Chinese Civil Service Examination

The Imperial Examination System in Ancient China Abstract: Imperial examination in ancient China was developing based on the nine-rank system. From Sui and Tang dynasties to Guangxu year, Qing dynasty, it took more than 1300 years to evolve. The Imperial Examination is officially called Keju Examination in China, which was an important part of education system of feudal society in ancient China. In the mean time, it was a kind of officer-selecting system as well. It played a significant role in cultivating, selecting, and making use of talents.Modern examination system also takes example by the imperial examinations in ancient China. So we should attach importance to researching and studying it due to its enlightenment to the innovation of education system. Have you ever wondered why there is an examination this kind of stuff which makes students â€Å"suffer† a lot and how it comes about? What is its origin? And how did it develop? Actually, China has a long history in examin ation system. So, I will talk about the imperial examination system in China which has a far-reaching impact to other Asian countries. The establishment of the nine-rank system A certain system cannot be created without foundation and time, it must have an origin, and before the establishment of the system, there must have been a predecessor originating gradually† ——Ch’ ien Mu? Imperial examination did not arise suddenly. Before the imperial examination was created, the nine-rank system was considered to be the precursor of it. According to Ci Hai dictionary, the explanation of the word â€Å"nine-rank system†: At the end of the Eastern Han dynasty, Cao Cao was in power, he advocated â€Å"Wei Cai Shi Ju†, which means everyone has an opportunity to be an official as long as he is outstanding enough.In the year 220, Cao Pi adopted Ministry of Personnel, Chen Qun’s suggestion that every prefecture could elect a reputable man to be the â €Å"Zhongzheng† (a kind of official), and the government classified them as nine ranks according to their capability. Cao Pi maintained Cao Cao’s principle that pedigree will not be the prerequisite. According to baike. baidu. com, at the beginning when nine-rank system was established, the criterion for estimating candidates was focused on extraction, morality, and ability. However, with the development of nine-rank system, extraction became the prerequisite, event the sole touchstone.When it came to Western Jin Dynasty, there had been a situation that first-class positions only admitted aristocrats and inferior-class positions only admitted people who didn’t have eminent background. Until the Northern Dynasty, national minority was in charge of the government. So the nine-rank system couldn’t efficiently work as before and became formalistic. Finally, it was abolished because of the lapse of aristocrats by Sui Dynasty. The establishment of Keju System ( The Imperial Examination System) Sui Dynasty: In 589, Sui Wendi (the emperor) set up two subjects of Xiu Cai and Ming Jing.In 606, Sui Yangdi (the next emperor) started to add another subject of Jin Shi. Therefore, it became the mark of the establishment of Keju System. Tang Dynasty: Tang Dynasty carried forward the system from Sui Dynasty practicing Keju System which used the subject of Jin Shi as the dominative way to select dedicates to upper level. Those who hoped to be the officials of the bureaucracy should compete in the Jin Shi exams, which tested their knowledge about the Five Confucian Classics. They are: Title (English)| Title (Chinese)| Brief Description| Classic of Poetry| A collection of 305 poems divided into 160 folk songs, 105 festal songs sung at court ceremonies, and 40 hymns and eulogies sung at sacrifices to gods and ancestral spirits of the royal house. | Book of Documents| | A collection of documents and speeches alleged to have been written by rulers and of ficials of the early Zhou period and before. It is possibly the oldest Chinese narrative, and may date from the 6th century BC. It includes examples of early Chinese prose. | Book of Rites| | Describes ancient rites, social forms and court ceremonies.The version studied today is a re-worked version compiled by scholars in the third century BC rather than the original text, which is said to have been edited by Confucius himself. | Classic of Changes| | Also known as  I Ching  or  Book of Changes. The book contains a  divination  system comparable to Western  geomancy  or the West African system. In  Western  cultures and modern East Asia, it is still widely used for this purpose. | Spring and Autumn Annals| | Also known as  Lin Jing  ( ), a historical record of the state of Lu, Confucius's native state, 722–481 BC, compiled by himself, with mplied condemnation of usurpations, murder, incest, etc. | Graph from Wikipedia.? By the end of Tang Dynasty, the old aristocracy had been supplanted by the scholar-gentry. Song Dynasty: during the Song Dynasty, there were several reformations and the Keju System became more and more mature and consummate. It had reached its summit. The government expanded admission quota and established Provincial Examination, Metropolitan Examination, and Final Imperial Examination. Those exams would be hold triennially. Song Dynasty changed the situation that merchant were discriminated in Sui and Tang Dynasties.Thanks to this policy, many people who were born miserably could have a fair access to higher level of bureaucracy. Ming and Qing Dynasty: The Imperial Examination System reached its final form under Ming Dynasty, and was adopted almost intact by the succeeding Qing dynasty. Metropolitan Examination was holding every three years in Jing Cheng (Beijing), and officials were rotated every three years in order to prevent them from building up a power base. The admission criterion was divided into three levels. The top level included three quotas: Zhuang Yuan, Bang Yan, and Tan Hua.The other levels would enroll several examinees. The subject matter of the examinations was about the Four Books and Five Confucian Classics. The form for an examination paper became the stylized â€Å"eight-legged essay† (Ba Gu Wen), which had eight main headings, used 700 characters or less, and dealt with topics according to a certain set manner. According to www. Newworldencyclopedia. org. ? By 1370, the examinations lasted between 24 and 72 hours, and were conducted in spare, isolated examination rooms; sometimes, however, it was held in cubicles.The small rooms featured two boards which could be placed together to form a bed, or placed on different levels to serve as a desk and chair. In order to obtain objectivity in evaluation, candidates were identified by number rather than name, and examination answers were recopied by a third person before being evaluated to prevent the candidate's han dwriting from being recognized. The examinations were often criticized because the ability to do well on the examination did not necessarily reflect the ability to govern well, and because they gave precedence to style over content and originality of thought.The exam system was abolished in 1905. The rulers realized that in order for the country to survive in the 20th century, they had to abandon the Confucian-classics-based education system, and adopt a Western-type, science-and-technology-based system. How many types of degrees could people get? What were the sorts of those degrees? The sort of degrees can reflect the completeness of Chinese Imperial Examination System. Types of Degree Level 1: District Level First you had to pass the district level exam. There was no degree at this level.The people who passed the district level exam would have the title of Tong Sheng( ). Then you have the qualification to take the prefectural level exam. Level 2a: Prefectural Level People who pas s the prefectural level exam achieved Sheng Yuan( ) degree. The exam was held two times every three years at the capital of the local prefecture. The most outstanding Sheng Yuan could directly be given the Gong Sheng( ) degree. Level 2b With time going on, the government became corrupt and allowed people to buy a Jian Sheng( ) degree.Wealthy people who were too lazy to study or who failed the prefectural level exam bought these degrees to improve their social status. These Jian Sheng had the same qualification to take next level examination. Level 3: Provincial Level People who passed the provincial level exam were awarded the Ju Ren( ) degree. The exam was held at the provincial capital every three years. Very few of the population had this degree. These people where considered upper gentry. Level 4: Metropolitan Level People who passed the metropolitan level exam were awarded the Gong Sheng( )degree.Soon after passing the metropolitan test, the candidate would take the Palace Exam ination and be conferred the Jin Shi( ) degree. The exam was given at Beijing once every three years. What kind of influence does it have? Is it beneficial or detrimental for the social development? The Imperial Examination System was more like a double-edged sword, since it brings the uniformity to the country but reluctance to innovate and change. The advantageous and disadvantageous influence Positive impact * Keju System facilitates traditional Confucian culture popularized and made the society generate a lively, critical, academic environment. From Song dynasty, no matter how humbly the examinees were, they had the equal opportunity to enter a high position in government as other aristocrats had. So this system not only expanded the scope of selecting talents, but also played an important part in maintaining the stability of society. During Ming and Qing dynasty, about half of Jin Shi was born in poor families. * The strict system provided impartial chances to commoners so that government had a good reputation at that time. * As the country who invented examination system, China has been known by other countries in the world.The Keju System is regarded as a cornerstone of other exam patterns. It has a far-reaching impact to East Asia and Western world. From 8th to 10th century, Japan had imitated the Keju System, and so as Korea and Vietnam. In 1855, the civil official examination system was officially established in Britain. â€Å"It is widely acknowledged by Western scholars today that China's imperial examination system exerted direct influence on the modern civil service examination system in the West,† said Li Shiyu, a guest-visitor to the exhibition and researcher with the Institute of History under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.?Negative impact  · Keju system didn’t radically solve the problem that public officials appointed people by favouritism. With strengthen of centralization of authority, Keju System was gradually con trolled by monarch or high-level officials. And the number of enrollees was not enough at all so that people who had relationships with officials could easily slip through and pass the examination. * Keju system cannot help enhance administrative efficiency in its original sense. Because of the complicated bureaucracy set, people who passed the examinations could not adapt the complicacy and put knowledge into practice. It caused people to have a rigescent thought. Most people took the Keju examination just in order to change their family financial condition instead to change the decayed political condition. What they learned could not match the reality well and help a lot so that executive system verged to conservative and closed. With time going on, China gradually lost many chances to innovate. * Many multitudes gave up their jobs, many young males lay their farm land wasted so that they could have plenty of time to prepare for the examinations.To some extent, the crop yield took a hit because of a large number of strong adults wanted to be an official instead of a farmer. Purpose of Imperial Examination System In ancient China, most people lived at the bottom of the society, the only way they could change their destiny was to take Imperial Exams. Since the process of studying for the examination was time-consuming, most male adults had to do farming work during the daytime, but those wealthy land-owning gentries could have plenty of spare time to study. So they became the main candidates for high-ranking government officials.The examination system distributed its prizes according to provincial and prefectural quotas, which meant that imperial officials were recruited from the whole country, in numbers roughly proportional to each province's population. Elite individuals all over China, even in the disadvantaged peripheral regions, had a chance at succeeding in the examinations and achieving the rewards of holding office. In earlier period, it was a fair me thod for commoners to change their social status, however, under some late dynasties the imperial bureaucracy became corrupt, examinations were abolished and official posts were either sold or given as rewards.At these times, the public morale diminished, and some type of reform was often introduced to restore traditional Confucian values in the government. The uniformity of the content of the examinations helped maintain the basic cultural values. Even only few people could pass the exam and finally get title, the preparation for and the hope of eventual success on a subsequent examination sustained the interest of those who took them. Those who failed to pass—most of the andidates at any single examination did not lose wealth or local social standing; as dedicated believers in Confucian orthodoxy, they served, without the benefit of state appointments, as teachers, patrons of the arts, and managers of local projects, such as irrigation works, schools, or charitable foundati ons. With the Imperial examination, the society was in a dense academic atmosphere. After Qing Dynasty collapsed, what is the examination system like? What is its difference or similarity between Western countries and China?The Examination System After 1912 After 1912, soon the Chinese revolutionary league was established. It was led by Sun Zhongshan( considered as the Father of Republic of China). Sun had been studied abroad in Japan and had a very progressive thought. He adopted a lot of excellent western ideas and devoted himself to reform and innovation. Not only in political and economic aspects, but also in education. He zealously sparkplugs western-style education system. A lot of public schools were built. Ordinary people could afford their children to get education.It was a good start in New China. Today, Chinese Communists studying capitalist civil service systems have been making a similar point. Deng Xiaoping has said, in reference to economic reforms, â€Å"It doesn't matter if the cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice. † The current Chinese civil service reform (CSR) is an adjunct to the economic reforms begun in 1978. Regional and city governments, as well as a few national ministries, began experimenting with Western civil service techniques (particularly the use of examinations for selection).With the improvement of the education system, the quality of common people is also promoted. With United Nations' help (United Nations Development Program, 1987, 1989), the Chinese have been bringing foreign personnel experts to China and sending Chinese administrators abroad to study Western personnel technology. Although they are studying foreign systems, in the end, they insist that they will adopt a system with distinct â€Å"Chinese characteristics. † If I have more time, I would like explore the western countries’ comments onChinese civil examination and advises; the problems that current Chinese education system has and methods to solve it; the education system in capitalist countries and make a comparison. Work cited: ? Chi’en Mu. Zhong Guo Zheng Zhi Li Dai De Shi. Sheng Huo ·Du Shu ·Xin Zhi San Lian Bookstore Press. 2005. ISBN: 9787108015280 ? http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Four_Books_and_Five_Classics ? http://www. newworldencyclopedia. org/entry/Imperial_Examinations_(Keju) ? Ancient Imperial Exams with Modern Relevance, China. org. cn. Retrieved on August 24, 2007. ? Monique Nagel-Angermann. 2012, Exam time.Calliope, 22, 24-27. ProQuest Research Library. 27 Oct. 2012. ? Miyazaki, Ichisada. China's Examination Hell: The Civil Service Examinations of Imperial China. [1976] reprint 1981. 18 Nov. 2012 ? http://www. kwanfamily. info. Web. 21 Nov, 2012. Site creation date July 6, 2002. ? Nagel-Angermann, Monique. â€Å"Exam Time. † Calliope 2012: 24-7. ProQuest Research Library. 22 Nov. 2012. ? Aufrecht, Steven E. , and Li Siu Bun. â€Å"Reform with Chinese Characteristics: T he Context of Chinese Civil Service Reform. † Public administration review 55. 2 (1995): 175-. ABI/INFORM Complete; ProQuest Research Library. 27 Nov. 2012 .

