Thursday, November 28, 2019

English Unit 7 Essay Example

English Unit 7 Paper a cause for which Swift wrote the devaluation of Irish coins Tory party Swifts, Johnsons, Goldsmiths political party subject of the Deserted Village destruction of village life Gullivers Travels a political satire labouring swain is an example poetic diction johnson believed literature should appeal mainly to this person common man political events of second half of the eighteenth century growing British empire published by Johnson A dictionary of the English language published by Goldsmith The Vicar of Wakefield simile a comparison using like or as In On the morning of Christs nativity, what did Christ forsake and what did he choose? He left Heaven to live in darkness as a mortal In On His Blindness, Milton regrets that his blindness restricts his work The repetition of initial consonants is alliteration Verse having units of two rhyming lines with five iambic feet in each line is written in heroic couplets to give something human characteristics is to _______ it personify a story in which things represent parts of a doctrine or theme is an allegory a type of literature that ridicules something to correct behavior is a satire an poem with fourteen lines, either Italian or English, is a sonnet Periodicals and the novel became more popular as the more powerful ______ class began to read. middle Milton was imprisoned because of his previous position in the commonwealth Charles II was ________ to the throne in 1660 restored When public land was ________ for private estates, many of the rural poor were driven away enclosed John Bunyan studied _________ after the civil war the Bible The Commonwealth and the Industrial Revolution helped to create a more strong middle class The poet takes the loss of The Deserted Village personally because he planned to retire there How are Bunyans characters in Pilgrims Progress more than just symbols? They are described very realistically What is one country or group people that Swift used in Gullivers Travels to satirize English society? the Brobgingians, the Lilliputians, and their emperor, Laputans In Pilgrims Progress what does the character Christian represent? He represents a man trying to overcome inner obstacles, trying to save his soul T:F/ In The Deserted Village, the villagers are driven from their homes because the Enclosure Acts have enabled a wealthy landowner to buy the public property. True T:F/ In that same poem, the poet says the villagers will either go to America or to crowded, corrupted charity homes. False T:F/ In Gullivers Travels, the king of Brobdingnag observes that most men are morally qualified for their careers. false T/F: Goldsmith wrote a novel entitled The Vicar of Wakefield, about a parsons family. true T/F: At the end of The Deserted Village, poetry lives with the rural virtues and the displaced villagers because people left in England are too corrupted by wealth to appreciate art. true T/F: The Puritans felt that the Anglican Church was corrupted true T/F: Oliver Goldsmith believed that extreme wealth is destructive. true T/F: Oliver Goldsmith wrote very few periodical essays. false T/F: In The Deserted Village, Goldsmith insults the sentimental village preacher false T/F: Samuel Johnson wrote periodical essays in numerous newspapers true

Sunday, November 24, 2019

The Byronic Hero Destiny and Russian Romanticism Essay Example

The Byronic Hero Destiny and Russian Romanticism Essay Example The Byronic Hero Destiny and Russian Romanticism Paper The Byronic Hero Destiny and Russian Romanticism Paper Essay Topic: Eugene Onegin Irena Curic dr. sc. Janja Ciglar-Zanic, red. prof. English Romanticism 08 January 2013 The Byronic Hero and Russian Romanticism Introduction George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, or simply Lord Byron, was a British poet of Scottish descent who is today considered to be the most influential British poet of the Romantic period (Catherine B. ONeill calls him the best-known nineteenth-century British poet outside England).His adventourous character and wild but appealing works made him famous throughout Europe. He died in Greece during the countrys war of Independence and became a legend. He was only 36 when he died but his influence was massive. His works, mostly Childe Harolds Pilgrimage and Don Juan, but also Mazeppa, the Corsair and the Prisoner of Chillon were read among the intelectual elite of the whole Europe and many poets and intelectuals became inspired to write their own works in style of Byron.It was the idea of national identity, so popular in the 19th century, that Byron s upported during his life, and the fact that he wrote about the exotic lands and their pains under the tyranny of the oppressors that made him especially popular in moulding of the new nations and their identities in southern and eastern Europe (Hocutt: Byrons influence as individual and author seemed always to have greater impact outside of England than within his prudish homeland. While imitators and admirers of Byron the individual and author could be found throughout Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Turkey, and Russia, little more than harsh criticism for his works and exile for his lifestyle emanated from his sometimes beloved, sometimes criticized native Britain, even after his death. ). Apart from his political influence, he was just as appealing to the youth who saw his quests and deeds as an impetus to rebel. In the eyes of his time, Byron was primarily looked upon as an outlaw, an immoral man. He had an affair with his stepsister and was openly sceptic of religion and political institutions.His works were filled with descriptions of decandence and abomination. His demonic heroes with weak moral compass became iconic for the writers who would be influenced by Byron. Catherine B. ONeill wrote: Childe Harold took the world by storm because of many features that we now think of as characteristic of Romantic poetry: the subjective experience of the natural wor ld, the high degree of identification between the author and the hero, the motif of a journey that is simulatneously literal and psychological, and, primarily, the isolated heros mysterious disenchantment and heartache. The Byronic hero had become a specific literary type of hero who very much resembles the writer alone. It is usually a young male (although there are female examples) who is constantly bored and unsatisfied. His spleen drives him to a constant search for new sensations, which rarely give him pleasure. He prefers solitude to the company of others and feels much more connected to nature than to people: Now Harold finds himself at lenght alone, And bade to Christian tongues a long adieu; Now he adventurd on a shore unknown, Which all admire, but many dread to view:His breast was armd `gainst fate, his wants were few; Peril he sought not, but neer shrank to meet, The scene was savage, but the scene was new; This made the ceaseless toil of travel sweet, Beat back keen winters blast, and welcomd summers heat. He finds particular characteristics of savageness to be more truthfull than society of his day which he finds corrupt and dishonest: The royal vices of our age demand A keener weapon, and a mightier hand. He takes great pleasure in satirizing contemporary events and social currents: Prepare for rhyme-I`ll publish, right or wrong: Fools are my theme, let Satire be my song. It is no secret that Byron shaped his demonic hero on his own character and his own experiences. The real background of his poems makes his scenes and adventures seem more vivid and close to the reader. So it is no wonder that his straightforward style and his hatred of censorship met with such international adoration. Byron in Russia When Byrons works conquered Europe, his influence very quickly reached Russia where his works, especially Childe Harolds Pilgrimage, inspired two of the greatest Russian Romantic writers – Alexander Pushkin and Mikhail Lermontov. When his work came to Russia, it became an instant hit among Russian authors.Even the very young authors, who would later shape the Russian realism, like Turgenev, read and admired Byrons work. Daniel Hocutt writes that Most Russian writers viewed Byrons work in one of two ways: late sentimentalists admired his vivid and tender sensitivity; later Romantics emphasized their heros bleak colouring and rebellious passions . Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin was the first Russian author to publicly praise Byron and openly imitate his style. E ugene Onegin: the first Russian Byronic hero? Alexander Pushkin was the first authentic Russian Romantic poet and the leader of the National Romantic movement.He appreciated Byron and used the motive of the Byronic hero in his best known work Eugene Onegin. Pushkin imitated high Byronism in his narrative poems and lyrics written in Southern Russia between 1820 and 1824 Readers compared Pushkins and Byrons lives, focusing on sexual scandal, exile, and advocacy for Greek and other nationalist movements. Pushkin briefly encouraged such comparisons, announcing in 1822 that his new poem-in-progress, Eugene Onegin, was in spirit of Don Juan, but he quickly backtracked when his satire suffered from comparison to Byrons. Eugene Onegin, the protagonist of the work, is a young man who suffers from the typical Romantic boredom, the spleen. The work begins when Eugene grows bored of St. Petersburg (city, the very place of corruption) and wants to run away from his life there. He has even grown t ired of women and has given up his books. After death of his uncle, he goes away to the countryside. There he meets a young woman Tatyana who falls in love with him. However, being a cold Romantic outsider, Eugene politely turns her down only to fall in love with her in the end of the story.But then it is her turn to turn him down because she has a husband and does not want to compromise her pride and reputation. Although Pushkin tried to make his main character resemble a Byronic hero (Eugene even has a picture of Byron on his shelf), when he gave him the power to confess his feelings and change his nature, he moved away from the original, thus creating a specific type of a Russian Romantic hero: a hero with pretensions to change his miserable destiny. A true Byronic hero would carry on with his fate, without trying to change it and would most certainly continue running away from his emotions.Byronic Hero of our Time Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov was killed in a gun duel, much like his predecessor Pushkin, at an early age of 27. It is interesting that they both had their main characters fight duels in their books. Of course, Onegin and Pechorin both managed to save their lives. Mikhail Lermontov had a much more complicated relationship with his British idol. First, he admitted resemblance to Byron in his poem Dont think me worthy of pity and then stated that he is not Byron but a true Russian poet in his poem No, Im not Byron:No, Im not Byron; I am, yet, Another choice for the sacred dole, Like him a persecuted soul, But only of the Russian set. I early start and end the whole, And will not win the future days; Like in an ocean, in my soul, A cargo of lost hopes stays. Who, oh, my ocean severe, Could read all secrets in your scroll? Wholl tell the people my idea? Im God or no one at all! However, he is the Russian author who managed to come the closest to the original idea of a Byronic hero through the character of Pechorin in his work Hero of our Time.Although he made a whole list of Byronic references, such as doctor Verner having a limp, or Princess Mary reading Byron among other authors, it is the protagonist, Grigory Alexandrovich Pechorin that captur es our imagination from the first page. He suffers from spleen, enjoys danger and seduction of beautiful women. He does not do it purely for the fun, which we can clearly see from his journal, but is afraid of commitment and therefore runs away from his feelings.He chooses to stay unhappy in order to keep his freedom: Id make any sacrifice but thistwenty times I can stake my life, even my honor, but my freedom Ill never sell. Why do I prize it so much? What do I find in it? What am I aiming at? What have I to expect from the future? Nothing, absolutely nothing. Its some innate fear, an inexplicable foreboding . . . Conclusion Russia of the early 19th century was a gloomy and turbulent place. It was a time of growing nationalist ideas and revolutionary thoughts, a time of lord Byrons literary influence. Byrons struggles and support for national and regional independence movements influenced Decembrists and other revolutionaries in the 1820s. One such revolutionary was Alexander Pushkin, most famous of the Russian Romantic poets, who was exiled to his mothers estate as a result of his involvement in and support of the 1825 uprising. Pushkins impact on Russian Romanticism cannot be minimized, particularly as it relates to Mikhail Lermontov, the last famous Russian Romantic writer. Voraciously reading Byrons poetry and prose in the original, in translation, and in loose interpretation, these Russian writers dedicated themselves for over a decade to write as Byron wrote and to live as Byron lived. Both Pushkin and Lermontov thoroughly read and enjoyed Byrons work and each of them by being a bit of Byronic her oes themselves, helped to shape a new type of a Russian Romantic hero.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

