses Y. Beachs New York Sun. When war broke out, Storm accompanied Beach and his daughter on a covert peace mission to Mexico in late 1846. The Beach mission has long been clouded with uncertainty about its purposes and accomplishments, and so Storms role in it is similarly in doubt. Nonetheless, she was clearly an important element, as neither of the Beaches knew Spanish and President James K. Polk had a private interview with her after her return. After the war, Storm continued to favor U. S. xpansion into Latin America and the Caribbean, especially through annexation. Although Hudson maintains that Storm was not a strong proponent of All Mexico during the U. S. -Mexican War, some have credited her with leading the movement. She had contact with Cuban, Mexican, and Nicaraguan filibustering groups. She married diplomat Williams L. Cazneau in 1849 after a long acquaintance but still worked as a journalist for numerous publications, wrote about her travels, and remained active in Democratic P arty politics. She secured a diplomatic mission to the Dominican Republic for her husband and worked with him to gain U. S. access to Samana Bay. Jane Storm Cazneau died in a shipwreck during a storm at sea in 1878. Many questions about her activities and the extent of her influence remain unanswered. Barring the emergence of new documentary collections, Hudsons biography is the most complete picture of her life we are likely to have. As such it is a useful addition to the literature on nineteenth-century U. S. expansionism.

Importance of Planning in Childcare Environment

Importance of Planning in Childcare Environment Vanessa Clare Every child is born unique; they have their own characteristics, personalities and interest. They developes at different rates, but do follow a similar development pattern, i.e. one child may begin to walk 9 months whereas another child may not begin to walk until they are 17-18 months. There may be many factors that also come into the equation when a child is developing, i.e. If a child is born premature or at term, if the child has any special educational needs or other disabilities which a child needs extra support for, weather there has been any long or short term illness, and the environment that the child is in, this includes the Childs social environment, also stress. A Childs growth and development is influenced by their learning and their influenced by the people and the environment around them. The EYFS document Development matters show the four themes that the Eyfs underpin all guidance, these are:- A unique child + positive relationships + enabling environments = learning and developments. When planning for a child it is best to get as much information on the child as possible, ask parents for information, as they are putting their most treasured procession in the safety of your care. Observe the childs free play to find out their likes, dislikes, strengths weaknesses, where you can support the child in their learning and environment. Anylise your finding using the four themes, principles and practice from the Development matters document. This helps to find out where a child is on their learning path, consider ways to strengthen their current learning development, showing guidance from positive relationships and enabling environments so that you can plan for the Childs learning and developments to fit their needs. As a practioner you will get to know each of your key children and will find other ways to work with the child alongside their planning. By following the planning, observations, assessment triangles you gain understanding of the Childs actual stage of develo pment, their interest and their particular needs , it will stop the you from planning activates and resources that may be too hard or easy for the child, or that the child does not find interesting. Activities that are too hard can negatively affect their confidence and self esteem, as they will not feel able to do it. Activities that are too easy will not hold their attention and they will lose interest quickly. By doing the observation, analysing and planning triangle it helps constantly review the Childs progress and share with the parents as required by the EYSF at two points, the prime areas between 24 and 36 months of age and at the end of the EYFS in the EYFS profiles. The EYFS breaks down the areas of learning into prime areas and specific areas, Prime areas are fundamental, work together, and move through to support development in all other areas Personal, social and emotional development Communication and language Physical development Specific areas include essential skills and knowledge for children to participate successfully in society Literacy Mathematics Understanding the world Expressive arts and design When planning activities you need to make sure that you are meeting all the children’s individual needs and requirements so the children are all treated equally. Putting into practice the equal opportunities which are essential. Equality, the practice of treating every on equally Diversity the practice of recognising and valuing individual characteristics and differences Inclusion an approach that makes sure that all children can participate to a full extent within their environment. A worldwide document that governs equal opportunities for all children is â€Å"The National Convention on the Right of the Child† this document outlines all basic human rights that all children are entitled to. All early years setting practitoners must follow this convention and empower the children in their care. The world made a promise to children nearly 25 years ago â€Å"that we would do every in or power to protect and promote their right to survive and thieve, to learn and grow, to make their voices heard and reach their full potential.