Schools as Loosely Coupled Systems

Schools as Loosely Coupled Systems Free Online Research Papers Course Name: DYNAMICS OF EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION Exam 2: Respond in detail to the following questions (no less than 3-4 pages per questions: 1. Define the term loosely coupled systems and give a specific example of how this concept is used to understand school organizations 2. In a school where you are the principal, illustrate how this school has a positive school climate. In your response, identify the four primary dimensions of school climate according to Taguiri’s model. For each of these dimensions describe how it is implemented in this school to produce a positive climate, and give at least one specific example for each dimension. Finally, indicate how you, as principal, continually assess the climate relative to these dimensions. 3. As the principal of a school (you choose the grade levels), propose a plan for school renewal using organizational development as a change strategy. For the past several years, the students achievement test scores have declined and the school overall has had very low test scores compared to similar schools in the district. In your response, identify at least three of the 10 concepts that characterize ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT and for each illustrate how these will be used to improve the school. 1. The management of schools are perceived to be bureaucratic. Typically, the school structure is a hierarchically connected pyramid of units under strong central control. However, scholars of organizations have found that schools are characterized by structural looseness, that schools in a district have an element of sovereignty and freedom, and that the management of teachers under a principal is much more broad and wide-ranging as thought before. Charles Bidwell has pointed out that, given the nature of the school’s task, clients and technology, that this structural looseness is a functionally necessary arrangement. Karl Weick and James G. March indicated that schools do not consist of hierarchical units as in true bureaucracies, but are loosely coupled as systems. â€Å" The beauty of this depiction is that it captures a different set of realities within educational organizations than are caught when these same organizations are viewed throughout the tenets of bureaucratic theory.† ( Owens / Valesky: 2007:165) Rational concepts, such as planning, goal-setting, job descriptions , evaluation and reward systems fail to adequately describe how schools function. This fact brings a receptiveness to understanding schools by non- traditional ways, such as the notion of loose coupling. Loosely coupled systems are subsystems in the institution that are connected to each other, but still sustain their own identities and function independently. Their interaction is weak, and relatively insignificant . For example, the guidance office is supposed to report to the principal’s office, but interaction between them is seldom, and responses to these interactions are slow. The coupling may hence be described as loose . Another example of loose coupling could be the school library and the principal’s office. The librarian is supposed to report to the principal’s office, similar to the cafeteria manager, or school nurse, or other non-instructional facets of the school. The librarian is responsible for resources, and smooth functioning of all aspects of the library. The librarian seldomly reports to the principal unless there is some unusual situation that calls for the principal’s direct involvement. By the mid-80s, consensus were reached that the concept of loosely coupled systems might describe previously misunderstood concepts of organizations. It is however, still not adequate description of how schools function. Many aspects of bureaucracy can still be found in schools . It is crucial to understand that institutions are loosely coupled in some ways, and bureaucratic in others. John Meyer and Brian Rowans found bureaucratic mechanisms such as teacher evaluations, peer observations, observation feedbacks, cooperative grade level planning and teaching, absent in American schools in 34 school districts. Evidence of other forms of supervision, reminiscent of the No Child Left Behind Act, such as student evaluations, detailed specification of curriculum, checking student mastery of precious grade’s work, were found. Instruction is the central being of schools . Contrary to bureaucratic notions, it is loosely coupled because administrators do not exercise direct control over it. Although school managers are held responsible for the curriculum and instructional programs, they have limited power to control content of, and method of instruction. Since the advent of labor unions , their power to do so, have significantly diminished. Meyer and Rowan reported that only 12% of school managers indicated they could make decisions concerning what teachers teach, and only 4% felt they had considerable power to decide instructional methods. They do have indirect influence on instructional behavior by bureaucratic means , such as, Control of time: time schedules, frequency of interruption of lessons, pulling out of students for special activities, paperwork to be completed, How many and what kind of classes to assign Grouping: Heterogeneously or homogeneously, self-contained or team-teaching, Control of resources: Assignment of teaching space, availability of equipment and supplies Teachers have increasingly sought protection from these mechanisms, and to have some participation in it through collective bargaining. School managers have considerably more control over non-instructional activities, such as bus schedules, issuing of paychecks, and attendance . This is described as tightly coupled because they are scrupulously monitored. 82% of principals reported involvement in scheduling, 75% in student assignment, and 88% in hiring of staff. Contemporary scholars conclude frequently that loose coupling is faulty, and that schools should stick to the classical norm. Hence many political initiatives demanded toughening up of standards. This was seen in the form of new curriculum additions, more testing, and more specifications of teaching methods. The focus is on understanding educational institutions in their current state of being in order to yield better comprehension of institutions and organizational management. Studies show that a more subtle , powerful method exists to exert power over instructional activities, that is, the development of organizational culture. 2. School climate is the heart and soul of a school. It is that essence of a school that all role players to love it and to look forward to being there each school day. It helps people to feel feel personal worth, dignity and importance, while simultaneously helping to create a sense of belonging to something beyond ourselves. The climate of a school can promote resilience or become a risk factor in the lives of people who work and learn in a place called school. A school’s climate can define the quality of a school that creates healthy learning places; nurtures children’s and parents’ dreams and aspirations; stimulates teachers’ creativity and enthusiasm, and elevates all of its members. ( Freiberg and TA Stein: ) Schools have their own distinctive characteristics. Organizational climate has triumphed over other terminology such as ethos, atmosphere, personality and tone in attempts to describe the idiosyncratic nature of schools. Climate generally describes the traits of the environment in its totality. According to Renato Taguiri, the environment consists of 4 dynamically interrelated dimensions. He presented culture as one of four components of organizational climate, along with ecology, milieu, and organization or structure. If I was principal of an Elementary School, (grades K-6), I would try to utilize these dimensions to enhance school climate in the following ways: Ecology refers to the physical and material elements of a work place: building, technology, facilities, furniture, and so forth. There is a need to provide â€Å"something more than mere housing†, the need for esprit de corps , which means â€Å"spirit of the body†, a common spirit of enthusiasm, a liveliness of mind and expression among the members of the group. I would attempt to use the ecology and physical elements of the school to create an inviting and friendly atmosphere , thereby fostering a positive climate. A building can be old, and traditional, yet be clean, tidy and well-organized. Hallways and classrooms should be attractively decorated with student work, information about upcoming events, study themes and field trips. In terms of the safety aspect, an evacuation / emergency plan should be posted in strategic places, and all teachers and students should practice the fire/tornado drills, as well as know what to do in case of a lockdown. All available space should be optimally utilized. Classrooms should be well-equipped with facilities and technology to maximize the teaching and learning environment, is vital. Modern-day classrooms are equipped with smartboards, computers, and have internet access. Resources, such as textbooks should be available to teachers and students, as well as a well-resourced library. Classroom size should be manageable, and teachers should be able to print, and photocopy as needed, within reasonable limits. The bell-schedule is another important aspect of the day, without which a typical school day could be chaotic. Even the teacher’s lounge or cafeteria should reflect emphasis on a well-organized environment, because this is where relationships between teachers, learners and other staff are formed. The second dimension of school climate, is milieu: It is the social aspect, and refers to the people in an organization: number of employees, socio-economic status, race, education, salary levels, and so forth. An administrator’s task is people-related, so good interpersonal relationships must exist between people in the school, and the right type of climate should exist so people would feel mutually committed to organizational goals. Firstly, I would make sure all staff can utilize their skills. All staff should feel they have support from management, and that there are channels and structures, through which they can vent. Teachers should feel they have some input in decision-making with regards to curriculum, instructional methods, fundraising, budget expenditure and so forth. As school manager I would make sure that there are no ambiguity with regards to expectations about hours, responsibilities, and procedures. All staff should feel they are treated fairly, and with dignity and respect, and that a complete absence of favoritism exists. I would like the perception of teaching as a profession to be elevated as it is perceived as lower status and income as others, and thereby help teachers to feel more pride in their chosen profession. Salary is a public indication of a profession’s status, and teachers’ remuneration is low relative to other professional groups. This is something I could address with bargaining councils. Yearly retreats and end of term functions with a focus on problem-solving, rather than problem prevention, reaffirm commitment to common goals. These retreats should be open to all employees, and reaffirm commitment to learners and each other. The third dimension of school climate is social system, which refers to the organization, administration, decision making procedures, and communication patterns. Owens and Valesky find the word organization as more aptly descriptive of dimension than social system. Level of organization stems from factors that