South West Airlines Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7500 words

South West Airlines - Case Study Example The aim of this report is to analyze the operations and practices of Southwest Airlines. In the first section of the report, the SWOT analysis has been done to highlight the major strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats faced by Southwest Airlines. After identifying the critical factors, in the second section, the conclusion about the overall situation has been presented. In the same section, the suggestions for improving the company’s strategies have been presented, after analyzing the current strategies of the company through theoretical concepts including Porter’s Five Forces Model and Ansoff Model. In the following section, Human Resource practices of Southwest Airlines have been discussed with a special focus towards the policies which have been created for the benefits of employees. After that an analysis has been done to identify the impact of the practices on the business strategy of Southwest Airlines. Since, Southwest Airlines is recognized for its customer services and culture therefore, in this section, I will also analyze how staff and management of the company are becoming as a prime source of competitive advantage for the company. The Southwest Airline is one of the successful low cost carriers in the United States and most of low cost carriers of the world have adopted the strategies of the company. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of Southwest Airline business model, another successful low cost airline company will be selected. In this section, the similarities and dissimilarities between the United States and Australian aviation industries will be done. Finally, the similarities and dissimilarities between the business models of the two airline companies will be also conducted. Southwest Airline is operating in a highly uncertain industry where the demand of the tickets fluctuates very randomly. In the following section, the SWOT analysis has been done to identify the major strengths and

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Phase 2 Discussion Board Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Phase 2 Discussion Board - Assignment Example Those that deal with the maintenance of motor engines such as retail shops cannot be considered part of the automotive industry. Since the development and upgrade of motor engines started from as long as 1890s, significant development and changes in the past years. For instance, the production of motor engines for use has greatly increased since today, the world population has grown and there is the growing need by consumers to have vehicles. With the upgrade of vehicles, there have been developments that have been mainly concentrated on the safety side of the vehicles (Weygandt, Kieso & Kimmel, 2010).   They have been ranked stricter on follow-ups than ever before, ranging from weight to security and to resilience, when it comes to today’s vehicles. This has come with the cost of new materials that have brought out new and advanced techniques for the construction and designing of vehicles. Before there was the knowledge that plastic could make vehicles, the sole material us ed at the time was metal. With the introduction of plastics, there has been advancement in the technology used for making newer vehicles. With the new technologies, manufactures have been able to answer to rising demands for advancements. Plastics have the ability to make vehicles to appear wonderful and attracting. Again with the introduction of plastic in vehicles, it has been known that they use current technology to make enhance vehicles. Another new development has been the introduction of new spark plugs that have been noted to endure more miles than those currently present. With the introduction of the new spark plugs, there have been concerns on the usage and cost of the spark plugs. From the design, development, manufacture, marketing and selling of the plug, there are concerns about how to design a more reliable method of choosing between the Job Order Cost System and the ‘Process Costing System’ (Crosson & Needles, 2011).   Compare and contrast between the Job Order Cost System and the Process Costing System. The Job Order Cost System is a system that is used when products are made with the basis on specific customer orders. With this system, every product that is manufactured is considered as a job, thus costs are made depending on the number of jobs done. With the production of these products, another thing that is considered is the services. Services rendered are also considered as a job and count in the overall costs. The system is designed to take into account and track by job the costs which are incurred while producing each job (Warren, Reeve & Duchac, 2012).  This includes materials used, labor, and overhead that are present in the environment where the manufacture is taking place. When it comes to the process of ‘job order costing system’, ‘the record keeping’ and ‘cost assignment problems’ are complex in the system particularly when a company sells many different products and services compared to when it only has a single product or service. With the different products, the costs become different. Again, cost records must be maintained for each specific product or job. In order to track data for the jobs produced, there are certain documents that are used namely; 1. Job cost sheet: This is a document that is applied to track the total job cost summary detailing from the job number, job and client data and cost that involves materials,

Monday, November 18, 2019

Globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 8

Globalization - Essay Example It is due to those encounters found on the pages of world history that several phenomena like exchange of ideas, thoughts, ambition, trade and technology have evolved giving rise to globalization. Phenomena of different centuries that have played the most important roles in globalization Several phenomena of different centuries have played the most important roles in globalization. These phenomena are the ideas, ambition and plan of accession to the thrown in order to gain complete control of the bureaucracy, military and thereafter to play a national role in the overall development of their nations through exchange with the international community. The regimes of President Assad in Syria and Saddam Hussein in Iraq since the 1960s indicate that these phenomena have led the path of establishment of self-identity for the nations, like Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, Persian Gulf, etc., and created a platform of equality with the international community where exchange of trade and technology could take place. The fourth largest city in Syria is Hama, where Assad followed the Hama rule, which states, â€Å"Rule or Die† (Hureau 105). ... The phenomena of women’s empowerment over the centuries have also fostered the spread of globalization. The position of women in the oldest civilizations of China and India depicts the inferior status of women in the previous 600 hundred years of history. The societies were majorly patriarchal societies with power and influence of decision making in the hands of the men. The physical and psychological inferiority of women hindered the output of potential of the women. The women in China were influenced by the Confucian culture whereas in India, the women were dominated by the religious and cultural aspects of moral duties and obedience. With the growing dominance of men over women, the liberalization efforts on the part of women were observed in their struggle for equality. The willingness of attainment of equal status with the men opened the doors of the world, which led to their access to rights and legislative powers. Thus, the participation in the world platform and the fr eedom to be a part of the interaction between the communities led to the process of globalization. The phenomena of taxation in trade from the 16th century has played significant role in the spread of globalization. This could be observed in the Iranian history. Influenced by the bribes offered by the British colonial rule, the then ruler Nassir Ed-Din Shah sold monopoly rights to the imperial power. The Iranians received a considerable fixed amount on a monthly basis plus a quarter of the net profits. A sabotage act by the imperial rule stopped the payments to the Iranian empire in order to increase own profits of the trade. This led to a rise of national sentiments, and the farmers, peasants, and the trade agents revolted against the ruler. Ultimately, Nassir Ed-Din Shah was assassinated.

