Australias Economic Objective of Resource Allocation Essay Example for Free

Australias Economic Objective of Resource Allocation Essay The objective of efficient resource allocation refers to an economys ability to meet its obligations in ensuring that all social and economic objectives are met without waste, for example to allocate resources so that they are distributed efficiently to improve the standard or living. This is the only way that we can ensure that we will be able to maximize the number of goods and services that we are able to provide. In addition, we will also be more likely to guarantee the long term availability of the resources that are currently available to us. The current target for efficiency target concerning labor is 1.5-2% per year or more. Thus, the economic objective of efficiency in resource allocation exists when our productive inputs are used to create the highest possible value of national output (ie GDP is at its highest level). In turn, having more GS available helps to ensure the maximum satisfaction of our societys needs and wants. In Economics, we distinguish between four different types of efficiency:1.Productive (or Technical) efficiency: Is about firms producing GS using the least-cost method and by minimizing the quantity of resources used. This is perhaps the easiest type of efficiency to understand. In this instance, we are interested in ensuring that any time we produce a good or service we are able to do so by using the smallest number of resources. If I use a tree to make four cricket bats, and you can produce five cricket bats from a tree of the same size, then your productive efficiency is better than mine. Another example is also sometimes a higher level of investment spending by firms on new equipment rather than simply employing more staff is the cheapest way to lift output per worker. 2.Allocative efficiency: ensures that resources are only used to make those particular types of GS that best satisfy societys needs and wants. That is, we want to produce those things most desired by the community first. This is a problem experienced by many of the worlds poorer countries,  especially those which suffer from poor governance. Corrupt leaders will often use a countries scarce resources to provide elaborate palaces, rather than ensuring that their people have access to clean drinking water. This is very poor allocative efficiency. 3.Dynamic efficiency: entails that firms are able to respond quickly to changing economic circumstances. To be dynamically efficient means that firms are aware of the changing circumstances, and they are able to adapt to meet those new needs and tastes of customers. For example, as technology has improved, many businesses have elected to adopt computers. This has involved buying the hardware, choosing the correct software and training the staff. In going through this process, the firm is demonstrating their dynamic efficiency. 4.Inter-temporal efficiency: means that there is a suitable balance between resources being allocated towards current consumption and saving that becomes available to finance future investment. Causes of efficiency of resource allocation:Cyclical changes in domestic economic activity resulting from changes in demand side conditions that affect efficiency in resource allocation. Supply side structural causes of changes in labor in lobular and capital productivity. Demand Side CYCLICAL FactorsIf levels of AD and EA slow leading to a recession (due to weak demand-side conditions like drops in business confidence/consumer), labor efficiency can suffer for at least 4 reasons. 1.Firms are reluctant to sack experienced staff during a slowdown of sales, as they hope that recovery is not far away and thus save them the cost of hiring and training new staff. This leads to over staffing which lowers the level of output per hour worked. 2.Prolonged or severe cyclical recessions in EA causes higher cyclical  unemployment as staff are cut in numbers, slowing down efficiency rates because more of labor resources are idle. 3.Business confidence about sales and profits, once down, can partly cause recession. This causes the firm to cut investment on new PE with new technology, consequently productivity slows. 4.Cyclical slowdown in domestic productivity sometimes follows trends in the level of EA and productivity overseas. Productivity also slows when there is an inflationary boom following cyclical rises in the level of domestic economic activity. This is true when the growth in AD exceeds the economoys productive capacity. Productivity may slow down in this situation. 1. Workers may not work as hard as they feel secure in the jobs when the economy is stretched to its capacity. Abseentisms can rise, along with strikes and industrial unrest, cutting efficiency. 2. When the economy is at its full capacity, there can be diminishing returns resulting from equipment breakdowns, labor shortages, leading to less efficient natural, labor and capital resources. 3. Rapid inflation can undermine business confidence, leading to reduced investment in new technology and equipment, slowing efficiency. 4. Investment used for expanding the business through plant equipment can be pumped into less productive or more speculative areas (eg real estate and stock market activities.) This is a mis allocation of resources that slows down productivity. So, when EA is weak due to reduced level of AD, productivity falls due to pessimism, reduced investment, unemployed resources, and labor hoarding. However, at the opposite extreme, excessively strong spending and EA means that productivity suffers from the above reasons. Productivity is likely to be maximized when AD and domestic EA are at ideal levels and demand side conditions are positive but are neither too weak nor too strong. Business Confidence Optimism of business (eg ^ consumer confidence, ^ household disposable incomes) has a cyclical impact on efficiency. This results in the business investing in new equipment with latest technology, leading to the worker having a greater value/amount of machinery to use in the production process than previously (capital deepening), thus raises theh level of GDP per hour worked. Interest Rates Higher business overdraft means that firms are more reluctant to borrow in order to purchase new, more efficient plant equipment due to increased repayments. Investment thus is reduced and productivity slows. Company Tax Rates Impacts the level of the firms investment spending. Reduced tax rates increased investment spending and better productivity. Supply Side Structural FactorsSupply factors are far more significant than demand factors when we are considering the impact that certain events will have on our ability to allocate our resources efficiently. If you think about this for a moment it is logical supply factors are those things that affect the ability and willingness of producers to supply a good or service at a given price. When the US economy experiences an increase in AG, we should see an increase in output without any pressure on productive capacity that may result in inflation. This is a sign that resources are being allocated more efficiently. As a result, we can conclude that any factor that will lead to an increase in aggregate supply will also lead to a more