are directly controlled by leaders, therefore there is a close link between their management choices, and the resulting organizational climate. Some consider social system as a disorganized natural order of things, whereas organization accentuates the manager’s responsibility clearer. Modern day research tends to focus more on the role of culture in shaping organizational climate. In a school where I’m principal, I would encourage staff members to feel the freedom to present ideas for development as long as it fits in with the school’s curriculum and policies. I would try to find strategies to enhance teacher involvement in decision making and to improve the quality of work life. I would strive to give teachers input into decision-making re. curriculum, text book selection, course content, special programs, but also into managerial decisions such as hiring and budget matters. I would strive to provide clarity about expectations and work direction, but not so much as to provide a sense that work is routine. If teachers are assigned tasks, I would grant them some freedom to implement them without interruption by their immediate superiors. Teachers expect substantial autonomy in their work, and to be allowed a degree of initiative and creativity. I would afford them the opportunity to utilize their own special abilities and talents, and be allowed to see the results of their work. I would like teachers to look upon me as their principal as a colleague in the sense that I provide information and support , as well as evaluate their work performance. I would attempt, to the best of my ability, to take into account teachers’ opinions, and suggestions. I would make teachers aware of advancement opportunities in recognition of greater levels of expertise. It is important to include opportunities for advancement as a work environment dimension for professionals. Rationality of fairness of advancement appears to be an additional work environment concern. The more teachers feel that they have opportunities for advancement, the more committed they are to the organization. The forth dimension of school climate is culture: There are several definitions of the word â€Å"culture: â€Å"Culture is to the organization what personality is to the individual – a hidden, yet unifying theme that provides meaning, direction, and mobilization† . Kilman, Saxton, and Serpa (1985b). According to Edgar Schein, organizational culture refers to the tried and tested corpus of solutions which are taught to new employees as the correct way of dealing with issues – the way we do things around here. Culture is a system of shared values and beliefs that interrelates to an organization’s employees, structures and control systems to generate behavioral standards. Culture and Climate both consider the interrelation of recent experiences and intangible powers in the organizations’ environment. Culture refers to the behavioral standards, hypotheses and beliefs , and climate refers to the observations of role players within the organization to exhibit those beliefs. Owens and Valesky define organizational culture in several ways: Organizational culture is the rules of the game: the unseen meanings in the rulebook that insures unity. Culture consists of the conclusions a group of people draws from its experience. An organization’s culture consists largely of what people believe about what works and what does not. As school principal, I would attempt to improve the school culture, firstly by developing a mission statement that reflects the purpose and the shared vision of the schoo. I would have students recite the mission statement, along withsinging of the National Anthem, every morning before classes commence . To encourage a school culture and climate that promotes individuals who are bonded together by natural will, and who are together bound to a set of shared ideas, and ideals then principals must strengthen their efforts towards improving connections, coherence, capacity, commitment, and collaboration among their members (Sergiovanni, 2001). I would encourage a supportive climate in these ways : Continual sharing of ideas with regards to instruction, curriculum, testing, school organization and the value of specific knowledge. Collaboration by allowing teachers to become involved in team teaching and other collaborative efforts in program development, writing and research Equality_ by dispensing with formalities and allow anyone to vote in a department meeting. Practical application by teachers constantly reflecting their practices Organizational culture is usually studied through observing organizational behavior and environmental elements. The study of symbolism is central in an examination of organizational culture: the rituals, myths, traditions, rites and language through which values are perpetuated. A school can be perceived as holding particular values, principles that have a strong impact on its role players. It is vital to understand which techniques organizations employ to enforce desired behaviors, if one wishes to comprehend organizational culture. Artifacts and symbols are representative of the culture and history fot he school so I would have trophies, cultural artifacts, medals and photographs displayed in school hallways and foyers. The country flag should be displayed in each classroom, and students should sing the anthem each morning. The school would participate in celebrations relative to their history such as National Day, (UAE), Independence Day (USA), and Freedom Day,( SA). Other relevant celebrations are of a cultural nature, such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc. Awareness of global matters could be celebrated by participating in Arbor Day ( planting a tree day) and Earth Day. To promote reading, I would encourage events such as Dress up as a Favorite Story character and have teachers devote a section of the school day to reading. The teaching of History should incorporate telling of myths, fables, and stories related to the country’s history. 3b. How would I as principal evaluate the climate relative to these dimensions: Improving school climate requires a consistent effort and reflection upon the issues that have led to current conditions. School climate should be measured from multiple perspectives, and throughout the school year, so that each person responsible for the education of youth can see how healthy the learning environment is and what needs to be changed or sustained. There are universal questions faculty and students could reflect on when evaluating school climate: How the school arrived a t a particular junction, what changes have occurred since and what adjustments are needed, and the role of each person in sustaining a healthy learning environment? Direct ways to measure school climate, are -survey instruments, stories, discussions, cases, student drawings, teacher and student journals, interviews, video and ambient noise check lists to describe what is occurring in school and classrooms collect climate data. -the use of climate surveys, classroom observations, interviews, video taping, journal narratives, student drawings, and focus groups Indirect measures are Analyzing existing data sources kept by the teacher, school or local education authority, including attendance records of students and teachers; visits to the nurse’s office (which are measures of student stress levels); discipline referrals to the office; suspensions and expulsions; teacher and administrator turnover rates; student achievement; student mobility rates and the like. I would endeavor to draw up a plan for school effectiveness, i.e. decide which outcomes I want to pursue, and then define their climate and effectiveness factors as instruments to achieve their intended outcomes. The Dutch checklist for the assessment of the quality of classroom and school climate factors is another useful tool to get a clearer picture of strong and weak points of the school and classroom climate. 3. Organizational Development is the process by which a learning organization adjusts to evolving changes in the environment as well as an attempt to increase the self-renewal capacity of school districts and schools. For the purpose of this assignment I will focus on three of the concepts OD involves:, and to show how I would implement them into a plan for Organizational Development: 1. The goals : To improve the functioning of the organization in order to facilitate decision-making , and to develop a work-oriented culture that will increase the involvement of the people in the organization in these areas. Firstly, I would select a group to work with me to set the goals to be obtained. It is imperative that all role players should agree on the organization’s goals and how to accomplish them. There are distinct benefits to having a clear set of organizational goals. Goals -serve as guidelines for action, directing and channelling of employee efforts. provide constraints in the organization. Choosing specific goals reduces discretion in pursuing other goals. legitimize an organization’s activities and existence. define standards of performance and if they are clearly stated, they set standards for evaluation. motivate: By presenting a challenge and how to achieve it, organizational goals act as behavioural incentives. If goals are set as a group, people will support them and be responsible for what they help create. Greater commitment and motivation can be expected. There will be a clear understanding of the goals and rationale for selecting the group. If all members contributed to the goal setting, it will represent a group consensus instead of one person’s ideas. This is how I would go about setting the goals with my group: 1. Brainstorm a list of potential goals as a group. 2. Choose from the brainstorm list which to be worked on 3. Prioritize. 4. Determine objectives for each goal and plans of action for each objective 5. Move into action, follow through. The next step is to develop an Action Plan. The following needs to be determined: 1. What is to be done and how is it to be accomplished? 2. Availability of resources 3. People responsible for completing each task 4. What is the deadline and how will results be measured? Once the Action Plan is in place, I will now designate people to specific tasks, set up a time frame, and plan regular feedback opportunities. It is also important to consider what alternative actions could be taken should parts of the Action Plan not function properly. 5. System renewal: To enable the organization to initiate and adjust to change, develop problem-solving abilities, have an increased sense of purpose and direction and to impact the environment. The postmodern culture is characterized by many contradictions that have direct implications for educators.: -Many parents have given up responsibility for the very things they want schools to emphasize, for example, they demand more literature graduates, but allow their children to watch television for hours. -Businesses often fail to use the skills that it demands schools produce. The economic world is dominated by transnational corporations, national education systems encourage national curriculum and standards. Society demands more flexible work skills, and multicultural diversity, and expect schools to consider multiple intelligences, different learning styles, heterogenous grouping, and the integration of special needs students into mainstream. I propose six principles of school renewal that take these contradictions into account: 1. Moving missions: Common missions that require complete consensus, and have to appeal to so many different interests, can become weak. Mission statements can become too fixed to enable satisfactory responsiveness to changes in policy mandates, personnel, or student populations. Teachers and schools should therefore review and renew their purposes over time. 2. Policy realization: Teachers must have sufficient scope to continuously review and renew their moral purposes. Policy decisions should be determined at the immediate level where people will have to realize them . 