Advertising’s 15 Basic Appeals Essay

Fowles has written other books on the effects of media on society such as â€Å"Advertising and Popular Culture† published in 1996. He is also a researcher, publisher, and professor in media. â€Å"Advertising’s† has also appeared in â€Å"Mass Advertising as Social Forecast† by Jib Fowles. From the title, you can expect that this essay will explore the reasoning behind advertisements and why people like them. It is an appropriate title because Fowles breaks down each â€Å"appeal† he lists and explains why it is used to draw in audiences. This essay’s focus is about the techniques that advertisers use to appeal to audiences. Fowles got his ideas about the appeals from studying advertisements and using interviews by Henry A. Murray, a Harvard professor. Fowles separates the appeals into 15 parts and gives details on how each is used and how often. His purpose it to inform advertising, marketing and media students, and also other educators on how to us ads to appeal to the public. Also, he wanted to inform the general public on how they are being influenced. The target audience is mainly students who are studying media. Fowles does a good and effective job of getting his point across. His goal is to educate students and he does that well. His information is organized well, which makes the essay easy to understand. He uses a lot of details and examples to back up his points. Finally, Fowles ends his analysis by explaining to the reader how to look at ads for the things he wrote about. â€Å"Advertising’s Fifteen Basic Appeals† is a good resource for any student interested in learning more about the media. When looking at â€Å"Advertising’s† by Jib Fowles, the reader can easily see what each of his appeals is. He gives each appeal in a number list and describes each appeal in that list. This way of presenting information makes it very easy for the reader. Someone can simply pick and choose what parts of advertising appeals he or she would like to explore and find it right away. The good organization is a positive aspect of the writing as well as how thorough Fowles is. â€Å"Advertising’s† can be seen as a good resource because it is very detailed.  With each appeal there is a description with examples or background provided. One appeal is the need for autonomy. If the reader does not know what this appeal is just by looking at the title, he or she will soon know by reading Fowle’s description. Fowles gives examples of companies that use this need for autonomy. One slogan he quotes is from Visa, â€Å"you can have it the way you want it,† they say. Fowles explains why Visa would use this as an effective marketing tool. â€Å"The focus here is upon the independence and integrity of the individual; this need is the antithesis for guidance†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Fowles 562).  Now the reader, who may not even know what autonomy is, has an understanding of the appeal and an example to clarify. After the explanation of the appeal comes the lesson on how to analyze advertisements. This part is important because if people know all of these things about ads but don’t know how to apply them to what they see everyday, then â€Å"Advertising’s† has missed the point.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"When analyzing ads yourself for their emotional appeals, it takes a bit of practice to learn to ignore the product information†¦ sort out from all the non-product aspects of an ad the chief element which is the most striking,† (Fowles 566). The viewer must not only learn to sort the information, but also he says to look at the angle the ad is viewed in and the audience it is targeted to. Again, good examples are provided to explain this. He writes about the Green Giant who is looking down on you and appealing to your need for guidance, and about the difference between the message of the same ad if it’s in â€Å"Penthouse (need for sex)†¦and Cosmopolitan (need for attention),†(Fowles 566). There are some who may think that despite Fowles organization, detailed explanation, and analysis, that the essay is too old to be useful to a modern audience. When describing the need for sex, appeal number one, Fowles uses some example that could be seen as dated. First he says that sex is only used in two percent of ads because it can be too much for the viewer. Sex is definitely something seen a lot more in today’s ads. He then provides examples using companies and products that aren’t around anymore. The description of the â€Å"lithe blouse-less female astride a similarly clad male† (Fowles 555), in the Jordache jeans commercial could paint a picture for some in their forties. Today’s students might not get anything from that visual. Even though the examples are dated, the information remains true. You may find more sex in different ads these days but advertisers are still marketing to that need and doing it in the same ways. Jib Fowles was an educator with a strong background and understanding of the media. For this reason his goal with this essay was mainly to appeal to students. He does that well by staying organized and giving a lot of details. He puts his theory into use by informing the reader on who to analyze ads. Though some of Fowles examples are old and people may think they are outdated, his ideas are still good for today’s audience. All of this makes â€Å"Advertising’s Fifteen Basic Appeals† a good place for students to turn to when wanting to learn more about advertisements. Work Cited Fowles, Jib. â€Å"Advertising’s Fifteen Basic Appeals†. Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum Ed. Lavrence Behrens and Lenard J. Rosen. Boston: Pearson, 2013 551-68. Print.

Building a Child’s Playhouse

This is an important issue because it concerns the welfare of children. Their mental health, wellbeing and recreation! The greatest parental happiness and the greatest parental worry are related to the joy and sorrow of their children. If you involve the children in building their own house, a Child’s Playhouse, you provide an outlet to them for their creative endeavors. But fortunately or unfortunately, commercialization of the Playhouse projects has robbed a big portion of creativity that really belongs to children.Yet, the concept of Playhouse still fascinates children and they feel a sense of involvement, in going through the literature, designs and colorful photographs concerning this project. Their involvement in the process of selection of the house thrills them. In the present day modern materialistic world, when there are too many unhealthy distractions for the children, to create social and home loving feelings in their minds is one of the solid achievements of conce pts like building a Child’s Playhouse. If such a house is at the countryside so much the better!It helps to cement the bonds between the children and Mother Nature with all her flora and fauna! If the children born and brought up in metropolitan cities were to stay in the Children’s Playhouse at the countryside, it will leave deep favorable impression on the formative minds. They will experience the difference between the concrete jungle and the real jungle of the birds and animals! Background information: Children are no ordinary market for the business giants. In fact, they are the main targets for food items and colas. The multinationals have staggering budgets running into millions of dollars to hook the children to their products.The business of costly, commercial Playhouses and Cottages has been taken over by the business community. â€Å"Do-It-Yourself Playhouse Building Plans, Build a new Playhouse, Play Fort, Kid's Cottage, or Child-Size Backyard Cabin for yo ur kids. These plans are crafted by experts and by the editors of magazines like Family Handyman, Garden Gate, WOOD Magazine, Workbench and more. They come with clear illustrations and step-by-step instructions to make your work easy. Most of the plans include complete material lists. (Summerwood Products)That’s about the real Playhouse, let us say, the architect’s playhouse, which is like a housing project, with the stamp of children’s enjoyment program. Naturally, the main emphasis of such types of Playhouses is what maximum happiness and sporting activities the house can provide for the children! In the construction of such Playhouses, the role of children in the process of construction and finishing is very limited, because every thing is related to the house arrives in a packed container/parcel, and the assembling part of such ‘engineering units’ also belongs to the company-trained personnel.Sometimes, children are mere observers; only they get the visual joy of the house being assembled by experts in front of their eyes. It is not possible to provide clear cut dimensions of a playhouse . The design and the area can be anything. The definition of a playhouse is, â€Å"a small structure that looks like a house and is big enough for children to play in. †(Collins Cobuild English Language Dictionary) The children did build their Playhouses and found their own channels of happiness since time immemorial. But the models and designs have undergone metamorphic changes.In olden days, children built Playhouses using mud, tree leaves and branches, to play and enjoy the games created by them. They were low budget or no-budget playhouses, created for the sake of temporary enjoyments, during week ends and during holidays. There was more joy and less capital investment in such Playhouses. The study of the problem: During my study of the Playhouse phenomenon, I found the mushroom growth of playhouses of all sizes, varieties and d esigns. It has become a fashion with the city folk to own a Children’s Playhouse at the countryside. It is ‘construction activity’ in full swing!The Child’s Playhouse has almost become synonymous Holiday Homes built for employees by Banks, Multinational Corporations etc. The original purpose of building the play house for children was altogether different. It was by the children, for the children and to the children! If it is a real playhouse for children, the joy and the activity element in building the Playhouse, needs to be the exclusive property of the children. If the children remain present during the inaugural ceremony of a newly constructed playhouse by their rich parents, well, it is still a playhouse but much of the joy essence is not in it.Let the parents spend some quality time with their children. Have a close look at this observation by a father happily observing his child engaged in building something of her own! â€Å"Later, while recoveri ng from the shopping experience, I didn't notice Ana busy in her room–until I was called for a â€Å"fitting. † Resting on green sponge soles was a converted shoe box, with painted laces hooked around colored paper clips. My new â€Å"shoe† had everything: bagel stickers on its sides and sports-card toes, rivaling the best in-store models.Children in today's â€Å"media generation† often don't make things at home, and they often construct objects only in cyberspace. Computer games, and even the new Logos[R], come with hefty instruction manuals for constructing very specific pre-determined forms. Art teachers need to consider the importance of children making things, building by hand, constructing their own objects without formulas or patterns. † (Szekely, February 2001) Cost of building a Playhouse and material required: This is a highly hypothetical question and no fixed answer can be given.It all depends upon one’s requirements and plan. Wh at is important is the involvement of children in the construction of the house. That is the real Playhouse. It can be a low-budget simple cardboard playhouse, created by appliance boxes. Children need not be told how cut holes, windows and doors and install air conditioners! You can provide the children with dozens of boxes so that they can build a real big playhouse with all the furnishings like curtains, wall decorations and even a table tennis court! They can paint the house and make the interior decorations of their choice.And if you wish to go for real Play Houses, all that you have to do is go through the various catalogues and do the selection in consultation with your children, the real masters of the Play Houses! The material used for such Playhouses is of high quality and as per approved specifications. The Playhouse comes with a warranty of 5 years or more. The total cost of the Playhouse will be as per your budgetary allocations. Conclusion and recommendations: Children have endless possibilities and confidence. The parents and the teachers have a great responsibility to wean away the children from the net games.This is not to say that the net games are totally bad. But moderation in this area is the need of the hour. Children, love physical activity! Their real joy is in creativity, involvement, create playthings, alter playthings and destroy playthings. Building playhouses needs to be an important part of the syllabus for children, where the teachers should be mere observers. Watch and note what the children do, left to themselves. They can be given broad hints. The mention made about the responsibility of teachers and parents is just not an academic issue. Spending maximum time with your children is the social need of the present times.The distractions for the children and the younger generation are too many. Involvement of the parents in the activities that interest the children is one way to control them in the positive way. Staying in a play house and engaging with the children is good for both! Finally, try to awaken the hidden genius within your child. By allowing him to construct and have his own Play House! Word count: 1317. . Works Cited Collins Cobuild English Language Dictionary. Summerwood Products, Designers of Fine Outdoor Structures Szekely, George. Handmade Art, Arts and Activities Magazine, February 2001.

