The Yoshida Doctrine

Every foreign relation that a Nation-State enters is always self-serving. A country enters into an agreement with another for the purpose of achieving its national goals, and preserving its national security. When a country is in need of aid, whether in the economic or defense facet, the first option that that country would take is to enter into relations with other nations, and the first country on their list would be the United States. The United States has been the World Superpower since time immemorial, dominating the world in almost all aspects. Consequently, when countries are in need of aid, the US is their first option in mind to turn to. When Japan was grappled by the crippling effects of the Second World War, their intuition dictated for them to enter into foreign relations with the US – Thus, the Yoshida Doctrine was born. The doctrine was named after Yoshida Shigeru, a Japanese diplomat and politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 1946 to 1947 and from 1948 to 1954, during the critical transition period after World War II (http://www. newworldencyclopedia. rg/entry/Yoshida_Shigeru). This paper aims to give an overview on the foreign relations of Japan on a global level focusing on the present time period. Times are changing in unimaginable ways. There have been great changes which can be viewed as positive or negative depending on whom the observer is; in this case, the relations between Japan and the US. What was once an acceptable agreement in the past may now be of little or no importance when applied to the present. Often times we hear the quote: â€Å"the only thing constant in the world is change. With this in mind, everything that a country would enter must be done with utmost clarity, and must take into consideration the circumstances of every case which may be applicable to it. The circumstances which may have warranted the application of the Yoshida Doctrine in the past may not anymore be applicable at present; thus, there would be a need to abolish or amend certain provisions of the aforementioned agreement for the proper application thereto. The Yoshida Doctrine was the product of an agreement between then Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida with the United States. The agreement was made to help Japan recover economically from the effects of the World War II. To be able to achieve this, Japan heavily relied on the United States for its military protection. This was the tactic seen by then Prime Minister Yoshida to alleviate the effects of the war and to help it recover as a nation economically. It can be said that the Yoshida Doctrine that Japan entered with the US was bilateral and asymmetrical. The doctrine was bilateral mainly because it was an agreement only between the US and Japan. Also, the doctrine was asymmetrical for the reason that the agreement was leaning more on the US’ benefit. At first glance, the doctrine truly is beneficial for Japan; however, in the long run, this benefit would be at the expense of Japanese national dignity. At the time of the Cold War, the doctrine dictates that the US will leave economic matters to the Japanese government. On the other hand, defense issues will be handled by the US. This would mean that the US would act in behalf of the Japanese military in handling Japanese defense. The military is an instrument of a state that holds the monopoly of the legitimate use of violence. The military is tasked to defend the nation-states’ people from internal and external threats, and to maintain peace and order. These are the traditional roles of the military. A state’s hold on its military is essential to its survival, and for the assurance of its sovereignty. If one is to be nuance about the situation concerning the Yoshida Doctrine that the US would handle matters on Japanese military on external defense, then this would mean that positions in the United Nations most especially the seats in the United Nations Security Council, the United States would as well hold. It is of utmost importance to point out that although I would like to prove that Japan could defend itself and stand on its own, it is still important for it to become a member of the United Nations Security Council. Being a member of the United Nations is crucial, since this international organization plays a huge role in fostering unity amongst the member countries. Japan is already a member of this prestigious organization and it should build on improving its relations with it. The United Nations was established in order to foster peace and unity among those countries who are parties to it. The United Nations does not seek to trample on the manner by which a country runs its government but aims for each of its country members to abide by its generally acceptable principles such as peacekeeping, humanitarian aid, and the like. As such, the members of the United Nations are in agreement that it is important to respect the rights of the different sovereignty that are part of it. This is important because it would give a sense of peace of mind to governments of the various member Nation-States since it knows that it has the freedom to govern its people without any outside influence, while at the same time knowing that it has alliances from other countries which would be of help when the need arises. There is no direct evidence that the United States benefited from the Yoshida Doctrine. But, a closer look into the agreement would reveal that the United States was able to influence Japan to a formidable extent. The United States has been touted as the most powerful country at present; consequently, every country would aspire to establish a relation with it, in one way or another. The presence of the United States military force in Japan gave the former the chance to control the latter by the mere presence that it has in their country. The Yoshida Doctrine has already served its purpose, and its dictate on the Japanese government at the present is no longer applicable. The doctrine’s purpose of giving Japan economic aid in exchange for handling the Japanese military has long since been able to establish itself. On the economic aspect, Japan is considered as one of the top countries in terms of economic growth. A country as rich as Japan has sufficient amount of resources needed to sustain its military workforce. At present,, It would be a very crucial decision to stray away from the Yoshida Doctrine since this may result to having a strained relation with the United States. However, it is still possible to enter into peaceful negotiations with countries to maintain their diplomacy with each other. At the present, Japan can now stand on its own both financially and on the level of security. This country has mastered economic policies with proofs from its domestic growth in colossal amounts.. Every government must have sufficient amount of income in order to support its needs such as education, livelihood, military, infrastructure and other relevant projects. The economic growth being enjoyed by Japan signals stability for their government. A crucial decision to remain free from the influence and dependence of the United States is a very difficult decision for Japan. However, these are risks that a government must be willing to take. The security force of any government should be taken seriously. The military is akin to the commander in chief of any organization. The military should pledge its loyalty to only one government otherwise, various problems and conflicts may arise. If the United States would continue to extend its aid to Japan pursuant to the Yoshida Doctrine, then I believe that the presence of the former in the latter country is there for the wrong reasons. This is where the argument becomes significant that an amendment of the doctrine is in order. The initial understanding of Japan and the United States is that the latter would extend its military service to the former to help it recover economically. I believe that this concern is no longer of issue at this day and age. The agreement should be rendered moot and academic. If Japan would still want to have the United States military force to be present in their country then a new agreement is in order, so that it would correspond to the present need thereof. As history would tell us, it is safe to say that too much alliance with a particular country affects the independence of that country. Whether the party concerned likes it or not, there will be decisions that it has to make in consideration of the country with whom it has an agreement with. This could adversely affect the foreign policy of that particular country to the prejudice of its constituents. It would be best for Japan to keep its alliance with the United States to a minimum and focus instead on its relations with, not only the United Nations, but more so, with all the other countries as well. It is better to maintain a good and harmonious relationship with the United Nations which is composed of several countries than to focus on enhancing its relations with a single country. The relationship of Japan and the United States could be eventually criticized to the prejudice of both countries. If Japan would continue its close relations on this intimate level with the United States it could be regarded as a country which would do everything and agree on anything that the latter agrees on. It is very important for any country to have independence and liberty free from any form of outside influence. I believe it would be best for Japan to nurture is relationship with other countries than to focus on the United States. For instance, Japan can improve its relations with countries with whom its relationship is not as strong as with the United States. Japan has a good head start, it is already a member of the United Nations and of the Group of Twenty Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors or more commonly known as G-20. The G-20 is composed of 19 countries and of the European Union whose aim is to address global economic issues. The group is composed of, United Kingdom, China, Mexico, Argentina, Australia, France, Germany, these countries among others. The point of the matter is that Japan should improve its relations with these countries instead of merely being complacent with its relationship with the United States. Japan should nurture its relations with France, China, Mexico and other countries comprising G-20 as this would be of great and beneficial advantage for their country. Japan has already proven its loyalty to the United States, thus, it is now time for it to move on to other countries. Japan may instead work on enhancing its relations with its neighboring countries in order to work on more policies for their benefit. Every country needs to maintain diplomatic relations with every possible government in order to better achieve its goal. Further, it can also be argued that the resources of Japan should be shared not only with the United States but with all other countries that are desperately in need of it and vice versa. The United States should not only favor those countries with whom it is able to receive something but it should also strive to allocate its resources even to those with whom it is unable to gain in return. It may sound ideal; however, it only means being civil. It only means living under agreements where profit is not the main reason for living. On a political aspect, the Yoshida Doctrine was made during the time of then Prime Minister Yoshida. The factors by which Then Prime Minister Yoshida was surrounded with may no longer be applicable at this present time of Prime Minister Taro Aso. The situation of Japan during the post World War II period is entirely different than today. Through several years, Japan has evolved politically. When Japan was still on the verge of recovery from the effects of World War II, it needed to have an ally to be able to rise up again. As such, then Prime Minister Yoshida, entered into an agreement which was to be known as the Yoshida Doctrine with the United States. In 2009, many years after World War II, Japan is regarded as the third largest economy. Japan has gained this status after years of hard work. Japan is considered as technologically advanced and has been accepting more and more investments, making it economically self sufficient. Statistics show that it has 0% population below poverty line. The relation of its economic growth with its political aspect is important. A government that has a flourishing economy is self-sufficient, thus, its government is capable of standing on its own. Thus, the Yoshida Doctrine would no longer be applicable at this time. Although it can be argued that it would be very difficult to just suddenly nullify the Yoshida Doctrine since there is a risk of misinterpretation on the part of the United States. Such act would consequently invite questions regarding Japanese intentions or its loyalty, still, a thorough study of this matter is proper for the best interests of Japan. Prime Minister Aso is faced with different challenges that his leadership and term has to face. The leaders of any government should view every agreement on a long term basis. Any crucial agreements being made should be examined in the light of all factors such as economic, military, or political aspects. A leader must always bear in mind that he is merely the representative of the country that he represent, he does not occupy the position to establish personal or beneficial interests for his own agenda. Instead, the thinking should always be two steps ahead. There should be a projection of circumstances with a thorough analysis of every possible conflict that may arise as a result of any agreement or treaty. Any agreement that a country seeks to enter must not be for the benefit of the reigning political party or person occupying the highest position of the land. The underlying reasons for entering into any agreement must transcend the political interests of a particular party. With this, it can be said that a revision of the Yoshida Doctrine is in order so that it would be made to adapt to the present situation facing Japan. The Yoshida Doctrine affected Japan’s foreign policy post World War II to a great extent. Japan surrendered its military force to the United States since it wanted to rehabilitate its economy which was destroyed by the war. As a result, the United States was tasked to take control of the military defense of Japan. Up to this day, Japan has maintained strong ties with the United States. Japan took the risk of allowing the United States to take control of their security while it was busy with gathering resources for its economic recovery. This set-up has its consequences that are being felt even to this day. When Japan agreed to enter into an agreement with the United States it did not look far into the future since it was merely concerned with the situation, post World War II. There was lack of foresight in analyzing the future. The criticism that could be raised today is that, as a result of the Yoshida Doctrine, Japan now finds it hard to gain â€Å"independence† from the United States and to gain a representing seat at the United Nations Security Council. If the Yoshida Doctrine be not amended, Japan will forever bear the stigma of being an ally of the United States. Japan has surrendered a very powerful weapon to the United States that is their military force. It can be said, that this would also result to giving up a big chunk of their sovereignty and independence as a country. Japan must re-examine its position and its resources. It must look at the bigger picture and determine whether or not it is still profitable for it to maintain close ties on this level with the United States. Japan must have given itself options and widened its horizons by thinking twice when it surrendered its military force in favor of another country, in this case, the United States. If the situation would be taken from a bigger perspective, avoiding any myopic view of the matter, a problem could be detected. One aspect that we can see is that the Yoshida Doctrine does not support the resort to war as a means to resolve conflicts. On the other hand, the United States is known to be active in supporting its military workforce by engaging in war with other nations to eliminate terrorists. There seems to be a conflict of principles undertaken by these two countries who aim to work as one. When the need arises for Japan to follow United States orders on the military aspect, Japan would have no voice and would have to abide by the agreement that it has entered with the United States. Japan is therefore left with no voice, no autonomy and no independence to protect its own country through ways that it believes in. The amendment of the Yoshida Doctrine would not totally cut the ties of Japan from the United States. It merely seeks to place Japan on its proper place. The leaders of Japan should take this matter seriously if it does not want to be forever bound to the doctrine that should have long been amended. Too much of everything is bad. A middle ground should be established between the ties that bind Japan and the United States. There should be room left for the government officials of Japan to exercise its decision making when it comes to defending the security of their country. Japan may use the experiences that it has acquired from the United States during those times when the latter has extended its aid to the former. From here, Japan could form its own strategy, its own plan, a defense system that it can call its own, free from any influence by the United States. In this way, Japan would gain more respect from other countries and could set a good example for other nations, giving the idea that a strong nation can do anything on its own with a little help from others. If, after a thorough analysis of the situation, Japan believes that it is not ready to go on an all out independence from the United States, then it may enter into an agreement with the latter that would still give them enough freedom to decide on their own. The United States in this regard would merely be there to guide Japan, instead of totally taking away the military sovereignty and independence of the latter. I am of the opinion that the Yoshida Doctrine should be reshaped to be made more applicable at this present time. Japan has long been able to stand on its own and has since recovered from the crisis that it was faced with in the past which necessitated surrender of the military to the United States. Independence of any country, free from any external influence should be the guiding principles of any nation since it must learn how to stand on its own. It would not however hurt to seek help from another country but this does not mean that one should have total reliance thereto. Japan should begin to reexamine and delve deeper into its motive for its close alliance with the United States. The United States has its own concerns and issues to address independent of Japan. This means that the United States always has to look out for its country first and foremost without having to consider the stake that other allies have over it. Throughout the years from the 1970’ up to the present, many things have transpired. Japan has flourished economically, the United States became involved with defending its country by resorting to war, terrorism has become the major problem of the United States and so on. Japan should begin to take a different course from its overdependence with the United States, it should start taking the path that would give it more independence from the latter. To end my article, let me share with you a line that deserves to be pondered on: â€Å"Freedom is the emancipation from the arbitrary rule of other men. † This quote that was once uttered by Mortimer Adler fully encompasses the relationship that Japan has with the United States. If Japan puts its national sovereignty on its lists of priorities, then Japan must rethink its relationship with the United States, and think more than twice on their future transactions.