3. Reculturing: In order for collective action and dialogue to occur, relationships that form the culture of the school, must be built among teachers and others. To develop or adjust these relationships, is to reculture the school . Two kinds of cultures have traditionally existed among teachers ? Cultures of individualism, where teachers have worked largely in isolation, but sharing few resources and ideas, and ? Balkanized cultures, where teachers have worked in self-contained subgroups- like subject departments, and compete for resources and principals favors Both cultures fragment professional relationships, making it hard for teachers to build on one anothers expertise. They also stifle the moral support necessary for risk-taking and experimentation. I would endeavour to reculture the school to create combined cultures among teachers and with the wider community. My aim is to create an atmosphere of trust in which teachers can share resources, deal with complex issues, and celebrate successes. Teamwork also promotes the development of a mutual professional language. I would recognize that diverse expertise contributes to learning, problem solving, and critical inquiry. I would have an orientation workshop in which the value of diverse expertise and viewpoints will be discussed. 4. Restructuring: Cultures are grounded in structures of time and space, which shape relationships. Structures of teacher isolation have their roots in schools in which children are moved through prescribed curriculums, from grade to grade, teacher to teacher. Similarly, balkanized teacher cultures are often a product of subject department structures based on the system of Carnegie units, devised in the United States in the 1920s .If the schedule does not allow teachers to meet during the regular school day, they may become worn down and captives of their schedule,. Consequently, collaboration becomes exhausting and unnatural rather than based on genuine commitment and working relationships. These are some of the strategies I propose to solve the structural problems with : Routinely coordinated planning times to bring together teachers who teach the same grade or subject. Place 1st and 6th grade teachers in adjoining classrooms can begin to break down stereotypes and the confines between the upper and lower ends of elementary school. Peer tutoring to bring together students of different ages as well as the teachers who supervise them. Teacher teams, multi-age groups and shared decision-making teams Block-scheduling, mini-schools or sub-schools 1. Organizational learning: Working together builds relationships , collective resolve and it’s a source of learning. It helps people to see problems as things to be solved and to value the different voices of less important members of the organization. Collaborative cultures turn individual learning into shared learning. Some teachers are regular explorers, ardent readers, keen conference-goers, and willing committee and task force volunteers. Others make small changes with their own classes where they know their efforts will make a difference .Change and continuous learning are important but so are consolidation and routine. Schools and teachers, however, have to deal with many mandates they do not control, but are frequently blamed for poorly designed tests or inappropriate curriculums If organizational learning is to help us in school renewal, the concept ought to be renewed in ways more suited to public school realities. 6. Positive politics Teachers exercise power over their students, administrators exercise power over teachers, and the smarter teachers know how to manipulate or maneuver around administrators. Schools are becoming more subject to the pressures of diverse groups with single-issue interests. The moves toward site-based management are also making schools and what they do more overtly political. Although many teachers feel that getting involved in politics is selfish and objectionable, not all politics is bad. Here are some ways I would encourage teachers to apply positive politics to benefit students: ? Understand the political configuration of your school. Who has formal and informal power? How do they exercise it? How are resources allocated? ? Act politically to secure support and resources for the good of your own students and, indeed, all students. Use diplomatic tactics, trade favors, influence power brokers, build alliances, lobby for support, introduce proposals before presenting them in detail, and be sure how to meets the interests of others. ? Empower others to be more competent. Assist students through cooperative instruction, active involvement in innovation, and by allowing self-assessment and peer assessment. Empower parents by communicating with them in plain language, building partnerships with them , and keeping them informed of new developments.. Empower colleagues by working with them, involving them in decision making, sharing leadership, and sharing with them your weaknesses , and uncertainties as a leader as well as your triumphs. ? Accept conflict as an intrinsic part of change. Fruitful conflict exposes differences, shows sensitivity to opposing interests and positions, prevents false consensus, and promotes movement beyond early fears about ones own threatened interests. ? Regain the discussion of education. Challenge the business rhetoric and express your principles through memorable phrases, vivid examples, and simple stories. A systems approach: Schools consist of subsystems, and to effect long-term change, the whole system should be changed as any alteration in one subsystem affect others. Issues should be dealt with as manifestations of interrelated forces. The administrator should deal with the existing patterns’ of human behavior, and by analyzing the specific field of forces. Schools develop a broad range of systems that help people function amidst the complexity. I would seek to strengthen the organizational goals by making sure that: all organizational leaders clearly understand what results they are accountable for, and that it matters that they should deliver expected results . Should there be some discrepancies between accountabilities, they should be resolved. I would attempt in the following ways to endure that decisions are made by knowledgeable people. a reporting structure is designed to fit the needs of the strategy and the values of the organization. Timely feedback is given, and use the performance appraisal to summarize feedback given throughout the year An approval system is established that evaluates projects rigorously, and that frees the organization to make good decisions. The criteria and process of the system should enable all to make better business decisions. -Spending authority is allocated to people’s accountabilities and the need of their jobs, and also that there are good controls in place for spending authority at any level. References: 1. Robert G. Owens/ Thomas H. Valesky:2007: 9th Edition: Organizational Behavior in Education: Adaptive Leadership and Reform 2. Freiberg, H. Jerome. School Climate : Measuring, Improving and Sustaining Healthy Learning Environments. 3. Best Practice BRIEFS No31, Dec 2004: Betty Tableman / Adrienne Herron 4. Building a Learning Community: The Culture and Climate of Schools: Angus MacNeil, Valerie Maclin 5. The Role of Organizational Climate and Culture in the School Improvement Process: A Review of the Knowledge Base: Ronald Lindahl Course Name: DYNAMICS OF EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION Exam 2: Respond in detail to the following questions (no less than 3-4 pages per questions: 1. Define the term loosely coupled systems and give a specific example of how this concept is used to understand school organizations 2. In a school where you are the principal, illustrate how this school has a positive school climate. In your response, identify the four primary dimensions of school climate according to Taguiri’s model. For each of these dimensions describe how it is implemented in this school to produce a positive climate, and give at least one specific example for each dimension. Finally, indicate how you, as principal, continually assess the climate relative to these dimensions. 3. As the principal of a school (you choose the grade levels), propose a plan for school renewal using organizational development as a change strategy. For the past several years, the students achievement test scores have declined and the school overall has had very low test scores compared to similar schools in the district. In your response, identify at least three of the 10 concepts that characterize ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT and for each illustrate how these will be used to improve the school. 1. The management of schools are perceived to be bureaucratic. Typically, the school structure is a hierarchically connected pyramid of units under strong central control. However, scholars of organizations have found that schools are characterized by structural looseness, that schools in a district have an element of sovereignty and freedom, and that the management of teachers under a principal is much more broad and wide-ranging as thought before. Charles Bidwell has pointed out that, given the nature of the school’s task, clients and technology, that this structural looseness is a functionally necessary arrangement. Karl Weick and James G. March indicated that schools do not consist of hierarchical units as in true bureaucracies, but are loosely coupled as systems. â€Å" The beauty of this depiction is that it captures a different set of realities within educational organizations than are caught when these same organizations are viewed throughout the tenets of bureaucratic theory.