Build Bridges Not Walls

Society has undergone a massive change in the last few decades, with respect to both economic and social environment. And this change has affected people of all age groups, starting from children and adolescents to the young, middle aged and old. The pressures to perform either at school/college level or at jobs are enormously high. Tinged with competition, technological advancement as well as the increasing materialism, and hence with changing norms for social status and respect has set people into a mad frenzy of desires.With these changing definitions, people now are unable to define needs, wants & desires. What maybe was a luxury in yesterday’s generation is a need in today’s generation. But what people fail to understand is â€Å"Desires are many, needs are few. Needs can be fulfilled; desires never. A desire is a need Bone crazy. It is impossible to fulfill it. The more you try to fulfill it, the more it goes on asking and asking'† So in this mad frenzy of satisfying desires people forget the one of the basic needs for mental stability and peace†¦a healthy relationship.Man is a social animal and this is important for his survival and he is neglecting almost all relations-â€Å"Parents, friends, siblings,children etc, but the most prominent failing relation is between a man and a woman, be it husband & wife or a relationship. As per laws of nature its natural that a man and a woman develop an attraction which sometimes culminates into a relationship and sometimes ends in marriage, but we are seeing increasing number of broken marriages ,wherein there are irreconcilable differences between a couple and they carry on due to some binding factors like children or society.Sometimes these broken marriages end in divorce and sometimes don’t. The same happens to relationships too and people flit from one relation to another trying to find that deluding peace and happiness. Failure of relationships & marriages-WHY: We believe that if we have someone who wants the same things as we do, it would be a happy relationship. We believe in an overtly romantic ideal which sets us up for disappointment.Having chosen each other on the basis of similarity we have no skills to resolve the differences that inevitably emerge between any two people, and  our romantic spirit is crushed as easily as a paper bag. We avoid conflict when we should be training ourselves on its barbs. We have come to think of compromise as a dirty word. When in fact you get nowhere in real life without it. We look for partners who give us no problems, rather than partners we are good at overcoming problems with. We fail to understand that a man & woman are basically different, not only physically but emotionally as well.Their reaction to a situation or an approach to a problem is always different, and it requires a great deal of patience & understanding to bridge this communication gap between a man and a woman. When a relationship culminates int o marriage, and a couple stay together, these inevitable differences crop up more, and things, which looked trivial or were not noticed in the relationship phase, now come into the forefront and slowly look like major hurdles, which couples find difficult to cope up.Instead of accepting each other, they set about finding flaws and try to make the other person think and behave like them. The undying frenzy in this age of materialism, adds to this, comparisons in social circles take place, expectations arise giving rise to ego, and the couple slowly start drifting apart mentally and emotionally and an invisible and impregnable wall is built between them. Not to mention many a times that also parents from either side are fuelling factors in this.The boy’s parents are still bound mentally in their times and they are unable to cope up with these changing times, and have expectations as were expected of them during their times , sometimes trivial issues becoming major factors for a break up. I personally know of a issue in my friend’s family, wherein an argument broke over an issue, of excessive salt being put in Dal. The argument took such major proportions, and so many other underlying issues came up that my friends elder brother and sister in law left the house and took up a house outside and separated.Funny and sad too. But what needs to be introspected, is what proportions a trivial issue took to. Was it really worth it? An issue of momentary discomfort which could have been just ignored. So also the girl’s parents in a bid to be over protective about their daughter keep interfering in her family life and adding fuel to fire. I know of another trivial issue which could have been solved between a couple, but because of the interference of the girl’s parents, which further fuelled the ego in both sides, and it finally ended in a divorce.So what are the basics to keep a relationship or marriage ticking:1) Both need to accept that howeve r similar interests they share, they are basically two different individuals, hence differences are bound to crop up sooner or later. Also like some famous author said â€Å"Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus†.. hence their emotional psyches are different and this needs to be kept in mind.2) Women need to understand a man more than loving him and a Man needs to love a woman more rather than trying to understand her .3) Both need to keep in mind that only both of them can solve their differences and adjust. Family or friends cannot do it for them. At best family or friends can be helpful in cooling down a highly volatile situation.4) They should think that we see right or wrong from our point of view.. when we understand a person and think from that person’s shoes we may think otherwise.5) Most of the times, a woman doesn’t want a solution rather she wants a sympathetic ear, so men have to listen more and offer less solutions. Rather a sympathetic ear and small tokens of affection works. Women also need to understand a man’s need for his family and friends too. Its common knowledge that men form more die hard friendships then women and women need to understand that, when a man loves his parents or siblings or his friends and spends time with them too, it doesn’t mean he loves her less.6) However arguments and fights are natural. Both should understand that they are in a way healthy and most of the issues are mundane. Hence they should learn not to carry it to the future. It should be dropped there and then. Please remember that, if we hold on to the past, then we can’t move forward.7) If a relationship culminates in marriage, then the woman has to accept that like her parents and siblings are an inseparable part of her, so also are the boy’s parents and siblings are inseparable parts of him. Since parents belong to a different generation, there will be differences, but the solution doesn’t lie in d rifting apart. It lies in accepting them as they are and keeping communication clear with your spouse and with his help bridging that gap. There can also be closed room, open discussion between the boy and his father to find ways to close this gap.8) So also the boy has to understand that the girl’s parents mean the same to her and hence he shouldn’t unduly restrict her or interfere in regards to her parents. He should also respect her parents as he does his own but take caution that, they don’t interfere in their married life.9) Parents also on the other hand, need to be made to understand either through counseling or in open minded discussions to accept either son in law or daughter in law as they are, in order to keep peace in the family.â€Å"Expectation instead of acceptance leads to problems† is something needed to be understood by the couple as well as the parents. â€Å"Build bridges not walls† Finally after taking care of these basics, if still there are irreconcilable differences between a couple, which are a constant source of tension and is detrimental to mental peace and development, and the couple is finding it difficult to carry on, then its best to end the relationship or marriage amicably, rather than suffering continuously or mud slinging at each other. Remember â€Å"A momentary pain is better than a life long suffering†.

Power, Ethnicity and Sexuality in Kehinde and A Distant Shore Essay

Power, Ethnicity and Sexuality in Kehinde and A Distant Shore - Essay Example The essay compares two novels written in the backdrop of immigration of Africans towards England and their efforts to settle down in the English society. The novel A Distant Shore has been written by a British writer and novelist with Caribbean background2 Carly Phillips in 2003. The other novel is Kehinde penned by an African novelist 3Dr. Buchi Emecheta in 1994. Both of these novels depict the themes of displacement, ethnicity and power. There writings are focused upon the tales of the people striving to adjust in the England after facing harsh circumstances at their home town. The novel A Distant Shore deals with the complex changes occurred within the socio-political system of England over the course of time4. There are several themes depicted within the story told in the novel however, the themes of ethnicity, displacement and power dominate the story. As the story progresses the theme of ethnicity and power starts dominating the tale of African immigrant Solomon and female midd le age piano teacher Dorothy. The two main characters of the story developed friendly relationship that was not accepted in the society and eventually Solomon was killed to end their friendship5. The novel depicts the role of powerful racist groups in the English society and shows how lives of people from minority ethnic groups are threaten by the powerful and dominating racial groups.

New IT Technologies Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

New IT Technologies Paper - Essay Example 1. New IT technologies - strengths and weaknesses 1a. Fiber Internet connection A Fiber Internet connection is based on the use of fiber optics instead of a cable. This mode of Internet connection has become quite popular as it is related to a series of advantages, as these advantages are described in a report published by HubTechInsider (2009): a) the bandwidth of such Internet connection is significantly higher than the traditional, cable, Internet connection, b) the fiber optics used in such Internet connection can be replaced offering even higher bandwidth, as available by Internet providers worldwide, c) the performance of fiber optics is not affected by electromagnetic signals; d) there is no way, or at least it is quite difficult, for accessing the data transmitted through a fiber Internet connection; the security risks related to fiber Internet connection are quite limited. In addition to the above, the fiber Internet connection offers to its users extremely high speed of con nection (Fibre Noire 2012). On the other hand, fiber Internet connection has a series of disadvantages, which are also highlighted in the report of HubTechInsider (2009): a) the cost for installing such Internet connection can be high, b) the fiber Internet connection requires the use of specific equipment which may not be always available; c) the fiber used in the fiber Internet connection can be easily destroyed either during the connection’s installation or during the works for recovering/ maintaining the connection; indeed, fiber optics do not have the physical strength of cable, a fact that it is considered as the major disadvantage of the specific material. It has been also proved that fiber Internet connection can be used only when the distance that the signal transmitted has to cover is short (Fiber Store 2012). 1b. Cloud Computing Cloud computing is based on the use of a central database both for data storage and for data processing (Wang 2013). In this way, the acce ss to data is feasible even from distance (Wang 2013). Cloud computing is considered as a significant evolution in IT. The use of this technology in practice has revealed its strengths and weaknesses. The strengths of cloud computing should be highlighted, as described in the study of Viswanathan (2013): a) the cost of using and maintaining such system can be quite low, b) no limits exist in regard to the system’s capacity; c) in case of the system’s damage, the data stored in the central database can be easily retrieved; in traditional databases restoring data after a system’s damage is often impossible, d) it is quite easy for any registered user to access the system’s central database; the easiness in accessing data is considered as a major advantage of this system, compared to traditional databases. However, according to Roberts & Norwood (2013) Cloud computing has also certain disadvantages: a) there is no direct control on the cloud; actually, the s ystem is under the full control of the host company; failure in choosing a reliable host company can set the data stored in the cloud in critical risk (Roberts & Norwood 2013), b) the cloud is fully developed, and available, online; this means that all information stored in the cloud can be accessed online by unauthorized persons (Roberts & Norwood 2013); c) in case of the system’s failure, support can be problematic (Roberts & Norwoo

Family System Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Family System Theory - Essay Example The family therapist, as his profession is known by this name, was born in Argentina and the main achievement of the man is in his work of Structural Family Therapy. The main idea of the structure is decipher the kind of relationships that are found among the family members and psychological patterns of each of them. Communication and understanding among the members of a family are deeply influenced by the psychological differences, which are commonly found in them. Salvador Minuchin has tried to come to some conclusions about what are the common types of psychological patterns that can be found in any family. His researches have helped the sociologists to get solutions to many questions, which were not yet answered before Minuchin’s arrival. (Anderson and Sabatelli, 1999; Minuchin, 1974) Minuchin’s great work Families and Family Therapy begins with an account of a conversation between Minuchin himself and a character named Mr. Smith. What we find in this conversation is Minuchin’s way to solve the problems inside a family. Mr. Smith fails to detect with whom he has problems in the family. It is true that the whole family matter upsets him but he cannot point the individual for whom he feels uncomfortable. Minuchin’s way of treating people belonging to families is based on the understanding of the situation in which the concerned person is. Nothing can be done without knowing the whole structure of the family where the person belongs. So the basic thing of family system theory is obviously the environment, which has been woven by the contributions of each of the family members. Minuchin shows in his theory that a family man or a woman should never be treated as an individual if someone is trying to solve the family problem. In these cases the man or the woman is actually a part of a social group, which is well defined. A family can be taken as the unit for the society and this is why treatment basing