efficient allocation of resources. For example during the 1990s the Australian economy saw the introduction of technology on a larger scale. This improvement in capital assets, combined with the necessary support in the form of training for the workforce, resulted in significant improvements in productivity, showing that resources were allocated more efficiently. Climatic conditions Drought and below average rainfall (2002-03 06-07), floods, cyclones (coastal Northern QLD 2006) impacted efficiency in resource allocation because national output is reduced far more than the volume of inputs of labor or capital resources. Drought also had an impact in the efficiency in water, gas and electricity sectors that is, the same labor inputs have been used but less output has been produced. Sporting events (Before and After) Events like the Sydney Olympics (2000) and Melbs Commonwealth Games (06) may have helped in slowing productivity. Studies show during these events that worker efficiency fell perhaps due to distractions and telecasts and worker fatigue from watching TV replays at night. Changing rates of investment in new technology Investment spending on new PE like ICT and robotics occurs in waves or cycles, that is, speeds up or slows down. After the flurry of robotics, electronics and computer and internet based technologies in the mid-late 1990s, many recent innovations have been far less significant, tending to slow efficiency. However fairly recent spending on RD as a proportion of GDP from 1.51 to 1.78% b/w 200-1 and 2004-05 is a sign that US productivity will rise again. BIBLIOGRAPHY www.abs.gov.auMorris, Economics Down Under 2nd Edition

The Greatest Wealth Is Health

The Greatest Wealth Is Health The greatest wealth is Health. The public nowadays are more concern about their health because health can be consider as an asset for a person. A good health is foundation of better future for a person or a family. In present modern era of technology, public are more educated and knowledgeable. With the easily accessibility of information from the internet, it also helps the public to gain the extra knowledge easily. Thus, there are more aware on their personal health status compare to those days. 14th of November is the World Diabetic day that celebrates worldwide. In authors working hospital there is a plan to organize health screening for community. The purpose of organizing this Diabetic awareness campaign is to highlight the importance of education to protect future health of community and prevent the serious health consequences due to diabetes. Diabetes is a chronic disease that emerging global epidemic. The rapid increase in people with diabetes is due to increasing overeating, obesity, and physically inactivity. Diabetes can be due to the pancreas does not producing enough insulin, or the inability to use the insulin that is produced by pancreas effectively and this leads to high concentration of glucose in the blood. There are three type of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is due to lack of insulin production and type 2 diabetes is due to body unable to produce insulin that needed effectively. Third, gestational diabetes is due to hyperglycemia that is first recognized during pregnancy in a pregnant mother who never had diabetic before. Type 2 diabetes is most common on and usually affects adults. There is a report from WHO (2006), said that type 2 diabetes in children is very rare previously, but it have increased worldwide recently for the newly diagnose cases in children and adolescents. People may live with diabetes for yea rs but diabetes is a metabolic disease that affects the multiple organs such as cardiovascular, kidney, retina and nerve damage. According to World Health Organization (WHO) 2012 statistic reported one in six adults is obese, one in ten for diabetic and one in three has high blood pressure. It was stated in New Straits Times (30 April 2012), Malaysia has one of the worlds highest number of diabetes cases among its population with 2.6 million registered patients. Lack of awareness about diabetes can lead to complication such as blindness, amputation, and kidney failure. The author as a team leader of this Diabetes Awareness campaign is responsible to identify team members to participate in the activities. As when we share a common direction or sense of community, we can get there more quickly and easily as everyone had take part and share the burden and not one-man show to complete everything. As a very familial quote that we always heard The whole is greater than sum of parts. So, effective building is very important to make this Diabetic Awareness campaign work successfully. 2. The Key Component of Effective Team Building Team building is a philosophy of job design in which employees are viewed as a team member instead of as individual worker. It is also means that the selection of a group of peoples with the mix skills that had similar interest to work together for a common objectives. Working together without bringing the personal feeling or interest into the teams, it helps to build synergy between its members. As a result, the work, at hand, gets efficiently done. A team cannot perform well when there are team members who do not focus or are serious about their responsibility of their duty, so the key component of effective team building is very important to achieve the goals and objectives that had been set. According to Rahim, Lim, Madya (2011), with the active participation of each of its member, the objectives of the group are accomplishes by the name of the great team. Besides that, the trust and support one another and respect one anothers individual from a team member also is important. Th ere are six key components of effective teams. a. Clearly state team purpose Team purpose, goals and target is very important information for the team members. Because the team members need to know what is their accomplishment in a team. The purpose, goal and target of a team can defined as the essence of the team also. The team purpose needs to include measurable goals, and the operating guideline. When the team members know the purpose, goal and target of the team clearly, it helps team member have a mindset to accomplish their task. Besides that, it also helps the team member to create a dynamic plan to fill the gaps to achieve the purpose, goal and targets of the team. According to Rhodes (2006), when the team members has a clear understanding on the team purpose and the role they play will achieve a better results. And the team highly focus team is a team which have a clear purpose, vision and clear ways of working. b. Team composition Team composition is a group of people that who will ultimate and be responsible for implementing a project. And it also involved in designing and monitoring it. Having the right team members is an essential component of all team building. Another key principle is having team members that have different skills, knowledge and experiences. Because it will generally leads to more creative and flexible in the project. Besides that, the team members can combined and share their individual knowledge on the specific issues that are needed in the project to complete the task. The purpose is to make use of the existing skills and experience to