† ( Owens / Valesky: 2007:165) Rational concepts, such as planning, goal-setting, job descriptions , evaluation and reward systems fail to adequately describe how schools function. This fact brings a receptiveness to understanding schools by non- traditional ways, such as the notion of loose coupling. Loosely coupled systems are subsystems in the institution that are connected to each other, but still sustain their own identities and function independently. Their interaction is weak, and relatively insignificant . For example, the guidance office is supposed to report to the principal’s office, but interaction between them is seldom, and responses to these interactions are slow. The coupling may hence be described as loose . Another example of loose coupling could be the school library and the principal’s office. The librarian is supposed to report to the principal’s office, similar to the cafeteria manager, or school nurse, or other non-instructional facets of the school. The librarian is responsible for resources, and smooth functioning of all aspects of the library. The librarian seldomly reports to the principal unless there is some unusual situation that calls for the principal’s direct involvement. By the mid-80s, consensus were reached that the concept of loosely coupled systems might describe previously misunderstood concepts of organizations. It is however, still not adequate description of how schools function. Many aspects of bureaucracy can still be found in schools . It is crucial to understand that institutions are loosely coupled in some ways, and bureaucratic in others. John Meyer and Brian Rowans found bureaucratic mechanisms such as teacher evaluations, peer observations, observation feedbacks, cooperative grade level planning and teaching, absent in American schools in 34 school districts. Evidence of other forms of supervision, reminiscent of the No Child Left Behind Act, such as student evaluations, detailed specification of curriculum, checking student mastery of precious grade’s work, were found. Instruction is the central being of schools . Contrary to bureaucratic notions, it is loosely coupled because administrators do not exercise direct control over it. Although school managers are held responsible for the curriculum and instructional programs, they have limited power to control content of, and method of instruction. Since the advent of labor unions , their power to do so, have significantly diminished. Meyer and Rowan reported that only 12% of school managers indicated they could make decisions concerning what teachers teach, and only 4% felt they had considerable power to decide instructional methods. They do have indirect influence on instructional behavior by bureaucratic means , such as, Control of time: time schedules, frequency of interruption of lessons, pulling out of students for special activities, paperwork to be completed, How many and what kind of classes to assign Grouping: Heterogeneously or homogeneously, self-contained or team-teaching, Control of resources: Assignment of teaching space, availability of equipment and supplies Teachers have increasingly sought protection from these mechanisms, and to have some participation in it through collective bargaining. School managers have considerably more control over non-instructional activities, such as bus schedules, issuing of paychecks, and attendance . This is described as tightly coupled because they are scrupulously monitored. 82% of principals reported involvement in scheduling, 75% in student assignment, and 88% in hiring of staff. Contemporary scholars conclude frequently that loose coupling is faulty, and that schools should stick to the classical norm. Hence many political initiatives demanded toughening up of standards. This was seen in the form of new curriculum additions, more testing, and more specifications of teaching methods. The focus is on understanding educational institutions in their current state of being in order to yield better comprehension of institutions and organizational management. Studies show that a more subtle , powerful method exists to exert power over instructional activities, that is, the development of organizational culture. 2. School climate is the heart and soul of a school. It is that essence of a school that all role players to love it and to look forward to being there each school day. It helps people to feel feel personal worth, dignity and importance, while simultaneously helping to create a sense of belonging to something beyond ourselves. The climate of a school can promote resilience or become a risk factor in the lives of people who work and learn in a place called school. A school’s climate can define the quality of a school that creates healthy learning places; nurtures children’s and parents’ dreams and aspirations; stimulates teachers’ creativity and enthusiasm, and elevates all of its members. ( Freiberg and TA Stein: ) Schools have their own distinctive characteristics. Organizational climate has triumphed over other terminology such as ethos, atmosphere, personality and tone in attempts to describe the idiosyncratic nature of schools. Climate generally describes the traits of the environment in its totality. According to Renato Taguiri, the environment consists of 4 dynamically interrelated dimensions. He presented culture as one of four components of organizational climate, along with ecology, milieu, and organization or structure. If I was principal of an Elementary School, (grades K-6), I would try to utilize these dimensions to enhance school climate in the following ways: Ecology refers to the physical and material elements of a work place: building, technology, facilities, furniture, and so forth. There is a need to provide â€Å"something more than mere housing†, the need for esprit de corps , which means â€Å"spirit of the body†, a common spirit of enthusiasm, a liveliness of mind and expression among the members of the group. I would attempt to use the ecology and physical elements of the school to create an inviting and friendly atmosphere , thereby fostering a positive climate. A building can be old, and traditional, yet be clean, tidy and well-organized. Hallways and classrooms should be attractively decorated with student work, information about upcoming events, study themes and field trips. In terms of the safety aspect, an evacuation / emergency plan should be posted in strategic places, and all teachers and students should practice the fire/tornado drills, as well as know what to do in case of a lockdown. All available space should be optimally utilized. Classrooms should be well-equipped with facilities and technology to maximize the teaching and learning environment, is vital. Modern-day classrooms are equipped with smartboards, computers, and have internet access. Resources, such as textbooks should be available to teachers and students, as well as a well-resourced library. Classroom size should be manageable, and teachers should be able to print, and photocopy as needed, within reasonable limits. The bell-schedule is another important aspect of the day, without which a typical school day could be chaotic. Even the teacher’s lounge or cafeteria should reflect emphasis on a well-organized environment, because this is where relationships between teachers, learners and other staff are formed. The second dimension of school climate, is milieu: It is the social aspect, and refers to the people in an organization: number of employees, socio-economic status, race, education, salary levels, and so forth. An administrator’s task is people-related, so good interpersonal relationships must exist between people in the school, and the right type of climate should exist so people would feel mutually committed to organizational goals. Firstly, I would make sure all staff can utilize their skills. All staff should feel they have support from management, and that there are channels and structures, through which they can vent. Teachers should feel they have some input in decision-making with regards to curriculum, instructional methods, fundraising, budget expenditure and so forth. As school manager I would make sure that there are no ambiguity with regards to expectations about hours, responsibilities, and procedures. All staff should feel they are treated fairly, and with dignity and respect, and that a complete absence of favoritism exists. I would like the perception of teaching as a profession to be elevated as it is perceived as lower status and income as others, and thereby help teachers to feel more pride in their chosen profession. Salary is a public indication of a profession’s status, and teachers’ remuneration is low relative to other professional groups. This is something I could address with bargaining councils. Yearly retreats and end of term functions with a focus on problem-solving, rather than problem prevention, reaffirm commitment to common goals. These retreats should be open to all employees, and reaffirm commitment to learners and each other. The third dimension of school climate is social system, which refers to the organization, administration, decision making procedures, and communication patterns. Owens and Valesky find the word organization as more aptly descriptive of dimension than social system. Level of organization stems from factors that are directly controlled by leaders, therefore there is a close link between their management choices, and the resulting organizational climate. Some consider social system as a disorganized natural order of things, whereas organization accentuates the manager’s responsibility clearer. Modern day research tends to focus more on the role of culture in shaping organizational climate. In a school where I’m principal, I would encourage staff members to feel the freedom to present ideas for development as long as it fits in with the school’s curriculum and policies. I would try to find strategies to enhance teacher involvement in decision making and to improve the quality of work life. I would strive to give teachers input into decision-making re. curriculum, text book selection, course content, special programs, but also into managerial decisions such as hiring and budget matters. I would strive to provide clarity about expectations and work direction, but not so much as to provide a sense that work is routine. If teachers are assigned tasks, I would grant them some freedom to implement them without interruption by their immediate superiors. Teachers expect substantial autonomy in their work, and to be allowed a degree of initiative and creativity. I would afford them the opportunity to utilize their own special abilities and talents, and be allowed to see the results of their work. I would like teachers to look upon me as their principal as a colleague in the sense that I provide information and support , as well as evaluate their work performance. I would attempt, to the best of my ability, to take into account teachers’ opinions, and suggestions. I would make teachers aware of advancement opportunities in recognition of greater levels of expertise. It is important to include opportunities for advancement as a work environment dimension for professionals. Rationality of fairness of advancement appears to be an additional work environment concern. The more teachers feel that they have opportunities for advancement, the more committed they are to the organization. The forth dimension of school climate is culture: There are several definitions of the word â€Å"culture: â€Å"Culture is to the organization what personality is to the individual – a hidden, yet unifying theme that provides meaning, direction, and mobilization† . Kilman, Saxton, and Serpa (1985b). According to Edgar Schein, organizational culture refers to the tried and tested corpus of solutions which are taught to new employees as the correct way of dealing with issues – the way we do things around here. Culture is a system of shared values and beliefs that interrelates to an organization’s employees, structures and control systems to generate behavioral standards. Culture and Climate both consider the interrelation of recent experiences and intangible powers in the organizations’ environment. Culture refers to the behavioral standards, hypotheses and beliefs , and climate refers to the observations of role players within the organization to exhibit those beliefs. Owens and Valesky define organizational culture in several ways: Organizational culture is the rules of the game: the unseen meanings in the rulebook that insures unity. Culture consists of the conclusions a group of people draws from its experience. An organization’s culture consists largely of what people believe about what works and what does not. As school principal, I would attempt to improve the school culture, firstly by developing a mission statement that reflects the purpose and the shared vision of the schoo. I would have students recite the mission statement, along withsinging of the National Anthem, every morning before classes commence . To encourage a school culture and climate that promotes individuals who are bonded together by natural will, and who are together bound to a set of shared ideas, and ideals then principals must strengthen their efforts towards improving connections, coherence, capacity, commitment, and