Thursday, October 31, 2019

W 10 Employment Impact-Discussion- environmental Essay

W 10 Employment Impact-Discussion- environmental - Essay Example n that arises is whether environmental conservation will result in net loss or gain or no change in the total number of jobs creation in a given country, Environmental improvement deals with both technological as well as green environment. Therefore, when technological environment improvement, it proportionally lowers the chances of job creation as in; it does replace human manual work to machine era. As a result, this eliminates the possibility of providing a wide spectrum for human job environment. On the contrary, when green environment is improved, it in returns gives rise to jobs in any country. For instance, if high carbon economy is lowered to the low-carbon economy, this will alternatively increase the chances of having more jobs. Evidently, the research done by â€Å"national environmental program† has it that, if green environment is improved it will rise the number of jobs. Statistically,15 to 60n million of jobs will be created if green environment is emphasized, in the near future as says Juan Somavia. In conclusion, basing to the environment improvement (whether technological or green environment) leads to either net gain in a job or net loss. Technological improvement does replace human manual work to machine work hence discouraging net total job gain. On the other hand, green environment improvement encourages net total gain in job creation in any country. To curb it all, I do concur that gain, loss or stagnation of total jobs in a country and the job, is based on the specific environmental

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Israel and Palestine Issues Essay Example for Free

Israel and Palestine Issues Essay The issues between Palestine and Israel originate in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The list could drag on and on about what exactly they are fighting about but most of their issues are somehow related to land and property. To this day they can’t come to an agreement on who owns Jerusalem. That has been a touchy subject for ages. Israel is also worried about their settlements they have created since the Six Day War and what will happen to them if and when a peace treaty is defined. One cause of Palestine’s’ fury has to do with the refugees which occurred from the Israeli War of Independence in 1948. In brief, these two countries’ conflict is long ago rooted and still there hasn’t been a resolution for the troubles they are having. First off Israel and Palestine have been unable to decide who gets to claim Jerusalem as their own. Both countries title Jerusalem as their Holy place of worship. Israeli’s are for the most part Jewish and Palestinian’s are Muslim; Jewish book of holies is the Tenach and Muslim book of holies is the Koran. In the Tenach Jerusalem is mentioned over 700 times whereas in the Koran it wasn’t mentioned once. We can trace back Jerusalem as being the capital of Israel 2,000 years before Islam/Palestine was created. There is no record of Palestine ever having control or right, if you will, over Jerusalem. Israeli’s and Palestinians are concerned about their religious holy places under the governing of the other country. On occasion, Palestine has not allowed Jews to visit the Western Wall, and Jewish cemeteries have been abused or violated. Israel on the other hand, has seldom blocked sacred sights of another religion. Jerusalem has been a long disputed piece of land between these two groups of people and it probably won’t get any better. Next in order, during the Six Day War Jewish communities were captured by Israel from Jordan. Since then Israel has set up more than 130 settlements. The majority of Jews live in 8 of the largest settlements, which Israel would like to free and make theirs in a peace treaty agreement with the Palestinians. Most of the large ones border Israel and the West Bank, excluding a few which dwell deep inside Palestinian territory. Building and remodeling of the settlements has been an ongoing project since 1967. In 1997 they had formed 31 settlements with 4,400 people; in 1992 they had a total of 120 settlements with a total of 100,000 people; and in 2009 the opulation had grown to more than 306,000 people. This arguing about the settlements is one cause to the stalling of the peace process between these two countries. The Palestinians are being inconvenienced because the settlements redirect the resources needed by their towns. They also stunt the traveling of Palestinians because the security challenges them if they pass through the local roadways. Third of all, Palestinian Refugees haven’t been allowed to return to their families and homeland after the 1948 Israeli War of Independence. The estimated number of Israeli’s who either fled or were thrown out of their country tolled about 711,000 in 1949. In 2010 a survey was taken and they found out that there were more than 4. 7 million descendants of the original refugees. One third of them live in camps in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip, the rest live in towns and cities near the refugee camps. Palestine is urging the right of the refugees to return to the places they lived before the war but new Israeli law only allows Jews to gain citizenship. Therefore Palestinians cannot apply because obviously they are Muslim. Israeli’s ponder the possibility of letting the refugees return in the form of a family reunion and allowing a vague number of further refugees to settle as well. This resolution involves the U. S. to help aid the refugees with money and services until they are able to provide for themselves and get back on their feet in the new setting. Israel and Palestine still haven’t resolved this issue because they are more concerned with bigger issues. In summary, Palestine and Israel have many unresolved issues that may or may not ever be dealt with. Both countries have their own beliefs and practices which more than likely won’t be able to coincide and cooperate long enough to make agreements and choices that benefit both sides and make everyone happy. Clearly if they don’t start making compromises and giving up a little to get what they want no one that lives there will ever be happy because the problems will just be sitting there getting bigger and bigger, eventually turning into another war.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Developing Independence in Client with Disabilities