† The convention defines a child as a person below the age of 18, unless the laws of a particular countries has set the legal age for adulthood younger. Young children often don’t realise that they have rights so it is up to adults to make sure that they know that they do, one of the rights relevant is the right for all children to have their views and opinions listened to and their best interest at heart. The EYSF requires all setting providers to have implemented a policy and procedures to promote the equality of opportunity of children in their care, and show support for children with special educational needs and disabilities. This policy should also cover how the individual needs of all the children will be met. All staff should have read and have understanding of their settings equal opportunities polices. All children should be given the same concern and attention and not all treated the same as this can be discriminating against them. A setting and their staff should provide an inclusive environment as this will challenge discrimination which will help to build a positive environment where children and their families will feel respected and valued, making them want to return. The equality act 2010 replaced all existing equality legislations and is in place protect individuals from discrimination. If children are discriminated against it can cause them to become withdrawn and could affect their development by causing delays. There are many ways that children could discriminate against, a few of these are due to their gender, social class, physical appearance, race and culture, it will lower their self esteem and confidence and they will start to question their beliefs. You must treat everyone the same no matter what their gender culture etc. This does not just apply to the children but to their families too. Any one working with children has to challenge their own views and beliefs and not show any prejudices to any of the children or their families so they want to return to the setting. To make a setting welcoming to children and their families welcome signs should be in multiple languages, staff should have a smile and a positive greeting when children a nd their families enter the setting, this creates a happy environment, learning a few words in the children’s own language helps build strong relationships. Support children in their own choices, when it comes to cultural /religious celebration these should be in place whether a child of that religion / culture is in the setting or not, ask for people that are from that culture or religion to come in and help promote to a higher standard so that the children get a fuller picture of the culture / religion or festival. Help children to feel they can come and talk, encourage children to build on their unique character and feel comfortable in themselves, helping them feel positive about their background which in turn will help them gain emotional well-being. By promoting good diversity children will be more accepting of other who are different from themselves. Children trust the adults that look after them to keep them safe and love them as do their parents as they are giving their most precious prize possession to look after and keep safe and happy .part of caring for a unique child is promoting their well-being , making them feel safe and secure in their environment. Key workers are essential as a first point of contact for the unique child and their family. The key worker spends time on a one to one with the child getting to know the needs of the child supporting them as they learn to spend time without their parents, and learning all about their interest, the key worker also helps support the parent in talking to them about the routines and likes and dislikes and aiming to follow them. Setting need to be set out for the children’s age and developmental stage, making sure that the environment is appropriate and safe for the children. Staffs ratios are a legal requirement, in the age group 0-24 months the ratios are one member of staff to every three children, from 24-36 months the ratio is one staff member four children and from 36-60 the children are more independent and have a greater knowledge of their own safety so the ration is one staff member to eight children, at this age children should be given rules, boundaries and activities that get the children to listen. Road safety Stanger danger awareness to personal safety should also be introduced at this age. As children grow they can be given the chance to learn about keeping safe themselves, encourage the child in making decisions give the child the power to say no if don’t want to join in. Promoting independence is an important part of growing and learning and becoming a unique child. And environment should be set out in an appropriate manner for the child. I.e a child of 0-12 months will need the toys in reach so they can chose themselves as they become mobile the environment should be set out so resources are at the child’s height and they can get them easily. A choice of healthy snack should be offered, from 12-24 months the environment should be accessible to the child and they should be voicing opinions which should be listened too, from 24-36 months children should be choosing what they want to play with, communicating is getting better and children should be having their opinions asked and listened to they should be continuing to help set up and tidy away to promot e independence and help with children following rules and boundaries. From 36-60 months children should enjoying independent choices they should be involved in the setting playing and communicating, ask the children what they would like to play with involving them in setting out their environment, at the same time setting boundaries. Setting should following the children’s act 1989 which promotes empowerment for children, making sure that they are involved in decisions that can affect their well being. Making sure that the children’s feelings and opinions are listened to, making sure that individual needs for the children and families are met, that children have their race, culture, language and religion are valued and respected and making sure that the well-being is of paramount importance. By using all of these when working with children you come to learn that all children are unique and by meeting all of their individual needs you are making sure that they are in a happy safe environment where they can grow and learn at their own pace feeling confident at doing so with the all the love support and resources that they need to do so. By meeting the unique Childs individual needs will help the child in five of the â€Å"Every Child Matters† outcomes. In staying safe, being healthy, enjoying and achieving, making positive contributions and achieving economic well-being.