collaboration among their members (Sergiovanni, 2001). I would encourage a supportive climate in these ways : Continual sharing of ideas with regards to instruction, curriculum, testing, school organization and the value of specific knowledge. Collaboration by allowing teachers to become involved in team teaching and other collaborative efforts in program development, writing and research Equality_ by dispensing with formalities and allow anyone to vote in a department meeting. Practical application by teachers constantly reflecting their practices Organizational culture is usually studied through observing organizational behavior and environmental elements. The study of symbolism is central in an examination of organizational culture: the rituals, myths, traditions, rites and language through which values are perpetuated. A school can be perceived as holding particular values, principles that have a strong impact on its role players. It is vital to understand which techniques organizations employ to enforce desired behaviors, if one wishes to comprehend organizational culture. Artifacts and symbols are representative of the culture and history fot he school so I would have trophies, cultural artifacts, medals and photographs displayed in school hallways and foyers. The country flag should be displayed in each classroom, and students should sing the anthem each morning. The school would participate in celebrations relative to their history such as National Day, (UAE), Independence Day (USA), and Freedom Day,( SA). Other relevant celebrations are of a cultural nature, such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc. Awareness of global matters could be celebrated by participating in Arbor Day ( planting a tree day) and Earth Day. To promote reading, I would encourage events such as Dress up as a Favorite Story character and have teachers devote a section of the school day to reading. The teaching of History should incorporate telling of myths, fables, and stories related to the country’s history. 3b. How would I as principal evaluate the climate relative to these dimensions: Improving school climate requires a consistent effort and reflection upon the issues that have led to current conditions. School climate should be measured from multiple perspectives, and throughout the school year, so that each person responsible for the education of youth can see how healthy the learning environment is and what needs to be changed or sustained. There are universal questions faculty and students could reflect on when evaluating school climate: How the school arrived a t a particular junction, what changes have occurred since and what adjustments are needed, and the role of each person in sustaining a healthy learning environment? Direct ways to measure school climate, are -survey instruments, stories, discussions, cases, student drawings, teacher and student journals, interviews, video and ambient noise check lists to describe what is occurring in school and classrooms collect climate data. -the use of climate surveys, classroom observations, interviews, video taping, journal narratives, student drawings, and focus groups Indirect measures are Analyzing existing data sources kept by the teacher, school or local education authority, including attendance records of students and teachers; visits to the nurse’s office (which are measures of student stress levels); discipline referrals to the office; suspensions and expulsions; teacher and administrator turnover rates; student achievement; student mobility rates and the like. I would endeavor to draw up a plan for school effectiveness, i.e. decide which outcomes I want to pursue, and then define their climate and effectiveness factors as instruments to achieve their intended outcomes. The Dutch checklist for the assessment of the quality of classroom and school climate factors is another useful tool to get a clearer picture of strong and weak points of the school and classroom climate. 3. Organizational Development is the process by which a learning organization adjusts to evolving changes in the environment as well as an attempt to increase the self-renewal capacity of school districts and schools. For the purpose of this assignment I will focus on three of the concepts OD involves:, and to show how I would implement them into a plan for Organizational Development: 1. The goals : To improve the functioning of the organization in order to facilitate decision-making , and to develop a work-oriented culture that will increase the involvement of the people in the organization in these areas. Firstly, I would select a group to work with me to set the goals to be obtained. It is imperative that all role players should agree on the organization’s goals and how to accomplish them. There are distinct benefits to having a clear set of organizational goals. Goals -serve as guidelines for action, directing and channelling of employee efforts. provide constraints in the organization. Choosing specific goals reduces discretion in pursuing other goals. legitimize an organization’s activities and existence. define standards of performance and if they are clearly stated, they set standards for evaluation. motivate: By presenting a challenge and how to achieve it, organizational goals act as behavioural incentives. If goals are set as a group, people will support them and be responsible for what they help create. Greater commitment and motivation can be expected. There will be a clear understanding of the goals and rationale for selecting the group. If all members contributed to the goal setting, it will represent a group consensus instead of one person’s ideas. This is how I would go about setting the goals with my group: 1. Brainstorm a list of potential goals as a group. 2. Choose from the brainstorm list which to be worked on 3. Prioritize. 4. Determine objectives for each goal and plans of action for each objective 5. Move into action, follow through. The next step is to develop an Action Plan. The following needs to be determined: 1. What is to be done and how is it to be accomplished? 2. Availability of resources 3. People responsible for completing each task 4. What is the deadline and how will results be measured? Once the Action Plan is in place, I will now designate people to specific tasks, set up a time frame, and plan regular feedback opportunities. It is also important to consider what alternative actions could be taken should parts of the Action Plan not function properly. 5. System renewal: To enable the organization to initiate and adjust to change, develop problem-solving abilities, have an increased sense of purpose and direction and to impact the environment. The postmodern culture is characterized by many contradictions that have direct implications for educators.: -Many parents have given up responsibility for the very things they want schools to emphasize, for example, they demand more literature graduates, but allow their children to watch television for hours. -Businesses often fail to use the skills that it demands schools produce. The economic world is dominated by transnational corporations, national education systems encourage national curriculum and standards. Society demands more flexible work skills, and multicultural diversity, and expect schools to consider multiple intelligences, different learning styles, heterogenous grouping, and the integration of special needs students into mainstream. I propose six principles of school renewal that take these contradictions into account: 1. Moving missions: Common missions that require complete consensus, and have to appeal to so many different interests, can become weak. Mission statements can become too fixed to enable satisfactory responsiveness to changes in policy mandates, personnel, or student populations. Teachers and schools should therefore review and renew their purposes over time. 2. Policy realization: Teachers must have sufficient scope to continuously review and renew their moral purposes. Policy decisions should be determined at the immediate level where people will have to realize them . 3. Reculturing: In order for collective action and dialogue to occur, relationships that form the culture of the school, must be built among teachers and others. To develop or adjust these relationships, is to reculture the school . Two kinds of cultures have traditionally existed among teachers ? Cultures of individualism, where teachers have worked largely in isolation, but sharing few resources and ideas, and ? Balkanized cultures, where teachers have worked in self-contained subgroups- like subject departments, and compete for resources and principals favors Both cultures fragment professional relationships, making it hard for teachers to build on one anothers expertise. They also stifle the moral support necessary for risk-taking and experimentation. I would endeavour to reculture the school to create combined cultures among teachers and with the wider community. My aim is to create an atmosphere of trust in which teachers can share resources, deal with complex issues, and celebrate successes. Teamwork also promotes the development of a mutual professional language. I would recognize that diverse expertise contributes to learning, problem solving, and critical inquiry. I would have an orientation workshop in which the value of diverse expertise and viewpoints will be discussed. 4. Restructuring: Cultures are grounded in structures of time and space, which shape relationships. Structures of teacher isolation have their roots in schools in which children are moved through prescribed curriculums, from grade to grade, teacher to teacher. Similarly, balkanized teacher cultures are often a product of subject department structures based on the system of Carnegie units, devised in the United States in the 1920s .If the schedule does not allow teachers to meet during the regular school day, they may become worn down and captives of their schedule,. Consequently, collaboration becomes exhausting and unnatural rather than based on genuine commitment and working relationships. These are some of the strategies I propose to solve the structural problems with : Routinely coordinated planning times to bring together teachers who teach the same grade or subject. Place 1st and 6th grade teachers in adjoining classrooms can begin to break down stereotypes and the confines between the upper and lower ends of elementary school. Peer tutoring to bring together students of different ages as well as the teachers who supervise them. Teacher teams, multi-age groups and shared decision-making teams Block-scheduling, mini-schools or sub-schools 1. Organizational learning: Working together builds relationships , collective resolve and it’s a source of learning. It helps people to see problems as things to be solved and to value the different voices of less important members of the organization. Collaborative cultures turn individual learning into shared learning. Some teachers are regular explorers, ardent readers, keen conference-goers, and willing committee and task force volunteers. Others make small changes with their own classes where they know their efforts will make a difference .Change and continuous learning are important but so are consolidation and routine. Schools and teachers, however, have to deal with many mandates they do not control, but are frequently blamed for poorly designed tests or inappropriate curriculums If organizational learning is to help us in school renewal, the concept ought to be renewed in ways more suited to public school realities. 