Developing Independence in Client with Disabilities Critical Perspective on Diversity Introduction Mandy, a 44-year-old female with moderate learning difficulty, epilepsy, and with a congenital deformity of her limbs has restricted mobility, and limited manual dexterity. Mandy’s condition has caused her to be cared for by her parents since she was born, with the exception of two incidents. Mandy’s father was well informed, he managed to obtain for Mandy full benefit entitlement as well as a substantial payment from the independent living fund before he passed away. Mandy’s mother is the primary caregiver, and the funds that her father set into place before he died pays for her share of living expenses, food, medication, and related allowable expenses. Additionally, the money that Mandy receives permits her to have a carer visit the home for two hours, five days a week, to assist in helping Mandy’s mother. The carer assists in helping to move and wash Mandy as well as dress her and other tasks as a result of the advancing age of Mandy’s mother, wh ose health is deteriorating. The loss of her mother’s husband has left her in a state of long term grieving, for which she has been taking anti-depressants as well as anti-inflammatory drugs. Mandy’s mother has always been there for her, but she is approaching 60 years of age. Over the years, Mandy’s mother has become rather rigid in her beliefs concerning what Mandy can as well as cannot do. Mandy attends a respite care unit at a long stay hospital and has informed her key worker she wants to leave home as things there have become tense and Mandy does not get along with her mother presently as she did in the past, owing to her new condition. Mandy’s respite care is a short term break for patients from their caregivers as well as vice versa, whereby in Mandy’s situation, she is away from home as opposed to someone coming to the house (Rett Syndrome Association, 2006). Respite care is an official program that is a part of the ‘National Strategy for Carers’ that specifically is designed to provide carers with a break from devoting their time to the individual they look after, which is seen as an important component in maintaining a healthy relationship between the caregiver and the patient (Department of Health, 2007a). Prime Minister Tony Blair, in a forward to the ‘National Strategy for Carers’ document stated â€Å"The national strategy for carers – the first ever by a Government in Britain – sets out what we have been doing, and what we are going to do. It offers practical help in ways which are needed, and which will work. Carers will have better information. They will be better supported. They will be cared for better themselves† (Department of Health, 2007a). And while Mandy’s mother performs her care giving activities out of love for her daughter, the implication is clear. The publication for the government informs us that the important service rendered by carers is performed primarily by paid caregivers, representing three-fifths of the total number of people that are looking after an individual with a disability (Department of Health, 2007a). The publication states that women are more likely to be carers than males, and that throughout the United Kingdom there are over 855,000 individuals that care for someone over 50 hours a week, with over 5.7 million, representing one out of every six households (Department of Health, 2007a). In Mandy’s mother’s case, it represents just the ten-hour break she gets on a weekly basis. Respite care is one of the initiatives under the program-implemented buy the government to provide assistance to carers. As mentioned, Mandy has told her key worker that she would like to leave home. Because Mandy attends a respite care unit, there are no cost implications as it is a part of the national program under the National Strategy for Carers (Department of Health, 2007). Mandy’s disability allowance, as is the case with all social care allotments, requires residency in the United Kingdom, as per the following requirements 1). That the applicant must normally be a resident in Great Britain, 2). The applicant must not be subject to immigration control, 3). The applicant must be in Great Britain when making the claim, and lastly 4). That the applicant must have been in Great Britain, the Isle of Man, and either Jersey and or Guernsey for at least 26 weeks of the last 52 weeks (Directgov, 2007a). As Mandy qualifies and has qualified under the preceding, her desire to change her circumstances from home assisted living to a long stay hospital requires a local council assessment (Directgov, 2007b). The preceding is a part of the regulations and requirements in order for the local council to assess as well as work at the support the patient needs for such a change. As Mandy is learning impaired, and her mother has stated that she is the one who decide s what Mandy can or cannot do, Mandy will be filing for the change in carers without the aid of her parent. The learning disability impairment makes the preceding a difficult proposition for Mandy to take on herself, thus she will need help. Her key worker at the respite care unit has offered to help Mandy and thus in order to do so, needs to contact the disabilities teams social worker that is assigned to Mandy’s case, or