ensure the project moves forward with the best available knowledge. Every team member needs to be selected because of what it is that they are able to bring to the team. Thus, team members should be chosen based on what it is the need from them and their skills. Favoritism is not encouraged. c. Effective communication Communication is the exchange of ideas and information from one person to another that involve a speaker and a listener. It involved a sender transmitting an idea, information, or feeling to a receiver. Communication can be verbal and non-verbal and written. Verbal communication is like words, speech, chatting and so on. Nonverbal communication is like body posture, eye contact, facial expression, appearances and so on. All the team members are from different families and brought up differently. The team members have different cultures. Misunderstanding may occur. So, an effective communication is needed to reduce the misunderstanding among the team members. Another communication is written communication, is like newsletters, status reports, meetings, emails, letter, memo, forum and any other collaboration tools. This can be using to communicate among the team members and update the latest information especially if the interval between the next meeting and the present meeting too lon g. An effective and consistent communication is the most important trait of a successful team. Communication need to be clear while communicating to make sure a clear directive to team members. None of the other traits can occur without communication as information cannot be cascaded to and from the team leader and the team members. Thus, communication is very important to form an effective team. d. Active participation In an ineffective group, we will see some members do not perform fully up to expectations; some are too self-centered; some are too sensitive and temperamental; some are burned out; and some are just cannot get along with others. So, the team leader hold an important role to ensure all the team members participate and contribute to the team in achieving the goal and objective of the team. Brainstorming is usually used for solving the problem. Brainstorming is best when people feel free to present their ideas without the fear of the brunt of organizational politics or being judged, and also when there are no inhibitions. Brainstorming can be one of the most creative methods of solving any problem as it will make people think out of the box. According to a study Psychological Effects of Brainstorming by Pronin, Jacobs Wegner (2008),Velagapudi (2012) , the effects of thought speed on mood are partially rooted in the subjective experience of thought speed. This will results in joy-enhan cing effects of fast thinking. This will create a positive or conducive of environment for team members also. e. Active plan Active plan is one of the effective key components in effective team. The active plan is made and agreed upon by the team members. Hence, the team members have the same goal and same direction to accomplish the task. Besides that, it also includes feedback from the team members especially when making the team decisions. f. Ongoing assessment and evaluation This is a process that will be consistently running to assess the progress of the team. And this is to make sure the progress still within the direction of the goal. Besides that, the excellent staff will be awarded such as put in the credit in the appraisal. Certificate or souvenir can be given as a token of appreciation at the end of the project. While there is the failure during the ongoing progress, special coaching will be given to guide and to overcome the weakness. 3. The Author utilized the key components of effective team building for the Diabetic Awareness Campaign as below: a. Clear state team purpose A clear team purpose and goal need to be developed as this can work wonders for organization development. Goals and plans provide a sense of direction that focus on the specific target and direct the team members towards important outcomes. Besides that, the goal that set need to be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time bound. For example, the specific goal is organize a Diabetic awareness campaign to create the awareness for the community on the diabetic health care to the hospital area. The goal is measurable as it will be held on 17th of November this year in author working hospital main lobby and the estimated participants will be 200 persons from 9a.m until 12 midday. The goal is achievable as the author and other team members will print notices and send to the residents who stay nearby to inform them about this activity. The goal is realistic as the team members have various skills and knowledge to accomplish the objective. The author and other team members will book and check all instruments a day before the exact day. b. Team composition It is important to determine the team member in the team. The selection is according to the team projects and not nepotism. Because it involves how the team members work to achieve the team goal with using their knowledge and their skills. For example, in this Diabetic Awareness campaign, author require the health educator, diabetic nurse for giving the health education, dietitian for diet advice, physiotherapist teaching the exercise, 8 staff nurses for checking the blood glucose and blood pressure. And 4 assistance nurses are needed for the taking participants abdominal girth, weight and height of the participants, 4 ward aides to usher and to register the participants. And author has 4 team members to standby and to take over the staffs when they need to have a short rest while the campaign is on. c. Effective communication Communication can be considered as a most important factor in successful teamwork. Without communication, nothing can be done. Besides that, thrust is develops through frequent and meaningful interaction and communication. According to Henmen (2011), healthy teamwork depends on the ability of the participants to give accurate feedback to each other, even when the feedback is negative. The negative feedback is like when a team member suggests buying the extra glucometer for the poor family, although the idea is good but due to the budget constraint, this will be a negative feedback. There are five tips to make the effective communication. First, during the communication, the languages that uses need to be clear and concise. Second, the information to be delivered need to be complete. To avoid missing important information all the information can be written down on the paper. Third, the communication needs to be in conversational tone because it invites interaction and if in confrontat ion tone, it invites argument. Forth, to make sure the voice and the words is clear so that messages can pass correctly. Fifth, always considerate of other team members feeling and pinpoint the issues and not the person. d. Active participation Encouraging the team members to be active in participation in discussion or brain storming is one of the team leaders tasks. As a team leader, author gives encouragement and motivation in participation of the team members. Recognition will be given to those who had outstanding performance on the task assigned. For example, give a word of well