Literature Review Saudi Stock Market Research Paper - 1

Literature Review Saudi Stock Market - Research Paper Example In most cases, this volatility is caused by unavoidable risks. It is therefore not surprising that any investor would want to anticipate the amount of unavoidable risks they are exposed to. As such, the Saudi Arabian stock market has been of great interest to economic researchers. Factors that affect volatility will also be referred to as market influencers in this paper. Studying market influencers will promote the market as a viable opportunity to external investors and globalize the securities for better market performance. This means market stability (Ibp Usa & USA International Business Publications, 2005). Despite being exposed to major turbulent and market-moving events, the Saudi Arabian stock market has shown tremendous improvements. A reflection of this can be seen in the share price movements and the flourishing economy. The peak of this performance was in February 2006, but this was affected by the severe global and economic downturn in the late 2008. Another factor that fuelled this backdrop was the unprecedented unrest in the Middle East during almost the same period. The market has however shown improvements in the past several years to become one of the best in the region. In an attempt to study the market stability and progression of the Saudi Arabian stock market, several researches were done. While some research has focused on the quantitative and qualitative data, others have focused on external influences and comparisons made against stock markets in a bid to explain the performance of the Saudi Arabian stock market. Stock market indexes of specific companies in that country are used for purposes of this study. Consequential studies have unearthed that the Saudi Arabian stock market has distinct and clear cut differences with other markets. Firstly, the shares are traded through commercial banks. Secondly is the absence of bourse makers and thirdly is the liquid characteristic of the market (Mohamed, 2010). Both

Rationalism - Reason Essay Example for Free

Rationalism Reason Essay The debate about truth upon two schools of thought, rationalism and empiricism has existed for long time. Although, they have played important role as contemplated for answering the proposition, their view on obtaining truth, epistemology, and nature of knowledge is different. How do these different philosophies explain and prove the nature of reality will be clarified in this paper. My reflection as a writer also present in this paper upon the truth in my view. Rationalism is the process of reason, which a priori knowledge is the bases of human knowledge (Markie, 2013). The understanding’s priori forms become in human mind before any experience is conveyed to the human. It means that true phenomena can be known by the knower without the matter of experience. Rationalists share the vision that there is innate knowledge; they differ in the different objects of innate knowledge such as the ability to use language is innate (Markie, 2013). The remembering of perfect forms happens from when a human is born and it is the source of knowledge. For the rationalism, the mind, it can be compared with a computer which the hardware already has some functions before the software is loaded onto it. By the way, some functions mean the innate idea and the software relate to experiences or specific knowledge. However, the mind’s perception was a lie and the influence of reason, lacking of the sense was the only way to disruption through the lies. This philosophy disagrees with the sense because they cause of false realities. For the rationalists, it can be stated that when something became true, a reason that why it is true always illustrate. The Empiricism represent that a posteriori knowledge is origin of the theory of knowledge. It means that there is no thing as innate knowledge but knowledge is developed from  experience. When a human was born, there is no content or there are no ideas in the mind but when human learn or experience things, it is being written on. This experience achieves through sensed via the five senses (Abbott, 1977) and including reasoned via mind or brain. To gain an understanding and knowledge in the world, the past experiences are compulsory because a priori knowledge cannot be used to describe the worldly- mind phenomenon. To justify anything is true or false; it depends on what human experiences here and now, or can remember. All human knowledge goes beyond what is present to their senses or memory. The ways to understand the world, all ideas come from experience which is divided in term of simple and complex ideas (Markie, 2013). For example, the whiteness of a flower, the taste of salt, the smell of tea, the sensation of coldness or the sound of guitar are represented as the simple ideas. Thereafter, complex ideas are formed to understand the truth of phenomenon by using those ideas as the basic for reflecting, linking and comparing. An example, when human has the simple ideas about a balance and pleasure they can compound and involving to the idea of beauty as the complex idea. In other words, anything human knows that is not true by definition, every fact, human must learn and test through their senses. For example, human believes that there is an angel or there is a soul is not true by definition but they based on sense experience in each individual. However, sometime empiricists accept that some proposition could be the innate ideas which are true by the definition of term and independent of experience (Markie, 2013). External world truths can and must be known a priori, that some of the ideas required for that knowledge are and must be innate (Glanzberg, 2014) and that this knowledge is superior to  any that experience could ever provide. The full-fledged empiricist about our knowledge of the external world replies that, when it comes to the nature of the world beyond our own minds, experience is our sole source of information. Thus, I support the idea of empiricism that truth can be obtained from our own experience through five senses. I also not agree that all priori knowledge can be absolute truth. For example, we intuit that a person who loses their coule might experience grief. This cannot be warranted in all situations. A person who had bad feeling  toward their couple, being abuse, might not be grief to lose him /her partner. It needs a particular causal condition. We will know that it is true or not until we experience it by observing through our senses. As a scientist, scholar and nurse, I could not rely on knowledge without proper explanation. Reason is a form of relation of information in our own idea. Priori also lets somebody lack of skeptical because they were taught to believe in some phenomenon without doubt. Furthermore, empiricism, it proves a theory because empiricism is the assertion that only real knowledge is empirical. We can learn from experience and observation. The best way to know something is to have seen it with our own eyes and to be able to demonstrate it with repeatable observation or experiments. In fact someone interested in gathering knowledge in a scientific mode of thought, he can come up with ideas for observation and experiments to answer his questions. An example of this is if nurses represent the exercise is most effective in older adult with osteoarthritis, they could pursued those older people to learn and train to exercise and evaluate the effective of exercise. Meanwhile, empiricism gives experimental reasoning which as well as observation and past experiences are the sources of knowledge. It is not unconditionally and concretely true in experimental reasoning depending on cause and effect. This can be said that all things can be revised when we doubt or require the answer. However, it is also important to note that both the rationalism and empiricism are not suitable to be a good source of knowledge in all situations. It depends on view of individual to select to be way of knowing in specific situation. For example, each religion has its god;sometimes we could not doubt whereas, some phenomena can be experienced and observed by using our five senses. References Abbott, E. A. (1977). Flatland: A romance of many dimensions. Trade Publication. Glanzberg, M. (2014). Truth. In E. N. Zalta (Ed. ), The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2014 ed. ). Retrieved from http://plato. stanford. edu/archives/fall2014/entries/truth/ Markie, P. (2013). Rationalism vs. Empiricism. In E. N. Zalta (Ed. ), The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2013 ed. ). Retrieved from http://plato. stanford. edu/archives/sum2013/entries/rationalism-empiricism/.

Fate In Oedipus Rex :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Through Sophocles’ use of foreshadowing in the play Oedipus Rex, certain truths are revealed to the reader, such as the fact that a lack of respect for fate can eventually bring on a person’s downfall, by driving them to delusion. Oedipus is looked up to by all his kingdom at the opening of the play, only to be thwarted by his own lack of intelligence-- and more by his lack of faith than even that. Oedipus, once the sanguine, yet slightly overbearing ruler of the people, is reduced to less than a sliver of a human being. When confronted by the prophet Teiresius, Oedipus feels most perplexed and even exposed. And so he rejects any possibility of validity in Teiresius’ prognostication, and, in doing this, signs his own sentence. Because of Oedipus’ failure to respect the insight of a gifted seer, he is doomed to a blind and bloody end.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As I have said before, Oedipus was first revered by all his people. His earnest patriotism for his adoptive land and people are well received by all in his kingdom. After all, he is the most â€Å"glorious Oedipus† (p.13,ln.8). Oedipus perceives himself to be a flawless champion for those surrounding him. These blind expectations that the most exalted Oedipus has for himself are the very things that lead him to put little credence in others and nearly all his faith in himself. And once he decides he is stronger than prophecy, his mad, unseeing eyes are unable to pick up the warning signs lining his road to oblivion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At one point in the play, the blind, hermaphroditic Teiresius enters to bring Oedipus’ head out of the clouds and back to earth where things are a mite different. This is one point of the play in which Oedipus is unbelievably close to finally buying into the fact that some power higher than himself could be at work-- and yet his arrogance and pride hinder him from accepting the legitimacy of fate. Oedipus finds the idea that Teiresius could know more than he simply offensive. Teiresius, sensing Oedipus’ hostility toward him, warns the king that when Oedipus berates him that â€Å"such taunts will... cast the selfsame taunts on you,†(p.126,ln.73). One would assume that Oedipus, knowing Teiresius’ reputation as a most unfailing and precise prophet would take heed in his further dealings with fate. However, in a style most befitting his character, he ignores these insights. Only when Teiresius mentions Oedipus’ parents does Oedipus listen. His interest sparked, the king cautiously asks, â€Å" What mortals gave me birth?†(p.28,ln.437). Teiresius elaborates further by stating that the king shall â€Å" At once be revealed as brother