simply the disabilities team itself, as well as the ‘Valuing People Support Team’ (Care Services Improvement Partnership, 2007a). The Valuing People Support Team was established by the government to address an unintended yet real concerns and problems faced by people with learning disabilities attempting to either be their own voice, or to be heard in the social care system regarding their own personal desires and wishes (Department of Health, 2007b). Prime Minister Tony Blair aptly sums up the purpose of the Valuing People Support Team in stating that People with learning disabilities can find â€Å"†¦ themselves pushed to the margins of our society †¦Ã¢â‚¬  as a result of unintentional circumstances in being able to find â€Å"†¦ the right care, health services, education †¦Ã¢â‚¬  and other aspects (Department of Health, 2007b). He continued that â€Å"At best they feel obstacles are constantly put in their way by society† (Department of Health, 2007b). The foregoing is easy to understand when one realizes that an individual with a learning disability has problems in not only fi nding out things to help themselves, they have problems in completing the paperwork and other facets of the system that has been put there to help them, but in many instances in the past did not as a result of the gap between their learning disabilities and communicating their needs to the system without the help of family members or other parties who either might not desire them to take such an action or simply do not have the time to assist them in wading through the process (Department of Health, 2007b). The Department of Health describes people with learning disabilities as being the most vulnerable as well as socially excluded individuals in the British society (Department of Health, 2007b). In terms of social services, as well as other branches of governmental aid, individuals with learning disabilities faced, in the past, poorly coordinated services, poor planning, and most importantly they had little choice and or â€Å"†¦ control over many aspects of their lives† (Department of Health, 2007b). The publications continues that day services, the contact point for people with learning disabilities, were â€Å"†¦ not tailored to the needs and abilities of the individual†, the last point being ‘abilities’ as the operative word in this instance. People with learning disabilities may be able, over a period of time, or instantly, to verbalise their wants, needs and desires, however, under a system with so many departments and layers, getting in touch with the right department represented a problem. Under the Valuing People Support Team they have a governmental agency that is their road map as well as navigator and operative arm to help them through the system as quickly as possible to the services they needs and or desire. If one thinks about it, the Valuing People Support Team also serves another highly important service, one of being in the position of patients accessing the system. Through a governmental agency helping people to use the system their experiences will provide a wealth of feedback from cases via which to monitor the effectiveness of the entire spectrum of services offered and provided by the government in this area, and make recommendation that have power. This inside system handling of the problems of users of services through its cases is the ideal manner by which to not only put the system on its toes, it represents the perfect feed back mechanism via which to implement improvements and change. In Mandy’s case, this means the first break from one of her parents in her entire life. A prospect, if one is to put themselves in her shoes, that must seem quite intimidating and fearful, in that she has to put her trust in what can be termed as strangers to treat her as family and see to her best interests as her father did. The Valuing People Support Team operates under four key principles, which are 1), Rights, 2). Independence, 3). Choice, and 4). Inclusion as its operational foundation Department of Health, 2007b). Applying these to Mandy’s situation enables one to see the fit and vision of the preceding. The idea is to provide them with choices, thus giving them control over their lives as opposed to being immersed in a society whereby their prospect of finding the appropriate services and or information is left to a ‘well-informed carer’ such as Mandy’s father who waded through all of the necessary steps and information gathering processes to obtain the full benefit for his daughter. In terms of where Mandy is today, in desiring to take control over her life, she needs that same type of assistance, something that was difficult to find. In order to accomplish the objective of providing individuals with learning disabilities with the options to access the system in the manner in which it is intended to work, the Valuing People Support Team was established to function as a ‘well-informed carer’. In the instance of Mandy, the Valuing People Support Team white paper set forth that it understands and has been established to help learning disabled individuals to access housing and other services that fit their needs. In this instance it entails the shift of Mandy from home care assisted living to hospital stay assisted living. Acting in a real sense as her advocate, the Valuing People Support is there to walk Mandy through the maze of social services to aid her in the achievement of her objective. As per its web site, under the Care Services Improvement Partnership, the Valuing People Support Team is there to work with 1), Learning Disability Partnership Boards, 2), Local people and organizations, and 3), Gov ernment Departments (Care Services Improvement Partnership, 2007a). The ‘Team’ 1) offers support as well as advice to people who want to and or are seeking to change services, 2) help people to get together for the purposes of talking and sharing