Leading a turnaround Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Leading a turnaround - Essay Example Another change made was to reinvest savings back into the business; this had the knock-on effect of raising the company’s EPS. However, perhaps the most successful change was to instill a new corporate culture that respected leadership; this was important if Loren was going to be able to pick the company up because he needed respect of his subordinates. After five years of Loren in charge, the company’s reputation and value grew enormously, with double-digit earnings growth year-on-year. In January of 2005, Loren stepped as CEO of the company and handed over the reins to Steven Alesio (this was planned for two years before it actually took place). For the few months following that move, Loren remained as chairman; he stepped down from this role in May of 2005 and was replaced once again by Steven Alesio. With the company heading in the right direction, it was the right time for Loren to retire and leave the company in the capable hands of someone who he has specifically chosen for the

The Most Significant Moment of Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Most Significant Moment of Life - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that the true essence of our life is exhibited through the little moments of joy or sorrow that are dear to us and are close to our hearts. These moments may be seemingly minor and trivial but become the most treasured and meaningful memories. These noteworthy moments adorn our past for our lifetime and have an evergreen effect on our future. Not just joyous incidents, some heart-wrenching episodes affecting our dear ones or our surroundings can also remain etched in our memories. Such incidents serve as reminders of the realities of life and the ups and downs it encompasses. On the other hand, the beautiful and worthwhile episodes shared with our family, favorite pets, colleagues, and friends prove to us every day the worthiness of life. These precious memories give us the necessary boost we need when we are drowned in the daily chaos and obligations. The researcher’s Granddad possessed a very full of life and admirable personality. The author enjoyed the most when she used to spend her time at her grandparent's house. Every single moment the researcher spent with her granddad was filled with affection and a feeling of warmth. Even now when she thinks of even the most inconsequential episodes she spent with her granddad, the author is reminded of his honesty and kindness that reflected her personality. Childhood is a part of your life where the tiniest of gestures have a deep impact on one’s personality. The researcher’s granddad showed the importance of family, the significance of kindness and gave her the confidence that is needed to become a self-assured young girl that she is today. The author always worshipped his lively personality, the way he laughed and made jokes with his companions. His authoritarian personality with the spirit of kindness and love that, he had in abundance, especially for the researcher. Her granddad always took special care of her and the author used to accompany him most of the time. One particular incident has left a deep impact on the author’s mind and she still finds that she related to it some way or another. During one particular summer vacations, when the author was in 6th standard she went to her granddad's house as a part of her usual annual routine. As usual, the author spent the bright lively summer days in her grandparent’s house cherishing each and every moment. Summer vacations were a time which she used to wait for eagerly. It was an occasion when the researcher got the chance to spend time with one person who made her feel special through his affectionate soul and kind gestures. Granddad brought home a little, frail puppy that looked scared and homeless. Its innocent round eyes stared at the author with fear in them. Granddad had found him on his way home in a deserted street without its mother. The researcher was amazed and quite amused by this little creature. The puppy was just like a little baby; small, fragile and completely dependent on others. Granddad gave the puppy to the author and told her to take special care of the little creature. That day he taught the researcher a lesson that she followed the rest of her life. It was something that was obvious from his way of life and his personality. He taught her love and affection for family. He told her that if today the author takes care of the little, defenseless creature, it will grow up tomorrow and return her the kindness and affection she showed to it.  

