Film Study of the Blind Side

The Blind Side depended on the life of Michael Oher a high school African American kid whose mother was fighting medication and liquor addictions, in the undertakings of Memphis Tennessee. Mike as he is know in the film was in child care a few times and consistently fled to his Mother, feeling that nobody would ever cherish him the manner in which his Mother could, even with her continuous habit. Mike frequently dozed at his dads companions home, yet even he was unable to give Mike the help that he wanted. He would wash his garments in the sink at the nearby clothing mat, and regularly needed to take food from the neighborhood corner store just to survive.When his lone guardian whose lounge chair Michael dozed on consistently took his own child to a private Christian school to attempt to get him grant to play ball, the mentor of the b-ball and football crew saw Michael playing and offered to attempt to get him a grant too. A lot to the disappointment of the board Coach Cotton had the option to persuade them to acknowledge Mike on grant. In his initial scarcely any long stretches of participation at Wingate Christian School Mike strolled and took the transport as well and from school, until Thanksgiving night a family driving home from a school play saw Mike strolling home in the downpour with no coat.This would be a significant defining moment for Michael’s sentiments of failing to be needed or cherished. The Tuohys a high society white family observed Michael strolling and Leigh Ann requested that her better half Sean pull the vehicle over so she could proceed to converse with him. Throughout the following a little while the Tuohy family offered Mike a spot to rest, new and clean garments, and a family that thought about him the manner in which a family should. The Tuohys had 2 other youngsters S. J an immature kid with an adoration for football and Lily additionally know as Collins.When companions of the Tuohys discovered that Michael was living with t hem they were so shut disapproved of that they said they were stressed over Collins prosperity and wellbeing. Leigh Anne at that point needed Michael to turn into a lasting individual from their family and acquired legitimate guardianship of Michael. It wasn’t up to that point that she learned of Michael’s less than stellar scores and family circumstance. As they became acquainted with Michael increasingly more they saw his latent capacity and helped him make the football crew, S. J was a key job, showing Michael the intricate details of everything football.In his senior year Michaels enormity pulled in the similarity of a few diverse school football crews who needed to offer Michael full football grants. They at that point understood that Michael needed to get his GPA up so as to have the option to go to school. The Tuohys at that point recruited a private mentor Miss. Sue who shared an adoration for Ole Miss football similarly as large as their own. Miss. Sue helped Michael understand that he had potential for being incredible. During the pursuing between football crews, Michael had concluded that he needed to play for Ole Miss similarly as his embraced father had.Michael would graduate and afterward become engaged with the NCAA examination, where the NCAA would scrutinize his thinking to go to Ole Miss on account of gifts that were given by the Tuohys throughout the years. At long last Michael and Miss Sue would both go to Ole Miss, Miss. Sue as his very own mentor. Michael Oher would then proceed to be drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the draft. The film The Blind Side was both dependent on a genuine story, and furthermore a book that was composed by Michael Lewis in 2006. The film was discharged in 2009 and immediately turned into a hit and a motivation to encourage youngsters around the country.According to Michael Oher, the film was not totally as it occurred, for instance S. J didn’t need to show him the intric ate details of football, he had a deep understanding of football before he came to live with the Tuohys. In any case, generally the film was exact over all. In one scene Leigh Anne was eating with her companions at a top of the line café, her companions scrutinized her thinking for taking Michael in with racial suggestions, and improper remarks. I have by and by been to the Deep South and the Midwest appears to fit this job better, gaudy over favored white ladies with a chip on their shoulder.I feel as though this scene would have been all the more generally precise 20 years back, however there are racially harsh individuals all finished, some simply shroud their inhumanity superior to other people. Another scene was the place in Michael’s first football match-up, the officials just tossed hails on plays that he made, when there was no purpose behind a banner to be tossed. This I feel is exceptionally exact truly, football and the South are connected at the hip, and anything strange or anything that compromises a group won't go ignored by anyone.The refs probably felt that Michael had a bit of leeway over different players since he was African American, not realizing that half a month earlier Michael couldn’t even tackle another player, and still needed to believe that the individual he was to handle was a danger to his family. Subsequent to perusing various audits from this film, I’ve picked two distinct surveys one from the Washington Post and the other from Variety. Each survey gives the film at any rate 3 out of 4 stars yet for various reasons. Initially the WashingtonPost. om, they gave the film 3 out of 4 beginnings, yet open the survey with a negative perspective on the notices for the film â€Å"There's been something off-putting about the promotion battle for â€Å"The Blind Side,† a show about a white lady who embraces an African American secondary school understudy, from trailers dealing in almost every alarming African American generalization in motion pictures (from the Magical Negro to the sullen low-level administrator), to banners including the disparaging picture of Sandra Bullock delicately driving her approaching, delicate goliath of a child down a football field. The Washington Post feels that The Blind Side works admirably of delineating Oher's favorable circumstances and the Tuohys capacity to cross-racial limits in the Deep South. The following survey from Variety. com just observed the great parts of the film and gave it 4 out of 4 stars. â€Å"It's hard to envision whatever could long obstruct or contain the power of nature that is Leigh Anne Tuohy, the feisty Memphis beauty played by Bullock with equivalent proportions of sour backtalk, steel-willed metal and audacious sentiment.Bullock is completely persuading in the job †directly down to her tenable highlight and the blonding of her typically earthy colored tresses †and she's not hesitant to once in a while keep auds sp eculating regarding whether Leigh Ann's activities are driven by a kind nature or an impulse of iron. † Variety considers Leigh To be as a caring foster/assenting mother, who in spite of her societal position and her apparently extreme outside discovers it in her heart to take Michael in and acknowledge him as one of her own.The just negative remark they have about this film is that it appears as though nothing would ever turn out badly until the last piece of the film, I guess they considered this to be as a rule marginally excessively idealistic in a world loaded up with worry warts. This film is an ideal decision as it relates such a great amount to this class, in addition to the fact that it covers bigotry it shows that those limits can be tossed out totally. A white privileged family who takes in an African American kid appears as though something that would be straight out of a book; to cross such a profound seeded line took mental fortitude and assurance with respect to the Tuohy family.They were pleased with what they did and what michael's identity was/is as an individual and didn’t decide to consider him to be a shading yet as a high school kid who required assistance, their assistance. If at any point there was an account of over coming ones foundation this is it. This film is an incredible method to show youngsters that individuals are individuals regardless of the shade of their skin, and that everybody ought to have a family who thinks about them regardless. This would really be an extraordinary segment to have in the course reading about rising above racial hindrances, and over coming generalizations, and it’s a genuine story to top it off.Both my significant other and I watched this film and on a few events we both gushed, it’s one of those motion pictures that simply cause you to feel great, and make you need to do great. There were a few scenes that made this film extraordinary and picking only two or three them has taken cautious thought on my part. The primary scene that truly hit me the hardest was when Big Mike was strolling down a dim coming down road and the Tuohys were driving home from the play on Thanksgiving, they saw him without a coat strolling in the cold.Leigh Anne disclosed to her better half to stop the vehicle and she got out to ask him where he was going and on the off chance that he had a spot to remain, subsequent to making sense of that he was destitute she instructed him to get in the vehicle and that he was accompanying them. I know there are some numerous children out there whose guardians basically don’t care about them and they need to raise themselves, however observing it and realizing it are two unique things. I can sincerely say that on the off chance that I was in this circumstance I would have done likewise and I realize that my significant other would ensure I did.The next scene is toward the finish of the film when they carried Michael to Ole Miss to be gin his first semester of school, Leigh Anne was too solid to even think about asking Michael for an embrace, and she didn’t need him to see her cry so she gave him a gesture and a slight side embrace and advised everybody to state their farewells and she strolled back to their vehicle, Michael at that point took a gander at Sean and asked him what was wrong, he answered â€Å"She’s like an onion you need to chime back her layers slowly†.Hearing this Michael at that point strolled over to the vehicle and said to her â€Å"Momma, I need a legitimate embrace. †. This is the one scene that got me to gush, I know how it feels to need to show a gentler side yet not have the mental fortitude to show it. I face this consistently with my two children, so to see somebody being so uncovered and helpless was an ideal method to end this film. I truly feel that this film is a for every

Discussion Replies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

Conversation Replies - Essay Example From this, we can reason that change in political procedure and innovation is having and will keep on having a significantly sway on war undertakings and standards which may result to its insurgency. Since old occasions, standards of war have been characterized to as a lot of rules that guides the military in settling on choices while in the front line. In spite of the fact that these standards are as yet being applied, they have been impressively spinning because of changing innovation and the manner in which individuals do fighting as of now. For example examine directed as of late by the assembled inquire about focus demonstrated that changing nature of war, particularly in the Middle East, is creating a relating change in strategies and examples the military are utilizing in order to file their goal.( Claus, 2003) As per another examination it was laid out that the rules that are rotating and are well on the way to change later on incorporate the standard of effortlessness, pursue, and solidarity of order. This is because of headway in innovation that powers the military to change their strategies and examples. (Thump, 2001) However, notwithstanding the way that these standards may transform, it is far-fetched that new standards will be created. This is because of the way that current guideline have been demonstrated to be generally productive and successful during fighting and just slight modification are required for it to fit in any age. Convincingly, war will never be total since differences among states will consistently exist and extremists will propagate constantly it until the day they document their narrow minded procedures and objectives. The main things that may change is the methodology where the military or States will use during war charge. Likewise headway in innovation will drive the military to alter the previously existing standards to file their set goal adequately. In the primary post