Modern Virtue Ethics Essay

To what extent do modern virtue ethics address the weaknesses of Aristotle’s teaching on virtues? (35) Virtue Ethics looks at a person’s good traits, known as ‘virtues’ and negative traits, known as ‘vices’; a person is considered to be a good person if they are virtuous and a morally bad person if they have developed lots of vices. Deontological and teleological ethicists argue that good or bad behaviour is far more important than a person’s good or bad characteristics whereas Virtue Theory argues it is only by becoming a better person that we will engage in the ‘right’ behaviour; Virtue Theory looks at the agent in itself and rather than the action. The key concepts of Virtue Ethics were first penned by the ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle and in more recent times have been adapted and added to by Alasdair MacIntyre. Aristotle’s theory is made up of many key features, including Moral Virtues, The Doctrine of the Mean, Eudaimonia, and Friendship and the Community. According to Aristotle, everything has a purpose, for example, pens, their purpose is to write, if the pen fulfils its purpose and writes well, it is a good pen. In the same way, if we equate Eudaimonia to the pen, Eudaimonia is the supreme goal of human life, if a person reaches Eudaimonia, they are a considered a good person as the purpose was to be happy, therefore they have reached their purpose, just as the pen reaches its own. He also argued that every action comes down to this aim, every human being desires to be as happy as possible. An example of this is to ask a Doctor or a Lawyer why they chose such professions, the majority would answer that they chose this profession because it pays well and they believed that being paid well would lead to an easier and happy life, or Eudaimonia. Aristotle’s theory also says that relationships and friendships play a very important role in how we behave as people and how our actions are determined; we should all aim to individually achieve Eudaimonia, which would therefore achieve the greatest good for society as a whole as everyone would be happier; Aristotle sees our communal friendships and relationships as a vital part of our moral code and flourishing as a virtuous being. As previously mentioned, a good life involves developing a good character and these are known as moral virtues which are cultivated by habit; one must practice these good virtues in order to adopt them. Some of the key virtues Aristotle spoke of include modesty, generosity, patience, truthfulness and friendliness. Aristotle also spoke of Intellectual Virtues and Cardinal Virtues. Aristotle believed that we should aim to be virtuous people and avoid vices. Aristotle’s theory is centered around the concept of The Doctrine of the Mean; this states that there are two different vices that accompany every virtue- the Vice of Deficiency and the Vice of Excess. The Vice of Deficiency refers to a distinct lack of virtues, whereas the Vice of Excess refers to too much of the virtue being present. For example, modesty, if there is a distinct lack of this virtue, it may result in shamelessness and if there is too much of this virtue, it may result in shyness. Aristotle argued that the ‘Golden (or Virtuous) Mean’ is the middle of these to extremes and that is what people should aim to have. Aristotle’s theory is very logical and encourages people to adopt good characteristics which in an ideal world would result in every individual being as happy as possible; however there are many criticisms of this theory. For example, it is somewhat unclear of what is considered a virtue and what is considered a vice and it is also unclear of who is responsible for deciding these; as well as this, it could be argued that it is not possible to measure these virtues. It could also be argued that if every individual had exactly the same characteristics, everyone would be the same and the world be become mundane and monotonous. Virtue Ethics also does not provide clear guidelines or rules of how to act in specific circumstances and is vague and subjective. Alasdair Macintyre is a Scottish philosopher, whose writing dates to the 20th Century CE. He made an attempt to alter Aristotle’s theory in order to make it more relative and contexualise the ideas. Macintyre felt that morality had become lax and felt that they had become far hypothetical. He felt that people focused more on how an ethical theory would hold up under uncommon and unrealistic circumstances rather than situations where morality counts. He believed that we should understand the context of ethics before attempting to fix modern moral dilemmas. Macintyre’s belief in context as the central part to ethical decision making shows us that he is relative in his ideology. He believed that virtues would change over time naturally, for example, bravery for us is a person that confronts a gang of youths, throwing rocks at windows, or a police tackling a burglar, however 2000 years ago, bravery was considered as a man dying in battle, for his country. This is an attempt at addressing a weakness of Aristotelian Virtue Ethics, as it would encourage the person to look at the time and place before deciding whether the character traits are good or not. It has to be said that what may be considered good in the Congo may not necessarily be considered good in Brixton, London. Finally Macintyre addresses the issue of External and Internal goods. Internal Goods are what he calls, the qualities of a person’s character. The External Goods are the things that a person relies on, for example,food or a decent living arrangement. He states that although these are valuable to the human nature, they can be considered good or bad. However the Internal Goods are the most important. This gives more relativism than Aristotelian Virtue Ethics which can be considered an improvement. In conclusion I feel that Alasdair Macintyre has made a good attempt to improve and change Aristotle’s version of Virtue Ethics, however we can still see some weaknesses. For example, it is even more relative than Aristotle’s version and this can lead to ambiguity when facing a moral dilemma. This has not been addressed, in the modern version by Macintyre. It also does not eliminate the idea of universal virtues to achieve Eudaimonia. This is problematic. So, I feel that his attempt must be congratulated but I do not feel that it has been entirely successful as there are still elements which could be improved further.