My Leadership Style

My Leadership Style According to my results, it indicates that my leadership style is predominately Participative, which means that I am capable of working with group members who understand the objectives and their role in the task. My biggest strength is hard work, sharing the sense of responsibility, punctuality, time management and the ability to meet deadlines. I am a very trustworthy person with an ability to work as a team player or as an individual which helps me to survive under different kind of environments. According to my past experienced, my supervisor came over and praised me for my hard work for the past five weeks and he also informed me that they will offer me a team leader job once I finished my course. My Weakness is that I get hurt very quickly if someone disregards my sincere efforts, or accuse me of being guilty of a mistake which I never did, this does results in a mental stress which ultimately effects my performance .Secondly sometimes I get emotional. This is what I think are my biggest strength and weaknesses. And I need to improve this strength and weaknesses. Leadership theories Leadership is a way of leading others to get the desired results. There are many theories presented by different author and I am going to discuss some of the theories which are as follow: Situational leadership theory It is developed by Hersey and Blanchard, is based on the premise that leaders need to alter their behaviours depending on one major situational factor-the readiness of followers. It focuses on two behaviours: task behaviour and relationship behaviour. Task behaviour is the leaders tendency to spell out duties and responsibilities of the group. Relationship behaviour is the leaders tendency to use two-way or multi-way communication To determine which combination of behaviour is appropriate for a given situation, a leader must access the follower readiness. Follower readiness means followers willingness and ability to accomplish a task. The following are the leadership style that might be used: Telling- giving specific task directions and closely supervising work; a high task , low-relationship style Selling- explaining task directions in a supportive and persuasive way; a high task, low-relationship style. Participating- emphasizing shared ideas and participative decisions on task directions; a low task, high-relationship style. Delegating- allowing the group to take responsibility for task decisions; a low task, low-relationship style. In using this situational leadership theory, leaders decide the task areas they want to influence assess the individuals readiness level, select the leadership style corresponding to that level. Path-goal theory It explains how leader behaviour can positively influence the motivation and job satisfaction of subordinates. It is closely associated with expectancy theory; it is focused on the way leaders influence subordinates perception of work goals and paths to achieve both work and personal goals. This theory argues that the perception of subordinates is affected by the following leader behaviours. Directive leader behaviour- letting subordinates know what is expected of them, providing guidance about work methods, developing work schedules, identifying work evaluation standards, and indicating the basis for outcomes or rewards. Supportive leader behaviour- entails showing concern for the status ,wellbeing and needs of subordinates; doing small things to make work more pleasant; and being friendly and approachable. Participative leader behaviour- it is characterised by consulting with subordinates, encouraging their suggestions, and carefully considering their ideas when making decisions Achievement-oriented leader behaviour- involves setting challenging goals, expecting subordinates to perform at their highest level, and conveying a high degree of confidence in subordinates. Leaders should also consider two important situational factors: subordinate and context characteristics. Normative leadership model The Normative leadership model developed by Vroom and Yetton helps leaders assess critical situational factors affecting the extent to which they should involve subordinates in particular decisions. In this model, decisions made by managers in relation to group problems are identified as belonging to one of five basics groups. A1: the leader makes the decisions using available information. A2: the leader obtains necessary information from subordinates then makes the decision. C1: the leader shares the problem with relevant subordinates, individually then makes the decision. C2: the leader obtains information and an idea from subordinates in a group session then makes the decision. G2: The leaders share the problem with the group and coordinate their efforts to devise a solution. The model includes a number of questions the manager can ask about the decision or problem, which may help him/her to decide which method is most appropriate given the situation. Transformational and transactional leadership Transformational leaders motivates individuals to perform beyond normal expectations by inspiring subordinates to focus on broader missions transcending their own immediate self-interest, to concentrate on intrinsic higher-level goals rather than extrinsic lower level goals, and to have confidence in their abilities to achieve the extraordinary missions