To what extent might it be considered that a new aesthetic paradigm is Essay

To what extent might it be considered that a new aesthetic paradigm is emerging in the 21th century that makes the study of 'aes - Essay Example It is digital and born on the internet (Bridle, 2011). It is generally intelligent and it is diffuse and includes different smaller pieces which are loosely connected with each other. It is a collaborative desire to cover different elements of aesthetic activity, including music, painting, dance, sculpting, photography, and glitch imagery (Bridle, 2011). One of the major contributors to the idea of the new aesthetic has been seen in the establishment of the way in which digital activities and daily activities are gradually connecting with each other. The new aesthetic also secures a starting point in the assessment of Marx’s theories of machines (Sterling, 2012). It shifts from earlier discussions on machine labour being an extension of human actions, in the end, eliminating human barriers which is seen in designers and those who follow these designs. The New Aesthetic indicates a change in production different from Marx’s perspectives. As machines are dependent on huma n control according to Marx, those seen in the New Aesthetic work eliminate the human element (Bridle, 2011). They consider digitalization, and eliminate the human labour involved in the production elements. ... Such paradigms also do not invite other song and genre choices which are actually the more popular choices among the greater youth population. Popular music is not represented in the music education programs, and as a result, most of the materials which the teachers and students work with are irrelevant. The public and private sector teaching posts have decreased in terms of music teachers and musicians, including audience numbers (Abril and Gault, 2008). The current music educational system is actually not sustainable. The entire system is gradually being eroded on all sides, especially with teachers not being in touch with what is current, what is relevant in the music education system. The problem is very much extensive and complicated (Moore, 2011). It is therefore important to assess the music industry and the educational trends in order to understand the current issue. It is also important to evaluate how music relevancy can be utilized as the basis for securing flexible educat ion models and reviving the music programs in schools. Music education as seen from a music relevancy perspective would consider the music held relevant by the community (Abril and Gault, 2008). Such music education would be very much valuable to students especially as it would provide perspectives into the music that they are exposed to and are listening to every day. A music education curriculum which is strongly in line with the current music trends would be focused on current popular trends, including rock, R&B, country, Hip-hop and alternative music (Abril and Gault, 2008). Instructions in music instruments would mostly be on guitar, keyboard, drums, and other popular musical instruments. These new

Communication Barriers of Intercultural Communication Essay

Communication Barriers of Intercultural Communication - Essay Example Having worked with Filipinos for the first time, I thought it rude to be returned with raised eyebrows when greeting them. It turned out that it is their way of greeting people silently in their home country. It is also necessary to interact with international clients and communication barriers can arise due to accent, gestures, and manner of doing businesses. Thus, it is important to have communication between workmates in order to get to know each other better and become familiar with each other's culture habits as this prevents from misinterpreting gestures and words. Besides this, learning to observe and respect the cultures can minimize conflict. Organizing events that will promote interaction can help improve the barriers that arise from cultures. Likewise, talking to clients will give us hints about their characters and habits. In addition, attending courses on intercultural communication is also useful in expanding knowledge on this issue.

Balanced Scorecard Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7000 words

Balanced Scorecard - Dissertation Example If you can't measure something, you can't understand it. If you can't understand it, you can't control it. If you can't control it, you can't improve it† by H. James Harrington is justified in every aspects of a business environment (USACE, 2005). Measuring performance in an organizational perspective is equally important as its business operations. An organization running its operations without having performance measurement tools can be like a CEO functioning without formulating a strategic plan or an aeroplane flying without its compass. Therefore it can be portrayed that the primary intentions behind measuring performance is to get an idea of how the organization is performing and looking after the possibilities of further development. Performance management enables organizations to measure, plan and control activities in accordance with the predefined strategies. In simple words it facilitates organizations to achieve their desired goals (Johnson, 2007, p.1-2). Some of the major performance measurement tools that are being used in current business scenario include Balanced Scorecard, Economic Value Added (EVA), Activity Based Costing and Management, Performance Prism and Quality Management. However among the aforementioned tools, importance and usage of balanced scorecard will be principally highlighted through the entire report. While the saying ‘balanced scorecard was coined in the early 1990s’, the origin of this approach however is believed to be deep, and also embrace radical work of General Electric (GE) during the early 1950s. The work was basically based on reporting of performance measurement. Apart from this French process engineers have also contributed immensely towards the development of performance management tools. There work was during the early 20th century. In this context the engineers literally developed a â€Å"dashboard† in order to monitor performance levels in a simplified and efficient way. Despite of its early conception, it was originally developed at Harvard business school by Dr. David Norton and Dr. Robert Kaplan in the year 1992. During the initial phases after the development of balanced scorecard, it was merely used as the performance measurement tool or a performance measurement agenda. Nevertheless slowly with the passage of time balanced scorecard has been able to gain much more importance in the professional field. A number of companies incorporated balanced scorecard into their system of operation in order to facilitate effective and well-organized performance measurement system. Nowadays balanced scorecard is considered as a valuable strategic planning tool. It helps an organization to transform its strategic plan from

Philosophy paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Philosophy paper - Essay Example Their affiliation determines who they like and don't like. If Euthyphro says "What is dear to the gods is pious, what is not is impious" then it would be proven illogical in Socrates' counter argument that Athena and Ares consider the same group of people both pious and impious. These qualities should be universal but they are not. This is the principle of Euthyphro's Dilemma.(Round 3) The gods can agree and be universal in their choices. Definition Round 3 : "the pious is what all gods love.. and what all the gods hate, is the impious†¦" Socrates gives strenuous opposition because the answer is not straight forward. "Is the pious being loved by the gods because it is pious, or is it pious because it is being loved by the gods?" Euthyphro agrees that it cannot be answered universally. The gods love some things because they are pious or good. This shows that that the god- loved and pious have to be different. The idea of right and wrong have to have an intrinsic anchor. Socrates goes ahead an explains cause and effect. Euthyphro's arguments cannot only be based on the same laws of the physical universe. He based his laws of piety on the same laws of the physical universe. The laws of piety are not rules and regulations which can been governed by gods or bodies of government. The best answer accepted by both Socrates and Euthyphro is to question one because the pious can be immaterial grammatically as it can be a person or an animal. The moment gods like it the "thing becomes pious. The Euthyphro Dilemma is presented by Socrates as showing that pious cannot be grammatically defined as it was done in ancient Greek. 2)If the Universe is like a watch the universe represents a complex organism of parts which function together . Paley never develops the analogy but compares the universe to a rock in the woods and a watch. He uses this comparison to develop his version of the Design argument which is later refuted by Hume's counter arguments. He knows that a rock would not be easily accepted as having a Designer as a creator. Using the watch as an analogy to the comparison to the world assumes that there is a designer to the universe who must be God. Functionality assumes a designer which assumes the existence of God. The watch analogy shows the complexity of natural order and thus an existence of a creator. The natural events in life cannot be contributed to happenstance. Yes a watch has problems as does nature. A watch has a maker though you don't see him. You cannot see the inner workings of the watch though they exist. They have been put together as the universe was put together. They were designed before they were created. The universe functions because of the work of the presence of an omnipotent designer. Even though the watch can have problems in working properly, it was designed in its inception. A perfect example would be the climatic problems we are having in the world. The weather system was designed but it is not working as it s hould. If the watch is missing a battery or needs to be taken to a watch maker because it is no longer keeping proper time, these are two conditions we would not be able to fix because of our lack of understanding. This does not assume that there was not a designer. The casing of the watch as well as all other items in the world have structure, otherwise there would be total chaos. The watch would not be able to hold together its parts. He uses a deductive argument if noticeable things were

Do we overplay the influence - especially the harmful influence - of Essay

Do we overplay the influence - especially the harmful influence - of the media on British politics - Essay Example Hodgson (2007) claimed that since ‘World War II’ British media has played an influential role in the country in terms of political participation, elections and political process among others. Considering this fact, media and newspaper has undermined several aspects of the country in terms of voting, elections, political equality and accountability. As a consequence, the impact of the political activities in case of business sectors, has diversely affected the performance of the country. Moreover, it has also affected the financial stability of the country in context of political background. Additionally, during the early 21st century the traditional trend of media changed to a considerable extent and the presence of social media highly influenced the political performance in Britain (Hodgson, 2007). In this assignment, the objective is to identify that whether we overplay the influences of media on the British politics. At the same time, the study has also emphasised to identify the harmful influences of media and newspaper of the British political system. During the contemporary era, the role of mass media has changed, which has influenced potential problems on the democratic environment of the British government. More precisely, media and newspaper has identified all the agenda from the domestic environment of the British and framed the same in front of Britain citizens. In this regard, mass media have a high influence on the macro political agenda, which has initiated difficulties for the political parties in Britain. According to the viewpoint of Tulloch (2007) British political system is usually established on the basis of democratic governance. In this context, it is evident that constitutional issues and governmental elections are usually the core agenda’s of the British political system. On the other hand, a large number of the

Getting The Extra Bit Out Of Your Employees Essay Example for Free

Getting The Extra Bit Out Of Your Employees Essay An employee is required to contribute 40 to 48 hours of productive work in terms of service or visible output. The very purpose of employment is for the employer to generate enough revenue so that he can not only pay your wages, but also make some profit for himself and retain a portion of the profits for contingencies. It is widely accepted that in most cases though the employer is required by law to pay the employee for all the 365 days of the year, the employee output is restricted to some 250 days or in that region. Thus, even when the employee is not working, the employer has to support him/her. The manufacturing sector can lay down norms to measure the output of each employee and relate it to the quantum of work produced. But, in the services sector it is difficult to quantify the output of each individual. The flow of work can also not be uniform in the case of the services sector. Evaluation: In this context, let us examine the working of a Supermarket. The flow of customers into the supermarket will vary during the day as also during the month. In most cases, the evenings will see more customers coming in, while the mornings will see fewer of them. The noon period of the day can be thinner still. Thus, we have a situation where the productive output of the employee is not available to the employer all through the 7 or 8 hours that he/she spends in the Supermarket. So, the effective throughput (actual time spent in producing goods/services) diminishes to anywhere between 5 and 6 or 4 and 6 hours. The employer has to earn adequate revenue to compensate the employees and even take care of eventualities. Therefore, in most parts of the world, employers, particularly in the services sector, manage to get that extra bit of work done by each employee. Institutions, enterprises or organizations strive continuously to optimize their return on investment and use employee motivation as a major tool to achieve this. After all, it is the collective performance of employees that would manifest itself into a successful enterprise. It is not essential at all times to monetize motivation. There are several other means of motivating the employees to get optimal results. For example, in the case under discussion, we need to get an extra 30 minutes of work from each employee. The employer is unwilling to pay for that extra time or simply cannot afford to. So many terminologies and reasons will be attributed to safeguard that extra bit of money. But, heads of departments still have to achieve the desired results and with no extra money available in their hands. Conclusion: Though money is very important to employees, other factors go into employment. In the instant case, the manager can explain to the employees that by spending an extra 30 minutes after the scheduled time and reorganizing the merchandise for the next day, they will be able to start right away when they commence work on the following day. Customers walking in during the first hour will be able to transact their business quickly and this in turn will bring in more of such early customers. Another method is to address all the employees together and evolve a pattern whereby some employees can report early for work and leave at the scheduled time, some employees can shrink their breaks to accommodate the extra time required, and some can even leave late. After all, every one of us spend a lions share of the daylight hours in our respective breadwinning activity. With the correct methodology employed, getting employees to contribute 30 minutes of extra work per day can be achieved without denting the employer’s purse.

