Strategies for preparing a health care organization for change Essay

Strategies for preparing a health care organization for change - Essay Example The plan should indicate the goals and objectives of the change being instituted, roles of top management, and the period estimated for the entire process. The expected returns of the electronic recordings compared to manual recording should also be addressed According to Bridges and Bridges (2009), successful changes occur only in organizations, which demonstrate effective change from the top management. Top managers should exhibit positive attitude and reactions for the new electronic system. Even more, the managers should be conversant with the technicalities and technology of the electronic recording. In addition, management should focus on implementing the change by offering incentives and rewards to employees who emerge excellent in operating the new system. There should be concentrated effort to inform the staff of the expected change in the institution. In order to gain the support of the employees, it is vital for the management of the organization to inform them about the efficiency of the automated system and the advantages they are likely to enjoy by shifting to electronic medical records. The management should further train the staff members on how to use the electronic recording system. It is unlikely that the organization will flawlessly implement the electronic recording without challenges. This is because the employees will be adamant to maintain their status quo and they may oppose the trainings on how to use the new electronic medical recording system. Such challenges will be addressed by setting up of counseling center to inform and encourage the employees about the proposed

Proposal on a Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Proposal on a Leadership - Essay Example This essay stresses constructivist theory is gaining more attention, recognition and acceptance in many educational institutions. It premises on the belief that learners â€Å"construct† their own learning, and in effect, have better retention of it. â€Å"In the Constructivist theory the emphasis is placed on the learner or the student rather than the teacher or the instructor. It is the learner who interacts with objects and events and thereby gains an understanding of the features held by such objects or events. The learner, therefore, constructs his/her own conceptualizations and solutions to problems. Learner autonomy and initiative is accepted and encouraged.† From the research it is clear that encouraging students to come up with their own ideas may be in the ambit of the teachers within the school premises. However, a bigger problem may lie outside school, specifically when the students go back to the Heronwood community. The school, then, in envisioning success for such learner-centred learning must engage the community, most specifically the students’ parents and family members in supporting the students’ activities. Teachers must inculcate in the parents the significance of their cooperation and support if they indeed want their children to reach for bigger dreams and empower them with the idea that they are capable of it. The bleak introduction of the case study described the town of Heronwood to be one of almost impoverished citizens, considering the high unemployment rate.