ideas, 3) to listen to what people are saying, and 4) to feed this information back to the government to enable them to have the direct information from the users of the system so that things can be changed and improved for the better (Care Services Improvement Partnership, 2007a). In Mandy’s instance, the Valuing People Support Team as an advocacy department that has been specifically set up for patients with problems like herself (Care Services Improvement Partnership, 2007b). Advocacy The preceding represents the solution to Mandy’s problem, an advocate to listen to her concerns, counsel her as to her options, obtain agreement from Mandy as to the direction she would thus like to take knowing and understanding her options, and then to take the appropriate action based upon the foregoing. The advocacy services segment of the Valuing People Support Team offers the following services 1) self advocacy to enable individuals to speak up for themselves, 2) citizen advocacy whereby people can get to know an individual that has a learning disability and thus be able to get their wishes understood as well as heard, and 3) a short term issue based or crisis advocacy whereby a person is usually paid to speak up for someone regarding a particular issue and or when that person is in a crisis (Care Services Improvement Partnership, 2007b). The Advocacy Toolkit was set up to aid individuals in waking through what this service offers and how it can help. In Mandy’s i nstance, she received the help of her key worker at the respite care unit to get her to the Valuing People Support Team, which is the same course of action that would have been taken by the disabilities team. The disabilities team would have also been able to aid and assist Mandy in the getting to her destination. These teams, disabilities, represent service groups in the individual councils that are positioned within the individual authorities, whose service parameters are limited, however, they are there to assist. A typical disabilities team web site indicates its purpose as being a point of contact regarding disabilities issues that affects young people from partner organizations and other agencies (connexions, 2007). It is in place to offer and provide specialist services to young people between the ages of 13 and 25 who have a statement of special education need. They function as well as offer a limited and lower level specialist service in the pattern of the Valuing People Support Team that is on a lower level, yet in the same vein. Specifically they offer 1) support as well as guidance to personal advisers concerning individual cases, 2) training to personal advisors concerning di sability issues, 3) a direct service for young people that have complex needs, 4) an innovative working arrangement with partner organizations to help young people identify need as well as secure funding, 5) independent advice, along with guidance and information regarding local as well as national special needs provisions, 6) working with individuals as well as groups as advocates and brokers, 7) and provide access to other personal advisors whereby they can help to fulfill requirements as well as guidance as set by the government concerning young people that have a learning disability and or any other type of disability (connexions, 2007). The disabilities team would have not been able to assist Mandy in obtaining her objective of changing her carer, as a result of her age, but could have referred her to the Valuing People Support Team in order for Mandy to complete the process. Advocacy, as stated by Valuing People is that the government’s purpose and aim in putting this service into place was to provide a range of independent advocacy services in each area that permits people with learning disabilities to be able to choose the service(s) that best meet and fulfill their needs. The independent nature of the advocacy services represents one of, if not its most important features and facets as it ensures impartiality on the part of the patient (Care Services Improvement Partnership, 2007b). In addition to advocacy services, the Valuing People Support Team handles many, many other services, including arrangement to place someone at an appropriate residence. Specifically, the Valuing People Support Team states that a long stay hospital does not represent a good place for people with learning disabilities to live in (Care Services Improvement Partnership, 2007c). This option for Mandy is closed as all learning disability patients at long stay hospitals were moved as of March 2006 (Care Services Improvement Partnership, 2007c). Thus, the Valuing People Support Team will need to work with Mandy to hear her needs, wants and desires and advise her on her options. Mandy could not be in better hands than these, as they oversee the full range of services that are available within the health care and social services system. The fact that the Valuing People Support Team oversees the full range of services under the health and social care makes it invaluable to patients as well as t hose seeking help for the first time. It represents a resource that aids all of the departments in getting the person to the right area quickly and avoid moving people around form service to service, and or having them call, hunt and become frustrated in obtaining the assistance and help that they need. . Conclusion Mandy’s situation is in no way unique! There are others that have either similar and or drastically different problems who need empowerment in order to avail themselves of assistance and help when either in trouble or seeking the right governmental services for their condition. The existence of the Valuing People Support Team would be helpful for an immigrant without papers under hospital care in finding out exactly what their options are in terms of support, aid and immigration as a result of a recent event that