Should design be a compulsory subject in high school? Essay

Design refers to the process of creating a work that satisfy the requirement, including conception, preliminary sketch, making etc. This essay will argue that design should be a compulsory subject in high school for the following reasons: improvement of average level of design skill and knowledge, enrichment of students’ imagination and creativity and connection with other subjects. The first argument that design should be a compulsory subject in high school is improvement of average level of design skill and knowledge. As students living in modern-day society, it is necessary for them to have a better understanding of a piece of work specifically, from selection and matching of colors to massive structure in furniture or architecture, through this curriculum. Besides, in many working aspects these design knowledge are highly applicable, such as PowerPoint, Photoshop skills, which is beneficial to their future career. While it can be argued that not every work has requirement of them, as a matter of fact, they can be applied not only in working field but also in daily life to meet contemporary aesthetic values. For example, students are aware how to dress up in a fashionable way or how to choose tasteful as well as functional furniture to decorate their homes, making their lives more enjoyable. Additionally, it could be argued that design, as a compulsory subject in high school, can enrich students’ imagination and creativity. During the period of adolescence when their imagination and creativity are booming rapidly, they need a stage where they are able to express innermost thoughts freely rather than absorb knowledge blindly. Hence, in the design class they are provided an opportunity to make fully use of their imagination and creativity and realize their thoughts. Plus, they will receive a large number of innovative ideas when they have interaction with other students. Although it is believed that not every student have plentiful imagination and creativity, actually these courses will guide students how they explore and develop them as much as they can. Finally, design being a compulsory subject in high school has strong connection with other subjects. When students study design, they are more likely to acknowledge other arts’ subjects such as history, cultures, which are tightly associated with design. Students always remember the days when William Morris led the Art Craft Reform and those modern designs from Bauhaus. Not only the arts knowledge but also the science ones can be obtained from various designs. For example, a great deal of mathematical regulation can be found in the designs made by nature and some of these patterns physically contribute to structure in architecture. While more time may be put in studying, students actually can relax their brains after whole day intense study of Math or English when discovering and appreciating the beauty of their colorful lives. In conclusion, there are several reasons, which strongly support the argument that design should be a compulsory subject in high school. In fact learning design in high school can benefit students by promoting their basic design skill, which can be applied in future occupation, and their daily tastes, cultivating their imagination and creativity and exploring relationship between design and other subject through a relaxing atmosphere.

Sales of Goods Act 1979

Under the Sales of Goods Act 1979 a company has to follow rules and regulations by law; this gives customers certain legal rights such as the right to return an item that may be faulty, if they want a refund or if they want to exchange the item for something else.All customers are entitled to goods that are:As described. Of satisfactory quality. Fit for the purpose.Companies have to abide by the rules and regulations of this law; for example if Tesco were to sell a product that was not of satisfactory quality and not as described this would affect their company as they may face a penalty and/or loose customers.The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008Some companies use misleading methods of advertisement and sales tactics to increase their sales of their products and/or services; therefore the law and rules for consumer protection from unfair trading regulations were implemented to stop companies from using misleading/unethical ways of advertisement. The law protec ts consumers from unfair trading practices, such as:Pressure selling. Misleading product offers. False limited offer notices. Aggressive sales tacticsThis law affects companies as they cannot use misleading ways of advertisement; for example if Tesco used unethical ways of advertising to mislead customers into buying a product of theirs it would be illegal with consequences such as penalties or getting a bad name for their company.Consumer Credit Acts 1974 and 2006The Consumer Credit Acts 1974 and 2006 gives consumers protection when purchasing goods and/or services on credit. If there is an error in the agreement during such purchases consumers will be able to seek legal help. Error during the sale of good and/or services can be prevented; the sales person by law must provide all the important information relating to the sale in order to prevent errors or the company can lose their license through the Office of Fair Trading.This law affects companies such as Tesco as they have to d isclose all important information relating to the sale of goods and/or services they offer and cannot leave out anything during the sale of the goods and/or services – failure to do so may result in them loosing their license through the Office of Fair Trading.Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) RegulationsThis act was implemented in order to protect consumers that purchase goods and/or services over the internet such as; VPN’s, file storage, merchandise and so on; when a consumer purchases such products or services it can be through the following ways:Email Fax Telephone Internet shopping Mail order.This law also protects consumers when getting into a contract with a distance company as they may not get what is expected of the company; customers were given such protection due to not being able to meet with or speak to the supplier/company face-to-face and being unable to see the goods they may be buying. This law effects companies that make long distance selling as they have to be very specific about goods and services they offer or the consumer could claim under the Consumer Protection Regulations for providing wrong or not ‘described as’ goods or services which could cost the company by having to make calls, courier charges to return and refund a customer or legal fees.For example if a company that sells their products online such as ASOS clothing were to show an image of how their product looks and when someone purchases it and it arrives but is different they will have to accept the items return by law if the customer request to return it as it was not as described – this affects ASOS as they have to pay courier charges to accept the returns and then refund the customer so it also becomes time consuming.Data Protection Act 1998The Data Protection Act 1998 is a law designed to protect the personal information of people and also to give people the right to know about information stored about them, however some organisati ons CAN withhold information and doesn’t have to disclose their reason if it is about :The prevention, detection or investigation of a crime. National security or the armed forces. The assessment or collection of tax. Judicial or ministerial appointments.The act controls how personal information about people is used by the government, organisations and businesses. The law does not just apply to government, organisations and businesses; everyone is who is responsible for the collection of personal data has to make sure it is: Used fairly and lawfully.Used for limited, specifically stated purposes. Used in a way that is adequate, relevant and not excessive. Kept for no longer than is absolutely necessary. Handled according to people’s data protection rights. Kept safe and secure. Not transferred outside the UK without adequate protection. However more protection must be used on information such as: The ethnic background of an individual. The religious beliefs of an indiv idual. The health of an individual. The criminal records of an individual.This would affect a company such as Tesco as they cannot just share information about their customers without their permission, which they would need to first obtain so this could become time consuming and cost the Tesco to contact each one of their customers to seek permission to share their information with their partners possibly.Voluntary constraintsCode of Advertising Practice and Advertising Standards Authority; Pressure groups and consumerism; Acceptable languageCode of Advertising Practice and Advertising Standards AuthorityThe ASA is the United Kingdom’s regulator across all advertisement throughout the United Kingdom, however they are a non-statutory organisation and they cannot enforce law on advertisements but their code of advertising practice usually is in line with legislation. The main objective of the ASA is to  make sure all advertisements are legal, decent (not explicit) and truthfu l by implementing their code of advertising practice for companies that make adverts to display their products and services – eg a company cannot make a broadband advert saying you will get this speed when you actually won’t as that would be misleading to consumers.This affects companies such as BT broadband in multiple ways as they cannot just make adverts where they say this is what you’re going to get without being able to back up their advert with evidence or inform consumers that for example speeds may differ depending on areas when advertising broadband.For example if a company such as BT broadband were to make an misleading advertisement about their broadband and it was misleading as it didn’t match their description provided, they would loose customers and also get a bad reputation with people and the ASA.Pressure groups and consumerismPressure groups are known as an ‘interest groups’ or lobby and are an organised group of like-minded individuals that seek to influence government legislation and public policy regarding concerns and priorities they may have; this could be :To promote an interest. To voice consumer concerns. To push for broad policies – e.g. environmental protection.This can affect companies, public policy and government as pressure groups are able to put immense pressure on them if they aren’t happy with their policies, legislations or for a company the way they operate or even treat their customers/staff and so on. Therefore, companies and governments could come under immense pressure to make changes if a pressure group believes there should be changes.For example when Tesco mislead customers into buying horse meat which they  told their customers was chicken, it lead to pressure groups telling people to shop somewhere else instead – this would affect Tesco as they would be loosing customers.Acceptable languageIn companies all staff should use appropriate language no matte r what their audience may be, this could be when making a commercial for T.V, speaking to customers or colleagues; appropriate language could be byAvoiding slang when speaking. Avoiding biased or derogatory comments – e.g. jokes or comments that perpetuate negative stereotypes as this could be found offensive. Being polite – being polite in business is very important as it can build up better relationships between co-workers, colleagues and customers which will be good for business.Failure to use appropriate language in advertisements or by colleagues may reflect against the company giving it a bad image/name and also could create a loss of customers or even the possibility of fines if they offend anyone.For example if Tesco made a T.V commercial that had foul language it would affect their business as it would be unprofessional of them and lead to them getting a bad name for their business; it could also cause them to loose customers as some may find a advert with fou l language offensive.

SERVICE CHARTERS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

SERVICE CHARTERS - Essay Example In this regard, a service charter is an undertaking that is being made to the stakeholders regarding the services they should expect form to be accorded within the authority in its mandate discharge. The principal aim of a service charter is bring out awareness to the public on the roles of the authority, core activities, and values of the authority, provision of the necessary information on the services range that they offer and the standards that have been set. The service charter also informs on what the stake holders should expect for the authority, remedy avenues should the services fall short of the expected standards, and building confidence onto the public that they are striving to excellence about their provision of the services. With the listed information that is provided within the service charter, it is construable that it is a working tool that is designed to facilitate better understanding regarding the kind of services offered by an authority and put the interests of the stakeholders and the authority at the forefront. For better consideration of the service charter, it should work in tandem with other legal requirements that are enacted time to time to facilitate achievement of expectations. Several countries have come up with different service charters in the various sectors that link them to the stakeholders for the services the public should expect from them. In this essay, I have chosen to consider the service charter in Australia with reference to the Australian Federal police as an authority. This paper considers the Australian Federal police charter, the resolution to this authority is informed by the fact that is has faced several challenges in its implementation of the services to the public. The Australian Federal Police have been faced with ever changing tact if crimes including terrorism, cyber-crime, and sexual servitude among other kinds of crimes that they endeavour to fight. In response to this, they developed a service charter that informs the public of their services and how they can cooperate with the public in the fight about crimes. Development of the Charter The motivating factor for the country and specifically the authority to come up with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) service charter is because of the changing environment of the crimes. Crimes have mutated into some more dormant aspect that without a keen interest on their mitigation, it is impossible to realize their occurrence. In this reference, AFP has responded swiftly in putting structures that will keep such crimes a t a bay and to ensure that there is the much-needed cooperation from the public (Ellison, 2000). The authority has made it possible to develop a service charter that clearly stipulates their responsibilities and how they intend to fight the crimes that in the last decades have changed tact. The charter is developed due to the challenges that the AFP has been facing in containing such crimes as counter terrorism, sexual se rvitude, and human trafficking. The authority has also put a spirited fight against cyber-crime, protection, as well as peace operations. The fight against crime for this matter has reached transnational level and the authority is keen in ensuring that it triumphs in mitigating the consequences of crime across their boarders (Ellison, 2000). In pursuit of the implementation of the challenges, AFP in addition to the service charter has also implemented a new organizational structure that is to facilitate a high coordination internally and