Strategic Human Resources Planning in Healthcare

Strategic Human Resources Planning in Healthcare Strategic Human Resources Planning Executive summary A family group of companies dealing in pharmaceuticals has been in operation for decades distributing medical supplies such as syringes and bandages to different hospitals in their region. The company has established a reputation for itself, owing to the quality products and reliable services it offers the local hospitals. The companys success over the years can be attributed to its dedicated team of employees that has established a family like environment for its staff ensuring prolonged retention of its employees. The company also attributes its success to a dedicated customer satisfaction policy, which went to great lengths to ensure the needs of their customers are satisfied. The companys experience has grown over the years and with it, there has been a development in growth of their business network, whereby, the company supplies its products to hundreds of hospitals across Canada that has seen it open branches in different locations across the country. Background of Management/ Problem Statement Over the years, the business has been under the stewardship of the founders, who are mainly members of the same family. Being a small company only serving local hospitals, the company has experienced nothing but success among its workforce. However, with the expansion of company and the ever-changing technologies in medical field continues creating need for change not only in the products the company supplies but also in staff and management approaches. These changes have led the company to promote some of their existing staff or hire new ones to meet the demands in the changing market. Nonetheless, the companys human resources department is clouded with issues as the role of the department has grown to more than an amateur department for a small company. The troubled HR department is now experiencing staff departures and falling earnings. As such, the company needs to establish a human resource strategy to help create a balance between the employee and employer needs ensuring sustai nability of the business in the end. Project Stakeholders Roles and Responsibilities Managing Director Bill seats at the top of the company management chain, he owns the company and thus, all decisions that are made for the organization will need his blessing before they can be put into play. Project Directors These different directors within the company plan direct and oversee different projects ensuring the deliverables are reached as defined in the project goals. The directors also maintain accountability for the management of the company resources assigned to the project. Quality Managers They manage products and the process quality activities of the different project and offer an insight of the project health by offering a review of the process, product activities, and the required standards. Therefore, quality managers are vital to the human resources department especially towards activities of training needs analysis, training, hiring of skilled staff. Employees Employees are an important part of implementing change within an organization, since the changes to be implemented will mainly affect them directly. Therefore, as part of creating a strategic human resource plan, it will be important to seek what changes the employees would like to see, be it technological, managerial, work schedules, and other workplace related issues influencing productivity. Operations Lead These are the individuals mandated with the overseeing of different operations of a new system, as well as monitoring and managing operations and resolutions of operations support issues. The operations leads are an important part of change within the organization, as they will play a key role towards implementing new management software that is needed for the human resource department. Approaches to Solving the Human Resources Issues Labor Relations According to Noe et al (2006), worker labor relations are dedicated to endorsing operative fairness, and specialized associations between a corporation and its personnel. Through effective labor relations, the company will be able to solve various problems it is faced with including among others establishing awell-organizedfabrication of goods. At the same time, the labor relations will allow a determination of satisfactory terms and circumstances of service considering both the good of the proprietor, personnel, and as well as the society via agreements reached through negations. Thus, strategic plan to use labor relations will establish stable and harmonious relations between the Family Company and its employees, and between them and their society. Labor relations also go a long way towards establishing mechanisms of communication within the organization. In addition, the practice establishes channels of consultation and collaboration to determine workplace matters at the industrial level through agreed harmony. The family company is faced with numerous disputes between its management and the employees, labor relations can be used to mitigate these disputes to aid in the settlement and future avoidance through negotiations and dispute settlement mechanisms. The process would go a long way towards the provision of social protection where it might be needed especially in areas of social security, child labor, safety, and health (Noe et al, 2006). Talent Management and Staff Development The organization has been in constant need of a human resource assistant to deal with growing workforce and ensure the needs and work schedules of the employees are in order. This objective could be attained through talent management in the company. According to McCauley and Wakefield (2006), capacity supervision is assignment critical procedure that sees to it that an organization has the quality and amount of individuals in place to meet their existing and impending business urgencies. In line with this staff development process, the company will cover all the key aspects of the employees life covering the selection process, the growth, succession, and the management of performances. The Family Medical Group Company can thus have talent management as part of their human resource strategic plan ensuring the human resource department always has a clear understanding of the organizations prevailing and future operational strategies. The organization will also from time to time be able to identify any gaps arising between the current talent and that required to attain business success. In addition, running a talent management plan will ensure the firm is accurate in hiring and promotions decisions it undertakes. Finally, the human resources team will easily  connect individual goals to corporate goals providing organizational expectations and offer feedback to aid manage performance (McCauley and Wakefield, 2006). Work Design/ Classification Organizations can employ the high relationship prevailing between employee satisfaction with the work environment, which includes the rules, technology in use, and the office design to attain organizational success. Where new employees join the company, design can be employed to ease transition to the new work environment for the new employee and enhance productivity. Under the work design, the firm should get rid of disruptions and offer its employees a comfortable environment that support their needs in the process transforming attitudes about work and increase output and efficiency (Enz and Siguaw, 2000). The companys revenues have been decreasing, for the human resources department to save this situation, it has to maximize the intellectual capital and to do this, it has to establish effective work processes, and through an environment, that supports it. According to do Enz and Siguaw(2000), where an efficient work environment has been created and the staffs are proud of it, then consequently job performances improve. In addition, work environments that are known to adopt work designs that are supportive of the way people need to work, it strengthens morale and promotes a positive attitude about their duties and enhances productivity. Performance Management This is a procedure of fashioning workplace setting where individuals can accomplish tasks to the best of their capacities. Thus, performance management commences when the job is defined as needed. The process is a collaboration between the employer and employees making major interaction opportunity with the employees a learning occasion. Developing a performance management plan is vital to the human resources department of the firm since it contributes establishing an employee recruitment plan, allowing the firm to recruit potential employees in the process. Implementing a performance management plan will bring various advantages including creating job specification and it aligns the firms strategic organization and culture, offers an accurate picture of the different employees performances. The process will also make for collaborative process geared towards setting goals and review performances following a two-way communication channel between the firm and its staff. The plan will monitor and measure results and behaviors, including issuing feedback on the different tasks carried out with the firm. Where there are, training needs, the plan creates training and development opportunities, and most importantly, it identifies areas of poor performance and establishes plans to improve these areas (Den Hartog et al, 2004). Organization Development According to Cummings and Worley (2014), where organizational development is part of a strategic human resources the organization will benefit by further strengthening its leadership capabilities of the firms supervisory personnel. Organization Development will increase the organizations capacity to a well manage assortment and identify natural differences that exist at the workstation, the process will go a long way towards employees skills, create accountability, and offer resources that will enable the organization create long-term sustainable change. The process of organizational development will help reduce the staff turnover rate, work on the low staff morale reported by the managers, fight the prevailing inability to effectively communicate throughout the organization, and work on the disconnection between the supervision and the staff. In addition, organization development will play a part to train employees for career development, providing flexible learning options by encouraging employees to engage self-learning and engage in development activities,  and build trust between the staff and the leadership in the organization. The plan will also help the human resources department in matching the various available learning options to different learning styles (Cummings and Worley, 2014). Training Needs Analysis According to Brown (2002), operative training needs analysis is predominantly important in the modern day changing work environment as new machineries and elastic working performance are prevalent, that correspond to changes in the skills and abilities. Training needs analysis will enable the firm to station funds into the zones where they will underwrite to the expansion and enhancing drive among the employees. As well, the employees will need to be trained to bridge the existing skill gap and training needs analysis is important for an effective training program. Through training needs analysis, the organization will be able to channel its available resources to areas where they will be able to contribute to employee development in the process enhancing productivity at the workplace. Ensuring training needs analysis is part of the strategic human resource plan will ensure the organization priorities are put into consideration and economies of scale are attained. Additionally, the firm will have an opportunity to consider its future needs, and develop monitoring techniques to use within the organization. The investigation will help the organization to investigate unexpected problems and indicate where gaps exist within the organization. This part of the plan will aid in establishing the level of need, and come up with a plan to mitigate the need by considering the kind of training that will be most appropriate (Brown, 2002). Staff Acquisition The top management in the firm will negotiate with functional and department managers to identify and assign resources in line with the firms project organization structure. In addition, the plan will identify external sources and mechanisms to hire new project sources, and allow an approval of the project works. The upgrade of the management system will include alliancing with the vendor, in corroboration with the human resource management team. Nonetheless, the vendor will need to transfer his expertise to the staff to ensure the transition of the project transpires (Brown, 2002). Conclusion The strategic human resource plan will go a long way in helping the Family Medical Group of Companies archive its goals. The process will act as the link between the management of the organization and the overall strategic plan of the plan. The strategic plan will aid the organization in meeting their mission, help the organization assess the current human resource capacities, foresee the requirement of the organization, analyze gaps, and come up with strategies that support organization strategies. References Brown, J. (2002). Training needs assessment: A must for developing an effective training program. Public personnel management, 31(4), 569-578. Cummings, T. G., Worley, C. G. (2014). Organization development and change. Cengage learning. Den Hartog, D. N., Boselie, P., Paauwe, J. (2004). Performance management: A model and research agenda. Applied psychology, 53(4), 556-569. Enz, C. A., Siguaw, J. A. (2000). Best practices in human resources. The Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 41(1), 48-61. McCauley, C., Wakefield, M. (2006).Talent management in the 21st century: Help your company find, develop, and keep its strongest workers. The Journal for Quality and Participation, 29(4), 4. Noe, R. A., Hollenbeck, J. R., Gerhart, B., Wright, P. M. (2006).Human resource management: Gaining a competitive advantage.