ended them in that position. Specifically, the case of a gentleman named Boris who arrived in England twenty years ago and never secured his papers. Having had a reversal in circumstances, Boris has been living illegally in England and would up in a hospital as a result of kidney failure. His circumstance in living in an unheated room at the rear of a commercial establishment was unsuitable for return to after his hospital incident that requires follow up care. And as a result of his status, housing options were not open. The Valuing People Support Team represents a resource to aid Boris and the hospital to help this individual. The Valuing People Support Team represents an important governmental resource to aid the citizens of the United Kingdom in wading through he huge maze of services regulations and requirements that is the system of health and social services care. It is helping Mandy and countless others, and will be of aid to Boris as well Bibliography Care Services Improvement Partnership (2007b) Advocacy. Retrieved on 1 May 2007 from http://valuingpeople.gov.uk/dynamic/valuingpeople61.jsp Care Services Improvement Partnership (2007c) Long Stay Hospitals. Retrieved on 1 May 2007 from http://valuingpeople.gov.uk/dynamic/valuingpeople127.jsp Care Services Improvement Partnership (2007) What is the Valuing People Support Team? Retrieved on 1 May 2007 from http://valuingpeople.gov.uk/dynamic/valuingpeople16.jsp connexions (2007) What is this service. Retrieved on 1 May 2007 from http://www.connexionsteesvalley.co.uk/practitioners/aboutus/diabilities/ Department of Health (2007a) National Strategy for Carers. Retrieved on 1 May 2007 from http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4006522 Department of Health (2007b) Valuing People. Retrieved on 1 May 2007 from http://www.archive.official-documents.co.uk/document/cm50/5086/5086.pdf Directov (2007b) Care Homes and hospital. Retrieved on 1 May 2007 from http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/HealthAndWellBeing/HealthServices/CareHomes/DG_10031519 Directgov (2007) Disability Living Allowance – what else you need to know. Retrieved on 1 May 2007 from http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/FinancialSupport/DG_10012424 Rett Syndrome Association (2006) Guidance Note 1: Respite Care or ‘Short Term Breaks’. Retrieved on 1 May 2007 from http://www.rettsyndrome.org.uk/_downloads/respite_booklet.pdf

Friday, October 25, 2019

Donald Trump as a Presidential Candidate Essays -- Trump Should NOT Be

Due to Donald Trump’s lack of political experience, preoccupation with multiple careers, and blatantly self-serving intentions, he should not ever have been considered a reasonable candidate for the presidential election. First of all, Donald Trump is a businessman-not a politician. He received his degree in Economics/Real Estate from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Finance. In 2007, Forbes Magazine reported his annual earnings in entertainment alone to be $32 million. This would have meant a significant pay cut, had he become United States President. Currently, he is the producer and star of â€Å"The Apprentice,† which has been on air since 2004 (â€Å"The Apprentice†). He holds multiple offices at the Trump Organization, and is also a chairman of Trump Hotels and Casino Resorts, Incorporated (Project Vote Smart). Donald Trump has put his name on products and companies both successful and unsuccessful, including food products, corporations, and a clothing line. Trump once stated that â€Å"The stuff that’s been sent over from China falls apart after a year and a half. It’s crap.† Ironically, the majority of his products are manufactured i n China (Webley, 8). How can we expect a man to keep in touch with an entire country when he can hardly keep in touch with his own business? Donald Trump has had some other losses in business as well, including a failed airline business and multiple bankruptcies in his casinos, among other lost investments. (Webley, 3). This may not have been so damaging, if only Donald Trump had any political experience whatsoever, but he has none (Project Vote Smart). Karl Rove, former President Bush’s chief political advisor, once said that being the President of the United States may b... ...lirtation Meant for "The Apprentice" Ratings? - Political Hotsheet - CBS News." Breaking News Headlines: Business, Entertainment & World News - CBS News. CBS, 19 Apr. 2011. Web. 17 May 2011. DiGiacomo, Frank. "President Trump? The Donald Swapped Party Affiliations for Potential Presidential Bid in 2009." Featured Articles From The New York Daily News. New York Daily News, 15 Feb. 2011. Web. 15 May 2011. Gelman, Andrew and Gary King, â€Å"Why Are America Presidential Election Campaign Polls So Variable When Votes Are So Predictable?† 1993. PDF. Rove, Karl. â€Å"What Makes a Great President.† Lecture. Rocco C. Siciliano Forum, Univ. of Utah. 13 Nov 2002. History News Network. George Mason Univ.’s History News Network, 30 June 2003. Web. 08 May 2011. Webley, Kayla. "Trump Airlines - Top 10 Donald Trump Failures - TIME." TIME.com. Time, 29 Apr. 2011. Web. 15 May 2011.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

London by William Blake Essay