Blog Archive HomeMade Modern Founder Ben Uyeda Shares Why Building Things by Hand Is Underappreciated

Blog Archive HomeMade Modern Founder Ben Uyeda Shares Why Building Things by Hand Is Underappreciated Today, many aspiring MBAs and MBA graduates want to join start-ups or launch such companies themselves. Is entrepreneurship as exciting as it seems? Is it really for you? mbaMission Founder Jeremy Shinewald has teamed up with Venture for America and CBS Interactive  to launch  Smart People Should Build Things: The Venture for America Podcast. Each week, Shinewald interviews another entrepreneur so you can hear the gritty stories of their ups and downs on the road to success. Ben Uyeda has had a love for craftsmanship since he was a young boy, and he was determined to let others take advantage of his tips on building things. His inspiration took the form of YouTubeâ€"as it often does these daysâ€"where Uyeda launched his DIY channel HomeMade Modern. In addition to his helpful and innovative videos, Uyeda is the founder of Free Green (which offers home design plans free of charge), the owner of architecture design firm ZeroEnergy Design, and a visiting lecturer at Northeastern University. And that is only the tip of the iceberg! Tune in to the podcast episode to hear what else Uyeda is doing, in addition to these stories: How the modest circumstances of his upbringing made him more resourcefulâ€"resulting in such projects as a sword made out of old car parts, which he created at the age of 11 What role martial arts and TED Talks have played in Uyeda’s career path Why his expertise in building things seemed more important than viewership and production value in the early days of his DIY channel Subscribe to the podcast series today to hear each entrepreneurial success story! Share ThisTweet News

Fog of War Essay - 1310 Words

Ryan McManus Vietnam Film 2/29/12 The Fog of War In the opening scenes of the documentary, The Fog of War, Robert McNamara states, â€Å"Any military commander who is honest admits that he has made mistakes, errors of judgment.† Throughout the documentary, I got the sense that McNamara is asking for forgiveness from the American public and is telling them that he wishes things went differently. There are many times throughout the film that McNamara is a sympathetic figure, but they are mainly towards the deaths and tragedies of the American people and soldiers, and less on the tragedies of the Vietnamese. As the Secretary of Defense, serving underneath the rule of the President, McNamara was not and should not have been critical of the†¦show more content†¦McNamara sympathizes with the Japanese who had to experience this disaster and he knows that it was not in the best interest for anyone to take such extreme measures. Another sign of sympathy from McNamara was when he spoke of the tragic suicide of Norman Morrison, which occurred directly below McNamara’s office outside the Pentagon. This act was a very difficult experience for McNamara and the American public to swallow. McNamara’s emotions while telling the story showed his deep sorrow for Morrison’s family and all his supporters, knowing well that McNamara himself was the reason for the civil unrest. McNamara wishes that war did not have to be so grueling but he also knows that â€Å"in order to do good, you may have to engage in evil.† The documentary is structured around the eleven lessons learned throughout WWII and the Vietnam War. Although they were obvious to McNamara after the fact, the lessons were not so clear in the midst of fog. Failing to apply the majority of the lessons learned set the United States up for a total disaster and one that would haunt the American people for years. One particular lesson that was not applied was: Empathize with your enemy. Vietnamese and Amer ican cultures and motives could not be more different; and at the time could not have been more misunderstood, by both sides. In the Vietnamese eyes’, the Americans were trying to pick up where the FrenchShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Movie The Fog Of War 1472 Words   |  6 PagesIn the Fog of War, Former Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara recounted his experiences when serving for both the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. Throughout the film he shared eleven lessons that he learned as a result of the war and politics. The lessons range from empathizing with one s enemy to the fact we cannot change human nature. This essay will discuss some of McNamara’s lessons and how they illustrated institutions, bargaining, cooperation, power and sovereignty. 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I personally thought the movie was a tad bit on the boring side, but it was a documentary after all. The Fog of War was a very informative piece of work. During Errol Morris s documentary, The Fog of War, ElevenRead MoreRobert McNamaras Eleven Lessons in The Fog of War and the Ongoing Conflict in Libya1333 Words   |  6 Pagesbetween Robert McNamara’s Eleven Lessons in â€Å"The Fog of War† and the ongoing conflict in Libya. In â€Å"The Fog of War†, Robert McNamara breaks down 11 vital lessons he learned about war from the Vietnam War. When looking at the current Libyan situation, these lessons can be similarly applied, and thus avoid any potentially costly mistakes like the ones made in Vietnam. McNamara himself has stated that those particular 11 lessons were intended to be applied to war in its most general meaning. However, someRead MoreOf Fog and War: A Comparative Analysis of Two Japanese Bombing Attacks on the United States during WWII1392 Words   |  6 PagesOf Fog and War: A Comparative Analysis of Two Japanese Bombing Attacks on the United States during WWII Warfare, unfortunately, is an essential part of mankind. It has been witnessed since time immemorial. What is comforting to know, however, is that it does not always end with blood baths, or similar devastation. Sometimes warfare ends with two enemy forces forgiving one another. This happened years after the Lookout Air Raids, when the Japanese bomber who carried out a series of bombings overRead MoreThe Fog Of War : Twelve Lessons From The Life Of Robert S. Mcnamara And The Trial Of Henry Kissinger Essay913 Words   |  4 Pagesknowledgeable about their actions. We must understand that like all humans government leaders are fallible and susceptible to the curse of greed and power. 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Both accounts prove that human memoriesRead MoreThe Counterculture Of The 1960s From The Anti Authoritarian Engagements Of Preceding Decades1132 Words   |  5 PagesSeveral factors contributed to the counterculture of the 1960s from the anti-authoritarian engagements of preceding decades. The post-World War II ‘baby boom’ produced an extraordinary number of disaffected young people as potential partakers in a rethinking of the direction of American values. Post-war success permitted many of the counterculture generation to divert their attention from the benefaction of the material necessities of life that had preoccupied their Depression-era parents. PeopleRead MoreDid The United State Commit War Crimes Against Japan During WW II?865 Words   |  4 Pagesquestion, to what extent did the United States of America commit war crimes against Japanese civilians and POWs during their Pacific campaign in World War II? 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Political Background Should Be Mandatory - 1182 Words

Political Background Should be Mandatory before being allowed to run for President Julissa Aguirre Lamar High School Argumentative Abstract Political background should be mandatory before being allowed to run for office to avoid as many problems in the future as possible. The following pages embody key points as to why including: experience, military affairs, and international affairs. The section of experience explains why it is important for a candidate to have political experience. The following section about military affairs explains what the President does when it comes to the military and how having a political background may impact decisions. The last section contains information on foreign affairs and how a candidate†¦show more content†¦President Ulysses S. Grant, for example, was elected into office after his success in the Civil War. After he was elected the American people hoped for an end to the turmoil but things only got worse. Because Grant had a lack of political experience, he was constantly looking to Congress for direction (whitehouse.gov). A visitor to the White House noted Grant as  "a puzzled pathos, as of a man with a problem before him of which he does not understand the terms.† (whitehouse.gov). Because he depended on others, Grant became involved in what is known as â€Å"Black Friday†. Two men by the name of Jay Gould and James Fisk convinced President Grant to stop the marketing of gold, while discretely, they were both stockpiling gold. After successfully convincing Grant, both Gould and Fick earned a combined $60 million in gold (Andrew). The result of â€Å"Black Friday† affected the U.S. economy negatively for several years. Many problems can be produced under the leadership of a candidate who has not received the proper amount of political experience. Military Affairs The President is Commander-in-Chief of the United States armed forces. Therefore, if the President requests for the United States army to do something, they do it if possible. If a person with little political experience is given a large amount of responsibility they may abuse it. However, the Congress limits the power the President has. For example, if a President orders the armyShow MoreRelatedThe Constitutional Right Of The Second Amendment1714 Words   |  7 Pagesany regulation or government interference. Though there have been many pushes to increase gun control, laws restricting or regulating the purchase or use of firearms is difficult to pass due to factors such as lack of public support, effective political action, and reliable data. This paper will attempt to examine these factors and how each, by itself and in combination with other factors, prevents widespread gun control action. 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The City Of Las Vegas - 1419 Words