Analysis of Saudi Arabia Press Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Analysis of Saudi Arabia Press - Essay Example The essay "Analysis of Saudi Arabia Press" talks about the main functions of print media in Saudi Arabia and how the government controls it after the events occurring in Bahrain. The Saudi press remained controlled, applying no pressure on to the state authorities in relation to their handling of the Bahraini events and abstaining from the criticism of other governments. The Saudi government desired to be viewed as central to the social structure whereas the Saudi print media was to serve as a gatekeeper of what the Saudi people should think about. Then, it may be hypothesized that the function of the system of print media in Saudi Arabia was in accordance with the authoritarian press model, by which the press is considered as "a servant of the state and it is responsible for a larger part of its content to the power figures who are in charge of the government at any particular time". Indeed, if this model is applicable to the Saudi print media then the hypotheses given below would b e likely to hold true: H1 a: The developments in the field of politics and military/defense in Bahrain would be extremely newsworthy. H1 b: The type of news, for the political and military developments in the Bahraini conflict, would be largely domestic. H1 c: The tone of the news, for the political and military developments in the Bahraini conflict, would usually be positive. H2: The individual newspapers would offer similar levels of coverage to the different themes that have been presented by the news items.

How Benjamin Franklin's audience and purpose for writing The Research Proposal

How Benjamin Franklin's audience and purpose for writing The Autobiography affected his writing style for that particular text - Research Proposal Example audience to construct â€Å"The Autobiography†, blending rational discussion with an almost jovial tone in order to ensure that his intended message was delivered and received by the reader. It is clear that Franklin is intending to deliver the message of the evils of tyrannical leadership, the necessity for education and social improvement, and to suggest the importance of religious doctrine (even to the non-believer) as a means of honoring the precepts of wisdom, hard work, and divinity. These were likely common themes amongst a society which was only just beginning to establish its own social and moral code of living and end a long-standing reliance on foreign rulers to experience technological and social improvements. It is important to describe the audience of this particular time period who Franklin continuously attempted to reach through his moral and ethical writings. Franklin, himself, maintained a bladder calculus which caused urinary tract problems. Franklin discovered that his only solution to this problem was to stand upon his head in order to allow the calculus deposit to fall away from the opening of the bladder so that he could urinate (St. James and Spiro, 28). Franklin’s medical condition might not appear to be relevant to the writing style of his work â€Å"The Autobiography†, however it is highly-connected to the social beliefs of the time period where understandings of life (medicine, technology, etc.) were only in their infant stages compared to modern technological and social development. In addition, with newfound hope in progress and industry, the barrier between long-standing religious beliefs on God and acceptable business practices was becoming blurred. It is likely through works such as â€Å"The Autobiography† where Ben Franklin was able to remind society that religious devotion and religious doctrine continues to ring true regardless of the level of individual belief in the divine and in what constituted acceptable worship

The Case of IBM Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Case of IBM - Assignment Example Description of Louis Gerstner’s implementation style of IBM’s competitive strategy in the early 1990s. The implementation strategy was something of a giant gamble. What Gerstner ultimately attempted to do was to take a failing and unprofitable firm and completely redefine the way in which it marketed itself and integrated with the needs of the consumer/market. As a function of this, he not only drastically reduced the workforce of the multi-national firm, he also resisted the urge to break IBM into smaller companies that would focus on individual market needs; rather, he decided that the strength within the IBM brand name and recognition could help the sum of the components to achieve a higher level of net worth and growth as a single entity. In this way, the business concept of synergy is aptly portrayed. With regards to the competitive strategy, Gerstner reviewed the market and saw that IBM was already far behind the curve with relation to the development and invention of new business products, PCs, printers, memory devices etc. Rather than attempting to expend huge amounts of capit al, much of which had already been lost as a result of several years of severe losses, Gerstner saw the better approach would be to focus upon an area of the market whose potential had yet to be fully tapped; i.e. business and consumer services. What are the implications of the globally integrated enterprise model for marketing managers in Australia and New Zealand subsidiary of IBM? This approach helped to decentralize the decision making process that was engaged in the nations and markets of New Zealand and Australia. Ultimately, although a somewhat dangerous maneuver, this helped to allow a degree of self-determination with respect the best way to integrate with consumer demands and needs within these markets. By allowing such a process to move forward, IBM made a risky gamble that ultimately paid off many times over. By relying on subject matter expects and oversight within these given markets rather than a centralized command and control within IBM headquarters profits from such markets soon rose precipitously and allowed the firm the wherewithal to continue with the bold changes that defined the decade of the 1990’s and the subsequent rebirth and renewed profitability of the firm (Stover, 2005). Discuss the ele ments of the marketing strategy that makes IBM successful in today’s global marketplace These strategies have been briefly touched upon within the preceding 3 answers that this study has touched upon. However, the most important strategy which was mentioned, in the mind of this analyst, is the level to which Gerstner chose to remove all other consideratinos from the table and focus soley upon integrating directly with consumer needs and market demands; rather than focusing upon the old tried and true products that had built IBM into such a formidable

Marketing module Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marketing module - Literature review Example Several companies around the globe have used the basic concepts of marketing in enhancing their success over the years. For instance, the manufacturing and the hospitality industry have benefited from using the marketing concepts in analyzing the performance in the market. I believe that In future, the definition of marketing is expected to change due to the introduction of the interpersonal role of the executive in marketing. Hence, future marketing will entail supplying commodities that exceed clients’ expectations in an enticing manner. Persons intending to be marketers will have to face the challenges that businesses face in the market. Expectations to learn from the module Marketing concepts I learned that organizations plan for marketing purposely to lead the market. This means that the process of planning has to be continuous for an organization in the marketplace. As such, business managers market to maximize the proceeds of an organization. Modern businesses focus on a description of ethics for promoting a product in the market (Kotler 2003). Organization marketing should ensure that they plan their marketing based on the requirements stipulated by the legal authorities. Indeed, planning is critical in devising effective marketing stratagems. Methods of marketing I equally learned that marketing takes several forms in the contemporary society. As such, the businesses usually focus on the target customer with the aim of attaining profits in operations. I also noticed that organizations usually consult widely prior to undertaking the initiative. In modern marketing sales promotions, stratagems are preferred since they result to huge benefits for the organizations.

Describe Wilson's Moral Diplomacy policies Research Paper

Describe Wilson's Moral Diplomacy policies - Research Paper Example Thus, Wilson’s moral diplomacy policies were essential as they encouraged people to develop reliable and desirable international relations, especially between the United State and other democratic nations. According to the text, Experience History, Volume 2: To 1877, strong international relations and affairs are the origin of development and economic growth in nations, and this is observed from the developments in the United States. The moral diplomacy policies fostered by Wilson were essentially rooted on the economic power with the understanding that democracy was, and is still the most salient aspect of a stable and growing country. Moral democracy was encouraged in the nation as it endorsed democracy and peace in the respective nation and other nations that had similar moral beliefs with U.S (James, Brian, Christine, Mark & Michael, 149-476). Reflecting on the argument of Wilson, (James, Brian, Christine, Mark & Michael, 149-476) the execution of the policies majored at c ondemning imperialism, as this aided the nation in improving its relations with other nations. In addition, the economic growth of the nation would be rapid as U.S was ready to support other nations who had democratic governments and had positive impacts to the economy and developments in U.S among other democratic nations. ... According to the text, implementation of the moral policies in the United State improved the international affairs among other democrats in the sense that the social, political and economic sectors of the respective nations were improved leading to standardized living styles in the nations (James, Brian, Christine, Mark & Michael, 149-476). The president used the fact that United State is a leading participant in the world economy to convince, and force other nations to submit to his moral diplomacy to improve the nation’s economic relations with other countries. Considering the article, The National Experience: A History of the United States (Pt. 1 & 2), the authors tried to define moral diplomacy as a tool that president Wilson attempted to use to win the social, political and economic support from other nations that were democratic. The writer shows how the President hoped to manipulate, and control other nations through economic pressures, and he achieved this by the effor ts he made in denying other nations that were, not to his idea economic support. According to the president, â€Å"The force if America is the force of moral principle†, and this was the phrase that he used to win support from other nations, thus raising the economic relations of his nation, U.S (John, William, Edmund, Arthur & Kenneth, 289-892). The moral diplomacy, according to the authors had several benefits and demerits to United State and other participating nations. For instance, American’s economic interests in other democratic nations are raised in the sense that, since U.S is a key player in the world economy, other nations depend on her for their economic development and this consequently raises the economic interests she has with other countries.