Research on Altered Granites

Research on Altered Granites Visible yellow radial U- minerals (up to 1 % U )was recorded coating the fractures in the sheared granites, border on the two sides by milky quartz veins, which play as septa for U- minerals migration. From the mineralogical point of view, the sheared granite rich in; a) uranium (meta-autunite, kasolite and phurcalite) , b) thorium (uranothorite) and c) base metals (wolframite, columbite, fergusonite and Plumbopyrochlore minerals) in addition to zircon, allanite, rutile, fluorite, fluro-apatite, phlogopite and iron oxide minerals (hematite, ilmenite, goethite and magnetite )(Table.1).Meta-autunite occurs as lemon-yellow to greenish yellow, subhedral crystals formed as dehydration pseudomorphs after autunite (Fig,6a) and usually associated with kasolite. Phurcalite occurs as light brown subhedral to anhedral crystals of calcium uranium phosphate (Fig,6b) and usually associated with iron oxides. The altered granites are enriched in most major oxides (Fe2O3, Tio2, ,Mn, Mg, CaO and P2O5,) except SiO2 and Na2O than fresh granites (Fig.7) manifesting ferrugination, calcification ,desilicification and illitization .Also the fresh granites are depleted in most trace elements (Ni, Cr, Sr, Zr, Y, Ga, Zn, Pb, and Cu) except Nb than altered ones. Based on major element data, the main characteristic features of the studied altered granites are higher in Fe/Mg ratio (15 av.), lower in SiO2(av.52.8 %)andNa2O /K2O ( av.0.16) than fresh granites Table 2 ) . Fig. 6: Photomicrographs showing; a) meta-autunite crystal surrounded by phurcalite mineral in altered granites. C.N., X=40 and b) phurcalite mineral associated with iron oxide in altered granites. C.N., X=40. Table (1): Shows the result of minerals occurrences in the study area. Minerals group Rock types Minerals Uranium minerals Altered granite Meta-autunite, Phurcalite and Kasolite Thorium minerals Uranothorite Base Metals Altered granite Wolframite Black Jasper Cassiterite, Wolframite, Zincite, Ni-chromite and Cr-spinel Red Jasper Ni-Chromite and Cr-spinel Milky quartz Galena, Pyrite, pyrrhotite and Sphalerite Copper Minerals Milky quartz covellite, bornite Red Jasper crysocolla Black Jasper Atacamite, Paratacamite, and cuprite Native minerals Black Jasper and Milky quartz Gold and Nickel Nb-Ta minerals Altered granites Plumbopyrochlore, Columbite and Fergusonite REEs-Bearing Minerals Alkali feldspar granites Zircon, Fluorite syenogranites Zircon, allanite Altered granites Zircon, Allanite, Rutile and Fluorite Stream sediments Zircon, Monazite Black Jasper Xenotime Red Jasper Iron Minerals Altered granites Hematite, Ilmenite, Goethite and Magnetite Black Jasper Hematite, Magnetite Red Jasper Hematite, Magnetite and Goethite Milky quartz Hematite Fig.( 7 ) The enrichment and depletion of major oxides and trace elements of altered granites to the fresh granites samples. Fig.( 8 ) Bar- diagram showing the trace elements distribution of red and black jasper. The content of HFSE in both fresh and altered granites (Nb (36-10 ppm), Zr (316- 759 ppm), Y(69- 220 ppm) ,U (8-ppm) respectively as well as low Rb/Sr ratio (1.04-0.45) and K/ Rb ratio (0.03-0.04) (Table 2) suggest that the fresh granites are primarily derived from felsic source .On the other side, these criteria in the altered granites are critical for uranium exploration . The black jasper more richer than red one in Ni (av.1004 -81ppm),Cr(av.8575 -853ppm),Zn (av.144 -80 ppm), Cu(av.1106- 35 ppm), Co(av.371-0.0 ppm), Au(1.04 -0.5 ppm) and U(40- 8800ppm)respectively (Table 2,Fig.8 ). The latest event invades the WNW-ESE shear zone was the intrusion of silica and jasper veins with different magnitude. The excess of released quartz can migrate as colloidal silica to precipitate later in the tension fractures as jasperoid vein at upper structural levels under low temperature condition .Silicification along the main shear zone has a noticeable amount of liberated secondary silica occurs as fine crystals associated with the large primary quartz crystals and characterized by the existence of three generations of silica veins differ in color, mineralization and age. 1)The milky quartz veins are the first phase (the youngest one), mainly barren, running WNW and dipping 70 °/ SSW direction, highly brecciated (2-5 Km in length, 0.25-3 m in width)and common only at the southern border of the shear zone. 2) The red jasper veins(second phase) have E-W ,WNW,NW and NE trends (Fig.5), dipping 50-75/N or S , 45 °/ SSW, SW and SE direction respectively. They fractured, fragmented, discontinuous, brecciated,(7km in length, 0.30-3 m in width) and rich in Cr, , Ni, Sn, Zn and Cu- mineralization (Fig.6) (some parts of red jasper are rich by vugs (physical tap) that are filled by mineralization. These veins exhibit combinations of more than one style; orbicular and brecciated. Brecciated red jasper (Plate 4.a) can vary from soft swirls of color to dramatically fragmented shades of rich brown, brick red and cream colors. Deeply integrated colors come from organic materials and iron oxides imbedded in the stones. Ore microscopic investigation reveals that; quartz crystals occur as anhedral cryptocrystalline associated and stained by iron oxide. Sometimes cryptocrystalline crystals of amorphous silica form banding. Iron oxide occurs as black crystalline minerals and staining of quartz. 3) The black jasper(oldest one) is represented by 1.8 km in length, 0.5-10 m in width, trending N45 °W ,dipping 50 °-65 ° /SW (Figs.5), and rich in Cr, Ni, Cu and Au mineralization, Fig.7).They are concentrated only in the eastern part of G. Um Bakra shear zone and less abundant in length than milky and red veins. The black jasper are vuggy than milky and red silica veins and these vugs filled by calcite minerals. The apical parts of the veins are intensely weathered, oxidized, brecciated fragments (Plate.4b) and decomposed to forming gossans. Petrographically, quartz occurs as cryptocrystalline and polycrystalline forming spherulitic texture and associated with iron oxide. Iron oxide associated with quartz and sometimes forming network or needle (Plate .4c). Cr- spinel with blood red color was observed and having darker boundaries with quartz (Plate.4d).Ore microscopic study reveals the presence of gold, chromite and magnetite minerals. Fire assay for gold content give 1.04 g/ton .Chromite occurs as anhedral crystal associated with magnetite (Plate.4e). Chromite existed in different forms; zoned veinlet or disseminated specks (Plate. 4 fg). Black minerals filling fracture and associated with quartz (Plate.4h) . Fig. (6): showing different types of copper minerals in red and black jasper ,a) atacamite mineral, b) paratacamite mineral, c) cuprite mineral and d) crysocolla mineral . Fig. (7): Photograph showing copper minerals from black jasper of the study area. Alterations Two phases of hydrothermal alterations; acid and alkaline were distinguished in the shear zone resulting in Kaolinization and ferrugination processes as illustrated below: Kaolinization indicates that the rocks were affected by acidic solution with low temperature varying from 200 to 250  °C (Helgeston 1974). Kaolinitization process causes an increase in alumina (18.2%) at the expense of the other major oxides (Table2).Kaolinization affects sheared granites in the shear zone are characterized by the formation of clay minerals and adsorbed secondary U- minerals( meta-autunite, Kasolite and Phurcalite) (Table1). Acidic alteration of biotite produces illite+quartz ,while magnesium, iron, oxygen, and fluorine are dissolved in hydrothermal fluids (Pirajno,1992). These solution caused the alteration of the feldspars and micas to clay minerals (Fig.8) are produced by an acidic fluid and it liberates silica and K+ according to Pirajno,(1992). Similarly, the anorthite component of plagioclase is transformed to (clay minerals) (Hemley and Jones, 1964; Pirajno1992) and frees Ca2+ ions transported also by the hydrothermal solution. The free Al+3 increase the alumina in the clay mineral. This kind of alteration by acid solution is responsible for transported and redeposited uranium and base metals mineralization in WNW-ESE shear zone which acts as a good trap. carbonitization:The common presence of calcite manifesting carbonitization process along the shear zone (Fig.8).Also both of ultramafic -mafic rocks and intrusive gabbros are rich by carbonate minerals. Ferrugination causes increase in total Fe2O3 content (FeOt= 4.7%. to 32.7%) at the expense of other oxides. The strong alkaline solution may precipitate Fe+3 and U+6 within the shear zones in the form of iron oxy-hydroxides rich in uranium (Cuney, et al., 1984). Sheared granite samples stained by Fe oxides adsorb U minerals at the main shear zone. Ferrugination is represented mainly by hematite and goethite minerals (table1, Fig.9).Oxygen may combine with iron to produce hematite forming hematitic alteration. Plate 4: Photomicrographs showing; a) brecciated red jasper vein, C.N., X=40., b ) brecciated black jasper vein with vugs, c) black silica vein showing hematitization in quartz, iron oxide occurs as needles in quartz. C.N., X=40, d) blood red, Cr spinel having darker boundaries in BJV (PPL), X=20., e) chromite (cr) in rim and magnetite (mag) in core in BJV. X =40, f) veinlet of chromite and groundmass of magnetite in BJV. X=40, g) disseminated specks of chromite in BJV. X= 40, h) red jasper vein showing iron oxide present as black crystalline minerals and staining of quartz. C.N., X=20 fluoritization :Fluorite was emplaced through the fractures and fissures in altered granite along the shear zone. The released 3Ca2+and 6 Fà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ during illitization of the anorthite and biotite may combine together forming fluorite which is observed within the shear zone associate with U- minerals. Acknowledgements Our sincere thanks and gratitude should be provided to Dr.I, Hassan and Dr.W. El-Gazlawy, NMA, for their help during field work. Discussion Conclusion 1-To form a hydrothermal deposit in Um Bakra- Um Samra WNW-ESE shear zone requires: (1) a magma source of fluid, (2) dissolved metals in the magmatic fluids, , (3) heat source and activate tectonic, causes the migration of à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡uid and (4) Presence of channel ways, layering and physical cavities, to precipitates the metals or minerals. 2-G. Um Samra -G. Um Bakra shear zone strikes N-80 ° and dipping 45 ° /SSW and ranges from 30 to 500 m in thickness and extends 10 km in length. The host rock (syenogranites)is highly altered, fine -grained,ferruginous ,reddish pink and grayish pink to grayish in color. Two opposite N-S strike-slip faults and NNE and NNW strike-slip faults dextral and sinistral sense of movement(good channel ways) forming grabben and horst structures respectively (6 km in length, 30 m in width, dipping 10 °-20 ° towards E or W) cut the shear zone. 3-Three generations of silica veins differ in color, mineralization and age are common. The first phase (youngest),is barren milky quartz veins, running WNW and dipping 70 °/ SSW direction , highly brecciated (2-5 Km in length, 0.25-3 m in width. The red jasper(second phase) has N 60 °-76 ° W trend, dipping 45 °/ SSW direction, fractured, fragmented, discontinuous, brecciated, (7km in length, 0.30-3 m in width) and rich in Cr, Ni, Sn, Zn and Cu- mineralization) .The third phase (oldest one) is represented by black jasper (1.8 km in length, 0.5-10 m in width, trends N75W ,dipping 50 °-65 ° /SSW and rich in Cr, Ni, and Au mineralization). 4-The black jasper more richer than red one in Ni (av.1004 -81ppm),Cr(av.8575 -853ppm),Zn (av.144 -80 ppm), Cu(av.1106- 35 ppm), Co(av.371-0.0 ppm), Au(1.4 -0.5 ppm) and U(av, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.ppm)respectively (Table ). 5-The presence of clay mineral (dickite:Al2Si2O5(OH)4) in quartz and jasper veins indicates a temperature environment higher than 200 °C. The mixing of volatile fluids with meteoric water and fluid- wall rock interaction result in changes in pH and oxygen activity and deposition of base metals. 6- Precipitation of hematite in shear zone and red jasper veins probably decreased the pH of the solution and rising acidic fluids. The sudden change in the pH and temperature of the fluids will lead to destabilization of base metal complexes favouring their deposition (Alexandrov et al., 1985). 7-The cooling of the hydrothermal solution decreases the solubility of the metals. Cooling can take place when hot magmatic à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡uids enter cooler wall rocks or when two à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡uids mix, Similar reactions can take place between hydrothermal solutions and wall rock; a solution containing dissolved sulà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ de might contact a rock containing magnetite, to convert the magnetite to pyrite by a process called sulà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ dation.Or, a solution containing Cu might react with a rock containing pyrite to form Cu sulà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ des. 8- The base metals mineralization are accumulate in the residual melt of the late fractionate alkali feldspar granites (Bright, 1974) especially upward in the magmatic system (Smith,1979). During the emplacement of the basic and intermediate dikes (olivine basalt, andesite and dolerite dikes) which accompanied with high temperature and Co2), the base metals(galena, pyrite, sphalerite and cassiterite) were precipitated from saline and reduced fluids as sulfides due to cooling, fluid mixing and wall rock reaction. 9-The banded texture in jasper veins is common in epithermal base metals, indicating of boiling event and rapid deposition (Hedenquist et al.,1995).Most epithermal deposits consist of numerous separate, largely vertical veins that form a conjugate set, sometimes reà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ecting regional tectonic stress. Low-temperature hydrothermal solutions ( 10- The non-sulfide ore deposits are classified into two major types; supergene and hypogene deposits (Hitzman et. al., 2003). (a) Supergene deposits form primarily from the oxidation of sulfide-bearing deposits and are formed principally zinc carbonate or silicates, and (b) hypogene deposits consist dominantly of zinc silicates and oxides, and they commonly result from mixing of a reduced, Zn-rich, with an oxidized, sulfur-poor fluid. Um Bakra-Um Samra shear zone containing zinc oxides (hypogene deposits). 11-Pyrite presents in two generations, disseminated and along fractures. The occurrence of covellite, bornite and magnetite are related to the oxidation product of disseminated pyrite, whereas the second type of pyrite transformed into pyrrhotite. 12-The chloritization process is the last phase of alteration in the shear zone, where fluids became rich in Mg/Fe most probably due to the decomposition of ferromagnesian minerals from the basic and intermediate dikes. Fig.( 8) :Showing Kaolinization map for Um Bakra -Um Samra area. Fig.( 9) showing ferrugination map for Um Bakra -Um Samra area. Table ( 2 ) chemical analysis of major oxides and trace elements of Um Samra-Um Bakra area. Trace elements (ppm) Fresh Altered Red Black Ni Range 0.0-55 0-18095 0-409 314-1501 Average 10 2322 81 1004 Cr Range 233-485 113-2409 294-2689 3490-12898 Average 296 798 853 8575 Rb Range 83-210 0-392 0.0-1161 0.0 Average 147. 128 289 0.0 Sr Range 17-507 73-58 8-127 0-17 Average 142 278 74 7 Zr Range 89-659 196-1873 0-466 0.0 Average 316 759 238 0.0 Y Range 16-102 84-512 0-79 0-142 Average 69 220 38 77 Nb Range 14-56 0-62 0-35 0.0 Average 36 10 11 0.0 Ga Range 22-45 0-151 0-59 0.0 Average 32 73 24 0.0 Zn Range 16-145 0-2409 32-169 56-281 Average 78 528 80 144 Pb Range 0-52 0-684 0-173 0.0 Average 16 157 45 0.0 Cu Range 0-32 0-210 0-80 431-2045 Average 4 26 35 1107 Co Range 0.0 0.0 0.0 0-558 Average 0.0 0.0 0.0 371 Mo Range 0.0 0.0 0-127 0.0 Average 0.0 0.0 25 0.0 As Range 0.0 0.0 0-2098 0.0 Average 0.0 0.0 419 0.0 U Range 0.0 0-7640 0.0 0.0 Average 0.0 1749 0.0 0.0 Major oxides % Fresh Altered Red Black SiO2 Range 69.22-75.33 23.14-72.09 70.3-92.53 72.93-91.27 Average 72.9 52.8 84.2 82.7 TiO2 Range 0.01-0.29 0.28-2.46 0.01-0.22 0.0 Average 0.2 1.08 0.2 0.0 Al2O3 Range 12.35-15.4 10.37-18.02 0.69-14.85 0.69 Average 13.7 12.7 6.8 0.8 Fe2O3 Range 0.08-2.91 2.10-45-77 1.39-4.97 4.46-22.54 Average 1.9 19.8 3.4 13.4 MnO Range 0-0.08 0-0.75 0.01-0.03 0.01-0.04 Average 0.03 0.1 0.03 0.03 MgO Range 0.13-0.65 0.24-7.23 0.29-1.75 0.19-0.60 Average 0.31 1.32 0.806 0.442 CaO Range 0.45-2.55 1.26-4.4 0.31-0.76 0.01-1.74 Average 1.1 2.6 0.6 0.5 Na2O Range 3.15-4.34 0.12-3.34 0.05-2.2 0.05-0.12 Average 3.7 0.8 0.6 0.08 K2O Range 4-6.70 1.84-7.78 0.1-6.96 0.04-0.09 Average 5 5 3 0.06 P2O5 Range 0.020.16 0.01-1.23 0.07-0.48 0.02-0.04 Average 0.08 0.39 0.224 0.032 L.O.I. Range 0.04-0.85 0.8-2.80 Average 0.31 1.43 Total Range 99.73-99.9 93.22-99.91 99.36-99.92 97.45-99.01 Average 100 98.42 99.7 98.288 References Abdalla, H. M., Matsueda, H., Obeid, M., A. and Takahashi., R., (2008): Chemistry of cassiterite in rare metal granitoids and the associated rocks in Eastern Desert, Egypt. Journal of Mineralogical and petrological sciences, 103, 318-326. Abdalla, H. M. and Mohamed, F. H., (1999): Mineralogical and geochemical investigation of emerald and beryl mineralization, Pan-African Belt of Egypt genetic and exploration aspects: J. Afr Earth Sci, 28,3, 581-598. Bakhit, F.S., 1978 geology and radioactive mineralization of Gabal El-Missikat area,Eastern Desert of Egypt, A.R.E. Ph.D. thesis, Fac. Sci., Ain Shams Univ., Cairo, Egypt, 289 p. Bakhit, F.S., and Meleik, M.L.,1990. Application of autocorrelation function to structural lineaments in radioactive sample area in the Central Eastern Desert of Egypt. Int. G. Remote Sensing, 11, No. 10,1919. El Ramly, M.F. (1972): A new geological map for the basement rocks rocks in the South Western Desert of Egypt. Ann. Geol. Surv. Egypt.2, 1-18. Gharieb A.G.