The city of Las Vegas is considered to be one of the best entertainment locations in the world. Only in Vegas can you find top notch travel amenities and luxurious resorts, accompanied by world class dining and entertainment. Recognized throughout the world, the Las Vegas Strip is the iconic image of dreams and possibilities dependent only on Lady Luck. Not all winning takes place on the craps tables or slot machines. Las Vegas continues to reinvent itself, seeking better and more glamorous ways to enrich the visitors’ experience and score a win for the travel industry. It is this reinvention, this type of guest winning that brings me to discuss and explore the success of The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. The Cosmopolitan opened its doors to the public in December of 2010, and continues to open its heart and share its vision with those lucky individuals who choose to stay there. Traditionally, Las Vegas casinos focus on their gaming, using their hotels’ other amenities to draw people in. The Cosmopolitan has chosen a different path, a path that has lead them to numerous awards, and in 2013 was rated â€Å"The Best Hotel in the World† by Gogobot. Currently owned by the Blackstone Group, The Cosmopolitan was never meant to be a casino, but a high-end condominium-hotel project. As funding dwindled, a new vison and company took over and transformed these condominiums into a luxurious hotel and resort. The Cosmopolitan is one of Marriott International’s Autograph Collection,Show MoreRelatedThe City Of Las Vegas1580 Words   |  7 PagesLas Vegas, also known as â€Å"Sin City†, is one of the most popular tourist spots in the world that I plan to take a vaca tion. It is constantly one of the fastest growing cities in the United States and the population is normally over a million people. 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A GFE, or **girlfriend experience**, is an all-encompassing encounter with a polished playmate who is groomed to serve as a premier dating companion. There are no strings, just a fun, lively time that culminates with a privateRead MoreLas Vegas, The Original City Of Sin Essay2123 Words   |  9 PagesLas Vegas, the original â€Å"City of Sin (Bull 2).† Marketing campaigns flaunt the idea â€Å"what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas (Bull 4).† Now known for its attitude of permissiveness, especially regarding sexual behavior, Las Vegas has grown tremendously from it’s humble beginnings as a simple rail stop between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City (Bull 2). In 1911, with a population of just over 2,000, Las Vegas was incorporated and its first mayor elected. Fast forward twenty years, and the population hasRead MoreLas Vegas, The Original City Of Sin Essay2161 Words   |  9 PagesLas Vegas, the original â€Å"City of Sin† (Bull 2). 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What could it possibly be like for a person to live in a city known as Sin City, where the only thing hotter than the bright lights is the sun. According to lasvegasnevada.gov over 600,000 people live in Las Vegas now, which is triple what it was just twenty years ago. It is a city built as a railroad town that has turnedRead MoreIs Las Vegas Sustainable?1478 Words   |  6 PagesIs Las Vegas Sustainable; Economy: Christian Kehinde â€Å"Sustainable† is defined by Dictionary.com as being â€Å"able to be supported as with the basic necessities or sufficient funds†. Can it be said that Las Vegas is sustainable? The sustainability of Las Vegas is a question that has been asked at different points in its history. In the early 20th century water sustainability was the crisis and this was solved by water being gotten from wells piped into town. In the 1950s atomic testing were advertised

Effects of Conflict on Employee and Organizational Performance Essay Sample free essay sample