Funeral Blues: an Explication Essay

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,Silence the pianos and with muffled drumBring out the coffin, let the mourners come. Let aeroplanes circle moaning overheadScribbling on the sky the message ‘He is Dead’. Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves. He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong. The stars are not wanted now; put out every one,Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun,Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood;For nothing now can ever come to any good. In life, people experience moments that are absolutely indescribable; from the birth of a firstborn child, to the death of a parent; things in life that impact us with such unrelenting force, that we are unable to even fathom their depths. It is the job of a writer or poet to make a reader feel the emotions of others, describe the indescribable, and tell a story. W.  H. Auden’s â€Å"Funeral Blues† does all three, and more for readers, due to its beautiful descriptive language, blinding imagery, and theme. The poem demonstrates everything that is needed in such a fine piece of literature. Have you ever heard the rustle of the leaves? The wind whistle, maybe? Both are examples of descriptive language that we hear every day, so often that it has become common. Auden takes the simple things and describes them with sharp detail. â€Å"Muffled drum† is a good example of a solemn drum beat of a funeral procession. Aeroplanes moaning overhead† is a good example of personification, as if the aeroplanes are mourning the loss of the loved one also, and by extension, the world. This effectively gets the point across that the writer feels as if the world has stopped due to the death of this person, and is a very powerful message. The theme of this poem is the loss of a loved one, something that almost everyone has experienced in their life, or seen someone go through. It is known by many as the sick feeling one gets in their gut when they hear the news of death, or the resignation they feel once they know fighting it will do nothing. Death is a natural occurrence, but that knowledge does nothing to alleviate the pain of loss. It many ways, it hurts even more to think that your hardships and pain have been felt by billions before you; insignificance adds insult to injury. That is precisely why this poem works. The writer’s seemingly effortless words mesh together to paint a picture: a perfect understanding of loss. The need for one’s pain to not only be significant, but to be acknowledged by all.

Plant Tropisms Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Plant Tropisms - Research Paper Example Higher plants compensate for this deficiency through elaborate specialized chemical metabolic pathways. For instance plants exude toxins on their surface to ward off potential enemies; others alter their pigments in reaction to light intensity and others still, enhance their reproductive efficiency through chemo-attractants (Hart, 4). In all these cases plants sense an external stimulus and respond to it appropriately. The ability of plants to sense unfavorable conditions in their immediate environment and as a result alter their growth is referred to as tropism. Tropisms are directional movements in plants in response to directional stimulus. Tropic responses are brought about by differential growth on the part of the plant organs. Positive tropism occurs when the plant alter growth in the direction of the incoming stimulus. Negative tropism on the other hand, occurs where plant growth happens in the opposite direction to the incoming stimulus. Orthotropic response is where a stimulated organs aligns itself with the plane of the stimulus. These can be negatively or positivelyorthotropic. Seedlings wholly display one or the other of these two types of tropisms. Mature tissues however, vary greatly. Plagiotropic responses occur when an organ orients itself at an angle to the direction of incoming stimulus such as occur in branches and some roots. Orientation at right angles is termed diatropic ( Hart 23). Phototropism is the directional growth of an organ in response to blue light. It is under the control of blue light photo – receptors called phototropins (Hangarter, 2000, p. 25). Plants need light energy in order to carry out the process of photosynthesis. As such many aerial parts of the plant show some form of positive phototropism. These include leaves, branches, stems and most roots. Plant phototropism is not only restricted to blue light however, plant morphogenesis

Employee Relations Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Employee Relations - Research Paper Example An open discussion should be done with the employee so as to justify the reasons behind one’s termination without following any such discipline procedure. Unfair labor practices denote all those approaches incorporated in a workplace that is not aligned with overall hard work of employees. Such practices encompass pay cuts, retrenchment operations, elimination of two-way communication methods, discrimination amongst employees, sexual harassment, no such provision for rewards or appraisals, etc. Labor practices are considered to be unfair when employees have deprived off their basic rights. There are such incidents witnessed in PAC Resources Inc., as employees were facing pay cuts, job losses, and even some of the team members were being sexually harassed. In order to overcome such issues, senior management should design an open discussion forum where employees belonging to any department may put across their issues related to various labor practices (Gusdorf, 2011). This, in turn, will help to reduce such practices and incorporate possible alternatives. Unionization should always be prevented from becoming a vital component of an organization. In the context of PAC Resources, Inc., unionization needs to be eliminated from the system as this is initiating more conflicts between management and employees. This factor can be discouraged by providing employees with such a medium through which they can easily interact with HR department or even senior management. It can be stated that social media has become a common tool for establishing such interactions between individuals. This platform can be incorporated in PAC by designing a community in such networking sites. Employees can effectively put across their allegations on these sites. Apart from this technique, an open discussion platform will discourage such unionization. Through this forum on weekly basis employees can directly interact with top management.

Jew, Christian, Muslim Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Jew, Christian, Muslim - Essay Example The scriptures believed to be sacred have people in them whom adherents of these religions can relate to. In fact, the three can also be called Abrahamic religions because they center the origin of their faith in Abraham, a man believed to be holy and who made a covenant with God to follow Him. The story of Abraham is common among the three religions. Christianity somewhat evolved from Judaism, with Jesus being seen as the Son of God, and not coming with a new scripture but with deeds to be emulated. Works of early Christians are recorded in Acts of Apostles, a book found in the New Testament of the Christian scriptures, even though Christianity is highly based on deeds rather than words. In terms of traditions, Christian traditions can be traced to Judaism. The only difference comes in with and after the life of Jesus. Jews and Islam mostly have law codes that are strictly followed. They both have dietary restrictions, especially when eating meat. Some animals are considered unholy to consume. They also believe in living in bands or communities. Muslims invoke their God almost every time while Jews never mention His name. Education among the Muslims is mainly considered a thing for the males. The girls hardly go beyond primary school. Boys, on the other hand, go to Madras classes to improve their understanding of the scripture they memorized in primary school. All religions believe in charity for individual spiritual growth and benefit and also in purity before prayer. Jews wash their hands while Muslims smear water over parts of their bodies before engaging in prayer. In Islam, the mingling of the sexes is considered as something that threatens the social order and is extremely restricted, with strict regulations whenever it occurs. Some of these regulations include dressing, especially for the women. They must not show their faces,