done and give recognition in front all the team members. And also will give recognition for those who have consistency on their task and have the responsibilities and commitment on the task given. Author also will give recognition for the team member who works hard to increase their performance and demonstrate progress. Because as a human being, people feel pride in their works and also care about what the superiors and peers think of their accomplishments. Author also will respects and empower the team member on their task. When the team member is empowered, they feel the ownership of the assigned task and will try their best to perform well. B esides that, it creates a greater sense of responsibility among team members. And the team members will feel enthusiastic in performing the task too. Next, is to trust the team members ability on handling the task that had assigned to them. Thrust is the strong force that binds the atoms of the team. (Preston,2005). e. Active plan During the meeting, open discussion in English or Bahasa Malaysia will be used to prevent misunderstanding. The team goal identified in the earlier part will be the priority. For example, the discussion on the goal or problems can include brainstorming for solution. The team members will understand each individual task. During discussion, the team member can have better coordination of individual skills and able to share their responsibilities also. Follow up session will be made for those who fail or have problem Sometimes, there will have some disagreement in the team because not all peoples have the same ideas and thinking. At this time, looking at the priority of the tasks and the consensus among the team member is important in making the decision of a task. Open debate will be using to rule out the pros and cons of the related issue. Besides that, democratic leadership will be used. Decision must be agreeable by the majority. As a team leader, the author will schedule meetings when everyone will attend. Besides that, author also will plan the dates of meetings and team member will be informed. The meetings will be held once a week. This is to reduce the risk of the team member not able to attend meetings. The attendance of team members is important especially while making the team decision. A mechanism also will develop to inform the meeting minutes and decisions especially for those team member that are unable to attend such as email, hard copy and so on. This is to make sure every team members has the chance in the consensus of making the decision for the team. f. Ongoing assessment and evaluation The works of the team member need to be assessed. This is to ensure team members are in the right track, not slow in progress and not meeting difficulties. The team members are also advised to give feedback on the task or difficulties they have met. Besides that, gathering the feedback is also important because the feedback may help to improve the job. If there is a failure, an audit team needs to come in to do the assessment to rule the failure. At the end of the campaign, the entire team member will need to do an evaluation for program. Author will take this opportunity to acknowledge the team member that had done well on their work. And also will discuss on the skills that could be improved. Besides that, to assess on the job satisfaction on the team members to make a plan that author could be improve in effective team building. 4. Conclusion As a conclusion, in high-performance team, the team members are co-operatives rather than competitive. The team member are supporting one another and work towards with hand in hand to reach the common goal rather than being divisive. Thus, the six key components are very essential to form effective teams and get the outcome as plan. (2802 words)

Improvement Is Better Than Delayed Perfection

Improvement Is Better Than Delayed Perfection Question-Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection  Mark Twain (1835-1910). Analyse this statement critically and rigorously with reference to appropriate literature sources. Introduction This essay will be looking at the importance of quality and continuous improvement at a glance within an educational context. The writers interest in the topic is merely to explore and understand the essence to which every establishment for whatever purpose it was built upon should strive in continuous improvement to services rendered to its customers and the community at large while maintaining quality services. The focus is to highlight any flaws within the organisational practice with which quality could still be improved upon for the good of the whole community. The structure of the essay will take an explicit interpretation and description of quality and continuous improvement while portraying an interventionist stance at the conclusive statements made at the end of the essay. Literature review The concept of Quality Quality management is a systematic way of guaranteeing that organized activities happen the way they are planned. It is a management discipline concerned with preventing problems from occurring by creating the attitudes and controls that make prevention possibleà ¢ By Philip Crosby Writings in 2008, Winch and Gingell state that during the 1990s it became fashionable to talk about ËÅ"quality in education. Part of the reason for this is a renewed interest in accountability. Why should the concern for accountability be expressed in terms of quality? One major reason is that concerns about whether or not a particular form of education is worthwhile have been expressed in terms of a paradigm derived from manufacturing industry. ËÅ"Quality in a commercial context strongly connotes product usefulness and reliability. ËÅ"Quality assurance refers to systems that are robust enough to ensure that products that are defective or unreliable simply do not get made. The idea, as one quality guru has said, is to ËÅ"get it right first time. Of course, an artefact can be scrapped or reworked if it is defective, but a service cannot. If it is not ËÅ"right first time then it is not right. Some effective quality assurance systems ought to be particularly relevant to service are as of economic activity. Whether or not it is in the private or the public sector of the economy, it is sometimes maintained that education has the characteristics of a service industry. In particular, if education is poorly provided then there is no second chance for the recipient. A diner at a restaurant who has a badly cooked meal will feel disgruntled but will suffer no permanent damage. On the other hand, the pupil who receives a poor education may not even feel disgruntled but may suffer permanent damage in terms of future life prospects. It is, then, not surprising to hear that a key feature of educational accountability is the provision of quality assurance systems. Every aspect of leadership and management across all sectors of most organisations require a sustainable approach towards ensuring quality and sustainable measures are being utilised and developed within a global context. This includes measures which most leaders would adopt towards maintaining and sustaining the strategic aims of any organisation with due considerations of internal and external forces which influences the decisions