Compensation and Benefits

Compensation and benefits From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Redirected from Compensation & Benefits) Jump to: navigation, search Compensation and benefits (abbreviated â€Å"C&B†) is a sub-discipline of human resources, focused on employee compensation and benefits policy-making. It is also known in the UK as â€Å"total reward† and as â€Å"remuneration† in Australia and New Zealand.Contents[hide] * 1 The basic components of employee compensation and benefits * 2 Variable pay * 3 Benefits * 4 Equity-based compensation * 5 Organizational place * 6 Main influencers * 7 Bonus plans| [edit] The basic components of employee compensation and benefits Employee compensation and benefits are basically divided into four categories: 1. Guaranteed pay – monetary (cash) reward paid by an employer to an employee based on employee/employer relations. The most common form of guaranteed pay is the basic salary. . Variable pay – monetary (cash) reward paid by a n employer to an employee that is contingent on discretion, performance or results achieved. The most common forms are bonuses and sales incentives. 3. Benefits – programs an employer uses to supplement employees’ compensation, such as paid time-off, medical insurance, company car, and more. 4. Equity-based compensation – a plan using the employer’s share as compensation. The most common examples are stock options. Guaranteed pay Guaranteed pay is a monetary (cash) reward.The basic element of the guaranteed pay is the base salary, paid based on an hourly, daily, weekly, bi-weekly or a monthly rate. The base salary is typically used by employees for ongoing consumption. Many countries dictate the minimum base salary defining a minimum wage. Individual skills and level of experience of employees leave room for differentiation of income-levels within the job-based pay structure. In addition to base salary, there are other pay elements which are paid based so lely on employee/employer relations, such salary and seniority allowance. edit] Variable pay Variable pay is a monetary (cash) reward that is contingent on discretion, performance or results achieved. There are different types of variable pay plans, such as bonus schemes, sales incentives (commission), overtime pay, and more. An example where this type of compensation plan is prevalent is the real estate industry and real estate agents. A common variable pay plan might be the sales person receives 50% of every dollar they bring in up to a level of revenue at which they then bump up to 85% for every dollar they bring in going forward.Typically, this type of plan is based on an annual period of time requiring a â€Å"resetting† each year back to the starting point of 50%. Sometimes this type of plan is administered so that the sales person never resets and never falls down to a lower level. It also includes Performance Linked Incentive whcih is variable and may range from 130% to 0% as per performance of the indiviudal as per his KRA. [edit] Benefits There is a wide variety of employee benefits, such as paid time-off, insurances (life insurance, medical/dental insurance, and work disability insurance), pension plan, company car, and more.A benefit plan is designed to address a specific need and is often provided not in the form of cash. Many countries dictate different minimum benefits, such as minimum paid time-off, employer’s pension contribution, sick pay, and more. [edit] Equity-based compensation Equity based compensation is an employer compensation plan using the employer’s shares as employee compensation. The most common form is stock options, yet employers use additional vehicles such as restricted stock, restricted stock units (RSU), employee stock purchase plan (ESPP), and stock appreciation rights (SAR).The classic objectives of equity based compensation plans are retention, attraction of new hires and aligning employees’ a nd shareholders’ interests. [edit] Organizational place In most companies, compensation & benefits (C&B) is a sub-function of the human-resources function. HR organizations in big companies are typically divided into three: HR business partners (HRBPs), HR centers of excellence, and HR shared services. C&B is an HR center of excellence, like staffing and organizational development (OD). [edit] Main influencersEmployee compensation and benefits main influencers can be divided into two: internal (company) and external influencers. The most important internal influencers are the business objectives, labor unions, internal equity (the idea of compensating employees in similar jobs and similar performance in a similar way), organizational culture and organizational structure. The most important external influencers are the state of the economy, inflation, unemployment rate, the relevant labor market, labor law, tax law, and the relevant industry habits and trends. edit] Bonus plan s Bonus plans are variable pay plans. They have three classic objectives: 1. Adjust labor cost to financial results – the basic idea is to create a bonus plan where the company is paying more bonuses in ‘good times’ and less (or no) bonuses in ‘bad times’. By having bonus plan budget adjusted according to financial results, the company’s labor cost is automatically reduced when the company isn’t doing so well, while good company performance drives higher bonuses to employees. . Drive employee performance – the basic idea is that if an employee knows that his/her bonus depend on the occurrence of a specific event (or paid according to performance, or if a certain goal is achieved), then the employee will do whatever he/she can to secure this event (or improve their performance, or achieve the desired goal). In other words, the bonus is creating an incentive to improve business performance (as defined through the bonus plan). 3.Emp loyee retention – retention is not a primary objective of bonus plans, yet bonuses are thought to bring value with employee retention as well, for three reasons: a) a well designed bonus plan is paying more money to better performers; a competitor offering a competing job-offer to these top performers is likely to face a higher hurdle, given that these employees are already paid higher due to the bonus plan. b) if the bonus is paid annually, employee is less inclined to leave the company before bonus payout; often the reason for leaving (e. g. dispute with the manager, competing job offer) ‘goes away' by the time the bonus is paid. he bonus plan ‘buy' more time for the company to retain the employee. c) employees paid more are more satisfied with their job (all other things being equal) thus less inclined to leave their employer. The concept saying bonus plans can improve employee performance is based on the work of Frederic Skinner, perhaps the most influential p sychologist of the 20th century. Using the concept of Operant Conditioning, Skinner claimed that an organism (animal, human being) is shaping his/her voluntary behavior based on its extrinsic environmental consequences – i. . reinforcement or punishment. This concept captured the heart of many, and indeed most bonus plans nowadays are designed according to it, yet since the late 1940s a growing body of empirical evidence suggested that these if-then rewards do not work in a variety of settings common to the modern workplace. Research even suggested that these type of bonus plans have the potential of damaging employee performance. Retrieved from â€Å"http://en. wikipedia. org/w/index. php? title=Compensation_and_benefits&oldid=478107814† View page ratingsRate this page Rate this page Page ratings What's this? Current average ratings. Trustworthy Objective Complete Well-written I am highly knowledgeable about this topic (optional) I have a relevant college/university d egree It is part of my profession It is a deep personal passion The source of my knowledge is not listed here I would like to help improve Wikipedia, send me an e-mail (optional) We will send you a confirmation e-mail. We will not share your e-mail address with outside parties as per our feedback privacy statement. Submit ratingsSaved successfully Your ratings have not been submitted yet Your ratings have expired Please reevaluate this page and submit new ratings. An error has occurred. Please try again later. Thanks! Your ratings have been saved. Please take a moment to complete a short survey. Start surveyMaybe later Thanks! Your ratings have been saved. Do you want to create an account? An account will help you track your edits, get involved in discussions, and be a part of the community. Create an accountorLog inMaybe later Thanks! Your ratings have been saved.Did you know that you can edit this page? Edit this pageMaybe later Categories: * Human resource management * Employment compensation Personal tools * Log in / create account Namespaces * Article * Talk Variants Views * Read * Edit * View history Actions Search ————————————————- Top of Form Bottom of Form Navigation * Main page * Contents * Featured content * Current events * Random article * Donate to Wikipedia Interaction * Help * About Wikipedia * Community portal * Recent changes * Contact Wikipedia Toolbox What links here * Related changes * Upload file * Special pages * Permanent link * Cite this page * Rate this page Print/export * Create a book * Download as PDF * Printable version * This page was last modified on 21 February 2012 at 18:25. * Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. See Terms of use for details. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. , a non-profit organization. * Cont act us * Privacy policy * About Wikipedia * Disclaimers * Mobile view * *