articulated by the leader. Transformational leadership is supplementary to transactional leadership; it does not replace it. Transformational leadership includes three important factors: Charisma is a leadership factors comprising the leaders ability to inspire pride, faith and respect. To recognise what is important. Individual consideration is a leadership where leaders pays attention to the individual followers needs and treat every individual as equal. Intellectual stimulation is a leadership factor involving offering new ideas to stimulate followers to rethink old ways of doing things, encouraging followers to look at problems from multiple vantage points. Transactional leaders are leaders who motivates subordinates to perform at expected levels by helping them recognise task responsibilities, identify goals, acquire confidence about meeting desired performance levels, and understand how their needs and the rewards they desire are linked to goal achievement. leadership role model/s Leadership means different things to different people. It refers to the process of influencing others to achieve organisational goals. There are many leaders who have proven themselves in front of others such as Manmohan Singh, Adolf Hitler. They change the future of whole world by their leadership styles. I have chosen two political leaders to compare and contrast their leadership theory and styles. The First political leader is a current Prime-minister of India (Dr.Manmohan Singh) and the second one is ex: President of Libya (Muammar Gaddafi). Leadership profiles Manmohan Singh was born in 26 September 1932 in Goha village, Punjab But after Indias partition now this village is in Pakistan. His family was migrated to Amritsar sahib, India during partition in 1947. He was very intelligent and bright student from the starting of his study career. He was always come first to learn something new. After the partition he starts his study in Hindu college. In 1952 1954 he got his bachelors and masters degree. He stands first in his whole academic career. He receives a Wren bury scholarship as well. He finishes his study from university Oxford in 1962. After receive doctorate in economics from Oxford University, he worked for United Nations and after this he began his bureaucratic career. He works as an advisor in the ministry of foreign trade with Lalit Narayan Mishra. After this he handled so many posts for government of India like Chief Economic Advisor (1972-76), Governor of reserve bank (1982-85) and head of planning commission (1985-87). In 22 may 2004 He selected as a 13th Prime-Minister of India. Manhohan Singh follows participative and bureaucratic leadership style in his whole career. He is the in charge of every action related to development of a country. He takes other ideas into consideration while placing any step further towards the development. He follows the rules and regulations and ensures that other people follow the rules and regulations consistently and accurately. From the starting of his Prime-minister career he set up many rules for the people of India to decrease the bribe and poverty in country and Increase the economy of country. Muammar Gaddafi was born on 7th June 1942 in Libya. Initially he was ruler of Libyan Arab Republic till 1977 and then Brother Leader of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya till his last breath. He was considered as an Autocratic leader. He took the Libyan politics to a new height where he defined ideal autocratic style. He ruled the country with his power for a long period of time. He closed American and British military bases immediately when he came to power. He expelled Italian settlers in 1970 when he saw western imperialism battling against Arab nations. A lot of similar activities were introduced during his rule but it made a negative impact on the public of Libya. People never recognized him as a leader but because of his power nobody took a step forward to compete with him. (2008) It is clear that both the leaders were going in a different direction. Manmohan Singh was a well educated economist and Gaddafi was not qualified. Manmhohan Singh has never tried to bring his successors to politics whereas Gaddafi has used his power to bring his successors in different professions. Manmohan Singh was prime minister of independent India and got elected with co-operation from political parties. He was working as an employee of the country rather than ruling it and any decision made by him was agreed by rest of the party members. On the other hand, Gaddafi took the country in his hands and introduced new rules according to Arab believes and thoughts. He never took suggestions from anybody and has always been against western nations. In summary, even though both the leaders were a lot different from each other in terms of commanding but there were some similarities as well. For the growth of countrys economy Gaddafi introduced new taxes for oil companies. Manmohan Singh has always focused on growth of Indian economy and was an advantage because he worked previously as finance minister of India. Change Management The many complications of change in organisation begin with human nature. People tend to act habitually and in stable ways over time. They may not want to change even when circumstances require it. In order to keep them up to date and be acceptable for change both the leaders need