Cross Cultural Management as a Form of a Business Environment Term Paper

Cross Cultural Management as a Form of a Business Environment - Term Paper Example In the current years, there has been a vast increase in globalization and this has created responsiveness of the necessity for managers to be responsive to the cultural aspects of decision- making. Even though these cross-cultural differences are a way of helping embrace the diverse notions from different places they also act as a downfall for many mergers in business (Lane 67). The mergers and acquisitions activity as an aspect of business strategy in finance and management that deals with the integration of different businesses and comparable entities that can be of help to a corporation to develop its sector or location, without the creation of any subsidiary (Tjosvold 56). The corporate that is more sensitive to cultural differences in any of the cross-cultural environments are in a better form and well equipped to make better decisions. The managers who are well familiarized with cross-cultural management techniques enable smoother workplace relationships. In current years, there has been a rapid increase in globalization and diversity in the workplace and due to this cross-cultural management has become an extremely vital part of the organizational life. The many human races come with different backgrounds. This clearly states the way of doing things in one culture may not be the same way that things are done in the other cultures; also whatever is regarded as good in another culture may be disadvantageous in another (Lane 77). With all the many cultures that exist in the world, the question that arises is how many adaptations are needed for effective international business relationships. With the different use of time by the two mergers, there can be an introduction to cyclic time which shall encourage a certain degree of synchronization of schedules and targets. Employees can begin understanding other people’s cultures and also trying to learn foreign tongues and cultivating empathy with the views of others (Lewis 113) The human resource in the cross-cultural companies should be well  experienced with multinational relations so that they can be capable of choosing the right people for each of the departments.  

DISCUSSION QUESTION RESPONSE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 43

DISCUSSION QUESTION RESPONSE - Essay Example I strongly agree that communication is vital for success in this method. In addition, one has to undergo frequent testing, development and delivery. It is recommended that this development should focus on a rapid development (Terrell, 2012). Furthermore, it has to focus on contacts that are frequently used in creation of software which is able to cater for needs of several business users. It is obvious that remembering system development life cycle is very difficult. In the end-user development, the end user’s develop their applications. This may either follow a formal or informal manner. I therefore agree that mode of formality is the difference between other modes and system development life cycle. This model is limited as it has poor quality control, inadequate documentation and it requires maintenance from the IS department (Terrell, 2012). In the analysis of component based development, it applies the use of standard component in the application. Components are actually reusable and have one main function. There is a direct link between the web services and the service oriented architectures. Finally, terrace has outlined that object-oriented development focuses on different computer systems. The development does not dwell with perceptions in SDLC approaches (Terrell, 2012). There is an integral alignment of instructions which occur as computer programs which demands the procedural details from the programmers. In this system the real world aspects are modeled to perform the required

Reflection Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Reflection Paper - Essay Example Through this means, I believe I will be among the 80 percent nurse graduates with the baccalaureate degree by the year 2020. It is also important that health care organizations offer tuition reimbursement to help develop a culture that promotes further education, and giving promotion and salary differential according to Institute of Medicine of the National Academies (n.d). b). It is important that the quality of healthcare be improved to a higher level. This can only be realized through research and development with the aim of increasing diversity by ensuring that more nurses in the country acquire a doctorate. In this connection, for me to fit into this 5th recommendation of IOM, I will ensure that I enroll for a doctorate program in the next five years after graduating with a baccalaureate degree. It is also acknowledgeable that this would require a lot of funding and dedication from an individual and schools and the public at large. However, since I have a lot of passion for education that would enable me better the lives of others in the future, sky is the limit. In case I find it difficult to get tuition fees, I will seek for assistance from well wishers and the government to offer me a scholarship. In the end, I believe I will among those who form part of the double digit number of those with a doctorate by the year 2020. It would also be benef icial for university trustees and academic administrators create salary and benefit packages that are competitive in the market to recruit highly qualified academic and clinical nurses like myself. c). For me to be able to fit into the sixth recommendation of IOM future for nursing, it would be imperative for faculty and healthcare organizations to create, and priorities competencies so that curricula can regularly be updated to ensure that graduates at all stages are well prepared to meet both

Recruitment and Army Essay Example for Free

Recruitment and Army Essay 1.0 Opportunities and dangers to be considered by the Army in externalising the recruitment processes. a. Preston (2012 P.36) shows how the two-way process of recruitment ‘should be as much about the applicant finding out whether the business is right for them as about whether they are deemed acceptable by the business’. c. Having employment opportunities for the soldiers who are being made redundant will allow the knowledge and experience of ex-soldiers to remain forefront of recruitment helping recruiting the right person be more effective. An explanation by Preston (2012, P.36) tells us how if ‘appointees don’t fit then profitability is affected’; this key can show that the benefits of externalization will bring spending cuts by selecting only the right persons increasing retention. d. Being seen as ‘perverse’ is a danger because if the Army gives a bad image of high staff redundancies while spending highly on hiring this could be open to stereotypic views as Preston explains ‘Many people are deterred from entering certain professions because of general stereotypical images which exist in their society or culture’ (2012, P.38). Col Richard Kemp in the case study says how ‘previously using a civilian company was not a success’. This could have a detrimental impact upon future recruits if the civilian company cannot deliver what is expected. It will also have an  impact upon the Army’s image if it doesn’t work out the second time round. 2.0 Methods of selection and their advantages and disadvantages for selecting soldiers. Interviews – Used to understand key facts of the job and recruit for either parties and determine suitability to one another. This method is an opportunity the Army can utilize to lay out main facts of what they have to offer. It’s also a chance for the recruit to decide whether or not they are happy with the opportunities. The advantage to the Army using this method would remove unexpected expectation at an early stage reducing cost from training soldiers who realized it’s not what they thought at a later stage. The disadvantage however would be that interviews are seen as ‘too subjective to the individual and place a ‘cloud’ over an individual’s ability (Preston, 2012 P.43) Tests – Used to measure a person’s ability and aptitude relevant to the job. This Method would allow the Army to see suitability of potentials under set tests giving a further indication on whether the Army is a job the candidate is suitable for before subjecting them to full training further reducing cost at an earlier convenience. Preston (2012) also explains that this can also be a way to reduce inherent subjectivity of the interview method. This method has disadvantages of not being able to incorporate all what the Amy needs to see as some areas of the Army require more subjective tests. This can increase costs if at a later stage the applicant is found unable to cope with certain areas of the job and pulls out. Assessment Centre – Can show the applicant in certain situations relevant to the job. This shows the Army the recruits in a role play scenario or group activity which can indicate the applicant’s ability under a selection of techniques in multiple combinations. This can incorporate a more subjective assessment of the individual so it can be determined further whether the Army can offer a position to the recruit. This would help the Army in selecting those who are of correct skill level generating more quality recruits increasing retention. However the assessment centers only provide the Army with a short insight to certain scenarios as the Army is a specialized area of recruitment the individual cannot be seen faced with all possible problems the recruit may encounter as  a soldier. 3.0 Recommendations for organising induction and socialisation of newly hired soldiers to enhance retention. Induction is whereby a new recruit is welcomed into the organisation through a short term introduction to areas shown by Preston (2012, P45) like what their job description is, what’s expected of them or underlining policies and procedures. Such inductions are critical to the Army as it helps new recruits become accustomed to their surroundings and allows them to adopt the organisational culture and written rules helping them understand what is expected and what is accepted. Typical activities include group welcoming (showing videos), simple team working (to help get to know each other) and tours of the premises (to learn the surroundings). Socialisation is a long term process shown by Preston (2012) to ‘help understand in terms how the newcomer makes sense of the business and their role within it’. This would be of importance to help the Army ensure the recruits are following the correct procedures and polices but also helping to keep track of the recruit’s process ensuring they are settling in and managing well. To help the activities could include meetings to see the recruit’s progression, group socialising to help with settling, appraisals to show they are doing well and promotions to help encourage further progression. To help improve retention and reduce dropouts induction techniques recommended would be having already serving soldiers at a welcome day to have questions asked and stories from first hand experiences. As documented by Harding (2011) in the case study ‘the most effective recruiters were young soldiers who had already served on operations’. This could expel any rumors and help new recruits understand the demands of Army life at an early stage. This technique would also allow the introduction of policies and procedures and what to expect. Using mentoring as a socialising technique would give recruits quantitative information based on their progression into the business and how well they are integrating into the  role. This information can be persuading for new recruits to show them they are on the right track and doing well, resulting in increased momentum and a desire to keep going. As Preston (2012) says ‘socialisation is understanding how the newcomer makes sense of the business and their role within it’. Mentoring through the early stages can keep track of the recruit and provide them with the help and support to succeed in turn, reducing dropouts and increasing quality recruits. References: Harding T. (2011) ‘Army to pay civilian firm  £1bn to recruit new soldiers’ The Telegraph 11 October [Online]. Available at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/8819327/ Army-to-pay-civilian-firm- £1bn-to-recruit-new-soldiers.html (Accessed 1 September 2014). Preston, D (2012), An introduction to human resource management in business, Milton Keynes, The Open University. Prà ©cis: From the tutor group forum discussions I have learnt that there are many views on what people have in the work place. The work place HRM polices and business cultures can be dramatically different from business to business and different people have different views on them and how they incorporate them into their working lives. Activity 2.3 shown how businesses HRM polices and culture can mix well or clash badly as such Pauls Bourne shows how that if people of a work place buy into the ‘norm’ this can sometimes override what the HRM polices state resulting in problems. However that HRM polices should be a state of first call when people need to be reminded what is truly expected of them in the place of work. All the ideas coming together has taught me to think more logically about the place I work and how the business culture is upheld through normal behaviour of people through unwritten rules up to the policies and procedures in place to help maintain a uniformed business. Reference: Bourne P, (2014) ‘Activity 2.3 HRM and Culture’ The Open University 19 November 2014 [Online]. Available at https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/forumng/discuss.php?d=1210164 (accessed 25 November 2014).