Abstraction: Conflict exists in all types of working environments. If you are working with people or interact with people on a day-to-day footing. at some point you will be involved in or hold to cover with some signifier of struggle. Every employee hopes for a healthy. struggle free working environment. Conflict within the working environment has a direct impact on an employee’s occupation satisfaction and public presentation and on that of the organization’s public presentation. This paper is an effort to understand and cognize the consequence. causes. types and schemes on pull offing employee’s occupation satisfaction and occupation public presentation when holding to be involved in. or hold had to cover with any type of struggle. 1. 1INTRODUCTION Today. the bulk of concern organisations are making concern in a turbulent environment where there is a changeless hunt to happen a manner to better their fight and public presentation ( Dodd. 2003 ) . With mention to organisations. struggle is the dissension between employees. sections. directors or groups of people within the concern. Disagreements may happen due to differences in points of position. political orientation or unhealthy competition that may give to either a positive or to a negative effect. No affair what type of struggle or degree of struggle occurs. there a figure of functional and dysfunctional effects that can originate from that struggle ( Esquivel and kleiner. 1997 ) . In add-on. organisational struggle is regarded as the strife that happens when the ends. involvements or values of different persons or groups are incompatible with those persons or groups block or thwart each other in effort to make their aims. Conflict is an inevitable portion of the organisational life since the ends of assorted stakeholders such as directors and staff have assorted and different points of position and are incompatible ( Jones et al. . 2000 ) . Conflict is a fact o f life in any organisation every bit long as people compete for occupations. resources. power. acknowledgment and security ( Adomi and Anie. 2005 ) . As the term and sound of â€Å"conflict† by and large has a intension of something negative for most persons. it can hold an consequence of both a positive and a negative. Research workers have stated that most organisations need more struggle. non less ( Rico. 1964 ) . It has besides been stated that the absence of struggle may be an indicant of autarchy. uniformity. stagnancy and mental fastness ; the presence of struggle may be declarative of democracy. diverseness. growing. and self-actualization ( Pondy. 1992 ) . Furthermore. struggle is considered psychologically and socially healthy. It is psychologically healthy because it provides an mercantile establishment for defeats and gives a feeling of engagement for those involved in the struggle ( Tjosvold. 1998 ) . In most organisations today. employees are organized into manageable groups in order to make a common end. therefore doing the chance of struggle to be high. There is no 1 beginning of struggle that occurs in organisations at all degrees of direction ( Barker et Al. . 1987 ) . In the societal kingdom of struggle. struggle occurs but is handled by household members. friends and relations. The same attack applies when the struggle is within the organisation. when struggle arises ; it needs to be resolved by direction for the interest of growing of the organisation. endurance and enhance employee and organisation public presentation. However. struggles are seldom resolved easy. to a certain extend most struggles are managed. as persons work out difference ( Barker. 1987 ) . 1. 2 Causes of Conflict With any organisation. there are many causes of struggle ; nevertheless. the struggle with an Individual normally arises when an person is ill-defined about what they are expected to make. this happens when the director or supervisor in charged has non clearly defined their outlooks to the employee ( Henry. 2009 ) . A study conducted by Psychometrics Canada. surveyed 357 HR professional’s employees about what they see as the chief causes of struggle. employees frequently report that personality. leading. communicating and the work environment drama considerable functions. Personality clangs and warring self-importances. scored the highest per centum of 86 % of the bulk of respondents indicated being a frequent struggle. Lack of leading is the 2nd most normally mentioned cause evaluation at 73 % . Poor leading from the top of the organisation plays a important portion in bring forthing struggle at work. Issues related to communicating and work environment followed closely with a mark of 67 % describing deficiency of honestness and openness as their cause of struggle. and 64 % indicate that work is stress is their chief cause. Over half of those surveyed identified hiting a 59 % as the cause of clang of values as their chief cause of struggle within an organisation. Incompatible personalities. which are psychological. might impact the employees non to acquire along with each other and this trouble might take to struggles. which consequence from formal interactions with other employees ( Robbins. 1987 ) . Conflicts would originate between persons and groups if the ends are non specified for single within a group ( Duke. 1999 ) . Additionally. the followers are other beginnings of struggles within an or ganisation viz. : sharing of resources particularly manpower. money stuffs. equipment and infinite required among sections. When resources may be scarce. people will ever hold to vie for them and the terminal consequence will take to conflict. 1. 3 Types of ConflictThere are three basic types of struggle: undertaking struggle. interpersonal struggle and procedural Conflict. These types of struggle so divide into what is identified within the organisation as either perpendicular or horizontal ( Imazai. 2002 ) . Task struggle can be productive by bettering the quality of determinations and critical thought procedures. Interpersonal struggle is used to bespeak the dissension that most people call a personality clang. This type of clang may show in the signifier of counter comments associating to personal features of another employee. or ignore any organisational ends to antagonise another group member. This type of struggle is expressed through more elusive gestural behaviours. For illustration. there may be frigid stares or. or to an utmost pure turning away of oculus contact. Interpersonal struggle may be inevitable and must be managed for optimum group co-existence. Another illustration of interpersonal struggle is turning away ( Robert. 1969 ) . Procedural struggle exists when assorted group members disagree about the stairss in which to take in carry throughing a group end. New processs may be formulated and a new docket suggested. Procedural struggle. like undertaking struggle. may be productive ( Barker. 1987 ) . Harmonizing to research compiled by O M Hotepo. perpendicular struggle occurs in groups of different hierarchal degrees. such as supervisors and salesmen. whereas horizontal struggle occurs between persons of the same degree. such as directors in the same organisation. In perpendicular struggle. differences in position and power between groups are in general larger than in that of the horizontal struggle ( Robbins. 1983 ) because these facets tend to equalise in tantamount hierarchal degrees. When a perpendicular struggle occurs between staff employees and disposal. their beginnings refer to: ( I ) psychological distance: workers don’t feel involved in the organisation and experience as if their demands are non being met. ( two ) power and position: employees feel powerless and alienated. ( three ) differences in values and political orientation: this is the difference represents personal beliefs on aims and ends of an organisation and ( four ) scarce resources: dissensions si ng benefits. salary and work conditions. In perpendicular struggle. persons in lower organisational degree seek to avoid struggles with direction degrees ( Brewer. 2002 ) . It is expected that the top direction equals perceive more struggle internally between their groups than those of lower place ( Pondy. 1992 ) . This happens because of the undermentioned grounds: ( I ) people in direction. are engaged in non-routine activities and development of policies. where the orientation for the actions are less clear and opportunities for dissension. bigger and ; ( two ) people in higher direction. instead than the lower degrees. are likely less flexible in their points of position. Conflict declaration at this point becomes more hard. Vertical struggle is researches examine the short-run and long term effects of sensed equity in organisational struggles between employees and supervisors ( Imazai. 2002 ) . This writer concluded that employee’s equity is of import in the declaration or organisational struggles. That when employees realize that there was equity in the struggle declaration. the bond between the group was merely strengthened. It was added that the sensed and distributive equity increased occupation satisfaction. 1. 4 Reason Conflict Occurs Conflict is clearly associated with power and can emerge when end accomplishment of an Organization is avoided ( Jung. 2003 ) . It is besides believed that people are cognizant of the factors that generate struggles such as scarceness. obstructor and incompatible involvement or ends ( Robinson. 1983 ) . Assorted grounds that cause struggle to intensify are as follows: ( I ) sections turn. people lose contact with other sections. or members of a section start to believe otherwise from other countries: ( two ) the addition of accent in the fiscal steps as a tool for motive for directors and the constitution of different net income centres inside an integrated concern system stop up crating many struggles ; ( three ) the increasing rise of accent in functional specialisation. political relations or publicity and recruiting reinforce the isolation of sections. bring forthing struggles ; ( four ) today there is more room for workers to demo unfavorable judgment among each other. while this freedom of address can be good for society as a whole. in organisational context can be transformed into struggles and ( V ) consumers demand lower monetary values. better quality in merchandises and services. making force per unit areas so that sections work more efficaciously which can ensue in strug gles among sections ( Ikeda. 2005 ) . Not all struggles are bad and non all struggles are good. harmonizing to Hocker and Wilmot ( 1995 ) . Conflict can make negative impact to groups but may besides take to positive effects depending on the nature of the struggle. Unresolved struggles tend to turn into bigger struggles. the more it grows. the greater the opportunity of roll uping more jobs ( Knippen and Green. 1999 ) . Similarly. some of these jobs which might originate due to conflict. are deficiency of cooperation. hapless communicating. wasted and contagious struggle ( Knippen and Green. 1999 ) . 2. 1 Controlling and Managing Conflict There are many ways that struggle can be managed. some concentrating on interpersonal relationships and some on construction alterations within the organisation. Robinson and Clifford ( 1974 ) . advocates that pull offing struggle toward constructive action is the best attack in deciding struggle in an organisation. When struggle arises. it needs to be handled suitably so that it can ensue in a positive action instead than that of a negative consequence. Parker ( 1974 ) argued that if struggles arise and are non managed decently. it will take to holds of work. disinterest and deficiency of action and in utmost instances might take to finish dislocation of the group. Knippen and Green ( 1999 ) argued that the best manner to manage struggle objectively is to follow six measure procedure that involves depicting the struggle state of affairs to the other individual. inquiring the other individual how he/she sees the struggle state of affairs. reacting the manner the other individual sees the state of affairs. jointly make up ones minding how to decide the struggle. doing committedness to decide the struggles. and assuring to be committed in the hereafter to go on deciding struggles that may originate. Another manner to managing organisational struggle is to set or do structural alterations within the organisation. This means modifying and incorporating the aims of groups with different point of views. Furthermore. the organisation construction may hold to be changed and authority-responsibility relationships clarified ( Knippen and Green. 1999 ) . The eventuality Theory harmonizing to Derr ( 1975 ) is one of the conceptual tools utile for pull offing organisational struggle. He stated that there are three major struggle direction attacks from which interviewer can pull to explicate an attack appropriate for deciding a difference ; Collaboration. Bargaining and Power drama. The appropriate usage of these methods depends on the person and the province of the organisation. Derr ( 1975 ) continues to specify Collaboration as affecting people come uping their differences ( seting it all on the tabular array ) . and so work on the jobs until they have reached a common solution. By utilizing this attack. it is assumed that people will be motivated to voice their differences and put in the clip to hold them resolved. Dickering on the other manus assumes that neither party will emerge experiencing the issue was resolved from the confrontation but that both. through dialogue. can acquire something they do non hold at the beginning. or more of something needed. normally by giving up something of lesser value and importance to them. The triumph is normally imbalanced where as one party by and large wins more than the other ; by the adept usage of tactical trades. the employee can acquire the maximal possible from the other side. The concluding attack is Power Play ; it differs from the other two attacks because its accent is on strictly self-interest. In coaction and dickering the two sides join forces to seek to decide their jobs. when power is the dominant manner. the actions are one-sided or in alliances moving one-sidedly ( Derr. 1975 ) . Causes of Conflicts| Conflict Management Technologies| | COLLABORATION| BARGAINING| POWER PLAY|External pressures| Open systems planning| Negotiation| Force and menaces of force. usage of Torahs co-option. strategic usage of information. alliance building| Individual stress| Counseling. coaching. job solving| Contracting| Transfer. careful occupation description| Power Struggles| Build organisational clime. do determinations near to information beginning. best thoughts prevail. promote engagement job solving| Negotiation. work out substantial issues of scarce resource. allotment. set up power party| Use of legitimate authorization. co-option. alliance edifice. favour system| Low interdependence| Increasing group interaction| Negotiation to heighten interaction| Use of legitimate authorization to construction more interaction| Role differences. distinction. high interdependence| Team edifice. communicating accomplishments. job work outing. confrontive manner. imagination. 3rd party audience. climate| | Support with formal authorization an d rewards| Beginning: Derr. G. B. ( 1975 ) : Major causes of organisational struggle: Diagnosis for action ; Working paper. Naval Postgraduate School. Monterey. California 2. 2 Methods to decide ConflictIn researching ways to decide struggle within organisations study conducted of one hundred 30 directors from authorities section. and private companies. This study was conducted by Ongori Henry in Botswana. Botswana. His decision of methods to decide struggle was that most struggles in organisations are resolved by the involved compromising. followed by utilizing mediation to decide struggles. In add-on other attacks are besides supplemented in deciding struggles. This survey places strong duty on direction to use more than one attack to decide the struggles within the organisation. The survey besides indicates that turning away and backdown are attacks frequently used in their organisation. but are non given precedence compared to other attacks of compromising or promoting unfastened communicating. 3. 1 Effectss of Conflict Conflict depending the type. cause or ground can impact persons and organisations otherwise. No one individual will ever react or respond the same manner about everything. If struggles are managed decently. the result may non stop up negatively. If the organisation would utilize the best class of action. the organisation could in fact increase its public presentation in footings of using the scarce resources and accomplishing the aims of the organisation ( Jehn. 1995 ) . Conflict can better determination doing results. particularly on task-related struggle and group productiveness by increasing the quality of unfavorable judgment and persons following a â€Å"devil’s advocate† type function ( Amason. 1996 ) . Research has besides found that undertaking related struggle is good to the organisation since it allows the exchange of thoughts and help better public presentation amongst the group members ( Jehn. 1995 ) . Other benefits include group acquisition and truth in state of affairs appraisal ( Fiol. 1994 ) . Robinson ( 1994 ) advocate that pull offing struggle toward constructive action is the best attack in deciding struggle within an organisation. Conflicts as stated before can hold both positive and negative consequences for the person every bit good as for the organisation. Field study consequences ( 2009 ) from survey of 90 six directors from Hotels. Airlines. Road Transport and Insurance companies indicated that positive consequences for the employee from struggle can take to constructing cooperation. helps the person to develop. better the employees accomplishments on how to pull off such struggles. improves choice determinations. and increases their innovativeness and productiveness. Negative consequences for the employee from struggle are interferes with organisation operations. deficiency of cooperation. cachexia of clip and resources. no coherence to organisation. and no productiveness. Harmonizing to Brookins ( 2008 ) struggle for an employee consequences in mental wellness concerns doing defeat and feeling of being unrecognized. The consequence is the employee becomes stressed. which adversely affects their professional and personal lives. They may see jobs kiping. loss of appetency or gluttony. concerns and go unapproachable. Employees involved in struggle frequently show a lessening in their productiveness. The clip covering with the struggle interferes with their occupation public presentation ; their focal point has shifted from the ends to dish the dirting about the struggle or venting about their defeats. Many employees when holding to cover or confront unsolved struggle frequently leave the organisation all together. Violence has even occurred in some organisational state of affairs because a struggle has escalates without any mediation. and an intense state of affairs may originate between its employees. 4. Decision Conflicts are portion of our human nature and sometime ineluctable. We understand that any struggle that has an consequence on an employee can besides hold a strong consequence on the organisation and must be resolved. Pawlak ( 1998 ) suggests that struggle analysis and its declarations has an of import function in private. public and political organisations. every bit good as in judicial and work differences. in military operations and many other establishments. The cause of the struggles becomes irrelevant if they are neer resolved. Though struggle is normally viewed as a negative. it is capable of increasing organisational productiveness. thereby bettering the organisational public presentation. All this is achieved by turn toing the employee’s struggle to extinguish any farther negative consequence. Conflict direction systems should be integrated within the organisation. This procedure begins with appraisal and enquiry. addresses the design. execution and rating ( Ford. 20 07 ) . If struggles occur. which they will. struggles should construct the spirit of teamwork and cooperation among the employees of an organisation ( Henry. 2009 ) . Resources Barker. L. L. j. w. Kathy. K. W. Watson and R. J. Kibler. 1987. Groups in Process: an Introduction to Small Group Communication. 3rd Edn. Prentice Hall. Englewood Cliffs. N. J. Brewer. N. . Mitchell. P. . Weber. N. 2002. Gender function. Organizational Status. and Conflict Management Styles. The International Journal of Conflict Management. 12 ( 1 ) : 78-94 Derr. G. B. 1975. Major Causes of Organizational Conflict: Diagnosis for Action. Working paper. Naval postgraduate School. Monterey. California Duke. C. . 1999. Organizational struggles impacting engineering commercialisation from non-profit research labs. J. Prod. Brand Manage. . 4 ( 5 ) : 5-15 Fiol. C. M. . 1994. Consensus. diverseness and acquisition in Organizations. J. Org. Sci. . 5 ( 3 ) :403-420. Hocker. J. L. and W. w. Wilmot. 1995. Interpersonal Conflict. 4th Edn. The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Jehn. K. . 1995. A multi-method scrutiny of the benefits and hurts of inter-group struggle. Administr. Sci. Q. . 40 ( 1 ) : 256-282 Knippen. J. T. and T. B. Green. 1999. Managing struggles. J. Workplace Learning. 11 ( 1 ) : 27-32 Jung. S. 2003. The Effects of Organizational Culture on Conflict Resolution in Marketing. Journal of American Academy of Business. 3: 242-246. Ikeda. A. A. . Veludo-de-Oliverira. Campomar M. C. 2005. Organizational Conflicts Perceived by marketing Executives. Electronic Journal of Business and Organization Studies. 10 ( 1 ) :22-28 Pawlak. Z. 1998. An Inquiry into Anantomy of Conflicts. Journal of Information Sciences. 109: 65-68 Pondy. L. R. 1992. Contemplations on Organizational Conflict. Journal of Organizational Behavior. 13: 257-261 Robinson. J. . Roy W. J. . Clifford. R. A. 1974. Conflict Management in community Groups. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. North Cardinal Regional Extension Publication No. 36-45 Robbins. S. P. 1983. Organizational Behavior. Prentice Hall. Englewood Cliffs. ISBN 978-960-474-161-8 Tjosvold. D. 1998. Concerted and Competitive Goal Approach to Conflict: Accomplishments and Challenges. Applied Psychology: an International Review. 47 ( 3 ) : 285-342.