Public Participation Planning

Public Participation Planning The purpose of this Literature Review is to establish a theoretical framework for my research proposal, specifically the theoretical aspects associated with public participation and collaborative planning. It aims to analyse and assess the various articles books and journals published and researched to date, while also identifying potential gaps in the research, which could be addressed by my research proposal. The literature review will take the form of an assessment of the emergence of public participation, the different types of participation and decision making models, followed by an analysis of the merits of collaborative planning as a tool for facilitating public participation within a development plan process. 2.2What is meant by participation? Although the merits of public participation have only begun to gain credence in recent times, the idea itself has been around for quite a while and literature on the subject can be found spanning back a number of decades. Public Participation has been defined as citizen involvement in making service delivery and management decisions (Langton, 1978). More recently it has been defined as ‘the process through which stakeholders influence and share control over priority setting, policy-making, resource allocations and access to public goods and services (Kende-Robb, 2005). Sanoff argues that it is advocated to reduce citizen cynicism toward government, build stakeholder consensus in government and enhance administrative decision-making. There remains a strong sense that the proper objective of participation is to ensure the ‘transformation of existing development practice, and more radically, the social relations, institutional practices and capacity gaps which cause social exclusion. This was central to many of the approaches to participation over the years including the community development approach from the 1940s to 1960s; political participation in the 1960s and 1970s; alternative development from the 1970s to the 1990s; social capital from the mid 1990s to the present and participatory governance and citizen participation from the late 1990s to the present day (Hickey Mohan, 2004). Other traditional participation mechanisms include public hearings, citizen forums, community or neighbourhood meetings, citizen advisory groups, individual citizen representation and focus groups (Wang, 2001). The focus on increasing public participation and citizen involvement in policy making has only begun to have a visible effect in recent times. It has been stated that direct, active citizen involvement in policy making has not always been a goal of civilised societies (Putnam, 1995). The reason is, to some extent a result of the enlarged role in society played by government bureaucracies (Davidoff, 1965). Habermas however states that individuals should be able to freely share their views with one another in a process, which closely resembles true participatory democracy. He states that the public sphere is â€Å"a discursive arena that is home to citizen debate, deliberation, agreement and action† (Habermas, 1981). By allowing every person the same opportunity to participate in discourse, Habermas hopes to eradicate the prejudices which limit marginalized groups from fully attaining their rights in a democratic society. The difficulty with recent models of participation is that citizens are more often reacting to plans rather than proposing what they see as appropriate goals for future action. This is certainly the case in Ireland, where participation is almost always reactive in nature. However, in the last decade this has begun to change and public participation is becoming an established part of planning and policy decision-making practice (Cameron Grant-Smith, 2005). Participation Versus Consultation Even though the term ‘participation is used to describe public involvement in policy and decision making, it must be recognised that there are various levels at which a person may participate and in many cases what is referred to as public ‘participation is not in fact participation at all. In the late 1960s, Sherry Arnstein developed an 8 rung ‘Ladder of Citizen Participation with each rung corresponding to the extent of the citizens power in influencing a final outcome (Arnstein, 1969). Arnstein developed this Ladder while involved in developing processes for citizen participation in planning and renewal projects in America (see figure 1). At the bottom of the ladder are rungs 1 (Manipulation)and 2 (Therapy). Both are non participative and the aim is to cure or educate the participants. The proposed plan is deemed best and the job of participation is to achieve public support by public relations. Rungs 3 (Informing), 4 (Consultation) and 5 (Placation) demonstrate slightly higher levels of tokenistic participation, however too frequently the emphasis is on a one-way flow of information with no channel for feedback. Rung 6 (Partnership) can be described as meaningful participation, as power is in fact redistributed through negotiation between citizens and power holders. Planning and decision-making responsibilities are shared e.g. through joint committees. It is at this partnership level that the collaborative planning model aims to operate. Rungs 7 (Delegated Power) and 8 (Citizen Control) affords ‘have-not citizens the majority of decision making seats or full power and is the holy grail in terms of citizen participation. Figure 1: If participation is to be real and effective there must be dialogue between the different stakeholders and between those who have power (those at the top of the ladder) and between those who have little or no power (those at the bottom of the ladder). There must be a two way flow of information between the parties involved. However there is no dialogue in consultation which is what has traditionally been considered ‘participation in a development plan process in Ireland. The planning authority consults the public normally after a plan has been prepared by seeking feedback through public meetings and public comment. ‘Participation in Ireland essentially consists of proposal and response the planning authority proposes a plan for a community and members of the public respond through making a submission. This submission is often made without any direct contact with officials in the planning authority so in effect there is no dialogue of any form, thereby illustrating that what is refered to as ‘participation in a development plan process in Ireland is in fact consultation. However, with public participation now becoming central to National, European and International policy, as well as being an important aspect of the sustainable development discourse, such tokenistic participation is no longer adequate. The introduction of the Planning and Development Act 2000 has resulted in a requirement on planning authorities to produce their statutory plans through a process that involves greater public input at the earlier stages. They are now required to develop a somewhat more participatory approach to planning than was previously the case. The Aarhus Convention, which took place in 1998, and the 2003 Public Participation Directive which followed on from the convention, also provide members of the public with opportunities for early and effective participation on plans or programmes relating to the environment. The increase in emphasis on public participation has meant that alternative models of planning need to emerge to facilitate and respond to this increas e and the collaborative planning model is one such response. 2.4Participation in Physical Planning Decision Making There has been much debate about the most effective methods of facilitating citizen involvement in policy formulation and decision-making. A useful approach that provides a basis for analysing processes of decision-making in planning is that developed by Innes and Booher (2000) and this will be discussed first, followed by an analysis of other participatory models of decision making that have emerged in recent times. The Innes and Booher approach identifies four different models of decision making technical/bureaucratic, political influence, social movement and the collaborative model as well as identifying when and where each model works best, which ultimately depends on the levels of diversity and interdependence present (see diagram). Source: (Innes and Booher, 2000) The technical/bureaucratic model works best where there is neither diversity nor interdependence among interests. A bureaucratic system is set up to implement known policy and the technical analyst is associated with rationality and bureaucracy. Technicians and bureaucracies essentially respond to a single set of goals and decision maker, and the typical practice is one where analyses are not focussed on interdependencies. Within this model, the focus of planning is on the achievement of the most efficient mechanism for reaching easily defined and identified needs. The political influence model works best where there is a high diversity of interests, however there is normally a low interdependence of interests, as each individual is focussed on their maximising their own interest only. In this model there tends to be a political bargaining approach that seeks to get an adequate number of interests to agree to a particular course of action in order for it to work. The social movement model recognises the importance of high levels of interdependence among a coalition of interests and individuals, but which does not deal with the full diversity of interests. Collaboration therefore is seen as the model that deals best with both diversity and interdependence ‘but is typically the least-used and least-institutionalised of the four models (Innes and Booher, 2000). Both the technical/bureaucratic model and the political influence models of planning and decision making, as proposed by Innes and Booher, reflect the lower levels of participation as identified by Arnstein, with the ‘convincing nature of the technical/bureaucratic model comparing significantly with need to ‘educate and ‘cure participants on Arnsteins tokenism rungs. The technocratic approach to planning which was the dominant planning model for much of the twentieth century has been severely criticised for its failure to adequately incorporate the values and interests of stakeholders into the decision making process. This criticism of technocratic planning was fuelled by the growing protests of stakeholders over expert-formulated plans in areas such as natural resource management, environmental regulation, transportation, and urban renewal, that were clearly contrary to the interests of large segments of society (Gunton and Day 2003). Planning theory responded to t he criticism and limitations of the technocratic approach by acknowledging the role of goals and objectives identified through democratic political processes (political influence model) to set the framework in which plans were prepared (Davidoff 1965). Planners, previously experts under the technocratic umbrella were relegated to determining optimal means to achieve politically set goals within this new participatory environment. The unresolved question in this new goals-based planning theory was how the goals should be determined. The initial and somewhat vague response was that goals should be determined by citizen participation in the planning process, however it was not clear how this was to be achieved (Gunton and Day 2003). Dahl suggested that pluralism was another vehicle that would allow individual citizens to have their concerns voiced in government, a concept developed by Davidoff in the 1960s interlinked with the idea of the planner as an advocate for the under-represented (Dahl, 1989). Unlike the ‘advocacy planning that Davidoff proposes (different planners acting as advocates for different interests), most city and town planning is performed by a single planning authority which develops plans, which it feels will best serve the welfare of the whole community, not of individual interest groups (LeGates and Stout, 2000). Davidoff argues that different groups in society have different interests, which would result in fundamentally different plans if such interests were incorporated into these plans. The articulate, wealthy and powerful groups have the skills and resources to influence plans to take account of their own interests while the poor and powerless do not. Advocacy Planning introduces the idea of planners acting as advocates, articulating the needs of the poor and powerless, the same way as a lawyer represents a client (Davidoff, 1965). The problem with advocacy planning, however, is that it did not provide a framework for resolving disputes among competing interest groups and therefore cannot be seen as an adequate method for dealing with the various conflicts that are emerging in modern day planning. Dahl sees pluralism as a situation where individuals join interests groups that represent their needs and wants. These interests groups then come together to debate their competing viewpoints and create a collective public policy that should reflect the common good. The more interest groups that exist, the greater the conflict, and the greater the likelihood that decision making will reflect that common good (Dahl, 1989). However, Lowi on the other hand argues that pluralism often fails to represent the collective good, and instead represents the needs and wants of special interest groups (Lowi, 1979). Davidoffs idea of pluralism is slightly different from Dahls, in that citizens or interest groups should go one step further and produce an alternative plan to what he sees as the ‘unitary plan prepared by the planning authority, and the advocate planner can be central to the process by representing certain interest groups. A final model, often referred to as alternative dispute resolution, also emerged as a way of engaging stakeholders in the development of plans by allowing stakeholders to negotiate a consensus agreement to resolve the dispute (Susskind and Cruikshank 1987). However the alternative dispute resolution does not appear to provide a satisfactory model either, as it is reactive in responding to disputes that have already arisen instead of proactive. In essence, this limits its effectiveness as a planning tool. It is evident therefore that to date, the existing models of decision making have had limited success with regard to facilitating public participation. However as our societies and communities are now becoming more diverse and less homogenous than ever before it would seem an alternative model is required to facilitate and acknowledge these changes. 2.5The Collaborative Planning Model Innes and Booher (2000) note that in situations where there is a clear interdependence between stakeholders interests and there exists a high diversity of such interests that a different model of planning and policy making is needed. This model is known as collaborative planning. It emerged as a distinct planning paradigm in the 1990s and is a logical extension of alternative dispute resolution (Gunton and Day 2003). ‘The collaborative model is about stakeholders co-evolving to a common understanding, direction and set of heuristics†¦. It is only the collaborative model that deals both with diversity and interdependence because it tries to be inclusive and to explore interdependence in the search for solutions. It does not ignore or override interests, but seeks solutions that satisfy multiple interests. For complex and controversial issues in rapidly changing and uncertain contexts issues that there is public pressure to address collaboration among stakeholders is likely to be the best approach indeed the only approach that can produce a satisfactory result. (Innes and Booher, 2000, p21) This model is a new framework for planning which proposes that spatial planning activity move from the traditional narrow, technical and procedural focus towards a communicative and collaborative model for achieving common purposes in the shared spaces of our societies (Healy, 1997). For Healy, collaborative planning seems not to be an end in itself, but a path to â€Å"co-existence in shared spaces.