Question- Identify a poem that makes a social or political statement. Explain what statement is being made and, with close references to the text, analyse the literary conventions used to convey the statements. Further, explain how this helps you gain a stronger understanding of the poem`s main theme(s). I have chosen the poem London by William Blake; I will explain how Blake is making a social and political statement by addressing the inequality and oppression within the city of London in the late 18th century. I will also examine how the poet manages to convey his opinion through poetic techniques. The poem is set in the City of London during the Industrial revolution, when there was a population explosion in the cities of the UK due to the movement of people from rural areas to urban areas in search of work. The sudden urbanisation in cities such as London put pressure on the standards of living and caused extreme poverty, people lived in horrific conditions. Due to the poor sanitation, there was a rapid spread of diseases such as cholera. William points to the corruption within the city of London; this poem is a form of social and political protest against the oppressive landlords and authorities of the city. In the first stanza William Blake talks of wandering through the streets that are privately owned, and states even the river Thames is not free from ownership. He is making a social/political comment about the ruling class and how everything that should be free to every citizen in London but has actually been stolen by the ruling class. His sense of inequality and oppression is clear from the very beginning. The repetition of the word â€Å"chartered† emphasises the bureaucracy that William felt was controlling the people of London. He also uses repetition with the word â€Å"mark† when he comments on the effects of this control and oppression has on the ordinary working class people. He states that in every face he sees there is a look of helplessness, and hopelessness for the future, all the people in despair. In the second verse, the poet continues to emphasise the oppression of the people. He uses repetition by emphasizing the word every, he is talking about every member of the population being enslaved by the ruling class and all are sorrowful this creates a feeling of depression on the streets of London. He talks about how minds are being controlled by using a metaphor to great effect: â€Å"The mind-forg’d manacles I hear. † The image being conveyed is that of a mind being manacled, unable to have hope for the future, and the suppression of thought, suggesting an imprisonment of the mind. Perhaps he felt that people were being socialized into accepting their fate, the authorities would want to supress any sense of rebellion In the third verse Blake make reference to the plight and exploitation of child workers, in this case Chimney sweeps. Child labour was cheap, but families relied on their meagre wages to survive. The children had to work long hours, in very harsh and dangerous environments. William Blake is appalled about how church and the palace sits back and does nothing to ease the plight of the destitute. Every black’ning Church appals; and the hapless Soldier’s sigh Runs in blood down Palace walls† The reference to soldier`s sigh represents men having to serve their country for a cause they do not agree with but feel they have no choice. Blake is appointing blame to these institutions that are supposedly meant to care and offer hope to people, yet there is no help forthcoming. His imagery creates a picture of a deep mourning within society. In the final stanza, he draws attention to the plight of the young prostitute on the dark night streets. When in a time of harsh economic trouble; young women may have had no choice but to turn to prostitution. Blake is drawing attention to the young women who are also victims of exploitation. â€Å"Blasts the new-born Infant’s tear and blights with plagues the Marriage hearse. † These women not only neglect their offspring but insult, damage, denigrate their children – we might think this is because of how these babies are got, or the circumstances of life – but the poet makes no mention or understanding, noting again, only the negative appearance, in a most unpleasant, off putting, unsympathetic way. Marriage is a â€Å"hearse† as opposed to a joyful partnership, marriages are killed or destroy those within it – and this is linked to the presence of young prostitutes who are either victims of, or the cause of – we cannot know further, because the poet walks on, breaking off communication with us and leaving us with only this singularly dark impression. One clue is the use of the word â€Å"plague†. The prevalence of what we would refer to as STD’s – a real plague in Victorian London, where the availability of prostitutes, lack of birth control and social attitudes meant that uncounted numbers of men brought an invisible virus home to the marriage bed. This must have had a debilitating, frightening impact on many of the population. The resultant levels of sickness among middle class – and no doubt other – women terribly deformed and blinded children, and all because of a topic that would affect almost every family but which was not discussed. William`s political views are clear throughout, his distrust of authority, and his hatred of the enslavement of society. He projects this through his dark imagery. His language throughout is morose and this sets the scene of a society ridden with poverty, working class people constantly being trod on by the ruling class. His social protest leaves the reader in do doubt that William detests the inequality and oppression that he sees all around him and also helps the reader to understand how hard it was to live during the industrial revolution unless you were a member of the ruling class.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Participative Leadership