Safety Management in the Construction Industry Essay

Safety Management in the Construction Industry - Essay Example Defense Estates should devise a safety policy during the planning stages of the Boiler project so that each and every individual should understand and follow the safety principles. The general health and safety policy is the way in which a company sets out its intention to manage health and safety. During the workplace inspection at the Boiler site every component of the total system should be included, e.g. safety policy, attitudes, training, process, plant layout, operating procedures, emergency plans. Audits and reviews at Defence Estate should be aimed at discovering the strengths and weakness and the main area of vulnerability or risk. Safety survey should be done at the boiler site which is a detailed, in-depth examination of narrower the field of activity, e.g., major key areas revealed by safety audits, individual plants, procedures or specific problems at the site. Safety inspection at the site comes in the form of a routine scheduled inspection of the boiler unit or oil sto rage units at the facility. The inspection should check maintenance standards, employee involvement, working practices, and that work is carried out in accordance with the stipulated procedures. (Levitt, Samelson, 1987) Defence Estates must have a written health and safety policy when it has five or more employees. The health and safety at Defence Estate should have three distinct parts: The statement of policy Organisation Arrangements The statement of policy This is a statement of the health and safety policy, Defence Estate's intent to have high standards of the health and safety policy and their aims should be included in this policy. Organisation- the organisation for carrying out the policy, including, as necessary, reference to the management and safety representatives and safety committees, it should encompass 'who is responsible for, or going to do what' and when and how they will achieve it. Arrangements- the arrangement for the effective implementation of the general statement of health and safety policy, including technical and other procedures relating to the health and safety aspects of the work undertaken by Defence Estates. It may also contain details of the health and safety responsibilities of all the employees in the business. Principal Safety Officers Principal Safety Officers should be hired at Defence Estates whose main Objectives should be to provide a comprehensive advisory service to all Council Directorates Department Heads and their employees, on all matters affecting health and safety at work and the implementation of the Health and Safety Policy. Responsibility and Organization for Safety at the Boiler Site Accidents can be prevented at the

The Impact of E-Services on Socio-Economic Development in South Africa Research Paper

The Impact of E-Services on Socio-Economic Development in South Africa - Research Paper Example Accessibility to e-services has a high potential to add value to marginalized communities (Heeks, 2010), reduce poverty (Cecchini and Scott, 2003) and spur development. However, accessibility is not enough. Other factors must be put into account when making decisions on information technology developments for optimal benefits to all stakeholders and de-marginalization of marginal groups. E-services have revolutionized the global market to levels never imagined before; however, the true impact has not been quantified since the concept is new and has not been widely adopted, nor has it stabilized. Background The World Bank classifies the economy of South Africa as an upper-middle income economy, being the largest economy in Africa in terms of GDP per capita. However, over a quarter of South Africans are unemployed and a similar number lives on less than 1.25 US dollars per day; it is this population that e-services target most since they are primarily unbanked by the conventional comme rce systems. The economy is an amalgamation of primary, secondary and tertiary industries, though it has shifted in the recent years towards being a tertiary economy, an industry that contributes about 65 percent of GDP (OECD, 2010). Despite the continuous growth of the online industry, the country still lags behind the world’s leading economies in terms of volumes and amounts spent in online transactions. Laws and policies passed and implemented in the recent years have increased access to e-services by the population mainly by increasing competition among service providers, which results in reduced prices for accessing and using e-services. For instance, the Telecoms Amendment Act of 2001 introduced a competing network provider for Telkom, such that for the two to attract and retain customers, they had to reduce the costs of their services (Z-Coms, 2002). Elimination of monopoly was the first step towards liberalization of the telecommunications sector, which was achieved b y the Electronic Communications Act (ECA) of 2005. Finally, the Electronic Communication and Transactions Act of 2002 that was aimed at facilitation of e-transactions, e-governance, and other services introduced reliable and universal access to e-services. Context Cieslikowski et al. (2008) state that the world has seen exponential growth in coverage by mobile networks for both developed and developing countries; hence the impact of use of these devices cannot be ignored. For instance, money transfer services whereby money is sent through a mobile network and collected from a local retail outlet, have changed how the low-income communities transfer their money. Before the introduction of services like these, the poor had little or no access to banking and money transfer services, mainly because of high rates or the location of the banking institution in cities. In this case, ICT enabled the rural folk to have access to services that were previously a preserve of the rich. Further ch anges are expected on migration to digital terrestrial television migration, as digital signal will include all communication services bundled. Therefore, everyone will be able to access services with relative ease, and the government will use these channels to communicate matters on policy and development (Gupta and Shah, 2012). However, for these benefits to be enjoyed by the common citizen,

Strategic Implications of IT Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Strategic Implications of IT - Research Paper Example This is due to the reason that technology has made the preparation, transfer, and dissemination of the information very economical. Therefore, the company and its people need to think and feel bigger coupled to having an apparent direction. However, above and beyond having the external environmental analysis, it has become vital and imperative to understand the organization from internal perspectives as well that is to assess the resources and its competitive position on a critical note. According to one of the well-known authors Robbins, â€Å"Every organization has strategies for doing what it’s in business to do† (2010, pp. 163). Strategic management in the present epoch has become one of the most significant elements of any organization. This is due to the reason that it aid in defining the administrating the planning, and everyday operations of the enterprise. Moreover, it takes account of employee job descriptions, planning and budgeting, and the overall operations goals and objectives of the enterprise. However, studies have provided evidence for the fact that with the implication of strategic management process, the companies are able to fulfill their processes in a much more efficient way than it used to be previously. This is particularly because it encompasses the evaluations, decisions, and actions that facilitate the organization in creating and upholding their competitive advantage (Bateman & Snell, 2010). In the twenty first century, the implication of strategic management more frequently comes under application in the field of information technology on a broad spectrum. Therefore, the primary and chief purpose of the report is to define the strategic implications of information technology in the upcoming years. Moreover, eBay is one of the major information technology organizations that would come under presentation with reference to the strategic implications under next three years. Furthermore, the current issues that eBay are going through and recommendations for the managers of IT would be the key highlighting concerns of the report. Background of the Topic EBay Inc. is one of the leading internet based consumer-to-consumer (c2c) organizations of United States of America that have come under establishment in the latter years of the

Leadership and Organizational Behavior Case Study

Leadership and Organizational Behavior - Case Study Example The writer claims that women are not as good as networking and communicating, but that he grew up with his mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. They taught him to be independent and self-motivated with his ambition. One theory the article suggests is that sports teams are the cause of men networking better than women. The theory that women are more independent minded and men network and communicate better than women is a statement based on his entrepreneurial accomplishments. A mentor may be suggested. A self-mentor is a professional at independent goal setting ambition. A mentor would be a boss that keeps you motivated the entire day with your goals and what you want to accomplish told to you. The art of self-mentoring is based on self-reliability. That women need mentors more than men is suggested in the article; that they need to learn to network within their own the range of abilities and be more connective in the workforce. Women often separatist themselves being financially beneficial to a marriage and are just taken care of by a man. This then puts the financial dependency on one person. The woman then is separatist from financial obligation. Sometimes the woman relies on looks for a relationship and is dependent on the man for finances. This happens quite often. Where women need mentors more often than men is that women are inspired by the motivation, the strategies, and the way that other people handle their lives burdens. This then inspires them to be more hard working and more ambitious on their own account.

Corporation Tax, Income Taxes, and Capital Gains Tax at the United Essay

Corporation Tax, Income Taxes, and Capital Gains Tax at the United Kingdom - Essay Example A limited amount of companies must pay corporation tax. The self-employed do not. However, in almost all circumstances, cooperatives, housing associations, members' clubs, and trade associations must pay corporation tax (Wikipedia, 2007). Companies that are obligated to pay corporation taxes on their profits are required to perform certain activities. First of all, they are required to notify HM Revenue and Customs that they indeed are in operation at that they are among those required to pay corporate taxes. Then, the company must file a self-assessment Company Tax Return without being assessed by the HMRC, similar to individuals who are required to file their own income taxes without first being assessed by the IRS. Lastly, this requires that accurate records of all financial dealings that contribute to the information submitted to the HMRC be kept at all times. In order for corporations that must pay corporation tax to avoid fines, they must know their statutory filing date and their normal due date. Each company must hold full responsibility for calculating its own corporation taxes and paying the amount due before the deadline. If a company fails to do so, they will owe a penalty. According to Business Link, "A company can send in its Company Tax Return at any time after the end of its accounting period but must do so no later than the statutory filing date. This is later of (a) 12 months after the end of your company's accounting period [or] (b) three months after your company receives a "notice to deliver a Company Tax Return form CT600" from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC)" (2007). Companies who do not send their returns on time receive penalties. Companies who regularly submit their returns late enjoy increasingly higher penalties. Penalties can also be assessed for returns that are incorrect or for companies who fail to tell HMRC that they are liable to pay corporate taxes. Business Link claims that "Payment of the corporation tax itself is due exactly nine months and one day after what is called your normal due date. For most companies, the normal due date is the last day of the accounting period. So if a company's tax return covers the accounting period 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2004, then the corporation tax should be paid no later than 1 October 2005" (2007).