The Federal Reserve Essay Example for Free

The Federal Reserve Essay The Federal Reserve is a federal government department that is independent from political influence, so that they can regulate, and grant insurance to the people of the United States. It also functions as a backer of banks so that people do not lose their money. In addition they regulate the curricula ion of the money flow and set requirements that banks must follow. In the following we will explore the functions of the twelve Federal Reserve banks, and the reason that the Federal Reserve is considered the bankers bank. In addition the role of the Federal open Market committee will be explored in their role in economic policy. Also there will be exploration into why federal would want to decrease the money supply. The twelve Federal Reserve banks have three main functions that they must do, to keep the economy and money flow correct. The first is inspection of local banks within their jurisdiction to ensure they are living up to the regulations set by the Federal Reserve. There second main function is to infuse or take out money from circulation so that the circular flow is maintained at a proper level. In addition they process thousands of checks, and ensure that debit and credit transaction goes through smoothly [ (smale, 2010) ]. These main actions are essential in ensuring the economy and money flow operates correctly without problems. The reserve banks are considered the banker banks because; they store currency and make money available for the member banks. They also process  the checks and debits from the member banks. They are king of banks and regulate the banking industry in the process. They also control the flow of money, so that the value of it stays consistent and does not drop. This is essential in controlling the money flow and economic prosperity of the United States Economy. [ (education.org, 2012) ] The Federal open market committee is a committee that is made up of seven member board of governors, and five Federal Reserve Bank presidents. There role in monetary policy is that they determine what is best in day to day regulations of both the reserve banks and their members. In addition they set certain policies that affect the economy in different ways. They determine the amount of money and credit that will be available in the United States economy. There is to maintain stability and growth in the United States economy. They try to ensure enough reserve of money to encourage expansion of money and credit to the banks in their network. [ (board, 2012) ] The Federal Reserve would consider cutting the money supply to sure up the economy. If there is too much money out there and not enough want to use that money, it is not good for the economy. They control the money supply with rising or falling of interest rates. Higher interest rate result in less borrowing, this tightens up the money supply and allows the economy to even out in the long run. If they want to put more money into the economy they would lower interest rates and as a result more people are willing to borrow more money. They would want to cut the supply when they want and need to borrow money is not high. They would do this is the economy was starting to slow, and would keep the money supply lowered till the need and want for that money is granted again. Before the Federal Reserve was created there was times when people would not use banks, because if the bank failed they would lose all their money they had in the bank. This would result in people being scared to put money in the bank during economic hard times because of their fear of losing there life’s savings. The creation of the Federal Reserve gave people an insurance that there money would not be lost in the case of a bank going under. The  Federal Reserve would promise to pay this back to them if that happened. The Federal Reserve would also make economic decisions in the economy that would keep it more stable than before. The Federal reserve is a responsible for ensuring that the economy and money supply stays stable, and ensures that member banks run up to federal standards. The main functions of the open market committee are to regulate the flow of currency and keep in reserve of money so that it creates a stable United States economy and federal regulation. People were afraid to put money in the banks before the creation of the Federal Reserve banks. This would change after the creation of the federal banking system. At some points the Federal Reserve’s needs to limit the amount of money in the economy to ensure economic supply and demand. Works Cited board, T. f. (2012). The structure of the federal reserve. Retrieved January 15, 2012, from federalreserve.gov: http://www.federalreserve.gov/pubs/frseries/frseri2.htm education.org, F. (2012). The structure of the federal reserve. Retrieved January 15, 2012, from Federalreserve education.org: http://www.federalreserveeducation.org/about-the-fed/structure-and-functions/ smale, P. (2010, Novemeber 10). Congressional research service. Retrieved January 15, 2012, from www.fas.org: http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RS20826.pdf

Examining The Early Churches Strengths And Weaknesses Religion Essay

Examining The Early Churches Strengths And Weaknesses Religion Essay The purpose of this essay is to see how the church began 2,000years ago, with a small group of disciples empowered by the Holy Spirit, who preached, and taught, healed in synagogue, and everywhere they went, lives and society was changed in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Strengths of Early Church The early church did not just start to grow after Jesus ascension by its own enthusiasm. The disciples on the day of Pentecost were all together in one place. One of the strength of the early church is their ability to wait on God. Jesus instructed his disciples to wait (Matt 28:19-20, Luke 24:49) first for the Holy Spirit in order to do the work he commissioned them for. The disciples waited until when the Spirit descended on them on the day of Pentecost. The power received at the out pouring of the Holy Spirit enabled them to fulfil their mission. Waiting is sometimes part of Gods plan in order to be truly effective. Descent of the Spirit The apostles and disciples were the first recipients of the outpouring of the spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues (Act 2:6). They received power to function like Jesus Christ; to preach the gospel with boldness, with signs and wonders following. The disciples spoke in prophetic speech that people of diverse nationalities represented at Jerusalem recognised their languages, which drew their attention unto God. Peters sermon on the day of Pentecost led to revival that caused salvation of over three thousand people. Followed by diverse forms of miracles, and healings enhancing the spread of the gospel. The Church was Bold Initially the disciples were very timid. But after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit they were filled with boldness to do mighty works and witnessing effectively. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit inspired evangelism and proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. From the day of Pentecost when Peter spoke to community of believers the gospel has spread from Jerusalem to Syria, Asia, Europe and Africa. Despite persecutions, oppositions, imprisonments, plots they never relent, they kept on moving never dare to go to a new place to preach the word of God. The Early Church was very Prayerful Another characteristic of the early church was that they are very prayerful, committed to Gods will through prayer (Act 1:14). As it faces challenges the churches always came together to pray so that healings, miraculous signs and wonders will take place (Acts3:1-3, 4:1-10). The Church was in one accord One of the strengths of the early church is unity. The church was one, and there was no proliferation in the body of Christ. There were house fellowships where believers met for teachings and breaking of bread. None of the early Christians felt that what they had was their own; they never allowed any of the brethren to suffer when others had plenty. The unity brought by the Holy Spirit increased loyalty, commitment and love for God. Without unity, the church could not have survived; therefore they had everything in common. Perform miraculous signs and wonders Signs and wonders followed the apostles everywhere they went. The healing of the man at the Beautiful gate by Peter and John created a stir in Jerusalem that saved five thousand people (Act 3:1-3). The early Church did much miraculous work through the help of the Holy Spirit as the Lord had done. They confirmed the gospel with great power, miracles and abundant grace as they spread the good news. A lot of people were attracted to the early church by expressions of Gods power at work. People of Prayer The early Christians devoted themselves to prayer. They understood that Gods kingdom could only be manifested in its full power through fervent prayer. (Act 1:14, 2:42, 3:1, 6:4, Eph 6:18). In those days devote Jews pray 2 or 3 times a day and it was the custom of the disciples to follow this devotion. Peter and John went to pray at the temple (Acts 3:1), while Luke and Paul did the same (Acts 16:16). God rewarded Cornelius for keeping to hours of prayer (Act10). Weakness of the early church External Opposition: The early church was not without its own problem. The church experience both miracles and opposition the same time. There is external opposition from Jewish leaders who became uncomfortable with message of Christian liberty preached by the early believers, which undermined Jewish legalism. Besides the opposition from religious circle believers found themselves in conflict with social patterns of the day, because they no longer participate in emperor worship, refused to take part in bloody roman sport and pagan shrines. As a result persecution arose, many were exiled, killed, mocked and imprisoned. Jewish and Gentile Conflicts: God has no favourite nation or race, he only favours and accepts anyone who turns from sin and believed him. The Apostles initially want all people to be saved but did not understand that salvation was no longer restricted to Israel alone, but for everybody. The Jewish-Gentile conflict is the greatest barrier to the spread of Gospel in the 1st century. Until the issue was resolved, in council at Jerusalem, it was a barrier. Administration: as the early church increased in size, so did her needs and challenges. The new believers were moved by the Holy Spirit to share their possession (Acts 4: 32-37). But as the numbers increased, it became difficult for equal distribution of goods to meet the needs of everyone. The Hellenist believing widow felt neglected. To rectify this, the Apostles created the office of deacon to oversee the physical needs of the people. Later we see the Pastoral epistle written by Paul to Timothy and Titus, about the spiritual and character qualification expected for church leadership; in order to keep the church from false teachings (1Tim 3:1-13, Tit 1:5-9). Dishonesty and Greed: In order to gain recognition Ananias and Saphira lied about their giving to the church. (Moreover any unrighteousness move in the church prevents the working and movement of the Holy Spirit). God dealt harshly with the couple in order to reveal his hatred to all greed, deceit and dishonesty in the kingdom. The Peril of Heresies: The early church was not immune against false teachers and heresies. Already Jesus had warned his disciples several times in the Gospels to watch out for leaders who would introduce destructive heresies among Gods people (Matt. 24:11, 24:24-25). For example the book of Jude was written against false teachers who are distorting the gospel of Gods rejecting traditional Jewish and Christian teaching about morality, advocating sexual licence. In their teachings they denied original apostolic revelation about the person and nature of Jesus Christ (Jude 8, 16, 2pet 2: 1-3:4). Comparism between the early church and the church today The early church relied much on the leading of the Holy Spirit to get the gospel to the whole world, which I believe todays church need to learn from. Paul and Barnabas were commissioned by the Antioch church through the leading of the Holy Spirit, were directed by the spirit of God to specific areas to be a witness on their missionary journey. Our evangelistic or missionary moves should be according to the leading of the Holy Spirit. (Act 13: 1-5). Churches today do so many things in the name of the Lord with ulterior motives. Many at times we tend to do what we want in the name of the lord rather than what Gods want. The early churchs motives were pure. Their aim was to spread Christianity as far as they could. Some churches today are being run under the idea of men not of God. The Spirit of God had being relegated or given a minor role in the church. Making many worship centres to lack power thus dry and lukewarm. During the apostolic age the early church was established on apostolic pattern. But tragically the church today have departed from apostolic faith and doctrine but patterned itself according to human ideas and modern thought that now proliferate our churches today. Conclusion The gospel cannot be confined to one corner of the world. Therefore what the early church did is possible in our generation. The church was bold, filled with power because the early disciples were committed to the task of evangelising the world. Churches need to be committed to the work of soul winning and world mission, for example in the west secular humanism has become the dominant philosophy for many and the church is not immune to all this. We need to be more involved in world issues by ministering to the social ills of our environment, by our evangelistic move.