Economics IA Commentary †Market Failure Essay

Household energy bills will increase by à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½50 as the impact of green taxes triples over a decade, new research shows. By James Kirkup, Political Correspondent, Published: 12:01AM BST 17 Aug 2010 The sum the Government levies from energy use will rise to more than à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½16 billion by 2020, a think tank has estimated. Policy Exchange, which has close links to Conservative ministers, calculated that the cost of green taxes, surcharges and other levies on energy will go from à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½5.7 billion this year to à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½16.3 billion in 2020. In 2020, some à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½6.4 billion of the total will come from levies applied to domestic energy consumption. That is up from à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½2 billion today. The increase will add à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½40 to the average household gas bill and à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½8 to an electricity bill, according to data from the Department of Energy and Climate Change. Household energy bills are increased by a number of Government environmental policies, including the Renewables Obligation and other levies applied to energy usage to fund low-carbon power generation. Energy companies also face charges for schemes including the European Union’s Emissions Trading Scheme, costs which are then passed on to customers. â€Å"Green† levies are meant to increase the price of carbon-emitting energy use, with the aim of funding alternative sources and encouraging consumers to change their behavior. Much of the money raised by such levies does not end up with the Treasury, but â€Å"green taxes† are regarded with suspicion by some consumers, who regard them as a disguised revenue-raising measure. Simon Less, Policy Exchange’s head of environment and energy, said that the various environmental charges should be considered taxes by another name. â€Å"The funding for these policies may come through energy bills, rather than the tax man, but it is a tax, and an increasingly large one paid by individual households and firms. Its scale makes it even more important that this money is used in the most efficient way possible.† Warning about need to gain public support for measures to combat climate change, his report says that â€Å"raising taxation through energy bills, rather than, say, using income tax, is relatively regressive, because the poorest households tend to spend a larger proportion of their income on energy.† Dr Less also said they funds that are supposed to go to renewable energy sources are often spent inefficiently. He said: â€Å"Climate change is a major threat. It needs to be tackled as a priority, and that will be expensive. But the public and industry will not put up with paying such large sums if the money is going to be wasted.† Last week, The Daily Telegraph highlighted the latest â€Å"green† charge to be applied to British businesses, the Carbon Reduction Commitment, which will require big companies to buy â€Å"permits† for their carbon emissions. Thousands of those companies are facing large fines if they fail to register with the new scheme before a deadline next month. The articles discusses that although ‘green taxes’ are applied to fund low-carbon power generation with the ultimate aim of encouraging consumers to tap alternative energy, they will increase the cost of household energy bills by à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½50 by 2020. Externalities are third party effects arising from production and consumption of goods and services for which no appropriate compensation is paid. Negative externalities occur when such production and/or consumption impose external costs on third parties outside of the market for which no appropriate compensation is paid. Households consuming carbon-emitting energy can be considered to be a negative externality as it affects the rest of society and even a nearby country which is outside the ‘consumption market’. Many a time, the government will impose a tax on those who create negative externalities attempting to correct market failure. The graph shows negative externality of consumption, where MPB (marginal private benefit) is much higher than MSB (marginal social benefit).The consumption of pollution-emitting energy can be represented by the demand curve MSC (marginal social cost) in the diagram. This curve shows the spillover costs on society with each additional unit of consumption. Consumption is at Q1 and not at the optimal, Q* indicating over consumption leading to welfare loss to society. In order to correct this, ‘green taxes’ are being introduced in an effort to bring consumption to the optimal. This would however result in the optimal price to shift from P* to P2, which is relatively higher. Carbon emissions refer to the release of Carbon dioxide gas into the atmosphere when fossil fuels like gas, oil, or coal are burnt. In a natural carbon cycle, carbon dioxide is re-absorbed by plants and trees but currently, the burning rate is faster than the absorption rate. Global warming is the direct negative consequence and the government has to invest in new research technologies to avert further crises. In UK, there are a number of governmental environmental policies, like the Renewables Obligation and other ‘green levies’ which are used to fund low-carbon emission energy. According to the article, ‘Green taxes’ would rise threefold, from à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½5.7 billion in 2010 to à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½16.3 billion in 2020. In the coming years, as world population rises, so will energy consumption, carbon emissions and its negative effects; these taxes will follow suit. In the short run, the tax increases might not be very large and hence would not cause a great decrease in quantity demanded. In the long run however, as the taxes rise to a sizeable amount, then the deterrent action will ensue; consumers will now be discouraged from consuming carbon based energy and shift to alternative sources. However, In reality this is only partially true. The tax will be most effective on households with lower income, as this tax will cover a larger percentage of their income. The tax will not be as effective on wealthy households since it would be just a negligible amount in their budget and they will not think twice before spending on goods that cause negative externalities. Another disadvantage of such a ‘taxation’ method is achieving the right level of taxation so that private cost will exactly equate with the social cost. The government cannot accurately put a monetary value on the private benefits and cost of firms; in fact, a certain financial figure on the value of externalities such as the cost to natural habitat, long-term effects of ozone layer depletion or even that of the human life for that matter, is rather hard to arrive at. All in all, all that the government and other environmental agencies can hope to achieve is the correct direction of movement towards the optimum level of output. A more effective step the government could take is to impose a complete ban on certain forms of energy consumption that produce large quantities of emissions or issue marketable pollution permits. The latter case of Carbon emissions’ trading has been gaining momentum in many countries now and is a central feature in Kyoto Protocol and the European Union Carbon Emissions Trading Scheme which started in full in 2005. This new approach involved the issuance of limited volume of pollution rights which are sold to companies that pollute. The incentive is that if the company pollutes less, then they can sell their excess permits in the secondary market. As the number of permits being issued is carefully reduced year by year, total carbon emission can be curbed efficiently and simultaneously the path towards greener energy alternatives can be also be paved.

Free Essays on Documentary Photographer

formulated by the people in the picture. However... Free Essays on Documentary Photographer Free Essays on Documentary Photographer Documentary projects The Great Depression, which began with the stock market crash of 1929 and lasted for the next decade, was a time of desperation and disorientation in America. In an effort to bring the country back on its feet, President Roosevelt initiated the Farm Security Administration (FSA) project. Photographers were hired and sent across the United States to document Americans living in poverty, and Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans were two of those photographers that were sent out. Along with their partners Paul S. Taylor and James Agee they started their projects which were approached through two different methods. Agee and Evans project Let Us Now Praise Famous Men and Lange and Taylor’s project An American exodus: A Record of Human Erosion, are two similar, though different types of work. Both projects are of the poor tenant farmers in the south and the sharecroppers living during the Great Depression during the 1930s. The first difference I noticed is the way the pictures are pres ented in the two projects. By this I mean how they are taken and how Evans and Lange chose which ones that were to be included in the books. A second difference is that Agee and Taylor had two different writing techniques and these are the biggest differences between the two books. Despite the similarities in the two texts presented by the authors and photographers, their work is presented in two various ways. Agee and Evans project was done after living with three tenant families and Evans photographs are completely separate from Agees text. There are not any captions or names and they do not tell us where the photos are taken or who the people in the pictures are. Lange and Taylor’s project on the other hand is written in a way that helps us read the photographs and it is easier to see the connections between the text and pictures. The captions underneath the photos are based on words formulated by the people in the picture. However...

Critical Analysis of the Role of Leadership in Improving Performance in Public Sector Organisations