International trade Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

International trade - Term Paper Example Can you explain why? Trade restrictions are put by government including tariffs, import quotas and trade barriers. This is done to increase net exports by limiting imports. When net exports increase it creates a more favorable balance of trade, the domestic production of the country boost up, which results in increased domestic income and employment. But Most economists realize this argument is wrong because trade restrictions can prove to be harmful as well, if there will be trade restrictions the domestic prices of the goods will increase, and people will be forced to pay higher prices for the domestic products, also the countries won’t be able to benefit from â€Å"Comparative Advantage†. Putting trade restrictions won’t only be harmful for the customers but it will also be harmful for the firms because usually they take advantage of Comparative Advantage and import raw material that are not available in their country, but by putting trade restrictions they wi ll have to find that certain raw material in their own country which will eventually cost them more and it will ultimately effect the price of the final goods, making it more expensive. In long run Trade restrictions can also gives fewer choices to the customers and no variety because they will only have the option to buy the domestic products. Also putting trade restrictions would result in inefficiency from the domestic producers because there won’t be a competition on a global scale and their productivity will decrease. Also International trade is the basic source of bringing â€Å"FOREX† in the country. By putting trade restrictions the country won’t be available to avail from all these advantages. 2) Suppose that in the absence of trade, the Canadian price for bicycles was higher than the world price for bicycles. Would allow international trade mean that Canada would import or export bicycles? Who in Canada would benefit and who would lose with a free trad e policy, and would the gains be greater than the losses?   Free trade policy is also called â€Å"laissez-faire† which means there won’t be any interference from the government side, and manufacturers are free to import and export and manufacture according to their own will. If Canadian price for bicycles is higher than the world price for bicycles then Canada would advantage from â€Å"Comparative Advantage† and import bicycles rather than exporting it. Allowing trade would benefit Canada in long run because domestic prices for bicycles are higher than the world price and the citizens of Canada are paying higher prices unnecessarily, Trade will increase competition in Canadian bicycle market and it will help in reducing monopolistic pricing and the cons that generate from that. It will also encourage local investors and manufactures to perform better and keep stable bicycle pricing in the market. It will also increase the variety in Canadian bicycle market a nd citizens will have more options. Also this will benefit the local producers as they can import raw material for bicycles from other countries who are selling it for cheaper rate and this will help lower marginal cost and decrease the prices of bicycle in Canada. 3) What benefits are to be gained from countries producing according to the law of comparative advantage? What if a country is absolutely more productive in all goods?

Racism and the Value of Justice in To Kill a Mockingbird Movie Review - 4

Racism and the Value of Justice in To Kill a Mockingbird - Movie Review Example Relatively, it is our decisions that shape our intentions in life, regardless of racial and socioeconomic differences. This idea is shown through the characters of Boo Radley, Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson, and Violet Ewell. Specifically, the theme is most noticeable during the courtroom scene wherein Atticus Finch, a White lawyer, defends Robinson, a Negro man, against the accusations of Violet Ewell, a White young lady. Towards the end of the film, Radley emerges as another significant and controversial character, and this is because he killed Bob Ewell, Violet’s father. 2) What were the choices made by the main characters and what were the consequences of those choices? The most interesting characters in the film are Atticus and Radley because their decisions create interesting ideas about what the film really means in relation to Racism, crime and the American justice system. For instance, Atticus’ decision in defending Tom Robinson negates the stereotypical notions a bout the antagonism between Blacks and Whites. Specifically, Atticus’ character signifies the objective American who values facts more than anything else in the courtroom. However, Atticus’ decisions and principles go against the verdict of the jury, who still dwell in their prejudiced notions about Blacks. Radley is another interesting character because of his strange involvement in the Violet Ewell vs. Robinson trial. For instance, one can become curious about Radley’s true intention of killing Violet’s father, who had forcibly pushed Robinson to plead guilty to the rape case. In this case, one can ask â€Å"Is killing an alternative to justice?† In analyzing Radley’s character, one can say that he signifies the persona of a radical American who aspires for change in society, a chance that even a qualified lawyer like Atticus cannot achieve through his legal and formal courtroom rules. Relatively, although Radley emerges only in the last p art of the film, his role in the film is as significant as Atticus’, and this is because of the diversion he brings to the film, which also creates new perceptions about the film, in general. 3) What are three or four sequences most important in the film? Why? Although the story is a narration, the plot of the film follows the chronological order of events wherein viewers sees the sequential interplay of scenes. The three most significant scenes in the film are the projection of the innocent Alabama life, in the first part of the film, the courtroom scene, and the death of Bob Ewell. The first scenes of the film introduce the viewers to the carefree, innocent life of Alabama, particularly with the Finch kids. However, as the narrator said, their carefree life was only the superficial aspect of reality during those times, considering the Depression that struck most people on the American continent. Further, the courtroom drama shows the social and political issues in American during those times, particularly concerning the prejudicial jury and stereotyping of the Negroes as criminals and untrustworthy. Lastly, the death of Bob Ewell signifies another interesting topic in the film, which is about the intentions and motivations in committing a crime.  Ã‚  

Serious dramatic deficiency Essay Example for Free

Serious dramatic deficiency Essay It is not only in period pieces, however, that the rejection of our countrys history and tradition robs actors performances of authenticity. In postwar Japans cultural climate, it is exceedingly difficult for actors in any type of role to convincingly express complex, deep or intense emotion — in fact, any dramatic emotion at all. To appear real, this sort of emotional expression demands exactly the right modulation and combination of subtle elements, including not only choice of words and facial expression, but also posture, gesture, tone of voice, direction of gaze, and distance from other actors. And the right modulation and combination differs from culture to culture. Every culture has its own framework of expressive conventions from which actors must draw in order to express emotion that will strike their audience as authentic. As long as Japanese actors refuse to work within the framework of emotional expression stipulated by Japanese culture, they cannot express dramatic emotion in a convincing manner. The famed Meiji-era novelist Natsume Soseki once taught his students that the true Japanese translation for I love you is Tsuki ga tottemo aoi na (The moon is so blue tonight); what he meant was that to express within the Japanese cultural framework the same emotion expressed in English by I love you, one must choose words like The moon is so blue tonight. Since every culture evolves naturally over time, the cultural framework for emotional expression is by no means immutable. But in post-war Japan the process of change has been unnatural and rushed. Regarding their traditional modes of expression as archaic and feudalistic, and eager to Westernize, the Japanese have attempted to adopt the Western (more specifically, the American) expressive framework wholesale. Yet given that they continue to use the Japanese language as their vehicle for verbal expression, any attempt to affect a de-Japanized manner at this level is half-baked. Today, one might say, a Japanese person is unable to convincingly express passion for another either by the English I love you or by the Japanese The moon is so blue tonight. This may be why, since the 1980s, young people in Japan have increasingly disdained the expression of serious or dramatic emotion as kusai, or corny, and prized the appearance of emotional detachment as kakko-ii, or cool. In terms of dramatic expression, then, the Japanese film labors under a heavy burden. If it portrays emotion within the traditional Japanese framework, it may achieve authenticity, but the effect is antiquated. If it portrays emotion within the Western framework, it comes across as meretricious and unconvincing. Films that try to blend the two modes often end up antiquated and unconvincing. Yet in animation, which lacks visual realism and features de-Japanized characters to begin with, the expression of emotion paradoxically takes on a more convincing sense of reality. This may explain why most of the serious and ambitious film efforts have used the vehicle of anime. Given the serious dramatic deficiency, Japanese live-action films can no longer tackle any serious or profound subject matter. In the context of contemporary Japanese film, then, anime often conveys a greater sense of reality than live-action films. The thin, insubstantial reality of animated film, that is to say, is more alive — literally, more animated — than the flesh-and-blood reality. And if anime is perceived as more real (i. e. , closer to physical reality) than live-action, this means that, increasingly, anime embodies the Japanese consciousness of reality. The Japanese conception of reality is undergoing a process of animation. The rise of anime as well as manga is a cultural by-product of modern Japans tendency to promote modernization and Westernization while rejecting its history and traditions. A medium that fuses elements of East and West, and lacks a clear national identity, could be considered international in a certain sense, and this is doubtless a major reason why anime has so many fans overseas. But the current state of affairs, in which anime represents the mainstream of Japanese cinema, is by no means desirable, inasmuch as it signifies an ever-widening gap between physical reality and peoples conception of it.