made each day. An example of what entails leadership that is sustainable through quality measures can be found in a school management system. Where the Head teacher aspires to have very committed students who have good grades, a good school structure and a qualitative staff that would help the school achieve its strategic objectives successfully. But during the process of strategising for an academic year other factors comes into play i.e. customer service, effective acquisition and deployment of resources, school budget for the academic year etc. There may be a number of key factors that would help achieve such success Firstly, a well-devised system of service evaluation process of Search-Feedback-Act that could be put in place involving all employees, not just management or teachers, in developing plans for improvement. Secondly, all employees could be given considerable education and training to help them improve service quality and would actively and systematically encourage creativity and innovation. Thirdly, the organisation that may move away from measuring quality purely by the number of complaints it gets from customers and the impressions of the head of personnel department. Instead, organisations implement a multi-factor index which includes quantitative points such as the length of time customers have to spend being tested into the school, and qualitative points such as the friendliness/politeness experienced at reception. The concept of Continuous improvement Continuous improvement has been successfully used by the Japanese for a number of years, and the Japanese word kaizen is used to describe it. The idea of kaizen is not to sit back once improvements have been made to a product, but to be almost like bees working away at a hive. Each does a little at a time, but by adding on an incremental basis they can eventually produce something that is much larger and better. The issue of quality can be approached in the same way, so that very minor changes over time can result in a considerable improvement in performance. For example, the levels of fuel efficiency in the average saloon car have improved dramatically over recent years. This has been made possible due to the cumulative effects of continual minor changes in car body shape, fuel delivery systems and engine design (.Porter, K., Smith, P., Fagg, F. 2006). Foskett, N., Lumby, J. 2003 states that the third way of defining quality (in regards to continuous improvement) is to match the current state with an imagined future improved state. In other words, individuals or groups not necessarily take as their comparator an existing standard or expectation but, rather, work creatively to suggest ways to which a current aspect of education could be improved. This definition is realistically based on working form what exist to what could be achieved. It is a universally applicable in theory in that ideas for improvement will take into account resources and political realities. However, the emphasis on continuous improvement is predicated on a degree of autonomy and power that may not exist in all institutions or cultures. If governments impose a structure or curriculum on schools/colleges, or if the internal management structures are hierarchical and controlling, then the freedom of staff, parents and students to suggest ways forward is clearly constrained. This idea of continuous improvement can be linked to Demings(1986) idea of Plan, Do, Study and Act, where a problem is examined, information is gathered and a plan to improve it is suggested. The ËÅ"Do part is when the plan is tested on a small scale, followed by the ËÅ"Study stage, where evaluation of the trial takes place to see if any other issues have arisen. The ËÅ"Act stage is where the plan becomes standard and is carried out continuously. This leads back into the ËÅ"Plan stage for further analysis. The question then arises of how one assures the quality of education. There are two answers which are not necessarily incompatible with each other. The first focuses on processes, the second on outcomes. Process-based quality assurance relies on observation of teaching and learning and the activities that support it, as the key determinant of whether the education being offered is worthwhile. Inspection is the most common form of process quality assurance. Outcome-based quality assurance relies on the assessment of the outcomes against certain pre-agreed standards. Examination and testing are the most common forms. Leadership Approaches Qualitative leadership skills in educational management revolve around factors described below: Identifying the key issues Improving Customer satisfaction and ways of measuring it Customer care training employees and setting standards Employee involvement in overall goals of the organisation. Improving quality observation and benchmarking Reflection and conclusion Quality and organisational culture- Foskett, N., Lumby, J. (2003) stated that Quality can also be relative to cultural norms. What appears to be quality provision for pre-school children in China will look very different to western eyes and vice versa. They further noted that measures of Quality by definition are dependent on numeric values in relation to, e.g., examination passed or examinations met, but such values do not necessarily capture the variety of outcomes expected of education or the dynamic changes in expectations in the experiences of even the learner, let alone the all those of an institution. Quality will therefore remain a fluid and nebulous concept, interpreted variously in practice, an orthodox to which many feel indebted to follow. No single prescription will secure improvement in quality in a context as complex and animated as a school or college. The most that an educationist can do is to remain aware of the imprecision of the concept and be sensitive to both th e educational and micro-political forces which affect its achievements, choosing with care from the plethora of taxonomies, philosophies, good practice and recommended process they can offer. Methodology Qualitative researched literature review was adopted which typically includes positivist, interpretive, constructionist, critical, and participatory paradigms. The researchers perspective stems from the long documented history of naturalistic observation in real-world situations. Views of positivism range from conservative to progressive-activist, but all involve the belief that reality is external to self and can be observed using tools that produce information that can be understood and interpreted by others. The essay is linked historically to social activism through the idea that social situations can be studied, critiqued, and subsequently changed. The essay may have collected data through observations or various forms of instruments and often derive explanations for their results from pre-existing theory without concern for whether the study population understands or agrees with their views. a literature review is very much a plural rather than a singular one as there are many literatures a researcher must examine to produce a coherent literature review. For example, by doing qualitative research, the researcher is joining an ongoing debate in some shape or form. The originality of an idea, an approach, or a theoretical reinterpretation adds to existing literature. The objective of this entry is to describe the plurality of literature, to underline the difference between general and specific literatures, to highlight how to use theoretical literature as a tool to increase understanding of a subject area and test a research question or hypothesis, and to examine the methodology and data literatures that form important parts of the research process.