Friday, November 15, 2019

Issues Affecting The Transition Of High School Students

Issues Affecting The Transition Of High School Students Individuals experience changes that impact the various stages of and experiences in their lives. Transition from high school to post school activities is one such change experienced by students with disabilities, including higher education and/or employment. The author of this literature presents an overview of the issues affecting the transition of students with disabilities. Specifically, it brings to attention the impact of cultural and linguistic diversity on the transition process, as well as the positive effect of self determination, collaboration with service providers, and family intervention have on the transition process. Overall, findings support that when correctly administered with proper planning, the transition process is beneficial to students with disabilities. Issues Affecting the Transition of High School Students with Disabilities: A Review of the Literature Introduction Transition is the movement from one place, status, or situation to the next. Transition is dynamic and is a constant aspect of life, requiring the necessary fine-tuning to address life changes (Wehman, 1992). As life progresses, individuals encounter various sets of transitions (Harrington, 1982). For transition to be considered successful, the individual must experience improved confidence and competence in skills (Wehman, 1992). For individuals with disabilities, the period of transition from the school system to post school activities represents a pivotal junction in their lives and will require careful planning and specialized services. Students with disabilities are provided educational rights by the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), with its main focus being to ensure that all children with disabilities are presented with free appropriate education that emphasizes special education and related services that is intended to meet their special needs and to prepare them for further education, employment and independent living (US Department of Education, 2010). When appropriately implemented, IDEA propels the education and subsequent transition process of students with disabilities into functional post school outcomes (McDonnell, McDonnell Hardman, 2003). The successful post school, independent functioning of students with disabilities is heavily dependent on the transition process. Built into the transition process is the actual planning for transition. In assisting the students to achieve the full benefits of the transition process and to be able to use the skills learned in school to be successful at independent living, the goals, needs, preferences and aptitude of the student with disabilities must form the foundation of the students transition planning process. Families, school districts, and communities collectively bear the responsibilities to successfully guide a student through the transition process (Wehman, 1992). The successful execution of the plan is squarely placed on school districts as theirs are the responsibilities of educating the students (Wehman, 1992). Transition Planning Transition planning is an important aspect of the education of the student with disabilities, and should be treated accordingly. A transition plan that will have lasting effect on the student takes into consideration post school educational prospects, such as training that will result in eligibility of entry to community college, universities, or employment at the completion of high school. There are also other significant factors such as post-adult living, independent living skills, and community experiences. Transition planning is done as a team effort. For students to realize the full benefits of what IDEA offers, and to successfully transition to post school activities, their course of study requires specific planning and programing. Transition services specifically deal with maximizing the academic and functional abilities of the student. Transition services are those coordinated set of activities for a student with disabilities that will result in the desired educational objectives (Flexor, Baer, Luft Simmons, 2008). An important role of the transition process is to increase success, self-worth, and confidence in an individual while taking the students needs, strengths and preferences in mind (Flexor et al, 2008). The members of the transition team should include the students, teachers, members of the family, school administration, and members of the local education agency. These are considered to be the core members of the team. Vocational rehabilitation counselors, related service providers, adult service providers, post school education program representatives, and other professionals with expertise in a specific disability or disabilities are also influential members of the team. The selection of the entire team is to be collaborative in nature, with all members being fully mindful of the student and the specific disability that the student is experiencing. At best, all individuals who interact with the students as far as transition planning is concerned must be well-informed and conversant with the students Individualized Education Program (IEP). Students with Disabilities as a High Risk Group for Successful Transition to Post High School Activities Osgood, Foster and Courtney (2010) point out that the manner in which an adolescent transition to adulthood has significant implications over the long haul. For example, whereas gaining a college degree makes it possible to achieve a higher-paying and more respectable job; early parenthood, failed marriage for a young person or becoming involved in criminal conduct or substance abuse can have negative outcomes in the areas of finances, family relationships and other important areas of life. It has been found, for example, that high school graduates or dropouts who do not attend college have significantly lower prospects of achieving a successful and satisfying life during adulthood than those youths who are college-bound (Bloom, 2010; Osgood, et al, 2010). Bloom (2010) observes that a recent study done in New York City identified young people with disabilities, including young people with learning disabilities or emotional and behavioral problems, as one of five significant groups of young people who are at significantly high risk of leaving school, not returning, and then ending up unemployed or out of the labor force (p.94). Cortiella (2009) reports that the Presidents Commission on Excellence in Special Education reported in 2004 that unemployment for adult individuals with disabilities have stayed at around 70% for the prior 12 years. Young people with disabilities transitioning from high school were found to be at relatively the same risk for failure in pursuing post school activities as immigrant youths, young people involved in the justice system, youth aging out of foster care and young mothers (Bloom, 2010). According to Osgood, Foster and Courtney (2010), given the fact that the years from high school into the early twenties represent a difficult period of transition for the general population in the U.S. and other developed nations, this time is particularly arduous for vulnerable youths, including those emerging from the special education system. In addition problems affecting the general population that require many young adults to depend on their parents for much longer, individuals with disabilities tend to face . . .exceptional challenges finding employment, attending college, and marrying and starting a family. Many struggle with emotional or behavioral problems; many of histories of problems in school and in the community. Often their families are unable or unwilling to provide the support that most families provide to their children during this transition-funding for college, child care that permits work or schooling for young parents, a place to live when times are hard. Some of these young adults are hampered by limited capacities and difficulty acquiring skills. The day-to-day tasks of achieving financial and residential independence can be daunting because of physical disabilities, chronic illness, or mental illness. (Osgood, Foster Courtney, 2010, p.211) At the same time, vulnerable populations experience greater challenges to transition into adulthood than other youths often because they have to deal with tasks that youths their age do not have to face. For example, a youth who has physical disability has to engage in the arrangement of medical services or assistive devices and it may require extra burden to achieve a college degree or have a successful romantic relationship that blossoms into marriage. Furthermore, youths with disabilities leaving high school may have limited ability to accomplish everyday tasks. Physical disabilities, for example, may result in reduced strength and range of motion whereas impaired learning and cognitive abilities can make it more challenge to earn a college degree and the kinds of professions that would lead to independent living without the need for special assistance. In addition, adolescents with mental illness and behavioral problems can experience problems meeting the expectations of employer s, friends and romantic partners. Because children with disabilities can require considerable parental time and resources and have behavioral problems that negatively affect the parent-child relationship, parents and families sometimes lack the energy and desire to assist these youths, making it more difficult and longer for youths with disabilities to succeed in the post high school world (Osgood, Foster Courtney, 2010). Consequently, the literature supports the need for effective transition services for post high school activities among youths with disabilities (Sabbatino Macrine, 2007). It is found for example, that vulnerable groups do poorly at completing high school and obtaining postsecondary education which is of vital importance to succeeding occupationally and financially in todays economy. It has been reported that youths with more than one disabilities have a one in twelve chance of successfully completing a higher education. Compared with 69 percent of other youths who attain full-time employment with three to five years of completing high school, only 57 percent of youth from special education gain full-time employment in this time period. Compared with 72 percent of individuals with mild disabilities and 79 percent of the general population, only 39 percent of youths aged 18 to 30 with serious disabilities are in the workforce. Only about 32% of all persons with disability between the work-age of 18-64 years are employed, compared to 81% of people without disabilities. Limited education and employment among youths with disabilities have daunting consequences for their living circumstances. Problems include strong likelihood of living below the poverty line, difficulty paying bills and meeting the experiences of daily living, strong dependence on public assistance and high rates of early parenthood. For example, about 50% of young women with learning disabilities or emotional problems become mothers with three to five years of finishing high school compared with only about one-third for the general population. Compared to national unemployment rate of about 6%, unemployment rate for individuals with disabilities is around 40-70%. In the area of independent living, 65-75% of persons with disabilities have not achieved independent living status. About 25% of young women with health heath issues have unplanned pregnancies when compared with under 10 percent of the ge neral population (Sabbatino Macrine, 2007; Osgood, Foster Courtney, 2010). Systemic Failures in Transition Planning as an Underlying Issue Affecting Successful Post School Outcomes In 2004, the IDEA was amended particularly to improve postsecondary outcomes for students with disabilities. The revisions were based on the Presidents Commission on Excellence in Special Educations finding that problems affecting high school graduates with disabilities such as significant unemployment and significant amounts of students leaving school without a diploma compared to the general population, are the result of failures in the present systems structures (Cortiella, 2009, p.1). Particularly, the Commission felt that high school graduates face barriers to smooth transition to adult living because of failures in transition planning (Sabbatino Macrine, 2007; Cortiella, 2009). Four areas of improvement were highlighted: better definition, clear starting point, improved planning and a new performance summary. The term Transition Services were redefined as activities aimed specifically on improving the academic and functional achievement of the child to facilitate movement from post-school activities (Florida Department of Education, 2005). Continued education and transition services were mandated to be provided for young people with disabilities for four years beyond the traditional time of graduation from high school. Furthermore, the definition was extended to require that services are based on the strengths, preferences and interests of the child with a result-oriented focus (Sabbatino Macrine, 2007). The IDEA (2004) also provides a clearer starting point in terms of the age where transition planning should begin, identifying 14-16 as an effecting age range. Improved planning involves the addition of measurable postsecondary goals regarding training, education, employment and independent living skills where necessary; as well as a development of a statement in the IEP about transition services necessary to help the student achieve these goals. The new performance measures include a requirement by schools to evaluate special education services before terminating them when the child graduates as well as a summary of performance including the childs academic achievement and functional performance upon leaving high school (Rutkowski, Daston, Kuiken Riehle, 2006; Sabbatino Macrine, 2007; Corteilla, 2009). Factors Contributing to Successful Transition Resilience or the ability to quickly recover from stressful events and problems determine how successful high school students with disabilities are able to transition to post high school activities. The resources that contribute to resilience come in many forms, from individuals skills and personality, to supportive relationships with other people, the involvement in groups like churches and clubs (Osgood, Foster Courtney, 2010, p.218). However, the most important factors identified by research as keys to promoting successful transition to adulthood among high school graduates with disabilities are success at school, support from family and friends, and healthy interpersonal relationships (Osgood et al, 2010) The good news is that special education services as with foster care, have programs in place to ensure the successful transition of individuals with disabilities to adulthood. In addition to providing support for individuals with disabilities, health and special education systems specifically address the needs of individuals with disabilities by providing access to specialized services that target particular needs of young people. However, to ensure that the transition from high school to adult life is successful for individuals with disabilities, it is important to begin early transition planning (Florida Department of Education, 2005). Florida Department of Education Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services (2005) defines transition planning as the process of focusing on the plans and dreams parents and their children with disabilities have for the future. The function of transition planning is to provide youths with disabilities with the services and supports he or she needs to make a successful move into adult life (p.5). The school plays a fundamental role in transition planning, which typically begins at age 14 through to time of graduation from high school, but may occur earlier to hedge problems such as dropping out of school or to get an early start for children with significant disabilities. In general, transition planning should occur for all students with disabilities who have an IEP. In addition to being part of the IEP process, transition planning should involve all individuals and agencies identified by the transition IEP team, including the student, the family, and school staff. Students and Parents In order to be successful, transition planning must involve the full participation and contribution of each transition team member. Each student must actively participate in the transition planning process, particularly in helping to decide what he or she wants to do after leaving school. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 2004 stresses the importance of students being involved in the transition process. For example, it added a new requirement that transition services designed to coordinate various activities that are provided to students with disabilities by the schools and other agencies to help them successfully transition from high school to postsecondary education, employment and independent living; to consider the students interests, preferences and strengths. Identification of the students strengths enables the transition team to identify goals that highlight and build on the students abilities rather than on what the child cannot do (Cortiella, 2005). Students have various responsibilities in ensuring the success of the transition planning process. These include taking an active role in the development of the Transition IEP, becoming knowledgeable about the transition process, thinking about the kinds of services that would help him/her in their adult life in order to help the transition team invite the appropriate agencies to attend the Transition IEP meeting, working with guidance counselors and career counselors to identify courses and school experiences that will promote their desired post high school activities, becoming knowledgeable about their disabilities and how to gain access to services and supports to enhance his/her long term goals, attending class, acquiring self-determination and self-advocacy skills, learning how to use assistive technology and how to save money for post school activities (Florida Department of Education, 2005). Parents play an invaluable role in the transition process. In fact, parental involvement is considered one of the most important factors in how successful the youths transition will be from high school to post high school life. Parental responsibilities in the transition process include playing an active role by asking questions and making suggestions, reviewing their childs Transition IEP goals, reviewing graduation requirements, providing opportunities for their child to explore post high school options such as employment, career centers, community colleges, community service, recreation and leisure, etc.; helping their child with their post school outcome statement, and helping their child develop a portfolio of personal informational medical and psychological testing, learning style, class rank, grade point average (GPA), honors, awards, work experiences, etc. (Florida Department of Education, 2005). Dunlap (2009) indicates that it is important for parents and professionals to work together to meet their childrens needs because it serves as a reinforcement of the program goals and objectives. Parents can contribute valuable information about their child and about the family unit. They know many things about their child that others initially are unlikely to know, including the childs strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes and medical history (p.92). This is a valid assessment. Children with special needs present many challenges for educators. Therefore, it is important for teachers to be aware of their global functioning in order to best meet their needs. The best way to achieve this goal is through parent-teacher collaboration. Furthermore, when parents stay in contact with professionals they also learn strategies and techniques that they can implement at home to enhance their childrens success. In addition, parents and their children can provide important information about the students goals for adult life, the strengths and resources of the family, extended family and the community, the services needed by the family and the services and providers that have helped the family in the past (Florida Department of Education, 2005). Sabbatino and Macrine (2007) indicate that the process of including students and their parents in the transition planning process provides students and their parents opportunities to look to the future, voice preferences, express concerns and desires, and share in decision making that directly affects each students future (p.34). Olsen and Fuller (2008) point out that parent involvement may take a variety of forms and levels of involvement, both in and out of school. It includes activities that are provided and encouraged by the school and that empower parents in working on behalf of their childrens learning and development (p.128). Olsen and Fuller (2008) identify six types of parental involvement, including (1) basic responsibilities of families, which involves providing health, security, shelter and other basic necessities for their children; (2) communication, or the sharing of information and ongoing two-way interaction between parents and children; (3) volunteering or providing advocacy help to educators and administrators for programs aimed at helping children with homework or other needs; (4) Learning at home, which involves managing childrens time with television and homework and ensuring that they build positive attitudes about education; (5) Decision making, which involves partnering with the schoo l to solve problems and shape goals and policies affecting the lives of their children; and (6) Collaborating with the community (i.e., small businesses, religious communities, cultural groups, government agencies, etc.) to identify resources to enhance childrens ability to learn and develop (Olsen Fuller, 2008). According to the research, parent involvement in the lives of their children with special needs is beneficial not only for the children and the parents themselves, but for educators and the school. In sum, research shows that when parents and schools support and encourage the development of children it benefits the children in numerous ways, including helping children to achieve more regardless of the racial/ethnic, socioeconomic status or educational level of the parents; help children to get better attendance, test scores and grades; result in greater consistency with children completing their homework. Other benefits for children include better self-esteem, less discipline problems, and higher motivation for school. Benefits for parents include greater responsiveness and sensitivity to the social, emotional and intellectual needs of their children; more confidence in their parenting and decision making skills, greater affection for their children, and greater awareness of policies affecting the education and future development of their children (Olsen Fuller, 2008). Transition Services: Getting Students Ready for Productive Work Work experience during high school has been identified in the literature as a strong predictor of successful employment outcomes for young people with disabilities (Carter et al, 2010). Furthermore, it has been reported that people with disabilities are offered jobs at a lower rate that the general population. The reality is that many students with social, emotional, behavioral, cognitive, or developmental disabilities find that their educational experience in todays schools did not equip them with the skills necessary to leading self-determined, independent lives (Sabbatino Macrine, 2007, p.33). In fact, a central goal of education for students in general is to ensure the successful transition from school to work. Without a well-defined transition program, students with disabilities leave high school unprepared to become productive workers and, as a result, become unemployed Transition services represent an important part of transition planning. The overarching goal of transition services is to help the student successfully move from school to post school activities or to successfully transition to adult life. Before the child turns 16, the transition team (also called the Transition IEP team) involves parents, the young person and teachers. After age sixteen, the team may involve representatives of agencies who provide or pay for the services given to the young person. Post school activities coordinated by transition services to help the youth move into adult life include access to college or university programs, continuing and adult education, vocational training, employment, independent living, community participation and the coordination of adult services from different agencies. The IDEA requires the transition services to development include a statement in the IEP about the transitional service needs of the student, with a focus on the courses of s tudy the study will engage in do achieve his or her post school goals; and a statement in the IEP about the students transitional service needs when the student turns 16. The transition services must also be based on the individual needs of the young person, their likes and interests as well as necessary activities regarding instruction related services, community experiences, employment, post-school adult living skills, daily living skills and functional vocational evaluation (Florida Department of Education, 2005; Rutkowski, Daston, Kuiken Riehle, 2006). Rutkowski, Daston, Kuiken and Riehle (2006) identify four commonly used special education models for transition services: traditional classroom model, work-study model, transition-to-community model and the adapted career and technical model. In the traditional classroom model, students in segregated special education classrooms are taught employability skills. In the work-study model, classroom instruction is combined with actual work experience, with the students participating mainly in food or custodial service related jobs for a few hours a day. In the transition-to-community model, students are prepared for independent living, which includes developing social skills and participating in job-shadowing experiences and workplace observation. In the adapted career and technical model students are taught work skills and ethics in a simulated work site. School-to-Work Transitions According to Carter et al (2010), preparation for the world of work has long been a central focus of transition education (p.194). Estrada-Hernandez et al (2008) observe that when counseling professions measure the career outcomes of persons with disabilities, they do so by assessing their employment outcomes in the competitive labor market. The assumption is that positive independent living outcomes for individuals with disabilities are positively correlated to successful community employment and the empowerment it provides the individual. The successful movement from education to employment is crucial for establishing independence among young adults with disabilities (Shandra Hogan, 2008, p.117). Baugher and Nichols (2008) point out, however, that preparing special education students to leave high school and enter the world of work or post-secondary education can be a difficult task (p.216). This may explain the reality that while coordinated transition services combined with comm unity work experience plays a vital role in ensuring successful school-to-work transitions for young people with disabilities, and despite of the fact that federal law requires transition assistance, these services are inconsistently available (Rutkowski, Daston, Kuiken Riehle, 2006; Shandra Hogan, 2008). The consequence of this is that young people with disabilities leaving high school are not given the opportunity to learn proper work ethics, communication skills or the kinds of attitudes that make them hireable. The IDEA requires schools to develop transition plans by working with students and parents and to provide transition services that prepare students for employment after graduation. The increased emphasis by the IDEA on students with disabilities being prepared for employment has been driven by the pervasive and persistent rate of post school employment outcome for young people with disabilities, the well established finding in the literature that gaining work experience s during high school is the most trustworthy predictor of favorable post school employment outcomes, and the finding that working during high school contributes to independent living post high school by promoting the young persons autonomy, vocational identity, career awareness and ambitions, workplace skills, values and ethics. However, it is reported that having a transition plan in place does not necessarily mean that students will be successfully employed (Sabbatino Macrine, 2007; Shandra Hogan, 2008; Carter et al, 2010). Carter et al (2010) investigated the summer employment and community participation experiences and outcomes of 136 high school students with severe disabilities. Predictor measures included employment skill (understand requirements for preferred employment, make informed occupational choices, know how to obtain a job, demonstrate general job skills and attitude for getting and maintaining a job, and having specific knowledge and skills to perform a particular job), community activities (non-work activities), self-determination (ability to perform specific self-determination behaviors, perceptions of efficacy of self-determined behaviors, knowledge about self-determination and associated behaviors), social skills and problem behaviors, spring work activities, career preparation activities (career interest assessments, goal setting and planning, workplace visits, occupation specific training, vocational education classes, social skills training, and person-centered planning), and teach er expectations for employment. They found that 61.7% of these students were not working and 11.1% reported sheltered employment. Those who work in competitive jobs mainly engaged in tasks related to cleaning, food services, stocking and assembly-related work. Those who worked completed about 10.3 hours a week for competitive jobs, 12.0 hours for unpaid jobs and 17.8 hours for sheltered jobs. Only three of the participants worked full time (more than 35 hours a week). Most of the respondents reported that they receive supports from school staff (63.6%), parents (63.6%) and employment agencies (13.6%). They obtained jobs through the help of school staff (58.6%) or parents (23.5%). For the students (47.7%) who did not work, two reasons were offered: parents did not want them to work (36.9%) and specific barriers to finding and maintaining employment (30.8%), including limited transportation and supports. The most important factor associated with getting and maintaining a paid job was employment skill, which were related to spring work experiences and teacher expectation. Working in the spring increases the odd of gaining a summer job by 5.28 times or a 36% better chance of getting a paid job (Carter et al, 2010). Estrada-Hernandez et al (2008) investigated the experience of individuals with disabilities in transition from school to work. In particular, the researchers examined the mediating effects of the severity of disability among 115 high school students with disability on their employment outcomes in an intensive school-to-work transition program. The authors concluded that employment outcomes were significantly affected by the severity of disability despite the fact that their interests were appropriated matched to the jobs they performed. As a result, while participants had positive employment outcomes in the area of job entry, such outcomes may not necessarily result in higher earn