Data Structures Role In Programming Languages Computer Science Essay

Data Structures Role In Programming Languages Computer Science Essay Data Structure is logical and mathematical model to store data.So there are basic benefits of data structures: The memory space is properly used.It helps in data protection and management. It is used to organize data in such a way that the insertion deletion,searhing i.e manipulation of data is done with minimal complexity , and that gives a efficiet performance of our computing. By using data structures data can be easily, and efficiently exchanged; it allows portability, comprehensibility, and adaptability of information. Data structures are used in most programming allowing efficient management of large amounts of data.Data structures are the organizing element in software design, for some programming languages, and design methods. Data structures are based on a computers ability to store, and retrieve data from anywhere in memory; record, and array structures are based on using arithmetic operations to compute the address of the data. The storing of addresses within the structure is called linked data structures. Specific program languages offer built in support for specific data structures, (i.e. one dimensional arrays are used in C programming, and hash tables are used in Pearl). An array is a type of data structure. An array is a data structure consisting of a number of variables, having the same data type. A single variable name is given to an array to associate with the variables. Arrays are used by programmers as a means of organizing many data items into a single data structure. Elements of the array are written, and recognized by using subscript, which is parenthesis after the array name. The use of arrays simplifies the writing of a program by allowing the grouping of similar data, rather than writing each item in the program code, saving time, and money. An example of an array would be days of the week: Initialize data table day_table(1) = Sunday day_table(2) = Monday day_table(3) = Tuesday day_table(4) = Wednesday day_table(5) = Thursday day_table(6) = Friday day_table(7) = Saturday End All high level languages share a set of intercepted framework of data structure that composes the languages. These common data structures are strings, arrays, I/O, Stacks, Queues, Linked Lists, Trees, Graphs, Hash tables, and Vectors. Most programming languages feature some sort of library mechanism that allows data structure implementations to be reused by different programs. Modern languages usually come with standard libraries that implement the most common data structures. Examples are the C++ Standard Template Library, the Java Collections Framework, and Microsofts .NET Framework. Data Structures in C Language : A data item refers to a single unit of values. For example, a studentà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s information may be divided into four items/properties GRNO, name, class, and semester. But the GRNO would be treated as unique/ item. Data are also organized into more complex types of structures. There are two types of data structure are available : Linear 2. Non-Linear. Linear Structures: In this type of data structure we perform insert, delete, search,update operations sequentially or in an order (like Ascending/Descending). for example you have a list having 5 elements containing A,B,C,D,E,F values if u want to find that on which location E is store in this list, you must compare E with A,B,C,D and finally with E along this you must perform an increment to counter. After that you will find the actual location of your required/search item with the help of counter in this example the value of counter=4. Examples of Linear Data Structures are as follows: * Array * Linked List * Queue * Stack 1. Non-Linear: In this type of data structure we perform Traversing, insert, delete, search, update operation randomly. # Examples of Non-Linear Data Structures are as follows: * Tree * Graphs. Data Structure operations: The following four operations play a major role in this text. 1. Traversing: Accessing each record exactly once so that certain items in the record may be processed.( This accessing and processing is sometimes called visiting the record.) 2. Searching: Finding the location of the record with a given key value, or finding the locations of all records, which satisfy one or more conditions. 3. Inserting: adding a new record to the structure. 4. Deleting: Removing a record from the structure. 5. Sorting: Arranging the records in some logical order . Some Data Structures and their use in programming Languages: STACK: A stack is a last in, first out (LIFO) abstract data type and data structure. A stack can have any abstract data type as an element, but is characterized by only two fundamental operations: push and pop. The push operation adds to the top of the list, hiding any items already on the stack, or initializing the stack if it is empty. The pop operation removes an item from the top of the list, and returns this value to the caller. A pop either reveals previously concealed items, or results in an empty list. A stack-oriented programming language is one that relies on a stack machine model for passing parameters. Several programming languages fit this description, notably Forth, RPL, PostScript, and also many Assembly languages (but on a much lower level). Some languages, like LISP and Python, do not call for stack implementations, since push and pop functions are available for any list. All Forth-like languages (such as Adobe PostScript) are also designed around language-defined stacks that are directly visible to and manipulated by the programmer. C++s Standard Template Library provides a stack templated class which is restricted to only push/pop operations. Javas library contains a Stack class that is a specialization of Vectorthis could be considered a design flaw, since the inherited get() method from Vector ignores the LIFO constraint of the Stack. ARRAYS: An array can be defined as the finite ordered set of homogeneous elements.Finite means that yhere are specific number of elements in an array, ordered means that elements are arranged in a sequence so that the first,second,thirdà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¦nth element. In pure functional programs it is common to represent arrays by association lists. Association lists have the disadvantage that the access time varies linearly both with the size of the array (counted in number of entries) and with the size of the index (counted in cons nodes). QUEUE: A queue is a particular kind of collection in which the entities in the collection are kept in order.It is based on First-In-First-Out (FIFO)principle. In a FIFO data structure, the first element added to the queue will be the first one to be removed. A queue is an example of a linear data structure. LINKED LIST: It is a method of organizing stored data in a computer memory or on a storage medium based on the logical order of the data and not the physical order. All stored data records are assigned a physical address in memory that the computer uses to locate the information. A linked list arranges the data by logic rather than by physical address. Memory Management: One of the most important functions of a programming language is to provide facilities for managing memory and the objects that are stored in memory. C provides three distinct ways to allocate memory for objects: Static memory allocation: space for the object is provided in the binary at compile-time; these objects have an extent (or lifetime) as long as the binary which contains them is loaded into memory Automatic memory allocation: temporary objects can be stored on the stack, and this space is automatically freed and reusable after the block in which they are declared is exited Dynamic memory allocation: blocks of memory of arbitrary size can be requested at run-time using library functions such as malloc from a region of memory called the heap; these blocks persist until subsequently freed for reuse by calling the library function free These three approaches are appropriate in different situations and have various tradeoffs. For example, static memory allocation has no allocation overhead, automatic allocation may involve a small amount of overhead, and dynamic memory allocation can potentially have a great deal of overhead for both allocation and deallocation. On the other hand, stack space is typically much more limited and transient than either static memory or heap space, and dynamic memory allocation allows allocation of objects whose size is known only at run-time. Most C programs make extensive use of all three. Where possible, automatic or static allocation is usually preferred because the storage is managed by the compiler, freeing the programmer of the potentially error-prone chore of manually allocating and releasing storage. However, many data structures can grow in size at runtime, and since static allocations (and automatic allocations in C89 and C90) must have a fixed size at compile-time, there are many situations in which dynamic allocation must be used. Prior to the C99 standard, variable-sized arrays were a common example of this (see malloc for an example of dynamically allocated arrays). Automatically and dynamically allocated objects are only initialized if an initial value is explicitly specified; otherwise they initially have indeterminate values (typically, whatever bit pattern happens to be present in the storage, which might not even represent a valid value for that type). If the program attempts to access an uninitialized value, the results are undefined. Many modern compilers try to detect and warn about this problem, but both false positives and false negatives occur. Another issue is that heap memory allocation has to be manually synchronized with its actual usage in any program in order for it to be reused as much as possible. For example, if the only pointer to a heap memory allocation goes out of scope or has its value overwritten before free() has been called, then that memory cannot be recovered for later reuse and is essentially lost to the program, a phenomenon known as a memory leak. Conversely, it is possible to release memory too soon and continue to access it; however, since the allocation system can re-allocate or itself use the freed memory, unpredictable behavior is likely to occur. Typically, the symptoms will appear in a portion of the program far removed from the actual error, making it difficult to track down the problem. Such issues are ameliorated in languages with automatic garbage collection.