Relationship Education at the Secondary Level Essay -- Teaching Teache

Relationship Education at the Secondary Level The process of education begins from the day we are born until the day we pass on from this earth. When in this evolution and sophistication of education, however, are we taught to think for ourselves and develop our own ideas about the world? Although we are nurtured to make life decisions on a daily basis, the relationship between the college, university, and society is where core competencies are molded to help drive us toward the desired professional roads to be taken. At the very onset of entering college, teachers and professors teach us how to think in logical ways for ourselves, rather than automatically follow the required scripted lessons to be learned. We are taught to find fallacies in arguments such as David Thomas The Mind of Man. He regards males as Specifically, boys are to be blamed for their own disadvantages.(121) The rest of this article keeps this same consistency through to the end. He describes females as much higher and knowledgeable persons and all males are just a subspecies that cannot do anything right. Another author, bell hooks, sees the world in a completely different light in her article Class and Education. As a professor, she gave everyone equal treatment. It did not matter if you were male or female, white or black; you were treated as an equal. The colleges, universities and independent institutes for specialized professional pursuits, are keys to opening doors for our future positions in society. These institutions Grabow 2 of secondary education are devoted to transferring current technology and information to equip the latest generation in society with the mandatory skill sets necessary to take a position in todays professional world. Col... ...st by driving their students toward logical assessments for their professional pursuits by integrating learned information from the world and the classroom. Works Cited Brooks, Gwendolyn. We Real Cool. Presence of Others. Andrea Lunsford, John Ruszkiewicz. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martins 1991, 133. hooks, bell. Keeping Close to Home: Class and Education. Presence of Others. Andrea Lunsford, John Ruszkiewicz. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martins 1989, 93-103. Rose, Mike. Lives on the Boundary. Presence of Others Andrea Lunsford, John Ruszkiewicz. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martins 1989, 105-118. Spayed, John. Learning in the Key of Life. Presence of Others. Andrea Lunsford, John Ruszkiewicz. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martins 1998, 58-63. Thomas, David. The Mind of Man. Presence of Others. Andrea Lunsford, John Ruszkiewicz. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martins 1993, 120-124.

Expository research paper Essay

Minority students have been discriminated against for a very long time; many people think that minorities don’t have the same opportunities as others, but in reality they have many advantages. Minority students have opportunities to get into good colleges and getting more scholarships than other non-minority students. Colleges look for the obvious things like grades, and extracurricular activities and all those things but what most really want is to have diversity in the college and therefore colleges need minority students. Colleges read students’ applications thoroughly, so colleges’ look for stuff that sticks out, stuff that makes a student different than the rest one thing that might sticks out is race. In the article is says, â€Å"An applicants final determination of what to say about race is often made consultation with a college counselor. Many counselors may convey to families that a multiracial applicant has a better chance of being admitted to a highly selective college than those in any other racial or ethnic category. †(Saulny). This tells how a multiracial student may have a better chance of getting into a good college than those in other racial or ethnic categories. â€Å"Many private scholarships are geared toward minorities because they are looking for something in particular†(Borowski). The author talks about how private colleges seek at minorities, which tells that they consider race are when choosing students. Molina 2 Scholarships are used to help students get into college, but some scholarships are targeted to specific students, most likely minority students. This also could equal disadvantages to non-minority students. In this article the author says, â€Å"Some private scholarships are based on a students characteristics such as race, ethnicity, and religion, and some are based on professional affiliations or future career choices†(Borowski). Private scholarships look for very specific things in students which show how much of a disadvantage some students have in. The article talks about one student’s problem, â€Å"As Johnson found, private scholarships can extremely selective. â€Å"When I research all the grants and scholarships out there, they are all really specific, targeted towards everyone but me, he says, Are you a Pacific islander who plays tuba? There is a scholarship for you. Or a woman from an inner city who works with animals? There’s a grant for you. But a hard working boy from the suburbs? Nothing. †(Borowski). The author shows how very specific scholarships can be and how they affect other people who do not fit the description of what that scholarship wants. Another reason why minorities have an advantage is because of stereotypes even if it doesn’t apply to that student. In an article a student says, â€Å"I just realized that my race is something I have to think about,† she describes herself as having an Asian mother and a black father. â€Å"It pains me to say this, but putting down black might help admission. †(Saulny). This states how putting down a specific race might better or worsen someone’s chances depending on that particular race. A mother states, â€Å"My 17 year old son is a high B student and an excellent athlete, but we’ve been unable to find any scholarships for him because he’s white. † Elizabeth says, Johnson also says â€Å"We aren’t wealthy. We don’t take on fancy vacations and we do without a lot of things. Yet because I’m white, I don’t get a hand. There are all kinds or nationalities at Molina 3 my high school, whose families have a lot more money than we have, and yet they are getting scholarships. †(Saulny). This tells how stereotypes can give minority students an advantage by colleges stereotyping and giving help to those who don’t really need it instead of to the ones that do. Minority students also think that it is a disadvantage being a minority but in reality it can be an advantage against non-minority students. Minority students are what colleges look for. There are scholarships targeted towards minorities, and due to stereotypes there are advantages. These affect more than just minority students, it basically affects everyone because being a non-minority is at a disadvantage of getting a scholarship or getting into a good college. In today’s society someone’s race could affect their future. Saulny, Susan, and Jacques Steinberg. â€Å"On College Forms, a Question of Race, or Races, Can Perplex. † New York Times 13 June 2011: n. pag. The New York Times. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. . Borowski, Susan. â€Å"Scholarships and the White Male: Disadvantaged or Not? † Insight into Diversity. N. p. , n. d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. .

My School Memories Essay

The first memory that I have of school is the sound of my small feet on the wet ground as I stepped out of my mom? fs green Volvo. The splashing and splashing of the water as I walked down the rainy walkway toward what would be my new school. But not only was it a walkway to school, but the walkway to the rest of my life. Little did I know at the time, but this path would bring me to where I am now, an unsure college student. Unsure and uncertain of what my future holds and what is awaiting me on this path. The only things I know are the lessons that I have learned along the way which have molded and shaped me into the person that I am today. As a kid going through grade school my family moved around a lot. When I first started going to school I was living in north Seattle, and I lived there up through the first grade. After I had completed first grade, my family and I packed up and moved north to Mountlake Terrace. At that age it really wasn? ‘t very hard for me to relocate because I hadn? ‘t really had much time to develop any lasting relationships or even fully understand what was happening. The following six years were spent moving between Edmonds and Seattle and going through different elementary schools. The older that I got the harder it became whenever I would have to change to a different school because I felt like I had to explain myself to the other kids. When I was younger I was really embarrassed about the fact that I had moved around so much. Even to this day, I get a bit uncomfortable discussing this topic. After I had finished sixth grade my family decided to move back to Edmonds once again and I? fve been here ever since. I started middle school here in Edmonds at College Place Middle School. That summer before school started I decided that I would join a football team so I could make some friends that went to the same school as me. For the first time I had real friends. The only problem was that some of those friends weren? ‘t the greatest of influences on me. They liked to get into trouble by smoking and just not making smart decisions in their lives. I experimented with the whole ? gtroublemaker? h scenario, but luckily for me I realized it was not for me and it really was not the smart thing for a seventh grade kid to be doing. That following year I had changed a lot and I had gotten really into music. I just fell in love with it. That year is when I met who would end up being one of my closest friends to this day, Joe. His love of music was as great as mine was and we decided we wanted to start a band. I believe that music really helped me find a sense of self and it really gave me a positive way to express emotions and thoughts that I was feeling, and teenagers need some sort of way to express them otherwise it can create trouble. High school was the beginning of the end. It was the beginning of the end of childhood?. It was a time when I had to take my first baby steps into the real world. The first year of high school was by far the worst. The step up from middle school to high school is a hard one. For me it was strange to see guys with more hair on their faces than I had on my whole body. The whole situation is quite intimidating for a young kid in a strange, new place. As the years went on, I began to feel more comfortable being there. The one thing that kept me sane through my high school years was my band. By the time we’d reached our junior year we had become pretty good so that made it even more fun. I eventually even began to like school a little bit. But overall I had a lot of fun in high school. I think I learned a lot about how to treat people and just to respect people for who they are. That was probably one of the most important lessons that I learned the whole time I was there. Looking back on it now, I can appreciate the time that I spent there. The events and circumstances of someone? fs life really do determine how that person thinks and acts. There is no doubt that the experiences I? ‘ve had in my life through school have helped to shape the person I am today. Not that I am perfect or near perfect now, but I am happy with who I am and I think that that there is something positive to be taken away from everything in life. The only problem is that sometimes you have to take a closer look to be able to find it.

Examine the links between human rights and different models of disability in education The WritePass Journal