What is Research? :: The Definition of Research

Research. Function: noun, verb transitive Etymology: Middle French recerche, from recerchier to investigate thoroughly, from Old French, from re- + cerchier to search Date: 1577 Research is a process of investigation. An examination of a subject from different points of view. It's not just a trip to the library to pick up a stack of materials, or picking the first five hits from a computer search. Research is a hunt for the truth. It is getting to know a subject by reading up on it, reflecting, playing with the ideas, choosing the areas that interest you and following up on them. Research is the way you educate yourself. Research is the systematic process of collecting and analyzing information to increase our understanding of the phenomenon under study. It is the function of the researcher to contribute to the understanding of the phenomenon and to communicate that understanding to others. Research is a process through which we attempt to achieve systematically and with the support of data the answer to a question, the resolution of a problem, or a greater understanding of a phenomenon. Research is defined as human activity based on intellectual application in the investigation of matter. The primary aim for applied research is discovering, interpreting, and the development of methods and systems for the advancement of human knowledge on a wide variety of scientific matters of our world and the universe. DIAGRAMATIC REPRESENTATION OF RESESARCH PROCESS: WHAT IS REPORT? An account presented usually in detail. A formal account of the proceedings or transactions of a group. In writing, a report is a document characterized by information or other content reflective of inquiry or investigation, which is tailored to the context of a given situation and audience. The purpose of reports is usually to inform. Reports may include persuasive elements, such as recommendations, suggestions, or other motivating conclusions that indicate possible future actions the report reader might take. Reports can be public or private, and often address questions posed by individuals in government, business, education, and science. KINDS OF RESEARCH REPORT: ïÆ'Ëœ DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH: This research is the most commonly used and the basic reason for carrying out descriptive research is to identify the cause of something that is happening. For instance, this research could be used in order to find out what age group is buying a particular brand of cola, whether a company’s market share differs between geographical regions or to discover how many competitors a company has in their marketplace.

Weimar, Germany Essay example -- Germany German History Culture Essays

Weimar, Germany In examining great social and cultural changes in the modern West, many specific events come to mind: the Renaissance and the Reformation, the â€Å"discovery† of the Americas, industrialization, and World War Two. One such event, often overlooked, is the â€Å"Great War†, 1914-1918. Like every people affected by the expanse of this war, Germans were deeply affected and forever changed. As a social, cultural, and psychological reaction to World War I, the German people created the Weimar Republic, leading to a drastic change in German society and culture. To best understand these changes, a comprehensive analysis of World War I, before, during, and after, is necessary.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What was Germany before World War I? Before World War I, Germany was a Great Power on the cusp of social revolution, like many other European nations. The relatively new empire was struggling with the new working class and the increasing movement for labor rights (Gilbert and Large, 15-19). Wilhelm II, the Emperor of Germany when World War I began, was moving his empire toward expansive imperialism and militarism. The political, social, and cultural structure of Germany before World War I was relatively new, but almost instantly powerful and potent.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The political structure of Germany, bred of Germany’s attempt at solid unification, was rapidly becoming outdated in the face of labor and the precarious balance of power in Europe, and would soon be put under by World War I. The Bundesrat, like the contemporary House of Lords in the British parliament, was manipulated by the landowning class. The Reichstag, created to balance the weight of the Bundesrat, was extremely limited: it could in no way interfere with individual states’ armies, being limited to legislation in the areas of foreign and naval affairs, as well as other relative trivialities like customs and mail (Gilbert and Large, 71).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In spite of Germany’s authoritarian governmental system, some indicators of social progressiveness were apparent. Members of the Reichstag were voted in, and eligible voters included all men over the age of 25. Germany was also ahead of her time in terms of workers’ rights (albeit no nation was timely enough to satisfy the rapidly-growing working class.)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For the most part, however, Germany was the symbol of authoritarianism. The Kaiser himself was an important symbol of this go... ... continued to show, what suffering in the trenches had meant. They had not turned themselves into heroes. They were not even capable of functioning in the society at the end of the war...many of the population did not like to have to face these war cripples. They did not wish to be reminded continuously of what war was really like.† (Gay, 90; italics mine)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   From such devastation came Weimar. The Germans embraced their new freedom as a republic, feeling freed from those old constraints which, they felt, driven their country to ruin. The culture or Weimar symbolized the German disdain for the â€Å"old ways† of authoritarianism and monarchy. Weimar was modern, new, and as far as the Germans knew, not doomed to fall victim in another total war.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Weimar was the hope of the people. The Germans, who felt their whole way of live had been made evil by the world, and had been annihilated in the war, reinvented themselves—and like the Germans they are, did the job all the way. World War I bred this new republic. It was, if nothing else, a cultural and psychological reaction, leading to a drastic change that would shape the German future, and forever color its gaze upon the past.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

African American Culture through Oral Tradition Essay -- Essays Papers

African American Culture through Oral Tradition African American folktales have origins rooted in West African literary and cultural forms of expression. When Africans were taken from their homeland and brought to America as slaves, they also brought with them their individual cultures, languages and customs. However, their white slaveholders suppressed this part of their heritage in them. Thus they had to find other ways of expression, mainly story telling and songs. It is incredible to see how African slaves could ever smile and laugh under the horrible and cruel circumstances, which were imposed on them by the brutal slaveholders. The whole body of folktales and spirituals arose from the experiences which slaves had on their plantations mingled with the memories and customs that they brought with them from Africa. They would tell stories using different methods such as acting, gesturing and singing. By these means they were able to elevate storytelling into an art. Most slave owners forbade their slaves from speaking their own language, and forced them to speak English. They were also forbidden from learning to read or write. In this manner slaveholders believed that they were keeping their slaves in ignorance so that they could neither rebel nor escape. They were greatly mistaken for many slaves would make use of their songs and stories to educate their people, and enlighten their minds and free their souls. For example the slave spirituals which they sang were a means with which they could communicate feelings of discontent and of homelessness and exile. However, not all their songs were of disparity and loss. They also sang songs expressing love, joy, and hope. Other than making use of lyrics as a form of expressi... ...Books, Inc; New York, 1963. Hamilton, Virginia. The People Could Fly. Knopf Publishing; New York, 1985. Jones, Gayl. Liberating Voices: Oral Tradition in African American Literature. Harvard University Press; Cambridge, 1991. Okpewho, Isidore. African Oral Literature. Indiana University Press; Bloomington, 1992. Plant, Deborah G. Every Tub Must Sit on It's Own Bottom: The Philosophy and Politics Of Zora Neale Hurston. University of Illinois Press; Chicago, 1995. Radin, Paul, Ed. African Folktales. Shocken Books; New York,1983. Smitherman, Geneva. Talkin and Testifyin: The Language of Black America. Houghton Mifflin; Boston, 1977. Wright, Lee Alfred. Identity, Family and Folklore In African American Literature. Garland Publishing; New York, 1995. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ã ¿