Effective Leadership Is A Tool To Organisational Performance Management Essay

Effective Leadership Is A Tool To Organisational Performance Management Essay Leading people in the course of accomplishing certain goals and objectives needs certain skills; amid them is the leadership skill. Leadership is a process by which a group of people are inspired and influenced to achieve organizational objectives and long-term goals. This essay is aimed at examining critically, some of the main theories of Leadership and will be structured into two parts. The first part will focus on leadership and evaluation of the leadership theories. The second part will be linking leadership to performance and giving examples of some organisations that have succeeded through good leadership practices. The concept of Leadership has no universal definition. It is imperative to understand the meaning of leadership before going into the different theories of leadership. Leadership has been defined as the relationship that exists among leaders and their followers in expressions of power relationship, here leaders through their power effects change in others, the skills and knowledge a leader possess to effect this change through others makes effective leadership possible (Northouse, 2004). Although leadership, has been defined to mean different things to various authors. It is thought to be unknown and mysterious (Adair, 2006), but to have a general conclusion, it is seen as an important ingredient to achieve effective management and mainly about the ability to influence people, driving them towards achieving organizational goals, objectives and aims. Roger (1997) suggests that leadership is not necessarily the same as management, that although managers have authority, they may not have power. Hackman (2002) argues that leaders can also control personnel resources by creating a situation for team effectiveness, enabling structure. Enabling structure which can be formed through the manner within which work is considered, the encouragement of core norms of conduct and team work is organised. Bernard (1926) posits that anybody who is ordinarily efficient in delivery psychological stimuli to others and hence effective in cultivating cooperative responses can be called a le ader. This means that a leader must have prestige, know which stimuli that is adequate to response to the purposes and device a procedure for presenting the stimuli. Despite the diverse ways by which leadership has been conceptualized, there are central components that can be identified as fundamental to its phenomenon. Key Elements in leadership definition Just as there are many definition of leadership, there are also approaches to leadership that has help to in-depth understanding of leadership. Trait Approach Trait theory asserts that certain qualities of being an effective leader may possibly be inherited; these traits can be intelligence, social status, physical traits like weight and strength, or personality traits like self-honesty, self confidence, and creativity (Mullins, 2005; Northouse, 2004; Rogger, 1997). Most Scholars that take the trait approach attempt to categorize physiological, demographic, personality, self-confidence, and assertiveness, task-related and social characteristics with leader effectiveness. Whitener (2007) suggests that these lists of traits are what potential leaders should aspire to have in other to be seen as an effective leader. Trait approach has been seen to be incoherent, as there are no traits that differentiated leaders from non- leaders in that a leader in one situation may not necessarily be a leader in another position, instead of the qualities that individual have, leadership was reconceptualised as a relationship among people in a social situat ion (Stogdill, 1948). Trait explanation of effective leadership has been regarded with little esteem by leadership researchers, although some steady relationship were found, the discovery suggest that leadership is not just a sheer possession of mixture of traits, situation specific analysis took over if not dominating( Zaccaro et al, 1991; Stogdill, 1948; Bass, 1990). Conger et al (1998) saw trait approach as being too simplistic, House et al (1997) concluded that there were few, if any common trait is linked to leadership effectiveness. Trait approach gave rise to the question whether leaders are born or made and whether is an art or science. Even if they are born it still needs to be developed through training and encouraged and if it is an art, it still requires the application of certain special skills or techniques (Mullins, 2005). Furthermore, researchers have found that there is no one and only trait or leadership style to lead effectively and that it all depends on organizational culture, employee behaviour, readiness to achieve and tasks to be performed or aspects of the situation. This is in conformity with the situational leadership model according to Hersey Blanchard (1969) which basically suggest that the knowledge of employees is vital in effective leadership. Although trait approach have a century of research to back it up and has given us a benchmark on what to look out for if we want to be a leader, it failed to define ultimate list of leadership traits, take situation into consideration and has resulted in highly subjective determinations of the most important trait (Northouse, 2004). Behavioural Approach The Behavioural approach believes that leaders are made and not born and to be a leader needs to be learnt and develop through observation and creativity. This school of thought concentrates on the kind of behaviour of people in leadership situations, how they treat their subordinates and its result on performance (Mullins, 2005; Antonakis et al, 2003). The Michigan University and Ohio State was used in the study of this approach, the survey acknowledged two scope of leadership referred to as consideration which is employee oriented leadership and structure which is production oriented leadership (Antonakis et al, 2003). McGregor recommended that a leaders behaviours depend on his assumptions about people and the human nature. For instance, if a person is appointed a manager and he see people as being naturally lazy, reluctant to take responsibility, resistant to change the theory -X employees the leader may adopt autocratic style of leadership and if he see employees who works hard, quick to change and seek responsibility rather than avoid it the theory- Y employees he will adopt a participative leadership style (Roger, 1997). This approach to leadership is contradictory because the type of behaviour a leader enacted depends on the situation. The Leadership styles The leadership styles can be attributed essentially to the philosophy of the leaders. Mullins, (2005) suggest that leadership style is the way within which the functions of leadership are carried out and the way managers typically behaves towards their subordinate. In this regards three styles can be distinguished via: autocratic, participative, and laissez-faire. The autocratic style also known as authoritarian style of leadership can be termed tellers. They feel that they know best what they want and tend to express those wants as direct orders to their associate. This style according to Roger (1997) can be dictatorial or paternalistic. Dictatorial in the sense that the leader tells the followers what to do without comment. Reward and penalty for poor performance becomes the order of the day. While the paternalistic style, imposes close supervision and control. Although this type of leadership is looked upon as negative, many autocratic leaders have been successful in accomplishing goals. Its strength can be seen when employees are submissive and prefer not to be responsible for participating in planning and decision making, autocratic leaders are effective since they keep decisions and control to themselves. However autocratic leadership style has number of disadvantages. Here employee ideas are not fully applied, it suppresses workers idea, and staff cannot be developed to their maximum potential Roger (1997). The participative leadership style encourages the feeling of involvement, being relevant, valued, team work and part of the decision making process. It involves the employees in the whole process towards implementation and effecting change. Here workers like to feel that their ideas are important and feel more committed, they also tend to develop greater feelings of esteem and are therefore better motivated, there is also high quality decision and productivity, it also encourages team work and interpersonal exchange and finally eliminates feelings of hostility Roger (1997). This style can also be disadvantageous in that decision making can be slow because of the time taken to consult the employees, it also works on the principles of consensus and lack of positive direction, may prevent the achievement of the objectives and employee participation in minor operation rather than the major decisions which may lead to resentment. The laissez-faire also called the free rein. Here the leader observes that the members of the group can work well on their own. With the goal of the organisation in view, the leader presents task to the group members who then work out their best own techniques for accomplishing those goals within the frame work of the organizational objectives and policy, this is to allow them freedom of action to think best but ever ready to help when the need arises. Although there is freedom of action, it can degenerate into chaos, decision making is performed by the dominant peers in the group, work generally is sloppy and productivity low Roger (1997). The Situational Contingency Approach The situational and Contingency emphasises that in leadership study in organization, certain variables and situations should be put into consideration as there could be unforeseen situation which can emerge anytime. That flexibility and dynamic styles should be used in different situations. This approach emphasises that situation is the dominant feature for determining an effective leadership as situation is one of the main forces influencing managerial behaviour and the contingency model assumes that there is no one best way or style of leadership(Mullins, 2005). Although this approach is appealing there are some managers who have the knowledge and skill and appear to be the most appropriate leader in given situation but do not appear as effective leaders (Mullins, 2005). The Functional Approach The functional approach concentrates on the roles, functions and responsibility of an effective leadership, what the leader do and the character of the group (Mullins, 2005). This approach sees leadership as distributed function. The most important ingredient of this leadership approach is its attention on how rather than who (shead, 2010). John Adairs three circles in his action centred leadership deeply influenced the functional leadership approach. These three circles symbolize the areas where leadership functions take place. Those areas are: task, team, individual. This approach believes that the skills of leadership can be learnt, developed, and perfected through training and development (Mullins, 2005). In recent times most organization does not wait for leaders to look for them but search for those who have leadership potential to develop them and expose them to their careers (Mullins, 2005). This model encourages team work, considers the changing role of leaders and followers in organization and can help in selecting team leaders. Although it encourages team work it does not offer a specific situation for team leader and the direction for leadership training is unclear, compound and demoralizing (Northouse, 2004). Transformational Leadership Transformational leadership is quite appealing and emphasizes on the most effective way to use human resources to achieve result, which has led management concentration on how leaders transform organization (Mullins, 2005). Leadership should not just be about an elite few that distributive leadership should be among the key factors to effective organisational success (CIPD, 2010a). Burns in his writing upon transforming leadership Posits that the transforming leader shapes, alters, and elevates the motives, values and goals of subordinates attaining considerable change in the process. Transformational leaders may; develop a followers needs, change a followers self-interest, enhance the confidence of followers, promote followers prospect, enhance the value of the leaders intended outcomes for the follower promote behavioural change, motivate others to higher levels of personal success Bass (1990). Tichy Devanna (1986) in Bolden et al. (2003) propose that transformational leadership cannot just be attributed to charisma but also as a behavioural process. All this can be achieved through employee involvement, motivation and engagement because a charismatic leader is the one who inspires their followers with the idea that they can accomplish great task through extra exertion. Transformational leadership has seen to be effective in most of the organisation that has succeeded through effective leaders. This leadership approach is individually considerate in that it considers the difference among their employee and acts as mentors to the employee who need help the leaders also through stimulation shows their followers new ways of tackling problems by making them understand difficulties as problem solved Bass (1998). An illustration of this leader is Lorenze Iversen, a former president of Mestas Machine Company, who said to the employees, we got this job because u re the best mechanics in the world. This president believes in walking around inspiring his employees and he is known for instilling pride and commitment. Although Transformational leadership has intuitive appeal, treats leadership as a process that occurs between followers and leaders, lays emphasis on followers needs, values, and morals and as effective form of leadership, its functions connect with each other and it is elitist and antidemocratic (Avolio, 1999; Bass Avolio, 1993). Yukl, (1999) in Northouse, 2004 argues t hat transformational leadership suffers from heroic leadership and also likely to be abused. Evidence that effective leadership is a tool to organisational performance It will be important to define what we mean by organisational performance and success before delving into the way it is affected by leadership practices. Richard et al (2009) posits that organisational performance consists of three main areas of firms outcomes which includes; financial performance involving (profit, return on assets, and return on investment etc.), shareholder return (total shareholder return, economic value added etc.) and product market performance (sales, market share etc.). Richard went further to explain that many organisation have tried to manage performance using the balance scorecard method in which performance is tracked and measured in multiple ways such as; financial performance, customer service, social responsibility (corporate citizenship and community outreach) and employee stewardship. Organisational success differs from one sector of business to another. Nevertheless organisations use key performance indicators (KPI) to determine their level of success. For instance key performance indicator (KPI) for a sales or retail sector could be profit, customers loyalty. Also for service sectors their success could be measured by key performance indicators (KPI) such as employee satisfaction, customers satisfaction and achieving the goals and objectives set by management (Forsaith Hall 2000). However, when we talk about high performance it is not enough to say that an organisation is performing high during the short-term or during economic progression periods, organisation that can be recorded as a high performing organisation is the one that can face both of the internal and external challenges (CIPD, 2010b). Darwin E. Smith who was appointed the CEO of Kimberly Clark a paper company whose stock had fallen from 36% is a typical example of a leader who can thrive in economic challenges and progression. Smith created a transformation at Kimberly Clark turning it into the leading consumer paper products company in the world and beating its rivals Scott paper and Procter Gamble. In so doing he generated a cumulative stock return of 4.1 times greater than those of the general market outpouring companies such as Hewlett-Packard, 3m, Coca-Cola and General electric (Collins, 2001a). Effective leaders, understands that high performance in organisation is not all about instant su ccess but long-term feasibility and they tend to also focus on training and development programmes that is linked to high performance. They tend to concentrate more on on-the-job training (Ashtons, 2002). Leadership has been seen to be central to individual, team and organisational performance. Many factors both internal and external have a posture on sustainable performance and employee engagement lies at the heart of organisational performance, leadership can be said to be inexplicably influential in terms of its impact on employee engagement and performance(Collins, 2001a). To lead effectively, leaders ought to know that it takes the inspiration, commitment and engagement of their employees and they should know how to influence them towards achieving organizational objectives. Engaging employees is quite vital as leadership is very much about it (CIPD, 2008). Engagement could be said to be the sum of effort an employee is willing to apply in their work. This can be influenced if the engaging leadership scheme is assumed and this is can be illustrated using its model: Figure 1: The Structure of the Engaging Transformational Leadership Questionnaire Engaging Individuals Showing genuine concern Enabling Being Accessible Encouraging questioning Personal qualities and core values Acting with integrity Being honest and consistent Engaging the organization Inspiring others Focusing team effort Being decisive Supporting a developmental culture Moving forward together Networking Building shared vision Resolving complex issues Facilitating change sensitivity Adapted from www.cipd.co.uk/shapingthefuture This chart shows that engaging leadership has a key role on employee motivation, job satisfaction and commitment and can reduced work-related stress which will in turn lead to high performance in organisation. Therefore, in other for organisation to compete effectively and achieve competitive edge that will ensure long-term success and survival of business, there is a need to foster a leadership that takes into consideration human relations, and its responsive to the dynamics of the business environment McGunagle (2010). Various authors have proposed several forms of leadership that will enhance performance in organisation. These forms of leadership range from Transformational, charismatic and participative leadership styles. Transformational could be said to be linked with adaptive behaviours which has to do with getting the employees to think creatively and learn new skills, it also takes into consideration the need and ability to manage and control challenging situations while accommodating different social factors (Han Williams, 2008; Pulakos et al, 2000; Rosen et al, IN PRESS), (Moss, Dowling Callanan, 2009). Transformational leadership is seen to be effective because it presents a leader who focuses on challenging visions as such input commitment into the employees, this kind of leadership favours and empowers teams in achieving organisational goals (Shin Zhoug, 2003). Several authors have identified transformational leadership to function at both team and individual level (Kirkman, Chen, Farh, Chen, Lowe, 2009; Liao Chuang, Zohar Tenne-gezit, 2007). Very importantly at the individual level transformational leadership assumes the position of discretionary stimuli that arises as a result of different relationship between the leader and the lead (Wang et al., 2005). While at the team level transformational leadership creates an atmosphere where team members are creative and they willingly share ideas capable of transforming the organisation (Chen Bliese, 2002). Bass Avolio (1994) posit that transformational leaders engage more with their colleagues. They behave in different ways to a ttain superior result using the Four Is which is idealised influence, intellectual stimulation, inspirational motivation individualised consideration (Avolio, Waldman Yammarino, 1991). However in achieving effective organizational success, leaders who adopts bottom-up strategy rather than top-down system seems to be more effective. The top-down system is rule from above, with little or no involvement of those at the bottom, who are highly needed for the execution of tasks. It blocks flow of information in an organisation which will lead to misinformation to the employees. Bottom-up strategy promotes employee involvement, help free flow of information and feedback, ideas and suggestions from the employees (Wright Taylor, 1994). Good to great leaders do not start from vision and strategy rather they start from people first and then strategy second. They get the right people on the bus and move the wrong people off the bus, then ushers the right people on the seats and then figure out where to drive it (Collins, 2001a). Collins, (2001b) also identified some factors of moving from a good to a great leader. The prime is the level 5 leadership which emphasises that leaders should be an epitome of humility to be able to do whats best for their organizations by accomplishing advantageous outcomes. Examples of leaders in this class are Yun Jong-Yong of Samsung Electronics, Japan, Makesh Ambani of reliance Industries in India etc. Jong Yong Yun, Samsung Electronics chief executive officer since December 1996, has restructured Samsung by challenging traditional Korean corporate culture of hierarchy and lifetime employment. Yun inculcated a sense of perpetual crisis among his employees and encouraged them to come up with innovative products that according to him, were essential for Samsungs survival. His emphasis was on quality products with unique designs and effective brand promotions. In 2004, Samsung surpassed Sony to earn profits of $9.4 billion over revenues of $72 billion 34. Roopa Chaudhuri (2005) in 2003-2010 IBS Case Development Centre Effective leaders understand the importance of employee empowerment which in turn leads to organisational success. This can be made evident in the case of Sao Paulo in Brazil. When Ricardo Semler, became the Chief Executive Officer, Semco expanded into other businesses like banking, environmental services and e-business. Ricardo preferred to change Semco into a democratic organisation for which he adopted the philosophy of employee empowerment. Ricardo was against the autocratic style of management, and was for participative management. Under Ricardo, Semcos revenues rose from $35 million in 1990 to $160 million in 2003. Semco soon came to be known as the unusual kind of workplace 25. Kiran, B. Chaudhuri , (2009) in 2003-2010 IBS Case Development Centre. However, many organisations have succeeded through good leaders who understand the need to invest in their people. An example of this can be seen from Vineet Nayar, CEO of Indian IT service giant HCL Company who likes to rock the boat. When Vineet was asked his greatest legacy, he responded without missing word That I have destroyed the office of the CEO his company has 55,000 employees and a market cap of $24 billion which is growing faster than Indians red-hot economy. He also led the charge that gave rise to the companys motto, Employee first, customer second an idea that gave many managers hives (Cappelli et al., 2010). In an interview with the senior executive of the Indian companys like the Tata, Mahindra Mahindra, and Infosys etc. on how they derive their organisation to high performance none of these leaders said that they succeeded because of their own cleverness at strategy or top team effort. These leaders said that their source of competitive advantage lies deeply in their companies, in their people (Cappelli et al., 2010). This entails that when employees are made the epitome of performance in an organisation they will be willing to contribute effectively to the organisational success that is to say good leadership cannot be separated from organisational success. A leader that takes the loyalty of their employees for granted jeopardises the collective foundation of that organisation, while this leaders go in one direction, the rest of the organisation will be trapped in another way. The High Commitment High Performance leaders (HCHP) such as Tim Solso of Cummins, Jorma Ollila of Nokia, Russ Fradin of Hewitt Associates, Allan Leighton etc. focuses attention on involvement with their people and operations; they try to create a link between the people who do the job and the performance they deliver (Russell et al. 2008). These leaders were able to achieve a greater height by combining four strategies such as earning the trust of their organisation through their openness to the unadorned truth, they were greatly engaged with their employee, were also able to assemble their people around a determined agenda and finally they realised that they can only succeed as part of a committed team and endeavoured to make their firms collective leadership cap abilities (Russell et al 2008). Allan Leighton practiced management by working around; before he became the CEO of Royal mail they were losing  £1.2m. Mr Leighton has already had some success in turning the company around. In May, the company posted its first improvement in trading performance for five years. By then, it said, it was losing just  £750,000 a day, down from an average of  £1.2m a day the previous year (Russell et al., 2008).). These HCHP leaders believes that investing in people is a means to achieving their goal because achieving a greater organisational height depends highly on how an employee is happy enough and feels committed to contribute effectively to attain high performance (Russell et al, 2008). Leaders in High performance organisation are inspiring and accessible; they do this through effective communication, high employee involvement and engagement, training and development. In fact they believe in their people, this can be made evidence through Stella David of Bacardi-Martini UK, she not only shaped various phase of the Bacardi-Martini work practices and performance systems, but was also known by all employees at Bacardi-Martini as inspiring and accessible. To the employees, she is highly discernible with the day-day operations of the business. Through her leadership style the company had  £400m turnover with 550 employee each earning  £35,000 p.a.; 19% (Ashton, 2008). Also Chris Galanty the managing director of Flight Centre UK said their company have built up a reputation as a people-focused business and their culture is about cultivating personal and career development, which gives their employees a strong degree of empowerment (2010 Flight Centre (UK) Limited). This company has a Turnover rate of  £19.4m with 550 employees earning  £35,000 p.a.; their business strategy is Shared high performance and profit one big global family and One Best Way (Ashton, 2008) In achieving sustainable organisational success one can see that distributive leadership plays an important role because it encourages line managers and employee empowerment which results to positive effect on performance. Caroline Sharp the director of HR and Workforce Strategy at Dumfries and Galloway NHS Board in her interview on distributed leadership pointed out that the traditional hierarchical form of leadership was not working well for their organisation in terms of making their teams changeable to enhance performance and the need for distributive leadership aroused which made them to deliver a leadership programme called Delivering Dynamic Improvement, this programme was a success because it helped the organisation to restructure their general management team (CIPD, 2010a). In summary successful leaders concentrate on the factors that derive profitability which revolves around investment in people, technology that supports frontline workers, serious recruitment and training and compensation which is related to performance for employees (Heskett et al, 2008). From the above explanation and examples one can see that effective leadership cannot be separated from high performance in the organisation, the both term are linked together and for organisation to attain a greater height there is need for distributive leadership and employee satisfaction (CIPD, 2010a).