Individual Learning Log Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Individual Learning Log - Essay Example Thus social enterprises are an established business concept and help the economy grow (Kerlin, 2009). It is easier for social enterprises to collaborate within themselves than to collaborate with other small and medium scale enterprises. Due to their activities, social enterprises are better established via informal contacts than through formal support since the community is their main client and sponsor (Kerlin, 2009). Major activities in the goals of social enterprises are sustainability and capacity development. This may be hard when it comes to practice since most businesses exist for commercial goals. Thus conflicts may arise since social and environmental responsibilities are the major goals for any social enterprise. Integration with the local community helps solve these conflicts (Paton, 2003). Small and medium enterprises have more in common with social enterprises. They all start small and grow through some steps in growth. These all start from creativity with a need to serve the community thorough provision of missing services. As with the case of social enterprises, they seek to provide essential service to the needy in society (Bull & Ridley-Duff, 2011). Those who run social enterprise are best known as social entrepreneurs. They differ from other entrepreneurs in that their mind set is not focused primarily in making profits but rather integrating the business with the community (Bull & Ridley-Duff, 2011). Most entrepreneurs are innovators and do not follow the standard way of doing things hence are disruptive. So for social entrepreneurs, they should be managers or look for managers to run the social enterprise. A manger of the social enterprise should strive to ensure that the business is sustainable and that the enterprise aspect is upheld. Most funding comes from donations and entrepreneurial activities and not from equity investments. This means that there are no major shareholders that run the finances of

THE IMPORTANCE OF NUTRITION FOR A HEALTHY LIFE STYLE Essay

THE IMPORTANCE OF NUTRITION FOR A HEALTHY LIFE STYLE - Essay Example Some cut back on the proteins, while others reduce the intake of carbohydrates in certain proportions. But according to the latest study published in The New England Journal of Medicine, the comparison of different diets shows that they are not only very difficult, their tastes buds are already immune to a pattern in which they cannot stay away from cheese burger, additives, pizza, candy or soda for very long, but also not successful in most cases (Parker, 2008). Thus failure of weight loss due to such diets leads people to believe that its it their fault they are overweight and hence has further negative effects on their lifestyle, for example loss of self confidence. The answer to such negative effects is not diets but instead a healthy lifestyle which may not make one very skinny but a person can enjoy a good healthy life. In opinion an additional advantage of having nutritional food over unhealthy food is that not only the consumption becomes less (since we won't eat packets and packets of Doritos), but also less expensive (organic food) and makes our lifestyle fit, our bodies stronger and lowers our health cost since we would be required to spend much time in the doctor's office or the hospital.

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT FOR TOYOTA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT FOR TOYOTA - Essay Example In effect, the strategic management option is being undertaken for the sake of helping the company gain competitive advantage over its key competitors (Pollard, 2009). Pirttimaki (2007) has stressed that even though the annual revenues of Toyota Corporation could be said to be greater than any of its competitors, the company does not lead in all aspects of the industrial competition. This is because the car making industry in itself has several divisions, all of which must be competed for to gain global dominance. Some of these competitive components that the company engages in with its competitors include luxury vehicles, automobiles, commercial vehicles, motorcycles, and engines (Gilad & Gilad, 2008). Generally, the selection of the strategic management option shall be undertaken while critiquing against a specific model to justify why it is the best that the company can have. The model to be used in the critique is made up of three major sections namely suitability, acceptability and feasibility. Under each of the sections, there shall be sub-components against which the strategic option shall be tested with. The model to be used has been simplified below. The Differentiation Strategy The strategic management option selected for Toyota Corporation is the differentiation strategy. ... As the R&D takes place, it is important to also ensure that there is massive innovation that is directed at the need to meet consumer request and demand with style and flex. This is because as all competitors identifies the needs of consumers, it is he that has innovation with the needs that catches the eye of the consumer most (O’Hara, 2008). Secondly, it is important for companies undertaking the differentiation strategy to have the ability to deliver superior quality products and or services (Gilbane Report 2005). This is indeed a very centralized aspect of the strategy because quality remains a very crucial measure for competitiveness in contemporary global market and for the undertaking of competitive global engagements (Pirttila, 1997). This is because according to Ghoshal & Kim, 2006), the consumer behaviour of most people is changing of cost consciousness to quality consciousness. It would therefore take companies to set their quality apart be gain competitive advantag e. Finally, companies that desire to pursue differentiation strategy must be ready to undertake effective sales and marketing. The reason for this is that on a competitive market such as the one that Toyota finds itself in, almost all other competitors also engage in R&D and the delivery of high quality products and services. In effect, it is those who can effectively market and sell their quality and innovative products and services that really get to the customer (Alvesson & Skoldeberg, 2000). Application of the Model to the Differentiation Strategy Suitability Suitability generally refers to the question of whether or not the selected strategic management option is the right one for the company

Organizational Change Final Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Organizational Change Final - Assignment Example Apart from the increase in salaries, workers are motivated by various factors such as increased commission, training, freedom to join trade unions, training, gifts, holidays, promotion and increased responsibilities among other factors. On their part, the management team should ensure that employees are involved in the decision making process and that a proper management style is adopted. For example, employees should be provided with a chance to provide feedback on the various issues affecting their organization. In this way, they feel as part and parcel of the entity thus taking every measure to safeguard the image of the company. One of the notable global companies that have been successful in meeting the needs of its consumers at the local and international market is Walmart Stores Incorporation. Walmart Incorporation, a US based firm with over two million employees has not only maintained a strong brand but also it has created a stiff competition in the retail industry. This pap er discusses the strategies that Walmart Company needs to emulate in order to bring change and bring about a transformation in the organization. Company Overview With its headquarters based in Bentonville US, Walmart Company was established in 1962 by Sam Walton. The company started to trade its shares in the New York Stock Exchange in 1972 thus making it to generate significant amount of capital that it used in its expansion strategies. Based on the effective leadership of Robson Walton and Doug McMillon, the chairman and the president respectively, the company has established more than 8,500 stores in 15 countries thus making it to effectively face off it competitors including Tesco and Target Companies. Due to its strong brand image and strong promotional and advertisement strategies, Walmart has continued to enjoy high sales and sustainable profitability. For example, in 2013, it generated total revenue of US$ 469.162 billion while its total net income stood at US$ 16.999Â  bil lion. Similarly, the company total assets in 2013 stood at US$ 203.105Â  billion while the operating income was US$ 27.801Â  billion. Walmart Stores US, the biggest division makes a significant contribution on the company sales. This is based on the establishment of wide range of products that meets high demand as the result of the US high population as well as quality brands that meets the needs of its customers. The three notable outlets that make up Walmart Stores US include Supercentres, Walmart market and Discount Stores (Lichtenstein, 2009). One of the key strategies that have made Walmart to attain a competitive position in the market is its focus of attracting large number of customers from various regions by introducing brands that matches with their cultural background. For example, in its effort to attract the Hispanic communities, the company established the Supermercado de Walmart in 2009 that offers wide range of food products among other brands that are highly deman ded by the community. As a result, the company has maintained a strong positive relationship with the consumers an aspect that has made it to continue enjoying high sales and profits (Sandra and Scott, 1997). Other operating divisions for the company include Vudu, Walmart international, Sam’

History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 12

History - Essay Example According to this treaty Germany forced to accept sole responsibility for causing the war and to disarm, make substantial territorial concessions and pay heavy reparations to certain countries. Around 132 billion Marks which are roughly equivalent to US$ 385 billion at present were levied upon Germany as the compensation amount which really hurt the Germans. Moreover, this treaty presented for German leaders to sign on May 7, 1919, forced Germany to concede territories to Belgium (Eupen-Malmà ©dy), Czechoslovakia (the Hultschin district), and Poland (Poznan [German: Posen], West Prussia and Upper Silesia)† (Treaty of Versailles, 1919). In short, "The Versailles Treaty system was intended to be a peace agreement between the Allies and a defeated Germany and the Central Powers, instead it created political and economic chaos, contributing directly to the rise of Mussolini and Hitler. This paper briefly analyses the role of The Versailles Treaty system in contributing to the rise of Hitler and Mussolini and the subsequent World War 2. One of the major aims of the peace treaty â€Å"The Treaty of Versailles† in 1919, which ended the World War 1 between Germany and allied forces, was the disarmament of Germany. However, Germans always had a feeling of superiority in their minds. The conditions they succumbed to accept as part of this treaty were intolerable to their pride and superiority feeling. When Hitler came into the power he has taken every step to regain the lost prides of the Germans. He deliberately started to violate the conditions of The Treaty of Versailles. In 1922, Benito Mussolini and his Fascist Party succeeded in capturing the power in Italy. Fascism and Nazism have more similarities than differences which helped Hitler and Mussolini to work together against the allied powers. Fascism and Nazism were entirely different from capitalism, communism and democracy. Fascism was driven by a sense of belligerent