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Justifying Philosophy and Paideia in the Modern World :: Philosophical Essays

Justifying Philosophy and Paideia in the Modern World ABSTRACT: If Paideia means education in the classical sense, that is, education of the whole person, then authentically justifying such education in the modern world is extremely problematic. We are first drawn to practical defenses of a liberal education, that it is in itself of service and useful, both to society and to the individual. However, a practical defense of Paideia in the classical sense simply comes across as feeble and even a bit desperate (that is, if it escapes sounding pompous) and every savvy student knows it. Far better, it seems, to take courses aimed at general problem solving, or at honing critical thinking skills, or at developing socio-political sophistication, than to read Shakespeare or Plato. If Paideia means education in the classical sense, that is, education of the whole person, then authentically justifying such education in the modern world is extremely problematic. We are first drawn to practical defenses of a liberal education, that it is in itself of service and useful, both to society and to the individual. However, a practical defense of Paideia in the classical sense simply comes across as feeble and even a bit desperate (that is, if it escapes sounding pompous) and every savvy student knows it. Far better, it seems, to take courses aimed at general problem solving, or at honing critical thinking skills, or at developing socio-political sophistication, than to read Shakespeare and Plato. A similar problem plagues the justification of the pursuit of philosophy itself, and this is where the fundamental motivations behind both Paideia and philosophy converge. What is in fact the purpose of philosophy? One basic function of philosophy appears to be a kind of service of clarification and justification. Yet this cannot be philosophy's only purpose, any more than the mere development of skills and professional acumen are the primary goals of a liberal education. Yet similar notions of service to the state are given as primary justifications for becoming educated, beyond simple material gain. Surely this does not justify even very much of what we put students through in humanities classes around the world. Why, then, philosophy as the pursuit of wisdom, and why, then, Paideia? The answer, I think, is that the justification for both philosophy and Paideia has an ethical grounding, and can only really be articulated, if indeed it still can be, in virtue-based terms.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

An Investigation Into Smes Survival and the Discrimination Between Fgsmes and All Other Smes

Introduction In a competitive global market, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play an increasingly important role in a nation’s economy. Today they make a substantial contribution to job creation, innovation, as well as entrepreneurial skills. A report conducted by European Commision(2005) stated that in the enlarged European Union of 25 countries, 23 million SMEs provide about 75 million jobs and account for 99% of all enterprise. SMEs are also the vital attributes for lifting the productivity of economy. This is primarily because SMEs are been considered as having a key role to play in providing new products. Take UK for example, SMEs have become more and more dynamic. SMEs have enjoyed higher productivity growth than large firms since 1998, and the proportion of SME employers reporting that they have undertaken either product or service innovation in the past 12 months has increased from 32% in 2005 to 48% in 2006(BERR,2002). An important aspect of SMEs, especially for the young SMEs, is their survival rate, according to Haugh and McKee(2000), survival means continue to exist in the future. Although we have seen a large increase in new company formations and higher levels of their survival rates than the past, we cannot neglect the fact that the rate of failure of these SMEs is also very high. Some of the firms fail in their infancy stage and some fail within several years after start-up. Some statistics suggest that the failure rate of SMEs in their first five years is more than 50% (Reiss, 2006). There are many reasons that contribute to SMEs’ failure: insufficient capital, poor management skills, poor human resources, lack of innovations and so on. Factors that contribute to small business survival and non-survival In order to prosper, all SMEs need to ensure that they are alert both to opportunities for achieving success and threats to their survival. Only when the company are aware of and deal with these factors correctly, they can survive, grow and succeed. 1. Financial circumstances 1. 1 Access to Finance Obtaining the right finance is a pivotal factor to a new firm’s survival and high growth. For SMEs, there are various types of finance available, including bank loans, borrowing from family and friends, obtaining equity investment from business angels, venture capitals and so on. Obviously, different options have different profits and constraints. The advantage of loan finance is that it will not dilute ownership structure of the firm. However, excessive reliance on loan finance could be a financial threat to their firm’s solvency. Astebro and Bernhardt (2003) stated that there was a significant negative correlation between having a bank loan and the survival of the business. Since loan means a continuing obligations for the firm to repay the principal debt and associated interest on a predetermined timetable. This kind of loan covenants can place strain on a firm’s cash flow position, if a firm’s capital contains a high proportion of debt, then the firm has to generate more cash to cover the repayment obligations, however it may have greater threat to default due to a sudden interruption in income. 1. 2 Financial Health A critical reason for SMEs’ failure is that they cannot identify and react to threats to their financial healthy. For example, the substantial increases in overheads could be a threat to financial healthy since it is a signal of weak cost management. Significantly increasing overheads will reduce the available cash flows and profits, eventually reduce the probability of survival. According to Schaefer (2006), over-expansion is a leading cause of business failure. This often happens when business owners confuse success with how fast they can expand their business. A large amount of bankruptcy is due to rapidly expanding firms. Birley and Niktari (1995) found that, in the opinion of many accountants and bank managers, 70% of SMEs failures were caused by a very large extent to being under-capitalized, to short-term liquidity problems or insufficient working capital. So in order to survive, firms have to look out for financial threats to the firms’ solvency and maintain effective management control over their finances. 2. Human capital In most SMEs, power is centralized in the hands of the owner-managers and the owner-managers always play multiple roles in a company, including general manager, sales manager, production manager, financial manager and so on, so that characteristics of the owner-managers, such as education background, family business background, personal goals, previous work experience, strategic awareness have a significantly impact on firm’s activities and performance. Several studies indicate that in SMEs, the personality of the owner-managers is a critical determinant of corporate structure and strategy(Miller and Droge 1986; Miller and Toulouse 1986). Owner-managers who are inability to motivate staff, rarely listen to others’ advices, have little knowledge of marketing strategy, finance, and personnel management may act as a significant constraint to SMEs’ survival. On the other hand, owner-managers are not experts at everything, many owner-managers in small firms are lack of the leadership and management skills which are necessary for the firms’ survival and growth. Deakins and Freel (1998) found that one of the critical factors in the success of a SME was the ability to build an ‘entrepreneurial team’. The presence of a diversified management team may imply a greater variety of complementary skills: marketing skills, business skills, as well as technological skills, this is also crucial for SMEs in relation to the long term success of the firm. So building a entrepreneurial team will definitely increase SMEs’ viability. 3. Over-dependent Some firms do not have the appropriate strategy and become excessive reliance on a single customer or a small client base. The more a firm relies on a particular client, the more possibly it is damaged by factors out of its control than if it has a wide client base. Natwest (1997) stated that an important reason for SMEs failure is over-reliance on one or two customers and lack of sales. Failures often occur due to firms’ sole customer withdrawing its orders or going bankrupt. The same principles also apply to a firm’s supplier base. If there is a breakdown in the commercial relationship between the firm and its single supplier, the prodution of the firm will be damaged. As a result, if a young firm wants to survive, it should seek to cultivate a wide client (supplier) base instead of depending on a small number of regular clients (suppliers). However diversification strategy can realize this. Diversification across production and services can satisfy different types of customers and reduce the probability of over-dependent. 