Comparing Schools Essay

This report provides advice on the collection and reporting of information about the performances of Australian schools. The focus is on the collection of nationally comparable data. Two purposes are envisaged: use by education authorities and governments to monitor school performances and, in particular, to identify schools that are performing unusually well or unusually poorly given their circumstances; and use by parents/caregivers and the public to make informed judgements about, and meaningful comparisons of, schools and their offerings. Our advice is based on a review of recent Australian and international research and experience in reporting on the performances of schools. This is an area of educational practice in which there have been many recent developments, much debate and a growing body of relevant research. Our work is framed by recent agreements of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG), in particular, at its meeting on 29 November 2008: C OAG agreed that the new Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority will be supplied with the information necessary to enable it to publish relevant, nationally-comparable information on all schools to support accountability, school evaluation, collaborative policy development and resource allocation. The Authority will provide the public with information on each school in Australia that includes data on each school’s performance, including national testing results and school attainment rates, the indicators relevant to the needs of the student population and the school’s capacity including the numbers and qualifications of its teaching staff and its resources. The publication of this information will allow comparison of like schools (that is, schools with similar student populations across the nation) and comparison of a school with other schools in their local community. (COAG Meeting Outcomes) Our work also has been framed by the recently endorsed MCEETYA Principles for Reporting Information on Schooling (see Section 1. 4). Before summarising our specific recommendations, there are some general conclusions that we have reached from our review of international research and experience. The specific recommendations that follow are best understood in the context of these general conclusions: †¢ Vigilance is required to ensure that nationally comparable data on individual schools does not have the unintended consequence of focusing attention on some aspects of the purposes of schooling at the expense of other outcomes that are as important but not as easily measurable. Parents/caregivers and the public are interested in a broad range of information about schools, and nationally comparable data should be reported in the context of this broader information. †¢ Although it has become popular in education systems in some other parts of the world to use statistical models to develop ‘measures’ of school performance and to report these measures publicly in league tables, we believe that there are very v Reporting and Comparing School Performances  sound technical and educational reasons why school measures of this kind should not be used for public reporting and school comparisons. †¢ Related to this point, we are not convinced of the value of reporting ‘adjusted’ measures of student outcomes publicly. Measures of student outcomes should be reported without adjustment. †¢ To enable the comparison of unadjusted student outcomes across schools, we believe that a ‘like-schools’ methodology should be used. This methodology would allow parents/caregivers, the public, and education systems to compare outcomes for schools in similar circumstances. †¢ While point-in-time measures of student outcomes often are useful, it is difficult to establish the contributions that teachers and schools make to point-in-time outcomes. In general, measures of student gain/growth across the years of school provide a more useful basis for making judgements about the value that schools are adding. †¢ Measures of gain/growth are most appropriately based on measurement scales that can be used to monitor student progress across the years of school. The NAPLAN measurement scales are an example and provide educational data superior to that available in most other countries. Consideration should be given to developing national measurement scales for early literacy learning and in some subjects of the national curriculum. †¢ Initially reporting should build on the understandings that parents and the public have already developed. For example a school’s NAPLAN results should be reported in forms that are consistent with current NAPLAN reports for students. Although much work needs to be done in defining the most appropriate measures, the principle should be to build on the representations of data that are already familiar to people. Recommendations Our report makes the following specific recommendations: student outcome measures †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected on the literacy and numeracy skills of students in each school, using NAPLAN (Years 3, 5, 7 and 9). †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected on the tertiary entrance results of students in each senior secondary school. These data could be reported as the percentage of students achieving tertiary entrance ranks of 60 or above, 70 or above, 80 or above, and 90 or above (calculated as a percentage of the students achieving tertiary entrance ranks). †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected on the percentage of students in each senior secondary school completing Year 12 or equivalent; the percentage of students applying to all forms of post-school education; and the percentage of students completing VET studies. vi Reporting and Comparing School Performances †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected on the achievements of students in core national curriculum subjects (English, mathematics, science and history), beginning in 2010. National assessments could be developed initially at Year 10. †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected on the early literacy learning of children in each primary school. These assessments will need to be developed and should be administered upon entry to school and used as a baseline for monitoring progress across the first few years of school. physical and human resources †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected about sources and amounts of funding received by each school, including all income to the school from State and Commonwealth governments, as well as details of fees payable by parents, including those that are mandatory and any voluntary levies that parents are expected to pay. †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected on the numbers and qualifications of teaching staff in each school. Basic data would include academic qualifications, details of pre-service teacher education, and details of any advanced certification (eg, Advanced Skills Teacher; Level 3 Teacher). student intake characteristics †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected on the socio-economic backgrounds of students in each school. Data should be based on information collected at the individual student level, using at least parental occupation and, possibly, parental education levels, under the agreed MCEETYA definitions. †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected on the percentage of students in each school of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander background under the agreed MCEETYA definition. †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected on the percentage of students in each school identified as having a language background other than English (LBOTE) under the agreed MCEETYA definition. †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected on the geo-location of each school using a 3-category scale: metropolitan, provincial, and remote. †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected on the percentage of students in each school with special educational needs. A nationally agreed definition of this category will need to be developed. like-school comparisons †¢ In reporting student outcome data for a school, data for like-schools should be provided as a point of comparison. Like-schools will be schools in similar circumstances and facing similar challenges. †¢ In determining ‘like-schools’, account should be taken of the percentage of students with Indigenous backgrounds, the socio-economic backgrounds of the students in the school, and the percentage of students from language backgrounds other than English. vii Reporting and Comparing School Performances †¢ For each school separately, like-schools should be identified as the schools most similar to that school on the above characteristics (rather than pre-defining a limited number of like-school categories). †¢ Work should commence as soon as possible on the development of an appropriate like-schools methodology. public reporting †¢ For the purpose of providing public information about schools, a common national website should be used to provide parents/caregivers and the public with access to rich information about individual schools. †¢ The national website should provide information about each school’s programs, philosophies, values and purposes, provided by the school itself, as well as nationally comparable data, provided centrally. †¢ Nationally comparable student outcome data should, wherever possible, provide information about current levels of attainment (ie, status), gain/growth across the years of school, and improvement in a school over time. †¢ The complete database for each state/territory should be made available to the relevant state/territory departments of education and other employing authorities, enabling them to interrogate data for their schools and to make judgments about school performances using aggregated data and national summary statistics. We believe that almost all nationally comparable data collected centrally could be reported publicly. The exceptions would arise when the public reporting of data may have negative and unintended consequences for schools. For example, we can envisage negative consequences arising from the reporting of the socio-economic backgrounds of students in a school, or of the financial circumstances of struggling, small schools (both government and non-government). We also believe that data reported publicly should be factual data about a school, and not the results of secondary analyses and interpretations that are open to debate (eg, value-added measures). viii Reporting and Comparing School Performances 1. INTRODUCTION In education, good decision making is facilitated by access to relevant, reliable and timely information. Dependable information is required at all levels of educational decision making to identify areas of deficiency and special need, to monitor progress towards goals, to evaluate the effectiveness of special interventions and initiatives, and to make decisions in the best interests of individual learners. The focus of this  paper is on the provision and use of information about individual schools. The starting point is the observation that relevant and reliable information about schools is required by a range of decision makers – including parents and caregivers, school principals and school leadership teams, system managers and governments, and the general public – all of whom require dependable information that they can use to maximise opportunities and outcomes for students. 1. 1 Audiences and Purposes  Parents and caregivers require valid and reliable information to evaluate the quality of the education their children are receiving, to make informed decisions in the best interests of individual students, and to become active partners in their children’s learning. They require dependable information about the progress individuals have made (the knowledge, skills and understandings developed through instruction), about teachers’ plans for future learning, and about what they can do to assist. There is also considerable evidence that parents and caregivers want information about how their children are performing in comparison with other children of the same age. And, if they are to make judgements about the quality of the education their children are receiving, they require information that enables meaningful comparisons across schools. School leaders require reliable information on student and school performances for effective school management. Research into factors underpinning school  effectiveness highlights the importance of the school leader’s role in establishing an environment in which student learning is accorded a central focus, and goals for improved performance are developed collaboratively by staff with a commitment to achieving them. School managers require dependable pictures of how well students in a school are performing, both with respect to school goals for improvement and with respect to past achievements and achievements in other, comparable schools. Governments and system managers require dependable information on the performance and progress of individual schools if they are to exercise their responsibilities for the delivery of quality education to all students. Effective management depends on an ability to monitor system-wide and school performances over time, to gauge the effectiveness of special programs and targeted resource allocations, to monitor the impact of policies, and to evaluate the success of initiatives aimed at traditionally disadvantaged and underachieving sections of the student population. Accurate, reliable information allows system managers to measure progress against past performances, to identify schools and issues requiring special attention, to target resources appropriately, and to set goals for future improvement. 