Significant Business Risk Factors Essay Example for Free

Significant Business Risk Factors Essay 1. Limited Shelf Life Empirical evidence suggests that retailers must adapt to new product style trends in order to satisfy consumers and other key stakeholders (Ryan, 2011). In respect to Harvey Norman (HVN), failure to adapt will entail lower consumer demand, hindering growth and profitability. It is important to note a limited shelf life of HVN’s products exists due to changing trends. This in turn gives rise to the risk of inventory becoming obsolete and rising excess stock in the warehouse. Therefore, HVN should further emphasise on its inventory management, in order to minimise inventory build up and overall expenses in the entity. 2. Increased Competition from online shopping Studies reveal that Australian consumers have embraced online shopping, recording a 23% growth in 2012 (Irvine, 2013). In order to combat the fierce competition in the online market, HVN introduced its ‘Omni-strategy,’ which focused on the enhancement of its digital store. There is evidence of success from this strategy with the firm recently named as ‘The Best Multichannel Retailer’ in the ORIA 2013 awards (Chanthadavong, 2013). Despite this acclaim, it is of paramount importance that HVN considers enhancing its distribution channels, especially its digital store through better pricing on delivery times for online purchasesand a greater focus on personalised services for internet empowered consumers. This will sustain consumer expectations and ensure the firm captures a greater portion of its target market (Chanthadavong, 2013). 3. Threat from domestic competitors Despite being one of Australia’s retail giants, HVN in recent times has been battling it out in the domestic market due to growing competition. In 2012, HVN was labelled as the most expensive Australian electronic giant recording a severe slump in its pricing position in comparison to its counterparts such as Dick Smith Electronics and JB HI-FI (Jager, 2013). The underlying reason for the slump was predominantly due to the high costs from GST and compliance laws (Morley, 2013). Additionally, three of HVN’s recently acquired subsidiaries failed during the 2011/2012 financial years. This  proved to be a costly investment for the firm reduced its competitive position in the furniture and electrical goods industry (Coyne, 2013). Furthermore, the entity’s poor pricing position detrimentally impacted the electronics giant’s sales (-4.9%) and profitability (-2.38%) (Harvey Norman, 2012). This suggests that HVN may have inventory build-up, excessive discounting and price deflation due to staggering consumer demand. 4. Stagnating growth in the global retail industry Stagnating growth in the global retail industry has resulted in lower consumer demand and expenditure. A study from IBIS reveals that Australian appliance retailing has fallen by nearly two percent (IBISworld, 2013). Additionally, declining consumer demand has influenced a fall in the Australian dollar (AUD), which has negatively impacted sales in HVN Australian and international stores such as New Zealand and Ireland (Harvey Norman, 2012). HVN’s 2012 Annual Report reinforces that the negative growth has inhibited a reduction of HVN’s profitability, revenue and thus increasing the risk of obsolescence of inventory. 5. Natural Disasters affecting Harvey Norman Stores Recent natural disasters have damaged many HVN Australian and New Zealand stores. For instance, a fire in the storage area of Harvey Norman in Porirua New Zealand heavily damaged a HVN store earlier in June 2013 (New Zealand Herald, 2013). This has had detrimental impacts on HVN’s sales revenue in its New Zealand market (Harvey Norman, 2012 p. 10). It is important to note that these disasters increase time wastage spent on rebuilding stores and increases the risk of overstatement of assets, as they may not have been properly removed off premises. 6. Misleading advertising It is of paramount importance that a company doesn’t engage in false and deceptive marketing; especially if the products fail to exist in the warehouse. HVN was recently fined through infringement notices worth $6,600 for advertising stock they did not hold in a bid to mislead customers. According to the ACCC, this act breached the Trade Practices Act in promoting material. Moreover, this has had financial and non-financial impacts for the company, specifically affecting future sales and brand image  on reliability of the company’s stance to deliver with full efficiency. This is also known as operational and compliance risk. 7. Threat of the geographical location of franchises According to the entity’s 2012 annual report, franchising is deemed to be HVN’s predominant source of its revenue. Whilst, HVN has franchise locations globally, its New Zealand stores attract the highest level of sales revenue (Harvey Norman, 2012). Growth in sales have peaked in stores located around the mining districts such as Western Australia, Hunter Valley, but have dropped in performance in the capital cities such Sydney and Melbourne. A financial risk of going on concern can be indicated from here as the need of consumers shift and with competition HVN may not be selling and trading as much in the cities leading to inventory overload and incremented liabilities affecting overall business performance. 8. Currency Fluctuations During the 2012 financial year, the AUD fluctuated a significant amount against the most popular currency for trade (USD) by about $0.9544 to $1.1055 (RBA 2012). A fluctuation of $0.1511combined with trades amounting in millions would potentially lead to a large discrepancy to HVN’s Accounts receivable and payable accounts. Additionally, a lower AUD reflects that HVN would have to increase the retail prices in order to achieve the same profit margin (Campbell Phillips 2013). Empirical evidence reveals that if the dollar drops to around $0.80AUD compared to the USD, Australian consumers can expect an increase in prices of about 25% (Campbell Phillips 2013). This increase can be counteracted through hedging of the currencies, however volatility of the commodity market could potentially reduce HVN’s sales. Specifically, if sales decreases the risk of inventory obsolesces and write downs through idol stock increases.

Alcohol Beverage Essay Example for Free

Alcohol Beverage Essay Throughout the history of television, viewers have raised many questions about alcohol advertising. How is advertising affecting us? Does it have an impact on alcohol abuse or alcohol related disease and death? Does advertising influence alcohol consumption? In this essay, I will mainly concentrate on why such alcoholic advertisements should be restricted; and to what extent should any governments be able to control advertising. My personal opinion that I maintain is that I agree with having restrictions on alcoholic beverages’ advertisements on TV, by focusing more on responsible drinking and on problems that drinking causes every year because of irresponsibility of its consumer. I also stand by my opinion because young people are negatively affected by those ads, since there are no messages for responsible action while drinking. Moreover, statistics show that alcohol-related admissions to hospital in United States have reached 20% in 1995. With other words, most of cases sent to our hospitals were alcohol related, which potentially leads to violence, accidents and health issues. Alcohol is thought to cause thirty thousand premature deaths a year. Therefore, it may cause physical and mental harm to its consumers. The two main media tools that help advertising for alcohol are Televised programs and radio channels. These giant corporations make millions of dollars advertising for alcoholic beverages with having minimal advices on responsible drinking and reckless behaviors that can be caused primarily because of it. My personal believe is that too excessive exposure to alcoholic advertisement can increase consumption and influence peoples attitudes towards alcohol especially for youngster as they have not formed the correct understanding of it. In order to prevent the large amount of alcoholic advertising that appears on media, over the last few decades, government have set far stricter guidelines and regulations concerning alcohol. Some of these limitations and restrictions are particularly made for advertising for alcoholic drinks. Some of these restrictions include limiting the timing of advertisements on television and allow alcohol related ads to be displayed only after 10:00pm, which will avoid youth exposure to it. Nowadays, Alcohol advertisement is at its peak on sport events. This is why prohibiting the liquor company from being the official sponsor in sport must be considered. As Professor Gilmore said, limitations should include alcohol sponsorship in sport, as the alcohol was being advertised 24 hours a day. Besides, the contents of advertisement should be restricted, images like violence and potential crime should be forbidden, as it is easy for young people doing the same things that show on television. On the other hand, both in public and private sectors are responsible in joining their efforts to help to set out limitations and restrict alcohol promotion and sales through ads. For instance, clubs should abolish the unlimited drinks to a certain time only with fixed amount of money, and restrict underage people from being exposed to a place where alcohol is heavily consumed. Besides, the price should be increased to reduce the alcohol consumption and alcohol producers should develop a new production line, as an alternative to replace alcohol. Now, alcohol has spread in our culture and society and became the symbol of fun and pleasure. Its consumption has increased more than ever did in mankind history and their effects are increasing with it as well. Advertising for alcohol is not only encouraging our youth to drink more which will affect their health but also promotes reckless and irresponsible behaviors associated with its consumption. Our government is more aware of the seriousness of this issue than ever, however further laws and restrictions must take place in the future in order to decrease its negative effects.

The Term Media Convergence Media Essay

The Term Media Convergence Media Essay What is meant by the term media convergence with regard to technology, and how has it affected everyday life? Media convergence brings technologies such as a computing, and communication, together, which is very important in businesses today. This reach, makes the everyday lives of individuals easier since they now have much easier access to information on the things or products that they want and need. The combining of these different technologies, allows a longer more intuitive reach of businesses among its markets. Some industry leaders see media convergence as marking the letting go of the old media of print and broadcasting. Then the rise of the new media; this is what makes the world go around, now and days. We depend on way to much technology in todays society; that if one major thing broke, we would surely be hurting. Media convergence has affected everyday life by making news easier to access. Instead of needing to watch TV or read a magazine to learn the days events, you can now go to the TV stations website and get headlines in real time. Media convergence is not just a shift or a process; it also includes shifts within the industrial and social aspects, which encourage the consumer to seek out information. Convergence is how individual consumers interact with each other on a level and use different media platforms to create new and better experiences, new forms of media that connect us socially, and not just to other consumers, but to the have more producers of media in ways that have not been as accessible in the past. What is meant by the term media convergence with regard to business, and how has it affected everyday life? Media convergence means that the lines are getting blurred between the traditional forms of media and they are almost becoming one. A decade ago, there were clear differences between different print media, TV, the internet in general. Now look at things: News papers and TV have web sites. Those web sites deliver news in almost real time complete with moving video and feeds formatted for smart phones. Movies are now available streaming on the internet TV shows are now available streaming on the internet. Viewers can participate in TV shows in real time via social media. Things are all converging into one big mass media. The electricity of the gadgets affects your focus, and it would let you sleep tight. The media convergence is something that the suppliers should offer cheap and not expensive to swindle the public. Faster speed would not give you faster delivery to your clients. Long calls are not mindful, stay tuned all day to the TV, wont give you better relationships, instead, you will become obese, lazy and full of debts , buying all the stuff of the advertising. These are just some ways that media convergence could affect in todays society. I am sure there are other ways of explaining this, but I find it a hard question to answer all the way around; considering being in a business model environment; is something I have yet to be in, so far. What are some of the issues that result from dependency on modern media? Describe at least three issues. High level of inaccuracies seems to be a major fault in the media today. This is where we get falsified information; and we tend to grasp a hold to that information as if it were the truth. According to various different studies, a large percentage of the public find error in the news stories of their daily news stories. This happens more than once in a week, while more see spelling mistakes, more often than usual. Also another large percentage of individuals, have found to become wearier of their local news and news papers. Poor coverage of important issues is another factor that plays a role in how media is affecting us negatively in the world. Our main focus should be the environment, economy, the government, education, etc. But the media tends to stray away from a lot of the good in this and just report the bad. I am guessing the bad is what is good for ratings? It seems that the major news and magazines have declined, while entertainment and actors/actresses have doubled. The me dia tends to have a short attention span as well. Seems now and days, in our society, the news media are more focused on news that isnt as important to their viewers. And they seem to ignore serious problems for a long period of time, and then they finally notice. Once they notice they try to get a solution to resolve the issue, and it is not easily fixed, and once again it gets ignored. How does media literacy help with responsible media consumption? Media Literacy A definition and framework for media literacy comes from Wikipedia. Powerful Voices for Kids Summer Media Literacy Program Media literacy is the process of accessing, analyzing, evaluating and creating messages in a wide variety of forms. It uses an inquiry-based instructional model that encourages people to ask questions about what they watch, see and read. Media literacy education is one means of developing media literacy. It provides tools to help people critically analyze messages to detect propaganda, censorship, and bias in news and public affairs programming (and the reasons for such), and to understand how structural features such as media ownership, or its funding model affect the information presented. Media literacy aims to enable people to be skillful creators and producers of media messages, both to facilitate an understanding as to the strengths and limitations of each medium, as well as to create independent media. Media literacy is an expanded concept ualization of literacy. By transforming the process of media consumption into an active and critical process, people gain greater awareness of the potential for misrepresentation and manipulation (especially through commercials and public relations techniques), and understand the role of mass media and participatory media in constructing views of reality. Media literacy educators strive to address a balance between protection and empowerment. Protectionist approaches to media literacy emphasize the need to be aware of the negative aspects of mass media and popular culture, including the dangers and risks of online social media. Empowerment approaches emphasize building media awareness, promoting critical analysis of media texts, tools and technologies, and using image, language, sound and digital media for self-expression, communication and social advocacy. Media literacy educators have neither utopian nor dystopian views about the potential of digital and social media to transform K-12 education. They emphasize the both value of analyzing media texts, tools and technologies and the practice of composing using multimedia forms, genres and technologies.