Shakespeare Sonnet 152 Analysis Essay Example

Shakespeare Sonnet 152 Analysis Essay Shakespeare’s Sonnet 152 â€Å"Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? † The famous opening line of Shakespeare’s eighteenth sonnet still resounds in today’s educational setting. Little do many students know that William Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets; all of them in the same format. Going through many of Shakespeare’s sonnets, a recurring theme of forbidden and secret love appeared. In his Sonnet 152, Shakespeare desperately pleads with an unknown love about their hidden love and how it affects their surroundings. Often Shakespeare was accused of making fun of other poets and authors of his time period, however this sonnet may have had a correlation with his complicated love life at the time. There is little known about Shakespeare’s love life, but the little known is quite scandalous. When Shakespeare was about seventeen or eighteen he courted and impregnated a woman named Anne Hathaway; she was eight years older than him and at the time they were not married. The age of consent to be married at that time was twenty-one and everyone was married through the Church since there weren’t any Registry Office marriages at the time. We will write a custom essay sample on Shakespeare Sonnet 152 Analysis specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Shakespeare Sonnet 152 Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Shakespeare Sonnet 152 Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer This required Shakespeare to receive permission from his father (as he was under the age of consent), Anne’s family, and the Bishop to marry a pregnant woman. As if that wasn’t scandalous enough, there were two documents concerning the marriage. According to http://www. william-shakespeare. org. uk/, there are two different entries mentioned in the Episcopal Register at Worcester, one on November 27, 1582 and November 28, 1582. The entry on November 27th refers to the marriage of Wm Shaxpere et Annam Whateley de Temple Grafton while the entry on November 28th refers to the marriage of William Shagspeare and Anne Hathwey. Many historians and analysts question whether or not this was a misprint or if Shakespeare really was involved with two different women. Various spellings were also used at the time; there were at least sixteen different spellings of Shakespeare including Shakspere, Shakespere, Shakkespere, Shaxpere, Shakstaff, Sakspere, Shagspere, Shakeshafte and even Chacsper. Shakespeare always signed himself as Shakspere. In both entries Shakespeare does not sign his name as he normally would. This scandalous mystery still remains unsolved, but Shakespeare’s sonnets, pecifically Sonnet 152 point to some kind of struggle with an unknown ambiguous woman. If Shakespeare’s history is taken into consideration, this Sonnet could have possibly been written in response to his love for a woman that wasn’t his wife. Shakespeare states â€Å"In loving thee thou know’st I am forsworn† meaning that he knows he is breaking a promise by loving her. The sonnet continues, but never does it say what promise he is breaking. In this line Shakespeare could be referring to a number of things including his promise of love broken to his wife. However, how could one blame Shakespeare for this attraction towards another woman? A moment of young lust was the only thing that kept his wife and him together. This sonnet definitely raises questions about Shakespeare’s love life and to whom this sonnet was addressed. Sonnet 152 resumes by pointing out specific promises his lover has broken: â€Å"In act thy bed-vow broke†¦In vowing new hate after new love bearing. † Shakespeare’s lover has broken her vows with her husband by sleeping with another man, probably Shakespeare, but has vowed to hate her new lover. Why? The woman presumably feels guilty about cheating on her husband so has now tried her best to block this new lover, Shakespeare, out of her life. Shakespeare continues by telling this woman, â€Å"why†¦do I accuse thee, when I break twenty (vows)? † Shakespeare knows that he has no room to judge this woman because he himself knows that he has done many wrongs by sleeping with a married woman and possibly cheating on his own wife. This sonnet might have been a farewell to his secret relationship. In previous sonnets Shakespeare desperately struggles with the guilt of loving this unknown woman, but in the two sonnets after this sonnet, Shakespeare talks of how he has fallen back in love with his mistress. In this sonnet Shakespeare tells this woman, â€Å"all my honest faith in thee is lost,† meaning that he no longer is true to her. He then begins to tell of how much he praised and how he had â€Å"sworn deep oaths of thy deep kindness†¦thy love, thy truth, thy constancy,† though he knew all along that she was not these things as he states later in the sonnet. Shakespeare knows that he blinded himself in order to place this woman on a pedestal of fabricated perfection. Shakespeare’s feelings are extremely common upon today’s society. This universal sonnet displays how a man or woman feels, or should feel, after breaking a promise of marriage or love to another. Shakespeare’s guilt coincides with the sorrow he feels for himself after realizing that this woman is not perfect – he had only made her perfect in his mind. But isn’t that the case with most adulterers? The only reason they cheat on their wives or husbands is because they let the feeling of lust overcome their heart and good judgment. Once this has occurred, the adulterer attempts to make amends with themselves by saying that the actions they are taking are necessary because their spouse doesn’t make them happy and that this new lover does – fabricated perfection in its fullness. Shakespeare’s Sonnet 152 at first glance seems to be a wretched man wallowing in his adulterous sorrows. However, as one takes a closer look, themes of judgment and universal adultery can be applied to society today.

The Agony of the Confederate Flag essays

The Agony of the Confederate Flag essays The Confederate Flag has always and will always stand for a dark time in our country. This flag reminds many people of a time when slavery was rampant in our country, and indeed, it is the flag of a country that supported slavery the entire length of its existence. This flag is offensive to people, it carries the connotation of hatred, inequality and severe injustice. This symbol is one of pure hatred, not heritage as some may say or believe. Lets say for a minute that this flag does not stand for hatred (which it clearly does); but rather it stands for heritage (which it clearly does not). Why would anybody want to display a flag of a country that is known for slavery, hatred, bigotry, and getting their behinds whipped rather handily by the opposing country in the only war it was ever apart of? I know it has a lot of historical value; I mean after all it was the symbol of a country that lasted all of what three to five years before they were defeated by the very union they sec eded from. Also, if it is heritage and should be allowed to be flown on government buildings, why then should we not fly the Union Jack of Great Britain, after all they were both our heritage and our history, it seems to make sense that if the confederate flag stands for heritage and history solely; then we should fly the Union Jack with pride after all it represents those same qualities. To me this flag represents the following: hate, bigotry, racism, prejudice, inequality, injustice, white supremacy, and an overall feeling of disgust. Personally I think it should not be flown on government buildings because it offends people, and should not be allowed in public school, because many students have no choice but to attend there and should not be forced to look at a symbol of hate all the time. If the government can rule to take prayer and Bible out of schools, and take the Ten Commandments off the court room walls merely because they offend people (e...