( GIVEN, M. L. 2008) Data findings on quality and continuous improvement in educational context. Wherever an educational operation is based, whether it is public or private, it needs customers, and consumer choice has increased dramatically over the past twenty years because of three factors: globalisation, technology and competition. Technology Technology provides opportunities and threats. The development of computer technology in the form of online and blended learning, podcasts, webcasts and blogs can and increasingly will provide consumers with the option of new self-study methods and the choice to learn with an organisation in a foreign country while living at home or working in the office. At some point translation software may even negate the need for some people to learn a foreign language. These technologies, however, also provide organisations with opportunities to provide new methods of learning and new means of communication with customers. The rise of online learning and blended learning programmes, plus the expansion in state education of new technology [such as interactive whiteboards] means that students are increasingly more techno-literate. It also means that as technology develops and becomes more part of our everyday lives, students generally expect language classes, which in some cases take up a large p art of their disposable income, to be technologically well-equipped. The exponential growth of technology cannot be ignored as the speed of technological advancement is unlikely to slow down. Competition Competition may come from new organisations entering the market, as mentioned above, but it may also appear in other forms. As other countries gain economic power, their languages become more important and people begin to study them to enable them to enter that economy. This phenomenon has already been observed (Graddol, 1997) with Spanish, Arabic and Mandarin expected to gain importance over the next decades, eventually becoming a serious threat to English as a foreign language. As economies develop, education is becoming increasingly important as skill becomes essential to finding work. An increasing number of courses are becoming available, especially in the field of computers and information technology, which compete with ELT for customers, particularly within the training budget of major companies. Gaining an Edge over Competitors If an organisation has an element of its service which is different or more attractive than its competitors it is said to have achieved competitive advantage. Gaining competitive advantage requires a cross functional approach between an aspect of marketing which gathers data about customer needs and expectations and the day-to-day operational functions that translate those market needs into operational capabilities. The roles of marketing and managing the day to day operation are often taken by one person in small organisations, which can make it easier to translate customer needs into operational reality. In a small private language school of ten teachers, for example, the director may be the focal point for information about the local market, the local economy, the type of customers the school serves and how they feel about the service. In a school of this size the director may also be the person who decides what courses are offered and whether the market is best served by, for example, offering expensive one-to-one ESP tuition for business professionals or cheap general English courses for classes of 20 students. A not-for-profit organisation may also consider pursuing a particular strategy based on the kind of customers it serves. For example, a charitable or state ELT organisation may decide to provide cheap walk-in English classes for disadvantaged mothers to attend as and when they have time. In this case, flexibility is the key to satisfying the customer and gaining competitive advantage. The three factors of globalisation, technology and competition mean that educational organisations have to pay increased attention to the needs and expectations of existing and potential customers to retain them and to attract new ones. By gathering information on customers needs and through market analysis organisations can develop a service which is different or more attractive than that of competitors. (Walter. 2001) Conclusion If stakeholders allow ourselves to get caught by the short-term disease of modern management, non-thinking, market-driven practices then the idea of sustainable organization is out of the question. Also the chance of ever reaching the levels desired will be eliminated in all but the shortest of measures. It is necessary for every leader of the future to know enough about the moral side of business and how it could be approached with sacrificial aims through which sharing and upholding several values together among competitors would improve upon global problems. Or how the socio-economic profit of the organization could be able to express or aid the concerns required to reflect a longer-term view of the community at large. I would recommend that every leader in every spectrum or field of study to bring about ways through which the underlining influences bordering the choices we make in life (in regards to quality and continuous improvement) should reflect upon the healing societal issues rather than competing. Just as we know in the history of human relations over time that competition brings about a chaotic state while the harmony of shared values and sacrifices brings about societal cohesion and benefits all. References Crosby, P. (1980) Quality is Free. McGraw-Hill. Deming, W. (1986) Out of the Crisis. MIT. Foskett, N., Lumby, J.(2003) Leading and managing education-International dimensions.London. Paul Chapman Publishing Given, M. L. (2008)The SAGE Encyclopaedia of Qualitative research methods. California. Sage Publication series Graddol, D.(1997) The future of English. London. The British council Porter, K., Smith, P., Fagg, F. (2006) Leadership and Management for HR Professionals Oxford.Butterworth-Heinemann Walker, J. (2001). Clients Views of TESOL Expectations and Perceptions The International Journal of Educational Management 15/4. MCB University Press http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/viewPDF.jsp?Filename=html/Output/Published/EmeraldFullTextArticle/Pdf/0600150404.pdf Walker, J. (2007)Service Climate in New Zealand Language Centres Journal of EducationalAdministration 2007 Volume: 45 Issue: 3 http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/viewPDF.jsp?Filename=html/Output/Published/EmeraldFullTextArticle/Pdf/0740450305.pdf Winch, C., Gingell, J.(2008) Philosophy of education. Oxon. Routledge publishers

Ford Motor Company: The River Rouge Manufacturing Complex :: American America History