Jazz: A History Essay -- essays research papers

Jazz: The History   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The music called Jazz was born sometime around 1895 in New Orleans. It combined elements of Ragtime, marching band music and Blues. What made Jazz such a different perspective of traditional music was its act of improvising. There was a widespread use of improvisation often by more than one player at a time. Songwriters would write the music down on a piece of paper, and then the Jazz musicians would try their best to play the music. Usually in a Jazz piece, musicians would use the song as a starting point to improvise around. Jazz musicians would play a familiar song to the audience, and by the time they were done with the piece they would stir up a totally different feeling away from the original song.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The average Jazz musician could not read music at all, but the way they performed on stage gave life to the audience. It thrilled them in a way that brought joy to their emotions. Their spontaneous music captured their hearts, which fell in love with the music known as Jazz. African-Americans and Creoles in New Orleans first played Jazz. And it was generally known that Buddy Bolden was the first Jazz musician to play. Some other veteran Jazz musicians such as Freddie Keppard, Bunk Johnson, and Clarence Williams were known to first play Jazz music. Although these people are not famous as of today, their style and ideas are still affecting musicians today.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although Jaz...

conscience :: essays research papers

Conscience   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Decisions that add or take away from their love for God, love of self, or love of neighbour is the job of every conscience. All people are faced with moral and immoral choices in every day life. What helps solve ones problem is their conscience. There are three things that help one develop their conscience. They are the teachings of the magisterium, tradition and scripture.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Magisterium. The Catholic faith tells one that if one follows the Church’s teachings on moral issues, one will become a more loving and Christ- like person. A Catholic has a responsibility to pay attention to what the church teaches and take into consideration how this will affect our relationships with God. When one solves a problem through magisterium, one must solve this problem with humility. This means that one can admit that they need help, and turn to the Catechism of the Catholic Church to help solve the problem. When one does this, it is difficult to admit to God and the Church that one needs help.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Scripture. Another teaching that helps develop a person’s conscience is scripture. Scripture is the teachings of God and Jesus in the bible. Scripture helps to solve problems because it reminds one of the moral problems Jesus faced. The teachings of scripture have set guidelines on how a person may solve a problem. This helps one to analyze their own problems and relate them to the teachings of Jesus, God and the bible. The Scripture teaches one what to do in a Christ- like way.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tradition. Tradition is the third thing that helps one develop their conscience. Tradition sometimes makes it difficult for a person to solve a problem through magisterium and scripture. Tradition is the way the world around us is and a person is often influenced by their society. When one is faced with moral dilemma and the decision is based on tradition, it can make us further away from God. These decisions are normally based on family and friends doing the same thing, and one may feel that they should do something, because everyone else is.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Magisterium, Scripture and Tradition are the three important components that we take into consideration when facing a problem. They shape and develop ones conscience.

Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock Essay: Stream of Consciousness

Stream of Consciousness in The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock is a uniquely styled piece of literature.   In this poem Eliot employs a literary method of writing called "stream of consciousness."   This is a difficult method to grasp outside of the literary genre to attempt to understand it within the context of the higher language of poetry can further confuse readers.        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Stream of consciousness is simply how our brain thinks.   Perhaps as the teacher reads through this poem we hear the word "Mermaid".   Our minds see the singing mermaids on the rocks in "Jason and the Argonauts" and then jump to Peter Pan and from Peter Pan to Mary Poppins.   The idea of stream of consciousness is comparable to channel surfing; there are no logical traceable transitions. We simply switch from one thing/idea to the next.        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This is idea of stream of consciousness is seen in the manner in which the author sets the poem.   First he places the reader in "sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells"   (Eliot, Longman 2418 l.7) and...

Macbeth

At the start of the play, Macbeth was portrayed as a heroic and courageous man. He created this image for himself by fighting long and hard in the King of Scotland’s battle. The King of Scotland (along with all his people) was very impressed with Macbeth. He was rewarded for his efforts, being presented with the title of the Thane of Cawdor. After the battle, he and Banquo were out riding when they bumped into a group of incredibly strange women that had a strange aura of power about them (the witches). It was here that Macbeth was confronted with the prophecy that someday he would become King of Scotland. There were many reasons Macbeth could become King without murdering anyone – the current king could die, renounce his throne and appoint Macbeth as King, or Macbeth could overthrow him. Macbeth did indeed think for a while that he could become King without murdering anyone. â€Å"If chance will have me king, why chance may crown me without stir. † There were a lot of reasons why Macbeth was reluctant to murder King Duncan. For a start, he was a good King. He had been treating Macbeth very well, showering him with praise and rewards. The King wasn’t the only one who thought highly of Macbeth. The people of Scotland also held him in high regard. If he killed or tried to kill the King and got caught, his reputation would be gone. The final reason he had for not murdering King Duncan was that he was his host, and he should be protecting not endangering him. These reasons were all forgotten when Macbeth’s wife, Lady Macbeth, convinced him to murder King Duncan. She told him straight out that he ‘wasn’t a real man’ if he didn’t do this. She was involved in the murders both by convincing Macbeth and by drugging the men who stood guard in front of the King’s sleeping chambers. King Duncan’s sons feared that after their father was murdered, they would be next. They were very wary of everyone, and wanted to leave the castle as soon as possible. Banquo strongly suspected Macbeth was involved in the murder. He had also heard the witches’ prophecy, and he feared that Macbeth had ‘played foully’ to make the prophecy come true. Meanwhile, Macbeth was shocked by what he did. He wondered whether in killing King Duncan he had not made the position available to himself, but to others. The prophecy played heavily on his mind, and he wondered whether he had now made the Crown available to children that are not his, namely Banquo’s. Macbeth decided to kill Banquo and his son Fleance for more than one reason. The major reason was the prophecy predicted that Banquo’s children would become kings. By killing Banquo and his son, he would be able to prevent Banquo from having more children and stop Fleance himself from becoming King. The other more minor reason was that Macbeth thought that Banquo was suspicious of him, and he was worried that Banquo would tell someone or act on his suspicions. Macbeth didn’t tell Lady Macbeth about what he was planning to do because he thought his wife would think that it would upset their plans. The appearance of Banquo’s ghost made Macbeth very scared and worried, it definitely made him appear incredibly disturbed to all the people around him. Macbeth then decided to go to the witches. He had become caught up in events and felt he had lost control of the situation. He desperately wanted to know what was going to happen next. This did help him a bit, or so he thought, because he knew more about what was going on. This was due to three new prophecies made by the witches – ‘Beware Macduff’, ‘No fear until Birnam Wood come to Dunsinane Hill’ and finally ‘No man of woman born can harm you. After hearing these prophecies, Macbeth felt much more confident. He scoffed at the idea that a wood could climb a hill, and after hearing that ‘no man of woman born can harm you’, the only thing he felt threatened by was Macduff. Since he was a threat, Macbeth wanted to kill Macduff (just like everyone else who had been a threat to him). But he couldn’t get to Macduff, so instead he killed everyone that Macduff loved and destroyed everything that he cherished. As expected, this had a very negative affect on Macduff. Macduff most likely would’ve preferred to have been killed himself. Lady Macbeth at the end of the play was very different from the composed lady at the start. Her guilty conscience had gotten to her, and by the end of the play she was a guilty, stuttering mess. She began admitting to some of the terrible deeds she had done. Finally she just couldn’t take it anymore, and committed suicide. Macbeth kept on going because he thought that the prophecies would protect him. He figures he’s killed so many people he might as well keep going. Finally, he didn’t want to look weak in front of everyone and he wanted to keep his honour. The witches were the starting point and basis for all the murders Macbeth committed. No matter who he killed, it could always be linked back to the witches and their prophecies. They were the ones who first put the idea into his head about becoming King of Scotland. Lady Macbeth also played a major part in him becoming a murderer. When he was undecided about whether he was going to kill King Duncan, she urged him on until he finally made the decision to kill him. This first murder resulted in all subsequent deaths. Nevertheless, Macbeth wasn’t forced to kill anybody. He has to take some responsibility for his actions. If he was not so egotistical and keen to hold power, the witches prophecies would not have has such an effect on him. Macbeth was obviously responsible for all the murders, and Lady Macbeth played her part in them too, but I think the people most responsible for the murders were actually the witches. Before he met them, Macbeth led a perfectly normal life, free of any thoughts of treason or murder. But when he met the witches they planted all sorts of thoughts into his head via the prophecies. He wouldn’t have thought of being King of Scotland, let alone killing the current King, if he hadn’t heard the prophecy about him being King. He wouldn’t have killed Banquo and attempted to kill his son if the witches hadn’t told him that Banquo’s children would one day be kings. Macbeth wouldn’t have ordered that Macduff’s family be killed and his household destroyed if the witches had not told him to beware Macduff. Therefore I think I can safely say that the witches were the ones who were most at fault for the murders, and for the downfall of Macbeth.

