The Influence of Educational Philosophy on a Proposed Early Learning Environment Annlatish Jones

While developing a classroom with the parameters of utilizing the knowledge of educational philosophers it has been found that in order to do so effectively, it is best accomplished using an emergent curriculum and consideration for the individual child. Determining the best approach for implementing the proposed curriculum is guided by the Montessori, Gardner and Vygotsky theories focusing mainly on the ideas of scaffolding, open ended play and multiple intelligences. When introducing the PA Early Learning Standards to the proposed plan, it is found that a variety of presentations of information can be given to children of different learning styles all while getting the same main idea across. Loris Malaguzzi, the creator and force behind the work that is proof positive of the benefits of early childhood education has said a great thing about how children learn, â€Å"Creativity seems to emerge from multiple experiences, coupled with a well-supported development of personal resources, including a sense of freedom to venture beyond the known. This is the heart of the educational philosophy with which my classroom for preschoolers is designed and which guides the tenants of approach for environment, curriculum and practice. Children learn through their experiences and we as their caregivers, build upon their knowledge to develop not just the whole group, but the whole child. In addition to the founding and current principles that run the early child hood environments found in Reggio Emilia, Italy, the ideas of Vygotsky, Gardner and Montessori will and do have influence over the environment that the children learn and explore in.. A founding tenant of their success in Reggio Emilia, is the employment of their emergent curriculum, otherwise what is known as a project oriented approach to the children's experiences (Malaguzzi, 2013). In other words, the children’s interests guide their planned experiences, with their free exploration being the most opportune time to observe, record, and quietly reflect on their blooming interests. This is the scaffolding that Vygotsky so wisely explored and classrooms worldwide employ the technique of assessing prior knowledge and then building upon what they have learned with planned experiences. By taking what is seen from these times, the teachers can come together to plan and negotiate experiences so there will be a better sense of what the children need to learn from what they want to know. Also popular to our counterparts in Italy, are the Montessori methods which focus greatly on hands on learning. The classroom that I envision is all hands on, with experiences geared towards the senses that in turn ensure a logical sense of order and reason to what the child takes in and gets out of their time in the environment. Much like the ideas behind the emergent curriculum, it is understood that Dr. Montessori envisioned a child that showed us what they wanted to learn and it was the adults who geared their plans towards their interests. The idea that, â€Å"Children's emotional, social, and academic development improve when they are empowered through choice† (Shaw, 2012) gives rise to the notion that by allowing children the free choice to explore as frequently as possible we give them the power to enjoy their learning, and it is well understood that when anyone, not just children, enjoy their experiences they take more from them. To allow children to take something from their environment requires that the environment itself gives them a reason to enjoy it. Essentially by creating a requirement that the environments development caters to not just their interests but the means of learning that the children exhibit, we give the youngest learners the option of how to learn new things best. The idea of multiple intelligences brought about by Gardner, which is also found throughout the environments and planning in Reggio Emilia, is essential to catering to the whole child. The theories proposed by Gardner are, of the various educational theorists, the least tested yet are still found in practical and standing use in early childhood settings around the globe (Smith, 2008). The overwhelming evidence of children who successfully approach, understand and build upon a variety of subjects when the setting takes into account that particular child's strengths grants his theories a reprieve from the traditional clinical trials that often accompany the proven success or failure of a theory (Smith, 2008). Taking into consideration the theorists and philosophy of the previously discussed methods, the classroom would follow traditional center format with meeting times and typical transitions. Presentation of information that builds upon the groups prior knowledge would and should take the form of a variety of experiences, such as finger plays during meeting times, songs during transitions, hands on materials for math, science, and language center, and introduction to practical experiences for dramatic, creative and block play that encourage their exploration of the theme or ideas that are of current interest. Understanding that the project based approach is embedded within the ideas of the emergent curriculum, it is understood that many times some projects will range in time taken from hours to several weeks, if not longer. This being kept in mind, no particular set theme for a lesson plan should be set in stone, but rather a general topic of guidance that reflects their interest’s will be all that is necessary. Presenting open ended materials that are a tenant of the Montessori philosophy will be the rule rather than the exception, and this will encompass all areas of learning. Presenting traditional materials such a tactile letters, counters, pattern boards, magnatiles, as well as others, would be used in conjunction with specific ideas that are presented by the teachers. Instead of just tracing out the letters with our fingers, a teacher could present the picture of a frog much like one found outside and practice tracing the letters in sequence of the word frog. Reviewing ideas found within the PA Early Learning standards would require and exploration in many areas of academics that we break down in to simpler parts. The simple aforementioned frog activity could easily relate to several language standards, but also keeps in mind that different children learn in different ways. Instead of just allowing a child to copy from a written word, we take into consideration that some children may respond better by touch and by trying to use the tactile letters, we give a certain type of child a better understanding than the otherwise may have experienced. The ideas behind this process would be followed throughout the entire learning environment in that free play would be frequent, if not dominant to the schedule. Allowing this type of learning gives the children the ability to explore at their own pace. In a side note, free play does not indicate a lack of observation, this free play is imperative to our understanding of what to introduce as their interests expand. Introduction of new ideas is not dependent upon formal meetings, but can include material rotation, field trips, parent involvement, or any number of explorative processes. This type of play keeps in line with our emergent curriculum, in that if you present it, it will either take or it won't. If children show an interest in a direction or step that would be logical or following their current interests, the plan is then followed. If they show no interest, understanding or become easily frustrated or distracted with a new toy, idea, or concept, it is clear indication to the educators that their group or individual child is not ready for this step or direction. Allowing this type of freedom rather than presenting ideas that were not created from the children’s explorative interests themselves; we are getting a better insight into what makes up the child not just in a group, but as an individual. The idea of individuality is also key to the type of curriculum that would be essential to the preschool learning environment being created. The observations and teachable moments found during ordinary play verses a formal assessment of the child's interests, will give a real insight into how the children learn. Knowing how a child learns best is the basic principle to Gardner’s multiple intelligences. As mentioned earlier that new ideas and concepts would not be introduced in a consistently formal way, opportunities for understanding not only a child’s interests, but understanding why or why not that child took to a subject is imperative for individualized planning. When a child shows frustrations with a tactile learning experience such as the language learning mentioned earlier, but the child is a noticeably busy and excited child outside or in a gym, perhaps ncouraging the child to recognize those letters in sequence on wastepaper bins and encouraging throwing a ball in sequence into those bins may be a better learning experience. This will help the educators conclude not a failure of the particular initial experience, just a better way to build upon their current interests in areas more suited to their learning styles. Determining how to focus in on their learning styles wo uld be related to the Pa Early Learning Standards which govern the necessity, and importance of learning for all planned experiences for any three to five year old child in a licensed day care in the state of Pennsylvania. The standards govern a variety of learning concepts in the area of art, math, language, science, and require a specific set of information to be passed along in some form or another to the younger learners. In the area of fine arts there is a strong focus not just on creation, but on reception, performance and personal response. Essentially there is so much more to art than just paints, clay and crayons. The importance of dramatic play and musical expression in many varieties should and will be expressed not just with toys or background music. I would love to see culturally diverse instruments, cd players and tape recorders for exploration of their own creations, in addition to dramatic play props related to their interests, and a free and open art center with a variety of tactile and fine motor experiences in a creative station. The walls would be adorned with not just their art work, but professional and classical pieces that are frequently changed to accommodate their changing interests. In opposition to the freedom of creation, math concepts are very finite and concrete and the understanding of these concepts being primarily one to one correspondence and simple number recognition are essential for school success. Beyond this, the state standards want to see that children are grasping basic algebraic concepts, statistical analyses appropriate for the ages served, reasoning, connections, communication, and problem solving,. What is great about this is that communication is not only encouraged in the standards but expected, so a simple math worksheet will not work. Counters, pattern boards, relating math concepts to everyday situations, and inspiring discussion amongst smaller groups and individuals is imperative to our basic plan of working with an emergent curriculum. If we can light the spark of understanding, they can carry the torch to where they would like to learn next. More importantly, it's not just about having a math center; it is about providing those opportunities physical and verbally in all aspects of play. Language is not just a means of communication, but a way to express feelings and thoughts. For the younger preschool, the concept of being to express your needs in a means other than crying is new and there are so many possibilities. Environmental print is essential, and important in order to achieve the goals set forth in the PA Early Learning Standards. Comprehension, pre reading skills, writing quality are all parts of the standards that must be addressed, but with various options for every child and style of learning that can and should be presented. Labels for not just materials but for everyday objects, a variety of printed materials such as books, letters of all forms, plenty of paper types for writing and inspiring mediums such as sentence strips, letter stickers, envelopes, designed paper, and cards with words and their names preprinted on them, to allow interest and ownership of their work. Taking an interest in not just their classroom, but the outside learning environment is critical to the PA Early Learning Standards. The science concepts that we cover will focus a lot on the environment outside our window and the means with which we can bring it back into the classroom. Leaf samples, rock types, living and not living samples, and sorting materials, as well as tools such as magnifying glasses, binoculars, tracing paper, pencils and crayons; all of these materials and more lead to open ended thinking and understanding the design and structure of the natural world around them. Letting the children lead and then in turn letting the educators build upon their experiences to enhance their knowledge base is key to them moving on and understanding something on their own that is just a step above that we can build upon again. Building this knowledge base is essential to the curriculum and program that would be utilized in my preschool classroom. Catering to the individual hildren as well as the group will be in the plan presented and would cover the collective interests in the plan for their developmental stimulation. A base idea which is presented in a lesson can be broken down into a variety of sub plans for individualized learning. For instance, a math lesson could involve counting out butterfly wings. By introducing the pairs as individual parts, we are encouraging one to one correspondence, which is covered under standard Mathematical Thinking and Technology standard 2. 1. 1. Under that particular standard there are indicators related to rote counting, voca bulary and correspondence up to twenty, which gives quite a bit of flexibility to attend to a counting wings task and allows variation dependent upon the learner and the ability. For instance a child who is more interpersonal, dress up butterfly wings purchased from a discount store and counting amongst friends, logical learners may benefit from butterfly wing counters, and there is also the option for the bodily kinesthetic learner to have butterfly finger puppets. For a child who has mastered the skills of counting, perhaps expanding to the notion that we can count in multiples, which would bring in a concept of patterns and allow the idea of two wings to one butterfly to assist in this plan. Moving beyond just the counting, children who are more creative can color and cut out their own butterflies and then number them to be used as counters for the whole group. By providing multiple strategies under the same standard, you are addressing the needs and abilities of many within the group. In the case that you want to introduce the life cycle of a butterfly, found under the Scientific Thinking and Technology standard 3. 1b. 2, you can present pictures of the life cycle at the creation center and allow them to use whatever materials they see fit to model the life cycle. Providing the opportunity for children to utilize different props and recreate the life cycle in the dramatic play center is another option for the interpersonal learner. For those who are more linguistic, perhaps letting them dictate the ideas of how the life cycle occurs while they look at pictures, or if they are advanced in their writing skills assist them in sounding out the words they want to use and let them write it relatively independently. These are all ideas that can be expanded upon into other standards, centers of interest, and permitted across the age ranges served in the classroom. Through a variety of learning experiences, we provide our youngest learners with a chance to experience at their own pace and level. By educators and experience providers choosing to let them explore on their own terms, we are giving them a grander opportunity to learn more effectively and utilizing the theories of those that inspired the ideas in Reggio Emilia and with the emergent curriculum approach, we are doing so with purpose. When we allow children to explore at their own pace, we are really letting them show us what they want to know, and in turn we introduce what they need to know which is what allows us to truly develop the whole child. References Malaguzzi, L. (2013, March 22). The Reggio Emilia Approach. Retrieved from Campus Kindergarten: http://www.uq.edu.au/campuskindy/Reggio_Emilia_for_parents.pdf Shaw, L. F. (2012, January 27). Montessori: The Missing Voice in the Education Reform Debate . Retrieved from Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laura-flores-shaw/montessori-education-debate_b_1237451.html Smith, M. K. (2008). Howard Gardner and Multiple Inteliigences. Retrieved from The Encyclopedia of Informal Education: http://www.infed.org/thinkers/gardner.htm