6. Positive politics Teachers exercise power over their students, administrators exercise power over teachers, and the smarter teachers know how to manipulate or maneuver around administrators. Schools are becoming more subject to the pressures of diverse groups with single-issue interests. The moves toward site-based management are also making schools and what they do more overtly political. Although many teachers feel that getting involved in politics is selfish and objectionable, not all politics is bad. Here are some ways I would encourage teachers to apply positive politics to benefit students: ? Understand the political configuration of your school. Who has formal and informal power? How do they exercise it? How are resources allocated? ? Act politically to secure support and resources for the good of your own students and, indeed, all students. Use diplomatic tactics, trade favors, influence power brokers, build alliances, lobby for support, introduce proposals before presenting them in detail, and be sure how to meets the interests of others. ? Empower others to be more competent. Assist students through cooperative instruction, active involvement in innovation, and by allowing self-assessment and peer assessment. Empower parents by communicating with them in plain language, building partnerships with them , and keeping them informed of new developments.. Empower colleagues by working with them, involving them in decision making, sharing leadership, and sharing with them your weaknesses , and uncertainties as a leader as well as your triumphs. ? Accept conflict as an intrinsic part of change. Fruitful conflict exposes differences, shows sensitivity to opposing interests and positions, prevents false consensus, and promotes movement beyond early fears about ones own threatened interests. ? Regain the discussion of education. Challenge the business rhetoric and express your principles through memorable phrases, vivid examples, and simple stories. A systems approach: Schools consist of subsystems, and to effect long-term change, the whole system should be changed as any alteration in one subsystem affect others. Issues should be dealt with as manifestations of interrelated forces. The administrator should deal with the existing patterns’ of human behavior, and by analyzing the specific field of forces. Schools develop a broad range of systems that help people function amidst the complexity. I would seek to strengthen the organizational goals by making sure that: all organizational leaders clearly understand what results they are accountable for, and that it matters that they should deliver expected results . Should there be some discrepancies between accountabilities, they should be resolved. I would attempt in the following ways to endure that decisions are made by knowledgeable people. a reporting structure is designed to fit the needs of the strategy and the values of the organization. Timely feedback is given, and use the performance appraisal to summarize feedback given throughout the year An approval system is established that evaluates projects rigorously, and that frees the organization to make good decisions. The criteria and process of the system should enable all to make better business decisions. -Spending authority is allocated to people’s accountabilities and the need of their jobs, and also that there are good controls in place for spending authority at any level. References: 1. Robert G. Owens/ Thomas H. Valesky:2007: 9th Edition: Organizational Behavior in Education: Adaptive Leadership and Reform 2. Freiberg, H. Jerome. School Climate : Measuring, Improving and Sustaining Healthy Learning Environments. 3. Best Practice BRIEFS No31, Dec 2004: Betty Tableman / Adrienne Herron 4. Building a Learning Community: The Culture and Climate of Schools: Angus MacNeil, Valerie Maclin 5. The Role of Organizational Climate and Culture in the School Improvement Process: A Review of the Knowledge Base: Ronald Lindahl Research Papers on Schools as Loosely Coupled SystemsStandardized TestingBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfThe Project Managment Office SystemOpen Architechture a white paperPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andResearch Process Part OneHip-Hop is ArtThe Spring and Autumn

Research and analysis of business problems Paper

And analysis of business problems - Research Paper Example This industry is mainly driven by technology, globalization and Integration. The logistic Industry trends show that in the coming years this sector is going to strengthen further. The expansion of the geographical boundaries and tapping more customers is the main motive of the logistics companies nowadays. The study is on one of the major companies in the Logistics Industry, known as FedEx. The company Fed Express Corporation, popularly known as FedEx, is an American company which was established in the year 1971 by Frederick W. Smith. FedEx offers several services to its customers which includes overnight couriers, freight services and other business support and logistics solutions. It is one of the biggest transportation companies providing logistics services and delivering consignments all over US and in more than 220 countries. The revenue of FedEx is about $ 34,734 million in the year 2010. There was a decrease in the revenue of 2.1 percent due to the impact of global recession. But surprisingly there was an increase in the profit percentage of the company compared to its last year’s profit (â€Å"Company Overview†). Business Problems of FedEx The major business of FedEx is overnight delivery of consignments. Though FedEx is one of the major players in the logistics sector, yet it is facing tough fight from the other logistics companies. The major issues that FedEx is facing are: The global environmental problems In the environmental issues, the first problem is with the airlines facilities. The absence of proper landing spaces, back-up plans and the airport facilities hampers the guarantee of delivering consignment on the right time. Cut Throat Competition The major issue in competition is to face the price wars of the competitors. UPS is a close competitor of FedEx and after its entry into the logistics market, the revenue of FedEx declined by 30.3 percent. Technological problems The technological factor is very important because it keeps c hanging within a short span of time. Zapmail became obsolete due to the introduction of Fax machines. FedEx lost about $ 350 million and it had to withdraw itself from such business. So it is very important to develop the technologies within the company so as to compete with the advance technology (â€Å"Introduction†). Human Resource problems The FedEx ground services faced new challenges from its contractors delivering parcels at FedEx ground. These contract drivers own the trucks which they drive for FedEx to deliver the consignments to different places. Now, these contract drivers are not the direct employees of FedEx. So these drivers are demanding direct employment of FedEx. This would entitle them with the pension schemes, medical facilities and other facilities that FedEx employees get. But FedEx is not accepting such demands of its contractual drivers. This is a major issue which has created a huge problem in the FedEx ground department (Johansson 7-10) The logistics market is highly competitive and it gets affected very easily by price and service changes. So the

Financial analysis of Burberry Company(FTSE 100 Company) Assignment

Financial analysis of Burberry Company(FTSE 100 Company) - Assignment Example fiscal year 2012/13 on market review and research that will be centered on important sites in Asia.2 Indeed, Burberry has turnout to be resilient. Since 2009, the company’s assets have grown by 43% and its equity has increased by 64%. The equity growth is mostly due its Retained Earnings that have more than doubled during the last four fiscal years of the company – from ?199.2 million in 2009 to ?507.1 in 2012. To fuel the continuing expansion of its operations in the last four years and to fund its working capital requirements, Burberry has not opted to issue additional common shares. Thus, its common stocks, at par value, have not increased in the course of the last four years. Instead, Burberry’s long-term liabilities have increased by almost 250% from ?35 million in 2009 to ?122.4 million in 2012. While Burberry has generally been operating as a profitable company, it incurred a net loss of ?6.0 million for the year ended 31 March 2009. In spite of the dire e ffects of the financial crisis that substantially crippled global giants that have considerable operations in USA and Europe, Burberry has generated operating profits that amounted to ?182.6 million for 2009. However, the non-operating expenses for 2009 ended up gobbling such profits made from the company’s operations. The total bulk of ?193.5 million was incurred mostly for booking impairment charges at ?129.6 million – the sum of ?116.2 million pertaining to the goodwill initially recognized for Burberry’s operations in Spain plus ?13.4 million for the stores established in the same country. In addition, negative goodwill has as well been credited at ?1.7 million for the formation of the Burberry Middle East joint venture. These procedures were conducted in compliance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) regulations that uphold International Accounting Standards (IAS) #36, which require the writing down of impaired assets and the recognition of impairment losses on goodwill and intangible assets.3 The foregoing matter aside, Burberry’s operations has delivered Earnings Before Income Tax (EBIT) that increased year-on-year from 2009 to 2013. In fact, the company’s EBIT in 2012 is 195% of the equivalent in 2009. The income statements below provide that while Burberry’s revenues increased by 54.57% from 2009 to 2012, its cost of sales increased by only 4.22%. This reflects an increased efficiency in the operations – sourcing, production and distribution. The balance sheets and income statements of Burberry for the years 2009 to 2012 reflect an overall uptrend of its income and, subsequently, its book value per share. The common-size balance sheets highlights the increasing share of Burberry’s equity vis-a-vis the decreasing share of its total liabilities in the total assets of the company. It means that the investment of creditors in the form of loans, etc. have through time become less t han the worth of the company’s equity. While the company’s assets were represented as 51.68%-liabilities and 48.32%-equity in

War on Drugs Essay Example for Free