to use kurt lewin model of change management. There are three stages in that unfreezing, changing, refreezing. Unfreezing is the stage in which a situation is prepared for change and felt needs for change are developed first both have to unfreeze the situation. Changing is the phase where a planned change actually takes place. In this both can put their change planning into action. Refreezing is the phase at which change is stability. By using these both can evaluate results and give feedback. Benchmarking criteria Leadership is the most important part of an organisation. Because organisation growth depends on leadership, it means how leader perform well with their group to gain productivity and trustful environment which make their business do well with maximum support. Leadership is the way of leading others and creating role model for follower to follow as an example. Lots of qualities make a leader perfect in leadership. There are many qualities that a leader should have but I am only going to discuss few of them: Creativity- a leaders should be creative in ideas to be productive. Creativity makes a person to think outside of the box to get the desired results. It is the magic wand that helps leaders to achieve organisation goal and overcome of barriers. Openness- leader should always be open to new ideas and listen other point of view. Openness means creating good relation with other by listening their views and encouraging their work. It builds trust and mutual understanding among leaders and followers. Dedication- means having a can do attitude towards the task. Getting task done by using maximum energy, to set an example for follower to do the same. Followers always look up to their leader so it is important to set an example by accomplishing the goals by giving full dedication to the work. Honesty- it makes a person trustworthy among others. Leader should be honest to their follower to build trustful relation with them to achieve required goals. Because honesty is the best policy. Well known to code of Ethics- leader should follow code of ethics so the follower can also do the same. Code of ethics is rules and regulation that an organisation brings for everyone to behave ethically according to the law by treating everyone as equal. It keeps the sensibility of deciding what is right and what is wrong. Keep high standards- it is the responsibility of leader to keep high standards by having regular meetings. Keep up the morale of the employees by motivating them and by giving them feedback on their performance. Collaborative- being collaborative means to work in a team with maximum effort. Collaborative makes teams productive and attainable. Responsibility- it is important for a leader to understand the responsibility of the leadership to lead the team. A leader should run the organisation by organising effective and productive team meetings. Confident- leader should demonstrate integrity and personal commitment and be confident to take several decisions. He/she should be confident to lead the team by creating friendly environment and should use the appropriate decision-making style for specific issues. If the leader is confident it is easy for him/her to gain trust of others. Communication skills: it is important for a leader to have communication skills to interact with other. Leader must have the knowledge of several cultures. If a leader lack this skill then it will be very difficult for leader to lead the group. All the qualities in a good leader are useless without this communication skill. Section 2: self assessment 2.1 benchmarking Creativity- creativity is something that relates with thinking. I have creativity in myself for generating ideas and it is proven because I have completed my applied management case study in which I did think out of the box to generate possible solution to the problem. Openness- I always get excited about group task because it gives us opportunity to listen other point of view and share views with each other. I am a very open person I always admire other ideas and point of view because it lead us to success. Dedication- I always give my full dedication to the task that has been assigned to me for example at my workplace they have weekly audit regarding performance of employees, in that audit I always score 99% or 100% out of 100%.it shows how much dedicated I am towards my goals. Honesty- in the school times I learn honesty is the best policy and I always use to follow that in my life. Be honest; be reliable so that other can trust you under any circumstances. Well known to code of ethics- code of ethics is set of rules and regulation that each individual needs to follow. I follow every rule at my job such as we need to be in professional dress, always speak in English so that other can also understand and no one can do others clock in or clock out. Keep high standard- at my work place they always keep their standard high. Sometime I rate myself by doing my own audit at work so that I can also understand where I stand. I always come to college as organised always have my folder of notes with me, so that I can perform well while lecture or task. Collaborative- I am very collaborative because I perform well in group discussion. Being collaborative means gaining knowledge through others. Responsibility- I am a responsible person as I already mention that I always come prepared to college