Effective Community Participation Strategies Management Essay

Effective Community Participation Strategies Management Essay Introduction Community participation is the creation of opportunities to enable all members of a community to actively contribute to and influence the development process, while sharing equitably in the fruits of development (UN 1981). Midgley, Hall, Hardiman and Narine (1986) define community participation as the direct involvement of ordinary people in local affairs. Community participation can be summed up as a means of educating citizens in order to increase their competence. Reid (2000) defines community participation as a vehicle for influencing decisions that affect lives of citizens and an avenue for transferring political power. However, it can also be a mechanism for ensuring accountability, receptivity and sensitivity of social services to local communities. Successful community participation allows community members to act in response to public concerns, empowers community members to openly give their views about decisions that affect them and to actively take responsibility for chang es in their community. Importance of Community Participation According to WHO (2002), community participation helps communities to target resources more effectively and efficiently, allowing people to become more responsive to community needs and take responsibility. Communities have a wealth of untapped resources and energy that can be harnessed and mobilized through community participation. Community participation methods empower people to creatively develop skills and build competencies and capacities within communities. Furthermore, better and more sustainable decisions are made by involving communities in decision making because community participation is a way of extending the democratic process by opening up governance and redressing inequality in power. It offers new opportunities for creative thinking, innovative planning and development (WHO 2002). Heberlein (1976) notes that better community decisions are the ones that involve citizens at community level and they are generally more acceptable to local people. Cook (1975) argues that citizen participation in community affairs serves to check and balance political activities by allowing fuller access to benefits of a democratic society. This increases democracy and combats exclusion. WHO (2002) points out that community participation in decision making, planning and implantation is a human right. It is therefore important to implement new structures of governance that transcend citizens being viewed as passive recipients of services provided by agencies and decided by few representatives. This will open up genuine community participation at grassroots, empowerment of local communities and create a sense of citizenship. Community participation ensures ownership and sustainability of programs, provides a source of information, knowledge as well as experience and eliminates deficiencies in the society, empowering members to put emphasis on problem solving (Christensen and Robinson 1980). Cahn and Camper (1968) suggest that merely knowing that one can participate in community development and become accountable for development of a local community promotes dignity and self sufficiency within the individual. Interestingly, Cook (1975) points out that community participation can legitimise a program, its plans, actions and leadership, which brings the difference between success and failure of the program. Programs that lack community support end up failing while the ones embraced by the community become successful. WHO (2002) views community participation as an essential tool for ensuring that interventions and programs aimed at promoting health, wellbeing, quality of life and environmental protection are sustainable. Reid (2000) argues that active community participation is the key to building an empowered community. Participating communities are open to involvement by all groups and responsibilities are divided with an aim of engaging special talents and interests of contributing organizations and individuals thus decentralising power and responsibilities. Participating communities carry out their activities openly and publicise them widely. The citizens are well informed about community work as well as their opportunities for personal involvement in meaningful roles (Reid 2000 and Cook 1975). Successful community participation involves participating communities that do not discriminate against each other. Such communities willingly offer themselves to community involvement and perform their activities with an open mind. They are not controlled by any single organization, group or philosophy and their leadership is used to facilitate discussion of diversity of viewpoints instead of pushing for i ts own agenda. What Makes Effective Community Participation Community participation requires going beyond consulting to make citizens an integral part of decision making and action process. It should not be viewed as a response to initiatives or agendas from politicians and professionals (WHO 2002). Spiegal (1968) notes that citizen participation is the only process that can meaningfully tie community development programs to members of local communities. The participation programs involve a significant number of people in situations or actions that enhance their well being. It involves peopleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s income, their security, time, commitment, skills and even their self esteem. According to Brager, Specht and Torczyner (1987) there are three major aspects to be considered for successful community participation, namely: the kind of community participation under consideration, type or nature of people participating and how the participation takes place. Evans (1974) also points out the significance of issues such as, who participates, the nature of activities that people participate in, why they participate and how the activities they are participating in contribute to principles that they value as a community. Sharing community responsibilities, assuming good intentions for all stake holders involved in community initiatives and affirming the community strengths brings oneness to the community and creates effective community participation. According to WHO (2002), valuing partnership between local communities and sponsors of a community initiative and confirming benefits of the initiative is a vital tool for effective community participation. Local communities do not want to be treated as being helpless. Treating them with respect no matter how poor they are, listening to them and learning from them boosts their morale to participate and own the community initiatives (UNCHS 1986). Smithies and Webster (1998) argue that successful community participation must have support at community grassroots level, with full consultation and involvement of local communities in planning and implementation of such initiatives. Research has shown that community initiatives implemented through resourcing grassroots work and local action with both geographical communities and communities of interest as the starting point for community initiatives has yielded great success and proved effective and sustainable. This process has often led t o establishment of trust and mutual respect between communities and professionals intending to work with such communities to achieve desired objectives. WHO (2002) identifies networking for the purposes of facilitating development of community and professional infrastructure as an integral part of effective community participation. Networking gives an opportunity to communities, professionals and all those involved in community projects to share common experiences, strengthen competencies and build alliances that focus on recognition and realisation of potential people in organizations working to ensure effectiveness, capabilities and adaptability within the context of community participation. Effective community participation involves planning of concept, process, structure and content Smithies and Webster (1998). This ensures meaningful and long-term community participation at all stages of community projects. This requires an effective two way communication to ensure that the views of community members are incorporated into strategic plan. Spiegal (1968) observes that local communities should be given an opportunity and responsibility to manage their own resources, define their needs, aspirations and make decisions affecting their well being. An effective community participation program is therefore established on the basis that local people have the innate capacity to understand and act on their own problems. The approach of such initiatives should be people centered and consensus driven and involve vulnerable groups of such as people with disabilities and the elderly. They should also have a gender balance. Cahn and Camper (1968) argue that sustainable and inclusive community participation should aim at developing community infrastructures, whereby formal arrangements for communication, consultation, collaboration as well as informal networks for inter agency liaison should be developed with a shared understanding and a common purpose. All stakeholders should work in partnership to share skills and be committed to mutual learning and joint training as they appreciate and acknowledge resources that communities have in terms of expertise. Barriers to community involvement should be addressed by availing resources and taking positive approach towards building effective communication among all stake holders and adequate information management. There should be good governance and transparency in decision making to avoid prejudice. Barriers to Effective Community Participation USAID (2000) notes that community initiatives are highly likely to fail in societies where there is unfair distribution of benefits of community participation or community work among local members. Highly individualistic societies where there is little or no sense of community partnership are faced with lack of cooperation, selfishness, corruption and at times mismanagement of resources that could benefit the entire community. Bass (1995) observes that community initiatives that lack policies, laws and institutions that encourage, support, manage and reward local participation in planning and development process are faced with challenges of failing. The success of any community participation initiative is largely dependent upon the precise strategy scope, goals and likely participants. Political and cultural circumstances dictate the extent in which community initiatives succeed. Community initiatives influence by bad governance and political interference never benefit the locals but are only used by politicians as political milestones. Mayo and Craig (1995) note that communities need an appropriate organisational structure put in place for them to express their interests and build effective community participation. People are reluctant to join community initiatives whose organisational structures are cumbersome, time consuming, dictatorial or grossly insufficient. Communities that have little knowledge or limited information on the nature and benefits of community initiatives withdraw their participation and often oppose the initiatives because they are hardly involved in their planning and decision making. Case Studies Case Study 1: Newcastle City Council Newcastle city council works through partnership with other organisations such as police, universities, health service providers, all groups and individuals from community, voluntary and private sectors to ensure that community initiatives influence the future prosperity of the city (Newcastle city council). The council has a variety of community participation initiatives that have been quite successful such as building schools for future, whose main vision is to raise aspirations, opportunities and achievements of all Newcastle residents and to create a culture of learning that enhances creativity and economic prosperity. Other Newcastle city council initiatives include the rough sleepers initiative and housing initiatives. The main objectives of Newcastle city council are: to develop and sustain opportunities for local people and groups for the purpose of influencing what goes on within their communities, to create opportunities aimed at shaping and influencing quality service delivery to local communities, to manage and coordinate engagement activities for consistency, quality and partner participation. The Newcastle city council aspires to ensure that community development activities provide opportunities for entire community to participate in community programs and share their skills (Newcastle city council). These objectives have been achieved through priorities such as successful coordination and leadership of participatory community initiatives, development of protocols, toolkits and performance management framework. The council has a web based resource for effective consultation as well as inclusive ward committee structures to establish views of all community groups, to improve coordination with partners in engagement activities and to enhance skills and expertise in community development participation (Newcastle city council). Each ward in Newcastle has a neighborhood response manager and a neighborhood response team to ensure that views of residents are incorporated in service delivery. Most of the decisions are made through effective consultation with local community groups, which are then involved in implementation of such decisions through active participation in service delivery (Newcastle city council). Newcastle city council has been a successful community initiative through active participation of local communities at grassroots, Case Study 2: The Tsunami Project Following the Tsunami disaster, several groups of grant makers such as the American Jewish society, Global fund for children, Global green grants fund, Oxfam America and Global fund for women among others positively responded to assist the affected communities. However, a closer look at available literature on Tsunami shows that the central role of local organisations such as mechanisms for ensuring local participation is widely recognised throughout the Tsunami community initiatives. However, it is evidently clear that grassroots participation in Tsunami response was insignificant, this forced local communities to compete for resources and recognition (Roper and Harvey 2006). The Tsunami initiatives seem to have been driven by what grant makers had planned and purposed to deliver instead of being driven by the needs of local communities involved. The initiatives were planned and implemented without consultations with local communities. This made it difficult for more sensitive issues emerging after the disaster to be addressed because beneficial roles could only be achieved through tapping into existing community groups, focusing on marginalised groups to strengthen their capabilities, building solidarity across social divides, funding women- led initiatives to promote gender equality and giving local people an opportunity in coordinating implementation of temporary shelter (Roper and Harvey, 2006). The objectives of Tsunami response by several organisations were not well defined to members of the local community, there was little involvement of local communities in planning and implementation of Tsunami initiatives and this made the local communities feel like they were left out of the projects, without a sense of ownership hence it was difficult to address the real problems facing communities after the Tsunami disaster. Conclusion This research paper started by defining and discussing community participation initiatives and what makes community participation initiatives to be successful. Community strategies and initiatives are only successful when the local communities are fully involved in planning and implementation of such initiatives. Participatory community initiatives bring psychological satisfaction to members of the local communities, giving them a sense of ownership to community initiatives while tapping into the unlimited potential of skills and knowledge from local communities. Through the two case studies discussed, Newcastle city council has been a successful community initiative because local communities are actively involved in planning and implementation of community initiatives. This gives them a sense of ownership and the ability to identify with the initiatives and contribute to the total well being of the entire community through participation. They are not afraid of offering their expertise because they know the benefits of being involved in community initiatives. On the other hand, local communities were not given a chance to participate in planning and implementation of Tsunami project. The implementing agencies viewed communities as desperate people and did not give them an opportunity to air their views or become involved in planning and implementation of the project. This led to unfruitful results in implementation of the community initiative, with massive failure of the projects and even increased risks to local communities after implementat ion of the projects. Community participation is not an idle principle. Communities that have chosen to follow it find that not only do they derive more satisfaction from the joy that comes from open community involvement, but they also achieve more results, more rapidly and with greater benefit to the community as a whole. In short, participating communities succeed better than those that only pay lip service to this important principle.