† Like Innes and Booher, Healy also believes that a collaborative approach can be successful only where there is a variety of stakeholders interests, because if all the interests are the same then no dialogue is required. Healys version of collaborative planning emerged after she analysed the shortcomings of conventional forms of governance and styles of planning, namely economic planning, physical development, public administration and policy analysis, advocacy planning, neo liberalism and utilitarianism. The conceptual base for collaborative planning as Healy sees it, consists of two theoretical strands, an ‘institutionalist sociology and ‘communicative dialogue. The institutionalist theory states that spatial planning processes need to be judged by the quality of the process, i.e. the way the decision is made is just as important as the actual decision. It also seeks to identify and analyze forms and relations of power between people, beyond that of class and categories. The communicative approach offers a way forward in the design of governance processes for a ‘shared world and takes an ethical commitment to enabling all stakeholders have a voice. It deals with the design of governance systems and practices, focusing on ways of fostering collaborative, consensus building processes. This approach outlines a number of necessary components for a collaborative model to be successful. Consensus building practices are important, as they help to ensure that no stakeholder finds a particular outcome intolerable. It is important that an individuals position at the top of the ladder is not maximized at the expense of the individual at the bottom; there should be equality. It recognizes three forms of reasoning instrumental/technical (the mechanisms for public decision making), moral and emotive/aesthetic. It argues that there has been a predominance of the first, at the expense of the other two. Within the public sphere, moral and emotive reasoning must be afforded an equivalent status, to achieve balance. There is also a need for recognition of the growing cultural differences that there now is. She also points out that polices and processes need to be designed to relate to the experience of globalization and multi-cultural societies, as older planning practices do not take these into account. Leadership is not about bringing stakeholders around to a particular planning content but in getting people to agree and ensuring that, whatever the position of the participants within the socio-economic hierarchy, no groups interests will dominate (Healy, 1997) Another approach to collaborative planning is that which emerges from the work of John Forester, an American planning theorist, who focuses on the communicative role of the planning analyst. His view is that planners within organizations do not work instrumentally towards the achievement of clearly distinguishable ends. Instead he sees the role of the planner to: ‘†¦work instead toward the correction of needless distortions, some systematic and some not, which disable, mystify, distract and mislead others: to work towards a political democratization of daily communications. (Forester, 1989, p.21) Forester also states that: ‘†¦problems will be solved not only by technical experts, but also by pooling expertise and non-professional contributions too; not just by formal procedure but by informal consultation and involvement; not mainly through formally rational management procedures, but through internal and external politics and the development of a working consensus; not by solving an engineering equation but by complimenting technical performance with political sophistication, support building, and liaison work (p. 152) Forester therefore recognizes the communication and negotiating elements of planning, as well as its technical elements. He also recognizes the political nature of planning and the extent to which the planner is engaged in value laden political action. 2.6Strengths and Weaknesses of Collaborative Planning Advocates of collaborative planning cite many advantages of the collaborative model relative to other models of planning. Firstly, the chances of reaching a decision on a plan are a lot higher, because stakeholders are incorporated in the process from the outset to help reach a solution, rather than remaining as critics outside the process (Gunton and Day 2003, Susskind et al. 2000). Secondly the dynamic interaction of the stakeholders is likely to produce a plan that is in the public interest as more alternatives are generated and the consensus decision rule ensures that the mutual interests of all parties are at least partially catered for in the plan (Frame et al, 2004). Thirdly, the plan produced at the end of the process has a greater chance of being implemented, because stakeholders who might otherwise attempt to block the implementation have developed the plan and will help implement it because they have a stake in the outcome. Finally, collaborative planning helps to create à ¢â‚¬Ëœsocial capital among the stakeholders, improving their skills, knowledge and stakeholder relationships which last beyond the process of creating a plan (Gunton and Day, 2003). However, the collaborative planning model also has its critics and a number of weaknesses and challenges to the approach have been identified. Firstly, collaborative planning is founded on the principle of stakeholders negotiating with one another to agree on an outcome. In some cases, more influential and powerful stakeholders will avoid or undermine the process by using delaying tactics, or pursuing alternative means to achieve their objectives if they do not like the outcome of collaboration (Frame et al, 2003). Secondly, the need to achieve consensus may encourage stakeholders to seek second best or vague solutions when they cannot reach the best possible agreement (Gunton and Day, 2003). Cooper and Mckenna (2006) and Fainstein (2000) also state that the need to achieve consensus has meant that participatory exercises often concentrate on issues where agreement is more likely to be achieved and avoids those which are likely to cause difficulties. Thirdly, the time and resources r equired to organise a process around large group of diverse stakeholders is quite substantial. This is compounded by the potential lack of support or interest from planning officials who are unwilling to delegate the decision-making responsibilities to outside stakeholders (Wondolleck and Yaffee, 2000, Fainstein, 2000). Also, established statutory fora comprising of local elected representatives are relatively neglected, while project staff must spend huge amounts of time, energy and money organising and servicing local public meetings, stakeholder meetings, public surveys and follow up consultation exercises. This often leads to a situation where projects become characterised by ‘consultation paralysis, a condition where nothing can be done because yet someone else must be consulted or re-consulted (Cooper and McKenna, 2006). Finally, relying on stakeholders that have little or no specialised training may lead to the exclusion of important scientific information in the decisi on making process, thus resulting in poor decisions being made. Fainstein (2000) also cites what she sees as a number of other weaknesses with the collaborative planning approach including: Action/implementation is often a problem, because parties in the process are not honest about their intentions and purposes It ignores the role of the powerful and their capacity to impede the implementation of agreed actions The process is usually too drawn out and resource hungry If the planner/expert acts as facilitator only, new and creative thinking can be stifled and only those that are incrementalist in nature will emerge There is evidence that experts acting on their own often come up with better solutions than stakeholders operating in a collaborative process It is evident from the above that collaborative planning approaches have many strengths and weaknesses, however it would appear that the potential benefits to the community from using such an approach outweigh potential negatives. COLLABORATIVE PLANNING IN IRELAND In the past number of years, there have been many attempts to develop models for community development and planning that aim to achieve higher levels of participation than previous models. Such models include the ADOPT model, the Bantry Bay Charter and Integrated Area Planning (IAP) to name but a few, while the Village Design Statement (VDS) could also be considered as an attempt at achieving higher levels of participation through a more collaborative approach. The ADOPT model, which was pioneered by Ballyhoura Development Ltd, is aimed at providing local area-based communities with a framework for participation in community development at a local level. The model also aims to tackle the lack of co-operation within the community sector, and weak research and planning by communities who are participating and contributing to local planning and development activities. It seeks to develop a strong community representative structure, an umbrella group that brings together representatives of the various bodies and groups within the community to ensure that activities are not being duplicated and that real needs are being addressed. This umbrella structure, along with the training and capacity building that the model promotes, supports communities and their representatives to play a meaningful role in partnership functions with Stage agencies and other bodies (Pobal, 2003). The Bantry Bay Charter was a project initiated by Cork County Council with the main objective being to develop a model and strategy for successful coastal zone management. By developing a stakeholders charter it was possible to develop an agreed approach to the management and development of the Bantry Bay area. In doing so, the process brought together the different stakeholders and interest groups of the area, as well as the agencies involved in regulating and developing the area. The Charter is based on the understanding that the regulatory agencies need to work in partnership with the local community for the successful management and development of the area. It explored the use of consensus, where all those who are stakeholders work together, to develop a single agreed approach to its development. Similar to these models is a model of collaborative planning developed by Tipperary Institute (TI), a third level education institution specialising in the area of Sustainable Rural Development called Integrated Area Planning. Integrated Area Planning is a concept that first emerged through the 1999 Urban Renewal Scheme, introduced by the Irish Government and which involved a more targeted approach to the award of urban renewal incentives. This model is multi-focused and is based on the premise that development of an area should emerge from a broadly based not take place in isolation but should emerge from a broadly based Integrated Area Plan (IAP), taking into account the social, environmental, economic and cultural needs of a community. Integrated Area Planning has been defined by TI as an empowering, practical and participatory process to collect, analyse, and compile information while developing the skills and structures needed to prepare and implement an inclusive and multifacet ed plan for a defined geographical area. The development of the IAP model was influenced to a great extent by planning theorist Patsy Healy and central to the model is the requirement for consensus to be reached on all issues before the process can be moved forward. The IAP model contains many key steps, which must be carried out including: Contracting Phase Pre-Development Phase Data Collection Establishment of a Steering Group Capacity Building of the Steering Group Establishment of Visions and Objectives Establishment of task groups Drafting Stage Validation Approval Implementation Using the IAP model, TI became involved in a number of community planning projects in Ireland including: Crusheen Co. Clare, Kinvara and Eyercourt Co. Galway, Ferbane Co. Offaly, Hacketstown Co. Carlow and Kilmacthomas in Co. Waterford. In each of these cases, the communities, in partnership with the relevant authorities prepared plans for their areas. Two of the key stages in the process are establishing the steering group and task groups. The steering group is elected by the community and it is contains a representative from the various different stakeholders in the process. The steering group plays an important role in the whole IAP process as they are responsible for driving the process forward. The task groups on the other hand are smaller groups, which are made up of members from the community and statutory agencies. The task groups are responsible for carrying out research on particular topics, such as the environment, infrastructure etc and they then report back their finding s to the steering group. The IAP process is quite resource demanding and generally takes over 12 months to complete. CONCLUSION It is clear from the above that the issue of participation and the models, which attempt to facilitate it, are central to the planning and environmental fields in both Ireland and abroad. Some of the collaborative planning models that have been developed in Ireland have multiple aims, one of which is to impact on the statutory Local Area Plan process and outcomes, including those implemented in Kinvara, Ferbane, Hacketstown and Kilmacthomas. However having reviewed the literature it is evident that there has been a clear lack of research focussing on the assessment of such collaborative planning models in Ireland. In order to assess the extent to which the IAP model in Kinvara was successful, an examination of the entire process is required. To this end, the examination required will entail more than just the IAP process itself, but also its impact on the LAP process as well as an assessment of the level of implementation that has taken place to date. Bibliography: Arnstein, Sherry R., (1969) A Ladder of Citizen Participation, Journal of the Institute of American Planners, Vol. 35 (4), pp 216-24. Connick, S., Innes J., (2001) Outcomes of Collaborative Water Policy Making: Applying Complexity Thinking to Evaluation, Working Paper 2001-08 Dahl R, (1989). Democracy and its Critics. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press. Davidoff, P, (1965) Advocacy and Pluralism in Planning, Journal of the American Institute of Planners DeSario, J. Langton S, (1987) Fainstein, S.S. (2000). ‘New directions in Planning theory, Urban Affairs Review, Vol.35, Issue 4, March, pp.451-78 Frame, Tanis M., Thomas I. Gunton, and J.C. Day. (2003). Resolving Environmental Disputes through Collaborative Planning. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management. Frame, Tanis M., Thomas I. Gunton, an