Group Working Positivity

pigeonholing lick Participating in free radical doing Participating in root body of charm is an primal science to develop as it is many liaison you go out do in your schoolchild life and in your operative(a) c argonr. Job advertisements very much sidle up near free radical pastureer as a crucial skill for potential recruits. These whitethorn involve a host bring outation or a chemical stem storey followed by a thoughtful piece of makeup and/or an single(a) ap vizorment. Take n iodines or insert your re berthers subsidization briefing. Module Handbooks ordinarily includes the r nursement criteria (see attachment 1) so it is important that you kick the bucket well unifyly to pinch up success.It pull up s keeps be kind of obvious to your subscriber whether you moderate exerciseed well as a team and whether you prep bed your assignment as a gathering. mathematical stems formed by students to prove case studies or discuss an assignmen t dismiss athletic supporter mend your grades and shed the business more manageable. figure out back a journal and record your improvement, hindrances, issues and successes, gain whatsoever pitf on the wholes to avoid adjoining clipping operative in a team? To set downher both nonp aril Achieves More thriving multitude dress result involve Clear, dod out goals. Good communication amongst elements of the crowd. twind ship quite a footlingal of operateing towards the congregation goals. Support and cooperation, rather than competitiveness. Listening to ace premature(a). Autonomous team feating. Arrangements for monitoring be on and winning strict bodily function, if necessary. commemorate to deadlines it is unfair to let upstart(prenominal)s deplete who argon depending on you, in run for the whole radical to succeed. High take aims of motivation. object do re judgment. why consort in gatherings? team up building is vital t o whatever organisation and by working in congregations you washbowl packet resources. Shargon ideas and study. Share abilities. Learn from and help distri thoively separate. pretend creativity and innovation. Increase motivation. Solve obscure problems. Can help you get discoer grades. You get out be tattle to nonice your specialisations, which you green goddess modify to the sort. You get out also come out your shadowynesses, and i contestly the assemblage bequeath jut out and help you work on beget the sack these weaknesses into strengths. IH rush some effectual DVDs on root work that whitethorn be helpful to watch (Assert your ego find outing to be emphatic Building the perfect team Belbins team-role theory in action Does the team work? Improving vocalise-so by content of teamwork Its a dealWin-win negotiation deals Team leading how to contract an effective team leader The great(p) communicator communication skills for entirely). G etting started It is up to the ph anyuss of the classify to make the first contact with unrivaled some other. Exchange teleph ace reckons and netmail addresses so the sort out discount f tout ensemble in. An iceboat line of work is a proficient elbow room to make distributively penis regain thriving with others that s/he does not k forthwith (see Appendix 2). En received you come across the instructions in the assignment. Each throng fraction should render examine the assignment brief and prepare to discuss it at the first face-off. Break the assignment into usable chunks. bind deadlines to collar to each nonpareilness art object. The mathematical root require to compile and agree dress run a setting rules (see Appendix 3). These rules can be reviewed and renegotiated from fourth dimension to era come oning engrossful rules in implement, amending or creating new mavins as solutions to unanticipated problems that arise. Set realistic a ims and targets in spite of appearance a condition convictionframe that each(prenominal) members envision and agree with. Negotiate roles and t fills Who leave al peerless be the leader? Who suffocate on do what? When? With what resources?deal tasks according to the experience, expertise or strength of each member. However, task anyocation can also be allocated to build on a students inexperience and areas of weakness. Establish a unremitting program of get togethers to review task progress and base cognitive a just. The mathematical classify should agree in stock contact so com editer programme where you pull up stakes meet. Will it be at the University, will you neuternate amongst stem members homes, will you set up a come in in Your themes in StudyNet or a conference in Facebook or whatever other societal networking site? Agree to forbear peachy records ( separate Log of meetings and so ontera see Appendix 4). You faculty also want to keep a b log, for self materialization of sort out work. It is compulsory at Level 5 and Level 6 to keep records of con gradation work. Each member of the separate ineluctably good ain steering skills and good succession circumspection skills to complete their part of the task, including taking disciplinary action. This means being h geniusst with the continue of the sort out let them sleep with if in that location is a problem, seek help from the multitude, take entropy with others. The root ask to make a contract found on the above points and stick to it so earthly concern rules are obeyed.Establish Group Roles In post for the base to function successfully to achieve their goal and to maximise the conventions time in meetings, roles agree to be interpreted on by each member of the group. Belbin (1981 & 1993, cited in Blundel, 2004) and others spend a penny perpetrate numerous roles deep lot a team, unremarkably in keeping with man-to-man disposition and st rengths. M whatever university student groups have quintette or vi great deal, and their suggested roles are below. These roles may be rotated amongst members or a member holds onto his/her role for the duration of the assignment.Whatever the sur seeing of your group, go through that soulfulness gondolaries out the quest Team role Contribution put/team leader/ Chair Organises rooms, agendas and prexys meetings, co-ordinates and keeps the group foc intentiond and involved. Stops the group from soul going by at a tangent. Initiates, leads and drives the group towards achieving their task. Innovator &/or evaluator Creates novel ideas and solutions to support the task. Assesses ideas and proposals. Investigator/ Info. aggregator Collects data and resources to support the task and the group takes up and develops his/her voices. Team worker/ harmonizer encourages others, fosters team morale and reduces negativity. bear witness shop steward delivers records, shares tuition. Provides facts, ideas, feedback, and/or alternative proposals to finish the task. Summarises what has been make. Lists what else inescapably to be make to complete the task. Completer Keeps transit on objectives meeting deadlines fashioning accredited the group is on target to complete the task and achieve the goals set. Judging whether the task is being faultless successfully and efficiently Group dynamics All group work consists of both task and process elements. Attention is often foc utilize on the task, i. e. a discipline or puzzleation, and the process is neglected (how you get the task d wholeness, i. e. working in groups), which can be a major reason for ineffective group working.Individuals subscribe to to focus on the group needfully rather than their receive own(prenominal) take. Encourage and support others and guess to help oneself harmony. Self- desire roles to avoid are dominator, cynic, clown, aggressor, blocker, group humouris t, recognition seeker, avoider, politician, and so on (based on benny & Sheats, 1948 cited in Barker et al, 1991). Keep to the responsibilities you were given do what you said you would do. Ensure on that point is co-operation between members, if the team is to succeed. Listen to one other(prenominal) and ac drive inledge one some others ideas and suggestions. Listen actively and you will hear.Buzan (2000) states that get a lineing is a top management skill. So improve your audition skills now and youll be more prepared for any calling interview Listen and befoolT Pretend to pay aid do so Do other things at the very(prenominal) time. Decide its uninteresting. bring in your mobile on in meetings. Hogg the conversation be awake(predicate) of others need to talk. Be distracted by someones style of language or mannerism. Get over-involved and so withdraw the thread of conversation. Let emotion change words arouse someoneal anger, antagonism, etc. Focus on distractio ns instead of whats said.Take linear one colour notes (instead, use several(predicate) coloured pens, draw diagrams, take care maps, lists, tables). Just listen for facts (also guess the verbalizers emotions, soupcons, body language). Turn off when it is complex or herculean. Plan what youre going to say contiguous. All group members need to agree any changes, e. g. to meetings, sum of the assignment, etc. if the group is to be successful. Keep to the deadlines given. If you cannot manage your time well, be mindful that you are letting others work through. regard and keep in contact on a regular basis, where progress and any changes are tracked.Cohesiveness, good communication, commitment and cooperation are essential. Misconduct, unethical doings, rule breaking, must be avoided. At times the group will be affected by pressures of deadlines, absence seizure of an influential member, a sufferingtic experience, or a new member joining. spread out any cliques that may fo rm. There should be no outsiders involved in the group or have input in the group. Antagonistic or contentious individuals need to be dealt with by the group archaean on, so booking is avoided. Consensus in finding making helps make all group members feel they have a say. pass judgment the questionnaire argon We a Team? in Appendix 5 to assess the effect to which your group is cohesive and how well you work together, at some stage in the second half of the process. Groups can gravel a small room for their meetings, by booking a study room. virtual(prenominal) meetings may form part of your excogitation and if so, you need to make sure that everyone has suitable access. An agenda has to be agreed by the group for each meeting, otherwise the group may waste valuable time during the meeting by chatting or ramble from discussing the issues. Decide how yen you will omit discussing each item. Respect one others assent everyone is authorise to their say.A talking stick could be used during meetings, where the psyche holding the stick gets to articulate. Others must listen until another soul gets to hold the stick, and has his/her say. some other useful idea for effective sermon at meetings is to follow de Bonos half-dozen dons Model (1985). See Appendix 6 for the full details. The 6 Thinking palpebras helps fix critical thought, to brainstorm or confer, as these six hats are metaphors for infering well-nigh varied aspects of a task/experience, at different times. Break cumulus your view into 6 areas use all six hats, to explore effectively and thoroughly with little confusion.De Bono interprets that the emphasis should be on pattern a bearing front all the time. The hats are directions of how to think and not descriptions of what has make ited. He says this parallel thought process method allows the outcome to be explored fully by handleing one view at a time and accepting that they can be viewed as parallel, not necessary contra dictory. It can be used structurally by all cultures. It allows you to find positive or formative elements in negative or elusive circumstances and so helps to create a smell out of perspective intimately it.A variant of this proficiency is to look at problems from the point of view of different professionals, or roles, or customers. rate your progress as you go and keep a record of the meetings, which will be useful later when you have to reserve out reflective authorship based on the group work. If a group member is going to be oblivious (with good reason), let the group come originallyhand. Ask questions of the other group members in golf-club for you to preserve with your task or to clarify an issue. Be honest with peers if you do not get laid something, say so or if you are not on target with your work, tell the group.The group will not function if everyone is not working openly, together towards the aforesaid(prenominal) goal. Behaviours serving task of necess ity Clarifying objectives Seeking info from group members Giving relevant information Proposing ideas and building on ideas or proposals contributed by others Summarising progress so far Evaluating progress against group objectives Time keeping Identifying a group member to take debt instrument to go out agreed actions are taken Setting up a bureau of reviewing progress after the meeting Behaviours serving group needs Encourage members to contribute and value all parts. Check that you have unders similarlyd a point by summarising that fancying, before giving reasons for dissenting Help to collapse battle without making others feel spurned Change your view in comfortable of arguments or information given by others Help to control those who talk too much Praising group progress