Ford Motor Company: The River Rouge Manufacturing Complex The first piece of material I gathered was a picture via the internet. This picture is of the River Rouge assembly plant in Dearborn, Michigan. This picture shows the manufacturing of the fender for a Ford Motor Company product. It also shows the facilities of the Rouge plant and how the plant itself was state of the art. This plant was the largest of its kind at the time of its construction. The Ford Motor Company at the time was one of the leaders in labor relations. This picture shows the size of the plant as well as the working conditions in the facility. When viewing the photograph you can see the array of pipes and collection devices to aid in the circulation of air and the collection of dust and other by products made in the plant. The next component I found is another picture of the interior of the Rouge plant. This picture is one of many conveyer belts in the plant. This belt is moving engine parts from the engine assembly to the final assembly. Henry Ford was a pioneer in the use of the assembly line in the automobile industry, and the Rouge plant was the ultimate in that use of the assembly line. This photo shows the depth of the plant, being able to manufacture all components of the cars without having to ship parts to or from other locations in the country. The next collection of photographs is of the exterior of the Rouge plant. These photos were obtained from the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. These pictures are of the Rouge during the switch of all production, from the Highland Park plant, to the Rouge. It was also the time that the Model A was beginning production. This collection shows examples of four exterior views of the plant, allude to the many different factories within the Rouge plant. The Rouge was a steel mill, a foundry, a power producer and, an assembly line. This all encompassing idea helped ford relegate all aspects of the production of their product. Along with the exterior, the interior showed the extent of the all encompassing Rouge plant. The interior photographs, which were also care of the Henry Ford Museum, show more factories within the factory. For example, the four photos in this collection display metal forming, and metallurgical operations. These pictures included forging, the blast furnaces, removal of slag and, even salvaging scrap from metal ships. The interior had two collections to view and the second reaffirmed what the

Culture in Willy Russells Educating Rita Essay -- Educating Rita Essay

Over the last few weeks I have been reading a play by an author called Willy Russell, it is called Educating Rita. The play begins by introducing the two main characters, Frank and Rita. Rita is a young woman in her mid twenty?s, living in a working class culture. Rita is not happy with the way her life is going, she wants to be seen as more middle class, so she decided to take a course at the Open University to study litterateur. Frank on the other hand is Rita?s tutor at the university also middle aged alcoholic living in a middle class culture. Frank is unhappy with the way things are going in his life, his wife has left him due to an argument over poetry and he is now living with a younger tutor named Julia. The play unfolds as Frank and Rita?s cultures clash together. Educating Rita was first performed in the 1980s. This was a particularly strange time for people in Britain because there was a great deal of civil unrest, this meant the people were not happy with the way the government was running the country. There was also a mining strike and unemployment was very hi...

Justice Essay

Discuss and evaluate the view of the concept of Justice in relation to Othello and two supplementary texts. Justice is to live in a society that is fair to everyone, were everyone’s human rights are met and were everyone has equal opportunity to succeed. The concept of justice is portrayed rather unevenly in Othello and does not prevail as the villain, Iago, is still alive while his ‘victims’ are not. Also in my supplementary texts the balance of justice is uneven. One of my supplementary texts ‘Men of Honour’ is a film about a black sailor, Carl Brashear, trying to become a US Navy Diver but his training officer, Billy Sunday, makes it hard for him because of his colour. In the end of Men of Honour justice does prevail as Carl becomes a navy diver. My other supplementary text the ‘I Have a Dream’ speech is about a man, Martin Luther King, telling the world about the injustices against black people in America and how justice should be achieved. My argument is that justice is not achieved in Othello while it is achieved in ‘Men of Honour’ and it is explained in the ‘I have a Dream’ speech. Othello is written by William Shakespeare in England when Prejudice against women and people of different race was acceptable in society. In Othello racial prejudice, gender injustice and Vigilante injustice are very prominent especially towards the end of the play. Desdemona, Emilia and Bianca are treated like second class citizens because of their gender and Othello feels alienated by white society and feels he is always being judged because of his colour. The setting plays a major role in the balance of injustice throughout the play. In the beginning it is set in Venice which seemingly appears democratic and just with Othello being given a fair trial when they discover he has married Desdemona. This is in stark contrast to Cyprus which is the setting for the majority of the play and appears less civilized and lacking any real legal structures. This change of setting changes the behaviour of some of the characters especially Othello, who appears a noble soldier and good husband in Venice, changes when the setting moves to Cyprus and starts to make rash decisions. These changes in Character add to the injustices dealt with by some of the characters. ‘Men of Honour’ is set in America in the 1960s after WWII and during the Vietnam and Cold Wars. This was a time when coloured people were seen as second class citizens and the Navy was also not ready to accept coloured people into jobs of authority. This is represented by â€Å"Two table spoons of machine oil can contaminate a whole ships fresh water supply, some things just don’t mix†. This was the analogy of black people in the military. Even though there was so much prejudice society was aware of the injustices of coloured people and the need for change and there were even laws against segregation in the military but society was still lagging behind the law. The ‘I Have a Dream’ speech was presented in America in 1963 during the Vietnam and Cold Wars. It was presented in front of 200,000 people on the steps of Lincoln Memorial after a march for American Civil rights. It was a time were black people suffered horrific segregation and had little rights and in many southern states white people could commit crimes against them with little chance of repercussions. But it was also a time for social change and people were ready for a change. Racial injustice is where people of different races are not treated equally to the rest of society. In Othello this racial injustice is very prominent and plays a major role in the play. The black army general, Othello, is the man who feels most of the racial injustice in the play. When Iago and Rodrigo are talking privately they talk of