Antony and Cleopatra Essay

If we compare Antony to Cleopatra its seems as though he is more of a tragic character since his suicide provokes more pity from the audience than hers because even in death he is not able to do it right and his suicide is not smooth but instead he clumsily commits suicide. This action however differentiates him from a classical tragic character because through his suicide he actually conquers Caesar by preventing Caesar killing him. Although this means he may not traditionally be regarded as a tragic figure I feel that to a modern audience it produces more emotion and we come to see the action as noble, even if it is not one we would normally consider that way. The play allows us to decide whether Aristotle’s definition is the only correct one or if it is possible that a character which generates strong emotions in members of the audience and leaves an impression even after watching can be deemed a tragic figure even if as well as pity we actually feel the character has succeeded in some ways. Antony’s downfall is not complete because at the end of the play we actually feel pleased that he and Cleopatra are together again, despite that it is in death. Overall I believe Antony’s change in character throughout the play is minimal but his change from the military and Roman man he was to the man we see throughout the play is very significant and although this change could be said to be partially accountable for his fall, I also feel it makes him the likeable and memorable character we empathise with. We feel no regret for his death which raises the question of whether it really can be deemed a tragedy but I feel it is a tragedy of forms in that Antony and Cleopatra had to die in order to stay together.

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The Heideggerian Perspective of Existence Essay Example for Free