Nortel Meridian :: essays research papers

INPUT/OUTPUT CRASH COURSE Meridian crash course faq798-5880 Posted: 20 May 05 (Edited 3 Jun 05) Programming Meridian SL1 PBX This is a short introduction into programming a Meridian PBX. The Meridian PBX's software divides information into LOADS. Each Load has a specific function for example. LD 20 is where you can print information about phones. The loads range from LD 01 - LD 143 How to HyperTerminal in to the PBX and VOICEMAIL Systems. 1. Launch HyperTerminal 2. Set phone number to your modem dialin number 3. Set terminal emulation to VT102 X Modem 4. Dial†¦ it should end up at a blank HyperTerminal window 5. Type the password to access the PBX modem. This will not show up on the screen when you type it. The screen should now display â€Å"Ok, You are now transparent to port 1†. 6. Type â€Å"logi† to login, then the password. 7. You should now have a > command prompt. To go from PBX commands to VOICEMAIL (in Hyperterminal) 1. Go to â€Å"File†, â€Å"Properties†, â€Å"Settings† and set the terminal emulation to VT100. 2. At the >, type â€Å"AX† 3. Hit â€Å"F1† to bring up the command bar at the bottom. 4. Hit â€Å"F1† again to Logon To go from VOICEMAIL back to PBX (in Hyperterminal) 1. EXIT all the way out of VOICEMAIL, back to where F1 says â€Å"logon† (lower left button) 2. Go to â€Å"File†, â€Å"Properties†, â€Å"Settings† and set the terminal emulation to VT52. 3. hit â€Å"Ctrl ]† TO EXIT IMPORTANT – Do NOT exit HyperTerminal until you have logged out of BOTH the VOICEMAIL and PBX Command System (â€Å"logo† is the PBX logout command) Basic commands LOGI = LOG IN LOGO = LOG OUT **** = TO CLOSE LOAD ** = RETURN TO REQ PROMPT ERR SCHXXXX = Explanation of error code ( ovl†¦sch†¦) DNB = DIRECTORY NUMBER (DN) a.k.a. phone extension ex: 2300 TNB = TERMINAL NUMBER (TN) (port number on the switch) = i.e. 24 00 02 05 - 24=Loop 00=Shelf 02=Card 05=Unit = *Please note: Enter "spaces" between the numbers: CUST: Customer number (almost always "0" unless you have more then one customer set up) Short Cut's For Option 11's: When entering the "TN" information you don't have to insert all the 0's. i.e. 09 00 00 02 would only be 9 2. ============================================================ Logging in: Be carful not to log in more than 3 time incorrectly, If you see OVL400 this means you are locked out for up to 45 Minutes. You should see this when you press return:">" or "OVL000"

Global Cultures Essay -- essays research papers

Begler, Elsie. â€Å"Global Cultures: The First Steps Toward Understanding† Social Education. September 1998, 62(5) pg. 272-275.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Begler’s Article a discussion on how educators should go about teaching culture occurs. The article starts out by giving a definition of what is meant by culture and the different aspects of culture. The Author sets up the guidelines for which she will interpret and use culture. The definitions of culture are presented very clearly so as the reader can fully understand where the author is coming from in the rest of the article.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The author spends significant time discussing the World Culture Model, which could be a very useful tool to a teacher that is developing a unit on culture or just incorporating aspects of culture into the classroom. The model that is presented can be particularly useful when comparing cultures because one of the hardest aspects of comparing different cultures is the fact that there are no common grounds to judge the different cultures. The model breaks down culture into easy to look at portions, which makes it easier for both student and teacher to study.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The end of the article is dedicated to giving a lesson plan and examples of how to use the model and implement culture into the classroom. The example given is very well displayed and gives some great ideas that teachers can use in everyday lessons or as ideas for their own lessons. ...

Kipling, Kim, and Anthropology :: Essays Papers

Kipling, Kim, and Anthropology It is widely recognised that the relatively recent sciences of anthropology and ethnology have often seemed in thrall to, and supportive of, the colonial project. Supposedly objective in outlook, anthropological discourse has often been employed to validate and justify theories of race, hierarchy, and power. So-called factual knowledge becomes a means through which racial stereotyping can be bolstered or created. The ethos of Western rationalism allied with the discourse of pseudo-science in Orientalism and Indology creates a body of knowledge which can be used as leverage in the acquisition ,or, retention of power. Such theories, however flawed, become essential ingredients in the process of defining the Other, inevitably a process which measures itself against definitions of the Self. Nineteenth-century anthropological investigations in India proclaimed a body of supposedly verifiable truths about the land and its people. In the process of formulating what or how the Indian people are, ideas of individual agency are stripped from them. Ronald Inden writes that essentialist ways of seeing tend to ignore the "intricacies of agency" pertinent to the flux and development of any social system (Imagining India. Oxford: Blackwell, 1990.p20). Rudyard Kipling's Kim exemplifies this in a variety of ways. Kim reveals a genuine love and sympathy for India but remains a jingoistic product of its time and place. Benita Parry points out that the history of Kipling criticism mirrors the history of attitudes to the imperial encounter itself (Delusions And Discoveries: Studies on India in the British Imagination. London: Penguin, 1972. p205). Several of the characters in Kim illustrate the underlying links between imperialism and anthropology, even as Kipling himself seems to be engaging on a similar project. The encounter between the lama and the museum curator at Lahore is the first instance of this type of relationship in Kim. It is surely anomalous for the white curator to have the authority of knowledge in this meeting . The lama is meant to be a venerated Tibetan sage, and yet the curator presumes to educate him through "the labours of European scholars, who...have identified the Holy places of Buddhism"(p7). By cataloguing, labelling, and classifying Indian ritual and practice the curator has somehow acquired a body of knowledge which renders the lama helpless "as a child" (p7). Time and again in Kim it will be seen how Western knowledge is used to appropriate autonomy and agency from the Indian people.