4. Training One of the factors that contribute to SMEs failure is low level of management performance and inefficient operation, which is a result of lack of training. It is generally acknowledged that the majority of the small-firm owners run their business just based on their own experience and common sense, without getting professional or other formal qualifications. Stanworth and Gray (1992) pointed out that minority of small-firm owners who participate in management training tend to have better educational qualifications, and their businesses have better survival and growth rates than other small firms. Also, Kitson and Wilkinson (1998) found a positive link between training and innovation and growth, as training was provided by 60% of innovating firms but only 41% of non-innovators, and 72% and 68% of medium and fast-growing firms, respectively, compared with 46% of stagnant and declining firms. Training could cover a wide range of areas including accessing to and managing finance, cost management, personnel management, marketing strategy, information use and retrieval, operation management and so on, which equip small-firm owners and employees with the skills necessary to survival and the further growth. So training is also an important factor that contributes to small firms’ survival which can be easily ignored. 5. Innovation In this era of knowledge economy, innovation become inextricably linked with a firm’s survival, successful entrepreneurship always relies heavily on innovation. It is extremely important for new small firms who still enter industries where economics of scale plays a critical role, by innovation small firms could compete on the basis of added value, therefore enhancing the likelihood of survival. On the other hand, innovation intrinsically linked with a company’s diversification strategy, through innovative activity, firms have the chance to produce new products and services so that they can attract more customers and increase their market share. Also, cost reduction can be achieved by innovation in operation processes, marketing and organizational forms. For example, in order to expand, some firms may choose a strategy called e-marketing to reduce cost, they may create a impressive and special site to grab people’s attention, on the website, a convenient online selling system is provided. Also, the firm may send their new products and services details to their target customers and potential customers, sometimes combining with even fun facts. So business innovation is especially important not only for large companies but also SMEs’ survival, lack of innovation could be a barrier to a small firm’s growth. Discrimination between fast growth firms and all other SMEs Different SME tends to have different growth rate, some of them grow rapidly and are recognized as FGSMEs(fast-growth small-to-medium enterprises). According to Caroline and Kosmas, FGSMEs are firms that achieve at least 20% annual compound sales growth over a 5-year period. Birch (1995) found that FGSMEs make up 3% of all small firms. Based on former research, there are many firm-based characteristics, which are concentrated on both customers and organizations aspects, such as satisfaction of customers, financial perspectives, staff retention, number and quality of successful innovations and so on, to discriminate between FGSMEs and all other SMEs. 1. Customer Focus FGSMEs are customer centric, regularly receiving feedback from clients and taking their requests and complaints seriously into consideration (Tan, 2007). They always try to retain clients through improving the quality of products and services or developing new products. According to the BSC, customer perspectives focus on traditional marketing issues such as market share, customer satisfaction and service quality ratings, customer loyalty, and customer perceived value (Kaplan & Norton, 2000). 2. Financial Perspectives FGSMEs tend to spend a lot of time and effort in analyzing the financial health of their firms. On the contrary, other SMEs always analyze cash flows on a regular basis, relying on occasional ‘back of the envelope’ calculations. Financial summaries provided by accountants are used for mandatory reporting purposes instead of financial management (Barnes et al. , 1998). 3. Internal Business Perspective Internal business performance indicators contains traditional operational terms such as tender success rate, data rejection percentages, time per customer (Kaplan & Norton, 2000), on-time delivery, the number of new products launched and product defects (Zaman, 2003). FGSMEs tend to manage and examine their business processes. For example, Liaise marketing (a supermarket broker) CEO, Tony Merlino stated that their firm measures manufacturer sales, market share and store visits to make sure that their sales team operates properly and efficiently. 4. Employee Focus Kaplan and Norton (2000) pointed that innovation, learning, and growth perspectives are closely linked to improve employee job satisfaction and commitment, and develop employees’ technical ability and innovation skills. According to the previous literature, FGSMEs seem to pay a lot of attention on employees. Nicholls-Nixon, 2005; Tan, 2007). So we can see that these fast-growth firms all have a strong emphasis on making their employees as part of the performance measurement system. Staff’s ideas and feelings are very important and cannot be ignored easily. Conclusion This study aims at identifying the factors that contribute to SMEs’ survival. Finding on the study sug gests that effective financial management, outstanding leadership and training play a critical role in SMEs’ survival, while excessive depend on one or two customers(suppliers) will be dangerous and may lead to a death. On the other hand, the study makes a distinction between FGSMEs and other SMEs based on four perspectives, finally draw the conclusion that FGSMEs tend to pay more attention on customers, financial management, internal business operation and employees. REFERENCE Astebro, T. and Bernhardt, I. 2009. â€Å"Dissecting Behaviours Associated with Business Failure: A Qualitative Study of SME Owners in Malaysia and Australia†. Journal of Asian social science 5 (9): 98–104. Barnes, L. , Coulton. T. Dickinson. S. Dransfield, J. Field, N. Fisher, et al. 1998. A New Approach to Performance Measurement for Small and Medium Enterprises†. Performance measurement – theory and practice, 1, 86-92. BERR. 2002. ENTERPRISE: UNLOCKING THE UK’S TALENT. [online]. [Accessed 9th February 2010]. Available from World Wide Web: < http://www. berr. gov. uk/files/file44992. pdf> Berry,M. 1998. â€Å"Strategic Planning in Small High Tech Companies†. Long Range Planning 31(3) : 455-466 Birch, D. 1995. Who's Creating Jobs? Cambridge: Cognetics, Inc. Birley, S. and Niktari, N. 1995. The Failure of Owner-Managed Businesses: The Diagnosis of Accountants and Bankers. London: Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. Caroline, S. T. and Kosmas, X. S. 2005. Firm performance measurement in fast growth small-to-medium enterprises [online]. [Accessed 10th February 2010]. Available from World Wide Web: European Commision. 2005. The new SME definition User guide and model declaration [online]. [Accessed 10th February 2010]. Available from World Wide Web: Enterprise Britain: Growth, Innovation and Public Policy in the Small and Medium Sized Enterprises Sector. 1994–1997. Cambridge: ESRC Centre for Business Research, pp. 16–27. Haugh. M and McKee. L. 2000. Survival, independence, control: uncovering the shared values in the SME. [online]. [Accessed 12th February 2010]. Available from World Wide Web: Kaplan, R. S. , and D. P. Norton. 2000. The Strategy-Focused Organization: How Balanced Scorecard Companies Thrive in the New Business Environment. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. Kitson, M. and Wilkinson, F. 1998. â€Å"Employment structure, recruitment, labour turnover, training and labour force flexibility† in Cosh, A. and Hughes, A. (eds), Natwest. 1997. Natwest Quarterly Survey of Small Business in Britain. Small Business Research Trust Nicholls-Nixon, C. L. (2005). Rapid Growth and High Performance: The Entrepreneur's ‘Impossible Dream'? Academy of management executive, 19(1), 77-89. Noor, H. A. 2003. † Start-up financing, owner characteristics, and survival†. Journal of Economics and Business 55 (2003): 303–319. Stanworth, J. and Gray, C. 1992. â€Å"Entrepreneurship and education: action-based research and training policy implications in Britain†. International Small Business Journal 10(2), 11–23. Schaefer, P. 2006. The seven pitfalls of business failures and how to avoid them. Accessed 9th February 2010 Available from World Wide Web: www. usinessknowhow. com/startup/business-failure. html Tan, C. S. L. 2007. Sources of Competitive Advantage for Emerging Fast Growth Small-to-Medium Enterprises: The Role of Business Orientation, Marketing Capabilities, Customer Value and Firm Performance. RMIT University, Melbourne. Zaman, M. 2003. Balanced Score card Implementation in Australian Companies – an Exploratory Study of Current Corporate Practice and Strategic Intent. Paper presented at the Hawaii International Conference on Business.