Examine the links between human rights and different models of disability in education Introduction Examine the links between human rights and different models of disability in education Introduction  What is Disability?Medical modelCharity modelAdministrative modelSocial modelCitizenshipDisability and special educationSalamanca StatementInclusive educationAbout GreeceConclusionRelated Introduction   Ã¢â‚¬Å"No person shall be denied the right to education†Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (European Convention 1950, First   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  protocol Article 2) â€Å"Discrimination against any person on the basis of disability is a violation of the inherent dignity and worth of the human person† â€Å"States parties recognize the right of persons with disabilities to education† (Article 26)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2006) Education must be for all, without exceptions. The last years, the issue of disability and the different ways in which different communities try to approach it, have started to interest science and especially social sciences. Eventually, four models of disability were created and each one of them has an effect on both the public opinion and the legislation. Thus, human rights in education and special education were affected, when they were formed, by one or more models of disability. In this essay, I will try to show the way in which human rights are linked to the models of disability. Firstly, I will examine and analyze each one of the models and their origins, and parallel to this, there will be a brief comparison between some issues of some specific models. Secondly, I will analyze and connect the terms of citizenship and inclusive education. Thirdly, I will discuss disability and special education. And finally, in the first part I will discuss the Salamanca statement and framewor k for action on special needs education and with which model of disability it is connected. In the second part I will refer to how things are in Greece as far as special education is concerned, according to the ministry of education and based on my personal experience.   What is Disability? According to the WHO (World Health Organization)  Ã‚   which has been used as the basis for two national studies of disability in Britain (Harris, 1971; Martin, Meltzer and Eliot, 1988), the definition of impairment is: in the context of health experience, an impairment is any loss or abnormality of psychological, physiological or anatomical structure or function. Moreover, the definition of disability is: in the context of health experience, disability is any restriction or lack (resulting from an impairment) of ability to perform an activity in the manner or within the range which is considered normal for a human being. On the other hand, the definition that DPI (Disabled People’s International) gives for impairment is: impairment is the functional limitation within the individual caused by physical, mental or sensory impairment. And the definition for disability is: the loss or limitation of opportunities to take part in the normal life of the community on an equal level with others due to physical and social barriers (DPI, 1982). In today’s world, that we are living, disability has begun to be considered as something universal, a global experience. Through disability, we study especially the values and the position of the people towards disability, and as a consequence, we study how each society treats its members, including disabled people. The interest for disabilities is a combination of the academic interest, in explaining what disability truly is and its effects on all the fields of society, of the activists and the universal character that disability takes (Chard et al. 1999; Blendon and Benson, 2001) Disability is a usual term, but practically it refers to people with some kind of bodily or mental-intellectual incapacity and because of that they cannot participate in sundry activities. There are people who claim that this inability of disabled people to participate is a consequence of the barriers which are raised by the majority of â€Å"normal† people. It is a socially constructed attitude towards people with impairments. However, disability is not just attitudes which result in discrimination, but also institutionalized practices. What is considered to be â€Å"normal† for abled-bodied is not for disabled one, such as the capacity to walk up and down stairs or to cross the road. Disability does not only concern the person itself who is disabled but it affects the whole world too, and it also has economic, cultural and political ramifications to each society. With the interference of disabled activists and organizations, in the 60’s a lot of national governments included policies in legislation through which the rights of disabled people are protected and secured. A big change was made back in 1981 by the United Nations where the responsibility of the government to provide equal rights to people with any kind of disability was recognized. In 1980 the majority of the academics were interested almost entirely in the medical explanation of disability (Barnes, Oliver, Barton, 2002). A very obvious example was Talcott Parsons (1951) who applied sociological methods and concepts to the understanding of health and illness, and medicine in general, in their social context. Medical model The medical model of disability focuses on the groups that are formed, the disabled and the non-disabled. Someone’s disability is his personal problem that requires a medical solution and there are not any problems or any barriers which are caused by society. The focus is not on the integration of the disabled person, but on the disability of the person and either the cure (if there is one), or a specific assistance to overcome the effects of that impairment (Indiana Law Journal, vol 83). For Parsons every form of sickness diverges from the norm. In the upcoming decades, there was a major concentration on ‘mental illness’ through the sociological perspective (Journal of Health and Social Behavior, vol 17). Additionally, Foucault (1975, 1979) argued that mental illness and all the forms of acts that diverge are something more than the social constructs made by the dominant group. All studies relevant to mental illness refer to economic or social problems and their consequences but neither of them really look into the meaning of what is called â€Å"individual† or â€Å"medical† as a form of disability. No one extended the theories from mental illness to any other physical disability or other impairments, and as a consequence, disabled people were socially and economically deprived (Segall, A. 1976) Charity model The second model of disability is the â€Å"charity model†. In this model we examine the voluntary agencies. There are organizations that have been shaped for people who are disabled and they are run by â€Å"normal† people and these organizations are completely different from the organizations of disabled people (which are run by the disabled people) (Barton, 1996). The tradition of charities is very old and particularly for Britain it goes back into the Industrial Revolution. These charities had a wide range of occupations and they were present in a lot of social activities such as religion, entertainment, education and many more. Our concern focuses there, where the charities assumed the role of social welfare; when they had transformed their interests according to the different forms of diseases. As far as Britain is concerned, disabled people started to be gradually excluded from work, when the time of industrialization and the machinery came. This happened because the work was made for able-bodied people and as a result of this, disabled people were condemned to depend on others to make a living (Finkelstein, 1981b). At first, church and poorhouses where those who were helping disabled people to live and after a while the organized charity was added as well. But progressively, as the state took the role of the social welfare, disabled people began to have some economic benefits from the social system and additionally we have the creation of some centers where they could stay, such as day centers (Barnes, 1990; Brenton, 1985; Handy, 1988). The flourish of charities was in the twentieth century. There were many people who were occupied there, some of them were volunteers and some others were salaried staff of professionals (Brandon, 1988). In fact, even though some agencies occupied volunteers and called themselves as voluntary, they were not, actually they were non-governmental and they did not have any profit from the charity and their only aim was to help (Drake, 1994). Most of the charities endorsed the medical model and they emphasized on the treatment of the individual (example: the cure) or they intervened in some other ways, for example, since they knew that the use of public transportation was too difficult for the disabled people, they provided minibuses to those who needed it. But the most fascinating thing was that the disabled people did not prefer this means of transportation because of the fact that they were only for disabled and   Ã‚  this was exactly the ‘problem’. It was something that made a distinction between the able-bodied and the disabled. Here lies the difference between the organizations which are run by the disabled people; their focus was on campaigns and proposals for redesigning the form of public vehicles. The society of the disabled criticized the traditional charities mostly because of their philosophy, which did not unite them with the majority but separated them (Barton, 1996). Administrative model The third model of disability is the administrative model. Finkelstein, one of the founders of the social model, criticizes the explanatory ability of the social model as far as the position of disabled people in modern societies is concerned. He argues (1993) that the administrative model of disability is the only model which combines all the forms that a helping service can take, even if they come from the state or from voluntaries. â€Å"The cure and the care forms of intervention are administered within the rehabilitation and personal-care services respectively† (Finkelstein, 1993:37). The administrative model is some kind of dichotomous and it has some impact on the legislation. This model refers to specific fields such as education. An aspect of this model is that if someone ‘deserves’, depending on one’s impairment, to be called disabled he has, as a result of this, access to some benefits. It is a sad fact that disabled people have to pass specific tests in order to â€Å"prove† their impairment. In fact, there have been some cases of people with severe disabilities who although they deserved the benefits, they were deprived of them, for the reason that they did not fit into the â€Å"boxes† which are provided by the administrative model. So, sometimes it seems to be unfair towards a specific group of disabled people, if they do not fulfill the conditions which are set legally (French, 1994). Social model The fourth and last model is the social. Back to the nineteenth century we have the rising of activist organizations motivated by people with disabilities. There have been many protests in many countries such as the U.S. and Canada, for the discrimination that they have encountered.   But the case of Britain was something special and important, because a new and more radical approach was embedded to theories, so now they refer to, as â€Å"the social model of disability†. The organizations run by disabled people (for example the Upias) made the ground fertile for many disabled activists to rethink the whole idea around disability. By contrast, the social interpretation of disability argues that people with accredited or perceived impairments, regardless of the cause, are disabled by society’s failure to accommodate their needs. The social model concentrates on the social inability to incorporate the disabled with whichever disability that they might have. Because disability does not connote someone’s failure; this approach focuses on the various obstacles like social, economic or political created against impairment. Disability studies were initially approached by medical sociology and some perspectives were raised. There has been a lot of research motivated by practical medical and other services of health concerns.   For example, in Britain, despite the sociological aspects of the social model, it was a team from the Open University (1975), which developed the first studies for disability. This course was developed with the aid of a South African clinical psychologist named Vic Finkelstein and a lot of people from the U.K. who were either disabled or disadvantaged by the educational system, were attracted. Through this course, named â€Å"The Handicapped Person in the Community†, people focused on the improvement of their skills, so as to help in a better way the handicapped people to do their best help in a better way, as far as their autonomy is concerned. The social model of disability offered the â€Å"big idea† (Hasler, 1993), to people who were disabled. But it took some time before it found acceptance from the universities of the UK, as far as sociology departments are concerned.   By contrast, in the U.S. and Canada disability entered the universities in the ‘70s. And again we have a combination of activism and academy as well. During the last years we have a more radical perspective, in which supporters were a small group of disabled scholars who were related to cultural or human studies, especially in Australasia and North America. As a consequence of that, there was a development of a more critical field of research focused on the link between socio-political position and the approach of the social model (Rioux and Bach, 1994; Davis, 1995; Linton, 1998; Albrecht et al., 2001). All of these premises created a common interest between research and academic studies and at the same time signified the rising of the interest in socio-political approach, where British writers first shed light on. In 1970, in Britain, the term â€Å"disability† began to change from a purely medical point of view to a more sociological perspective, because people began to see disability as a form of social segregation and exclusion. There was an organization which followed this movement, the UPIAS (Union of the Physically Impaired Against Segregation), for which disability is seen as an obstacle that social organizations put to people with any kind of impairment, excluding them from some social activities. Thomas Carol argues that UPIAS statement is that disability comes into light when activities of disabled people are restricted by specific social structures. So disability, he claims, is not synonym to the restriction or the lack of activity as it is in the ICIDH argument. It is not that impairment does not go with limitations of activities, but this does not constitute disability (Thomas, 1999). According to the disability movement which included the organizations that were run by disabled people argues that for disabled people, reconstruction of the society can be the cure for their disability problems. This movement dissociates itself from the mental model and it has to do with the social model (Cole, 2000) By contrast to the social model, in biomedicine the focus is on the deviations of the bodies and minds from the social norms of each individual. This â€Å"medical model† relies on the fast growing genetic science, to eradicate the diseases. So, according to this model, disability is equated with impairment. From the perspective of rehabilitation science, the focus shifts to a different area, it seems to be very important to help the disabled to adapt and adjust a more â€Å"normal† life. It’s a strong belief that a lot of difficulties are caused inevitably by the impairment. And this combination of belief, that on the one hand, exclusions and limitations in different forms of activities are caused by impairment and on the other hand the social barriers that are raised against disability, turns into ICIDH (International Classification of Impairments Disabilities and Handicaps). In 1970, we have the development of an organization the ICIDH, organized by Philip Wood, Elizabeth Bradley and Mike Bury. ICIDH, wanted to move further, so it tried to explain what disability is but not from a purely bio-medical perspective. For ICIDH, disability is any kind of deficiency or restriction of ability to do an activity in a specific way which is considered normal for a human being. So, I CIDH does not equate disability with impairment, there is a serious possibility that some social factors can influence some restrictions of activities (Bury, 1997, 2000). Citizenship An additional term that I would like to add because it is important to examine, is the term of citizenship. It is a definition which according to Barbalet (1988:1) defines who is and who is not a member of society. To be called citizen, it means the ability to participate in the decisions that frame his/her society. Additionally, it is the ability of someone to have access to work, travel, leisure, and generally, it is the political, civil and social rights of people (Marshall, 1950).So we must consider in what way we â€Å"see† and approach disabled people. In my opinion, education is a fundamental human right. Education can set an individual free and give him/her power. However, there are a lot of people (adults and children) who are deprived of education, and one of the many reasons can be some particular special need that an individual may have. Disability and special education In the 19th[ÃŽ µ1]   century, we had schools in which elementary education was provided for all. The system, on which schools based their education, was not very helpful for disabled children, because it was based on memory tests and learning by heart. This was a very negative factor for children who lacked specific abilities. As a result, it began to be clear that the degree of difficulty was increased as much as the growing inability of the child was increased too (Cole, 2000). It was only after 1921 and after a lot of pressure that some categories of impairment were recognized as such (epilepsy, deafness, blindness, mental defectiveness and physical defectiveness). So, creating special schools or special classes within regular schools began to be considered and children who were labeled as disabled could go and be educated there. Gradually, more categories were added in the term of disablement. After 1950, a lot of special schools were created and children, who were labeled as i neducable, according to Mental Deficiency Act (1913), had the right to be educated in those schools (Cole, 2000). In my opinion, this was a very cruel way of discrimination against those children who were labeled as ineducable and it was something that followed them throughout their life. After 1975, the idea of a more inclusive education entered the stage. Despite the economic cost, many regular schools were forced to accept disabled children in an effort to integrate them. But still, there are many problems in regular schools that make the life of disabled children difficult. As long as there are special schools, regular schools will not change their strategies dramatically so as to integrate children with impairment (Collin, 2000). Salamanca Statement There have been a lot of efforts to support inclusive education. One of these efforts is the â€Å"Salamanca statement and framework for action† (1994), which took place in Spain and it was organized by UNESCO and the Spanish government, in which 92 governments took part and they tried to find policies which promote inclusive education and prepare all the schools to embrace all the individuals no matter what impairment is and to support their right to learn. Special education must be included in the mainstream schools and not be considered as an isolated issue (Salamanca, 1994). â€Å"The challenge confronting the inclusive school is that of developing a child- centred pedagogy capable of successfully educating all children, including those who have serious disadvantages and disabilities† (Salamanca,1991:6). As we can assume after reading the Salamanca statement, the policies are based on the social model. Because after understanding the several social barriers which ex ist, there is an effort to bring those barriers down through some policies and cooperation from all (governments-schools-citizens). For example, in the statement it is referred that â€Å" we believe   and proclaim that: â€Å"†¦ education systems should be designed and educational programs implemented to take into account the wide diversity of these characteristics and needs†¦ those with special educational needs must have access to regular schools which accommodate them within a child-centred   pedagogy capable of meeting these needs† (2004:viii). And   â€Å"we call upon all governments and urge them to: give the highest policy and budgetary priority to improve their education systems to enable them to include all children regardless of individual differences or difficulties†¦encourage and facilitate the participation of parents, communities and organization of persons with disabilities in the planning and decision-making processes concerning provisi on for special educational needs†¦invest greater effort in early identification and intervention strategies, as well as in vocational aspects of inclusive education† (2004:ix). We can assume that the statement forces the states to do whatever it takes so as to integrate all the disabled people in the educational system. They seek to have regular schools but with inclusive orientation so as not to have discrimination between humans. Inclusive education Inclusive education is when all children no matter what kind of impairment they have, are able to go to their local schools to be educated, and, for local schools to be able and appropriately prepared to provide all the facilities that children may need. There has to be a transformation of the curriculum in that way, so all children can be educated in the same way, without some pupils having special benefits against others. It is also important, through collaborative learning or through specific reading books or images to aid children without disabilities to learn how to coexist and cooperate with disabled children. This is a process which is helpful and all the children can learn and benefit from it. The learning support in each classroom, it would be very effective. Generally, we have to create activities which promote the collaboration of all children, to give opportunity to all disabled children to present themselves and to build up their self-esteem.   Additionally, parental c onsulting is promoted, because it is good for children to be encouraged by their parents to feel more independent. There are a lot of other school policies which are based on the social model of disability (CSIE, 1996, 2000). About Greece In Greece, the education is compulsory and provides primary and secondary education and there is post-compulsory secondary education. According to the reform of 1997, it consists of two types of schools: the unified upper secondary schools and the technical vocational educational schools. Together with the mainstream schools, we also have special schools of all the educational stages, which admit students with special educational needs, such as special school for deaf people or special school for blind people. A child can go to a mainstream school which has integration classes or can go to a special school, depending on the impairment that the child may have. The decision, on which school a child will go to, is made through special education advisers and the Center of Diagnostic Evaluation and support, so as to diagnose the educational special needs of the child. Then, they choose the most appropriate school unit that will contribute to the better integration of the child. The progre ss of the child is evaluated from time to time. From the division of Special Education and the proceedings report of 2004-2007 we can see that a great amount of integration classes were created in the mainstream schools at all levels of the educational system (ypepth.gr/el_ec_page119.htm , in Greek 20/03/11). On the one hand, there are some special schools for example, for deaf or blind children and there is still no policy to include those children in the mainstream schools, so as not to create any kind of discrimination. But on the other hand, those schools specialize in some specific impairments, so they can focus only on those children with the specific disability. The right of education for all and inclusive education is a little bit contradictory in that case, because the mainstream schools in Greece, for example, cannot admit deaf children in the same class with children who can hear. In Greece, there is an effort to include children with specific impairments, such as learning difficulties or mild forms of mental retardation, by educating the teachers to be able to deal with those children’s requirements. A very interesting thing is that, even though the curriculum is the same for all the children whichever the school is and focuses on the equality of learning, if someone does not speak the same language there will be a serious problem because he will not be able to keep up with the rest of the students. So, there are some predetermined qualifications for someone to be able to have the same education with the others. In some circumstances, such as the immigrant’s children, if they do not know the language at all, it will be very difficult for them to catch up with the rest of the students, and maybe those children will be excluded because they do not fit in this model of requirements. But even though, there are some multicultural schools (ypepth.gr/e l_ec_page200.htm   on 25/03/11), which are very helpful for children who do not know the language very well. As far as special education is concerned, the special schools are based on the segregation of the children and their base is the medical model of disability, because they categorize children on the basis of their impairment, however, their disability does not make impossible for people to learn and be educated, so it is sort of coming into the social model. All kinds of children, either the disabled or the immigrants, require a specific kind of education. At this time, Greece is not ready to include all the children in a mainstream school. It would be perfect if we could have a mainstream school which could admit all the children no matter their impairment or their lack, but this is a project which requires a lot of time. And after all, this is the direction that we should all be oriented to. Conclusion To sum up, in this essay we examined the four models of disability and how they consider impairment and disability. Each one of these has its own point of view as far as disability and treatment of disabled people are concerned. All of the models have those who support their theories and those who criticize them. And through this process we can examine the weaknesses of each one. Basically, the human rights, in the last years, are based on the social model of disability, because they declare that everyone has the right to be educated no matter what impairment they may have, and taking into consideration the several social barriers that exist in the societies, they try to resolve the problems and through some new policies on schools to integrate all the children. Additionally, about the different legislations that societies have, we can note that they may have been affected by more than one models of disability. For example, in Greece, disabled people still have some economic benefits from the welfare state (which is a characteristic of the charity model). Furthermore, the administrative model has some impacts on the legislation, because, for example entering a special school or attending integration classes, the child has to pass through some tests which are predetermined and if the child fits in the characteristics that the legislation has given about disability or special needs. Then the child can officially go to a special school or to integrate in a mainstream school and attend integration classes. Moreover, the social model has its effects on the legislations, because there is an effort to recreate schools by embedding several policies in a way to integrate all children, as human rights declare. As far as special schools and mainstream schools are concerned, in my view, it would be perfect if we had one school so well prepared that could accept any child, regardless of its impairment. This would be done in an effort to achieve inclusive education. Special schools are not necessarily negative, but I think that these schools must accept only some very severely disabled children, that may be dangerous for the rest of the pupils. Any less severe impairment, with the appropriate preparation from the side of schools, would be good to be included in mainstream schools.