The History of Hitler and the Nazi Regime Essays -- German History Ado

The History of Hitler and the Nazi Regime In the Second World War, a man named Adolph Hitler, the leader of the infamous Nazi regime, had a plethora of things on his mind. From guarding the stricken land of Poland against Soviet advancement, to making sure the western shores of the Atlantic Ocean in France were closely guarded, Hitler had much to worry about. Unfortunately, it was during Hitler’s reign when a most horrible atrocity took place. Adolph Hitler was born on April 20th, 1889 in a small hamlet named Braunau Am Inn, just across the border from German Bavaria. Hitler’s childhood was often riddled with abuse and physical beatings. His family lived in a small farmhouse with 10 other people. Because of this, Adolph’s older brother, Alois, ran away from home. As a child, Hitler was fascinated with art. He begged his father to let him attend a classical secondary school, but his father would have nothing to do with it. He insisted that his son follow in his footsteps as a civil servant. As a result, Hitler, in his first year of civil school, failed miserably, claiming he did so on purpose to spite his father. Around the age of 13, Hitler, as a result of living on the German-Austrian border, became interested in German nationalism. A few years later, after his father’s death, 18-year-old Adolph decided it was time to try his luck in art, and moved to Vienna. After failing miserably in art, he became interested in politics. At the time, the mayor of Vienna, Karl Lueger, was an anti-Semite and Jew hater. Even though Hitler still had a few Jewish friends, the messages from Lueger began to sink in (Gilber 24).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hitler left Austria at the age of 24 years old, partly to leave the Austrian empire which he had started to hate, and, in part, to avoid required military service. At this time, it was 1914, and World War I had broken out. Hitler found a sense of pride and belonging in the German army during The War. He was not a great soldier, but was stoic, and was awarded with the Iron cross at the end of the war. After the war, Hitler became increasingly anti-Semitic, which won the attention of his superiors (Gilber 37). At the end of 1919, the German army had Hitler, now age 30, look into an organization called the German Worker’s Party. Soon after, Hitler joined and became head of propaganda. The party fiercely attacked Communism, and was heavily anti... ... the Nazis tried to carry out Hitler's Final Solution. As the Allies approached Auschwitz, the guards forced the 25,000 Jews to evacuate the compound and walk over 100 miles in the snow, barefooted. Most of these prisoners ended up in the Buchenwald camp, in Germany, much farther west of the advancing Soviet army. Eventually these prisoners were liberated, but many died on the long trek. On May 1st, 1945, World War II was over, with Germany signing an unconditional surrender. The day before though, Hitler and his wife, Eva Braun, committed suicide by consuming cyanide capsules (Keegan 198).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In conclusion, The Nazi regime's solution to the problem of what to do with the Jews was to try and kill every last one of them. At first, Hitler took it slow, but as the war progressed, the insanity grew, and so did Hitler’s plot. He was out of control. What it comes down to is that Hitler walked the fine line between genius and insanity. His speeches were brilliant, but the results were weak and poor. His idea about the Holocaust was skewed. Was this a man without any morals? This is a question that will continue to plague mankind for history. What really was wrong with Adolph Hitler†¦?

Mac N Cheese :: essays research papers

Stove Top Mac-n-Cheese 1/2 pound elbow macaroni 4 tablespoons butter 2 eggs 6 ounces evaporated milk 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce 1 teaspoon kosher salt Fresh black pepper 3/4 teaspoon dry mustard 10 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente and drain. Return to the pot and melt in the butter. Toss to coat. Whisk together the eggs, milk, hot sauce, salt, pepper, and mustard. Stir into the pasta and add the cheese. Over low heat continue to stir for 3 minutes or until creamy. Yield: 6 to 8 servings Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes Difficulty: Easy Thank you for participating in the 2002 RadioShack Official Online All-Star Ballot on MLB.com. We invite you to return to the ballot at http://vote.mlb.com and vote a maximum of twenty-five times. You are the key to help your favorite players get to Milwaukee! And be sure to watch the 73rd All-Star Game on FOX, Tuesday, July 9th on 8 p.m. ET, 5 p.m. PT Thank you, Brian Phillips MLB.com If you have mistakenly received this confirmation, please click http://vote.mlb.com/cgi/mlb_optout.pl?email=MADHANDLES29@AOL.COM I I I I II IIII III I I II I II I II II I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I IThank you for participating in the 2002 RadioShack Official Online All-Star Ballot on MLB.com. We invite you to return to the ballot at http://vote.mlb.com and vote a maximum of twenty-five times. You are the key to help your favorite players get to Milwaukee! And be sure to watch the 73rd All-Star Game on FOX, Tuesday, July 9th on 8 p.m. ET, 5 p.m. PT Thank you, Brian Phillips MLB.com If you have mistakenly received this confirmation, please click http://vote.mlb.com/cgi/mlb_optout.pl?email=MADHANDLES29@AOL.COM Thank you for participating in the 2002 RadioShack Official Online All-Star Ballot on MLB.com. We invite you to return to the ballot at http://vote.mlb.com and vote a maximum of twenty-five times. You are the key to help your favorite players get to Milwaukee! And be sure to watch the 73rd All-Star Game on FOX, Tuesday, July 9th on 8 p.