Friday, November 8, 2019

The Dutchman by Leroi Jones

The Dutchman by Leroi Jones Summary Clay, a twenty year old black man is taking the subway. At first glance he looks like an educated black man. Lulu on the other hand is a thirty year old white woman. She is a decade older than Clay. She is tall, slender, and beautiful. Her long red hair flows straight down her back. It is a chance meeting, man and woman did not know each other. Lulu sits down besides Clay and talks him as if she knew him.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Dutchman by Leroi Jones specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More She engages in him in a light conversation. She is teasing him, saying that Clay looked at her with lust in his eyes. In his defense, Clay vehemently denies her accusations. She starts to humiliate him talking about his utter lack of independence, the fact that he is living with his parents and making references to racial slurs and other forms of insults. But the moment that Clay shows his discomfort, she changes her tone and appears to be friendlier. The change of heart disarms Clay and he is caught off-guard. The light banter quickly turns serious once again but this time she is forcing him to admit that he is a phony, a man who wants to be someone he is not. She is obviously referring to the fact that Clay is a black man trying to behave as if he is a white man. When things began to overheat she diffuses the tension by making sexual gestures that sent a clear message to her seatmate. She places her hand on Clay’s knee and she said: â€Å"Am I exciting you now?† (Baraka, p.4). Once again Clay is caught-off guard and he lowers his defenses once more, each time he allows Lulu to enter deeper into his heart and mind. Clay is no match for a seductress. He has no clue that Lulu is playing with him. Lulu’s actions are all premeditated and she is trying to lead him to a place to be comfortable and vulnerable before she pounces on her unsuspecting prey. The seduction continues in an accelerated pace. By her words and actions she makes Clay believe that they will make love in her apartment. Clay believes her with all his heart that there is a genuine attraction between them. This is made evident in the opening of the second scene when the audience can see Lulu hugging the arm of Clay. The young man’s tie is loose and suggests that he is already comfortable with her and willing to follow her lead. The seduction is complete and the hunter is ready for the kill. Her actions seem to be harmless at first. Lulu is acting as if she is overly excited about something. She began to throw things out of her bag and into the aisle of the train. She began to sing and all of a sudden she was hysterical. She is like woman under the control of a spirit.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It is as if a foul spirit is controlling her like a puppet. It is also as if she is drunk. She is gyrating wildly. The behavior did not really bother Clay except for the words coming out of her mouth. Lulu began to humiliate Clay in front of the other passengers. After some time Clay could no longer take the insults. Clay grabs her arms and forces her to her seat. Lulu refuses to obey and so Clay hit her on the face. The force of the violence slams her head against the back of the seat. Clay began to verbalize his frustrations and aims his speech at Lulu and the passengers. He told them that the world should let them be. He is referring to the black man and their desire to fit in. He is angry and he said that murder is a simpler solution but he would not use it. But when he calms down and ready to leave the train Lulu stabs her with a knife. She kills him and all the passengers did nothing. The passengers are passive. When all the passengers are already out of the train, Lulu waits for her next target. A young black man boards the train. After a while an old Negro conductor enters the car and he tips his hat to Lulu. Characters Clay represents all middle class African-Americans who are desperate to fit in. Clay’s character demonstrates how this can be done by acting like a white man. He is educated and speaks as if he has an English accent. He associates with white people. He is not afraid to interact with them. The lack of inhibition against white people is made evident when Clay did not back down against an equally talented, beautiful and educated woman in the person of Lulu. Aside from trying to fit into the white man’s world Clay improves on his actions by choosing friends that are like him. His desire to create a world where whites and blacks can interact is made clear when Lulu made a playful reference to one of his friends and said: â€Å"Is Warren Enright a tall skinny black boy with a phony English accent† (Baraka, p.4). While Clay’s desire to live in peace in a white man’s world is acc eptable to some, there are those who feels that it is wrong to do so. This is where the character of Lulu and the old conductor plays a vital role in the story. Lulu hates the idea that Clay is not real. The old conductor represents black people who oppose the actions and belief system of the young man Clay.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Dutchman by Leroi Jones specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Lulu is a complex character. She plays the part of the hunter and she also plays the part of a person who hates black people and everything they stand for. She wants to eliminate from the face of the earth. Aside from being racist she also plays the role of a victim. Lulu represents those who felt that they are victims of the actions of young black man desiring to enter their world. She resents them and ends up becoming some sort of a persecutor to force black people to realize that they should not aspire to become white . It is also possible that Lulu is a victim of violence and she blames young black man for that crime. She is therefore enforcing the law to punish the guilty. The old conductor represents all the members of the black community who wants to preserve the status quo. He also represents the fence sitters – the people who are aware that racial violence has been committed and yet refuses to believe in the reports and refuses to act on it. The old conductor is a member of the Negro race and he refuses to lift a finger because he is already content with life and he wants to keep his job. The young black man who came in at the latter part of the story represents all the young black males that have faith in the system. This young black man is like Clay who came before him. He has the proper attire and the tools he needs to convince others that he is more than willing to do anything to be like white people. His character represents those who thought that imitating the ways of the white man results in acceptance but there are people like Lulu who think otherwise. Setting The setting of the play represents the world where black and white people interact. It is a meeting place, a location wherein they interact. They may not like each other but in the train station they meet face-to-face and it is inevitable for their bodies to touch because they are to take a journey together. The setting is also a microcosm of the real world in terms of a society filled with different people coming from all sorts of social, political, background. Conflicts There are three types of conflict that is evident in the play. The first is man against man or more specifically the conflict between the young black man and the white woman. The second major conflict is man against himself. Clay is torn by two opposing forces. He knows that he has to be true to himself and that he has to be proud of his heritage but he is also aware that he has to become someone he is not. He imitates the white man because of his desire for acceptance.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The third major conflict is man against society because Clay feels there is oppression from without. He feels the impact of racism and he wants to retaliate but he believes that he is powerless to do so and decides to keep quiet. Symbolism One of the symbolisms in the story is the reference to Adam and Eve. The apple is the symbol of seduction and temptation. Lulu comes into the train eating and apple. Clay understands the significance of the action. She makes him understand that the apple is a tool to seduce him. This symbolism is important if one takes a closer look at the nature of temptation and the consequences of falling into the trap set by the woman. In this play Clay wants to do the right thing. He thought that he is safe by doing the right thing. Nevertheless, the temptation is stronger than he thought. The symbolism helps explain the struggles of the young black man. Significance The significance of the play can be seen in two ways. The first one is the need to break free from the idea that acceptance can only be achieved by conforming into an alien and restrictive lifestyle. Clay is unhappy but he forces himself to do things against his true desire. He is hoping that he can receive the acceptance and friendship of the white people. Although Clay is wrong in trying to imitate white people and doing things for the sake of maintaining the status quo, Lulu exhibits a more destructive behavior because her hatred causes her to kill. One of the moral lessons of the story is that violence is not the answer. If one uses violence then there is no resolution because the cycle continues. Themes One of the main themes is Race and Racism. This is made evident in Lulu’s harsh response to Clay’s choice of clothes and she says: What’ve you got that jacket and tie on in all this heat for? And why’re you wearing a jacket and tie like that? Did your people ever burn witches or start revolution over the price of tea? Boy, those narrow-should er clothes come from a tradition you ought to feel oppressed by. A three-button suit. What right do you have to be wearing a three-button snit and striped tie? Your grandfather was a slave; he didn’t go to Harvard (Baraka, p.9). In every chance that she could get Lulu tries to insult and humiliate Clay because of his race. Lulu is not only hateful to black people she is also mean to people that does not shares her religious background. Her racist attitude is evident in the following statement: â€Å"You’re too serious. I bet you’re even too serious to be psychoanalyzed. Like all those Jewish poets from Yonkers, who leave their mothers for other mothers, or other’s mothers, on whose baggy tits they lay their fumbling heads† (Baraka, p.17). The racist behavior leads to Cruelty and Violence, Passivity another major theme in the story. Both Clay and Lulu are guilty of violence. Clay hurt her and the drunkard with his excessive use of force. However, it is interesting to note that the passenger and the conductor did nothing to stop Lulu’s murderous rampage and that is a clear example of passivity. The third major theme is Victim and Victimization. This is seen through Lulus actions and words. In an indirect way Lulu is saying that she is a victim and she is doing these things to force the guilty to pay for their sins. She is playing the part of a victim. But at the same time she also acts the part of the person who is doing the â€Å"victimization† as she stalks and murder hapless prey. The fourth major theme is Sex Roles and is made evident by the sexual tension in the interaction of Clay and Lulu. This is an important theme to discuss because in the area of sexuality there is equality among people belonging to different social and cultural backgrounds. Lulu is white and Clay is black but they are attracted to each another. At least Clay demonstrates that he can flirt with a white woman and he can have a relationshi p with a white female. The fifth major them is Retribution. Lulu is killing young black men. It is an obsession. She is on some sort of a mission. She is a hunter looking for her prey and she seduces them for the purpose of killing them. It is possible that Lulu is a victim of some past crime and the perpetrator is an educated young black man. This is her way of seeking retribution. She has become a murderer but in her mind her actions is justified. She hates them for what they have done to her. However, payback time comes in the same way that she has been victimized by the perpetrator of the crime, she seduces them first so that they would not see the knife that she would use to kill them. Work Cited Baraka, Amiri. The Dutchman. New York: HarperCollins, 1964.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Collaborating with Families and Community Members