The Heideggerian Perspective of Existence Essay As a philosopher of â€Å"Being†, Martin Heidegger is mainly concerned on the very essence of existentialism using a diverse critique of the word â€Å"dasein†, the German term denoting the meaning of human existence of presence. As the German term for existence, Heidegger signifies that human existence should not be taken mainly as a subject or an object that can be defined in terms of consciousness or a self. In this sense, the German philosopher asserts that through an analysis of Dasein, an individual can fully apprehend the meaning of Being. His contribution on the study of the essence and meaning of Being gives a valuable insight on how to reach a total authentic personhood (George 2000). His idea of Dasein tells of human beings as consisting of temporality and that their ultimate goal is the experiencing of Being. According to George (2000), Heidegger says that human beings are â€Å"transcendence by his very nature and has a destiny to goes beyond is everyday concerns† (p. 17). In this sense, it is derived that human beings are not to be called as mere creatures which set foot on the earth because they are yet to give their lives meaning through their destiny. In the fulfillment of their destiny, then human beings will be able to obtain the total authentic personhood. The destiny of human beings can be found beyond their daily chores and its main goal is to open humans to Being. George (2000) stresses that the Heideggerian perspective emphasizes that human beings are â€Å"called to transcend the former and be a being-toward-Being, and in the process experience of Being† (p. 7). Heidegger furthers his explanation of Being by exploring the meaning of a thing. In the fourfold mechanism of being, Heidegger expresses that a thing must be understood in relation to the four aspects of Being, the Earth, the Sky, the divinities and the mortals (George 2000). The Earth and the Sky made up the natural component of Being, the divinities and mortals build up the divine and human components of Being (George 2000). In the Heideggerian perspective, the fourfold of earth, sky divinities and mortals constitute ‘dwelling’ (Guignon 2006). According to the philosopher, ‘dwelling’ is the human essence and to dwell means to belong within the fourfold of sky, earth and gods and mortals because these four elements are what makes a place a dwelling space. Guignon (2006) says that the ‘Earth’, according to Heidegger is the â€Å"building bearer, nourishing with its fruits, tending water and rock, plant and animal† (p. 374). Guignon (2006) tells of the ‘Sky’ as referred to by the philosopher as the â€Å"sun’s path, the course of moon, the glitter of the stars, the year’s seasons, the light and dusk of day, the gloom and the glow of night, the clemency and inclemency of the weather, the drifting cloud and the blue depth of the aether† (p. 374). Humans dwell under the sky. According to Heidegger, the divinities or the gods are the role models who are the messengers of the godhead (Guignon 2006). The role models voice out that which is most sacred and valuable to human beings serve as an inspiration to humans to live right. Heidegger terms human beings as mortals to separate them from the animals which merely perish. Human beings are called mortals not because their lives have an end but because they are capable of good death (Stambaugh 1992). The philosophy of Martin Heidegger concerning the existence of human beings substantiates man’s capacity to interact with the nature, the gods, and their fellow human beings. The moral philosophy of Heidegger, as reflected upon the fourfold, declares that human beings are not mere creatures or objects, they are capable of defining their own destiny and their existence through their interaction with the fourfold. The relatedness of the fourfold is what helps man define their destiny and the meaning of their existence by giving them the choices and options as dwellers of the earth. The Heideggerian perspective tells of the transformation of human beings into people or dwellers by living according to what the gods have commanded. The inclusion of the gods, nature and immortality in defining the existence of mankind supports man’s capacity to advance and to transit to beings (Stambaugh 1992). In the advancement of man and acquaintance with the nature and the gods, man is able to define his being and to take full control of his interaction to nature. In the exercise of freedom, man is given the choices and options on how to assert himself within the relatedness of the fourfold. Man’s advancement is unlimited and so are his options and choices as a dweller. Man is provided with abundant ways on how to reap nature’s goodness such as vegetables, frits and other edible products. It is in the manner of man’s consumption of nature’s harvest and the way he treats the environment that e is able to define his existence as well as his being. The options that human beings choose render an important insight on the kind of existence and being that they have. It is either man chooses to become stewards of nature or become its destruction. Human beings become people through the sense of belongingness to a community of dwellers. As a community, dwellers are guided by rules, ethics and laws which declare what gods want their people to become. As man is given the privilege of free will is obedience and disobedience with the rules and laws define his being and existence. The Heideggerian perspective tells that the experience of Being is the main essence of the existence of human beings and in this, it can be derived that what mainly constitutes man’s being is his experience or interaction in the earth, sky, divinities and the mortals. Even though man’s experience and interaction with the fourfold are guided by rules and laws and the divinities, man has been fully equipped with free will that allows him to advance himself as a dweller and define his existence and being later on.

Television Addicted Children

Television Addicted Children Television Addiction Children Children’s Television Addiction A lot of people do not realize the seriousness of television addiction. According to â€Å"Television Addiction Is No Mere Metaphor† written by Robert Kubey and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (2002), each person all over the world spends three hours a day watching television for half of their own leisure time. That means the total amount of the time for watching television is the same as 9 years to spend their time to watch TV if one lives up to 75. A more scary research is 40% of adult respondents and 70% of teenagers think that they watch television too much. Moreover, 10 percent of adults think themselves as TV addicts. Is this fact not surprising? Have you ever thought, â€Å"I think I am addicted to television?† When I was young, I did not consider myself as a television addict. If I did not have anything to do, I would have seen television for 6 through 7 hours in a day. At that time, I already knew I spent too much time watching television, but I did not care about it. However, as time went by, I entered high school, and I needed to study to pass the College Entrance Exam in Korea. Unfortunately, whenever I was studying, I could not take care of my desire to watch television. I tried to get away from the television and set time for viewing the TV. However, it was not that easy. The habit from the young age made me stick to this bad habit. That is why I am interested in television addiction, and why I want to know much about the television addiction. Like this, the impact from viewing television too much would affect not only children’s development in a variety of ways but also until they become adults. Above all, before getting started, we should make sure about the definition of addiction. Although there are a variety of definitions for â€Å"addiction,† all the meanings are the same. Of all, I chose the definition which is proposed by Lamai, â€Å"Addiction is a habitual repetition of excessive behavior that a person is unable or unwilling to stop, despite its harmful consequences† (2006). People can be addicted to drugs physically while people can be addicted to gambling psychologically. However, because the term â€Å"television addiction† is not precise and can be different in various situations, there are a variety of perspectives on television addiction. Nevertheless, the criteria of substance dependence, which are defined by psychologists and psychiatrists formally, decide as an addiction if someone spends their time using the substance too much, tries to use more than one’s intended amount, gives up to do social, family or occupational activities, more important thing than using it, and shows withdrawal symptoms when one stops using it (Kubey and Csikszentmihalyi, 2002). These phenomena are shown on television addicts as well. Because of the desire to watch TV, people who call themselves an addict appear to have all of these phenomena. Therefore, desire to watch television continuously can tell that it is obviously an â€Å"addiction.† Media has warned the impact of television, especially the impact of television to children. It is very unhealthy to children because children are in the progress of developing their brain and body. According to Dr. Young’s assertion, â€Å"All of the most crucial brain development of a child occurs before age 4.†(Morello, 2002, p.44). Hence, the effect from television addiction can lead children to become passive and try not to think creatively. Like this, it would affect in a variety of ways not only in childhood but also in the child’s entire life. First of all, the impact from television addiction is directly related to children’s attention span. A surprising fact is â€Å"Only 14 percent of teens who watch six or more hours of TV daily achieve reading proficiency by grade 12† (Daines, 2007). Somewhere you might hear that television is a strong stimulus clog. This is because television contains a great deal of â€Å"rapid-fire stimulation.† (Morello, 2002, p.44). Therefore, their brain would be trained by this level of stimulation. If they do not see enough of this level of stimulation, they are unable to be affected by the stimulation and they try to find more extreme stimulation for them. Finally, children cannot concentrate on something longer. In contrast, if children are interested in playing sports, games and crayons, they can improve cognitive abilities and develop crucial thinking (Daines, 2007). Secondly, the time for being with family and interacting with friends will be shortened. As society becomes modernized, all of family members become busy, so they can be together in only dinner time. However, television even makes this time shortened. When the TV is turned on, the family’s eyes would glue to the TV without expression, so that they will not chat with their story. Furthermore, studies show that the more TV preschoolers watch, the less well socialized they are in the first grade (Daines, 2007). This is because they spend their time watching instead of playing with friends. Thirdly, the biggest problem is the obesity. Children obesity is getting a bigger issue. Television addiction is a lot involved in this issue as well. Have you ever heard of â€Å"couch potatoes?† This word came from the expression of the person who always lies in the couch and watches TV. Likewise, think about the situation when you are watching television. What are you doing? You might be eating a snack. That is the key point of becoming obesity. There is the statistics related to this fact in TV and the Internet: Fattening for Teens? Dr, Susanna Kautiainen and colleagues at the University of Tampere, Finland surveyed a nationally representative sample of 721 teens 14 to 18 years of age to see if the time they spent on the Internet was tied to obesity or overweight. The result was that those who spent more time watching TV were more often overweight and obese than those who spent less time watching TV. The time without moving makes people obesity and overweight (2004). Fourthly, watching TV without caution can become children’s guideline how to grow. That means TV can ruin the childhood as a certain period in human development. If children constantly are exposed by TV’s harmful situations such as sex and violence, they take it granted that it is not a problem to live a fast life in youth and to kill people for justice. This is because children are not satisfying their knowledge to distinguish from this destructive aspect of television (Video Age International, 2001, pp. 2-3). If you unguardedly let children watch TV, it could lead children to fail in childhood. Then, why are we addicted to television? The origin of the addiction arises from â€Å"boredom,† and television can supply your demand. As soon as you turn on the TV, you can directly feel relaxed and cozy. However, according to electroencephalograph (EEG) studies which are laboratory experiments to monitor the brain waves, skin resistance or heart rate of people watching television, the result is astonishing. When participants turn off the TV, their feeling of relaxation and coziness suddenly disappears while the feeling of passiveness and lowered alertness continue. After participants turn off the TV, they somehow feel television makes their energy dry up and they are hard to concentrate compared to before. In contrast, participants can feel happy and improvement in mood after playing sport (Kubey and Csikszentimihalyi, 2002). Moreover, in â€Å"Television Anonymous† (2001), â€Å"Noise† and â€Å"Companionship† can be the reason why people are addicted as well. Then, what kinds of solution to get over television addiction? There are a lot of alternatives. However, above all, recognizing your habit and accepting is a top priority. After this, firstly set time limits. It should not watch more than two hours on qualified TV program. Also, under three year children should not be in front of TV because â€Å"the first two to three years of life are critical periods for the development of young children’s brains.†(Christakis, 2004) Secondly, this is the most important thing. Television should not be placed in children’s bedroom. Thirdly, put the TV and remote control which could not come into sight. Fourthly, do not use the TV to look after baby. Instead, do household chores with children and give them an opportunity to help. Fifthly, listen to favorite music or the radio as background noise. Lastly, set a good example. Because parents and guardians are usually a child’s most important role model, limiting your own TV viewing and choosing programs carefully through the lives of TV characters (Daines, 2007). In conclusion, the desire which wants to watch TV definitely should be seen as addiction. Nowadays, television addiction is becoming a big issue. The amount of time people viewing TV on average cannot say it is not the astonishing fact. I am sure that the number of television addicts is gradually increasing. Therefore, people should make an effort to diffuse the fact that the amount of television addict is increasing and it is really bad for children because television addiction have an opportunity to shorten children’s attention span, to narrow time with family and friends, to result in obesity, and to be a guideline during development. Therefore, keeping watching television incautiously should be reconsidered.