towards objectives Dissuading group members from negative doings Behaviours hinder with task or group needs Not preparing for the meeting/not doing your job Talking too much and/or foc utilize your attention on yourself Reacting emotionally to points do Attacking others points by foulguard or unreasoned comments Not listening to others Interrupting others and/or talking at the same time as them Introducing a completely different point of view eyepatch copious discussion of something else is taking place Chatting to others in private during the meeting Using humour to superabundance Withdrawing from the group and/or ref employ to record beingness late for meetings/not go up at all/leaving early Cameron (2005) BrainstormingBrainstorming is a useful way of generating ideas as well as problem-solving. A facilitator needs to be appointed for the faculty member term. S/he will write everyones ideas subject and encourage all members to participate. Then, collect ideas from all members of the group. Ideas or opinions should not be criticised or do away withed at this stage. Acknowledge and record all ideas and suggestions. Once the brainstorming has been exhausted, move on to striking ideas and themes, and synthesise them. The group should wherefore agree on which ideas should carry on and which should be discarded. Using Post-its and Flip ChartsPutting things garbage down on paper is an essential part of keeping the group going. Brainstorming session one member of the group puts ideas on the flipchart OR individuals note their ideas on post-its and these are collected and examined. Ideas are easily prioritised victimisation post-its as they are easily re-arranged. decompose conflict each member notes their opinion on a post-it and posts it on the board. The group can examine and take on the points make by the group. Equal opportunities all members have a say by writing down their ideas and suggestions, rather than a dominating vocal member taking over the session.Virtual Group Work It is not eer easy for groups to meet regularly however, an line of battle must be make to keep in regular contact. There is no ex cuse if students cannot meet opposite, because they can meet virtually. There are a number of ways they can do this You could chose netmail up engagements, a which anyone can set up through Your Groups in the top b wish menu. For instructions to set up a group discussion forum, see Appendix 7. The wiki facility in Your Groups could be a useful way of developing your work in such a way that all members have access to it.See YouTube Wikis in Plain English for a make dosome demonstration of a wiki in use for a collaborative group task. Or you could all agree to use a social networking site, such as Facebook, to work on. Lecturers sometimes monitor and assess the level of communication that occurs in these groups. E-mails can be sent to group members, with files attached to share your part of the task with the other group members. Note Virtual group work should not replace regular face-to-face meetings rather it should be used in addition to it and as a way of keeping in contact bet ween meetings to support one another.Group Diversity Be aware that some people giped person ideas, motivate, co-ordinate, maintain standards, seek opinions, and keep the group working towards their goal. Personality clashes, cross-ethnical differences, discrimination, strong-arm and blocking people out can be issues that arise in groups. unenviable team members can be aggressive, try to be the centre of attention, waste time joking around, compete with other members, reject ideas without good reason, be hard done by. Cross-cultural differences can sometimes cause conflict.Hofstede (1991) and Morrison et al, (1994, cited in Levin, 2005 89-91) identify cultural traits that may cause conflict personal identity Vs Collectivism peck brought up in individualist cultures see themselves as individuals, taking it for granted that they can say what they think, take decisions on their own and confront others with their view. peck brought up in a collectivist culture view themselve s as members of a family and/or wider group.To them, the preservation of harmony within the group is very important. Decisions are made by consensus within the group and opposite is avoided. Tolerance of Uncertainty In some cultures at that place are authority figures to whom everyone else defers, everyone knows their place and rote learning is the method of education. hatful from this culture would feel uncomfortable in situations of uncertainty, or when they do not know where their place is and what the rules and regulations are, and where there is no rightfield answer. On the other hand, there are cultures where authority comes under challenge, and unaffiliated and critical cerebration are encouraged. People do not have a clearly defined place in society, rules and expectations of a right answer are deficient but this is seen as an chance and a challenge. Issues of Embarrassment and loss of face Embarrassment and loss of face are to be found in all cultures.Howev er, the reasons for embarrassment vary. People from some cultures may find it hard to admit they are unavailing to perform a circumstance task whereas a person from another culture would not be discompose by this. Revealing emotion may be unnatural to express discrepancy to refuse something to be able to understand something said to you more than once to be discovered to have lied and/or to renegotiate an agreement in the bank of getting a soften deal. In some cultures losing face happens when you feel challenged, when your contribution to a discussion is not acknowledged, if someone makes a joke at your spending or if you suffer a public-let-down. What one person feels as teasing, another might feel it as insulting. Gender Issues In every culture roles and places are depute to men and women. People from different cultures have different assumptions, expectations and habits towards men and women.Some men may find it difficult to deal with assertive women and some women may find it difficult to be assertive. Often people feel more comfortable in same gender groups where they can say what they think and feel. Codes of Behaviour There are codes of demeanor in all cultures. Certain behaviour is seen as acceptable in one culture but unacceptable behaviour in another and is viewed as rude, immodest, absentminded respect, etc.Some examples are Standing very shutting to someone you are talking to Gesturing a lot when talking (moving your hands and head) Expressing displeasure Confrontational behaviour, especially outright un exchangeableness Interrupting someone who is speaking Boasting lock away during a conversation. Failure to respond straight off may cause discomfort or may imply agreement or disagreement. Failure to make eye contact with someone who is speaking or listening. This could be mistaken for insincerity or lack of attentiveness, whereas it is intended to stage deference. Lack of punctuality Other differences m ay be how a person is treated according to their age, social status, occupation and/or educational background. Working with people of other cultures and ethnic backgrounds is a great opportunity to learn active others, and indeed learn round yourself. restore understanding group members backgrounds and points of view an uttered group objective. Care will have to be taken with group rules (ways of operating) where less(prenominal) assertive students will have their say, and regular impedes on how members feel most other members responses to their contributions. Addressing ConflictDue to groups involving people of different personalities, cultures, gender, etc. it is quite common for conflict to occur. Problems should be discussed in the group, i. e. a group member not working, non-attending group member, etc. and decisions on how to proceed should be considered in light of the ground rules set in the first meeting. This needs to be square upd without creating bad feeling amongs t group members. Resolution is achieved by addressing the issues through discussion amongst the whole group. Do not leave problems to fester and grow. It is important that the group tries to address this conflict themselves before involving a third party, i. e. your lecturer or an ASU adviser.Here are some steps to try to resolve the conflict within the group, before seeking a negotiator Set a rule of how disagreement will be obdurate, i. e. if someone is not participating, if someone misses meetings, if there is a personality clash, etc. Encourage an environment of openness and honesty say if you are unhappy/write it in the group site. Be honest nigh where you are at with your task. Agree for all members to participate fully always put your view forward. Consider other members feelings. Agree to put group needs before personal needs. Others are depending on you to cater your input and complete your task. You do not have to like people to work with them however, you have to learn to work with them in the group.This will help you to develop good social skills. Develop and practice listening skills everyone deserves to be heard, even if you disagree with their point-of-view. Keep to deadlines others are depending on you. Keep track of progress, so things do not return behind and thus putting the group under pressure. Establish the nature of the disagreement. Do members perceive facts differently? Do they disagree about ways of working? Are members operating with different values? By exploring the cause of the disagreement, the group may be able to come to a better understanding of the task and its context. Solutions can then be suggested by the group.In dealing with conflict you need to use your talking, listening, assertiveness and interpersonal skills to reach a resolution. Try not to give up until you have resolved the issue(s) as a group. If you are unable to resolve the conflict, then you MUST speak to your lecturer about it. Do NOT put i t off until your report is due(p) in or until the day of presentation. Group Presentations It is important that the group present themselves as a team. This can be done in the following way bone up the slides using the same format and ensure the presentation is well structured. The team will need to meet regularly to ensure this occurs. Practice the presentation together so you can ensure your presentation is completed within the time limit.By practicing regularly as a group, the presentation should be limpid, graceful and well executed on the day. Have a back up plan incase one of the group is absent on the day is unable to present their section or takes too long presenting their section of the talk. The first presenter should reveal the whole group and say what they will talk about. Be supportive to other students in your group while they are presenting by looking interested using positive non-verbal communication, i. e. nod help with using visual aids. You should not si t down after your section has been done. At the hand-over stage, the bailiwickal vocalizer must introduce the next presenter and what they will say.The next person to speak should thank the previous speaker before beginning his/her part of the presentation. Group Reports Advice given above on group roles, meetings, etc. applies when preparing your report. You need to meet regularly to assess progress and to put the tasks together. The report must be compiled as one piece of work, rather than having obvious carve up parts of different font styles and writing style. At the end Ensure the group meet before presenting/submitting their work to layover that the work is well structured, clear and coherent and come ons that you worked closely as a group. influence on time. Reflection on Group WorkYou may be asked to reflect on what happened, your role within the group, what you have learned from it and what you need to work on in the future. Ensure you have clarified with the lec turer what is expected of you and what the sagacity criteria is. Complete the reflection by considering the following questions What went well? Why? What went wrong? Why? How did you solve it? What would you do differently next time? What contribution did you make? What did you learn from others? What did the other members learn from you? What strengths did you identify? Did the group utilise your strengths? What weaknesses did you identify? How did you and the group address them? Did you improve on your weaknesses to turn them into strengths? What do you plan to do about the weaknesses you have identified? How does this link to the theories on successful group work? Who did what, when, problems or difficulties en riposteed, etc. Analyse the group activities (What was the group trying to achieve? What were the different views? Who said what? What was left unsaid? How were decisions made? How did you feel about this? How did the others feel? What was the postal code leve ls and motivation like? Did anything unexpected happen? ). Action readiness Identify what you contributed to the group, difficulties you experienced, and from this assess your strengths, weaknesses and action points.Focus on critical incidences which were turning points for the group or which demonstrate special difficulties / successes. make use of the checklist in Appendix 9 at the end of each meeting to reflect on strengths and weaknesses. Avoid schoolman Misconduct When participating in group work, you must avoid any academic bollix, i. e. you must not plagiarise (use anothers work as your own by not acknowledging it by making reference to the authors work in your assignment) or you are not accused of collusion (you work it not your own individual work but rather it has been undertaken jointly with another students, where you divided up ideas or your material with another student and their work (or any part of it) is a replica of yours).Academic misconduct is identified wh en your coursework is passed a software programme that detects and identifies cheating. Such misconduct can occur when you share your work with another student, where you may send him/her an electronic version of your work, share materials or you do your write-up together. References Barker, L. , Wahlers, K. , Watson, K. & Kibler, R. (1991) Groups in Process. 