Basic Principles of Democracy Essay

Democracy comes from the Greek word, â€Å"demos,† meaning people. In democracies, it is the people who hold sovereign power over legislator and government. Democracy is a form of government in which power is held by people under a free electoral system. It is derived from the Greek ÃŽ ´ÃŽ ·ÃŽ ¼ÃŽ ¿ÃŽ ºÃ ÃŽ ±Ãâ€žÃŽ ¯ÃŽ ±, â€Å"popular government†] which was coined from ÃŽ ´ÃŽ ®ÃŽ ¼ÃŽ ¿Ãâ€š (dÄ“mos), â€Å"people† and ÃŽ ºÃ ÃŽ ¬Ãâ€žÃŽ ¿Ãâ€š (kratos), â€Å"rule, strength† in the middle of the 5th-4th century BC to denote the political systems then existing in some Greek city-states, notably Athens following a popular uprising in 508 BC. In political theory, democracy describes a small number of related forms of government and also a political philosophy. Even though there is no universally accepted definition of ‘democracy’, there are two principles that any definition of democracy includes. The first principle is that all members o f the society have equal access to power and the second one that all the members enjoy universally recognized freedoms and liberties. There are several varieties of democracy some of which provide better representation and more freedoms for their citizens than others. However, if any democracy is not carefully legislated to avoid an uneven distribution of political power with balances such as the separation of powers, then a branch of the system of rule is able to accumulate power in a way that is harmful to democracy itself. The â€Å"majority rule† is often described as a characteristic feature of democracy, but without responsible government it is possible for the rights of a minority to be abused by the â€Å"tyranny of the majority†. An essential process  in representative democracies are competitive elections, that are fair both substantively and procedurally. Furthermore, freedom of political expression, freedom of speech and freedom of the press are essential so that citizens are informed and able to vote in their personal interests. Popular sovereignty is common but not a universal motivating philosophy for establishing a democracy. In some countries, democracy is based on the philosophical principle of equal rights. Many people use the term â€Å"democracy† as shorthand for liberal democracy, which may include additional elements such as political pluralism, equality before the law, the right to petition elected officials for redress of grievances, due process, civil liberties, human rights, and elements of civil society outside the government. In the United States, separation of powers is often cited as a supporting attribute, but in other countries, such as the United Kingdom, the dominant philosophy is parliamentary sovereignty (though in practice judicial independence is generally maintained). In other cases, â€Å"democracy† is used to mean direct democracy. Though the term â€Å"democracy† is typically used in the context of a political state, the principles are also applicable to private organizations and other groups. Though democracy has its origins in Ancient Greece other cultures have significantly contributed to the evolution of democracy such as Ancient India, Ancient Rome, Europe, and North and South America. Democracy has been called the â€Å"last form of government† and has spread considerably across the globe. Suffrage has been expanded in many jurisdictions over time from relatively narrow groups (such as wealthy men of a particular ethnic group), but still remains a controversial issue with regard to disputed territories, areas with significant immigration, and countries that exclude certain demographic groups. The contemporary interpretation of democracy from the political point of view is that it is a system of government in which a country’s political leaders are chosen by the people in regular, free and fair elections. In a democracy, people have a choice between different candidates and parties who want the power to govern. The people can criticize and replace their elected leaders and representatives if they do not perform well. The people are sovereign — they are the highest authority  Ã¢â‚¬â€ and government is based on the will of the people. Elected representatives at the national and local levels must listen to the people and be responsive to their needs. That is why democracy depends upon a literate, knowledgeable citizenry whose access to information enables it to participate as fully as possible in the public life of their society and to criticize unwise or tyrannical government officials or policies. Citizens and their elected representatives recognize that democracy depends upon the widest possible access to uncensored ideas, data, and opinions. All people should have the right to form their own opinions and express them individually or in peaceful assemblies. Free societies cr eate a â€Å"marketplace of ideas† where people exchange their views on any number of issues. Although nuances apply to the world’s various democracies, certain principles and practices distinguish democratic government from other forms of government. †¢ Democracy is government in which power and civic responsibility are exercised by all citizens, directly or through their freely elected representatives. †¢ Democracy is a set of principles and practices that protect human freedom; it is the institutionalization of freedom. †¢ Democracy rests upon the principles of majority rule, coupled with individual and minority rights. All democracies, while respecting the will of the majority, zealously protect the fundamental rights of individuals and minority groups. †¢ Democracies guard against all-powerful central governments and decentralize government to regional and local levels, understanding that local government must be as accessible and responsive to the people as possible. †¢ Democracies understand that one of their prime functions is to protect such basic human rights as freedom of speech and religion; the right to equal protection under law; and the opportunity to organize and participate fully in the political, economic, and cultural life of society. †¢ Democracies conduct regular free and fair elections open to all citizens. Elections in a democracy cannot be facades that dictators or a single party hide behind, but authentic competitions for the support of the people. †¢ Democracy subjects governments to the rule of law and ensures that all citizens receive equal protection under the law and that their rights are protected by the legal system. †¢ Democracies are diverse, reflecting each nation’s unique political, social, and cultural life. †¢ Democracies rest upon fundamental principles, not uniform practices. †¢ Citizens in a democracy not only have rights, they have the responsibility to participate in the political system that, in turn, protects their rights and freedoms. †¢ Democratic societies are committed to the values of tolerance, cooperation, and compromise. †¢ Democracies recognize that reaching consensus requires compromise and that it may not always be attainable. In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, â€Å"intolerance is itself a form of violence and an obstacle to the growth of a true democratic spirit.† Principles of Democracy People from around the world have identified the basic principles, which must exist in order to have a democratic government. These principles often  become a part of the constitution or bill of rights in a democratic society. Though no two democratic countries are exactly alike, people in democracies support many of the same basic principles and desire the same benefits from their government. The following are examples of the principles referred to as signposts of democracy, which will be used throughout this lesson: 1. Citizen Participation One of the most basic signposts of a democracy is citizen participation in government. Participation is the key role of citizens in democracy. It is not only their right, but it is their duty. Citizen participation may take many forms including standing for election, voting in elections, becoming informed, debating issues, attending community or civic meetings, being members of private voluntary organizations, paying taxes, and even protesting. Participation builds a better democracy. 2. Equality Democratic societies emphasize the principle that all people are equal. Equality means that all individuals are valued equally, have equal opportunities, and may not be discriminated against because of their race, religion, ethnic group, gender or sexual orientation. In a democracy, individuals and groups still maintain their right to have different cultures, personalities, languages and beliefs. 3. Political Tolerance Democratic societies are politically tolerant. This means that while the majority of the people rule in a democracy, the rights of the minority must be protected. People who are not in power must be allowed to organize and speak out. Minorities are sometimes referred to as the opposition because they may have ideas which are different from the majority. Individual citizens must also learn to be tolerant of each other. A democratic society  is often composed of people from different cultures, racial, religious and ethnic groups who have viewpoints different from the majority of the population. A democratic society is enriched by diversity. If the majority deny rights to and destroy their opposition, then they also destroy democracy. One goal of democracy is to make the best possible decision for the society. To achieve this, respect for all people and their points of view is needed. Decisions are more likely to be accepted, even by those who oppose them, if all citizens have been allowed to discuss, debate and question them. 4. Accountability As George Washington said â€Å"Government is not reason, it is not eloquence,it is a force! Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master; never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action.† In a democracy, elected and appointed officials have to be accountable to the people. They are responsible for their actions. Officials must make decisions and perform their duties according to the will and wishes of the people, not for themselves. Government accountability means that public officials – elected and un-elected – have an obligation to explain their decisions and actions to the citizens. Government accountability is achieved through the use of a variety of mechanisms – political, legal, and administrative – designed to prevent corruption and ensure that public officials remain answerable and accessible to the people they serve. In the absence of such mechanisms, corruption may thrive. The primary political accountability mechanism is free and fair elections. Fixed-terms of office and elections force elected officials to account for their performance and provide opportunities for challengers to offer citizens alternative policy choices. If voters are not satisfied with the performance of an official, they may vote them out of office when their terms expire. The degree to which public officials are politically accountable is a function of whether they occupy an elected versus appointed position, how often they are up for reelection, and how many terms they can serve. Legal accountability mechanisms include the whole legal framework – constitutions, legislative acts, decrees, rules, codes, and other legal instruments that proscribe actions that public officials can  and cannot take and how citizens may take action against those officials whose conduct is considered unsatisfactory. An independent judiciary is an essential requirement for the success of legal accountability, serving as a venue where citizens bring claims against the government. Legal accountability mechanisms include: †¢ Ethics statutes and codes of conduct for public officials, outlining unacceptable practices †¢ Conflict of interest and financial disclosure laws, requiring public officials to divulge the source of their income and assets so that citizens may judge whether the actions of those officials are likely to be influenced improperly by financial interests †¢ â€Å"Sunshine† laws, providing the press and the public access to government records and meetings †¢ Citizen participation requirements, dictating that certain government Judicial review, providing courts the power to review the decisions and actions of public officials and agencies. Administrative accountability mechanisms include offices within agencies or ministries and practices within administrative processes designed to ensure that the decisions and actions of public officials account for the interest of the citizens. Administrative accountability mechanisms include: †¢ Ombudsmen, responsible for hearing and addressing citizen complaints; †¢ Independent auditors who scrutinize the use of public funds for signs of misuse; †¢ Administrative courts, that hear citizens’ complaints about agency decisions; †¢ Ethics rules protecting so-called whistleblowers – those within government who speak out about corruption or abuse of official authority – from reprisals. 5. Transparency For government to be accountable the people must be aware of what is happening in the country. This is referred to as transparency in government. A transparent government holds public meetings and allows citizens to attend. In a democracy, the press and the people are able to get information about what decisions are being made, by whom and why. 6. Regular, Free and Fair Elections One way citizens of the country express their will is by electing officials to represent them in government. Democracy insists that these elected officials are chosen and peacefully removed from office in a free and fair manner. Intimidation, corruption and threats to citizens during or before an election are against the principles of democracy. In a democracy, elections are held regularly every so many years. Participation in elections should not be based on a citizen’s wealth. For free and fair elections to occur, most adult citizens should have the right to stand for government office. Additionally, obstacles should not exist which make it difficult for people to vote. Free and fair elections allow people living in a representative democracy to determine the political makeup and future policy direction of their nation’s government. Free and fair elections increase the likelihood of a peaceful transfer of power. They help to ensure that losing candidates will accept the validity of the election’s results and cede power to the new government. Elections alone do not assure democracy since dictators can use the resources of the state to tamper with the election process. Free and fair elections require: †¢ Universal suffrage for all eligible men and women to vote – democracies do not restrict this right from minorities, the disabled, or give it only to those who are literate or who own property. †¢ Freedom to register as a voter or run for public office. †¢ Freedom of speech for candidates and political parties – democracies do not restrict candidates or political parties from criticizing the performance of the incumbent. †¢ Numerous opportunities for the electorate to receive objective information from a free press. †¢ Freedom to assemble for political rallies and campaigns. †¢ Rules that require party representatives to maintain a distance from polling places on election day – election officials, volunteer poll workers, and international monitors may assist voters with the voting  process but not the voting choice. †¢ An impartial or balanced system of conducting elections and verifying election results – trained election officials must either be politically independent or those overseeing elections should be representative of the parties in the election. †¢ Accessible polling places, private voting space, secure ballot boxes, and transparent ballot counting. †¢ Secret ballots – voting by secret ballot ensures that an individual’s choice of party or candidate cannot be used against him or her. †¢ Legal prohibitions against election fraud – enforceable laws must exist to prevent vote tampering (e.g. double counting, ghost voting). †¢ Recount and contestation procedures – legal mechanisms and processes to review election processes must be established to ensure that elections were conducted properly. 7. Economic Freedom People in a democracy must have some form of economic freedom. This means that the government allows some private ownership of property and businesses, and that the people are allowed to choose their own work and labor unions. The role the government should play in the economy is open to debate, but it is generally accepted that free markets should exist in a democracy and the state should not totally control the economy. Some argue that the state should play a stronger role in countries where great inequality of wealth exists due to past discrimination or other unfair practices. 8. Control of the Abuse of Power Democratic societies try to prevent any elected official or group of people from misusing or abusing their power. One of the most common abuses of power is corruption. Corruption occurs when government officials use public funds for their own benefit or exercise power in an illegal manner. Various methods have been used in different countries to protect against these abuses. Frequently the government is structured to limit the powers of the branches of government: to have independent courts and agencies with power to act against any illegal action by an elected official or branch of  government; to allow for citizen participation and elections; and to check for police abuse of power. 9. Accepting the Results of Elections In democratic elections, there are winners and losers. Often the losers in an election believe so strongly that their party or candidate is the best one, that they refuse to accept the results of the election. This is against democratic principles. The consequences of not accepting the result of an election may be a government that is ineffective and cannot make decisions. It may even result in violence which is also against democracy. 