The impact of armed conflict in Nigeria

The impact of armed conflict in Nigeria Many countries in sub-Saharan region in Africa have been plagued with ethnic and religious conflicts. Nigeria has not been immune to such conflicts. The country has and continues to witness high levels of ethnic and anti-sate violence. Ever since independence from Britain in 1960 the African nation of Nigeria has been torn apart by wars, violence and ethnic conflicts. This paper centers on the effect of such conflicts on Nigerian women with a focus on the conflict in Jos, the capital city of Plateau State. The city has continually been rocked by brutal and relentless riots in 1994, 2001, 2008 and most recently in January 2010. These conflicts have brought about extensive destruction of lives and properties. Most significantly, the conflicts have brought about gross human rights violations perpetrated against civilian populations, particularly women and children who apparently make up the most vulnerable group. Considerable work has been done regarding women and armed conflicts. Much of this work has been done by institutions concerned with human rights violations, particularly violations against women. Unfortunately, much of this work has focused on sexual violence against women and has largely ignored other important aspects of violations against women. The purpose of this paper is to consider and highlight a range of ways in which women are affected by armed conflicts (in addition to sexual violence). Using responses from interviews conducted with women who have experienced the most recent conflict in the capital city of Jos in Nigeria, we argue that there is a wide range of ways in which women are affected by armed conflict. For example, armed conflict exacerbates inequalities. These inequalities continue even after the conflicts cease. Our findings show that women experience economic hardships during and after conflict. Furthermore, women are excluded from peace building initiatives that take place during and after armed conflict. Keywords-Armed conflicts, ethnic conflicts, human rights violations, religious conflicts, and womens rights. INTRODUCTION The frequency of conflicts leading to violence and extensive destruction of lives and property especially since the early 80s in many countries of the world can, without exaggeration, be traced to many factors. Some of these factors are political, economic, ethno-religious conflicts and land boundary issues. Most of these conflicts are often presented as either ethnical or religious in nature, and oftentimes both. However these research findings indicate that the underlying fundamental factor that facilitates such ethno-religious conflicts revolves around prevailing economic and political crisis. This is the basic podium for most of the recurring predicaments. Unfortunately, ethno-religious conflicts remain the political, economic and social legacies of three decades which involves perceived marginalization, mal-governance and disrespect for the constitution. The greedy and selfish ways in which the Nigerian political leaders embarked on, in acquiring power at all cost, has overturned the true federal constitution negotiated by the founding leaders. This reveals some of the primary basis for the violent crisis in Jos, Plateau State of Nigeria. BACKGROUND In 2001, a major crisis occurred in Jos, the capital city of Plateau State in the northern part of Nigeria, leading to the destruction of properties and loss of lives. There was also another crisis in 2004, 2008 and the most recent in 2010. The causes of these conflicts are seen as political, ethno-religious and indigenes settlers dispute. In most cases, it is tough to describe the Jos crisis from just the ethnic perspective without observing the political, economic or religious aspect. They are not mutually exclusive. The recurrent crisis in Jos especially the one that occurred in 2010 left a fatal impact on the society. Many people including women and children were killed. The 2010 Jos crisis recorded the highest casualty of women and children in comparison to the previous ones. About 500 women lost their lives in unpleasant circumstances while other women lost their husbands and children as well as their means of livelihood. It is rather unfortunate and unlikely that the leadership of the present government will be able to take the bold step to make required constitution changes to douse the festering ethno-religious tension and violence in many parts of the country. Nigeria is a complex society with a wide variety of religious and cultural allegiance and susceptibility. The least one could do is to come to terms with the reality of the multi-religious status and thus recognize and ensure that the rights of all Nigerians are equally protected. The city of Jos had deadly riots in 2001, 2008 and 2010, and the communal/religious crisis that erupted in Jos (Plateau) in 2001 still causes a lot of clashes in the State till date. It was shocking to many Nigerians that had nursed the notion that Jos was a safe haven for most Christians from other ethnic nationalities who fled from the States dominated by the Islamic Sharia laws. We also observed that most of the conflicts are located in urban areas, and that mostly women and their children suffered the most. Those not killed during the conflict are left to feed and fend for themselves and their children. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Many of these contestations between indigenes and settlers result in violence. As noted, Jos and most of the towns in Plateau State in 1994, 2001, 2004 in which the Beroms, Afizere and others who claim to be indigenes oppose the Hausa/Fulani tribes who are regarded as settlers from the era of the colonial masters who mostly came in to Jos town as miners and merchants. Jos Crisis: A crisis triggered by inequality. It can easily be traced to the deep inequalities in the society. In 2004, a state of emergency was declared in Plateau State (of which Jos is the capital) after which over 200 Muslims were killed in the attacks by Christian militia. In the November 2008 crisis, over 340 people were killed and properties worth billions were burnt when Muslim opposition supporters went on the rampage over alleged election irregularities after they had heard their candidate to head a council had lost to a Christian. In January 2010, being the most recent crisis, more than 500 people were killed mostly women after the Christians protested the construction of a mosque in a Christian area, and after Muslim protesters attacked a Catholic church. It is ironic that such catastrophic and bloody encounters have occurred in Jos, a city which derives its name from an acronym for Jesus Our Saviour. Perhaps, the origin of Jos a former enclave for colonial missionaries and its geographic location aptly described by some as a de facto fault line separating Nigerias mainly Muslim northern part from its mainly Christian southern region. Nigeria is a country of strong prejudice between indigenes and non-indigene natives and settlers, the Nigerian constitution even empowers this ethnic affiliation by giving credence to the State of origin and likewise some political appointments are based on ethnic and state of origin. The crisis in Jos is not immune to the State of Origin contraption the Christians are the natives, while the Muslims are the settlers. Hence the belief remains that the natives are threatened by the increasing population and prominence of the settlers. The natives are neither too keen to share their lands with the settlers nor offer their hands in partnership on the political outfit. The settlers on the other hand, feel cheated and threatened too by the natives whom they feel have failed to recognize them politically and socially despite having co-existed for decades. The fact that the two are on the opposing sides of the religious divide certainly does not help. The cumulative effect of these factors the aftermath of cultural and societal inequality is what has been happening in Jos over the years. METHODOLOGY: This research work is based on qualitative analysis methods. The principle method used is structured in-depth interviews conducted within and outside the conflict zones. Reports were drawn from rural dwellers and persons affected by the conflict including women and youths were interviewed at different times. Reports from government commissions inquiry and other investigation by setup groups were also utilized. The report of the Plateau Peace Conference 2004 was very useful for this paper. Reports from assigned committee at the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution after visits to the