Explain why Gatsby is considered a romantic Essay

Although F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, is told from the point of view of Nick Carraway, who was one of its main characters and the first character introduced, it still mainly revolves around the story of Jay Gatsby and his romantic pursuit of Daisy Buchanan, the only woman he ever loved. While the novel initially focuses on the status of America and the morally perverted characteristics of the wealthy people in Long Island, it also emphasizes Gatsby’s quest to win back Daisy at all costs after the two separated when he participated in World War I. This is also why Gatsby can be considered a highly romantic character in the novel despite the fact that the story is not told from his perspective. In general, Gatsby’s romantic pursuit of Daisy is depicted throughout the novel except for its early chapters because he was first fully introduced near middle part of the story. Possibly the first point in the novel wherein his romantic character is illustrated was when Nick discovered from his friend, Jordan Baker, that Gatsby has been throwing massive and lavish parties every week in the hope that Daisy will visit. This was also the point where Nick, who was also the narrator and the person who documented the events of his companions, discovered Gatsby’s past and how he got separated from Daisy as a soldier. It is also revealed later on in the novel that Gatsby accumulated massive wealth for the sole purpose of impressing Daisy and convincing her that she would be well-provided with him. He also bought his house on the same area where Daisy lives in order to be close her and monitor her. In fact, when Gatsby was still a soldier and was not yet rich, he lied to Daisy about his social status in order to show her that he was good for her and to persuade her to wait for his return from the battlefield. However, Daisy married Tom Buchanan, her present husband, which basically ignited the chain of events that led to Gatsby’s relentless pursuit of Daisy. In other words, all of Gatsby’s actions mentioned above only show that he would do anything for his love. This was further accentuated when it was shown in the novel that Gatsby acquired his wealth through illegal activities and through participation in organized crime such as unlawful distribution of alcohol and stolen goods. Meaning to say, no matter what the means and the costs were, Gatsby would do anything for Daisy, which only proves that he is a romantic. Another important highlight of Gatsby’s romantic pursuit is his reunion with Daisy which was arranged by Nick. It was during this time that Gatsby’s passion and love towards her were more vividly revealed. Moreover, it again showed how Gatsby would do anything just to see Daisy and be reunited with her because even to the point of asking Nick, whom he has known for only a short time, to arrange such a meeting. When Gatsby and Daisy started a secret affair, he did not care about the risks such as Tom finding out because it was only Daisy he cared about. Thus, it can also be deduced that Gatsby was selfish because all of his actions were directed for the sole purpose of being with the one he loves. But being selfish is usually the case among romantic people because it is in their nature to do everything in their power for the object of their love. However, possibly the main highlight of Gatsby’s love for Daisy was when he sacrificed his life in order to save her from possible arrest and humiliation. This is shown when the car that Daisy and Gatsby were in accidentally hits and kills Myrtle Wilson, who has a secret love affair with Tom. In the ensuing events, Gatsby takes the blame for killing Myrtle even though it was Daisy who was driving the car. He also refuses to leave town when Nick asks him to do so. As a result, George, Myrtle’s husband, shoots and kills Gatsby in his rage before killing himself. In short, Gatsby’s sacrifice best exemplified his love for Daisy and punctuated the fact that he is a romantic character. He basically epitomizes a romantic who would do anything, even at the cost of his of his own life, just to please the one he loves. References Fitzgerald, F. S. (2007). The Great Gatsby. USA: Penguin Books.

A criminologist Essay

A criminologist blames economic recession and complex financial system as major reasons for the rising white collar crimes in the U. S. â€Å"In huge numbers of cases, people are not aware that they have been victims of white collar crime, for example, subjected to illegally spewed out pollution, or that they have purchased products that are unsafe, or that they have been subjected to corporate price fixing, or to the consequences of commodity speculation, which is believed to be one significant factor in driving up the cost of gasoline at the pump.â€Å"Witnesses† of white collar crime who often do not realize that a crime has occurred , may be confused about what to do in response to it. And our traditional frontline enforcement agencies ha not been organized to monitor and respond to white collar crime. In this case principal gents who handle such cases play an important role in white collar crime. Informers & Whistle Blowers: Ethics Text #6. How can corporations ensure th at their employees behave ethically? An ethical culture should be a top priority of every business, large or small. The challenge for many organizations is trying to understand what it takes to build one. From an enforceable code of conduct, to ongoing training and communications, to an anonymous reporting hotline, companies can quickly implement ethics and compliance programs and solutions that foster an ethical culture across the enterprise. In many companies today, management is dealing with a hodge-podge of different personalities, belief systems, backgrounds, ethnicities and politic affiliations. These are just a few things that may impede creating a single unified system of ethics. While many may say that right and wrong is what should ultimately determine the culture, others will argue that what is right for the majority may not be right for the minority. Having an ethical culture is an important component to running an effective business today. In fact, with the current state of legal and industry regulations, from Sarbanes-Oxley to HIPAA, not only is having an ethical culture a good idea, it is now practically a requirement. Developing an ethical culture will take more than creating a list of company dos and don’ts; although that list will help. It will take more than issuing a code of conduct via email to a new hire; although that too will help. What it will take is a combination of things. On this page, we focus on the top six steps that have the most effective and direct impact on establishing an ethical culture. The six steps are as follows: 1. Establish an enforceable code of conduct 2. Initial and ongoing training 3. Regular communications 4. Anonymous reporting hotline 5. Enforcement/Action 6. Rewarding employees that live the culture 1. Establish an Enforceable Code of Conduct A code of conduct, often referred to as a code of ethics, is the foundation of any ethics program. The code of conduct should not be designed as a reaction to past missteps. An ethical culture is built upon the proactive efforts of the organization. The development of the code of conduct should be led by those at the top of the company, and should also include employees in the process. 2. Initial and Ongoing Training There is a phrase that has been used many times when it comes to training: â€Å"The day we stop learning is the day we die. † One of the most important aspects of developing an ethical culture is the ongoing training that companies can provide to executives and employees. The purpose of training is to help employees know what is expected of them and to help them understand that a strong ethical culture can protect the company’s reputation and actually enhance profits. Employees need to know that their ethical or unethical choices will have a direct impact on the success or failure of the company. In addition, training should also be tailored to specific positions in the company and employees roles. Management may need additional training to help deal with employee issues, while someone in purchasing may need more training on gifting policies and someone in finance needs to understand the company’s position on fraud. 3. Regular Communications Once the policy has been executed and training has started, communicating aspects about the code of conduct can have a significant impact on the ethical culture. Many of these communications come through the human resources department, but the voice of the executive management team is critical in these communications. The goal of communications is to make ethics a live, ongoing conversation. If ethics is something that is constantly addressed, referenced frequently in company meetings, and in personal conversations among managers and employees, then people are more aware and more willing to defend the company’s policies when they see or hear of problems. Employees will hold other employees responsible and accountable for living the company’s values. 4. Anonymous Reporting Hotline The fact that an ethics hotline exists within many companies may be a surprise to their employees. The hotline number or Web site URL is often hidden in the back of an employee handbook or within the dusty binder labeled Corporate Governance. An anonymous hotline provides employees with a confidential way of reporting unethical or inappropriate behavior. Many people are not comfortable with reporting bad behavior for fear of being considered a â€Å"snitch,† possible repercussions if the guilty party learned of who reported him or her, or perhaps impacts on their job. â€Å"Unfortunately, more than two of five employees (42 percent) who witnessed misconduct did not report it through any company channels.Others may want to report their concerns, but are not comfortable going directly to a manager or fellow employee. This is why the anonymous reporting hotline is so important. In its 2006 Report to the Nation on Fraud and Abuse, the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners concluded that â€Å"Occupational frauds are more likely to be detected by a tip (34%) than by other m eans such as internal audits, external audits or internal controls. 5. Enforcement/Action A code of conduct has to be enforceable, and a company needs to take action when problems arise. Employees should be part of the enforcement and know if and when it has been violated. While 42 percent of employees are reluctant to report unethical behavior, the good news is that the ERC study also found that â€Å"the rate of misconduct is cut by three-fourths at companies with strong ethical cultures, and reporting is doubled at companies with comprehensive ethics programs. † Unethical behavior can have a damaging effect on a variety of aspects of a business, from brand reputation to bottom-line revenues. WorldCom’s and Enron’s names will forever be connected to accounting scandals that led to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Lockheed Martin was forced to pay $2. 5 million for knowingly looking the other way on alleged racial discrimination. Without enforcement, ethical guidelines listed in a corporate code of conduct are simply nice suggestions. 6. Rewarding Employees That Live the Culture The final step in developing an ethical culture is rewarding employees that behave ethically and live the culture that the organization is trying to instill companywide. With an ethics policy in place, ongoing training and communications, the ability to report unethical behavior and strict enforcement, an organization will have the structure in place that will leave little doubt the importance of ethical behavior. Like a manufacturing company that brags about its safety record with signs indicating how many days without an accident, companies should publicly congratulate their employees for adhering to the code of conduct. That performance could be rewarded in terms of a bonus based on how much money the company saved by not having internal issues or having to fight legal battles over unethical business or accounting practices. If an employee completes ethics training, is responsible for blowing the whistle on questionable activities, or provides unique ways for protecting the company’s confidential information, he or she should be recognized publicly by management. Employees need to know that creating an ethical culture is important to everyone from their direct managers to c-level executives.