Critical Analysis of the Role of Leadership in Improving Performance in Public Sector Organisations Introduction Distributed leadership is a post-heroic understanding of leadership that advocates the liberation from bureaucracy and strengthening of stakeholder involvement (Jackson 2000, p. 70). It has traits that make it relevant for public firms that are in need of a turnaround in performance (Harris, 2005, p. 82).Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Critical Analysis of the Role of Leadership in Improving Performance in Public Sector Organisations specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Integrity or openness to criticism, delegation of duties and networking are some of the qualities that reflect distributed leadership. Ciulla (2004) Currie Locket (2007) and Gronn (2002) are among the advocates of distributed leadership, and their support stems from the shortcomings that are found in transformational leadership. Moreover, Alimo-Metcalfe, Alban-Metcalfe, Heck, Hallinger and Harris are some of the key theorists in distri buted leadership. They expound on the centrality of cooperation, expert input and openness of leadership boundaries within this form of leadership. This paper will focus on characteristics of the leadership model, particularly how it relates to performance management, change management and organisational structure. Performance management can lead to effective performance by facilitating goal definition, proper development of performance management systems, as well as role clarification. Distributed leadership can streamline these aspects. Change management is necessary in turnaround situations, and organisational structure alters decision-making and control issues, thus affecting how a company accomplishes impressive performance. The report will examine how distributed leadership may translate these processes into high performance.Advertising Looking for case study on public administration? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It will then apply these aforementioned theories to a case study about a police force called Blackshire (Walshe et. al., 2009, p. 12).1 This institution was experiencing problems as a result of poor leadership. The report will focus on how distributed leadership could have prevented some of these problems, as well as providing some suggestions on how the institution can improve its current leadership approach on the basis of the theory. Distributed Leadership Theory Definition of distributed leadership and how organisations effect it A number of characteristics make distributed leadership distinct. The first quality is that it encapsulates a network of individuals interacting with one another. Unlike other theories of leadership like transactional and transformational leadership, which dwell on the individual, this approach emphasises the involvement of groups of people in leadership. The emphasis, therefore, is collaborative action not the sum of individual efforts (Harris, 2 005, p. 82). Secondly, distributed leadership has open boundaries. Organisations can expand their leadership to a wide number of people because no limits exist on how wide one can cast this leadership net. From this perspective, adherents of the distributed leadership model advocate the expansion of stakeholders and encourage their involvement as leaders (Heck and Hallinger, 2005 p.233).Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Critical Analysis of the Role of Leadership in Improving Performance in Public Sector Organisations specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More For instance, in the context of an educational establishment, instead of merely including the teachers in leadership, a school can expand its community of stakeholders to include students or parents. Conversely, transformational leadership would have closed boundaries as formal leaders would wield most control. Thirdly, this form of leadership involves the belief th at experts exist in different facets of the organisation. By bringing the ideas and perspectives of those experts, an organisation can strengthen its capabilities. Moreover, when an expert uses their skills to initiate a concept, then the trust and support of others will sharpen the initiative (Alimo-Metcalfe, 2000, p.42). In transactional and transformational leadership, experts lack decision-making power (Alimo-Metcalfe Alban-Metcalfe 2005, p. 53). Autonomy and control in the distributed leadership model is varied. It may emanate from members in senior authority or low-level employees. However, it is sometimes effective to let formal leaders establish certain values and goals because they are accountable to external parties for the performance of the institution. In addition, the organisational culture has a substantial influence on the effectiveness of distributed leadership. Thus, if an institution has had a long-standing culture of non-participation, the distributed leadership models could yield high levels of passivity. These choices of autonomy and control are not available to individuals in transformational and transactional leadership models (Currie Lockett, 2007, p. 353). Organisations in the public sector may have to pioneer cultural change if pre-existing cultures are incompatible with shared leadership. The source of change in distributed leadership is also diverse (Currie Lockett, 2007, p. 361).Advertising Looking for case study on public administration? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It may come from an external policy or stimulus, such as members of the community served by the public organisation. They may place pressure on the institution to change, which could potentially require a complete cultural shift. Conversely, it may emanate from within, by formal leaders or members of the network. Sometimes it may come from an external policy or stimulus, such as members of the community served by the public organisation, who may place pressure on the institution to change. This could require a cultural shift. Conversely, it may emanate from formal leaders or members of the network. One should note, that although distributed leadership emphasises the importance of a collective effort, it is still compatible with top-down leadership, wherein projects and initiatives are granted from charismatic leaders. However, the key difference between attempts at organisational change in traditional transformational leadership and distributed leadership, is the strong partnership between the leader and other members of the organisation during this change (Crosby Bryson, 2005, p. 80). Additionally, the question of whether distributed leadership can fit into pre-set structures warrants some attention. In order to foster a long-term orientation, public organisations ought to have team structures and committees as some of the forms of distributed leadership (Crosby Bryson, 2005, p. 80). However, these structures need not determine how leadership manifests itself. The fluid nature of distributed leadership places greater precedence on one’s expertise rather than one’s position. Conversely transformational leadership rests on formal leadership. Moreover, for this level of spontaneity to work, the public firm ought to have a high degree of support and trust from amongst its team members. Therefore, leader-and-follower distinctions may not be clear, which may necessitate formal accountability structures to be in place. A realisation in the limitation s of charismatic leadership has necessitated the shift towards distributed leadership within the public sector. Gronn (2002, p. 9) challenges the fact that leadership should revolve around one individual alone. He asserts that leadership is not mythically or contingent upon any special powers of an individual. In reality, Ciulla (2004, p. 67) adds that overreliance on one person may create a form of cult of these leaders. Followers may pay heavily for criticising the leadership while the seniors themselves may claim ownership over all organisational success, even when others contributed to the effort. Narcissism and self-serving leadership thrives in a charisma-oriented organisation, and this could lead to failure (Currie Lockett, 2007, p. 359). It is for these reasons that many public institutions are embracing inclusive leadership as this approach has built-in mechanisms to ensure accountability, as well as ownership of decisions. Traits in distributed leadership that lead to per formance improvement Public organisations have formal leaders who still play a crucial role in the enforcement of distributed leadership (Hartley, 2007, p. 203). Senior leaders often network among their internal and external stakeholders in order to cause change. Therefore, this attribute mirrors transformational leadership. They usually expand the number of contacts that they have and build trust among them. Moreover, sensitivity to key players’ agenda (both external and internal) is crucial in causing performance improvement (Alimo-Metcalfe Alban-Metcalfe 2005, p. 66). In the context of the UK public sector domain, this is vital as inter-agency collaboration is common and in certain cases, it is expected. Successful leadership therefore, unites differing institutions in order to facilitate a shared vision. One cannot overemphasise the significance of delegation as a means of improving performance within organisations. Public organisations must empower their staff to think strategically and to develop solutions for impending problems. This causes them to take responsibility over performance improvement. In the transformational leadership model, leaders think of delegation as a favour to their subordinates (Currie et. al., 2005, p. 266). Individuals who exercise decision-making powers do not dilute the leader’s power. However, in distributed leadership, a formal leader may have to give true discretion over issues. This implies a slight degree of disempowerment for the senior authority (Alimo-Metcalfe, 2000, p.109). Alimo-Metcalfe Alban-Metcalfe (2005, p.70) stress the importance of integrity as another essential quality to facilitate performance improvement. Such ethical and moral standards are prerequisites to the establishment of effective distributed-leadership, as leaders need to deal with their fellow members in an equitable and consistent way. In the distributed model, one ought to embrace values of humility and exhibit vulnerability; hen ce when a person is wrong, they should admit their mistakes. Alimo-Metcalfe Alban-Metcalfe (2005, p. 56) stress that transformational leadership makes it difficult to ask questions as leaders have a cult-like following. Adherents of the distributed leadership model must therefore give precedence to the good of the organisation rather than their personal ambition or needs. Openness to criticism amongst senior authorities in distributed leadership should make them alter their views after listening to others. Modification ought to occur genuinely rather than as a reactionary response to others threatening effectiveness (Hennessey, 1998, p.525). In this model, workers will pursue task objectives because of the internationalisation of their core values, if they regard their work roles as crucial elements of their identity. In line with vulnerability and transparency is the ease of accessibility. Employees in distributed leadership have open access to formal leaders, regardless of their schedules. The degree of formality ought to be minimal as this will facilitate openness and honesty. (Hartley, 2007, p.207). Performance management in the public sector and its relevance to distributed leadership Performance management is a critical aspect of the overall organisational performance because it allows public sector institutions to link results, objectives and individual objectives. It is the means with which organisations merge fundamental aspects of their function (De Bruijn, 2001, p. 15). Effective performance management occurs when performance assessment and strategies are in the hands of the concerned agencies, whereby they take ownership over their performance system (Jas Skelcher, 2005, p.199). In the public sector, an external body may have to conduct performance auditing. In this regard, it is the prerogative of the public institution to use distributed leadership in order to foster cooperation with such parties (Theil Leeuw, 2002, p. 276). The company may as certain where the majority of weaknesses lie and therefore use recommendations from the auditing body to improve this. In a situation where performance assessment occurs within the same public institution, then distributed leadership would assist them in taking ownership over such a system. It would allow members to contribute towards performance management systems, and thus allow them to understand the consequences of their actions. Nonetheless, the spirit of cooperation with other bodies would also require public firms to collaborate with agencies to operate within a strategic framework. The national auditing authority for the Parliament of Australia, ANAO (2005, p.14), identify certain factors that facilitate effective performance management, and hence improvement in public firms. One of these is alignment wherein public organisations ought to align their performance management systems with their company goals. In order for this to occur, they need to have performance measurement systems that illustrate how effective their performance management efforts are. Additionally, they can ensure alignment by creating systems that support performance management. Distributed leadership can assist public institutions to achieve this alignment by establishing the necessary support mechanisms (Coulson, 2009). In addition, it can facilitate in the creation of performance assessment systems. Performance management is only effective when systems are credible. Credibility may come about when companies match rhetoric with reality (Theil Leeuw, 2002, p. 268). A number of public institutions exhibit gaps between what they expect in performance, as well as how they implement performance systems. ANAO (2005, p. 55) found that many employees in the public sector were sceptical about performance management because they disagreed with performance-pay criteria, deeming it as unfair. A number of them complained about favouritism and bias in the implementation of reward decisions, wh ereas others felt that reward incentives were not sufficient enough to motivate them. Certain public sector employers in the Australian survey revealed that they did not understand qualities that warranted effective performances (ANAO, 2005). Therefore, problems in role clarification were a key impediment to success. Staff members could not see the association between performances management at the organisational level and their personal contributions. If these problems exist in a public institution, then it is highly unlikely that performance management and improvement will occur. Distributed leadership has the potential to be an antidote to these problems, by directly involving the workforce in the development of the performance management system. If staff members regard each other as partners in the performance system, they are more likely to discuss and eliminate glitches in performance management. They may agree on the goals of performance management and determine how this rela tes to their individual contributions (Hodgson et. al., 2007). They would also clarify the qualities that constitute as effective performance through a coherent consensus. This system would therefore eradicate favouritism, as it would increase mutual support and trust between all parties affected by the institution. Thirdly, performance management can only lead to performance improvement if the concerned institution integrates it with other structures. Some organisations may not integrate work structures with performance management, and this could lead to complications in the provision of services. Distributed leadership models call for a holistic focus on service provision. Hence, if members work together, chances are that they will have better direction on achieving their goals, as well as performance systems that they should include (Hodgson et. al., 2007, p. 361). Change management for performance improvement through distributed leadership Change management is a mechanism that m ay need to be implemented if an organisation continually records low levels of performance. The collaborative nature of distributed leadership may seem contradictory to change management, however in times of crises or succession, the concept may be inevitable. Furthermore, it can still occur within top-down structures, but through the use of distributed leadership principles. As expressed by Pollitt (2009, p.288), leaders ought to follow a series of steps when instating change. He believes that most public companies fail as a result of communicating the need for change too formally. Alternatively, they may wait until it is too late to do so. Ritual forming can sometimes be necessary to create a new vision in a public organisation. In the distributed model, a formal leader must communicate this need early enough because the methodology already entails that regular contact between the rest of the employees and the company leader is taking place. In terms of performance, change managem ent can only lead to an improvement when a clear action plan is available (Jones, 2004). Sometimes this refers to structural change or other elements of the organisation’s functions. In other forms of leadership, the action plan would originate from senior management to a single individual. However, this is not tenable in distributed leadership. Subsequently, in the context of the public sector, a system would be implemented to collate members’ input on how to cause change effectively. Attaining internal support is a necessary part of successful change management. Leaders must foster participation and tackle internal resistance. They should allow resistors to have a relative degree of flexibility because some of their objections may be genuine (Ingraham and Van Slyke, 2006, p. 394). In distributed leadership, internal resistance ought to lead to alterations in elements of the plan because it engages people. Thus, distributed leadership would assist in building internal support and validating some of the objections raised by members. In tandem with internal cooperation, effective organisations need to also build support from external communities. Soliciting external support is rather difficult for public organisations, but since they provide services to the public, consulting with this group is imperative. Distributed leadership streamlines this process because it facilitates relationship-building between external and internal stakeholders of a public firm. Therefore, importing for support from them during a change initiative would be done effectively. As such, their chances of improving performance will be quite high (Borins, 2000, p. 501). Resource congruence is also imperative in translating change management to effective performance improvement. When organisations want to build effective ways of accomplishing change, they need substantial resources to do so. Distributed leadership would assist in garnering sufficient resources because all the key contributors to institutional budgets would be working regularly with members of the organisation (Jones, 2004, p. 52). Perhaps one of the most critical parameters for yielding performance improvement in change management is the actual implementation of the change process. Daily routines need to have change embedded in them. Thus, training, information technology use, job roles, even behaviour during meetings ought to reflect these new amendments. Distributed leadership would match perfectly with the constant-change model as it would cause individuals to identify areas that require improvement and also facilitate these transitions on a day-to-day basis (Pollitt, 2009, p. 291). Organisational structure and performance improvement through distributed leadership Organisational structure concerns itself with how companies distribute decision-making powers. Most public service firms are laden with bureaucracies, such that this aspect of power lies at the top of the organisational str ucture. However, in democracies, wherein elected officials, control agencies, line managers and other officers must work together, it becomes increasingly hard for ordinary employees to make decisions. Elected officials tend to safeguard as much of this power as possible (Borins, 2000, p. 505). Additionally, control agencies try to do the same. Thus, line managers may find it extremely difficult to make strategic decisions because of a myriad of rules and regulations that constrain them. These include procurement systems, human resource policies, budget instructions and auditing practice. The result of such an approach is the inability of government firms to respond to their external environment. However, in the case of distributed leadership, this attempts to break these constraints through the organisational structure. The model redistributes power, allowing members to respond creatively and speedily to the needs of their clientele. This would have been somewhat unattainable if al l employees had to wait for directions from the top of the hierarchy (Osborne, 2007, p. 13). One may presume that when organisations redistribute decision-making power, those who initially had it will lose it; but this is not always true. Modifying the point of control in also necessitates a reorientation of the form of control (Walker, 2001, p. 316). These institutions rely on different approaches other than commands and inspections to affect decision-making processes. They often commit to getting certain results and then allow flexibility in the accomplishment of those results. Some of the mechanisms employed in distributed leadership include performance measurement, determination of results that must be achieved and a responsibility towards the consequences of actions. Some public organisations cannot simply eliminate rules and procedures; therefore, the distributed model allows them to streamline those procedures with the aim of freeing firms from central control (Pollitt, 2009, p. 290). Employees in public institutions often feel frustrated by procurement and budget constraints from large systems. Consequently, they require trust from higher levels of management in order to get their job done, and this may imply loosening control from the central authorities. Perhaps another way in which distributed leadership affects performance is through community empowerment. In the context of public sector organisations, these institutions are willing to share power with communities so that they can determine service outcomes on the basis of what is available (Osborne, 2007, p. 9). The approach manifests itself through parental involvement, as well as community policing. It may also involve business associations if the public organisation focuses on these groups as their primary consumers. Obstacles to the realisation of performance improvement through distributed leadership It is a myth to presume that distributed leadership only involves collaboration. Conflict may arise during an attempt to share leadership with other persons, and if organisations do not acknowledge and deal with it, then only minimal performance improvements will be accomplished (Pollitt and Bouckaert, 2004, p.194). Sometimes when groups work together to cause organisational change, they may disagree on crucial points of reference. For instance, if an organisation works on redefining its goals and visions, then members of the institution may disagree on what constitutes as these elements. To further illustrate, public institutions have constrained resources, so many stakeholders may object to the allocation of finances (Jackson, 2000, p. 68). Some of them may believe that their portfolios warrant greater resource deployment than others. If leaders do not address these conflicts, then change may not occur, and organisations will maintain the status quo. However public firms that do employ distributed leadership models, have the opportunity to use conflict for their benefit b y consolidating divergent opinions and using them as a focal point of discussion and growth (Flessa, 2009). A case in point is a public school in which the principal wanted to achieve rapid results. He felt that accountability mechanisms were the way to go, and he quickly introduced it. Many of the teachers in the institution opposed the new system and even decided to spearhead a movement against the principal. Their actions eventually resulted in an investigation of the school. One can ascertain from this example that this conflict did not achieve performance improvement through better test scores; in reality the institution took a step back with regards to their usual achievement. Case Study Analysis Blackshire Police Force may have suffered from an overemphasis on individual leadership. A high degree of passivity existed in the institution, with many of its members failing to take responsibility for their actions (Ciulla, 2004, p. 93). When leadership lacked ambition after the de ath of the chief constable, the rest of the force also became unmotivated. Therefore, one could suggest that the force became a casualty of the deficiencies of its central leaders (Currie et. al., 2005, p. 266). This explains why their performance was abysmal. Conversely, when the force introduced a new chief constable, things changed for the better. He was open with his staff members, as well as the external community (Walshe et. al., 2009, p. 12). It is likely that this dispersion of attention away from the top may have led to the positive outcomes; however, since the force is yet to tackle other issues, then further entrenchment of distributed leadership may be imperative. Alimo-Metcalfe Alban-Metcalfe (2005, p. 60) affirm that networking is critical to the success of public sector leaders. They believe that this should entail establishing and strengthening contacts between the public institution and its internal and external community. In relation to the Blackshire Force, it se ems there was a significant lack of shareholder networking, which may have led to certain performance problems. The nature of their mandate stipulates that it is required for staff members to network and engagement with the Blackshire community. Thus, had authorities within Blackshire worked with vulnerable peoples or neighbourhoods with endemic violent crimes, they would have recorded excellent performance during the 2005 and 2006 HMC assessment (Martin et. al., 2009, p. 769). At present, the organisation is deliberating over future plans, such as scaling up or becoming part of a larger structure (Walshe et. al., 2009, p. 12). If this strategy is to sustain new performance improvement, then the organisation should consider genuine discretion of decision-making amongst its members. The force already has experts in certain areas of policing. Formal leaders will need to give up control and allow their staff members to take ownership of decisions after scaling up (Alimo-Metcalfe, 2000, p. 50). Blackshire initially had challenges with performance improvement because of a number of anomalies identified in the literature. First, the institution did not work with the external body (HMIC2) in order to improve performance (Walshe et. al., 2009, p. 12). Theoretically speaking, had a relationship with the auditing body been ensured, it would have had a better understanding of targets and performances. Distributed leadership moves beyond working with internal organisational stakeholders alone, as it also advocates for expansion of leadership to external communities (De Bruijn, 2001, p. 171). Additionally, challenges in performance management may have also arisen out a lack of the three qualities for effective systems: integration, alignment and credibility. Previously, members of the force did not understand what constitutes good performance. Therefore, credibility of the system was a challenge. They addressed this problem by clarifying their mission and values. In the fu ture, it is advisable for the force to consider input from all their members in order to boost outcomes (De Bruijn 2001). Integration of performance management with work is essential in improving performance. In the case analysis, it is not clear whether the concerned institution created an action plan for the change process. However, it is clear that most of the ideas in the turnaround came from senior management. In order to create an association between change management and performances improvement, Blackshire will need to involve more of its employees in the process of causing change (Spillane et. al., 2001, p. 28). It is likely that the organisational restructure elicited positive results due to the use of elements from distributed leadership. One of them includes building support from the Police Federation and the community members. The concept of intelligence-led policing would not have yielded any results if it occurred in isolation. Distributed leadership would cause the i nstitution to make change a strategic issue by using ideas from members on a regular basis (Muijs and Harris, 2007, p. 112). Employees in Blackshire force adhere to a traditional methodology of leadership, whereby they appear to rely heavily on central authorities to make decisions (Flessa, 2009, p. 337). Distributed leadership however, requires public firms to think about ways in which they can restructure, and hence empower their employees. The force most likely has certain experts who have specialised in different components of service provision. It will be imperative for the company to trust them with a range of decisions. In the current state, as well as in the past, the force has placed so much emphasis on central control. For greater performance improvement, the organisation should allow its employees to make decisions that directly relate to their area of expertise (Hartley Allison, 2000, p. 38). Conclusion Distributed leadership possesses certain traits that can lead to pe rformance improvement, such as, delegation, networking and openness to criticism. Delegation occurs when public organisations empower their staff to think strategically and develop solutions for impending problems. Networking occurs by collaborating with internal and external stakeholders in order to cause change. Openness to criticism occurs by genuine responses rather than as a reactionary response to others’ threatening behaviour. These qualities stem from expansion of the leadership net, empowerment of experts to make decisions throughout the organisation and valuing membership input throughout the year. Leadership is flexible and autonomous, which denotes that change management, performance management, as well as organisational structure involve everyone. The result is better communication, decision making and ownership of performance management systems. In the area of performance management, public institutions use distributed leadership to foster cooperation with exter nal bodies that conduct performance auditing. Leadership in the distributed model establishes support systems that illustrate how effective their performance management efforts are. Distributed leadership has the potential to be an antidote to problems in performance measurement, by directly involving the workforce in the development of the performance management system. It causes staff members to regard each other as partners in the performance system as they are more likely to discuss and eliminate glitches. Distributed leadership causes them to agree on goals of performance management and determine how this relates to their individual contributions. They also clarify the qualities that constitute effective performance through a coherent consensus. This leadership model, therefore, eradicates favouritism, as it increases mutual support and trust between parties. In the case of Blackshire Police Force, initially they did not network with members of the community, hence the cause of its low outcomes. Additionally, it placed too much emphasis on individual leadership. However, the implementation of distributed leadership principles led to a positive change via the cooperation of stakeholders during planning and implementation stages of performance management. Thus, Blackshire force needs to consider greater inclusiveness in managing performance. Distributed leadership may also improve performance through reorientation of organisational structure, wherein it encourages the decentralisation of decision making. Blackshire will need to enact this radically in the future. Distributed leadership leads to better handling of conflict in group collaboration. Furthermore, for future considerations, Blackshire force should embrace conflict as a learning platform. References Alimo-Metcalfe, B 2000, Effective Leadership, Local Government Management Board (now Improvement Development Agency), London. Alimo-Metcalfe, B and Alban-Metcalfe, J 2005, ‘Leadership: Time for a new direction?’, Leadership, vol. 1 no. 1, pp. 51-73. ANAO (Australian National Audit Office) 2005, ‘Performance management in the Australian Public Service’, The Auditor General Audit Report, no. 6, 1-133. Borins S 2000, ‘Loose cannons and rule breakers, or enterprising leaders? Some evidence about innovative public managers’, Public Administration Review, vol. 60 no. 6, pp. 498-507. Ciulla, J 2004, Ethics: the Heart of Leadership, Praeger, Westport. Coulson, A 2009, ‘Targets and terror: Government by performance indicators’, Local Government Studies, vol. 35 no. 2, pp. 271-281. Crosby, B Bryson, J 2005, Leadership for the common good: tackling public problems in a shared-power world, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco. Currie, G Lockett, A 2007, ‘A critique of transformational leadership: moral, professional and contingent dimensions of leadership within public services organizations’, Human Relations, vol. 60 no. 2, pp. 341-3 70. Currie, G, Boyett, I Suhomlinova, S 2005, ‘Transformational leadership within secondary schools in England: a panacea for organizational ills?’, Public Administration, vol. 83 no.2, pp. 265-296. De Bruijn, H 2001, Managing performance in the public sector, Routledge, London. Flessa, J 2009, ‘Educational micropolitics and distributed leadership’, Journal of Education, vol. 84 no. 6, pp. 331-349. Gronn, P 2002, ‘A Realist View of Leadership’, Paper presented at the ELO-AusAsiaon-line conference, August 6th–22nd, pp. 1-15. Harris, A 2005, Leading from the chalk-face? An overview of school leadership’, Leadership, vol. 1 no. 1, pp. 73-87. Hartley, D 2007, ‘The emergence of distributed leadership in education: why now?’, British Journal of Educational Studies, vol. 55 no. 2, pp. 202-214. Hartley, J Allison, M 2000, ‘The role of leadership in the modernization and improvement of public services’, Public M oney Management, vol. 20 no. 2, pp. 35-40. Heck, R and Hallinger, P 2005, ‘The study of educational leadership and management’, Educational Management, Administration and Leadership, vol. 33 no. 2, pp. 229-244. Hennessey, J 1998, ‘Reinventing government: does leadership make the difference?’ Public Administration Review, vol. 58 no. 6, pp. 522-532. Hodgson, L, Farrell, C and Connolly, M 2007, ‘Improving UK Public Services – A review of the evidence’, Public Administration, vol. 85 no. 20, pp. 355-382. Ingraham, P and Van Slyke, D 2006, ‘The path ahead for public service leadership’, The American Review of Public Administration, vol. 36 no.4, pp. 392-394. Jackson, D 2000, ‘The school improvement journey: Perspectives on leadership’, School Leadership and Management, vol. 20 no. 1, pp. 61-79. Jas, P Skelcher, 2005, ‘Performance decline and turnaround in public sector organisations: A theoretical and empiri cal analysis’, British Journal of Management, vol. 16 no. 3, pp. 195-210. Jones, S 2004, ‘Improving local government: One step forward not two steps back’, Public Money and Management, vol. 24 no. 1, pp. 47-55. Martin, G, Currie, G Finn, R 2009, ‘Leadership, service reform, and public-service networks: the case of cancer-genetics pilots in the English NHS’, Journal of Public Administration Research Theory, vol. 19 no. 4, pp. 769-794. Muijs, D and Harris, A 2007, ‘Teacher leadership in (in)action: three case studies of contrasting schools’, Educational Management Administration and Leadership, vol. 35 no. 1, pp. 111-134. Osborne, D 2007, ‘Reinventing government: What a difference a strategy makes’, 7th Global Forum on Reinventing Government, 26-29 June, Vienna, Austria, pp. 1-15. Pollitt, C 2009, ‘Structural change and public service performance: International lessons?’, Public Money and Management, vol. 29 no. 5, pp. 285-291. Pollitt, C and Bouckaert, G 2004, Public management reform: a comparative analysis, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Spillane, J, Halverson, R Diamond, J 2001, ‘Investigating school leadership practice: a distributed perspective’, Educational Researcher, vol. 30 no. 4, pp. 23-28. Theil, S Leeuw, F 2002, ‘The performance paradox in the public sector’, Public Performance and Management Review, vol. 25 no. 3, pp. 267-281. Walker, D 2001, ‘Great expectations: can social science evaluate New Labour’s policies?’ Evaluation, vol. 7 no. 3, pp. 305-330. Walshe, K, Harvey, G, Skelcher, C Jes, P 2009, Could do better? Knowledge, learning and performance improvement in public services. Web. Footnotes 1 Blackshire Police force was a county force that had stable leadership for decades. After the passing of its leader, the institution experienced a period of turmoil where they recorded poor performance management, as assessed throug h HMIC. Later, they got a stronger leader who involved members in organizational decisions. 2 Her Majestys Inspectorate of Constabulary