Collaborating with Families and Community Members Introduction School partnerships involving community and other stakeholders are an essential approach of addressing the diverse needs of the school community. Effective school administrators and principals collaborate with community members, families, and the business community to mobilize community resources in order to meet the diverse community needs and interests.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Collaborating with Families and Community Members specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More School principals should aim at establishing relationships or networks within and outside the school. Often, family conditions influence student learning in school settings. Thus, the principal should identify the resources; that is, families, community members, and business, which can support learning in the school. An optimal approach of promoting school-community collaboration involves blending the school resources with the local communi ty and family resources. The collaborations encompass various community agencies and organizations including community-based organizations, civic and religious groups, libraries and local parks, businesses, individuals and post-secondary institutions within the community (Adelman, Taylor, 2006, p. 123). The intent is to establish strong school-community and family connections for learning, recreation, support, and enrichment. Additionally, communication of the school’s core priorities and vision for the community fosters a positive school image. This facilitates collaborations with the various community agencies and organizations. Establishing long-term connections requires an integrated approach that addresses the barriers to learning and links services, enrichment and recreation activities in schools. It requires system-wide changes that facilitate sharing of learning resources and responsibilities between the school, family and the community stakeholders. School-family-co mmunity collaborations require a mechanism for sharing resources and tasks among the stakeholders. Importance of Family-School-Community collaborations Schools and learning institutions are situated in communities. However, often, there is little connection between schools and families or communities in the neighborhood. Nevertheless, the schools, families and the community, as entities, affect each other in one way or another. Additionally, these entities share common goals regarding socialization and education of the children.Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Thus, schools principals, families and communities must work together to promote student learning and address the barriers to effective learning (Bostingl, 2001, p. 72). In particular, issues of safety, crime, child development and learning as well as poverty or economic status of families are interrelated and require concerted efforts involving all stakeholders. Academic performance is enhanced when schools become an integral part of the community. Additionally, the collaborations contribute to staff motivation, reduced discipline problems, and proper utilization of resources. The community entities can also promote socialization, strengthen family-community life, and address social problems through collaborations with schools. The concerns about cases of violence in schools call for connections with communities and families. Violent incidents experienced in schools have more to do with home and community life. For adolescents, the common forms of violence experienced in schools, community neighborhoods or in homes is sexual, social abuse and physical violence (Adelman, Taylor, 2006, p. 128). Often, the youngsters are the recipient of these forms of violence. However, sometimes they can be the perpetrators of harassment through bullying or intimidation. Clearly, violence in schools is a serious problem and a significant barrier to learning, socialization and teaching in schools and homes. As a result, a single-factor approach involving the school alone will not work. Thus, principals should actively seek to collaborate with families and community organizations in developing prevention or intervention strategies (Cunningham, Cordeiro, 2006, p. 145). In addition, partnership with mental health services or community social services organizations and the law enforcement is crucial in preventing violence in schools and promoting a positive school climate for learning. Usually, families provide a direct link between the school and the community especially with regard to education of students with exceptional needs. Interventions that cater for students with unique needs require increased parent participation (Adelman, Taylor, 2006, p. 127). Principals should seek to establish school-community connections that benefit youngsters with exceptional needs and their families. For i nstance, school-community linkages can improve the outcomes of emotionally challenged students and their families. Interventions involving collaborations between the school and community social services can address the needs of this population of students.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Collaborating with Families and Community Members specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These include counseling sessions in schools as well as hospital and homecare programs. Establishing a system of care for students with exceptional needs requires multidisciplinary teams to monitor and maintain the care services to achieve the desired outcomes. Importance of School-linked Programs School-community collaborations usually aim to integrate social programs into schools and enhance linkages. Most of these programs such as immunization, substance abuse prevention programs and physical health services usually have links with school sites. A school principal should facilitate student access to health services, foster care and childcare services to enhance specialized assistance to children or case management. In addition, the collaborations with social agencies help in expanding recreation, academic, as well as enrichment programs. In particular, art, youth sports, and music programs can be expanded through linkages with social service organizations. Program for the prevention of juvenile delinquency and youth violence also require collaborations with social service organizations. Partnerships with the business community enhances transitions from school to work, facilitates career development through internships, job placement and mentorship programs involving various professionals within the community. School-linked programs coordinate community and school resources to meet the needs of children and their families. Usually, a wide variety of approaches is used in school-linked services. This reflects the diversity of c ommunity resources and the variability of the needs of students in each community. The programs address the social, health, educational and psychological concerns of the students (Adelman, Taylor, 2006, p. 131). Principals should establish partnerships with school-linked programs in their efforts to prevent teen pregnancy, substance abuse, and juvenile delinquency among school going children. In addition, collaboration with these agencies at the state or local level is a powerful approach in addressing the student needs. A variety of arrangements including formal and informal agreements with state or local agencies and community networks can facilitate the delivery of these school-linked services. Additionally, school-linked programs focus on introducing non-academic services to school settings to support the youth and their families.Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The Specific Stakeholders in School-Community Collaborations School-community linkages can be formal or informal and require a varying degree of systemic change to undertake their roles and achieve the desired purposes. Various school-community arrangements rely on various community resources. The plan for the collaborations will involve brainstorming sessions involving the community members to design the necessary steps. Objectives and strategies will be the next step followed by timeline plan and monitoring and evaluation of the events. The plan will involve mapping of resources and activities of each partnership. In particular, my plan will involve the following stages: identification of the specified areas for cooperation, review of the system status to enhance collaboration, strategies of strengthening the collaborations, and the mechanism for linking the community resources. A multifaceted or comprehensive collaboration allows a large proportion of students and families to acc ess their services. The programs can be community-based or school-linked where various community agencies participate in offering social and non-academic services to students. In general, the collaborations establish intervention systems for promoting healthy growth, preventing social problems and treatment of chronic problems affecting children and their families. The first category of stakeholders is the county bodies and agencies such as the mental health and children’s health departments are significant especially with regard to substance abuse among students (Bostingl, 2001, p. 77). In addition, partnerships with these agencies are indispensable when children with exceptional needs that need case management or specialized care are involved. Public social services, legal probation, the county sheriff, police, and local education office can help deal with cases of violence against children at school or residential settings. Council recreation parks, courts, housing and cou nty libraries can also address the needs of children and those of their families. The second category of stakeholders in school-community partnerships is the mental and physical health groups. These include the hospitals, clinics, guidance and counseling centers, and family support centers. Private community members and groups can also extend help in terms of shelter, dispute resolution, and mediation in family crisis to support the material needs and social needs of the children and their families (Adelman, Taylor, 2006, p. 129). Another category of stakeholders includes the service agencies, charity clubs, and organizations such as clothing and food pantry, the Rotary club and the civil society groups. Youth groups and agencies, such as the boys or girls club and the scouts, form another category of stakeholders in school-community partnerships. Sports and fitness groups such as athletics leagues, gyms, and community-based conservation groups should be involved in non-academic ac tivities, in the school. Faith-based community institutions including the clergy and the congregation subgroups should be involved in interventions that aim at preventing behavior problems and substance abuse among children (Bostingl, 2001, p. 81). Other stakeholders include the career groups and clubs such as Engineers or scientist groups, cultural institutions such as zoos, museums and literary clubs. The media through radio and TV stations can also be instrumental in addressing the pertinent issues affecting learning in schools. Community business unions, family members, and business corporations should also participate in career development of students through internships and job placements. Parents and Stakeholder Partnerships Effective school leaders collaborate with the community members, families, and businesses, to meet the diverse interests and needs of the school community. Partnerships involving schools and local business enterprises, families and community members play a significant role in promoting staff and student outcomes. According to Cunningham and Cordeiro (2006), â€Å"for schools, partnerships entails sharing power between the family and the school leaders† (p. 146). Most often, the forum for sharing power involves the Student Advisory Councils and the Parent-Teacher Associations (PTA). Various strategies can be used to promote parent/family involvement in their children’s learning. The PTA outlines six factors that encourage active participation by the parents or family in student learning. These include increased outreach programs to community resources, involvement of parents in decision-making, regular communication, fostering parenting skills, parent involvement in student learning and through volunteering (Cunningham, Cordeiro, 2006, p. 147). As a principal, I would encourage these six factors in my school. As a member of the PTA, I would mobilize community resources by encouraging active participation of the parents in their student’s academic and extra-curricular learning activities. Evidence from previous research indicates that academic performance; grades, school attendance, completion of assignments and homework and student’s overall performance improves when the family or parents take an active role in student learning (Cunning, Cordeiro, 2006, p. 152). As a principal, I would encourage parent involvement as an on-going mission in my school. I would ensure that the efforts to promote parental involvement in schools are in line with the changing family demographics. Usually, the obstacles to family involvement in schools are often work-related. Kohn outlines five common complaints that parents make over student homework: low student interest in learning, increased burden to students, and lack of time for parents, family disputes, and distracters in residential settings (2006, p. 112). These factors affect parent participation in their children’s learning activities. Often, the requirement for standardized testing exerts much pressure on educators with respect student homework. This affects the quality as the educators emphasize on quantity rather than quality. Educators are forced to cover a large portion of the syllabus prior to the standardized tests, which compromises quality. I believe that parental involvement can promote quality especially with regard to homework. According to Bostingl (2001), McGregor’s X and Y theories of management are applicable in today’s school system (p. 87). With regard to homework, theory Y management attributes are essential in achieving high results. Standardized tests place enormous stress on parents, teachers, and families. In light of this, I would organize a parents-staff meeting, where teachers can enlighten the parents on the requirements of the test and allay their fears or concerns. At the same forum, I would guide the parents on how to participate in their children’s learning espec ially with regard to homework. This dialogue will be essential in addressing the diverse learning needs of the children. Kohn describes three approaches of achieving higher results from homework. Firstly, he suggests that, homework should comprise of any activity, academic or otherwise, that extend student learning. Secondly, household activities such as games, cooking, surfing the internet for information and watching TV shows give the student absolute control over their learning. Lastly, children stories and readings that instill reading and imaginative thinking can also serve as homework (Kohn, 2006, p. 118). As a principal, I believe that these suggestions are vital in encouraging family and parent involvement to ensure successful student learning. In addition, these activities are part of authentic learning that helps students to become successful in life. As a school principal, I would be to involve parents and family members in their student learning in non-academic settings at home. Volunteers constitute a crucial part of the school community. Their roles range from tutoring to student mentoring hence influential in student learning. As a school principal, I would establish a volunteer club, which will recruit active volunteers primarily from the school comprising of school and classroom volunteers from among the staff. Later, volunteers from the community will join the club as well as volunteers from various agencies. I would organize occasional breakfast meetings and entertainment for the volunteer club to foster a spirit of voluntarism in my school. Honors and recognition will also encourage voluntarism to become the culture in my school. This will also encourage more volunteers to join the club year after year. Partnerships with businesses contribute significantly to successful learning in schools. I would facilitate business partnerships where local business leaders engage the students on attributes of their future citizenship. I believe that, by connecting community, family, and school resources, student health and safety can be enhanced. In light of this, I would seek through the school board linkages with agencies such as law enforcement, social support services, and local administrators. School boards play a decisive role in policy and planning for the whole school systems in an area (Cunningham, Cordeiro, 2006, p.124). I would organize a series of meetings involving the school board and the various groups to strengthen the school-community strategies for a healthy and safe learning environment for students. In particular, I would organize presentations involving all stakeholders to allow them to share their views before setting up smaller groups to implement the strategies. In relation to substance abuse and behavior problems, I would involve the law enforcement, the mental health department, the families, religious groups, and community social services. Evaluating the Contributions of Parents and Stakeholders On-going evaluation of the contributions of the parents and stakeholders is crucial in formulating recommendations for resource allocation to the various school-community partnerships (Adelman, Taylor, 2006, p. 134). It provides a foundation for decision-making for subsequent steps. It also informs future development plans and improvements (Cunningham, Cordeiro, 2006, p. 121). I would conduct various surveys whereby I would analyze the activities of the groups against their resource utilization. The surveys would involve the families, the community members, and staff. I would use interviews and questionnaires to establish the level of satisfaction with the partnerships and compare the effectiveness of the practices before and after implementation. The family coordinator will evaluate the parent’s involvement in their children’s learning and provide propositions from the parents on how to improve their involvement. A participatory evaluation process is another useful approach of assessing the contributions of the community stakeholders (Adelman, Taylor, 2006, p. 135). Participatory evaluations take into account the interests, the concerns, and the needs of the partners. The findings can be disseminated within the collaborations and ultimately improve the outcomes of the partnership programs. I would use participatory evaluations to assess the volunteers whereby they will be involved in designing the evaluation criteria for their contributions. My evaluation of the contributions of the parents and stakeholder groups will comprise of three approaches: process evaluation, outcome evaluation and impact evaluation (Cunningham, Cordeiro, 2006, p. 127). With regard to process evaluation, I would survey the nature of the activities that took place over a specified period. The methodologies for process evaluation would include interviews and in-depth surveys of the activities of the collaboration. I would rate the developments of each partner group against the goals and the level of satisfaction of the members, the teaching staff, and students. On the other hand, outcome evaluation primarily seeks to establish the achievements of the collaboration over a specified period (Bostingl, 2001, p. 84). I would conduct surveys of new services, reported behavior changes and the objectives met over the period. This will help assess the progress achieved through the partnerships. Impact evaluation will focus on the effects of the collaboration on the student learners. In this case, I would use statistical indicators to measure the outcomes. For instance, a decline in the rate of substance abuse or teen pregnancy in my school will be an indication that partnerships with law enforcement and community social service have positive impacts. Conclusion The diverse nature of the needs and interests of the school community calls for concerted efforts involving the school, parents, and community stakeholders for successful learning. Collaborations with pare nts and community members are essential attributes of a high performance leader. As a school principal, I would encourage partnerships through school-based and community-based programs and agencies. However, the collaborations have to be evaluated for future improvements. This also ensures efficient utilization of resources in line with the objectives of the collaborations. Reference List Adelman, S., Taylor, L. (2006). The school leader’s guide to student learning  Supports: New directions for addressing barriers to learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Bostingl, J. (2001). Schools of quality. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin Press. Cunningham, G., Cordeiro, A. (2006). Educational leadership a problem-based Approach. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc. pp. 121-152 Kohn, A. (2006). The homework myth: Why our kids get too much of a bad  Thing. Cambridge, MA: DaCapo Press. pp. 112-118