A brief history of science education in ghana from the colonial era to present day Essay

Science education is the cultivation and disciplining the mind and other faculties of an individual to utilize science for improving his life, cope with an increasingly technological world, or pursue science academically and professionally, and for dealing responsibly with science related social issues (Akpan, 1992). Ghana, formerly known as the Gold Coast, was the first African country to the south of the Sahara to gain political independence from colonial rule in 1957. This former British colony of 92,000 square miles (about 238,000 square kilometers) shares boundaries with three French-speaking nations: the Cote d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north and Togo to the east. The Gulf of Guinea of the Atlantic Ocean is to the south of the country. EARLY HISTORY OF EDUCATION BEFORE INDEPENDENCE As was the case in many colonies during the early colonial period, the main goal of education was to ‘make civilization march hand-in-hand with evangelization’ (Anum –Odoom, 2013). This statement gives a clear description of how education in Ghana was implemented at that time. The formal, western-style education in Ghana is directly associated with the history of European activities on the Gold Coast The Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive at the Guinea coast in 1471. Their intention to establish schools was expressed in imperial instructions that, in 1529, encouraged the Governor of the Portuguese Castle at Elmina to teach reading, writing, and the Catholic religion to the people. It is imply proven that the Danish, Dutch and the English merchants also set up schools in their forts and castle to educate their mulatto children by native women. Unmistakably linked to the implementation of formal education in Ghana with the Christian missionaries, who realized that in order to spread the word of God, they needed well- educated local assistants. Following the consolidation of the coastal region as the British Gold Coast Colony, the administration became more aggressive in pursuit of its educational policy. This was precipitated by the British purchase of the Danish property at Christiansborg in 1850 and the Dutch Elmina Castle in 1872. To help redress problems faced by the mission schools—such as training local teachers and improving the quality of education—the administration made grants to both the Wesleyan and Basel missions in 1874. In the Educational Ordinance of 1882, government grants to denominational schools were made dependent on an assessment of the level of efficiency. The schools receiving grant-in-aid were defined as â€Å"government assisted schools,† but their primary funding was to come from the missions themselves and from other private sources. On the Gold Coast, the appointment of Brigadier General Gordon Guggisberg as governor brought its own advantages. During his tenure from 1919 through 1927, Governor Guggisberg initiated several major developmental programs that included educational improvements as a critical ingredient in his construction of a modern Gold Coast. While the previous administration had seen the provision of elementary schools by the various Christian missions as adequate, Guggisberg was of the conviction that the current system could not sustain future developments. In fact, only a few months after his arrival, the governor presented a 10-year development plan for the Gold Coast. Among other things, funding was aggressively sought for post elementary education for boys and girls. Even though the administration proposed a technical college for Accra, the Prince of Wales College (now Achimota College) was the real trophy of the administration’s educational program. This non denominational school catered for students from kindergarten to the pre university level. THE BIRTH OF SCIENCE EDUCATION The inadequacies inherent in the system of education were observed in the post-World War I appeal made by the Foreign Missions Conference of North America to the Phelps-Stokes Funds for a review of the state of education in Africa. The Phelps-Stokes Commission on Africa issued reports in 1922 and 1925 in which educators were criticized for inadequately catering to the social and economic needs of the continent. The commission of which James Emman Kwegyir Aggrey was a member, called for instructions in the mechanical operations necessary for the improvement of the condition of the mass majority of the people. This included science education and character training. The Phelps-Stokes fund’s founded in 1920, is an African Education Commission represented one of the early attempts to link black Africa with Negro America. The attempt to forge this link represented a concerted policy on the part of a number of missionary and philanthropic groups in the United Kingdom and the United States to draw attention to what seemed to be analogous situations-politically, socially, and economically. Ghana is said to be the first independent sub-Saharan African country outside South Africa to embark on a comprehensive drive to promote science education and the application of science in industrial and social development (Anamuah-Mensah, 1999). Science Education after Independence After Phelps- stokes commission had pushed for the birth of science education in Africa in general and in particular, Gold Coast, there has not been any clear cut national policy for science education in Ghana up to date (Ahmed, 2013). Dr Kwame Nkrumah who aimed at achieving Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education instituted an Act called 1961 Act, (Act 87) . This Act was to make Basic education free and Compulsory and anyone who fails to send his or her child to school was made to pay a fund by the Minister for education. The education system at that point consisted of six year of primary education, followed by four-years of secondary education. At the end of the four years suitable students went on to do a two-year sixth form course that could lead to a three year University course. Students, who were not suitable to continue, completed two- year of pre-vocational classes. The Nkrumah government encouraged the learning of science by instituting a special scholarship scheme which enabled science and agriculture undergraduates to enjoy scholarships a little higher than those of their counterparts in the humanities. This facility was withdrawn after 1966. Science and mathematics teachers were also paid a little more than their colleagues in the humanities. (Djangmah, 2007) The Reforms The seven year development plan instituted by Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was short lived. The system was later regarded as too long and too academic. Thus Dzobo Education Reforms of 1974 saw a reform of the system, instating the Junior Secondary School (now Junior High School) on an experimental basis. The Junior Secondary School introduced practical subjects and activities allowing students to acquire occupational skills, which after an apprenticeship lead to the qualification for self-employment. Due to a wide range of factors such as the economic decline, bureaucracy and sheer lack of interest the JSS-system never went beyond the experimental phase. By 1983 the education system was in a state of crisis. It faced drastic reductions in Government financing, lack of educational materials, and deterioration of school structures, low enrollment levels and high dropout rates. With the assistance of several development partners (World Bank, Department for International Development (ODA) and international grants) the education system was reviewed and proposals were implemented in 1987 known as Evans-Anfom reforms. In 1987, Ghana’s Ministry of Education introduced a restructured educational system that gradually replaced the British-based O-level and A-level system. The transition was completed in June, 1996, when the last class took A-level exams. The last O-level exams were administered in June 1994, although a remedial exam was offered through 1999 (Keteku, 2013) The 1987 Reforms had strengths as well as weaknesses. One of the strengths was that it provided a comprehensive Basic Education which improved access to education for more children of school-going age. Junior Secondary Schools were provided throughout the country and this helped to increase literacy levels. The reform also introduced Continuous Assessment which formed part of the final examination. This ensured that internal assessment in schools was included in the final examinations and this ended the single-shot examination existing in the old system. The Anamuah-Mensah Report recommended similar structure of education just like the Evans-Anfom Report of 1986. The difference was the inclusion of two (2) years of Kindergarten education as part of Basic Education and Apprenticeship training for leavers of the Junior Secondary School who unable to or do not want to continue in the formal sector. The implementation of the Anamuah-Mensah Reforms began in September 2007, and it was faced with initial problems. These problems included delay in the supply of syllabuses and textbooks for the smooth take-off of the programme, and teachers were not adequately prepared in terms of training to implement the reforms. These problems were later dealt with as the implementation of the reforms progressed. The next major problem being anticipated is the inadequate classrooms and other facilities as students will enter the fourth year of Senior High School in September 2010. The Way Forward For Science Education Promotion of science education in the country will depend on three drivers of change, namely, funding, teaching and interventions, and research (Akyeampong ,2007) Funding Knowledge is not cheap. Science, technology and mathematics knowledge required to move the country into the knowledge society can never be cheap. Government’s commitment to science education should be demonstrated in the level of resources allocated to science and technology. Laboratories and workshops in the schools, teacher training colleges, universities and polytechnics should be well equipped and new ones constructed to take into consideration the increasing student population. Research The knowledge society thrives on the creation of new knowledge. Research provides the means by which new knowledge is created. Resources, both material and human, for research in science and technology are woefully inadequate or non-existent. This has had a profound effect on the development of post graduate research in the universities. A number of measures need to be taken to strengthen research in science and technology in order to meet the demands of the country. The following are being suggested: †¢Research in research institutions and the universities should be adequately funded. †¢Most researches carried out in the universities are those that interest the researchers and are hence supply-driven; the Government should challenge our scientists and provide funds to carry out research on problems confronting the country. This can be done through the provision of research funds to be competed for by all scientists in the country. †¢Establish a National Science Research Facilities Centre equipped with world class specialized facilities which are normally expensive and therefore beyond the means of single institutions, to provide opportunities for Ghanaian researchers to carry out scientific research and development and retain local researchers as well as attract foreign ones. †¢To improve the quality of science education at all levels, research in science and technology should include research on teaching and learning science, technology and mathematics. †¢Institute special awards for best researchers and science teachers. This could be termed the President’s Award for Science to be given annually. We need to celebrate achievement. †¢Set up a formal scheme for mentoring the Youth- This is critical to the development of a career path in science for the youth. Mentors excite interest in junior colleagues and help them to â€Å"walk the path†. This experience is however rare in the universities. These days, newly recruited scientists struggle to keep afloat with little or no support. A formal mentoring system should be established in all institutions to ensure that young scientists recruited into the universities or research institutions are attached to professors and senior scientists in their fields of study to receive advice and support. The mentoring can take the form of joint research, publications and presentations at conferences and seminars. †¢To raise the level of awareness of science and technology innovation (research) and foster a synergy among education, industry and research institutes, a project referred to as SMART MOVES in some countries should be established in secondary schools. This project will involve encouraging schools through visits, presentations and seminars to work on problem solving projects with support from the community. The projects will be assessed and students with innovative and creative projects will be invited to present their projects at a Junior Scientist Conference which will be attended by senior scientists who can later act as mentors for the students. Prizes will be given to students based on the quality of project and presentation. The Ghana Academy of Science and Arts can take up this. Conclusion The vision of the National Science and Technology Policy is: â€Å"to support national socio-economic development goals with a view to lifting Ghana to a middle income status by the year 2020 through the perpetuation of a science and technology culture at all the levels of society, which is driven by the promotion of innovation and the mastery of known and proven technologies and their application in industry, and other sectors of the economy†. (MEST, 2000) This vision can become a reality when science education is given a boost at all levels of education. It has been suggested that the promotion of science education hinges on three pillars – funding, teaching and intervention, and research. Without adequate funding, quality teachers, supportive intervention activities and research to illuminate our understanding, science education will have no impact on the everyday lives of Ghanaians; and the observation made by the National Development Planning Commission will remain true. Our national vision for science and technology will be therefore be meaningless. REFERENCES Ahmed, M. (2012). Ghana to launch National Science policy. Retrieved 4th October, 2013, from http://www. ghanaweb. com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel. php? ID=235350. Akpan, O. E. (1992) Toward Creative Science teaching and learning in West African school. Ghana: catholic Press Akyeampong, K. (Centre for International Education, University of Sussex, England) in his lecture on â€Å"50 Years of Educational Progress and Challenge in Ghana†, at Parliament House, London, England; 2007 Anamuah-Mensah, J. (1999). Science and Technology Education in Ghana. A paper delivered at the National education Forum on the theme: Towards Sustaining an Effective National Education System, held at the Accra International Conference Centre, Accra, 17-19th November. Anum-Odoom, A. K. M . Educational Reforms in Ghana, 1974-2007. Retrieved on 12th October, 2013, from http://www. ghanaweb. com/GhanaHomePage/blogs/blog. article. php? blog=2091&ID=1000004125- Djangmah, J. S. Clarifying Ghana’s national vision for the application of science and technology to development. Retrieved on 12th October, 2013, from http://www. ghanansem. org/index. php? option=com_content&task=view&id=234 Keteku, N. W (EDUCATIONAL REFORM IN GHANA: THE SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL). Retrieved 10th October, 2013, from http://www. bibl. u-szeged. hu/oseas_adsec/ghana. htm Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology (MEST) (2000). National Science and Technology Policy Document. Accra: MEST.