Essay --

William Jewell History and Student Programs William Jewell was founded by affiliates of the Missouri Baptist convention in 1849. The college shares the name of Dr. William Jewell, because he donated $10,000 to the creation of the school. The school was originally associated with the Missouri Baptist convention, but in 2003 it became an independent college. One of the more famous campus chapels is the John Gano chapel; it was funded by John Gano’s great-granddaughter, Elizabeth Price, in 1926. However, the first building made was Jewell hall, which remains the focal point of the campus. Jewell’s first gymnasium separate from the school was made in 1896. World War One, as well as the burning of another women’s college in the area lead to women coming to Jewell, and they received the same admittance as men at the time. During World War Two, Jewell had a naval flight training school. This brought them more students during this time and in the years following. Jewell has had four presidents speak and many of th e world’s leading performers has have recitals on the Jewell campus. Jewell has more than seventy student programs. Including things like, Fellowship for Christian athletes, honors societies, orchestras and choirs, and many sorority and fraternity options. Jewell has dormitories on campus, and it is required that students live on campus for their first four years, with few exceptions. Background Information William Jewell is a liberal arts college in Liberty, Missouri with majors and minors from business to theatre. Jewell admission starts at $40,030 for room and board, tuition, and other fees. However, due to the fact that is a private school, it is generous with scholarships. William Jewell currently has a campus of 1,100 ful... ... musically and many other ways. William Jewell has the only Oxbridge program in existence (as stated earlier in the paper). Jewell also has the Harriman-Jewell series, and the teachers have an intimate relationship with the students. The students get to know one another by living on campus and through the numerous student run organizations. Summary William Jewell is strong academically, musically, and socially. It gives students opportunities to interact socially with other students and teachers with the small class size. Jewell is in a location that is conveniently near home but far enough away that I can be isolated. I would be able to satisfy my needs and enjoy myself with the clubs. I would be able to be a part of the track team and I would be able to thrive on the violin. The weather is mild but warm in the spring and early fall. So, I could be a cardinal.