Establishment And Exercise Of Religion Example

Establishment And Exercise Of Religion Example Establishment And Exercise Of Religion – Coursework Example Establishment and Exercise of Religion Affiliation Establishment and Exercise of Religion Religious freedom is not just about the mutual respect and understanding that exists among people because they know each other and practice different religions. Religious freedom is a vital component of human dignity. Hence, in my opinion, I would consider religious faith being free as an essential element of religious freedom. No one should be forced into a certain religious faith. Another essential element is the total protection of religious liberty. Religious liberty hinders one from been forced to act against his or her religious beliefs (Urofsky, 2002). The separation of the church and the state are necessary. Why? It is necessary because the government is not established on any religion. The Treaty of Tripoli notes that the US government is not founded on Christianity because it has no nature of hostility against Muslim laws or religion. The separation is vital as it depicts the respect f or personal religious liberty. Through separation, the government cannot interfere in one’s religious practices, and it enhances religious diversity. Without the separation, the state’s government would force people to follow the religion it is attached to that contravenes an essential element of religious freedom (Urofsky, 2002). The US constitution equally and effectively protects the rights of all religious believers and non-believers. As the first amendment in the constitution tries to assert, congress cannot make a law that respects the founding of a religion or one that hinders the exercise of a certain religion. As shown in the Torcaso v. Watkins case of 1961where the Supreme Court ruled that Maryland had infringed religious freedom by calling for state officers to say their belief in God publicly. In this case, the constitution is shown to hold equality to both believers and non-believers (Urofsky, 2002).ReferenceUrofsky, M. I. (2002). Religious Freedom: Rights and Liberties Under the Law. Santa Barbara, California, USA: ABC-CLIO.