with my notes. I use take responsibility if anything goes wrong. Confident- I am a confident person because it help us to achieve our goals and I always be confident about my work at job because I know what I have to do to score well in audit. Communication skills- it is an important factor of leadership because it helps us to communicate with other whether they belong to different nationality. I am good in communicating because I like to learn other languages like in brazil if we have to say welcome then we have to say oi. This criteria show how I rate myself in relation to these qualities of leadership. The rating is from 0 to 9, where 9 is highest and 0 is lowest. Quality Rating Creativity 5 Openness 6 Dedication 7 Honesty 8 Well known to Code of Ethics 7 keep high standards 8 Collaborative 7 Responsibility 5 Confident 6 Communication skills 5 Rationale I have rate myself according to where I stands. 0-6 means low and average and I need to improve that. 7 9 means highest and it shows my effort. I have shown this rating according to my performance at job, what I believe, how I perform at work and what I am doing in my day to day life. My creativity and communication skills are low and I need to work on it to develop myself according to the business situation because sometimes I lack this skills. I need to gain some more confident and openness so that I can achieve my goals. Dedication, honesty, collaborative makes me perform well in every task. 2.2 Reflection I am discussed above about my strength, weakness, opportunity and threat. These I have found where I am working now. My Manager promotes me as a Supervisor in his company. He told me that he have got trust and have confident about me. What I am wanted from my follower, they do the same thing to reach the goals and meet expectations for organisation. I am listening to everybody from my team, what they want to innovate for new things and if they have got the new idea then I am also implement that idea and give reward to the team to get new ideas. Personal cultural context is a persons primary source of how he or she would form their identity. It is a source for defining a person, expression, and the sense of group needed by all humans. I am belonging to Sikh religion and I have got my cultural things from my parents. In our culture we respect to everybody and we do not call elders by their first name. My short term goals are to get information about the business, improve the communication, daily updates in my vocabulary, and finish the tasks to get the work done. I am learning the business leadership qualities from my teacher and implement these qualities in my real life. Implement the new leadership strategy at work so that I will be a good leader for my followers. My long terms are to establish a business organisation and serve the people and community and earn some money from it so that it will be cover up my all living expenses. Apart of that, I want to also do side business in my life. My dream is to design Aircraft from my own hands and establish big industry for Airlines in New Zealand. What I needs to establish this company is money and that I will be earn from my business organisation. Section 3: Personal Development Plan Opportunities There are following opportunities that I look in myself. These are as follow: Short Term Opportunity: Confident: I need to be confident for whatever I want to achieve. I need to develop myself so that I can accept any change and achieve goals. I need to be competitive at all times. I am not afraid of any challenges I really like when anybody challenges me because it gives me an opportunity to prove myself. Barriers will come in my life but I need to have a potential to face any challenges in my life. Team player: I want to become more collaborative with others to build trust and understanding to face any challenges with maximum cooperation. Without being collaborative I cannot become a good leader and cannot achieve my goals. Productive : I am very dedicated person but I want to developed this ability a little bit more because I am enthusiastic person and every time when anybody assign me any task I give my full effort to accomplish that task. I have high energy levels that seem to go on forever and it becomes my passion to achieve the goals. Being collaborative means is also a very important leadership skill. I am ready to do any kind of effort to accomplish my goals and lead my followers as an example. Rationale: Long term opportunity: Become team leader: my boss already offered me a job to become team leader in the company. And I am pursuing this course to accomplish my goal. I have dream about this job when I join this company. Improve English: I need to improve my English to become a good leader so that my follower can admire my effort. Sometimes the words dont come out in fluently on lips. So I have to work more on communication skills. Because this goal is very essential to be achievable in business and in personal life as well. Settled down in New Zealand: It was my dream to come to New Zealand and settled down in New Zealand. Now I am here in New Zealand, one part of my dream I s fulfilled and I want rest will also come true. But for that I need to work hard and learn the criteria of getting settled down in New Zealand. Rationale I have chosen these short term and long term opportunity that I need to improve in myself