War on Drugs Essay Not surprisingly, cases like the foregoing generated a public backlash-perhaps the only significant one since the War on Drugs was declared in 1982. It pressured Congress into creating what is known as the innocent owner defense to such in rem forfeitures, but even that gesture of reasonableness is largely illusory. First, the defense does not redress the gross imbalance between the value of property forfeited and the personal culpability of the owner. For example, a Vermont man was found guilty of growing six marijuana plants. He received a suspended sentence, but he and his family lost their 49-acre farm. Similarly, a New York man forfeited his $145,000 condominium because he sold cocaine to an informant for $250. The law provides no limit to the value of property subject to forfeiture, even for very minor drug offenses. Second, the innocent owner defense places the burden on the property claimant to demonstrate that he or she acted or failed to act without knowledge, consent or willful blindness of the drug activities of the offender. Thus, the Federal government instituted forfeiture proceedings in the Delray Beach, Fla. , area against numerous properties containing convenience stores or other businesses where drug transactions took place, claiming that the owners made insufficient efforts to prevent drug dealings. Placing the burden on the claimant imposes expense and inconvenience because the claimant must hire a lawyer to mount a challenge to the seizure. Moreover, many cases involve the family house or car, and it often is difficult to prove that one family member had no knowledge of or did not consent to the illegal activities of another. For instance, a Florida court held that a claimant did not use reasonable care to prevent her husband from using her automobile in criminal activity; thus, she was not entitled to the innocent owner defense. A particularly cruel application of this kind of vicarious responsibility for the wrongs of another is seen in the governments policy of evicting impoverished families from public housing because of the drug activities of one unruly child. The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 specifically states that a tenants lease is a forfeitable property interest and that public housing agencies have the authority to hire investigators to determine whether drug laws are being broken. The act authorizes eviction if a tenant, member of his or her household, guest, or other person under his or her control is engaged in drug-related activity on or near public housing premises. To carry out these provisions, the act funded a pilot enforcement program. In 1990, the Departments of Justice and Housing and Urban Development announced a Public Housing Asset Forfeiture Demonstration Project in 23 states. The project pursued lease forfeitures and generated considerable publicity. In passing this law, it must have been obvious to Congress that many innocent family members would suffer along with the guilty. Perhaps it was thought vital, nonetheless, as a way of protecting other families from drugs in public housing projects. As experience proves, however, even evicted dealers continue to deal in and around the projects. It is hard to take public housing lease forfeitures very seriously, therefore, other than as a symbolic statement of the governments tough stand against illegal drugs. Destructive consequences A policy that destroys families, takes property from the innocent, and tramples the basic criminal law principles of personal responsibility, proportionality, and fairness has spillover effects into other public policy domains. One area in which the fanaticism of the drug warriors perhaps is most evident is public health. Drugs such as marijuana and heroin have well-known medical applications. Yet, so zealous are the anti-drug forces that even these therapeutic uses effectively have been banned. Marijuana, for instance, has many applications as a safe and effective therapeutic agent. Among them are relief of the intraocular pressure caused by glaucoma and alleviating the nausea caused by chemotherapy. Some AIDS patients also have obtained relief from using cannabis. Yet, marijuana is classified by the Attorney General of the U. S. , not the Surgeon General, as a Schedule I drug-one having a high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medicinal use, and lack of accepted safety for utilization. It thereby is deemed beyond the scope of legitimate medical practice and thus is not generally available to medical practitioners. The only exception was an extremely limited program of compassionate treatment of the terminally or seriously ill, but even that has been eliminated for political reasons. Assistant Secretary James O. Mason of the Department of Health and Human Services announced in 1991 that the Public Health Services provision of marijuana to patients seriously ill with AIDS would be discontinued because it would create a public perception that this stuff cant be so bad. After a review caused by protests from AIDS activists, the Public Health Service decided in March, 1992, to stop supplying marijuana to any patients save the 13 then receiving it. There also are beneficial uses for heroin. Terminal cancer patients suffering from intractable pain generally obtain quicker analgesic relief from heroin than from morphine. Many doctors believe that heroin should be an option in the pharmacopeia. Accordingly, in 1981, the American Medical Association House of Delegates adopted a resolution stating that the management of pain relief in terminal cancer patients should be a medical decision and should take priority over concerns about drug dependence. Various bills to accomplish that goal were introduced in the 96th, 97th, and 98th Congresses. The Compassionate Pain Relief Act was brought to the House floor for a vote on Sept. 19, 1984, but was defeated by 355 to 55. Although there were some concerns voiced about thefts from hospital pharmacies, the overwhelming concern was political and symbolic a heroin legalization bill could not be passed in an election year and, in any event, would send the public the wrong message. The final and perhaps most outrageous example in this catalog of wrongs against public health care is the nearly universal American refusal to permit established addicts to exchange used needles for sterile ones in order to prevent AIDS transmission among intravenous drug users. In 1991, the National Commission on AIDS recommended the removal of legal barriers to the purchase and possession of intravenous drug injection equipment. It found that 32% of all adult and adolescent AIDS cases were related to intravenous drug use and that 70% of mother-to-child AIDS infections resulted from intravenous drug use by the mother or her sexual partner. Moreover the commission found no evidence that denial of access to sterile needles reduced drug abuse, but concluded that it did encourage the sharing of contaminated needles and the spread of the AIDS virus. Notwithstanding the commissions criticism of the governments myopic criminal justice approach to the drug situation, the prevailing view is that needle exchange programs encourage drug abuse by sending the wrong message. Public safety is sacrificed when, nationwide, more than 18,000 local, sheriffs, and state police officers, in addition to thousands of Federal agents, are devoted full time to special drug units. As a result, countless hours and dollars are diverted from detecting and preventing more serious violent crimes. Thirty percent of an estimated 1,100,000 drug-related arrests made during 1990 were marijuana offenses, nearly four out of five for mere possession. Tax dollars would be spent better if the resources it took to make approximately 264,000 arrests for possession of marijuana were dedicated to protecting the general public from violent crime. The intensive pursuit of drug offenders has generated an enormous population of convicts held in prison for very long periods of time as a result of excessive and/or mandatory jail terms. It is estimated that the operating cost of maintaining a prisoner ranges from $20,000 to $40,000 per year, depending upon the location and level of security at a particular prison. With more than 800,000 men and women in American correctional facilities today, the nationwide cost approaches $30,000,000,000 per year. This is a major diversion of scarce resources. These financial burdens are only part of the price incurred as a result of the relentless drive to achieve higher and higher arrest records. More frightening and damaging are the injuries and losses caused by the early release of violent criminals owing to prison overcrowding. Commonly, court orders impose population caps, so prison authorities accelerate release of violent felons serving non-mandatory sentences in order to free up beds for non-violent drug offenders serving mandatory, non-parolable terms. For example, to stay abreast of its rapidly growing inmate population, Florida launched one of the nations most ambitious early release programs. However, prisoners serving mandatory terms most of them drug offenders, who now comprise 36% of the total prison population are ineligible. As a result, the average length of sentence declined dramatically for violent criminals, while it rose for drug offenders. Murderers, robbers, and rapists often serve less time than a cocaine mule carrying a kilo on a bus, who gets a mandatory 15-year term. A Department of Justice survey showed that 43% of state felons on probation were rearrested for a crime within three years of sentencing. In short, violent criminals are released early to commit more crimes so that their beds can be occupied by nonviolent drug offenders. Civil libertarians are not heard often defending a societal right to be secure from violent criminals, much less a right of victims to see just punishment meted out to offenders. In this they are as shortsighted as their law-and-order counterparts. The War on Drugs is a public safety disaster, making victims of us all. However uncomfortable it may be to admit, the undeniable reality is that drugs always have been and always will be a presence in society. Americans have been paying too high a price for the governments War on Drugs. As Federal judge William Schwarzer has said, It behooves us to think that it may profit us very little to win the war on drugs if in the process we lose our soul. http://www. serendipity. li/wod. html

Powerful Theme and Allusions to Sex in Andersons Womanhood :: Anderson Womanhood Essays

Powerful Theme and Allusions to Sex in Anderson's Womanhood    Catherine Anderson's poem "Womanhood" tells about a young girl and her transition to womanhood.   In this intricately woven poem the reader will learn very little about the girl.   Neither she nor her mother are ever named, and no information is given about them or their family life.   What the reader does discover is what lies ahead for her as she begins her first day sewing rugs.   The poem begins a few moments before she enters the gates of the sweatshop that symbolizes her entry into womanhood.   Anderson uses metaphor within this poem to dramatize the difference in what lies ahead for her.   She should be looking forward to a bright and cheerful future, instead, she is faced with the drudgery of a life working in a sweatshop sewing rugs.   Anderson has woven this poem together so there is a link created between the first and second stanzas of the poem.   Each line in the first stanza, describing the carefree attitude of the young girl correlates with a line in th e second stanza illustrating how her life will be far different after she enters the gates of the factory and womanhood.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Within this poem there are many references or allusions to sex.   Most women are considered to have entered womanhood when they have their first sexual experience with a man.   Anderson plays up this aspect of becoming a woman in the poem to symbolize the girl's losing her innocence and youth to work in the sweatshop.   In essence, she is losing her virginity to that same sweatshop.   The first of these allusions to sex is in the opening lines of the poem; "she slides over/the hot upholstery" (1,2).   The young girl is described as sliding over hot upholstery, like girls sometimes do to snuggle up next to their boyfriends when driving a car.   This verse can also be seen as a metaphor for the hot young skin of a beautiful young girl.   Another example of these references is when Anderson describes the girl   as "loves humming & swaying to the music" (5).   This can be seen as the act of sexual intercourse itself.   The rhythmic swaying of bodies can be seen as little else especially when paired with line 25, "rocking back and forth"(25).   This is further emphasized by Anderson by her use of the ampersand signs (&) which she only uses in these two lines.