conflict town were also very useful for this journal work. Some other researchers from the field who were also staff of the Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies similarly gave their report from the field work. Newspaper reports, textbooks and the web were also consulted for the completion of this paper. ETHNIC AND RELIGIOUS VIOLENCE IMPACT ON THE ECONOMY In general, the political instability engendered by frequent communal disputes riots, armed confrontation and breakdown of law and order cannot be attractive for local or foreign investors. Jos, as it is right now from what we physically observed remains a ghost city with houses, market places, factories and company burnt down to ashes. We had met with and interviewed a business tycoon, Alhaji Busari who was a car dealer and narrated his ordeal amidst tears. He said how can this Jos riot be a forgotten incident to me when I practically lost all what I have worked and lived for in life in just one day. Billions of Naira was burnt down, the showroom where cars are parked for display was burnt down to ashes and all the cars on display were destroyed and burnt by the rioters. IMPACT OF THE CRISIS ON WOMEN Gender is thus a socially constructed identity through which roles are assigned at different levels and which can differ according to culture and can be changed by circumstances such as conflict. While the entire community suffers the dire consequences of armed conflict and terrorism, women and girls are particularly affected because of their status in society and their gender. Parties in conflict often rape women with impunity sometimes using systematic rape as a tactic of war and terrorism. A youth activist remarked as follows: The conflict inflicted psychological and emotional pain on both genders. However, the plight of women was particularly pronounced. There was the case of about twenty women and girls captured by the Boghom people and taken to a village called Kangyal in Kanam Local Government Area. The women and their daughters suffered the worst form of sexual abuse as their captors took turns on them every evening for three months. When they were eventually rescued, five of them were pregnant and tested positive to HIV/AIDS test. THE IMPACT OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN This also has to do with violation of human rights of women, in such situation as experienced by women of all ages, who suffer displacement, loss of homes and property, involuntary disappearance of close relatives, poverty, family separation, disintegration and those victims of acts of murder, terrorism, torture, sexual slavery. These spell out the prevailing human right violations and policies of ethnic cleansing in the war-torn and occupied areas. These practices have created inter alia a mass flow of refugees. Such women and children become refugees that no longer have homes or houses over their heads i.e. they become internally displaced persons. According to the research findings, women make up the highest group of casualties. The picture above shows women in Abuja carrying pictures of dead women and children. Mostly women and children constitute about 80 percent of the millions of refugees around the world. Other refugees including internally displaced persons are deprived of their properties, goods and also deprivation of their right to freedom of movement to return to their homes for fear and insecurity. The degree of insecurity and disorientation was identified when the Institute for Peace and Conflict researchers went to the refugee camps in Bukuru, Jos (a south Local Government Area of Plateau State) and were told that thirty-one pregnant women at the internally displaced persons (IDP) camps were delivered of their babies at different camps. Reports from their spokesperson in charge of women in the IDP camps said in an interview that the women who gave birth were earlier taking refuge at the police stations and premises of Bukuru central mosque before they were later taken to another house which was converted to serve as a temporary maternity. Out of the 31 women that put to bed only two babies did not survive. However, the two mothers were in very good conditions. In a newspaper report, one of the nurses in charge of the maternity centers created mentioned that some bullets were removed from some of the pregnant mothers bodies who were shot during the crisis and they had to undergo some operations to stitch them. THE WOMEN WELFARE: Feeding and Clothing Lack of nutritious food in the camps is due to their population, although some Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) and United Nations (UN) have visited some camp grounds to enhance the supply and distribution of food stuffs and clothing. Different groups have surfaced to donate generously for the refugees. Other repulsive experiences include: Snake bites in the bush while attempting to escape High rate of widowhood Loss of children Premature births due to fear and pressure Mothers abandoning newly born babies due to lack of funds and inability to survive Forced marriages This picture shows some illustrations of the impact of the conflict on women in Wase, Yelwa-shendam and Langtang south local government in Jos. In an interview, Vonnan Dashe, president of the Gani community development association, on 5th November 2004 mentioned that, Women were subjected to violence and hardship because they had to worry about the fate of their children. Some of their children actually got killed and others were wounded while others were raped by the attackers. They were not only physically harassed but also sexually abused and degraded. It was also gathered from our research team that apart from the fact that women were raped, they were also divorced by their husbands, which facilitated a worse emotional stressful and painful condition. The resort to divorce by men whose wives had been sexually abused was a means of dealing with the humiliation acquired from the conflict. EQUAL RIGHTS Even though women were affected greatly by the conflict in obviously negative way, they have been unable to set up networks and support groups to enhance their empowerment in the aftermath of the conflict. This includes the ability to participate in politics and decision making forum. Most of their voices are heard through the voices of men or proxy groups. Women make an important but often unrecognized contribution as peace educators both in families and in their societies. In addressing armed or sectarian conflicts, an active and visible policy of mainstreaming a gender perspective into all policies and programs should be promoted so that before decisions are taken an analysis is made of the effects on women and men respectively. Action should be taken to promote equal participation and opportunities for women in government both at the Federal, State and Local Government levels. There were hundreds of women mostly dressed in black that took to the streets of Nigerias capital city of Abuja and also the central city of Jos in rallies against the Jos massacre. They subsequently demanded that the government put the necessary infrastructure in place to improve on the protection of women and children. This research journal reveals to a large extent how women are streamlined in the policy making groups, politics and in general, all activities. Yet it has not told the whole story, the impact of conflict on women is too profound to be narrated. Most times, they live with the pain, agony, discomfort and under oppression for the rest of their lives. A lot needs to be done, the bridge that cuts across religious, ethnic and cultural is to have women group work together. However they will need to be empowered through capacity building and enhanced controlled communication before such roles can be played. Women need to be equally represented in organizations so as to be able to contribute adequately in matters and issues that have to do with protection of women and their children during and after such conflicts. CONCLUSION It is clear from all the above that women must be involved in matters that has to do with the protection of women and their children. They must prove to the community that they are also relevant and that equality should be practiced when matters that has to do with them comes up especially in politics and decision making. Women should be courageous and exhibit fearless independence in spite of all odds especially where human right issues are involved. Women are meant to bear the image of the community. In political matters, women should not shy away from their right and their voices must also be heard. In all, this must be the new wave. The culture must evolve.