American Bureaucracy and Its Budgetary Decisions

A Budget is a management tool that is an expression of planned expenditures and revenues. â€Å"Budgets serve many important functions in government. In one sense, budgets are contracts annually agreed on by the executive and legislative branches that allow executive agencies and departments to raise and spend public funds in specified ways for the coming fiscal year, as stated by Stillman in â€Å"The American Bureaucracy† He also says that budgets impose a mutual set of legal obligations between the elected and appointed officers of public organizations with regard to taxation and expenditure policies, therefore, is a legal contract that provides a vehicle for fiscal controls over subordinate units of government by the politically elected representatives of the people. Budgetary decisions are made, according to Rubin in her book The Politics of Public Budgeting, by envisioning governments as â€Å"not merely technical managerial documents† but rather â€Å"they are also intrinsically and irreducibly political. † Her ideas are similar to that of general budget concepts over balancing expenditures and revenues, but differ in fundamental ways according to Stillman. The open environments within which budgets are developed, the variety of actors involved, the constraints imposed as well as the emphasis on public accountability, give budgets special and distinctive features in the public sector. † The differences between microbudgeting and macrobudgeting are just what their prefaces imply. â€Å"On the one hand there are a number budget actors, who have all individual motivations, who strategize to get what they want from the budget. The focus on the actors and their strategies is called microbudgeting. They do not bargain with one another over the budget. They are assigned budget roles by the budget process, the issues they examine are often framed by the budget process, and the timing and coordination of their decisions are often regulated by the budget process, according to Rubin. She goes on to say that actors are not free to come to budget agreements alone. They are bound by the environmental constraints. There are decisions that they are not permitted to make because they are either against the law, the courts disagree, or previous decision makers have bound their hands. Budgetary decision making has to account not just for budgetary actors but also for budget process and the environment. This more top-down and systematic perspective on budgeting is called macrobudgeting. † Budget strategies are affected by environment, budget process, and individual strategies, all of which influence the outcomes. The level of certainty of funding influences strategies as well. â€Å"Attention will focus on what is available now, and going after whatever it is, whether it is what you want or not, because what you really want may never show up and hence is not worth waiting for. â€Å"The effect of different strategies on the outcomes is hard to gauge. It seems obvious, however, that strategies that ignore the process or the environment are doomed to failure. Budget actors have to figure out where the flexibility is before they can influence how that flexibility will be used. Strategies that try to bypass superiors or fool legislators generally do not work; strategies that involve careful documentation of need and appear to save money are generally more successful. † There are four phases of a budget cycle; environment, process, individual strategies, and outcomes. In this causal model, or schema, the environment, budget process, and individuals† strategies all affect the outcomes. â€Å"The environment influences budgetary outcomes directly and indirectly, through process and individual strategies. The environment influences outcomes directly, without going through either budget process or individual strategies, when it imposes emergencies that reorder priorities. † The environment influences the budget process in several ways, including the level of resources available, the format of the budget, and the degree of centralization of decision making. â€Å"Environment in the sense of the results of prior decisions may also influence process. † â€Å"Changes in process take place in response to individuals, committees, and branches of government jockeying for power; in response to changes in the environment from rich to lean, or vice versa; in response to changes in the power of interest groups; and in response to scandals or excesses of various kinds. â€Å"

A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World

I chose the book Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World. As the title suggests, and the author, Mark Kurlansky, explores, a simple fish, more specifically, cod, has an importance that has been proven throughout history. The prologue is set in Petty Harbour, a town in Newfoundland and tells a story of three experienced fishermen, Sam, Leonard, and Bernard. They are participating in the Sentinel Fishery which was an attempt to help scientists and fishermen work together to measure the supply of cod. Their boat was to catch as many cod as they could and measure and tag them. A second boat was to catch exactly 100 cod and open them to identify their age and sex. For three men who fishing was their life hobby, you would think this would be an enjoyable job, but in actuality, it was a result of the Canadian government shutting down groundfishing in order to control fishing operations as to preserve the quantity and life of the cod. The book unfolds in three parts and each part has multiple chapters. Part One, entitled A Fish Tale, begins by describing the Vikings as the first known fishermen of cod. The Vikings ability to travel long distances and discover new places was due to their skill in air drying the cod. This form of curing fish preserved the cod and allowed them a food source that did not spoil quickly. Furthermore, the Basques, who were a mysterious group, were able to maintain their independence because they had a strong economy which was a result of adding salting to the airing process as a means to preserve the cod. This allowed them to travel long distances, monopolize on catching cod on their secret waters and in addition, were able to heavily trade cod. This section also talks about different areas arguing over access to different waters, the attempt to regulate trade and explorers claiming land. Cod was the common item that resulted in the hostility among these topics. The book goes into great detail of how North America was explored by multiple Europeans. The rise and fall of power by the French, the English and the Germans are discussed, as well as slavery, wars, trade, and taxation. All of this important history is linked to the codfish. The catching, the selling, the trading, and the monopolizing of waters all contributed to the development of the colonies, and because of this fish, the book suggests cod was the fish that changed the world. This section also covers details about the actual fish including how cod live, how they reproduce, and what they eat. Cod are not strong, nor fast and swim with their mouth open. Consequently, they can be caught without bait because they swallow anything that fits in their mouth, including jiggers and they don't put up a fight with the fisherman. They are great sources of protein, especially when dried, and there is no waste on the fish. There are ten families of cod and include over 200 species. The Atlantic cod is the most popular and produces the highest financial return as well as the greatest status amongst fishermen. Part Two, Limits, focuses on two subjects. First, it discusses the dangers of fishing for cod. It elaborates on the terrible conditions including cold temperatures, fog, currents, lack of sleep and equipment injuries. It is said that more fishermen have been lost at sea than men died in the wars. These deaths are a result of boats getting lost at sea, sinking, and men falling or being swept off the boats. These fishermen take the risk because fishing means economic survival. Secondly, this section of the book presents the conflicting theories of biologists between overfishing and the natural resource of cod being invincible. Those fearing the depletion of cod suggest it is because of better techniques (longlining and gillnetting), increasing technology (chronometer, telegraph, and freezing) and modernization of boats (engine and steam-powered and motor ships) and equipment (sonar and spotter aircraft). As a result, nations began to claim their coastal waters which started at three miles and by 1975, after three cod wars, was expanded to 200-mile limits.Part Three, The Last Hunters, outlines quotas and moratoriums implemented in the later history in order to seek the prevention of cod depletion. As a result, fishermen and fishing communities paid the price. One aspect of Canada's moratorium developed a monitoring program which brings the book full circle to the prologue where Sam and his friends were working as part of the Sentinel Fishery. From governments to fishermen and all the scientists and councils in between, everyone has their own opinion on whether or not the cod will replenish themselves to a number that will allow economic gains. The reality is that costs were greater than revenue and as a result, overfishing became a complex global problem that forced fishermen to find other jobs. As a result, fishing communities drastically changed. One of the book's arguments is that of nature being infinitely endless versus the concept of overfishing depleting the cod stock. The topic of conservation, or lack of, can be paralleled to these conflicting concepts. As outlined in this assignment, conservation is defined as the management of a resource or system to sustain its productivity over time. In this case, I will address the conservation of cod and how the supply was managed, or mismanaged, throughout history up until the time this book was first published in 1997. As the book's title simply states, cod has changed the world. More complexly, it allowed for a food source and financial stability throughout most of history. I would conclude that the majority of the 1800s, conservation wasn't considered necessary. The prominent philosopher, Thomas Henry Huxley, was on multiple fishing commissions, spoke internationally, and persuaded government bodies that it was not possible to overfish for cod. Despite what fishermen had thought, Huxley proclaimed that cod will always reproduce at a faster rate than caught. It wasn't until after his death that the British government admitted that overfishing was indeed occurring. This was in 1902 and was the first the book mentions the concern, which remained a focus throughout the 1900s and the rest of the book. It wasn't until 1949 that the International Commission for the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries was organized to begin addressing ways to regulate the growing fishing industry. This is the first conservation was considered on a global level. Several examples of conservation unfolded throughout the next 50 years. Setting limits and waters were not always agreed upon throughout various nations, but all began to recognize the problem. The Magnuson Fisheries Conservation and Management Act in 1976 developed the 200-mile conservation zone. The goal was to eliminate foreign fishing, reduce overfishing, and allow the cod stock to replenish. The European Union Common Fishing Policy was put in place in the 1970s as well. The policy outlined very specific quotas per boat, species, area and time frame. It was in 1992, that the Canadian government established a moratorium that shut down groundfishing along the east coast. One component of the moratorium was the development of Newfoundland's Sentinel Fishery which I referenced earlier. These types of programs were implemented to monitor the cod stock. Here in the US in 1994, the National Marine Fishery Services reacted to their findings that the cod stock was rapidly declining. Further conservation measures were seen in the restricted number of days that vessels were allowed to groundfish. The original 139-day restriction was then lowered to 88 days within two years based on the fact that numbers continued to decline. Furthermore, the monitoring systems were an attempt to sustain the cod for future generations. In this particular case, I feel conservation and sustainability go hand and hand. In an attempt to sustain the cod, the controversial idea of fish farming is discussed. Fish farming is when cod are enclosed in an area and fed to fatten them up. Maybe, in theory, this seems to be a solution, but scientists suggest that farming comes with consequences. Because of how the cod are farmed, they are often unable to adapt when they are released inshore for spawning. Although conservation wasn't a concern in the first half of the book, the second half discussed limits as a means for conservation. Examples of limiting areas of fishing, limiting numbers of fish caught and limiting the number of days allowed to fish were evident but also challenged as maybe a little too late forthcoming. The second topic I would like to discuss is that of a hazard. As outlined in this assignment, a hazard is defined as an object, condition, or process that threatens individuals and society in terms of production or reproduction. I would like to suggest that the process of overfishing is a hazard that this book unfolds throughout history. Overfishing is simply when cod are caught at a faster rate than they can naturally reproduce. The author suggests that man is part of the natural world and the two can't separate themselves, and in this case, the activity of overfishing is driven by man. Cod provided a source of protein and a financial stability to many nations. As populations increased, the demand for cod increased, and consequently, the industry became competitive in nature. Because of this, fishing for the Atlantic cod became commercialized, and although nations modernized at different speeds, the goal for all was to catch more. As early as 1815, the French used the technique of longlining. Although it was expensive because of the amount of bait that was used, it was the first advancement from handlining and allowed for numerous fish to be caught at once. From there, bottom dragging became popular and although it was an effective method of catching a lot of cod at once, it was also damaging to other fish that got caught in the net. In addition to improved techniques, curing methods advanced and freezing methods were developed. Technology advancements included the chronometer and telegraph which both improved navigation, and sonors and spotter aircraft aided in spotting cod schools. Fishing boats advanced from oars and sails to steam-powered to motorships. All of these advancements aided in the overfishing and consequently became a hazard. Scientists argue that you can't predict nature and there is no way to tell if and when, as well as, how long it will take to replenish the cod stock. For this reason, I suggest overfishing to be a hazard. The depletion of cod has ramifications on today's society. Fishing communities have suffered as fishermen have been displaced and forced to find other work, and the economy of these towns do not have the same stability as they once did. In addition, cod was a nutritional food source and my guess is that is will become an expensive delicacy. Cod was a constant thread throughout history, and its importance is indisputable. This book provided me with knowledge of the species, as well as how this simple fish connected nations across the northwest region. Conservation attempts were outlined after the concept of overfishing was identified as a concern. The hazard of man overfishing was proven as history unfolded and technological advancements developed. In addition to all the great detail this book provided about cod, the fish that changed the world, the tales, recipes, and pictures brought life to the subject.