A Moment of Self Awareness Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

A Moment of Self Awareness - Personal Statement Example Because I consider myself to be goal driven and an industrious person, it is difficult to communicate with others without a defined goal. I found that going to the grocery store was equally easy. It is simple, I just go and purchase my groceries, check out what is on sale and go about my business. It is easy for me to ask someone where an aisle is because there is a goal to be met at the end and honestly, the conversation is innocuous and quick. I don't feel as if I am being put on the spot. Likewise for the library and at a house I visited that was for sale. "While you are not born with a self-concept, you certainly do play a key role in building one. Even though you are constantly undergoing change, once built, the theory or picture you have of yourself is fairly stable and difficult to alter". Most people would describe me as an outgoing individual, easy to talk to and on the whole, easy to get along with. What most do not know, is that I am absolutely at a loss when placed in an environment that I am unfamiliar with. I therefore attempt to control the conversation or topic of conversation. I suppose that this would be my hidden quadrant according to the Jahari Window. I am not so sure that this is something that is built deliberately. I think that because I am outgoing, I would like to be able to initiate conversations in any area and with ease.

Community Health Advocacy Project Part Four Essay - 1

Community Health Advocacy Project Part Four - Essay Example The most prominent causes of depression in the elderly include lack of physical activity, lower self esteem and reduction in social activity. According to psychology people who exercise properly on a daily basis are less likely to contract various diseases whereas those people who manage to maintain an appropriate level of self esteem and keep on working hard towards attaining their professional and personal goals can avoid the possibility of depression because of their healthy lifestyle (Livingston, Blizard, & Mann, 1993). The nursing and other medical staff can help older patients in fighting depression by motivating them to maintain the habit of walking. Moreover, the medical staff should also promote the habit of reading in the patients because it is believed that books can help humans in recovering from diseases. The books are helpful regarding fighting depression because they provide patients with an opportunity to shift focus from the disease and thus they experience less psychological burden (Schulz, Drayer, & Rollman, 2002). Yee, the family and friends can also play a significant role in eliminating depression and hopelessness in the elderly because old people are found to be considering their children and family as true sources of motivation. More especially elders tend to extract happiness from educational and professional achievements of the children. Therefore it is suggested that families should maintain close contact with elders in order to prolong their life span. Yes, retirement can also be taken as an active cause of depression because it forces elders to think that they are not of any use to the society anymore. But it is the responsibility of the society to keep retirees busy in healthy activities like gardening. The elders should also be encouraged towards joining social clubs so that they can have sufficient social activity as