Strategic Planning Paper -- essays research papers

The history of strategic planning begins in the military. According to Webster's New World Dictionary, strategy is "the science of planning and directing large-scale military operations, of maneuvering forces into the most advantageous position prior to actual engagement with the enemy" (Guralnic, 1986). Although our understanding of strategy and applying strategic planning in management has been transformed from a point of military maneuvering to one that aim’s to achieve and gives a structured framework to reach a competitive advantage. Taking its name and roots from the military model, early models of formal strategic planning "reflected the hierarchical values and linear systems of traditional organizations. Undertaken by planning functions at the top of the organization, its structure was highly vertical and time-bound. A certain period would be set aside to analyze the situation and decide on a course of action. This would result in a formal document. Once this was done, the actual work of implementation, which was considered a separate, discrete process - could begin" (Wall & Wall, 1995). Although individual definitions of strategy vary between each author, traditionally, theorists have considered planning an essential part of organizational strategy. â€Å"Strategic planning in organizations originated in the 1950s and was very popular and widespread between mid-1960s to mid-1970s, when people believed it was the answer for all problems, and corporate America was obsessed with strategic planning. Following that boom strategic planning had fallen off and was cast aside for over a decade. The 1990s brought the revival of strategic planning as a process with particular benefits in particular contexts† (Mintzberg, 1994). In Here is a brief account of several generations of strategic planning. â€Å" Analysis model dominated strategic planning of the 1950s. The 1960s brought qualitative and quantitative models of strategy. During the early 1980s, the shareholder value model and the Porter model became the standard. The rest of the 1980s was dictated by strategic intent and core competencies, and market-focused organizations. Finally, business transformation became a requirement in the 1990s† (Gouillart, 1995). Newer models of strategic planning were f... ...s, and action steps to address identified issues. However, having noted some of the benefits that strategic planning can produce, it is important to note that it is not a cure-all. Strategic planning is a time-consuming, labor-intensive process that is not for every organization. It is simply a tool that can be used to help a committed entity work toward becoming more effective. Strategic planning should never be considered an end in itself or a one-time deal. It is not simply a written document that details the activities and results of the planning process. It is also more than the process of analyzing, strategizing, implementing, and benchmarking. No planning process, strategic or otherwise, can succeed without the commitment of key stakeholders and organizational leaders. Strategic planning, to be truly effective, means organizational staff or community residents must think and act strategically each day. Through such daily strategic thinking and acting, "planning" and "process" can be transformed into indivi dual and collective strategic actions that enhance organizational value and effectiveness. This is what makes the strategic planning process valuable.

Great Depression Themes in 42nd Street :: essays research papers

Great Depression Themes in 42nd Street   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Seen through a particular light and given specific occasions in the film, we can see how 42nd Street echoes the general attitudes of the Great Depression. Particular characters in the film exemplify the wealthy citizens of the time, the common laborer, and Julian Marsh (Warner Baxter) portrays a life-force, Franklin Roosevelt, bringing hope along with his New Deal.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout the film, there is a dichotomy exhibited through the members of the production and the financiers, namely Abner Dillon. He represents the side of competitive capitalism, while the actors stand for a community. The actors identify with each other because they are all in the same situation and each need the job to survive. Abner, on the other hand, has the money to throw around whimsically, for the difficulties facing the nation do not have the devastating effect on the wealthy that they have on other classes. Hard times have fallen on the nation and they realize that it will take a group effort to pull themselves out of the Depression. While the competition is cut-throat and individualized off of the set, as we see with Dorothy Brach’s arrangement with Abner Dillon, the sense of collectivity is emphasized on stage.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Leading the march against the depression and maintaining the collective voice, is Julian Marsh. He can be equated with Franklin Roosevelt his work ethic can be seen as a reflection of the New Deal. As Roosevelt gave hope, optimism, and unity to the nation; Marsh gives the same to the cast members of 42nd Street. Marsh fights for the actors because he is in the same situation as them, not exclusive of it like Abner. He is in poor health, and yet, he takes responsibility on; seemingly, he cannot afford to pass up the job. He realizes that it is going to take a lot of hard work to make the show a success (end the depression) so he works the actors night, day, and in-between. Marsh may seem like a slave driver, but this is because he knows that it is going to take an immense amount of work for the show to go on. A key scene in the film is when Abner is going to pull out of the production, but Julian pleads for him not to. Obviously, we see that Julian is looking out for the interests of the hundreds of workers who need the show, while Abner is merely concerned with his own selfish desires.