Free Essays on No Escape From Capitalism - Alienation

Many people still believe that through hard work, they can reach any social and financial status to which they aspire. In the United States, this is commonly known as â€Å"The American Dream.† It consists of the worker going to his job, working hard, returning to his home, and then repeating the process. This may go on for days, weeks, or years, but ultimately the worker will reach his financial goals. However, how rare is the realization of such goals, and at what price does it occur? Karl Marx argues that this capitalistic view of work results in the alienation of the worker from his job, himself, and others. In Marx’s article, â€Å"Alienated Labor,† he explains that capitalist society creates an environment in which the worker loses the special concept that makes him an individual. The worker gives himself up to the product he is working to produce, to capitalism, and consequently becomes commodified. Although we would like to think that the world ha s changed, capitalism has spread like a plague throughout society. Thus, the idea of alienated labor can still be used to explain how workers are treated as a result of capitalism, and how increasingly alienated they have become. As Marx explains, the relationship between the worker and the product of his labor is alien. The more man externalizes into his work, the more alienated he becomes. The worker puts his life into the object and therefore looses a part of himself. People who work in any type of production create a number of things sold in our market. However, capitalist society takes all credit for production and distribution of these products. The worker gets no credit for his work. In this way, the worker does not own what he creates, he sells himself to the capitalist. A shirt that is made by a worker in China does not belong to him but to the company that made the product. The worker is alien to us and the thought never occurs to us that another person’... Free Essays on No Escape From Capitalism - Alienation Free Essays on No Escape From Capitalism - Alienation Many people still believe that through hard work, they can reach any social and financial status to which they aspire. In the United States, this is commonly known as â€Å"The American Dream.† It consists of the worker going to his job, working hard, returning to his home, and then repeating the process. This may go on for days, weeks, or years, but ultimately the worker will reach his financial goals. However, how rare is the realization of such goals, and at what price does it occur? Karl Marx argues that this capitalistic view of work results in the alienation of the worker from his job, himself, and others. In Marx’s article, â€Å"Alienated Labor,† he explains that capitalist society creates an environment in which the worker loses the special concept that makes him an individual. The worker gives himself up to the product he is working to produce, to capitalism, and consequently becomes commodified. Although we would like to think that the world ha s changed, capitalism has spread like a plague throughout society. Thus, the idea of alienated labor can still be used to explain how workers are treated as a result of capitalism, and how increasingly alienated they have become. As Marx explains, the relationship between the worker and the product of his labor is alien. The more man externalizes into his work, the more alienated he becomes. The worker puts his life into the object and therefore looses a part of himself. People who work in any type of production create a number of things sold in our market. However, capitalist society takes all credit for production and distribution of these products. The worker gets no credit for his work. In this way, the worker does not own what he creates, he sells himself to the capitalist. A shirt that is made by a worker in China does not belong to him but to the company that made the product. The worker is alien to us and the thought never occurs to us that another person’...

Ideas for Celebrating Student Birthdays in School

Ideas for Celebrating Student Birthdays in School Teachers celebrate many special days in their classrooms throughout the school year, but birthdays are a special celebration and teachers should make it special for each student. Here are a few ideas for celebrating student birthdays  in the classroom. Birthday Placemats, Balloons, and Covers Make your students day even more special by placing a birthday placemat on their desk. When students enter the classroom everyone will know whos birthday it is by looking at the desks. For an added touch you can attach a brightly colored balloon to the back of the students seat, and cover their chair with a birthday chair cover. All About Me Poster When you know its one of your students birthdays coming up have that child create a special all about me poster. Then, on the day of their birthday, have them share their poster with the class. Birthday Questions Each time it is someones birthday in the class each student gets to ask the birthday student a question from the flower pot. For directions on how to make the flower pot and a downloadable question bank visit Fun For First. Birthday Graph Celebrate birthdays in your classroom by having students create a birthday graph! During the first week of school as a class create a birthday graph that will pose as the birthday bulletin board. Above each month, put the students birthday. Birthday Bags Every child loves getting presents on the birthday! So here is an idea that will not break the bank. At the beginning of the school year go to the nearest Dollar Store and purchase the following items: Cellophane bags, pencils, erasers, candy, and a few trinkets. Then make a birthday bag for each student. This way when their birthday comes around, you will already be prepared. You can even print out cute labels that say Happy Birthday with their name in it. The Birthday Box To create a birthday box all you have to do is cover a shoe box with birthday wrapping paper and place a bow on the top of it. In this box place a birthday certificate, pencil, eraser, and/or any small trinket. When students enter the classroom have each person make the birthday girl or boy a birthday card (this goes in the box too). Then at the end of the day when its time to celebrate give the student their birthday box. Birthday Wish Book Celebrate each students birthday by having the class create a birthday wish book. In this book have each student fill out the following information: Happy Birthday, _____My birthday wish for you on your birthday is _______If I could give you a gift I would give you _______The thing I like the best about you is ______Have a great day! From _______ Once students have filled out their page for the book have them draw a picture. Then assemble all of the pages into a book for the birthday student to take home. Mystery Gift A fun gift to give to students on their birthday is a mystery bag. Purchase one or more items (the dollar store has great cheap gifts for kids) and wrap the items up in different colored tissue paper. Choose dark colors so the student cannot see what is inside. Then place the gifts into a basket and allow the student to choose whichever gift they want.