Singapore Education Essay Example for Free

Singapore Education Essay Singapore is one of Asia’s great success stories, transforming itself from a developing country to a modern industrial economy in one generation. During the last decade, Singapore’s education system has remained consistently at or near the top of most major world education ranking systems. This chapter examines how this â€Å"tiny red dot† on the map has achieved and sustained so much, so quickly. From Singapore’s beginning, education has been seen as central to building both the economy and the nation. The objective was to serve as the engine of human capital to drive economic growth. The ability of the government to successfully match supply with demand of education and skills is a major source of Singapore’s competitive advantage. Other elements in its success include a clear vision and belief in the centrality of education for students and the nation; persistent political leadership and alignment between policy and practice; a focus on building teacher and leadership capacity to deliver reforms at the school level; ambitious standards and assessments; and a culture of continuous improvement and future orientation that benchmarks educational practices against the best in the world. 7 SINGAPORE: RAPID IMPROVEMENT FOLLOWED BY STRONG PERFORMANCE 160  © OECD 2010 STRONG PERFORMERS AND SUCCESSFUL REFORMERS IN EDUCATION: LESSONS FROM PISA FOR THE UNITED STATES INTRODUCTION When Singapore became independent in 1965, it was a poor, small (about 700 km2), tropical island with few natural resources, little fresh water, rapid population growth, substandard housing and recurring con? ict among the ethnic and religious groups that made up its population. At that time there was no compulsory education and only a small number of high school and college graduates and skilled workers. Today, Singapore is a gleaming global hub of trade, ? nance and transportation. Its transformation â€Å"from third world to ? rst† in one generation is one of Asia’s great success stories (Yew, 2000). All children in Singapore receive a minimum of 10 years of education in one of the country’s 360 schools. Singapore’s students were among the top in the world in mathematics and science on the Trends in International Math and Science Study (TIMSS) in 1995, 1999, 2003 and 2007. They came fourth in literacy in the 2006 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS). Their excellence is further underlined by the fact that Singapore was one of the top-performing countries in the 2009 PISA survey (Table 7. 1 and Figure 7. 1), the ? rst PISA survey in which it participated. Singapore was rated as one of the best performing education systems in a 2007 McKinsey study of teachers (Barber and Mourshed, 2007), and was rated ? rst in the 2007 IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook (IMD, 2007) for having an education system that best meets the needs of a competitive economy. At the higher education level, the National University of Singapore was ranked 34th in the world and 4th in Asia in the Times  Higher Education Supplement Rankings of World Universities in 2010 (Times Higher Education Supplement, 2010). How has this little red dot on the map, as Singaporeans frequently refer to their country, a nation that is not even 50 years old, evolved from a backwater undeveloped economy into a world economic and educational leader in such a short period of time? What education policies and practices has Singapore employed? And are the lessons from Singapore’s experience relevant for other countries? This chapter attempts to provide some answers to these questions. First, however, we look at the broader context. Table 7. 1 Singapore’s mean scores on reading, mathematics and science scales in PISA PISA 2000 PISA 2003 PISA 2006 PISA 2009 Mean score Mean score Mean score Mean score Reading 526 Mathematics 562 Science 542 Source: OECD (2010), PISA 2009 Volume I, What Students Know and Can Do: Student Performance in Reading, Mathematics and Science, OECD Publishing. 1? 2? http://dx. doi. org/10. 1787/888932366731 Under British colonial rule, from 1819 onwards, Singapore developed as a major seaport at the mouth of the Malacca Straits, on the shipping lanes between Britain, India and China. During this period, it attracted large  numbers of immigrants, primarily from southern China, India and the Malay Archipelago. At independence from Britain in 1959 and then separation from Malaysia in 1965, Singapore had no assets other than its deepwater port. There was no real economy, no defence, and simmering tensions with neighbouring countries. Moreover, it had to import most of its food, water and energy. The Republic of Singapore seemed an unlikely candidate to become a world-class economic and educational powerhouse. The risks facing this nation at birth – the sense of political and economic vulnerability to larger countries and  global changes – created a sense of urgency which in? uences policy to this day. Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s ? rst Prime Minister, set out two overarching goals: to build a modern economy and to create a sense of Singaporean national identity. He recruited the best and brightest people into his early government and sought to promote economic growth and job creation. In the 1960s, the emphasis was on attracting labour-intensive foreign manufacturing to provide jobs for its low-skilled workforce. In the 1970s and 1980s, a shift to more skill-intensive manufacturing led to an emphasis on technical ?  elds. From the mid-1990s on, Singapore has sought to become a player in the global knowledge economy, encouraging more research- and innovation-intensive industry and seeking to attract scientists and scienti? c companies from around the globe. The results of the government’s economic policies have been stunning – rapid economic growth to reach developed country levels and a per capita income in 2009 estimated at current market prices to be about SGP 52 000 (USD 39 000). One of the so- called Asian Tigers, Singapore is a free market, business-friendly and globally-oriented economy, shaped by an  active and interventionist government. 7 SINGAPORE: RAPID IMPROVEMENT FOLLOWED BY STRONG PERFORMANCE STRONG PERFORMERS AND SUCCESSFUL REFORMERS IN EDUCATION: LESSONS FROM PISA FOR THE UNITED STATES  © OECD 2010 161 The government of Singapore is a highly ef? cient, honest and ? exible meritocracy with a strong focus on integrated strategic planning and detailed execution. â€Å"Dream, Design, Deliver† aptly characterises its approach to policy development and implementation. Singapore’s small size and political stability (the same People’s Action Party has  ruled Singapore since Independence) have kept the vision of making Singapore a great global city constant, but have also enabled it to be versatile in responding to rapidly changing environments. With a small limited domestic market, Singapore has had to become highly integrated in the global economy. To survive several global recessions and the ever-present uncertainties of the global economy, continuous innovation has been essential. With respect to Lee Kuan Yew’s second goal of nation-building, early race riots led to a profound commitment to creating a multi-racial and multi-ethnic society. At independence, Singapore had multiple religious groups (Buddhist, Muslim, Taoist, Hindu and Christian); multiple ethnic groups (Singapore’s population is about 74% Chinese, 13% Malay, 9% Indian and 3% other); and no common language. Nor did it have a common school system or a common curriculum. A series of measures were gradually put in place to realise the Singapore pledge: â€Å"One united people regardless of race, language or religion†. Singapore recognises and teaches four of? cial languages – Chinese, English, Malay and Tamil – although English is the language of government and, since 1978, the medium of instruction in  schools. 1 Two years of compulsory national service unite different ethnic groups, as does the policy of mixing each group within the government-built housing where most Singaporeans live. This has helped avoid the racial and ethnic segregation that af? icts many countries. Schools play a major role in inculcating Singaporean values and character, and civic and moral education play a major role in schools. Honesty, commitment to excellence, teamwork, discipline, loyalty, humility, national pride and an emphasis on the common good have been instilled throughout government and society. Lacking other resources, human resources were and still are seen as the island republic’s most precious asset. Education was seen, from the beginning, as central to building both the economy and the nation. Its job was to deliver the human capital engine for economic growth and to create a sense of Singaporean identity. The economic goals of education have given education policy a very pragmatic bent and a strong focus on scienti? c and technical ?elds. Singapore’s education system has evolved over the past 40 years in tandem with the changing economy. SINGAPORE’S EDUCATION SYSTEM: THE PATH TO BECOMING A LEARNING NATION. Over the past 40 years, Singapore has been able to raise its education level from one similar to that of many developing countries to match the best in the OECD. The current system did not emerge perfectly-formed, but has developed in three broad phases as it was adapted to changing circumstances and ideas: Survival-driven phase: 1959 to 1978 According to then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, the aim of Singaporean education in its early days was to â€Å"produce a good man and a useful citizen†. This ? rst phase of education has been dubbed the â€Å"survival-driven† phase. In the  late 1950s, 70% of GDP was from port and warehousing activities. This was not enough to sustain, let alone grow, the economy which was suffering from high population growth and signi? cant unemployment. The government decided that there was a need to expand the industrial base and, because of the small size of the domestic market, to make it export-oriented. It set about trying to attract foreign manufacturers who needed low-skilled labour (e. g. textiles, garments, wood products), both to provide jobs and to gain expertise. Prior to independence, only the af? uent were educated. At independence, most of Singapore’s two million people were illiterate and unskilled. Therefore the focus of this â€Å"survival† period was on expanding basic education as quickly as possible. Schools were built rapidly. Teachers were recruited on a large scale. The schools that had been established by different ethnic groups were merged into a single Singaporean education system. A bilingual policy was introduced so that all children would learn both their own language and English. A textbook agency was created to provide textbooks. The expansion was so rapid that universal primary education was attained in 1965  and universal lower secondary by the early 1970s. By the end of the â€Å"survival-driven phase†, Singapore had created a national system of public education. However, the quality of education was not very high. In the early 1970s, out of every 1 000 pupils entering primary grade one, only 444 reached secondary grade four after 10 years. And of these, only 350 (35% of the cohort) gained three or more passes in O-level examinations. A signi? cant report by Dutch economic advisor Dr Albert Winsemius estimated that every year between 1970 and 1975, Singapore would be short of 500 engineers and 1 000 technical  workers and would have a severe shortage of people with management skills (Lee, et al. , 2008). The oil crisis 7 SINGAPORE: RAPID IMPROVEMENT FOLLOWED BY STRONG PERFORMANCE 162  © OECD 2010 STRONG PERFORMERS AND SUCCESSFUL REFORMERS IN EDUCATION: LESSONS FROM PISA FOR THE UNITED STATES of 1973 and the increasing competition from other Asian countries for low-skilled, labour-intensive industry led to a growing realisation that Singapore’s comparative advantage was eroding and that it needed to evolve to a higher-skill economy. However, a large number of policy changes and changes of ministers for education caused  confusion. Teacher morale was low and there was considerable attrition. Although there were attempts to expand vocational education, it had low status and was viewed as a dumping ground. In 1979, a watershed education report highlighted the high dropout rates and low standards and ushered in the next phase of reform (Goh, 1979). Ef? ciency-driven phase: 1979 to 1996 During this phase of education, the focus shifted. The government’s economic strategy was to move Singapore from a third-league, labour-intensive economy to a second-league, capital and skill-intensive country. So in January 1979, a new education system was introduced. Singapore moved away from its earlier one-size-? ts-all approach to schooling that would create multiple pathways for students in order to reduce the drop-out rate, improve quality and produce the more technically-skilled labour force needed to achieve the new economic goals. Streaming (tracking) based on academic ability was introduced, starting in elementary schools, with the goal of â€Å"enabling all students to reach their potential while recognising that all students do not grow academically at the same pace† (Ho Peng,  interview conducted for this report). Students could have more time, for example, to complete different stages of schooling. The multiple pathways included three types of high school: i) academic high schools, which prepared students for college; ii) polytechnic high schools that focused on advanced occupational and technical training and that could also lead to college; and iii) technical institutes that focused on occupational and technical training for the lowest ? fth of students. The Curriculum Development Institute of Singapore was established to produce high-quality textbooks and instructional materials for the different pathways. While streaming was unpopular when it was introduced, drop-out rates did, in fact, decline signi? cantly: by 1986, only 6% of students were leaving school with fewer than 10 years of education. 2 The range of efforts to raise standards also yielded results: performance in the O-level English examinations went from a 60% failure rate to a 90% pass rate by 1984, and by 1995 Singapore led the world in mathematics and science on TIMSS. As Singapore sought to attract companies with a more sophisticated technological base (e. g. silicon wafers, computers), a major goal of this second phase was to produce technical workers at all levels. Concerned about the low status of blue-collar jobs, from 1992 Singapore invested signi? cantly in the Institute for Technical Education (ITE; Box 7. 