Question Participative leadership style is always more effective than autocratic/directive leadership styles. Discuss. Executive Summary To say there has been an immense amount of research undertaken on the topic of leadership would be an understatement. The theoretical and empirical research on leadership in the workplace covers a diverse range of theory and there has been much critique and discussion of the theories to date. This paper review will discuss the path-goal leadership theory and it’s application in an organisational setting. The first part of the report will look at the evolution of this theory and the underpinning elements of each leadership style. The second part will compare participative and directive leadership styles using examples to illustrate the relevant use of each style and necessity for leaders to be able to use both or a combination of the two. Table of Contents Introduction p. 4 Path-Goal Leadership Theoryp. 4 Participative vs. Directive Leadershipp. 6 Practical Implicationsp. 8 Conclusion p. 9 Reference Listp. 10 Introduction For decades the study of leadership has been a focus in management, psychology and organisational behaviour with â€Å"over 35,000 research papers, articles and books written† on the topic in an attempt to define leadership and understand which style best drives effective leadership (Killian 2007). In 1974 Stogdill said, â€Å"there are almost as many definitions of leadership as there are persons who have tried to define the concept† (Yukl 1989, p. 251). A statement that is relatively true even 37 years on with many approaches to leadership still emerging and continued debate and discussion around the existing theories. A modern and fairly recent definition of leadership explains it as â€Å"influencing, motivating and enabling others to contribute toward the effectiveness and success of the organisations of which they are members† – a definition agreed upon by fifty four leadership experts from thirty eight countries (McShane, Olekalns & Travaglione 2010). With so much research dedicated to the subject of leadership there are a vast array of theories and associated leadership styles including but not limited to: * Trait Theories * Contingency Theories * Situational Theories Behavioural Theories * Transformational Theories Each has their own unique approach and perspectives on what constitutes an effective leader however for the purpose of this report the focus will be on the path-goal theory and the leadership styles it encompasses. Path-Goal Leadership Theory The path-goal approach to leadership is one of several contingency theories. The contingency perspective is built upon the not ion that leaders choose their style to suit the situation and this contemporary model has had much noteworthy critique and testing over the years. Defined as an â€Å"expectancy theory of motivation that relates several leadership styles to specific employee and situational contingencies† ((McShane, Olekalns & Travaglione 2010, p461), the theory suggests that a leader can have an influence on the performance, satisfaction and motivation of their subordinates which can be applied through all levels of an organisation. Evans and House first initiated support for the path-goal theory of leadership in the early 1970s following inconsistencies in the results of earlier research. A study by Evans (1970) of two organisations demonstrated a link between the behavior of leaders and the impact on the behavior and goal attainment of subordinates. In 1971 House presented a path-goal theory of leadership effectiveness derived from a path-goal theory of motivation, which posed a theory on the effects of leader behavior on subordinate satisfaction, motivation and performance. The study reconciled conflicting research that had previously been conducted on the topic and support of the hypothesis tested lead to further research and development of this theory. As illustrated below ((McShane, Olekalns & Travaglione 2010, p463) the performance and satisfaction outcome of subordinates is a result of three components – leader behavior, environmental factors and subordinate contingencies. According to the theory are there four clearly defined styles of leader behaviour (House & Mitchell 1974, House 1996): 1. Directive – the leader gives instructions about what, how & when tasks need to be completed and how performance will be measured. Ideal for ambiguous or non-routine tasks. 2. Supportive – leaders provide psychological and social support and go out of their way to make work pleasant for employees. Used in stressful situations that may be unsatisfying or frustrating. 3. Participative – the leader shares decision making with the team and encourages and takes their opinions and suggestions into account when making a decision. When team members are autonomous, need control and clarity and are heavily involved in their work this style can be used. 4. Achievement Oriented – behavior that is directed towards encouraging employees to achieve their peak performance through challenging goals. Ideal in situations where employees are highly motivated and driven to succeed. The path-goal model is based on the assumption that each leadership style will be effective in different situations depending on the two variables outlined above – employee contingencies and environmental contingencies. A leader needs to be able to adapt to different situations by selecting the style that suits employee needs or using a combination. Not all leaders will naturally exhibit all four leadership styles above or be comfortable using them but under this model a leader would need to have the ability to demonstrate all posing a potential development needs in some situations. Participative vs. Directive Leadership The question posed of whether participative leadership is always more effective than participative leadership cannot be completely justified under the path-goal leadership model as the premise of this approach is that the leadership style applied is dependent upon the environmental and employee variables. While there is a widely shared belief amongst a lot of the literature that participative leadership has greater advantages over a directive approach, there are arguments for both and each has its potential strengths and weaknesses. In this next section the role and outcomes of a participative leader will be compared to that of a directive (or autocratic) leader using organisational examples to illustrate their uses. Participative leadership will not work if subordinates do not have the necessary