Simple Écouter Verb Conjugations in French

Simple Écouter Verb Conjugations in French When you want to say to listen to in French, use the verb  Ãƒ ©couter. In order to change it to the past tense listened to or the future tense will listen to, a simple verb conjugation is required. A short lesson in the most common forms of this useful verb will show you how thats done. Conjugating the French Verb  Ãƒâ€°couter Écouter  is a  regular -ER verb  and it follows a very common conjugation pattern. This is good news for students who find these challenging because you can apply the infinitive endings you learn here to many other verbs. These include  assister  (to assist) and  donner  (to give). To change  Ãƒ ©couter  to the present, future, or imperfect past tense, simply match the appropriate subject pronoun to the tense. For instance, I listen to is jà ©coute and we listen to is nous à ©couterons. Subject Present Future Imperfect j coute couterai coutais tu coutes couteras coutais il coute coutera coutait nous coutons couterons coutions vous coutez couterez coutiez ils coutent couteront coutaient The Present Participle of  Ãƒâ€°couter The  present participle  also builds off the verb stem with the -ant  ending to form  Ãƒ ©coutant. This is an adjective, gerund, or noun in some circumstances as well as a verb. The Past Participle and Passà © Composà © The  passà © composà ©Ã‚  is a familiar way to express the past tense listened to in French. To construct it, conjugate the  auxiliary verb  avoir  to fit the subject pronoun, then attach the  past participle  Ãƒ ©coutà ©. For example, I listened to becomes jai à ©coutà © and we listened to is nous avons à ©coutà ©. More Simple Écouter  Conjugations Should you wish to express that the action of listening is questionable or not guaranteed, use the subjunctive verb mood. Similarly, when the action is dependent on something else happening, the conditional verb mood is employed. In formal writing, you will come across either the passà © simple or the imperfect subjunctive forms of  Ãƒ ©couter. Recognizing these will improve your reading comprehension. Subject Subjunctive Conditional Pass Simple Imperfect Subjunctive j coute couterais coutai coutasse tu coutes couterais coutas coutasses il coute couterait couta coutt nous coutions couterions coutmes coutassions vous coutiez couteriez couttes coutassiez ils coutent couteraient coutrent coutassent The imperative verb mood is used in short and often assertive statements. When using it, theres no need to include the subject pronoun: use à ©coute rather than tu à ©coute. Imperative (tu)           Ã‚  Ãƒ ©coute (nous)     Ãƒ ©coutons (vous)     Ãƒ ©coutez

Analyse Health Information Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analyse Health Information - Assignment Example As damage increases, more of the lipoproteins accumulate in the intima causing atheroma. The condition worsens with time as more lipids accumulate even outside the macrophages, because of this; the macrophages stimulate production of collagen that covers the lipids making the streaks become fibrous. This weakens the endothelial wall causing ulcerations, platelets aggregations and formation of thrombus (Marieb, 2014). a.) Components of neurovascular observation. To conduct a neurovascular observation and make correct documentation, the components to assess are color and warmth, for which inspection of color and feeling for the warmth is dome. The temperatures are compared with the normal wrist; capillary refill is assessed by pressing the nail bed and assessing the time taken for blood to fill the capillaries, normal time is less than 3 seconds; pain score and joint movement are done to assess the extent of injury; peripheral sensation is also assessed to verify the presence or absence of nerve injury (Tollefson et al., 2012). To prepare the patient for x-ray, the nurse requires first to inform the client concerning the procedure so that they can make an informed decision. A signing of a written consent follows this. This must be documented in the patient file and signed. The patient is scheduled for x-ray at 9.15 am; the vital signs at this time indicate mild hyperthermia of 38.1Â °C and slight hyperventilation with a respiration rate of 25 breaths per minute. All other observations are within normal range. With an ADDS score of 2, the patient is not in an acute condition, and any nurse can escort him for the radiology test (Preece et al., 2010). With atheroma, blood clotting forms in the large vessels. This is due to platelets aggregation along the weakened portions of the endothelium. As the heart pumps blood around the body, the clots dislodge and are carried to other parts of the body. If the

Choose one from 5 options Outline Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Choose one from 5 options - Outline Example Job analysis assumes an important place in human resources management because of its significance and implications in both strategic and operational issues of an organization. Job analysis when broken down into smaller specifications drives job descriptions, job priorities and job classifications (Marchington & Wilkinson 2005, p.167) which help the organization in multiple ways. With the help of job design, competent and skilled employees can be recruited (Elearn 2009, p. 2013), job activities can be redesigned, modified or simplified and job activities also serve as the basis for setting compliance, safety, compensation, performance, training and development and other managerial standards. Job analysis is often confused and used simultaneously with the terms ‘occupation’ and ‘position’. While a position is determined by the number of workers in an organization, occupation is the sum total of jobs of similar kind in an organization. Thus, all technical jobs cumulate to form an occupation. Understanding the difference between these terms is also crucial from organizational point of view because jobs make occupations, occupations turn into positions and finally positions develop into organizational structure. Having being talked about two-legged approach of job analysis in an organization, the body of the essay gets split into two divisions where first part will talk about functions or domains which job analysis serves in. As for example and already mentioned above, the role of job analysis spans across human resource planning, recruitment, training, development, performance appraisal, compensation plans, evaluation and counseling and even job and organizational redesign (Management Study Guide n.d) (Figure 2). This section will more or less emphasize on describing the tasks and activities of specific functions that relate with job analysis and prove to be of a critical component in these domains. It will be more inclined towards elaborating

Comprehensive health history and Physical Essay

Comprehensive health history and Physical - Essay Example It was around six in the evening while he was driving from work when he noticed a change in his body. There was an abrupt pain onset of the pain to his right side which occurred for a small period of time about one to two minutes. He thought that he might have strained while driving and this might have resulted in the pain. The pain slowly moved from the parasternal area towards his neck. This was the first time he experienced such pain and describes his day as a normal day at the office with no strains. He felt tired at this time as the pain continued to radiate upwards. The pain subsided a little when he got home but he felt a discomfort that was accompanied by a shortness of breath. At this time, he was not nauseated or sweating. The pain seemed to disappear immediately he arrived home and rested. Two days ago the pain returned again and this time a little severe than the first episode and lasted close to five minutes. The pain seemed to emanate from the same place as the previous episode. He experienced this twice during the day in the morning and in the evening. In both instances he was not strained but simply walking around in the office. He went home and took a rest again and the pain seemed to disappear completely until today when the pain episode manifested. All this time he was contemplating of seeking medical attention but did not. He never used any pain relievers or any other drug that could ease the pain. The reason for this he says is that the pain seemed to last for a short period of time and would disappear itself or would end immediately he went to rest. This made him think that the pain was as a result of work. The patient says that he did not experience any other symptom apart from the shortness of breath during the pain episodes. There was no dizziness or palpitations. He also says that there was no other exertional dyspnea, orthopnea or paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea. Interestingly the pain did not alter during movements or during food intake . There was also no palpable pain. He has never been informed of having heart problems. He has never had a problem with his chest before and neither has he ever experienced chest pains in his life. He does not have claudication. However, Andrew was diagnosed with hypertension about 2 years ago. Andrew is not a smoker and has no symptoms of diabetes. He was only diagnosed with the hypertension 2 years ago which he is fully aware of and had a total abdominal hysterectomy and a BSO about a year ago. Andrew has not been on any hormone replacement therapy of late. He also says that their family has a history of premature CAD. He has been monitoring his cholesterol level for quite some time but at present he does not know. Past Medical, Surgical, and Social History Surgical- has no history of surgical operations Medical history Childhood: diagnosed with mumps at the age of 7. No measles, croup, pertussis, rheumatic fever, scarlet or polio. Accidents: Andrew had an accident while at the ag e of 12 while riding his bicycle. He developed a fracture. At the age of 25 he was involved in a car accident although he survived with bruises. Chronic illnesses: In 2010 he was diagnosed with hypertension and was on medication until last year when he stopped taking the medication due to the drowsy effect they were having on him. In 2008 he was diagnosed with peptic ulcer disease which was successfully treated after three months using cimetidine. Hospitalizations: He was hospitalized at the age of 12 after the accident where he

Why is workplace bullying an important issue in managing people at Essay

Why is workplace bullying an important issue in managing people at work - Essay Example Other that interfering with the physical well being of a person, bullying also inflicts psychological injury leading to deterioration of the victim’s helath. Despite that fact that a victim of bullying can legally claim for compensation, there is no specific compensation-value for psychological injury and the management should view bullying as a serious offence of potential threat to the organizational returns (Quigg, 2011). Several societies globally have raised interest concerning workplace bullying with communities such as government bodies and labor unions tying to seek for the best possible alternatives to eliminate such a vice. Most of the scholarly articles classify that majority of employees have directly experienced workplace bullying while a good number have also observed such happenings in their work institutions (Quigg, 2011). Workplace bullying is of critical concerns when it comes to managing people at work because it subjects an organizations to produces almost nothing or generate productivity far much less below their required capacity thus hurting the organization productivity and leading to a serious loss. Oade & Palgrave (2009), clarifies that it is critical for the management to embrace bullying and harassment tolerance within an organization since they pose serious threats to the production returns. Besides, workplace bullying interferes with the ability of employees from effective and efficient performance inline of their duties. Any slightest negativity as a result of bullying is perceived to be of potential financial loss to both the organization and to the employees themselves. The varying nature of workplace bullying shows that employees are exposed to varied number of symptoms. At some instances, employees experience cannot be associated with bullying. However, some of the common characteristics of bullying in an organization are: Oade & Palgrave (2009), explains that, when bullying is allowed to prevail

Case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Case Study Example Realty can convey its decision in any manner within the validity period and it chose to initially accept the offer by a postal communication. This is a valid acceptance and is binding on Realty. The act of revocation (within the validity period) took place before the postal acceptance reached Jettison. Acceptance once made is irrevocable and binds both parties. However, under the English Law this rule is confined in its operation only to a postal acceptance. In other cases, according to Anson,†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦an acceptance can be revoked at any time before acceptance is complete, provided of course, that the revocation itself is communicated before the acceptance arrives† (Law of Contract, pp.50-51, as quoted in Law of Contracts, Bajaj & Bajaj, 2005. p.28). Thus, Realty’s acceptance is legal and binding on itself. The issues involved in this case relate to a valid contract for service, genuine mistake of fact and revision of contract terms. JetKlean commenced its service in good faith according to the terms of the contract but realized that its earlier understanding of the condition of the jetskis was incorrect which led to under-valuation of the service needed. According to the law, ‘Where both parties to an agreement are under a mistake as to matter of fact essential to the agreement, the agreement is void’. This is a case of mistake of fact and JetKlean is entitled to renegotiate the service charges, which may be accepted or rejected by Jettison. With regard to the jetskis which were already serviced by JetKlean, they are entitled to proportionate payment according to the terms of the original contract. Jettison’s decision to accept the increased price is correct in the given circumstances. Glory Pieces offered to supply Hungarian made hand-blown crystal goblets at a price of $50 each. Offer was mailed on 1st April with a validity of 15 days. Since there was no specific date of validity,

Society of Composers, Authors, and Music Publishers of Canada v.V Annotated Bibliography