Baker College Corporate Services Essay Example for Free

Baker College Corporate Services Essay Franklin Delano Roosevelt was one of America’s greatest Leaders. His accomplishments are discussed in this paper in a biographical manner, as well as other Authors opinions about them, including my humble self’s. This paper gives an example of a forward looking, charismatic leader. The whole population of this great country is benefitting from his accomplishments, and will continue to do so for generations, with only slight adjustments for technology and culture. Franklin Delano Roosevelt An Example to Remember When somebody asks to pick a favorite leader, a number of the great ones pop into mind, like Christopher Columbus, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Douglas McArthur, Franklin Delano Roosevelt among others. It is a tough choice. They were all great. Franklin Delano Roosevelt had so many great accomplishments during his life time; the only way to list and discuss them would be in the biographical manner the Author chose. The reason the author chose to write about Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the similarity of today’s economy that he faced at the time of his first term in the office as well as our current president elect’s choice to use some of his strategies to correct the present state of our economy. Faced with World War II, Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR), guided America through one of its greatest domestic crisis, His presidency, which spanned twelve years, was unparalleled, not only in length but in scope. FDR took office with the country mired in a horrible and debilitating economic depression which not only sapped its material wealth and spiritual strength, but cast a cloud over its future, not unlike what we are facing today. â€Å"Roosevelt’s combination of confidence, optimism, and political savvy, all of which came together in the experimental economic and social programs of the â€Å"New Deal† helped bring about the beginnings of a national recovery (Baliles, 2005, p. 1). † FDR also committed the United States to the defeat of Germany, Japan, and Italy, and led the nation and its allies to the brink of victory. This triumph dramatically altered America’s relationship with the world, putting the United States into a position of international power, as well as political and moral leadership. By virtue of its newfound political and economic power, the United States would play a leading role in shaping the remainder of the twentieth century. Inside the United States Franklin Roosevelt stirred a domestic political revolution on several fronts. † FDR and the Democratic Party built a power base which carried the party to electoral and ideological, dominance until the late 1960s (Baliles, 2005, p. 1) â€Å". FDR’s policies, especially those comprising the New Deal, helped redefine and strengthen both the country as well as the American presidency, expanding its political, administrative, and constitutional powers of the office (Baliles, 2005). FDR was born in Hyde Park, New York, in 1882, to James and Sara Roosevelt. His parents were well off, if not wealthy by New York High society standards. While growing up, they were able to provide a succession of nannies, and at age 14 send him to a prestigious boarding school in Massachusetts. He went on to Harvard College, where he spent most of his time at the college paper, where he declared himself a Democrat. While at Harvard, he grew close to his cousin Theodor Roosevelt, who was moving up the political ladder in the Democratic Party, and began courting his distant cousin, Elanor Roosevelt. Although FDR started attending law school at Columbia at this time, he had little interest and dropped out after one year. Elanor and FDR were married in New York City in 1905. He had six children: Anna Elanor, born 1906; James, born 1907; Franklin Jr. , born 1909 and died the same year in November; Elliott, born 1910; Franklin Jr. , born 1914 and John Aspinwall, born 1916 (Coker, 2005). In 1910 FDR ran and got elected to the New York Senate and was re-elected in 1912. One year later he began his tenure as assistant secretary of the Navy under the Wilson administration at the age of 31, helping to prepare the country for entry into the world war. He moved his family to Washington for this reason. WWI lasted from April1917 until November 1918. â€Å"On more than one occasion, he was subject to ribbing by those around him as being a â€Å"little boy†. Nevertheless, in characteristic Roosevelt fashion, he was undaunted by his lack of experience and plunged into the job with enthusiasm and confidence (Coker, 2005, pg. 28). † As a matter of fact, he did such a great job, that in 1920 the Democratic Party named him the vice-presidential candidate on James Cox’s ticket. They lost the election in November of that year. Roosevelt’s most significant responsibility in the Navy Department had to do with labor negotiations with defense contractors. His primary goal in this area was to encourage positive relations between workers, industry leaders, and the military. In this capacity he gained appreciation for labor issues and learned how to handle sometimes rocky labor disputes (Coker, 2005). â€Å"FDR proved to have the exceptional ability to juggle various administrative and political responsibilities. Part of the reason he was able to do so many things simultaneously was that he insisted on bringing the indispensable Louis Howe to Washington with him to serve as his personal secretary. Howe seemed to be everywhere at once, assisting Roosevelt in all matters-scheduling appointments, helping with clerical work, and even helping Roosevelt keep an eye on, and a hand in, New York politics. † (Coker, 2005, pg. 31) In1921 FDR contracted polio, an incurable disease that left his legs paralyzed. By investing a considerable part of his fortune in renovating a spa in Warm Springs, Georgia, whose curative waters, together with strenuous physical therapy and the support of his wife, children and close confidantes, was he able to regain some use of his legs. By 1928 with the relentless help of his wife, Howe and a new personal secretary, Marguerite (Missy) LeHand, FDR was apparently sufficiently recovered to resume his political ambitions to run and win the governorship of New York. The very next year FDR had to cope with the stock market crash in October. The stock market was pretty volatile in the 1920s. With no regulation, Americans and investors bought stock on credit. By the second half of 1929 the economy slowed because of rising unemployment and high interest rates. When everybody started selling stock and found no buyers, the market nosedived. October 24th (Black Thursday†) and October 29th († Black Tuesday†) were two days that marked the beginning of the depression, although not the only cause. At the same time, farmers were taking advantage of new technologies, which caused overproduction. The Stock market crash, along with overseas competition, and urban areas lacking the income to buy agricultural products, caused those prices to crash also. Because of the prosperity in the 1920 over 80% of Americans held no savings at all and the rich stopped buying. Because of all these factors, 5000 banks collapsed, one in four farms went into foreclosure and 100,000 jobs vanished each week. By 1932 one quarter of this country’s people in were unemployed (Baliles, 2005). FDR implemented a number of innovative relief and recovery initiatives: unemployment insurance, pensions for the elderly, limits on work hours, and massive public works projects. These programs labeled him as a liberal reformer and won him reelection as governor in 1930. It is important to note that FDR as Governor surrounded himself with best minds that worked with him in the State Senate, as well as some members of Al Smiths former gubernatorial administration, to solve his States’ problems. At the same time he had Louise Howe, as his chief campaign strategist and the head of the state Democratic Party, James Farley laying the ground work for a presidential campaign (Coker, 2005). In the grip of the great depression, the Democrats turned to FDR in the election season of 1932 to run for President. He was a popular and successful governor for two terms, with a recognizable last name, that could challenge President Hoover. He won the presidency in a landslide, promising the American People a â€Å"New Deal†. Voters extended FDR approval to both houses of congress, giving the democrats overwhelming majority, which would prove vital in FDR’s first year in office. In his inaugural address, FDR promised the distraught Americans hope by telling them that they had â€Å"nothing to fear but fear itself (Baliles, 2005). † True to his character, FDR surrounded himself with a group of advisers nicknamed â€Å"the brain trust†. This brain trust included former progressives, liberal-minded professors and bright young lawyers. One of the traits FDR is consistent on is the ability to recognize when expert help is needed, and then surrounding himself with it (Dubrin, 2004). â€Å"An array of emergency measures proposed by FDR, and passed by Congress reflected three basic goals: industrial recovery through business-government cooperation and pump-priming federal spending; agricultural recovery through crop reduction; and short-term emergency relief distributed through state and local agencies when possible, but directly by the federal government if necessary. † ( Boyer, P. et. al. (2008). pg. 734) â€Å"Between March and June 1933, a period labeled â€Å"Hundred Days,† Congress enacted more than a dozen key measures ( Boyer, P. et. al. (2008). pg. 736). † These measures were all directed to solve every aspect of the depression, including regulating the stock market. Because so many people had been unemployed for some time, the help did not come fast enough. By 1934 the unity spirit of the hundred days was fading, industry was chafing under increasing National Recovery Administration (NRA) regulations. Even Nature seemed to work against recovery efforts. Between 1930 and 1939 the drought in the Oklahoma panhandle region turned much of the Great Plains in the Midwest into a dust bowl. Depression persisted, despite all efforts. FDR put great store in talking to the people, and he used radio to talk to them. He would talk regularly and informally on shows called â€Å"fireside chats† about results and plans to help the nation and alleviate people’s fears (Boyer, P. et. al. (2008). At this point in his research the author remembered the first four chapters of required reading for the class. It is without exaggeration, when saying, that it is hard to single out any one part of these chapters to describe FDR. They simply seem written about him. From the definition of leadership to the nine leadership roles in chapter one, the personality traits, motives and cognitive factors of effective leadership in chapter two, to initiating structure and consideration and attitude and behaviors of a leader in chapter four. FDR had it all. If it has been noticed the Author left out chapter three, because this chapter dealt with Charisma and transformational leadership. It would not be fair to pick any part of this chapter in the authors opinion FDR was the embodiment of this chapter (Dubrin, 2004). While he was loved by the people, the new deal was criticized from all directions. Some saying that the New Deal was going to far, others saying it was not going far enough. FDR seemed to relish the attacks of his critics, saying that the New Deal protected the average American, not the rich. In 1935 FDR fought back the criticism with a series of legislation that eclipsed the first hundred days termed the â€Å"Second New Deal†. He also lost support from the business community because of his support for the Wagner Act and Social Security. Both were the more memorable of FDR’s accomplishments, the former allowed labor unions to organize and bargain collectively, the latter set up programs designed to provide for the needs of the aged, the poor, and the unemployed, but excluding farmers, domestic workers, and the self employed (Baliles, 2005). Because of his popularity with the American people, FDR wins the election of 1936 against Republican Alf Landon by a major majority. What this proved, was that the Democratic Party was the major party in the states. At his inauguration he promised the people to continue to fight for the nation’s underprivileged. FDR put together a group of voters from different regions of the country. This diverse group became the core of the Democratic Party. It came to be called the â€Å"New Deal Coalition† or â€Å"Roosevelt coalition† and included members from different labor, racial, religious and ethnic groups, along with academics and intellectuals (Coker, 2005). FDR is first to realize he can not do it all himself, and has the presents and humility to put together a group that can give him, information, ideas and feedback from every segment of the population he is trying to help (Dubrin, 2004). FDR’s second term in office started with doing something about the resistance he has been encountering to his New Deal. The Supreme Court was on top of his lists of concern. They had overturned some agricultural and industrial New Deal reforms earlier and Roosevelt was concerned for future programs. He found it unbelievable that this body could overrule not only the presidency, but the Congress as well. He blamed it on the lack of vision of several older judges and was determined to do something about it. If they refused to retire or to die, he would find a more systematic way to protect his policies from them. He consulted legal experts and advisers within the organization and came up with the idea to expand the number of judges on the Supreme Court. In 1937 FDR proposed legislation stating that because the age of some of the judges, and in the interest of efficiency, adding an additional new and younger justice for every one of the sitting ones over the age of 75. Most of his opposition called FDR a dictator, but having such a majority in both houses of congress, the bill would have probably passed. Perhaps that was the reason later that year, that the Supreme Court upheld some state and federal legislation. By the time the bill reached the Senate, all the steam went out of the argument and did not pass. The possibility of the event coming to pass however, had such an impact on the Supreme Court that they have not invalidated any legislation concerning regulating business or expanding social rights for the remainder of the century. Having won his point with the court, he was finding the whole federal bureaucracy moving to slow for his tastes, started to bypass established procedures, creating emergency agencies to carry out policies. In 1937 Roosevelt had a plan for reorganizing his cabinet. It called him to receive 6 full time executive assistants, for a single administrator to head the Civil Service Commission, for him and his staff to assume all responsibility in budget planning, and for every executive agency to be under the control of a cabinet department. Although he did get some of these things passed by Congress in 1939, his opposition was able to paint him as imperious and power-hungry (Baliles, 2005). The Author can empathize with FDR on the point of the Judges, mainly because of a similar difficulty in his work environment, involving very high sonority workers that could retire and make room for younger people to work in this difficult economy. He would have told him that he is also of the opinion that any political appointment should not be for life. Frustrated by red tape of bureaucracy FDR shows a segment of entrepreneurial leadership (Dubrin, 2004). To top all this controversy, FDR also tried to eliminate some of the conservatives within his own party by supporting their more liberal opponents in the 1938 primary. This attempt was later labeled â€Å"The great Purge† and failed. Of the 10 Democrats targeted, only one lost. All these were reasons the party suffered significant setbacks, as the Republicans reclaimed 81 seats in the House of Representatives and 8 in the Senate in the 1938 midterm elections. In the midst of these setbacks, international events were becoming more important and harder to ignore. During the internal struggle of the depression the administration had adopted a position of isolation and neutrality toward the rest of the world claiming the United States was dragged into WWI by trade entanglements with European factions. The Japanese invaded the Chinese Mainland in 1937 and the fact this happened with very little resistance, FDR considered responding, concerned Japan might be encouraged to continue to press forward threatening crucial United States locations in the Philippines. Although FDR wanted to respond to the threat, he relented to his opposition. He sufficed to publicly â€Å"quarantined† Japan, mainly to express U. S. opposition to the invasion. He did ask and receive funding for increased naval development in the pacific under the guise of creating more jobs (Baliles, 2005). FDR