skills and experience to enable them to contribute to decision-making or make effective decisions themselves and the systems and procedures do not exist within the organisational environment as in the case of the Allied Machinery Company (Muczyk and Reimann 1987). In this example the General Manager’s approach of using a participative or democratic leadership style, which had worked for him, previously was not appropriate in his new role as the subordinates were not used to operating this way and expected guidance and follow-up from their leader. If more of a directive approach had of been taken and subordinates given specific guidelines, had expectations setout and rules or procedures explained then one would expect the outcome to have been significantly different. The key points illustrated here are how important it is for a leader to assess the situational variables (employee and environmental) before choosing their leadership style and secondly the necessity for a leader to be able to flex between styles rather than relying only on their natural or preferred style. A potential challenge to this could be how comfortable managers are with using an alternate style. For example, one study reported that Australian managers dislike using a directive style and some would go to considerable lengths to avoid doing so (Avery & Ryan 2002). The path-goal theory suggests that at times a leader may need to use a combination of leadership styles. In an interesting study on directive versus participative leadership in schools (Somech 2005) explores the effect of each style on school staff and makes several conclusions. A directive style can assist staff to challenge themselves and achieve high performance while a participative approach challenges through the sharing of knowledge however used together by leaders rather than as mutually exclusive styles they achieved a complementary result in terms of school effectiveness. Greiner (1973) also illustrates this point with an example of executives incorporating a few directive actions into their participative style to keep high performance goals in front of their teams. These are both great examples of using a combined approach of participative and directive leadership to maximise the result. Another area worthy of consideration in discussion of these two styles is the influence that demographics such as age, status, length of employment, gender and culture can have on choosing the most appropriate style. Sauer (2011) notes that for a new leader this is no correct style of leadership. In terms of leader status, the study suggests that when low status leaders use directive leadership or high status leaders use participative? leadership, the leaders are perceived as more self-confident and more effective. When comparing leadership across cultures it is also noted that participative leadership works better in some cultures rather then others (Den Hartog et al. , 2000). These examples highlights some other situational factors, potentially outside of the norm, that come into play when assessing the most effective style of leadership to pursue. Practical Implications The continued research into path-goal leadership theory and its application in the workplace highlights some reasonable considerations for leaders in engaging and motivating their subordinates. The literature suggests that participative and directive are the dominant styles and a great deal of the research highlights the benefits of a participative approach. What a lot of the research fails to look at is the negative outcomes if a participative approach is used in a situation that requires a directive approach as in the case of Allied Machinery used above. For practical application of the path-goal theory more focus needs to be placed on comparing the variance in outcomes of participative vs. directive leadership in a range of situations with varying employee and environmental. More importantly a combined approach should also be examined in this research. Conclusion There are many definitions of leadership in existence and varying opinions on the most effective theory and subsequent leadership style. The path-goal leadership theory has evolved over time since it was first proposed in the early 1970s and there has been ongoing critique and analysis of its validity, which in comparison to other contingency theories has held relatively strong. The path-goal theory highlights the key components that will impact the outcome – employee contingencies, environmental contingencies and leadership style. A leader needs to adapt their style to the situation and be able to flex between the four styles rather than relying on just one. The question as to whether participative leadership is always more effective than democratic leadership is not validated as this model illustrates the need for both either in isolation or as a combined approach. A participative or democratic approach relies on the team being engaged and motivated and is only effective if followers are willing and able to participate actively in the decision-making process, which is not always the case. There are so many variables that comes into play that neither of these styles can simply be labeled as the right choice for all situations. Reference List Dicksona, M. , Hartog, D. & Mitchelsona, J. 2003, Research on leadership in a cross-cultural context: Making progress, and raising new questions, The Leadership Quarterly, Vol. 14, pp. 729-768. Evans, M. G. 1970, The effects of supervisory behavior on the path-goal relationship, Organisational Behavior and Human Performance Vol. 5, pp. 277-298. Gayle C. & Avery, J. 2002, Applying situational leadership in Australia, Journal of Management Development, Vol. 21 pp. 242–262. Greiner, L. 1973, What managers think of participative leadership, Harvard Business Review, Vol. pp. 111-117. House, R. 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