Othello very harshly and make reference to his race regularly, â€Å"thick lips†, â€Å"the moor† and â€Å"black ram† are just some of the words they use to describe him This is also a use of animal imagery in â€Å"black ram† which dehumanises Othello. In the play Othello constantly feels like the outsider and having to constantly prove his worth, this is portrayed by â€Å"My parts, my tile and my perfect soul shall manifest me rightly†. This sense of being the outsider because of race is prominent in my two related texts the ‘Men of Honour’ film and the ‘I Have a Dream’ speech. In ‘Men of Honour’ Carl Brashear is a Black Navy man who wishes to become a U. S Navy Diver but because of his colour his trainer, Billy Sunday, makes it nearly impossible for him to become one. His fellow Divers alienate him and insult him in one scene he is spat on and laughed at. â€Å"No offence to the President but I don’t bunk with Niggers†. This shows how he constantly has to prove himself to white society just like Othello and is used to create empathy for Carl. In â€Å"I Have a Dream† the spokes person, Martin Luther King, is trying to persuade the public to judge people on their personality not their race. They will not be judged by the colour of their skin but on the content of their character†. Luther King uses persuasive language to convey the message and have it heard. Likewise Othello feels like he is being judged on his colour and not who he really is â€Å"Speak of me as I am† he uses assertive tone in the verb ‘s peak’ as he is afraid of being judged. Gender injustice is where people are judged on their gender and not treated equally to the other gender and their role in society. In Othello there are many cases of gender injustice and in some cases it is a misunderstanding. Emilia is the woman who is the main victim of gender injustice. Emilia is Iago’s wife and throughout the play she is put down by him and treated like a second class citizen. â€Å"Players your housewifery and housewives in your bed†. This is spoken by Iago and shows his view of women as good for nothing. In ‘Men of Honour’ just like Emilia, Carl is constantly being told that he and his race are good for nothing but cooking in the Navy and will never become a Navy Diver. Bianca, Cassio’s lover, is also a victim and is constantly being called a strumpet and when Cassio is stabbed Iago blames her because no one will believe a woman over a man. Desdemona is another victim of gender injustice as she is not given a fair say by Othello when he suspects her infidelity and kills her. Othello believes that she does not deserve her say and in the end she pays the ultimate price. While Desdemona is pleading with Othello she says â€Å"I never gave him token† but Othello does not give her a chance to explain herself and he judges her without cause. Vigilante Injustice is the act of taking the law into someone’s own hands and acting on something outside the law. In Othello Iago is the main culprit of this as he tries to destroy Othello outside the law. He also tries to convince Rodrigo to help him in his plan of ruining Othello’s life. In ‘Men of Honour’ the commanding officer of the U. S Navy Diving Centre takes the law into his own hands by trying convince Billy Sunday to fail Carl by getting into his head. He says things such as â€Å"Did you know that ordinary house dust is made primarily of human skin, makes you think twice about who you invite into your home†. In Conclusion Othello is not a very just or fair play as throughout the play people are being judged by others because of their gender and race and in the end justice is not achieved. My supplementary texts are also about people being judged and treated unfairly but unlike Othello justice is achieved at the end of my supplementary texts. Othello and my texts also represent the time they were composed, in times when people were judged and treated unfairly because of the colour of their skin or their gender.

Characters in your answer Essay

   Nearer the end of the book, he deals with another situation he faces in a very childish, careless manner, showing that he just wants it over with as soon as possible, and that he doesn’t really care about what is happening, just about himself and his reputation. TJ is about to be hung on Granger Land, by the nightmen for shooting Jim Lee Barnett, and instead of stopping them from murdering TJ, Mr Granger simply says they have to do it on someone else’s land. â€Å"Mr. Granger sent word by me that he ain’t gonna stand for no hanging on his place. He say y’all touch one hair on that boy’s head while he on this land, he’s gonna hold every man here responsible. † However eventually Harlan Granger does stop the hanging, to deal with a different difficulty that he is faced with, but his only true motives for this are because the Logan land is on fire and firstly he wants the land, and secondly he doesn’t want the fire to spread and destroy his own land. â€Å"Dry as that timber is, a fire catch hold it won’t stop burning for a week. Give that boy to Wade like he wants and get on up there! † All in all, Harlan Granger’s ways of dealing with difficulties and situations that he is faced with are not well thought out, and he only deals with them out of selfishness, or for his own reasons rather than to help others. Papa is an adult like Harlan Granger, but he too has different ways of dealing with difficulties and situations that he is faced with. Papa deals with things he more logical way. He shows braveness, and philanthropy throughout the novel, dealing with things in a way that will benefit others more than himself, if not solely for others. At the end of the book, when TJ is in trouble, Papa shows the best signs of doing all he can to help others. Even though the Logans are not well off, Papa sets fire to their cotton field, in order to distract the nightmen from hanging TJ, because he knows that they will come and try to put it out. This results in uniting the community. â€Å"Papa stared out as a bolt of lightning splintered the night into a dazzling brilliance. † He is clever, because like Cassie, he plans the situation before he goes through with it, working out how he can make the fire look accidental, realising that the lightning could have struck. He doesn’t tell a soul or admit to it, so that no harm can come to him. â€Å"folks thinkin’ that lightning struck that fence of yours and started the fire†¦ † â€Å"It’s better, I think that you stay clear of this whole thing now David†¦ † â€Å"†¦ Or somebody might start wondering about that fire†¦ † For his final difficulty, Papa is faced with his four children asking what will become of their friend, TJ. He doesn’t lie to them, and yet he doesn’t directly answer their question when they ask if TJ could die, so he is not hurting them but they still know. â€Å"I ain’t never lied to y’all, y’all know that. † â€Å"Well, I†¦ I wish I could lie to y’all now. † To sum up Papa’s character, he is very much like his daughter, calculating, clever, and planning everything, but he is much wiser, and doesn’t act childish. His actions usually result in helping other people, they rarely hurt people unnecessarily. He is very unlike Harlan Granger, because he doesn’t have his own private agenda. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Mildred Taylor section.