How to Write a Good English Essay

How to Write a Good English Essay How to Write a Good English Essay As easy as it might for some people to write good English essays, there are others who do not know how to go about writing an essay that will earn them top grades. There are many things that have to be considered when writing a good essay on any subject. Do you want to know how to make a good English essay? Here are some tips that will help you write an A+ kind of essay for your English course. Before you sit down to write your essay, you have to have been prepared. Proper preparation includes making sure that you have all the materials you need to write a good essay. These materials are not just the usual pen and paper, but well researched information as well. When you are well prepared to write your essay, you will be able to write confidently and this will help you write an excellent English term paper. The writing process for an English essay starts with writing a good topic. A good topic should be unique, brief and well phrased. All essays have to have an introductory part. This is where you tell your reader shat the essay is all about. The introduction explains the topic and defines the relevant terms. Brevity and creativity are important aspects of any good introduction. a good English essay should have a well organized body. All the major points related to your topic should be discussed in the body. The body should be divided into paragraphs, each of which should cover different points. The essay should also have a conclusion where you end by summarizing all the main points covered in the paper. A good English essay should be free from grammatical errors. Make sure that you follow all the instructions that you will be given if you want to earn maximum points in the essay.

Sexually Transmitted Disease Brochure Assignment

Sexually Transmitted Disease Brochure - Assignment Example Syphilis cannot be transmitted through physical contact with eating utensils, shared clothing, bathtubs, swimming pools or toilet seats. Primary stage: This is the first stage of the disease may be characterized by single or multiple sores that are painless, round and firm in nature. The sores resemble the point of entry of the disease. Secondary stage: One may have oral, anal or vaginal sores and skin rashes at the same time. This stage begins with with one or many rashes on the body. These rashes may appear several weeks after the primary sore is healed. The rash may appear as rough, red spots on the bottom of the feet or the palm of the hands. This does not necessarily itch and thus may go unnoticed. This may present together with other symptoms such as swollen lymph nodes, fever, patchy hair loss, weight loss, sore throat, headaches, fatigue and muscle aches. Symptoms may disappear regardless of treatment or not. The infection will proceed to the latent stage without the right treatment. Latent stages: The latent stage starts when the early signs and symptoms disappear. Without the right treatment one may continue to harbor the syphilis bacterium in their body for years without showing any signs and symptoms. Most individuals with untreated syphilis do not go to the late stage of the disease. However, when they proceed to the late stage, the disease is very serious. Late stages: This may present after 10 to 30 years from the initial day of infection. The symptoms are severe and include paralysis, numbness, blindness, dementia and difficulty coordinating muscle movements. The disease may damage internal organs and may result in death. Pathology of syphilis: The bacterium responsible for syphilis is called Treponema pallidum. For the transmission to take place there almost needs to be direct contact with the infectious sore. The bacterium quickly penetrates the

WWII, Holocaust, Cold War, and Postmodernism Coursework - 1

WWII, Holocaust, Cold War, and Postmodernism - Coursework Example The paper "WWII, Holocaust, Cold War, and Postmodernism" analyzes the holocaust, the cold war, and world war II and their connection with postmodernism. The United States did not get on board with World War II unless it absolutely had to fight back against one of the Axis Powers, which was Japan. During the Holocaust, this atrocity might not have occurred if more people would have defended the rights of human beings to live and coexist peacefully with people from other religious backgrounds, faith traditions, ethnicities, and ability levels. There were numerous people that were murdered due to the fact that the Germans considered them â€Å"undesirable.† The groups included in the undesirable category cut through a wide swath of people, not just limited to the Jewish people—but also extended to the Gypsies (also known as the Roma or Romani), disabled individuals, individuals with birth defects, homosexuals, Communists, artists, poets, musicians, writers, and anyone else who was considered â€Å"subhuman.† It is very common knowledge that the Germans were ruthless in their treatment of the concentration camp prisoners, for the most part. Elie Wiesel, in his book Night, describes how the blue smoke of the children rose up from the crematories. He describes how he will never forget that night, not as long as he lived, and basically until the death of God himself he promised never to forget. In a way, his writing symbolized a kind of spiritual death as one sees his hopes and dreams turned to dust.