Society of Composers, Authors, and Music Publishers of Canada v.V. Bell Canada - Annotated Bibliography Example The copyright board had stated that a certain high school should pay the royalties for copying material form a given textbook. However, the court ruled out the statement and stated that the high school should pay no royalties to the board. The decision was made even after the board stated that the material was not used in a fair deal as the copyright legislation states. In a certain case that covered the issue of music downloads, the lower court decided that the society of composers, authors and music publishers should collect royalties from the individuals downloading the music or videos. The royalties of the copyright are recognized and approved by the copyright board of Canada. This copyright stated that those individuals who did not agree to pay the royalties; the board should seek for judicial help and then sue them in the federal court of appeal. On the other hand, the Supreme Court turned down the decision made by the lower court. The supreme disagreed with the fact that the board should collect royalties from individuals downloading music from the internet. The Supreme Court stated that the telecommunications companies or organizations that give music services to customers won’t pay any royalties to the copyright collection agencies. The court said that they will pay a royalty to copy the song but if the organization transmits the so ng to another person or customer, it should not pay. The society of composers, authors and music publishers presented an appeal case to the court following the court’s decision on the payment of royalties upon music downloads. The organization stated that the use of the music was not under their copyright constitution. Their constitution stated that the use of downloaded music or videos should be done on affair dealing. The society then presented their rights to the court which included

Case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Case Study Example Realty can convey its decision in any manner within the validity period and it chose to initially accept the offer by a postal communication. This is a valid acceptance and is binding on Realty. The act of revocation (within the validity period) took place before the postal acceptance reached Jettison. Acceptance once made is irrevocable and binds both parties. However, under the English Law this rule is confined in its operation only to a postal acceptance. In other cases, according to Anson,†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦an acceptance can be revoked at any time before acceptance is complete, provided of course, that the revocation itself is communicated before the acceptance arrives† (Law of Contract, pp.50-51, as quoted in Law of Contracts, Bajaj & Bajaj, 2005. p.28). Thus, Realty’s acceptance is legal and binding on itself. The issues involved in this case relate to a valid contract for service, genuine mistake of fact and revision of contract terms. JetKlean commenced its service in good faith according to the terms of the contract but realized that its earlier understanding of the condition of the jetskis was incorrect which led to under-valuation of the service needed. According to the law, ‘Where both parties to an agreement are under a mistake as to matter of fact essential to the agreement, the agreement is void’. This is a case of mistake of fact and JetKlean is entitled to renegotiate the service charges, which may be accepted or rejected by Jettison. With regard to the jetskis which were already serviced by JetKlean, they are entitled to proportionate payment according to the terms of the original contract. Jettison’s decision to accept the increased price is correct in the given circumstances. Glory Pieces offered to supply Hungarian made hand-blown crystal goblets at a price of $50 each. Offer was mailed on 1st April with a validity of 15 days. Since there was no specific date of validity,