10. Human Rights All democracies strive to respect and protect the human rights of citizens. Human rights mean those values that reflect respect for human life and human dignity. Democracy emphasizes the value of every human being. Examples of human rights include freedom of expression, freedom of association, freedom of assembly, the right to equality and the right to education. All human beings are born with inalienable rights. These human rights empower people to pursue lives of dignity – thus, no government can bestow them but all governments should protect them. Freedom, built on a foundation of justice, tolerance, dignity, and respect – regardless of ethnicity, religion, political association, or social standing – allows people to pursue these fundamental rights. Whereas dictatorships deny human rights, free societies continually strive to attain them. Human rights are interdependent and indivisible; they encompass myriad facets of human existence including social, political, and economic issues. Among the most commonly accepted are: †¢ All people should have the right to express their ideas and opinions. †¢ All people should have the right to participate in government. Governments should create laws that protect human rights while justice systems enforce those laws equally among the population. †¢ Freedom from arbitrary arrest, detention, and torture – whether one is an opponent of the  ruling political party, an ethnic minority, or even a common criminal – is a basic human right. A professional police force respects all citizens as it enforces the laws of the nation. †¢ In ethnically diverse nations, religious and ethnic minorities should be free to use their language and maintain their traditions without fear of recrimination from the majority population. Governments should recognize the rights of minorities while respecting the will of the majority. †¢ All people should have the opportunity to work, earn a living, and support their families. †¢ Children deserve special protection. They should receive at least an elementary education, proper nutrition, and healthcare. To maintain human rights, citizens in any free society need to be vigilant. Citizen responsibility – through a variety of participatory activities – ensures that government remains accountable to the people. The family of free nations is committed to work toward protection of human rights. They formalize their commitment through a number of international treaties and covenants on human rights. 11. Multi-Party Systems In order to have a multi-party system, more than one political party must participate in elections and play a role in government. A multi-party system allows for opposition to the party, which wins the election. This helps provide the government with different viewpoints on issues. Additionally, a multi-party system provides voters with a choice of candidates, parties and policies to vote for. Historically, when a country only has one party, the result has been a dictatorship. To preserve and protect individual rights and freedoms, a democratic people must work together to shape the government of their choosing. And the principal way of doing that is through political parties. Political parties are voluntary organizations that link the people and their government. Parties recruit candidates and campaign to elect them to public office, and they mobilize people to participate in selecting government leaders. The majority party (or the party elected to control the offices of government) seeks to enact into law a number of different policies and programs. Parties of the opposition are free to criticize the majority party’s policy ideas and offer their own proposals. Political  parties provide a way for citizens to hold elected party officials accountable for their actions in government. Democratic political parties have faith in the principles of democracy so that they recognize and respect the authority of the elected government even when their party leaders are not in power. Like any democracy, members of various political parties reflect the diversity of the cultures in which they arise. Some are small and built around a set of political beliefs. Others are organized around economic interests, or shared history. Still others are loose alliances of different citizens who may only come together at election time. All democratic political parties, whether they are small movements or large national coalitions, share the values of compromise and tolerance. They know that only through broad alliances and cooperation with other political parties and organizations can they provide the leadership and common vision that will win the support of the people of the nation. Democratic parties recognize that political views are fluid and changeable, and that consensus can often arise out of the clash of ideas and values in peaceful, free, and public debate. The concept of the loyal opposition is central to any democracy. It means that all sides in political debate – however deep their differences – share the fundamental democratic values of freedom of speech and faith, and equal protection under law. Parties that lose elections step into the role of opposition – confident that the political system will continue to protect their right to organize and speak out. In time, their party will have a chance to campaign again for its ideas, and the votes of the people. In a democracy, the struggle between political parties is not a fight for survival, but a competition to serve the people. 12. The Rule of Law In a democracy no one is above the law, not even a king or an elected President. This is called the rule of law. It means that everyone must obey the law and be held accountable if they violate it. Democracy also insists that the law be equally, fairly and consistently enforced. This is sometimes referred to as â€Å"due process of law.† For much of human history, rulers and law were synonymous – law was simply the will of the ruler. A first step away from such tyranny was the notion of rule by law, including the notion  that even a ruler is under the law and should rule by virtue of legal means. Democracies went further by establishing the rule of law. Although no society or government system is problem-free, rule of law protects fundamental political, social, and economic rights and reminds us that tyranny and lawlessness are not the only alternatives. Rule of law means that no individual, president or private citizen, stands above law. Democratic governments exercise authority by way of law and are themselves subject to law’s constraints. Laws should express the will of the people, not the whims of kings, dictators, military officials, religious leaders, or self-appointed political parties. Citizens in democracies are willing to obey the laws of their society, then, because they are submitting to their own rules and regulations. Justice is best achieved when the laws are established by the very people who must obey them. Under the rule of law, a system of strong, independent courts should have the power and authority, resources, and the prestige to hold government officials, even top leaders, accountable to the nation’s laws and regulations. For this reason, judges should be well trained, professional, independent, and impartial. To serve their necessary role in the legal and political system, judges must be committed to the principles of democracy. The laws of a democracy may have many sources: written constitutions; statutes and regulations; religious and ethical teachings; and cultural traditions and practices. Regardless of origin the law should enshrine certain provisions to protect the rights and freedoms of citizens: Under the requirement of equal protection under the law, the law may not be uniquely applicable to any single individual or group. Citizens must be secure from arbitrary arrest and unreasonable search of their homes or the seizure of their personal property. Citizens charged with crimes are entitled to a speedy and public trial, along with the opportunity to confront and question their accusers. If convicted, they may not be subjected to cruel or unusual punishment. Citizens cannot be forced to testify against themselves. This principle protects citizens from coercion, abuse, or torture and greatly reduces the temptation of police to employ such measures. 13. Bill of Rights Many democratic countries also choose to have a bill of rights to protect people against abuse of power. A bill of rights is a list of rights and freedoms guaranteed to all people in the country. When a bill of rights becomes part of a country’s constitution, the courts have the power to enforce these rights. A bill of rights limits the power of government and may also impose duties on individuals and organizations. The role of the Non-governmental Organizations In democracies, ordinary citizens may organize independent groups that serve the needs of the community or nation they live in and complement, supplement, or even challenge the work of the government. Such organizations are often called nongovernmental organizations, or NGOs, because they are not an extension of the government’s offices. NGOs allow citizens to improve their society by advocating, educating, and mobilizing attention around major public issues and monitoring the conduct of government and private enterprise. NGOs enable citizens from different backgrounds to learn to work together and build the skills, relationships, and trust necessary for good government. NGOs serve a great variety of citizen interests. They may act as social service providers, advocates for the environment or for living standards, work standards, or as the catalysts for democratic change. NGOs often represent the interests of those citizens who might otherwise be left out of national policy de bates. They open the public discourse to people of all economic and social classes and to women and minorities. Funding for NGOs may come from individual private donations, private trusts and philanthropies, corporations, religious institutions, international institutions, other NGOs, sales of goods and services, and even governments. Governments and NGOs frequently work as partners. NGOs may provide local and regional expertise and personnel on the ground for implementation of government-funded projects. NGOs may be politically unaffiliated, or they may be based on partisan ideals and seek to advance a particular cause or set of causes in the public interest. In either model the key point is that NGOs should operate under minimal political control of states. NGOs develop local and international programs in virtually all areas that contribute to the promotion of the principles of democracy, including: †¢ Human rights  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ by promoting international standards and monitoring for violations and abuses. †¢ Rule of law – through low-cost or free legal aid, educating all citizens regarding their rights, and advocating for legal reforms. †¢ Women’s participation – by preparing them for political participation and protecting them from socioeconomic discrimination. †¢ Civic education – through education programs focusing on the role of the citizen in a democratic and diverse society. †¢ A free press – by promoting independent media, training journalists, and setting standards for ethical journalism. †¢ Political party development – through election monitoring by trained domestic observers and nonpartisan voter registration drives. †¢ Government accountability †“ by conducting policy analysis and serving as watchdogs over governmental actions. Democracy in the EU â€Å"The Union is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. These values are common to the Member States in a society in which pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality between women and men prevail. â€Å" These are universal values and not the values of the Europeans alone. Many countries in the world are recognising and implementing these values or at least have written them down in one or the other form. In order to obtain the objectives of the Union based on the afore-mentioned values, the European Union needs certain powers conferred in a legal framework. It is foreseen that these powers must be exercised using the Community method and specific instruments within a single institutional framework. But through the implementation of these universal values, the European Union has become already a success story that is making membership to the Union so very attractive to its neighbours and an example for other regions in the world= More citizens in Europe live in countries with competitive elections, political freedoms and respect for human rights than ever before. Part of this success story can be attributed – undeniably – to the process of European integration. Paradoxically, however, the European Union also finds itself increasingly the subject of general cynicism and dissatisfaction among its citizenry. Therefore, a better understanding of democracy has become vital at all levels of government, and in particular regarding the future of the EU itself. Proposals for the further democratisation of EU decision-making can be pieced together from at least the following four different dimensions of choice: Intergovernmental vs Supranational Under intergovernmental approaches, the EU is democratised through the elected institutions of its member states. In the contemporary EU, for example, each member country has to ratify any change to EU Treaties according to the democratic mechanism of its choice, with referendums being used in some cases and national parliamentary votes in others. In addition, most important decisions have to be taken by the Council of Ministers on which all national governments are represented. Even with majority voting, this allows national parliaments scope to influence the development of EU policy and hold their governments responsible for their behaviour at Union level . They can review the negotiating positions of their governments before meetings of the Council of Ministers. They can scrutinise draft legislation, which has to be circulated to each national parliament in its own language at least six weeks before it is voted in the Council. They also have important discretion in deciding how EU acquis is to be transposed into national law, since directives only require member states to achieve certain results, without specifying the methods to be employed. Under supranational approaches, entirely new democratic institutions are established at the European level. They are purpose-made for the EU’s political system, and they operate with at least some consistency across the Union as whole. So, for example, the European Parliament is directly elected by all adult citizens of the EU. Its powers, are directed to making law for the Union as a whole, and at scrutinising, criticising and controlling the overall performance of Commission and Council in their role as the EU’s double-headed executive. In brief, it has the power to: †¢ Approve or reject the member states’ choice of Commission and Commission President †¢ Dismiss the Commission on a double majority (two-thirds of votes cast, provided that those voting for a censure comprise more than half of the Parliament’s membership). The resignation of the Santer Commision in March 1999 undermined the argument that this was unlikely ever to happen. †¢ Reject legislation in some areas (Co-decision) and amend it in others (Cooperation). The increasing use of the former means that the EP approaches bicameral status with the Council in a political system where rule-making is, arguably, the main activity. Even the latter allows the EP to structure the choices that are subsequently available to the Council. As the previous examples imply, the EU currently mixes and matches intergovernmental and supranational approaches to democratic politics. Consensus vs Majoritarian Democracy Majoritarian democracy is where decisions can be taken by a bare majority of the public or its representatives. Its proponents argue that any alternative amounts to minority rule. Consensus democracy is where the aim is to align policies with the preferences of the greatest number of citizens or their representatives, rather than with those of a simple majority. Its defenders argue that any alternative allows minorities to be excluded and is not, therefore, rule by the people as a whole. Amongst examples of consensus democracy are the following: †¢ Supermajoritarian decision-rules: these require decisions to be approved by more than 50 per cent of representatives. At present the EU employs supermajorities twice over, in both the Council and the EP. Majority voting in the Council requires 71 per cent of the weighted votes of member states. Most powers of the EP can only be exercised on an absolute majority of its membership. Given normal rates of absenteeism this effectively means that a majority of around two-thirds is usually needed in the EP, as well as the Council of Ministers. †¢ Federal systems: these parcel decision-making out between layers of government. It is rare for the EU to be the only body with powers in an issue area. It normally shares jurisdiction with national and sub-national authorities with which it has to co-ordinate its activities. †¢ Consociational systems: these guarantee the participation of all main cultural units in the most important decisions of a political system. In the EU, for example, all governments nominate at least one Commissioner; all member states have a seat on the Council and the opportunity to hold its rotating Presidency for a period of six months; both Council and Parliament over-represent smaller member states in a manner that underlines the principle that it is national communities — and not just citizens — that are units of value in the EU’s political system; and even the Governing Council of the European Central Bank works on the principle ‘one national central bank, one vote’. Direct vs Indirect Democracy Direct democracy is where the people itself takes major decisions of government. The alternative is that they only exercise public control indirectly through appointed representatives. As will be seen below, this distinction is mainly relevant to prescriptions for the democratisation of the EU, rather than to its current practice. Strategic vs Communicative Democracy Strategic models of democracy presuppose that actors have clear and fixed views of their interests. The main goal of democratic institutions is then to find the most efficient means of aggregating the preferences of individuals into collective actions, albeit subject to various standards of fairness. Communicative models of democracy hold that preferences also need to be debated within the political system, either because they are not fully formed prior to a process of discussion, or because group action is so very different from individual action, both actually and morally. A big question for the EU is whether it can develop a public sphere that all citizens can access as equals, and through the medium of which all points of view can be debated and compared. Connecting European citizens to one another — and to EU institutions — raises problems of language, media, party systems and the associational structure of society, almost all of which are presently organised to support national forms of democracy, rather than a European equivalent. The future of a strong European Union with 27 member states and more will only be possible if rules are implemented which make decisions more democratic, more transparent and thus more efficient. A good and democratic society in the European context is a society which is open to reforms or is able to become a better society – I.e. an active civil society. The European Civil Society can give a new direction to politics. Politicians will then follow. Only a European Civil Society which is better informed about European values, objectives and challenges will give Europe a new impetus to the further democratic development of Europe.