2). With a number of campuses around the city, the ITE provides high-quality technical and vocational education, with high-tech facilities and amenities that are comparable to those of modern universities elsewhere. Each technical ? eld is advised by industries in that sector to keep it current with changing demands and new technologies. New programmes can be built for multinational companies looking to locate in Singapore. There has been strong market demand for ITE graduates, and it is possible for the top graduates from the ITE to go on to polytechnics and then to university. As a result of these changes, the image and attractiveness of vocational education vastly improved. At the top end of the technical workforce, the number of university and polytechnic places was also expanded during this period to increase the pool of scientists and engineers. Ability-based, aspiration-driven phase: 1997 to the present day By the early 1990s, the ef?ciency-driven education system had yielded clear results. But, as became clear during the Asian ? nancial crisis of 1997, the world economy was shifting to a global knowledge economy. The competitive framework of nations was being rede? ned and national progress would increasingly be determined by the discovery and application of new and marketable ideas. The growth of the global knowledge economy required a paradigm shift in Singapore’s education system towards a focus on innovation, creativity and research. A key instrument as Singapore intentionally navigated towards the global knowledge economy has been the  government Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A* Star), which provides generous funding for research and aims to attract top scientists and scienti? c companies. One million foreign nationals with scienti? c, technical or managerial skills have been encouraged to work in Singapore in international corporations and in higher education. Singapore’s three universities, and especially the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University, have research partnerships with leading universities around the world with a focus in selected ? elds,  including bioinformatics, information sciences and medical technologies. At the school level, Singapore created a new educational vision, â€Å"Thinking Schools, Learning Nation†. This major milestone in Singapore’s education journey recognised Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong’s belief that â€Å"A nation’s wealth in the 21st century will depend on the capacity of its people to learn† (Goh, 1979). â€Å"Thinking Schools 7 SINGAPORE: RAPID IMPROVEMENT FOLLOWED BY STRONG PERFORMANCE STRONG PERFORMERS AND SUCCESSFUL REFORMERS IN EDUCATION: LESSONS FROM PISA FOR THE UNITED STATES  © OECD 2010 163 represented a vision of a school system that can develop creative thinking skills, lifelong learning passion and nationalistic commitment in the young. Learning nation is a vision of learning as a national culture, where creativity and innovation ? ourish at every level of society† (Lee et al. , 2008). Thinking Schools, Learning Nation encompassed a wide range of initiatives over a number of years that were designed to tailor education to the abilities and interests of students, to provide more ? exibility and choice for students and to transform the structures of education. Career paths and incentives for teachers were revamped  and teacher education upgraded, as described in more detail later. Curricula and assessment changes put greater emphasis on project work and creative thinking. A major resource commitment, involving three successive master plans, was made to information and communication technology (ICT) as an enabler of new kinds of self-directed and collaborative learning. A broader array of subject matter courses was created for students and a portfolio of different types of schools has been encouraged, specialising in arts, mathematics and science, and sports, as well as a number of independent schools. â€Å"We need a mountain range of excellence, not just one peak, to inspire all our young to ? nd their passions and climb as far as they can,† explained Tharman Shanmugaratnam, then minister for Education (cited in Lee et al. , 2008). Major changes were also made in the management of schools. Moving away from the centralised top-down system of control, schools were organised into geographic clusters and given more autonomy. Cluster Superintendents – successful former principals – were appointed to mentor others and to promote innovation. Along with greater autonomy came new forms of accountability. The old inspection system was abolished and replaced with a school excellence model. It was felt that no single accountability model could ? t all schools. Each school therefore sets its own goals and annually assesses its progress towards them against nine functional areas: ? ve â€Å"enablers†, as well as four results areas in academic performance (Ng, 2008). 3 Every six years there is an external review by the School Appraisal Branch of the ministry of Education. Greater autonomy for schools also led to a laser-like focus on identifying and developing highly effective school leaders who can lead school transformation. This is also described in more detail later. In 2004, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong introduced the idea of â€Å"Teach Less, Learn More† as the next step under the Thinking Schools, Learning Nation umbrella. Its aim was to open up more â€Å"white space† in the curriculum to engage students more deeply in learning. Despite the system’s widely-recognised successes, learners were still seen as too passive, overloaded with content, driven to perform, but not necessarily inspired. Teach Less, Learn More aims to â€Å"touch the hearts and engage the minds of learners by promoting a different learning paradigm in  which there is less dependence on rote learning, repetitive tests and instruction, and more on engaged learning, discovery through experiences, differentiated teaching, learning of lifelong skills, and the building of character through innovative and effective teaching approaches and strategies. † (Ho Peng, interview conducted for this report) Further moves in this direction were made in 2008 with an envisioning exercise that led to Curriculum 2015. According to Ho Peng, Director General of Education in the Singapore ministry of Education, this review asserted that the Singapore education system had strong holding power and important strengths in literacy, mathematics and science, and that these should remain. However, it needed to do better on the soft skills that enable future learning. In addition, â€Å"the overload of information has put a premium on the ability to do critical analysis. Working across cultures will require language skills and a larger world view† (Ng, 2008). A review of primary schools in 2009 focused on the question of how each child’s learning can be driven by their innate curiosity and love of play. Art, music and physical education (PE) are also being enhanced in the curriculum. Finally, Curriculum 2015 re-emphasises that education must be rooted in values: â€Å"Without a moral and ethical compass, all learning will come to nought. We must rebalance content, skills and character development to achieve a more holistic education,† (Ng, 2008). Current structure In Singapore’s education system today, students receive six years of primary education, and four to ? ve years of secondary education, followed by two years at junior college, polytechnic or the Institute for Technical Education. (Figure 7. 1). 4 Primary education consists of a four-year foundation stage during which all students follow a common curriculum that emphasises English, mother-tongue language and mathematics. Science is introduced from primary 3. Other subjects taught in primary school are civics and moral education, social studies, health, physical education, art and music. 7 SINGAPORE: RAPID IMPROVEMENT FOLLOWED BY STRONG PERFORMANCE 164  © OECD 2010 STRONG PERFORMERS AND SUCCESSFUL REFORMERS IN EDUCATION: LESSONS FROM PISA FOR THE UNITED STATES Source: Singapore Ministry of Education website: www. moe. gov. sg/education/. †¢ Figure 7. 1 †¢ Singapore’s education system organisation Specialised Schools For students who can bene? t from a more customised and practice-based curriculum Privately- funded Schools determine their own curriculum and provide more options for Singapore students (4-6 years) Universties (3 4years for undergraduates) Workplace GCE â€Å"A† Level/Other Quali? cation Polytechnics (3 years) (Diploma) Alternative Quali? cations Integrated Programme combines Secondary and JC education without an intermediate national examination (4-6 years) Junior Colleges/ Centralised Institute. (2-3 years) (GCE â€Å"A† Level) Intitutes of Technical Education (1-2 years) (Nitec/Higher Nitec) Special Education Schools provide EITHER Mainstream curriculum whith programmes catering to students’ special needs OR Customised special education curriculum (4-6 years) Direct Admission to JCs/Polytechnics JCs and polythechnics have autonomy in admitting some students GCE â€Å"O† Level Sec N (A) GCE ’N’ Level Secondary: Express course (4 years) Government/Government-aided Schools †¢ Mainstream schools †¢ Autonomous Schools whith enhanced niches programmes †¢ Independent Schools whith greater autonomy in  programmes and operations Specialised Independent Schools For students with talents in speci? C areas Privately-funded Schools Priovide more options for Singapore students Special Education For students with special needs Direct Admission to Secondary Schools Independent Schools, Autonomous Schools, mainstream schools whith niches of excellence, and schools offering the Integrated Programme have autonomy in admission of some of their students Specialised Independent Schools and Privately- funded Schools have full autonomy in students admission Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE). Primary Schools (6 years) All students follow a broad-based mainstream curriculum. Some schools offer niche programmes such as in aesthetics, sports and gifted education Specialised Independent Schools with specialised programmes to develop students’ talents in speci? cs areas (4-6 years) Secondary: Normal (Academic) Course [N(A)] (5 years) Secondary: Normal (Technical) Course [N(T)] (4 years) Vocational Course (1- 4 years) 7 SINGAPORE: RAPID IMPROVEMENT FOLLOWED BY STRONG PERFORMANCE STRONG PERFORMERS AND SUCCESSFUL REFORMERS IN EDUCATION: LESSONS FROM PISA FOR THE UNITED STATES  © OECD 2010 165. Streaming, which was a key feature of the Singapore education system, was designed to allow students to progress at their own pace from primary 5 onwards. However, in 2008, streaming was replaced with subject-based banding. At the end of primary 6, all students sit for the Primary School Leaving Examination in English, mathematics, mother- tongue language and science. Based on the results of this examination, students are admitted to an express (60% of students), normal academic (25%) or normal technical (15%) course in secondary school. Students in the express course follow a four-year programme culminating in the general certi?  cate of education (GCE) O-level exam. Students in the normal academic course follow a four-year course to GCE N-level and may sit for O-levels in year ? ve (Figure 7. 2). The normal technical programme prepares students for technical higher education, jobs or the postsecondary ITE after a four-year programme leading to the GCE-N level. In recent years, more choice has been offered to students in secondary school, with a wider range of subjects at O-level and elective modules. Students who are clearly of university calibre may study in Integrated Programme Schools where they can  skip O-levels; this arrangement allows them to engage in broader learning experiences that develop their leadership potential and capacity for creative thinking. There is now more horizontal mobility between courses, and students who do well are allowed to transfer between streams. The ratio among streams is further enhanced with students being able to follow subjects from a different stream. Schools specialising in sports, art and mathematics and science are also available, as well as a small number of independent schools. After 10 years of general education, students go to post-secondary education, either junior colleges (31% of  students), polytechnics (43%) or ITE (22%). Academically inclined students can take A-levels during this period and then proceed to university. Students may also take diploma courses in technical or business subjects at polytechnics. Many polytechnic graduates who have done well also go on to university. Students with GCE O- or N-levels can take skill-based certi? cates in technical or vocational subjects at ITE. Outstanding ITE graduates can also go on to polytechnics or universities. About 25% of a cohort goes on to university in Singapore (the number of places will rise to 30% in 2015). Many students also go abroad to university. SINGAPORE’S SUCCESS IN EDUCATION Singapore has pursued its vision of a high-quality education system over a long period of time and has accomplished signi? cant improvements at each stage of its journey. What are some of the key features that have helped Singapore become so successful? A forward-looking, integrated planning system In modern Singapore, education has consistently been the building block for economic and national development. As Prime Minister Goh Chok Thong famously stated: â€Å"The wealth of a nation lies in its people. † Since the founding of the republic, the high value placed on education as the key to economic development and national cohesion in a country with no natural resources is evident in the statements of Singapore’s senior leaders. But the statements about â€Å"nurturing every child† are not just political rhetoric. They have been accompanied by willingness at each stage to invest considerable ? nancial resources in education. Education spending rose to 3. 6% of GDP in 2010, approximately 20% of total government expenditure and second only to defence (Annex 7. A). The linkage to economic development is tight and is driven from the top of the government. As Singapore evolved from an economy based on port and warehousing activities, through a low-wage, labour-intensive manufacturing economy, and then to a more capital and skill-intensive industry and ? nally to its current focus on knowledge- intensive industrial clusters, the education system was expected to ramp up the quality of its education and the supply of speci? c skills needed to make Singapore globally competitive. Singapore has a uniquely integrated system of planning. The Manpower ministry works with various economic agencies (such as the Economic Development Board) responsible for promoting speci? c industry groups to identify critical manpower needs and project demands for future skills. These are then fed back both into pre-employment training and continuing education and training. In other countries, labour and education markets make these adjustments slowly over time, but the Singapore government believes that its manpower planning approach helps students to move faster into growing sectors, reduces oversupply in areas of declining demand more quickly, and  targets public funds more ef? ciently for post-secondary education. The ministry of Education and the institutions of higher and post-secondary education then use these skill projections to inform their own education planning, especially for universities, polytechnics and technical institutes. 7 SINGAPORE: RAPID IMPROVEMENT FOLLOWED BY STRONG PERFORMANCE 166  © OECD 2010 STRONG PERFORMERS AND SUCCESSFUL REFORMERS IN EDUCATION: LESSONS FROM PISA FOR THE UNITED STATES In short, the ability of the government to successfully manage supply and demand of education and skills is a major  source of Singapore’s competitive advantage. As Singapore seeks to become a global scienti? c hub, it is bringing together all aspects of the government – the ? nance ministry, economic development board, manpower ministry, education ministry, urban and environmental planning bodies, housing and immigration authorities – to create the next platform for Singapore’s growth. Singapore demonstrates strong alignment among policies and practices. One of the most striking things on visiting Singapore is that wherever one visits – whether the ministries of manpower, national development, community  development, or education or the universities, technical institutes, or schools – he or she hears the same clear focus on the same bold outcomes: careful attention to implementation and evaluation, and orientation towards the future. â€Å"Milestone† courses bring together top of? cials from all the ministries to create a shared understanding of national goals. And a focus on effective implementation is shared throughout government. Because of the value placed on human resource development and the understanding of its critical relationship to economic development, Singapore’s government provides a very clear vision of what is needed in education. This means that the ministry of Education can then design the policies and implement the practices that will meet this vision. Close links between policy implementers, researchers and educators At the institutional level, both policy coherence and implementation consistency are brought about by the very close tripartite relationship between the ministry of Education, the National Institute of Education (NIE, the country’s only educator training institution), and the schools. The ministry is responsible for policy development, while NIE conducts research and provides pre-servic.