shows his democratic leadership side as he cedes to the wishes of the population and the political majority and refrains from taking any direct and hostile action toward Japan. He probably realizes that the internal problems need the most focus as Japan has not physically attacked the U. S. Although, like the entrepreneurial and situational leader that he is, he sees an opportunity to use the goals of economic recovery and job creation to build up the country’s defenses. The Author would most likely have suggested using this creative plan to enforce the navy in the Atlantic as well (Dubrin, 2004). In Europe, Germany lead by Hitler was also invading neighboring countries under the guise of reuniting Germanic people under one nation. As long as his actions suited his declaration, France and England were content to stay out of the action. Russia under Stalin, seeing the lack of opposition, made a nonaggression pact with Hitler, and started seizing territory in Eastern Europe, while Hitler invaded Poland. These actions in 1939 shocked the world, with France and England declaring the start of World War II (Coker, 2005). Throughout this aggression in Europe, FDR was hamstrung because of the neutrality acts congress passed between 1935 and 1939. Being as staunch supporter of England and France, he did manage to relax them in 1939, accomplishing two goals, boosting our economy with our allies able to buy arms and munitions from us, as well as supporting them. In a speech to Congress he voiced his opposition to the neutrality laws and his regret of signing them. Explaining that none of our ships would enter hostile waters, the allies buying from us would transport the munitions. He also refrained from using military language, afraid of loosing hard won political support, needed in the upcoming election. At this time decisions war vying for supremacy in FDR between the future of the nation and his political career (Baliles, 2005). It is admirable and probably due to his inner circle of family and friend, that FDR has the presents of mind to divide his concentration between the troubles in Europe, trouble in the country and making sure he wins the election. FDR seems to see himself as a servant leader (Dubrin, 2004). Although expressing concern once that the Democratic Party was becoming to dependent on him, he was confidante he would win the nomination and be a favorite in the election. After a period of indecision, that left the party hanging, FDR announced his full support for the ticket. He did win the nomination and promptly announced his intention to replace the vice president, conservative John Nance Garner with Henry Wallace, a progressive who had been a major player in the administration. This caused a major disagreement within the party as nobody wanted a change. FDR got his way by a narrow margin, simply because he threatened to drop out of the race and resign from the white house immediately (Baliles, 2005). FDR seems to let his position go to his head somewhat as his actions describe a section of chapter 4 entitled the dark side of charismatic leadership. It describes that the end justifies the means (Dubrin, 2004). The race was the most challenging so far for FDR. The republicans, taking advantage of the strife in the Republican Party, tried labeling FDR as unstable and warmonger. In return FDR was warning the public of the threat the republicans would dismantle the New Deal and destroy the progress it had made. FDR would win the presidency for a third term with a narrower margin than the last two. Without the concern of the an election FDR proposed a bill to congress, which he promoted through a â€Å"Fireside chat† as well as a speech in congress, stressing that while the country was a peaceful one, with no intention of entering the war, the country had a good neighbor responsibility to help defeat Hitler through the production of goods and weaponry and a â€Å"Lend-Lease† program, under which the Allies could borrow military hardware to return after use. A bill was passed in congress in early1941 that greatly increased our help to Great Britain. As Hitler was fighting by now against England and Russia, having broken the nonaggression pack, FDR was able to increase the U. S. naval presence in the Atlantic on the threat that Hitler was out of control without breaking the neutrality act. This action caused our ships to come under fire, resulting in the sinking of several. In September of 1941, while mourning the death of his mother, FDR gave our navy orders to fire at will. Emboldened by its alliance with Germany, Japan attacked the U. S. at Pearl Harbor hoping to invade and secure the natural resources, denied them after their alliance with Germany, which they were importing from the U. S. before. On December 8, 1941, FDR delivered his famous â€Å"A ate which will live in infamy† speech, to congress asking for a declaration of war and getting it that same afternoon (Coker, 2005). â€Å"Despite Roosevelts lifelong interest in diplomacy, he never held illusions that he would formulate strategy in case of war. He did, however, expect to stay in close contact with his officers and surround himself with an able advisory team (Coker, 2005, Pg. 134)†. He also took similar steps to reorient the country for war production, creating the War Production Board to oversee mobilization soon joined by an Office of War Mobilization. FDR’s New Deal experience helped him create a cooperative venture between government and private industry to meet defense needs (Coker, 2005). During mobilization FDR brought about significant changes for the betterment of unemployed and minorities. Farmers streamed into cities, finding jobs, women were urged to work at jobs previously occupied by men and everybody was urged to join a union. Unions saw the peek of membership during these years. If the New Deal was slow in turning the economy around, although creating enormous deficit, the Second World War kick started the economy into high gear. Although reluctant and concerned about violating civil liberties, FDR, as was his policy in most military matters, listened to his military advisors and issued Executive Order 9066, which forced over 100,000 Japanese-Americans into internment camps, for security reasons. (Coker, 2005) Controversial and widely criticized later, this action was done out of fear of espionage. At that time, however not the Civil Liberties Union, nor the public objected to this action. If War was not one of FDR’s strong points, organizing, creating smooth transitions using programs such as â€Å"maintenance for membership† and â€Å"no strike-pledge† was. He used fireside chats to explain to the public the need for such policies, applying to patriotism. While researching FDR’s accomplishments during WWII, the author was amazed by his power of persuasion and organization during this time of mass confusion in this country. Had he lived in this time frame, the Author would have liked FDR to tell him how he kept it all straight (Dubrin, 2004). The outlook did not look promising for the allies in the first months of 1942, but things turned against Germany and Japan when the U. S. won victories in the pacific theater in 1943 and â€Å"D-Day† operation was a great success in France in 1944. On the home front, FDR had to concentrate internally again for several reasons. First the Republicans, having won major advancements in the election of 1942 in Congress, were making it almost impossible to pass legislation to fund the war, which mainly consisted of significant tax hikes. The Labor unions were also threatening to strike over this issue. Mainly the public was fed up with funding the war and having to do without. In 1944, FDR made it known to his party that he was willing to run for a forth term. The party acknowledged that he would be their best chance for victory, however, nominated Senator Harry Truman as Vice President. Although a sick man, run down from his years in office, his energetic campaigning and his medical condition, FDR downplayed the situation and convinced the public they should not change leaders in mid-war. He won the presidency against republican New York governor Thomas Dewey by 54% of the popular vote (Baliles, 2005). FDR’s stamina and drive at this point in his life is a little disturbing from the authors point of view. Highly regarded as a great leader, it is surprising he does not recognize his deficiencies and recommends the party choose a different candidate. But then, if his wife, doctor and friends could not persuade him to retire, the author doubts highly that his own powers of persuasion could have influenced FDR to turn the country over to somebody else, and concentrate on his health and family. FDR’s health deteriorated rapidly after the election. He would not live to see the end of WWII. Convalescing in Warm Spring, Georgia on April, 12, 1945; he collapsed and died of cerebral hemorrhage. His body was transported from Georgia to Washington D. C. and from there to Hyde Park, N. Y. for burial. Hundreds of thousands of people came to pay their respects during this final journey, attesting to the fact that he was considered the hero and savior of the 20th century (Boyer, P. et. al. (2008). Congress did limit the terms of a president to two terms shortly after FDR’s death. Actually, the Republican Party started legislation on this subject four years earlier, at the time of the last election. They did not pursue it on the grounds of seeming petty during the election. Over the decades the subject â€Å"FDR†, private life, political life and all his accomplishments, good or bad, would be studied by economists, politicians, and academics as well as students like us. One such example is a Policy Review interview of several students asked to compare the Contract with America which the 1995, 104th Congress and House Speaker Newt Gingrich promised to deliver in less than 100 days with FDR’s New Deal. The Author would like to show Quotes to prove several points. Sally C. Pipes, President of Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy â€Å"Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and the new Republican House Leadership deserve thanks and congratulations for the successful completion of the Contract with America. What a revolutionary series of events has taken place! With the Contract, a promise to the American people was made; in a little less than the promised hundred days, the promise was kept. Of what other Congress in this Century can that be said? † (Pitney, 1995) Mike Siegel, Former president of the National Association of Radio Talk Show Hosts. â€Å"The Contract with America committed the House Republicans to raising and voting on each of the Contract Items. This was accomplished and should be considered a major shift from politics as usual (Pitney, 1995). † Deroy Murdock, President of Loud & Clear Communication. â€Å"Assuming the Senate and President Clinton cooperate, the enactment of most Contract items, per se, will not influence American politics as profoundly as did FDR in his First Hundred Days. However, the paradigm shift that has accompanied the Contract likely will parallel the new thinking that FDR inspired 62 years ago. † (Pitney, 1995) Mona Charen, Nationally syndicated columnist. â€Å"The First Hundred Days of the Republican majority were like a laser show—full of color and sound, but so fast and furious that it was difficult for voters to single out the benefits of tort reform, welfare reform, or regulatory reform. † (Pitney, 1995) Jeff Jacoby, Nationally syndicated columnist for the Boston Globe. â€Å"So, no, in terms of legislation completed, Gingrich’s First Hundred Days don’t compare with FDR’s. So thoroughly did Gingrich and his army upend that piece of conventional wisdom, that by the end of a hundred days, Bill Clinton was reduced to insisting he still mattered. â€Å"The President,† he sniffled in a mid-April press conference, â€Å"is relevant here. † (Pitney, 1995) William A. Rusher, Former publisher of National Review. â€Å"The First Hundred Days of the new House Republican Leaders will deserve that well-worn adjective â€Å"historic† even if relatively few of the measures listed in their Contract with America ever become law in the form they recognize (Pitney, 1995). † Burton W. Folsom Jr. , Senior Fellow in Economic Education at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy in Midland, Michigan. â€Å"The House Republican Leadership did most of what it said it would do in the Contract with America. The Republican Contract was a conscious, thoughtful, and usually coherent plan that went from campaign document to legislative writ. The New Deal was improvisational and contradictory right from the start. † (Pitney, 1995) John J Pitney, JR. Associate professor of government at Claremont McKenna College. â€Å"The House GOP’s First Hundred Day compared badly with FDR’s. Although all the items in the Contract With America reached the House floor, only two of them became law before the hundredth day. By contrast, FDR signed bushels of bills during the Hundred Days of 1933. Crisis is the great lubricant of the legislative process, and the economic calamities of FDR’s early days briefly suspended Capitol Hill’s normal Friction. Government has become tangled in its own red tape. † (Pitney, 1995) The Author would like to point out, that there is hardly mention of the president of this time and then only to point out that he was left out of the loop. Apparently the House Speaker and the Republican majority in Congress decided they could upstage a Democratic President with a style of government by one of its own party example. As shown, none of the interviewees have lied, but it was entertaining to read just how much of the story a particular party adherent brings to light to prove his point of view. Clearly, the more is known of the story, the worse the scenario of the Contract With America sounds. We have just had a historical presidential election. If FDR started with having blacks, women and other minorities in high office, this country as a whole just elected a black man into the White house. In 1995 Congress took up FDR’s ideology but tried to upend the hierarchy. Since then the Country’s problems have just gotten worse. Again the cry has started and the president has taken up the challenge and stated publicly that he would use some of FDR’s strategies. Immediately the media, economists and scholars exploded with the similarities of the state of the country then and now, advice and warnings to the administration. We are closer to the FDR era state of the economy, the sharp rise in unemployment, the near collapse of the banking industry and the essential pessimism of the population. FDR’s overall message is less caution and more boldness. The congress will also have a democratic majority next year and one of the most liberal caucuses ever, which should facilitate cooperation by past experience. Together with the lubricant of crisis stated earlier should help (Schlesinger, 2009). Two other similarities are contributed to Barack Obama. He unusually charismatic person and is a great speaker, which should help him guide the general public through this crisis. He has surrounded himself with an experienced staff, headed by â€Å"101st Senator† Rouse. To get his agenda passed, he just needs to convince Congress to take some political risks (Drum, 2008). There is hardly any advice this Author can offer that has not already been offered by persons more qualified other than hope. Hope that lessons have been learned from history and similar situations. God knows this country has had most imaginable, and the Baker College Corporate Services. (2016, Nov 23).

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Write paper on gender in History of california - Essay Example In the 1920s, the women workers enjoyed improved working conditions, protection by the state, limitations on the hours of work, and higher wages. However, the enforcement was irregular, the commission permitted many exclusions and modifications, and the interpretation of the regulations regularly favored the employers (Cherny, Irwin, and Wilson 272). The current laws are very clear on issues such as gender discrimination in the workplace. In 2011, the California State Assembly passes the Gender Nondiscrimination Act, which bans discrimination based on gender expression and identity. There are laws in place that protect against gender discrimination but the aim of this law is to broaden the definitions of gender discrimination and gender in the state laws (Grady & Associates 1). In conclusion, discrimination against a particular gender (mostly women) is something that has been happening for many years. Despite the fact that laws have been enacted to protect them, the same laws have favored the employers and commissions. Women have enjoyed almost all the workers’ rights and privileges but they are still viewed as inferior and unwanted workers. However, the trend has changed in the past years with the passing of several laws meant to broaden the definitions of gender discrimination and

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