Creating the Guiding Coalition Essay Example for Free

Creating the Guiding Coalition Essay Major transformations are often associated with one highly visible individual. Consider Chryslers come back from near bankruptcy in the early 1980s, and we think of Lee Iacocca. Mention Wal-Marts ascension from small-fry to in ­dustry leader and Sam Walton comes to mind. Read about IBMs efforts to renew itself, and the story centers around Lou Gerstner. After a while, one might easily conclude that the kind of leadership that is so critical to any change can come only from a single larger than life person. This is a very dangerous belief. Because major change is so difficult to accomplish, a powerful force is required to sustain the process. No one individual, even a monarch-like CEO, is ever able to develop the right vision, communicate it to large numbers of people, eliminate all the key obstacles, generate short-term wins, lead and manage dozens of change projects, and anchor new approaches deep in the organizations culture. Weak committees are even worse. A strong guiding coalition is always needed-one with the right composition, level of trust, and shared objective. Building such a team is always an essential part of the early stages of any effort to restructure, reengineer, or retool a set of strategies. 1. Going It Alone: The Isolated CEO The food company in this case had an economic track record between 1975 and 1990 that was extraordinary. Then the industry changed, and the firm stumbled badly. The CEO was a remarkable individual. Being 20 percent leader, 40 percent manager, and the rest financial genius, he had guided his company successfully by making shrewd acquisitions and running a tight ship. When his industry changed in the late 1980s, he tried to transform the firm to cope with the new conditions. And he did so with the same style he had been using for fifteen years that of a monarch, with advisors. King Henry had an executive committee, but it was an information-gathering/dispensing group, not a decision-making body. The real work was done outside the meetings. Henry would think about an issue alone in his office. He would then share an idea with Charlotte and listen to her comments. He would have lunch with Frank and ask him a few questions. He would play golf with Ari and note his reaction to an idea. Eventually, the CEO would make a decision by himself. Then, depending on the nature of the decision, he would announce it at an executive committee meeting or, if the matter was somehow sensitive, tell his staff one at a time in his office. They in turn would pass the information on to others as needed. This process worked remarkably well between 1975 and 1990 for at least four reasons: (1) the pace of change in Henrys markets was not very fast, (2) he knew the industry well; (3) his company had such a strong position that being late or wrong on anyone decision was not that risky, and (4) Henry was one smart fellow. And then the industry changed. For four years, until his retirement in 1994, Henry tried to lead a transformation effort using the same process that had served him so well for so long. But this time the approach did not work because both the number and the nature of the decisions being made were different in some important ways. Prior to 1990, the issues were on average smaller, less complex, less emotionally charged, and less numerous. A smart person, using the one-on-one discussion format, could make good decisions and have them implemented. With the industry in flux and the need for major change inside the firm, the issues suddenly came faster and bigger. One person, even an exceptionally capable individual, could no longer handle this decision stream well. Choices were made and communicated too slowly. Choices were made without a full understanding of the issues. Employees were asked to make sacrifices without a clear sense of why they should do so. After two years, objective evidence suggested that Henrys approach wasnt working. Instead of changing, he became more isolated and pushed harder. One questionable acquisition and a bitter layoff later, he reluctantly retired (with more than a small push from his board). 2. Running on Empty: The Low-Credibility Committee This second scenario I have probably seen two dozen times. The biggest champion of change is the human resource executive, the quality officer, or the head of strategic planning. Someone talks the boss into putting this staff officer in charge of a task force that includes people from a number of departments and an outside consultant or two. The group may include an up-and-coming leader in the organization, but it does not have the top three or four individuals in the executive pecking order. And out of the top fifteen officers, only two to four are members. Because the group has an enthusiastic head, the task force makes progress for a while. But all of the political animals both on and off this committee figure out quickly that it has little chance of long-term success, and thus limit their assistance, involvement, and commitment. Because everyone on the task force is busy, and because some are not convinced this is the best use of their time, scheduling enough meetings to create a shared diagnosis of the firms problems and to build trust among the groups members becomes impossible. Nevertheless, the leader of the committee refuses to give up and struggles to make visible progress, of ­ten because of an enormous sense of dedication to the firm or its employees. After a while, the work is done by a subgroup of three or four mostly the chair, a consultant, and a Young Turk. The rest of the members rubber-stamp the ideas this small group produces, but they neither contribute much nor feel any commitment to the process. Sooner or later the problem becomes visible: when the group cant get a consensus on key recommendations, when its committee recommendations fall on deaf ears, or when it tries to implement an idea and runs into a wall of passive resistance. With much hard work, the committee does make a few contributions, but they come only slowly and incrementally. A post-mortem of the affair shows that the task force never had a chance of becoming a functioning team of powerful people who shared a sense of problems, opportunities, and commitment to change. From the outset, the group never had the credibility necessary to provide strong leadership. Without that credibility, you have the equivalent of an eighteen-wheeler truck being propelled by a lawn mower engine. Meanwhile, as this approach fails, the companys competitive position gets a little weaker and the industry leader gets a little farther ahead. 3. Keeping Pace with Change: The Team The central issue in both of these scenarios is that neither firm is taking into account the speed of market and technological change. In a less competitive and slower-moving world, weak committees can help organizations adapt at an acceptable rate. A committee makes recommendations. Key line managers reject most of the ideas. The group offers additional suggestions. The line moves another inch. The committee tries again. When both competition and technological change are limited, this approach can work. But in a faster-moving world, the weak committee always fails. In a slow-moving world, a lone-ranger boss can make needed changes by talking to Charlotte, then Frank, then Ari and reflecting on what they say. He can go back to each of them for more information. After making a decision, he can communicate it to Charlotte, Frank, and Ari. Information processing is sequential and orderly. As long as the boss is capable and time is available, the process can work well. In a faster- moving world, this ponderous linear activity breaks down. It is too slow. It is not well enough informed with real time information. And it makes implementation more difficult. Todays business environment clearly demands a new process of decision making (see figure 4-1). In a rapidly moving world, individuals and weak committees rarely have all the information needed to make good non routine decisions. Nor do they seem to have the credibility or the time required to convince others to make the personal sacrifices called for in implementing changes. Only teams with the right composition and sufficient trust among members can be highly effective under these new circumstances. Decision making in todays business environment This new truism applies equally well to a guiding change coalition on the factory floor, in the new-product development process, or at the very top of an organization during a major transformation effort. A guiding coalition that operates as an effective team can process more information, more quickly. It can also speed the implementation of new approaches because powerful people are truly informed and committed to key decisions. So why dont managers use teams more often to help produce change? To some degree, a conflict of interest is involved. Teams arent promoted, individuals are, and individuals need unambiguous track records to advance their careers. The argument I was on a team that doesnt sell well in most places today. But to an even greater degree, the problem is related to history. Most senior-level executives were raised managerially in an era when teamwork was not essential. They may have talked team and used sports metaphors, but the reality was hierarchical-typically, a boss and his eight direct reports. Having seen many examples of poorly functioning committees, where everything moves slower instead of faster, they are often much more comfortable in sticking with the old format, even if it is working less and less well over time. The net result: In a lot of reengineering and re strategizing efforts, people simply skip this step or give it minimum attention. Then they race ahead to try to create the vision, or to downsize the organization, or whatever. But sooner or later, the lack of a strong team to guide the effort proves fatal. 4. Putting Together the Guiding Coalition The first step in putting together the kind of team that can direct a change effort is to find the right membership. Four key characteristics seem to be essential to effective guiding coalitions. They are: I. POSITION POWER: Are enough key players on board, especially the main line managers, so that those left out cannot easily block progress? II. EXPERTISE: Are the various points of view-in terms of discipline, work experience, nationality, etc.-relevant to the task at hand adequately represented so that informed, intelligent decisions will be made? III. CREDIBILITY: Does the group have enough people with good reputations in the firm so that its pronouncements will be taken seriously by other employees? IV. LEADERSHIP: Does the group include enough proven lead ­ers to be able to drive the change process? This last concern, about leadership, is particularly important. You need both management and leadership skills on the guiding coalition, and they must work in tandem, teamwork style. The former keeps the whole process under control, while the latter drives the change. (The grids in figure 4- 2 depict various combinations of leadership and management that may or may not work.) Profiles of four different guiding coalitions A guiding coalition with good managers but poor leaders will not succeed. A managerial mind-set will develop plans, not vision; it will vastly under communicate the need for and direction of change; and it will control rather than empower people. Yet companies with much historical success are often left with corporate cultures that create just that mind-set that rejects both leaders and leadership. Ironically, great success creates a momentum that demands more and more managers to keep the growing enterprise under control while requiring little if any leadership. In such firms, much care needs to be exercised or the guiding coalition will lack this critical element. Missing leadership is generally addressed in three ways: (1) people are brought in from outside the firm, (2) employees who know how to lead are promoted from within, or (3) employees who hold positions requiring leadership, but who rarely lead, are encouraged to accept the challenge. Whatever the method chosen to get there, the end result-a team with leadership skills-must be the same. Never forget: A guiding coalition made up only of managers ­ even superb managers who are wonderful people-will cause major change efforts to fail. The size of an effective coalition seems to be related to the size of the organization. Change often starts with just two or three people. The group in successful transformations then grows to half a dozen in relatively small firms or in small units of larger firms. In bigger enterprises, twenty to fifty may eventually need to be signed up. 5. Qualities to Avoid-or Manage Carefully Two types of individuals should be avoided at all costs when putting together a guiding coalition. The first have egos that fill up a room, leaving no space for anybody else. The second are what I call snakes, people who create enough mistrust to kill teamwork. At senior levels in most organizations, people have large egos. But unless they also have a realistic sense of their weaknesses and limitations, unless they can appreciate complementary strengths in others, and unless they can subjugate their immediate interests to some greater goal, they will probably contribute about as much to a guiding coalition as does nuclear waste. If such a person is the central player in the coalition, you can usually kiss teamwork and a dramatic transformation good bye. Snakes are equally disastrous, although in a different way. They damage the trust that is always an essential ingredient in team ­work. A snake is an expert at telling Sally something about Fred and Fred something about Sally that undermines Sally and Freds relationship. Snakes and big egos can be extremely intelligent, motivated, and productive in certain ways. As such, they can get promoted to senior management positions and be logical candidates for a guiding coalition. Smart change agents seem to be skilled at spotting these people and keeping them off the team. If thats impossible, capable leaders watch and manage these folks very carefully. Another type of individual to at least be wary of is the reluctant player. In organizations with extremely high urgency rates, getting people to sign on to a change coalition is easy. But since high urgency is rare, more effort is often required, especially for a few key people who have no interest in signing on. Jerry is an overworked division-level CFO in a major oil company. Conservative by nature, he is more manager than leader and is naturally suspicious of calls for significant change because of the potential disruption and risk. But after having performed well at his corporation for thirty-five years, Jerry is too powerful and too respected to be ignored. Consequently, his division head has devoted hours over a period of two months attempting to convince him that major change is necessary and that Jerrys active involvement is essential. Halfway through the courtship, the CFO still makes excuses, citing his lack of both time and qualifications to help. But persistence pays off, and Jerry eventually signs up. It can be tempting to write off people like Jerry and try to work around them. But if such individuals are central players with a lot of authority or credibility, this tactic rarely works well. Very of ­ten the problem with signing up a Jerry goes back to urgency. He doesnt see the problems and opportunities very clearly, and the same holds for the people with whom he interacts on a daily basis. With complacency high, youll never convince him to give the time and effort needed to create a winning coalition. When people like Jerry have the qualities of a snake or big ego, a negotiated resignation or retirement is often the only sensible option. You dont want them on the guiding coalition, but you also cant afford to have them outside the meeting room causing prob ­lems. Organizations are often reluctant to confront this issue, usu ­ally because these people have either special skills or political sup ­port. But the alternative is usually worse-having them undermine a new strategy or a cultural renewal effort. Afraid to confront the problem, we convince ourselves that Jerry isnt so bad or that we can manoeuvre around him. So we move on, only to curse ourselves later for not dealing with the issue. In this kind of situation, remember the following: Personnel problems that can be ignored during easy times can cause serious trouble in a tougher faster-moving, globalizing economy. 6. Building an Effective Team Based on Trust and a Common Goal Teamwork on a guiding change coalition can be created in many different ways. But regardless of the process used, one component is necessary: trust. When trust is present, you will usually be able to create teamwork. When it is missing, you wont. Trust is absent in many organizations. People who have spent their careers in a single department or division are often taught loyalty to their immediate group and distrust of the motives of others, even if they are in the same firm. Lack of communication and many other factors heighten misplaced rivalry. So the engineers view the salespeople with great suspicion, the German subsidiary looks at the American parent with disdain, and so on. When employees promoted up from these groups are asked to work together on a guiding coalition during a change effort, teamwork rarely comes easily because of the residual lack of trust. The resulting parochial game playing can prevent a needed transformation from taking place. This single insight about trust can be most helpful in judging whether a particular set of activities will produce the kind of team that is needed. If the activities create the mutual understanding, respect, and caring associated with trust, then youre on the right road. If they dont, youre not. Forty years ago, firms that tried to build teams used mostly in ­formal social activity. All the executives met one anothers families. Over golf, Christmas parties, and dinners, they developed relationships based on mutual understanding and trust. Family-oriented social activity is still used to build teams, but it has a number of serious drawbacks today. First, it is a slow process. Occasional activity that is not aimed primarily at team building can take a decade or more. Second, it works best in families with only one working spouse. In the world of dual careers, few of us have enough time for frequent social obligations in two different organizations. Third, this kind of group development process tends to exert strong pressures to conform. Political ideas, lifestyles, and hobbies are all pushed toward the mean. Someone who is different has to conform or leave. Groupthink, in the negative sense of the term, can be a consequence. Team building today usually has to move faster, allow for more diversity, and do without at-home spouses. To accommodate this reality, by far the most common vehicle used now is some form of carefully planned off-site set of meetings. A group of eight or twelve or twenty-four go somewhere for two to five days with the explicit objective of becoming more of a team. They talk, analyse, climb mountains, and play games, all for the purpose of increasing mutual understanding and trust. The first attempts at this sort of activity, about thirty years ago, were so much like a kind of quick-and-dirty group therapy that they often did not work. More recently, the emphasis has shifted to both more intellectual tasks aimed at the head and bonding activities aimed at the heart. People look long and hard at some data about the industry and then go sailing together. A typical off-site retreat involves ten to fifty people for three to six days. Internal staff or external consultants help plan the meeting. Much of the time is spent encouraging honest discussions about how individuals think and feel with regard to the organization, its problems and opportunities. Communication channels between people are opened or strengthened. Mutual understanding is enlarged. Intellectual and social activities are designed to encourage the growth of trust. Such team building outings much too often still fail to achieve results. Expectations are sometimes set too high for a single three day event, or the meeting is not planned with enough care or expertise. But the trend is clear. We are getting better at this sort of activity. For example: Division president Sam Johnson is trying to pull together a group of ten people into an effective change coalition for his consumer electronics business. They include his seven direct reports, the head of the one department in the division that will probably be at the center of the change effort, the executive VP at headquarters, and himself. With great difficulty, he schedules a Week-long meeting for all ten of them , start with a two-day Outward Bound type of activity, in which the group lives together outdoors for forty-eight hours and undertakes strenuous physical tasks like sailing and mountain climbing. During these two days, they get to know one another better and are reminded why team ­work is important. On days three to five, they check into a hotel, are given a great deal of data about the divisions competitors and customers, and are asked to produce a series of discussion papers on a tight time schedule. They work from 7:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., mostly in ever-shifting, but not randomly chosen, subgroups. From 7:00 to 9:30 each evening they have dinner and talk about their careers, their aspirations, and other more personal topics. In the process, they get to know one another even better and begin to develop shared perspectives on their industry. The increased understanding, the relationships built on actual task achievement and the common perspectives all foster trust. Recognizing that this successful week-long activity is just the beginning of a process, Sam hosts another three-day event for the group a few months later. Two years after that, with turnover and promotions changing the makeup of his group, he puts together yet another carefully planned retreat. Just as important, in between these very visible activities, he takes dozens of actions designed to help build the trust necessary for teamwork. Rumours that might erode goodwill are confronted with lightning speed and accurate information. People who know each other least well are put together on other task forces. All ten are included as often as is prac ­tical in social activities. Q: Was this easy to do? A: Hardly. Two of the ten in this case were very independent individuals who couldnt fathom why they should all go climb mountains together. One was so busy that scheduling group activities seemed at times impossibility. One had a borderline big ego problem. Because of past events, two didnt get along well. Yet Sam managed to overcome all of this and develop an effective guiding coalition. I think he succeeded because he wanted very much for the division to do well, because he was convinced that major change was necessary to make the business a winner, and because he believed that that change couldnt happen without an effective guiding coalition. So in a sense, Sam felt he had no choice. He had to create the trust and teamwork. And he did. When people fail to develop the coalition needed to guide change, the most common reason is that down deep they really dont think a transformation is necessary or they dont think a strong team is needed to direct the change. Skill at team building is rarely the central problem. When executives truly believe they must create a team oriented guiding coalition, they always seem to find competent advisors who have the skills. Without that belief, even if they have the ability or good counsel, they dont take needed actions. Beyond trust, the element crucial to teamwork seems to be a common goal. Only when all the members of a guiding coalition deeply want to achieve the same objective does real teamwork become feasible. The typical goal that binds individuals together on guiding change coalitions is a commitment to excellence, a real desire to make their organizations perform to the very highest levels possible. Reengineering, acquisitions, and cultural change efforts often fail because that desire is missing. Instead, one finds people committed to their own departments, divisions, friends, or careers. Trust helps enormously in creating a shared objective. One of the main reasons people are not committed to overall excellence is that they dont really trust other departments, divisions, or even fellow executives. They fear, sometimes quite rationally, that if they obsessively focus their actions on improving customer satisfaction or reducing expenses, other departments wont do their fair share and the personal costs will skyrocket. When trust is raised, creating a common goal becomes much easier. Leadership also helps. Leaders know how to encourage people to transcend short-term parochial interests.