Zara for Fast Fashion

In analyzing the case we find that Ezra did not appoint a CIO; had no formal process for setting an IT budget; did not have policies in place to select specific technology investments; required no formal Justification for IT efforts; and did not conduct cost/ benefit analysis for IT projects. All of these elements are critical components to the success of IT and business overall. These shortcomings advocate the fact that Ezra completely belittled the role of IT within the organization and merely used IT as a support function for business.With a completely decentralized decision making strategy and lack of IT [business integration, Ezra created the platform for eventual failure. Because all of the above mentioned are responsibilities of both positioned executives and IT leaders, I am inclined to assert that poor integration is in fact the central dilemma to the case. Because the lack of IT and business alignment sets the groundwork for the additional issues to cultivate, it is signifi cantly more critical than all other noted issues including: updating hardware and software systems; creating internal networks; and the lack of formal IT investment strategies.All of the above identified issues can be derived from the central issue of poor IT and business integration, and therefore makes this issue critical and more significant than the aforementioned. B. ) The individuals and groups who are most directly impacted by the lack of functional business and IT integration include: Inedited/Ezra Owners and Shareholders Sara's executives, store management, and all employees Ezra customers All of the above mentioned stakeholders are directly affected by the poor business and IT integration within Ezra.If Ezra continues to fail to respond to the needs of its store managers the impacts will spread and multiply. In the case Sara's managers ask Slogan for the present systems to include more capability and dexterity. Slogan and the IT department cannot reach a general consensus. As the IT steering committee discusses the theoretical possibilities nothing gets done and time is lost. If time progresses and store management is disregarded, ignored, neglected and unaccommodating to, the result will include Job dissatisfaction, passive aggression to service employees, spikes in turnover and ultimately unhappy customers.Because store managers possess such significant levels of responsibility including: ordering merchandise; replenishing stock; handling personnel; and coordinating store needs, the quality and level of in store experiences heavily depend on the competencies and commitment of store management. With stores being the first and last point of contact for customers at Ezra, the customer experience; level of service; availability of goods and employee interaction is vital for Sara's success.If store managers do not feel equipped to provide exceptional service, the customers will suffer via in store service levels. Customers will be directly affected by S ara's failing leadership by experiencing unpleasant employees, long waits for inventory assistance, and inconsistent information between store locations. As service levels drop, so does reputation, loyalty and sales. If sales go down shareholders and owners loose revenue. Lost revenue creates the beginning of an unhealthy business which directly hurts owners and shareholders.C. ) So what causes lead to the absence of successful business and IT integration? There are several factors which collectively generated the abovementioned central problem. Those which are most important are outlined as follows: Organizational: The â€Å"speed and decentralized decision making approach applied to IT was Sara's first and most fatal mistake. Using this approach Ezra failed to realize the importance of appointing a CIO and subsequently had no formal erection for IT decision making.The authors of our text on page 35 site the â€Å"Global trends affecting the CIO role†. These trends include: Coo's expecting IT managers to manage people, finances and materials not Just technology; Coo's expect IT to contribute to a firms flexibility and ability to absorb change; and that Coo's are called on to take a broader role in corporate leadership. These noted expectations given by the texts authors perfectly contradict every aspect of Sara's current executive and IT relationship.Castellated (CEO) does not have any real expectations of Slogan. Slogan the current IT leader has little or no say in setting budgets; contributing to flexibility; is not solely authorized to select technology; and fears acting for organizational change. With little or no influence in the big picture business strategy Sara's IT department is again classified as an operational support group. Because of this decentralization, business and IT units are â€Å"soloed†, separate and far from integrated.I believe that these factors expose and point to one of the major causes for poor business and IT integ ration within Ezra. Managerial: The problems at Ezra essentially surface from the top down. Starting with the CEO, the company is blinded by what they do right which helps them ignore what is going wrong. The article â€Å"Mastering the Three Worlds of IT† states on page 142 that executives do not know when, where, or how to get involved and the reason is, because they operate without a comprehensive vision of what IT does for the company. MacAfee, 2006) This statement defends my assertion that Ezra executives are currently looking at IT as an operational support function and fail to integrate and strategically place IT within the company. The central problem in this case exists not because â€Å"things weren't broken†, but because no one (CEO or Head of IT) stepped up to the challenge of managing organizational change. Although Slogan was not officially appointed CIO, he was the head of IT, and with this responsibility comes the need to be business intelligent.Slogan clearly did not look beyond his operational role and failed to define the company's IT needs as they applied to business strategy. Slogan failed to push Sara's IT efforts to align with organizational needs and therefore failed as an IT leader which led to the major issues within Ezra. The authors of our text remark on page 36 that IT should be positioned as a strategic and competitive necessity; making sure IT plans, actions and capabilities are clearly linked to company objectives.This simply is not occurring competently or proactively within the organization, as the conversations between Sanchez and Slogan only describe reactions to current concerns. Although Ezra is good at making IT work for them, they fail to see how IT can work with them in the future. I believe that Ezra executives misunderstand the role that IT should be playing within the company and this leads to Sara's inability to arm a long term IT renewal plan tied to business strategy.The fact that the executive and I T leadership teams within Ezra completely disregard the importance of proactive strategic planning and use decentralized brainstorming creates another major cause which leads to the central issue of poor business / IT integration. D. ) What are the possible solutions that should be considered? Solution 1: A more centralized executive decision making structure where IT decision making includes the CEO, COO, SCOFF and CIO Solution 2: Implementation of an IT leadership development program. Solution 3: Demoting Slogan and appointing a CIO with business management experience.So the question is how do each of these solutions respond to Sara's lack of Business and IT integration and alignment? Solution 1 addresses this primary issue on a multitude of different levels. By centralizing, formalizing and collaborating decision making there will be a better sense of understanding and transparency amongst the units. This executive IT cooperation will create uncluttered communication which will r esult in stronger organizational awareness, and allow for clear, concise, definite business strategy formation.Once executives understand the essential business needs the technologies that are required come into play, consequently resulting in the desired business/ IT integration. This solution would be acceptable by Sara's stakeholder because once implemented, a positive domino effect of would occur These IT applications will satisfy the needs of store managers, who will be better able to suit their employees. With the accommodation and satisfaction of employees comes improved customer service levels which equals success for all.Solution 2 responds to the central issue with the implementation of a long term resolution. The incorporation of an IT leadership development program will ultimately cultivate and nourish IT focused individuals and gear them toward business management. The authors of our text remark on page 11 that the most useful thing any IT manager could possibly do is t o push business smarts and tech smarts closer together. With the employment of a leadership development program Ezra will be investing in the growth of individual talents that will eventually be equivalent to executive and IT collaborations.These future IT leaders will emerge with the IT/ Business integration mindset, thus saving he company time and money with ongoing integration efforts. This solution will be acceptable amongst stakeholders because it has potential to cut cost and increase productivity and fluidity of operations. As operations improve employees are more efficient and customers are better served. Solution 3 is a very direct approach of organization reformation. By demoting Slogan and appointing a new IT leader Ezra will gain fresh perspective regarding the role IT needs to play.Since Slogan has a very technical background he hesitates on promoting organization change. The appointment of a CIO will deliver formal dictation and distribution of objectives for IT to pur sue. Because the new CIO will lack personal relationships within the department, he or she will be quick to act and ambitious to achieve. The new CIO will bring general management experience which will reduce the tech / business integration gap and essentially create value for Ezra. Increasing value within Ezra would again satisfy the need of all stakeholders involved. E. ) What is the ideal solution?The optimal solution to solving the absence of business and IT integration t Ezra is solution 2. Through the deployment and development of an IT leadership programs Ezra will ultimately build a continuous supply of IT leadership talent. This solution not only becomes part of the long term business strategy, but assists in the longevity and success of the organization. This solution makes more sense for Ezra because it develops a permanent solution to a variable problem. Solution 1 and 2 are respectable choices however these solutions only temporarily fix the major issues.Solution 1 can easily be effected by executive social cohesion and lack thereof; while elution 2 is volatile due to the nature and fragility of organization reformation and changes in ownership. The implementation of solution 2 will be accomplished by (short term) mapping technologists and scouting talent; (midterm) comprehensively assessing, evaluating and analyzing employees who show promise and potential; and (long term) mentoring, planning, and training individuals to copiously understand the business the role of IT and the necessity of integration.Some potential consequences to implementing solution 2 will include: the initial lead-time for the project to show exults may cost a few years; the necessity to rebuild IT credibility within the company and industry; new amongst seasoned technologist who aren't geared toward leadership; and resistance to periodic shifts in IT leadership as innovative and talented leaders take on new projects or roles.The result and outcome of an IT leadership develo pment program will be the long term success and integration of business and IT functionalities within Ezra. By harnessing technologists and gearing personalities for management positions, Ezra will create huge value and sustainability for itself within the clothing retail manufacturing industry.