Select two manufacturing multinational firms (one from the US, one Essay

Select two manufacturing multinational firms (one from the US, one from Europe) and select two services multinational firms (one - Essay Example The discussion shall compare and contrast the internationalization process of the both sectors by discussing representative multinationals from the continents. Internationalization is perceived to be the process of enhancing organizational involvement in the international market. Unilever is based in United Kingdom and Netherlands. Unilever has an international presence lasting for decades. The internalization of the manufacturing multinational has been driven by renowned imperatives. They include growth, knowledge, efficiency, globalization of consumers and competitors. The company has a market presence in more than 150 countries and over 220, 000 employees. The company has been labeled as both multi-local and multinational because of a heavy presence in the domestic and international markets. The internationalizations strategy involved adapting local market differences. The strategic team targeted the optimal locations for product launches and resources in the foreign markets. Unli ke the internationalization plan for Barclays which involved joint-ventures with domestic firms, Unilever embarked majorly on acquisitions to expand the sphere of influence (Edwards & Rees 2006). The management believed that the company needed to have a direct response to the customers through production of superior products (Altinay & Roper 2007). A telling example is in Latin America where Unilever used the ULA strategy. The Unilever Latin America) strategy involved implementation of common processes, innovation and leadership. This caused the multinational to become the market leader in four countries in the region. However, when it came to opening branches, the Unilever tends to have shared a similar strategy with Barclays. Unilever has head offices in every foreign market location (Hill 2002). These regional branches are semi-autonomous (Boome & Riley 2011). The top level management of the multinational has been trying to review the strategy because extreme decentralizations ha ve been counterproductive in the internalization process. The strategic team is targeting the emerging and developing markets in the internationalization plan. In manufacturing sector it is easier to develop products tailored for consumers than in service sector. Therefore, the multination has been able to target different income groups (Boome & Riley 2011). Barclay’s depended on intermediaries in many emerging markets. This means most of the branches were stationed in major urban centers, where infrastructure supported. Unilever believes that a seamless international development would be effective (Altinay & Roper 2007). This company hopes to use technology to synchronize data and automate systems. The management has been countering threats in specific domestic markets while rolling out internationalization strategy. Some of the solutions have been obtained through transplant learning. Unilever has ensures that the retail stores are close the end user. Internationalization p rocess must address the complexities that arise from ineffective supply chains (Battilossi & Cassis 2002). Banking sectors in heavily dependent of technology. Barclays has been affected be unhealthy foreign laws and extreme exchange rates. Studies show that banking sectors is subject to multiple regulations (Boome & Riley 2011). Unilever has established a rapport with consumers directly.

Euthyphro (Platos Early Dialogues) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Euthyphro (Platos Early Dialogues) - Essay Example Does God call something right or moral because it is right or moral or does is something right or moral because God calls it moral? Therefore, if God calls an act moral because it is moral, then morality or goodness will be seen as priori to Gods Command and thus, it is independent of God. On the other hand, if an act is moral because God says it is moral or right, then it implies that whatever God says it is right (Hamilton and Cairns 37). In addition, this also implies that Gods command of what is moral is arbitrary since the same God could have willed contrary commands. The dialogue presents the challenge that was intended to make us think about the nature of morality. Therefore, when Socrates asks Euthyphro about his definition of the word piety, Euthyphro was required to identify the nature of virtue or morality by establishing on what ground does morality or virtue stand on. It is difficult for an atheist to discover the ground on which morality stands on because they claim tha t they can have ethics or morals without God. Certainly, an atheist can behave in a way that people perceive moral or good but it is really hard to define what the term ultimately means (Plato 10a). It may imply complying with objective standard of morality or good, a policy or law given by legitimate authority without involving a transcendent law maker-the gods. This means that there can be no transcendent law maker and no corresponding duty to be good. Most Christians oppose the argument that there is an arbitrary role of God’s power and rejects the idea that there is no law or policy over God. Then, where does morality stands? Morality can be said to be grounded in the divine and immutable character of God who is perfectly good in that his commands are not whims but planted in his holiness. Christians argue that any bad things that happen are not commanded by God because his character is that he is holy and merciful. For Christians, morality is rooted in God’s chara cter which expresses itself in the commands of God and it is not above him. In sum, whatever is good is always commanded by God not that it is good so that God commands it to be good (Cooper 41). Christians argue that God ultimately determines the pious or morality and that the commands of God are expression of his desires and will for what human beings ought to do. This is because such argument presents a metaphysical foundation of piety or morality. Human beings need to be committed to the existence of moral truths in order for them to live in accordance with the will of God. This means the existence of moral truths for people since they have moral obligation to obey what God commands. This is so because Christians believe that their moral obligation comes from God in form of commands. Thus, people ought to be moral because they are morally accountable to God in that those people who do not obey him will be punished and good people will receive rewards (Plato 10b). Plato’s dialogue regarding the nature of morality or goodness is still being raised even today as a challenge to Christianity in that many Christians ask themselves is an action or act good or right because God says it is right or does god say it is good or right because the act is right. The Euthyphro dilemma is traced in

Globalisation Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Globalisation - Literature review Example This essay attempts to describe globalization process by highlighting, evaluating and analyzing various definitions. Globalization is a global process and a revolution concept including economic integration, policy sharing, knowledge sharing, cultural stability, reproduction, relations and discourses of power or may sometimes be variously described as a progress, development, stabilization, integration, cooperation or perhaps regression, colonialism and destabilization. Globalization is a concept that requires careful and critical examination since sharp and enlightening definition boosts perception, is interesting and empowers people with knowledge deemed important in shaping up society’s destiny. It is worth noting that most of the intellectual imaginations have been gripped by the concept of globalization. Scholars and lay circle have commonly pursue a perception that globalization is an analytical prerequisite used in appreciating continuousness and adjustment of contempor ary society. Presently, the term has really spawned a lot of confrontational and highly intuitive annotation (Dreher, Gaston and Martens 2008, p. 14-17). ... This further signifies the impact of the contemporary social relation and the fact that there is a common and new character shared within the society because of the relevancy and the context of the term to the society. In academic, various disciplines have incorporated the word globalization in their studies and event tried to relate numerous phenomenon with it. Also, it has been applicable in several theoretical approaches as well as political spectrum across the world thus symbolizing its usefulness in the society (Meerhaeghe 2012, p. 239-45). It is undeniable that the idea of globalization remains absolutely indescribable as it is inescapable and that as much as it means something crucial, surety about what that vital thing is remains unknown. As much it is widely used, it seems that globalization do not have cogent conceptualization to qualify it being treated as a serious scholarly issue (Dreher, Gaston and Martens 2008, p. 14-17). In fact, the poor conceptualization has borne p ersistent ambiguity and confusion resulting into a bunch of objectors with suspicious motives or even the notion of intellectual laziness. The current confusion of the term is as a result of failure to engender convincing understanding that do not relate with other concepts as it is evident in some of the definitions including globalization as internalization, liberalization, universalization and westernization. Globalization as Internationalization By terming globalization as internalization it implies enhancement of transactions and interdependence amongst countries and therefore a more global world is characterized by more ideas, information, merchandise, finances and investments. Bishop, Reinke and Adams (2011, p.

Wk2multicult Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Wk2multicult - Essay Example I think this would impact my work because I am not sure how I would deal with a gay or lesbian couple coming to my offices who want to get married. I do not know how I would counsel them exactly because of what I have been taught. Bohan (1996) states that marriage is a part of "heterosexual privilege". She says when people are married they are able to have public support and acceptance of your marriage, paid leave when your spouse dies and you are grieving the loss, paid leave if you are having a crisis in your family or if the spouse is ill and immediate access to your spouse if they are in the hospital or something happens to them (p. 40). What I realize about this is that this seems to be what people need who love each other and perhaps it does not matter how that love is consummated, but it is only fair that gays and lesbians who love each other should have the same privileges that heterosexual couples have even if they do not call it "marriage." The way that I would address this challenge is to find out more information in this area. I would need to study more. In the area of marriage, there are many states that have already legalized marriage. In fact, Washington, D.C., is the most recent state that is in the process of legalizing gay marriage. I can see that I will need to understand this from a human interest level rather than from a personal level if I am to counsel this group. Socioeconomic status. I do alright. My parents were middle class and worked most o their life. My mother is a teacher and my father is a chemist. I relate to all type of people, especially those who have little income; I want to help. Because I come from a family that was Jewish we were taught traditional values. This has been both a blessing and a curse for me at times. I believe in the traditions and I feel they work to help us understand who we are better than some cultures. We also know what we are supposed to do according to the Torah.