New System Proposal Essay

Riordan Manufacturing is a global plastics manufacturer employing 550 people with projected annual earnings of $46 million. The company is wholly owned by Riordan Industries, a Fortune 1000 enterprise with revenues in excess of $1 billion. Its products include plastic beverage containers produced at its plant in Albany, Georgia, custom plastic parts produced at its plant in Pontiac, Michigan, and plastic fan parts produced at its facilities in Hangzhou, China. The company’s research and development is done at the corporate headquarters in San Jose. Riordan’s major customers are automotive parts manufacturers, aircraft manufacturers, the Department of Defense, beverage makers and bottlers, and appliance manufacturers. As you can see Riordan is a large company with offices worldwide and communication and travel can be a major expense for the company especially when implementing new lines and technology at one of their facilities. Future statements made by Riordan, We will maintain an innovative and team oriented working environment. By assuring that our employees are well informed and properly supported, we will provide a climate focused on the long term viability of our company. We must be focused in achieving and maintaining reasonable profitability to assure that the financial and human capital is available for sustained growth. As Riordan moves forward with their mission statements the cost of implementing new technology and training employees to operate and manage these new systems costs hundreds of thousands of dollars. The company’s most recent expansion took place in 2014 when it opened its operations in China. At that time, the entire fan manufacturing operation was moved from Michigan to China and the Pontiac, MI facility was retooled for the manufacture of custom plastic parts. During the first quarter of the  expansion travel costs alone just for the training of the ongoing systems integration project surpassed one hundred thousand dollars. We know that Riordan will always be on the forefront of applying new technology and systems to keep up with market trends in the future. This is why implementing the creation, deployment, and support of effective interactive distance learning and communication systems to improve business, is crucial to the ongoing success of the company. The CADE system will reduce thousands of dollars of travel expenses directly related to the training required with each new system at all of the company’s facilities. Developing a distance learning system that will allow Riordan to provide effective training through teleconferencing from their headquarters in San Jose CA to facilities all over the world will reduce expenses by millions of dollars over the long term. The Need for Training and Communication The cornerstone of a competitive organization is its highly trained workforce. In today’s market, product life-cycles are shorter, more complex. The available time for training is greatly reduced. Many companies are downsizing and the responsibilities of those that remain are increased, jobs are consolidated. Corporate communication and training needs have never been more important†¦ Time becomes one of the most limited resources. Regardless of the industry, many of these issues are very much the same: (Velocedge Inc, 2014). High cost and increased difficulty of travel Inability to reach all employees anywhere, anytime High cost of training, continuing education Lack of qualified instructors or presenters Time it takes to get a message to all employees Expensive to develop effective training and communication programs Loss of productivity when employees take off work for travel, training, or meetings Difficulty in transferring knowledge throughout the organization The CADE System The Communications And Distance Education (CADE) system is designed to  facilitate live, interactive programs over a satellite, Internet, or streaming video network as well as capture those programs for later playback. Interactive Satellite Delivery During an interactive broadcast, the instructor or presenter can ask multiple choice, true/false, yes/no, numeric, and multiple selection questions and participants can respond with either wireless remote controls in a classroom setting or through a personal computer. The PC at each remote location collects participant responses from the wireless remotes and transmits them back to the presenter over an intranet or Internet connection. Participants may also speak with the presenter, using voice over IP, PBX, or standard telephone line, and everyone in the broadcast can listen to that conversation. Interactive Web Delivery With CADE eTutor, interactive training and communication programs can be delivered over the Internet/Intranet. It provides the same capabilities of the satellite delivery system, as well as a few extra features, in a desktop version using highly compressed audio and video over IP. Capture All Interaction Participant responses are captured, time-stamped, and stored in a web-based learning management system. In addition to capturing the satellite based information, the CADE system also supports web based training, classroom, paper based, and is fully SCORM compliant. All data in the CADE system is created, managed, and accessed through this web-based portal to the database. CADE System Components The CADE system is comprised of a number of software applications. These applications include: Studio Control System – The instructor or presenter’s interface Virtual Classroom – The remote site control program eTutor – The web-based interactive delivery system Learning Management Web – The web-based learning management system New System Flow Diagram for CADE System at Riordan Manufacturing The new CADE is a free standing system that has virtually no effect or interaction with any of the present Information systems or processes currently in use by Riordan Manufacturing. The CADE system is designed to facilitate live, interactive programs over a satellite, Internet, or streaming video network as well as capture those programs for later playback. CADE is primarily a software based product but it represents a new paradigm in software development, utilizing an effective integration of world-class software components and Internet technologies in an adaptive architecture. To keep pace with today’s rapidly changing world, CADE was designed to incorporate change as quickly as an organization realizes the need for change. Corporate management faces many issues that can keep an organization from being as competitive and profitable as it needs to be†¦ CADE won’t be one of them. As a new or better technology solution is identified, an idea to improve a feature, or a new function desired, that change can be easily incorporated into the CADE products keeping your system continually up to date, meeting each new requirement, and keeping your investment protected. Satellite -Live -On-demand -Prerecorded Interactive Web Training Audio/Video -Live -Prerecorded Web Courses SCORM Classroom Video On Demand Desktop Classroom CADE Advantages to Riordan Interactive Distance Learning Even though there is a lot of talk about distance education, over 90% of all formal training continues to use classroom delivery. The major cost driver of training is delivery. Satellite or web based, Interactive Distance Learning (IDL) provides the benefits of classroom without the large cost. (Velocedge Inc, 2014). . Faster Deliver to more people in less time, Concept to delivery time in hours or days, Cut classroom delivery time in half, Deliver to entire target population in one broadcast Cheaper Fewer experts needed to deliver message, Deliver to more people with less cost, Low cost to develop and deliver content, Incalculable cost savings: time off work, travel, per diem, etc. Better Over 25% improvement in student retention, Most consistent message delivery, one voice Standardized design , Utilize only the most qualified instructors, Provides detailed tracking and reporting (Velocedge Inc, 2014). Presently Riordan’s first quarter number’s pertaining to the General & Administrative line item is over budget one hundred thousand dollars due to travel and per diem expenses related to emergency training of the new systems that have been added. By incorporating the new CADE system to provide long distance training this will eliminate any additional over budget expenses caused by the new systems and also provide low cost long distance training for any future systems that are put in use by the company. The new CADE system will reduce company expenses in many ways: reducing or eliminating travel and per diem costs, reducing course development costs, reducing the number of trainers, reducing the time off work, reducing the time to develop a course, and many other ways. Pricing is based on the number of remote sites you have and the Presentation Studio System that is specified. However, the cost is a fraction of what you are spending now to train your employees. References Velocedge Inc. (2014). velocity and knowledge. Retrieved from http://www.velocedge.com/ Learn.net. (2014). The CADE System. Retrieved from http://www.velocedge.com/CADEnew/Products/index.htm

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