4th edn. New island of Jersey Prentice Hall. Belbin, R. M. (1993) Team Roles at Work. Oxford Butterworth-Heinemann. Belbin, R. M. (1981) caution Teams why they succeed or fail. Oxford Butterworth-Heinemann. Benne, K. D. & Sheats, P. (1948) operational Roles of group Members. Journal of Social Issues. 4. pp. 41-49. Blundel, R. 2004) powerful Organisational Communication. 2nd edn. Harlow Pearson Education Limited. Buzan, T (2000) Use Your Head. capital of the United Kingdom BBC Active Cameron, S. (2005) The Business assimilators Handbook. 3rd edn. Harlow Pearson Education Limited. De Bono, E (1985) Six Thinking eyelids. Har mondsworth Viking Elluminate (2010) Window Descriptions. purchasable at http//www. elluminate. com Accessed 18 October, 2010 Hofstede, G. (1991) Cultures and Organisations Software of the Mind. London McGrawHill. Levin, P. (2005) Successful Teamwork London Open University Press. Morrison, T. , Conaway, W. A. , Borden, G. A. (1994) Kiss, electric arc or Shake Hands How to do Business in Sixty Countries. Adams Media.Race, P. (2000) vitamin D Tips on Group Learning. London Kogan Page. Stuart, R. , (1998) Team Developmental Games for Trainers. Gower Publishing Limited. In Levin, P. (2005) Successful Teamwork London Open University Press. Appendix 1 Assessment of Group Work Group work is not always officially assessed. However, in some modules at the overall assessment of a group report or group presentation may include an assessment of the process of supplying. This may include the following considerations Progress of preparation (e. g. meeting of milestones numbers of meetings progress of preparation) coition inputs of members of the group (e. g. ocumentation of input peer assessment of input) Roles of group members in preparation (e. g. intercommunicate manager reporter, etc) Resolution of conflict situations The level of team building Appendix 2 Icebreakers The following icebreakers are a alert way of destiny members of a group get to know one another a little better. Whats you report? Members of a group tell what their urinate is and provide the group with a little background of why they were given that name. What I like and what I hate Members of the group introduce themselves and share a like and a dislike they have, i. e. I love coffee but I hate people who talk too much, I love jazz music but I hate queuing, etc. Whats your hidden secret?Each member of the group introduces themselves and tells the group one thing not many people know about them, i. e. I met Madonna, I command the piano, I dived in the Red Sea, I walked the Great Wal l of China, I ate frogs legs once, etc. Triumphs, traumas and trivia* Each member of the group identifies a triumph, a trauma and a trivia about themselves, which they will share with the group, i. e. I won a gold medal for running at school, I was in a car accident when I was 12, I do crosswords I won ? 10 in the lotto last year, I upset my suitcases when I came to the UK, I tell life-threatening jokes etc. *Note Care needs to be taken with this activity as deep feelings can emerge about traumas suffered. Interview your neighbour* Group splits into pairs and one member of each pair spends about three minutes listening to the other tell some of the above mentioned information, as well as the persons background information. Notes should be taken. Swap roles for next three minutes. Then each person feeds back to the group some information about their neighbour. * Note Care needs to be taken not to ask questions that may intrude on an individuals privacy and the amount of informat ion s/he wishes to divulge about themselves to the group. What do you already know about the topic? Members of the group jot down the most important thing they know about the topic on a Post-it and put it on a flipchart. Members can read what they know about the topic or the group can read it from the flipchart. This is a useful starting point for the task.Adapted from Race (200037-39) Appendix 3 footing Rules Here are some suggested rules to be set by a group these are by no means the only rules a group can adopt. Honesty and righteousnessfulness is fostered in the group. You do not have to like someone to work with them. Members have to work together despite their personal feelings about individuals in the group. Affirm collective responsibility. Once issues have been raised, aired, and solutions provided, the group lives with the decisions made by the group. Everyone listens while someone speaks and everyone has a say. Members are entitled to their opinions, which should n ot be ignored, put down or belittled by others. skilful participation is required. All members need to participate in discussion, complete their tasks, etc. somewhat share everyone participates equally in the task. Meet deadlines. Agree and set up a regular programme of meetings. Keep records. Record progress and milestones reached, minutes, agendas, self reflective logs. tractability in meeting members needs. Sometimes a members personal needs may interfere with the group working allowances must be made. Dealing with conflicts in the group. Appendix 4 Group Work Log Module _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________Assessment Aim _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Group Objectives set 1. ________________________________________________________________________________ 2. ___________________________________________________________________ __________ ____ 3. _________________________________________________________________________________ 4. _________________________________________________________________________________ 5. _________________________________________________________________________________ The group should agree roles for each of the members at the beginning of the task and this group log should be complete by the end of the task. Members get word Role/s Assigned Tasks Deadline date Deadline met No of meetings attended Individual comments 1 - - - 2 - - - 3 - - - 4 - - - 5 - - - Details of all group meetings clash Date Discussion topic/s Actions & deadlines agreed Attendees signatures/date 1. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 2. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 3. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 4. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 5. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Appendix 5 Questionnaire Are We a Team? First, each individual member of the group fills in the questionnaire below. Then the sheets are collected and the haemorrhoid collated to the table below. = never 2 = rarely 3 = sometimes 4 = largely 5 = always 1) We all show equal commitment to our objective1 2 3 4 5 2) We all take part in decision making how the work should be allocated1 2 3 4 5 3) We are move to helping each other learn1 2 3 4 5 4) We acknowledge good contributions from group members1 2 3 4 5 5) We wait disagreements and conflict constructively within the group1 2 3 4 5 6) We are able to give constructive criticism to one another and accept it1 2 3 4 5 7) We all turn up to meetings and stay to the end1 2 3 4 5 8) We are good at making sure everyone knows what is going on1 2 3 4 5 9) When one of us is under pressure, others draw out to help them1 2 3 4 5 10) We dedicate each other1 2 3 4 5 11) We remain united even when w e disagree1 2 3 4 5 12) We feel comfortable and relaxed with one another1 2 3 4 5 13) We refer to our ground rules and review them when necessary1 2 3 4 5 Stuart (1998, cited in Levin, 2005) 1 2 3 4 5 TOTAL 1. We all show equal commitment to our objective 2. We all take part in deciding how the work should be allocated 3. We are committed to helping each other learn 4. We acknowledge good contributions from group members 5.We handle disagreements & conflict constructively within the group 6. We are able to give constructive criticism & accept it 7. We all turn up to meetings and stay to the end 8. We are good at making sure everyone knows what is going on 9. When one of us is under pressure, others offer to help them 10.We trust each other 11. We remain united even when we disagree 12. We feel comfortable and relaxed with one another 13. We refer to our ground rules and review them when necessary Action planning can occur as a result of the findings. Appendix 6 De Bonos (1985) 6 Thinking palpebras ModelEdward de Bono considers that the emphasis should be on designing a way forward all the time. The hats are directions of how to think and not descriptions of what has happened. White get intopicFacts, figures, laws, information, neutral, objective With this thinking you focus on the data ready(prenominal) and are non-judgmental. aim at the information you have, and see what you can learn from it. Look for gaps in your knowledge, and identify what you need to get or take account of. You consider past trends and historical data. You may consider philosophical aspects such as whose truth it is, whose fact is it? Data may need to be supported by evidence.Red put on picFeelings, emotions, hunches, intuition about Wearing this hat, you consider the issues using intuition, gut answerion, and emotion. This may be feedback about your feelings and preferences but also co nsider how other people might react emotionally. Try to understand the responses of other people who do not have the same information or understanding as you. Black Hat picNegative, drawbacks, disadvantages, careful, cautious, defensive This highlights the weak points in a situation or plan. By identifying them, it allows you to eliminate or alter them, or prepare casualty plans to counter them. Consider why something might not work (give reasons, consider past evidence).Black Hat thinking may play daimons advocate. It helps you to plan carefully, be prepared and more resilient. This way of thinking helps spot fatal flaws by considering arctic and risks before embarking on a course of action. (Some successful people get so used to thinking positively that often they cannot see problems in advance. This leaves them under-prepared for difficulties. ) chicken Hat pic Positive, speculative, advantages, benefits, savings of Consider what is right, why it is good and be constructive. Even in a very difficult or nerve-wracking situation find positives, e. g. learning will have taken place. It is an optimistic, sunny tie-up that is often speculative.It helps you to see the benefits of a situation/decision and the value in it. Yellow Hat thinking is supportive when things front gloomy and difficult. It finds reasons and logical support, and often link to creativity. Green Hat pic Creativity, ideas, innovation, growth, exploration, alternatives Green Hat thinking is developing creative solutions to a problem. It may generate completely new ideas and developments or consider possible changes to a situation. It is a freewheeling, non-judgmental way of thinking. Blue Hat pic Organise, control, plan (process, people, agendas) This hat is often the view of a director or the chair at meetings.They often choose the rescript or process, summarise the situation and offer conclusions which can be put into practice in the future. This way of thinking is generally cool an d considered. When others ideas cease, Blue Hat thinking may direct activity to other hats For new ideas Blue may pass to Green Hat or when contingency plans are needed Black Hat thinking will be engaged, etc. Appendix 9 Group Work Check List (to be used after every meeting) Please reflect on the group meeting and check/cross the boxes as appropriate, in order to identify strengths and weaknesses ? Each member was present at the meeting ? Everyone turned up on time Every member did their part of the work & brought it along ? Every member took a role in the meeting ? Each member in the group had a turn to speak ? Each member in the group participated ? The group members respected and appreciated one anothers contributions ? Members of the group were civilized to one another ? Disagreement / conflict in the group was resolved during the meeting ? Everyone was clear what they had to do next ? Everyone was clear what they had to bring / present at the next meeting ? It was clear how members could communicate with one another between meetings ? The next meeting date, time and venue was agreed by all members