for future. I have found the less communication skills in myself when I talk to another person. I cannot speak the words correctly so that why I think I need to improve these skills to read the newspapers, websites, improve in vocabulary, and speak up in front of mirror. I really have to confident when I start conversation to other person. Its very tough to be a good competitor in my field. But I need to try a lot to get adequate knowledge. I have seen at work that the two another person who has a good knowledge and the boss has only discussed with them. But when the boss asks me something then I cannot answer him properly. Then I thought I need to get insufficient information about the work. I have to really improve for short term goal as well. These goals I am very hard working in my field. But I need to build the relationship with people so that I can improve my interpersonal skills. Everyone should have ability to make relation with customer and the community. Because of if we need something then they can help us to make our business easier and best. I want to be assertive in my field. I found some difficulties at my work. Some of the other staff asking me question and sometimes they want to be share their ideas with me but all the time i ignored to them. So I need to become more assertive so that I can help them and become a good leader. Once I have stuck some difficult situation at job. One day I have very tired and feeling weakness and my performance was reducing to some extent. When my manager review me and he said your weekly performance has go down. So in that area I need to improve my strength and be a hard worker all the time. I had desire to become a GM in any organisation after the Business Management course. This is my long term goal and I have to complete it within the time. I need to be more qualitative and confident to become part of good management. I have to go through the any material that I need to use for a General Manager. Strategies I want to use the strategy to develop my communication skills. First I will record my voice on a digital recorder and play back to hear what I just said. Determine whether my sound confident and assured and I understood what I just said. Be willing to listen to what others have to say in all environments; at work, at school and with my friends. I want to have good and right attitude when doing conversation to others. Because good attitude can take me further where I want to go otherwise people can ignore me. I want to be a punctual in my life. To become a good competitor I need to be go through every learning material that improve my skills in future. This can be getting by to read the books and go to the internet. Everything I can find in the Google. There are various techniques to use these skills in business. Timeframe I have set the time to improve these skills for my future. I have set all the short time goal and long term goals that I need to use in the future. I need to be 1 year time (1/09/2013) to improve my all skills including short term plans. This can only be done by me to use the various methods. Long term plans need the 4 years by (1/09/2017) time so that I can learn everything including short term goals. In the one year, I have to improve my skills and short term goals to go further in future and set the long term goals. I need four years to set up my business and then I will go for further to set the short term and long term goals after get these goals. This way I can fulfil my dreams. I need to implement the strategy to develop my skills for next four months. For this I have select the date (5/05/2013). This strategy I can be writing and implement till this date. After that I can reach on these short term and long term goals. Measures I can measure these objectives when I have got the knowledge about everything and I have prepare for everything that I need to go further and set business in future. Skills I can measure it from if I will confident to do something because the person who have skills and he have the knowledge about everything then he is the confident to do anything because he knows all the things what and where can it happens. The second I can measure it from the society, if I have the good communication skills and have can do attitude rather than the other people then I can forecast that I achieved my objectives that I need to use in the future. Resourcing According to my short term goals and long term goals and the skills and objectives that I need to accomplish these goals. I need the internet resource so that I can go everything to learn and get adequate and advance knowledge. Google and Wikipedia sites have everything that I can help and learn easily my skills and objectives. I can found the survey online and give paper online to compete myself to the whole world. I need the training from my company. I can get help from my leader to improve these skills and goals. My manager can give me the training about the leadership from where I work now. I can get various knowledge from my team members and followers. I want to go through with the volunteer work. I need to read through the books, magazines and newspapers. Everything has mention in the newspaper and we can learn from our politician. I can also improve these things from TV. Because TV has run various channel like discovery and other channels so I can get my knowledge from these channels.