Globalisation Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Globalisation - Literature review Example This essay attempts to describe globalization process by highlighting, evaluating and analyzing various definitions. Globalization is a global process and a revolution concept including economic integration, policy sharing, knowledge sharing, cultural stability, reproduction, relations and discourses of power or may sometimes be variously described as a progress, development, stabilization, integration, cooperation or perhaps regression, colonialism and destabilization. Globalization is a concept that requires careful and critical examination since sharp and enlightening definition boosts perception, is interesting and empowers people with knowledge deemed important in shaping up society’s destiny. It is worth noting that most of the intellectual imaginations have been gripped by the concept of globalization. Scholars and lay circle have commonly pursue a perception that globalization is an analytical prerequisite used in appreciating continuousness and adjustment of contempor ary society. Presently, the term has really spawned a lot of confrontational and highly intuitive annotation (Dreher, Gaston and Martens 2008, p. 14-17). ... This further signifies the impact of the contemporary social relation and the fact that there is a common and new character shared within the society because of the relevancy and the context of the term to the society. In academic, various disciplines have incorporated the word globalization in their studies and event tried to relate numerous phenomenon with it. Also, it has been applicable in several theoretical approaches as well as political spectrum across the world thus symbolizing its usefulness in the society (Meerhaeghe 2012, p. 239-45). It is undeniable that the idea of globalization remains absolutely indescribable as it is inescapable and that as much as it means something crucial, surety about what that vital thing is remains unknown. As much it is widely used, it seems that globalization do not have cogent conceptualization to qualify it being treated as a serious scholarly issue (Dreher, Gaston and Martens 2008, p. 14-17). In fact, the poor conceptualization has borne p ersistent ambiguity and confusion resulting into a bunch of objectors with suspicious motives or even the notion of intellectual laziness. The current confusion of the term is as a result of failure to engender convincing understanding that do not relate with other concepts as it is evident in some of the definitions including globalization as internalization, liberalization, universalization and westernization. Globalization as Internationalization By terming globalization as internalization it implies enhancement of transactions and interdependence amongst countries and therefore a more global world is characterized by more ideas, information, merchandise, finances and investments. Bishop, Reinke and Adams (2011, p.

The Alamo 1877 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Alamo 1877 - Essay Example The Alamo became a battlefield between the Texan volunteer forces and the Mexican army troops in 1836. Before that in 1835 the Mexican army after taking over the church, changed it into a fort but was defeated by immigrant settlers and natives of Texas. This historical war for independence was fought with exemplary bravery against odds of limited number of soldiers sacrificing their lives, fighting against a powerful Mexican army. William Barett Travis – the leading hero of the war fought a heroic battle against Santa Anna’s powerful Mexican army – made an appeal to his people in one of his letters from the Alamo in 1836 for support. â€Å"I shall never surrender or retreat. Then, I call on you in the name of Liberty, of patriotism, and everything dear to the American character, to come to our aid with all dispatch. ...† proclaiming â€Å"VICTORY OR DEATH† (Page 2 William Barrett Travis Letter from the Alamo, 1836). As no support reached at the site of battle, Santa Anna’s army attacked resulting in the death of the saviors of the Alamo. This historic fight took place on February 20, 1835. About 150 Texas fighters, under the command of William B. Travis got ready to save San Antonio fort – the Alamo – opposing Mexican General Santa Anna’s largely over-competitive army. Background: Since 1835, the Texans had been on a winning spree. Most of the Mexican army had left with the elimination of their garrison. As most of the volunteers of the war had returned back home thinking that war was over, the fight on the Alamo was still not over. There was lack of unity in the provisional government; as a result no fast supplies could be rushed to the Alamo. In this context, the message of the letter written by William B. Travis was important. There were only 100 fighters in January under the command of James C. Neil; about twenty five volunteers led by James Bowie joined later. William B. Travis reached the Alamo on February 3

Understand Person Centred Approaches Essay Example for Free

Understand Person Centred Approaches Essay Outcome 1- Understand centred approaches for care and support. T/C 1.1 + DIP 1 person centred values means the people who we have supported are able to be involved and are included in every way aspect of their care and support an example may be their needs, assessments, care and delivery + support planning. T/C 1.2 + DIP 2 Its important to work in a way that embeds person centred values because care practices should always put the people who we support at the centre of day to day activities as well as including the individuals and their families in the planning and maintaining o this. You are not there just to meet there physical needs but to maintain their sense of being a person and their identity. You should always listen to the service user, despite any difficulties understand their needs, wishes and preferences. DIP 3 Taking risks means you are able to choose and be in control of what you do. You need to ensure that a concern about risk taking is not stopping you living the way you want to. A risk assessment can always be carried out to see if it is possible for someone to do something that that they thought would not be acceptable. DIP 4 individuals care plans do contribute to working in a person centred way as in their care plan it will state all of the following in a person centred way: Individuals view regarding their needs and circumstances. Read more:  Understand Person Centred Approaches Essay Priorities and needs the person considers being the most important. Individuals strengths, interests likes and dislikes.  The way the individual prefers to have their needs met.  People who are important to and contribute to the persons life and provide their support network. Outcome 2 – Understand how to implement a person centred approach in adult social care settings. T/C 2.1 + DIP 1 You can find out the history, preferences, wishes and needs of an individual is by talking to them, how they would like to live, how they like to be treated. Talk to families or advocates. Talk to professionals involved in individual’s life such as doctors or nurses. T/C 2.2+DIP 2 I would follow the principles of person centred care. This will aim to see the person as an individual rather than on their illness or abilities the may have. Person centred care also means treating the individual with dignity and respect. Individuality Rights Privacy Dignity Respect Independence. T/C 2.3 A care plan is a written document that details the day to day requirements and preferences for care and support for the individual working with person centred way, this is about promoting independence and what they need and want. When a care plan is written it involves the user what they want or need, like or dislike. That’s why the care plan contributes a person centred approach of caring. Outcome 3 Understand the importance of establishing consent when providing care or support T/C 3.1 consent is an agreement to an action, i.e. agreeing to have a bath or shower. 3.2 + DIP 1 Consent when providing care or support not only protects social care and health providers against legal challenge it also is vital because of rights of the person and the importance of recognising that people should determine when being treated with dignity and respect. Ensuring people are in an agreement with support care tasks. Also understanding the information they are given to make choices of their own. T/C 3.3 + DIP 2 to establish consent to undertake an action or activity with an individual you must insure that you: Understand the person’s needs and circumstances in a relation to capacity and decision making.

Voltaire Essay -- essays research papers

Voltaire was a talented, assertive, and controversial French writer from the eighteenth century enlightenment period. He was born in 1694 to a wealthy family in Paris, and given the name Francois-Marie Arouet. During the early years of his life Voltaire endured many hardships. For instance, his mother passed away when he was seven leaving only his father and older brother to raise him. Unfortunately, this added insult to injury as Voltaire despised both his father and brother. Nevertheless, Voltaire's determination allowed him to rise above his early misfortunes, and he later went on to pursue college at the College of Louis-le-Grand in Paris. Once there he studied literature, despite his father's wishes that he pursue a carreer in law. It was during this stretch of the young writer's life he first voiced his oppositions on the established church and government in France. By the young age of twenty two Voltaire was exhiled to Sully-sur-Loire for writing a satire of the Duke of Orleans, the ruling regent of France. Voltaire's bouts with those in power continued throughout most his life. In fact, he was subject to brief spells in prison on more than one occasion for aggrevating the reigning Monarch. Despite French governmental attempts to deter or imprison him, Voltaire went on to become an exeptional philosopher, author, and leading figure of the enlightenment The overall message of "Candide" is that every human being has the p...

The Character of Hagar in The Stone Angel Essay -- Stone Angel

The Character of Hagar in The Stone Angel Death is a subject that everyone fears because they associate death with their end and not a new beginning. In The Stone Angel, by Margaret Laurence, Hagar is no different. When she faces the reality of the implications of growing old she is faced with a journey, not one of her choice but one of destiny. Through her journey Hagar goes through the five different stages leading up towards death: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and finally acceptance. The novel demonstrates each of Hagar's steps along the difficult journey of death which is frightening and intimidating but also inevitable. When Hagar is first faced with the truth that she is getting old and not going to be around much longer, her first reaction is one of denial. Hagar cannot believe that this is happening to her. In her mind she more or less associates death as a horrible nightmare of which she will eventually wake up and everything will be a dream and life will return back to normal. Hagar's denial can be seen when she describes herself: "Because I cannot remember doing it nor yet recall definitely not doing it...I become flustered" (Laurence, 30). Hagar's greatest difficulty is that her memory is failing her and this infuriates her more than anything else but it also allows her to create an illusion that everything will be fine. Hagar makes herself believe that this cannot be happening: "Then, terribly, I perceive the tears, my own they must be although they have sprung so unbidden I feel they are like the incontinent wetness of the infirm. Trickling, they taunt down my face. I dismiss them, blaspheme against them - let them be gone. But I have spoken and they are still there" (Laurence, 31). Haga... ...s woman, Hagar, who is determined to leave the world dependent on no one. Hagar does not want anyone to feel pity for her, mourn her or worry about her journey. Hagar accomplishes her goal, even though in the process she has to shatter her illusion and accept the harsh facts about life and reality. In the final scene, the reader obtains the message that Hagar has reached her independence when she holds the glass of water. As a result she can leave the world peacefully knowing that in the end she succeeded in freeing herself of any help. Hagar bravely survived her last moments with her heart and the reward of satisfaction. The reader, with the help of the author, can relate to Hagar's struggle through her journey, sympathizing with her, feeling her pain and keeping a part of her with them. Works Cited: Laurence, Margaret. The Stone Angel. New York: Knopf, 1964