Gang Representation in Sons of Anarchy Essay

Sons of Anarchy is an American television drama created by Kurt Sutter that airs on FX network. The drama series, also known by its acronym SOA or SAMCRO, is centered around the culture of motorcycle gangs and includes multiple gangs with differentiated racial makeups. The series is set in current-day California in a fictional town called Charming. The town is modeled as a small-town community which has limited government interference normally and lenient authorities. The first season was aired in 2008 and followed the lives of motorcycle gang members in the caucasian gang, called the Sons of Anarchy. Other gangs included in the series were a black gang, called the one-niners, and a hispanic gang, called the Mayans. Each gang is criminal and commits various crimes from murder to drug dealing. I am studying closer how FX network incorporates the criminal actions of minority groups in the show. They are always placed opposite of the Sons of Anarchy and their criminal actions seem to be scrutinized more than the criminal actions of the Sons of Anarchy. The question I am trying to answer is â€Å"What is the difference in the representation of criminal activity based on the racial group involved?† By focusing on the racial roles in the show and how they compare in relation to criminal activity I hope to come to a conclusion on minority representation that I can present to Kurt Sutter and FX Network. I chose to study this topic since I am an avid viewer of this series and the topic of media representation of gang violence interests me. There seems to be a disparity in the way gang crime is portrayed on news outlets depending on the race of the group and I wanted to find out if that disparity would be similar in Sons of Anarchy. For example, do crimes by black groups fac e criticism than those by white groups or is the reaction equal without regard to racial factors. I already knew from watching the show and following Kurt Sutter’s personal blog that the series has come under-fire before for using race and violence as a shock-factor instead of using it for plot progression. Kurt Sutter is known for his use of profane language and defending his show from critics by decreeing that they do not understand the concepts. For example, in a recent post he wrote about a contest in which he and the cast would visit the  winners hometown, â€Å"We will come†¦basically disrupt your neighborhood and piss off all your neighbors. Fuck those neighbors, I hate those shitheads anyhow.† (Sutter, â€Å"Season 6†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ) He seems to have no care for the hatred his words incite. Other than his hatred of neighbors he has had to defend himself before because of his use of race in the show. During season four of the show one of the members of Sons of Anarchy named Juice was threatened by the police with the race he was born. The sheriff, a middle-aged black male, had found out that he had actually been born with a black father and threatened to tell the Sons of Anarchy that he was not the latino label he had been hiding behind his whole life. After three seasons it surprised me the Sons of Anarchy seemed to have this new rule about not allowing blacks into the gang but latinos were fine to join. This disturbed me a little because the gang had no problems working with black gangs in the past and there did not seem to be any racial tension besides the racial slurs thrown around by all the gangs. There seemed to be no major race-based violence within Sons of Anarchy until this plot point was brought up. Sutter challenged the outcry to this plot point by saying, â€Å"It was one of those odd, historical barriers that i’ve wanted to explore. The depth and weight of this rule varies from club to club and this season we see how it’s handled by the Sons of Anarchy†.(Sutter, â€Å"BLACK†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ) For the sake of authenticity he felt that this must be included because â€Å"they [motorcycle clubs] function within a  structure that is built upon a form of segregation†.(Sutter, â€Å"BLACK†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ) How the plot point ended though had me scratching my head wondering if Sutter had missed an opportunity to make a statement about race. In the end Juice admits to the main character Jax, a young white male, that his father is indeed black. Instead of using this opportunity to show how outdated the rule is and that progress can be made against racism no matter how long the rule has been around Sutter decided to have another character again use race to blackmail Juice. I understand the need for authenticity but I felt this scene was just reinforcing to all watching that it is shameful to be black and it can be used as threat. It was a weak way of showing how racism can effect someone after all the build up during the season and concern for his  life. In a matter of one scene it was brushed off, there was no lesson learned nor was there any realism in supposed racist actions of the gang. The ending was neither insightful nor authentic. It just seemed to end without any real conclusion. It had also seemed out of place in the story because during season two the Sons of Anarchy spent the whole season fighting a white supremacist gang. During that season the gang seemed just as disturbed by the ideas of the white supremacist gang as much as their threat to Sons of Anarchy’s control of Charming. It seemed to me that Sutter was using Juice’s race as a shock-factor. This was no surprise to me though as there are many off-hand racist jokes made during the show as well that seem to have little value. For instance, in the pilot one member of the gang makes a remark after finding two hispanic women burned alive, â€Å"Goddamn, fried and refried† Clay says with little remorse. The show plays this racism as a fact of life that the gang cannot escape, control or overcome. It hides behind trying to make the racism humorous like Clays line instead of showing it show racism how it actually exists, ugly and disturbing. After thinking back on Juices plot point, which originally had me interested in studying and discussing this show for my study, I went back to re-watch the first season. I decided to start with the first season because it was Sutter’s first attempt at depicting the gangs and it would not be fresh in my mind since I had not seen it since last summer when I binge-watched all the seasons again. This time instead of just taking in the show for entertainment value I set up some guidelines for my viewing. I decided that I would make a table which would include the three most prominent gangs: Mayans, Sons of Anarchy, and One-niners. Each column would represent one of the gangs and the rows would be the type of crimes committed on the show. Whenever a gang was involved in any crime I would mark down which category it was in and then what response it garnered from the community and the authorities. These groups seemed to me most likely to be unbiased when it came to criminal activity. Neither necessarily should have any stake in the violence besides wanting it to be eradicated. After collecting this information I would have a breakdown of each gang: how many crimes were  committed, how many deaths were caused, were the actions deemed necessary or unwarranted, what kind of police action was taken. Gangon-gang action would be analyzed in the same manner. The information I collected was then compared to see who was responsible for the most crime and which gang had the worst reputation. Assuming all things normal it would be the same gang. This show being less than a normal representation of society as it is a dramatic television series I did not expect to find that the gang with the worst reputation had committed the most crimes. My expectations were the hispanic gang, Mayans, would garner the worst reputation while the Sons of Anarchy committed the most crime. These expectations came from my previous knowledge of the show and the  vague feeling that the show might be a little more distasteful towards hispanics since it was set in California where race issues abound with the immigration of hispanics across the border. After watching the first season over these were the figures for each of the gangs. The figures ended up being somewhat similar to what was expected but I was surprised by the amount of crimes that Sons of Anarchy had in the â€Å"unwarranted† column. When watching the show for pure entertainment the communities response seems heavily in favor of the crimes. The data tells a different story with only five of the thirty-five crimes committed being deemed â€Å"necessary†. The crime numbers for Sons of Anarchy may have surprised me but the other gangs fit the profile that I had expected. With thirty murders in just thirteen episodes the show is more  violent than I remember. I attribute this to murders being desensitized throughout the show by dark humorous remarks from characters and no consequences for those committing the crimes. Overall, the Sons of Anarchy committed the most crimes in season one by a long shot with more than both Mayans and One-niners combined. This may have been attributed to them being  the centerpiece of the show. What cannot be explained is the representation of each of these crimes. The Mayans and One-Niners never caught a break from the community and authorities but the Sons of Anarchy did. Five times, after being found guilty of committing the crime, the Sons of Anarchy were represented as just doing what was necessary for Charming. Three of these crimes were murder, while the other two were assault. Such violent crimes without an eyelash batted by the police. One of the assaults was even encouraged by the police who stood by and watched. On the other hand, every crime known about by the community and authorities that the other gangs committed was scrutinized and pursued. These groups never received the blessing of Charming. Even though they committed less crimes than the Sons of Anarchy combined they were seen as the outlaws. I believe this originates from the Sons of Anarchy attempting to brainwash the town by telling them crime is needed to keep worse crime out of the city. The Sons of Anarchy continue to tell the white community they live in that their town needs to be protected from invasion. I believe there is more too it than that though. While watching I also kept tabs on the racial makeup of the town. I could count the amount of black and hispanic people not in a gang on one hand and thats the whole seasons worth of episodes. It seems to me that according to Sons of Anarchy if you are colored then you are a gang member. Even the brutality of the crimes is more dramatized with regards to the other gangs. The crimes  always seem done out of haste and are unplanned. It gives the rival gangs a sense of stupidity that they cannot control their actions or make a plan. In conclusion, it seems that Kurt Sutter seems biased towards the Sons of Anarchy when it comes to representation of crime. They are seen more as a police force by the community than a gang. While they are pursued for various crimes during the season they are never actually charged with anything. Even when all the evidence comes together they end up getting away. This is extraordinarily annoying as it just perpetuates that a crime committed by a white male compared to a black male is any different. There are no repercussions for their actions while the One-Niners are hunted down for drug charges constantly. I believe the FX network and Kurt Sutter could do more to better represent the crime equally. It might be better to actually put one of the Sons of Anarchy behind bars for once. Instead of them continually getting away they could show the real-life struggle of having members constantly going to jail. It would be both more realistic and more equal criminal representation. Kurt Sutter could also spend more time discussing the problems both the Mayans and One-Niners have. It could be a way to combine all three gangs under one banner. I’m sure it would not be too difficult to discuss why those groups may be committing crimes like Sutter does with the Sons of Anarchy. It would add an emotional tie to the characters in those gangs. They could be seen in the same light as the Sons of Anarchy; a group of troubled people with needs and no way they see fit to satisfy them except crime. Right now those minority gangs are just a group of hooligans committing crimes with no motive, no mora ls, no reason. If Kurt Sutter were to make these changes it would add a new dimension to the show and also attract a more diverse audience. My hope is the show takes a more neutral stand as it enters its last season. Sources Sutter, Kurt. â€Å"BLACK AND WHITE OF MC’S.† Sutterlink.blogspot.com. N.p., 24 Sept. 2011. Web. 12 May 2014. ! Sutter, Kurt. â€Å"Season 6 Viewership Challenge.† sutterlink.blogspot.com. N.p., 30 Aug. 2013. Web. 13 May 2014. ! Sutter, Kurt. â€Å"Sons of Anarchy.† Sons of Anarchy, Season One. FX Network. 3 Sept. 2008. Television.