1 Reporting and Comparing School Performances 1. 2 Forms of Information Because there are multiple audiences and purposes for information about schools, the forms of information required for effective decision making are different for different stakeholders. Parents and caregivers require a wide range of information, including information relating to their immediate needs (eg, Is the school easily accessible by public transport? Does it have an after-school program? What fees and/or levies does it charge? ); the ethos of the school (eg, What evidence is there of bullying/harassment? What are the espoused values of the school? Do students wear uniforms? What level of discipline is imposed? Who is the principal? ); their child’s likely educational experience (eg, Who will be my child’s teacher next year? Will they be in a composite class? How large will the class be? Does the school have a literacy intervention program? What extra-curricular activities are provided? ); and the school’s educational results (eg, Does the school achieve outstanding Year 12 results? ). School leaders require other forms of information, including information relating to staffing and resources (eg, What resources are available for music next year? How many beginning children have special learning needs? ); the effectiveness of initiatives (eg, Is there any evidence that the extra class time allocated to literacy this year made a difference?); and academic results (eg, How many Year 5 students did not meet the minimum performance standard in Reading? Have our results improved since last year? Are we still below the state average? How did last year’s Year 12 results compare with those of the neighbouring school? ). System managers and governments require still other forms of information, including information to monitor system-wide trends over time, to evaluate the effectiveness of attempts to raise standards and close gaps, and to identify schools that are performing unusually well or unusually poorly given their circumstances. In general, the schoollevel information required by system managers and governments is less fine-grained than the information required by parents, teachers and school leaders. Figure 1 displays schematically various forms of information that could be made available about a school, either publicly or to specific audiences (eg, system managers). The forms of evidence represented in Figure 1 are: A: student outcome measures that a school could choose to report Most schools report a wide range of information about the achievements of their students to their school communities. This information is reported in school newsletters, local and community newspapers, school websites, and at school events. The information includes details of Year 12 results, analyses of postschool destinations, results in national mathematics and science competitions, language certificates, awards, prizes, extra-curricular achievements, community recognition, and so on. Most schools take every opportunity to celebrate the achievements of their students and to announce these achievements publicly. 2 Reporting and Comparing School Performances Figure 1. Forms of information that could be made available about a school B:a sub-set of student outcome measures on which it is agreed to collect nationally comparable data Within the set of student outcome information that might be reported for a school, there could be a sub-set of outcomes on which it was agreed to collect nationally comparable data. A reason for identifying such a sub-set would be to ensure some common measures to facilitate school comparisons – within a local geographical area, across an entire education system, nationally, or within a group of ‘like’ schools. Inevitably, nationally comparable data would be collected for only some of the outcomes that schools, parents and communities value. Performances on common literacy and numeracy tests in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 are an example of nationally comparable data currently in this category. C. physical and human resources measures that a school could choose to report Schools provide information in various forms and to various audiences about their physical and human resources. Information of this kind includes details of staff qualifications and teaching experience, staff turnover rates, school global budgets, computers and other technology, newly constructed facilities, bequests, results of fundraising drives, and so on. Some of this information may be reported to the school community; some may be kept confidential to the school, education system or government departments. D: a sub-set of physical and human resources measures on which it is agreed to collect nationally comparable data Within the set of physical and human resources measures reported for a school, there could be a sub-set of measures on which it was agreed to collect nationally comparable data. For example, there have been recent calls for greater consistency and transparency in the reporting of school funding arrangements (Dowling, 2007; 2008) and for more consistent national approaches to assessing and recognising teacher quality (Dinham, et al, 2008). 3 Reporting and Comparing School Performances E. student intake measures that a school could choose to report Most schools have considerable information about their students. For example, they may have information about students’ language backgrounds, Indigenous status, socio-economic backgrounds, learning difficulties and disabilities. This information usually is reported only within education systems or to governments and is not reported publicly, although schools sometimes provide information to their communities about the range of languages spoken by students in the school, the countries from which they come, the percentage of Indigenous students in the school and the school’s special Indigenous programs, or the number of severely disabled students and the facilities and support provided for these students. F: a sub-set of student intake measures on which it is agreed to collect nationally comparable data. Within the set of student intake characteristics reported for a school, there could be a sub-set of measures on which it was agreed to collect nationally comparable data. Some progress has been made toward nationally consistent definitions and nationally consistent data collections on student background characteristics. G. all other information that a school could choose to make available Beyond information about student outcomes, student backgrounds and their physical and human resources, schools provide a range of other information to the communities they serve. 1. 3 Nationally Comparable Data Acknowledging the many purposes and audiences for information about schools, and the various forms that this information can take, the specific focus of this paper is on the collection and reporting of nationally comparable data for the purposes of evaluating and comparing school performances. In other words, the focus is on categories B, D and F in Figure 1. We envisage three broad uses of such data: †¢ use by parents and caregivers in judging the quality of educational provision and in making informed decisions in the best interests of individual students; †¢ use by school leaders in monitoring a school’s improvement and benchmarking the school’s performance against other, comparable schools; and †¢ use by education systems and governments in identifying schools that are performing unusually well or unusually poorly given their circumstances. As noted above, these three stakeholder groups are likely to have different needs. The ways in which nationally comparable data are analysed, combined and reported may be different for different purposes. We see the process of reaching agreement on the core data that should be available about a school as a national collaborative process, and see little value in arriving at different conclusions about these data for different parts of the country. 4 Reporting and Comparing School Performances 1. 4 Principles for Reporting The Principles for Reporting Information on Schooling (see pages 6-7) adopted by the Ministerial Council for Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCCETYA) provide an important point of reference for any proposed collection and use of nationally comparable data on schools. These principles recognise the multiple audiences and purposes for information about schools, the need to collect broad evidence about student and school performances, and the desirability of monitoring intended and unintended consequences of reporting information on schools. Australian governments have undertaken to ensure that data provided for the purposes of comparing schools are reliable and fair and take into account the contexts in which schools work. Governments also have undertaken not to develop simplistic league tables of school performances. 1. 5 Structure of Paper This paper first considers the kinds of nationally comparable data that might be collected about schools for the purposes outlined above. We draw on national and international research and experience, attempt to anticipate the likely requirements of different audiences, and take into account what measures currently exist and what additional measures might be desirable in the future. Each of the three data categories in Figure 1 is considered in turn: †¢ †¢ †¢ student outcome measures physical and human resources measures student intake measures (sections 2-3) (section 4) (section 5) We then consider alternative ways of evaluating and comparing school performances. Two broad methodologies are discussed: †¢ †¢ the direct comparison of student outcomes the construction of measures of school performance (section 6) (section 7) Finally, we consider issues in reporting publicly on the performances of schools: †¢ †¢ audiences and purposes for reporting options for public reporting on schools (section 8) (section 9) 5 Reporting and Comparing School Performances MCEETYA PRINCIPLES FOR REPORTING INFORMATION ON SCHOOLING There is a vast amount of information on Australian schooling and individual schools. This includes information about the educational approach of schools, their enrolment profile, staffing, facilities and programs, and the education environment they offer, as well as information on the performance of students, schools and systems. Different groups, including schools and their students, parents and families, the community and governments, have different information needs. The following principles provide guidance on requirements for information on schooling, including the types of information that should be made readily available to each of the groups noted above. These principles will be supported by an agreed set of national protocols on the access to and use of information on schooling. Good quality information on schooling is important: FOR SCHOOLS AND THEIR STUDENTS. Principle 1: Schools need reliable, rich data on the performance of their students because they have the primary accountability for improving student outcomes. Good quality data supports each school to improve outcomes for all of their students. It supports effective diagnosis of student progress and the design of quality learning programs. It also informs schools’ approaches to provision of programs, school policies, pursuit and allocation of resources, relationships with parents and partnerships with community and business. Schools should have access to: †¢ Comprehensive data on the performance of their own students that uses a broad set of indicators †¢ Data that enables each school to compare its own performance against all schools and with schools of similar characteristics †¢ Data demonstrating improvements of the school over time †¢ Data enabling the school to benchmark its own performance against that of the bestperforming schools in their jurisdiction and nationally FOR PARENTS AND FAMILIES. Principle 2: Information about schooling, including data on the performance of individuals, schools and systems, helps parents and families to make informed choices and to engage with their children’s education and the school community. Parents and families should have access to: †¢ Information about the philosophy and educational approach of schools, and their staffing, facilities, programs and extra-curricular activities that enables parents and families to compare the education environment offered by schools †¢ Information about a school’s enrolment profile, taking care not to use data on student 1  characteristics in a way that may stigmatise schools or undermine social inclusion. †¢ Data on student outcomes that enables them to monitor the individual performance of their child, including what their child knows and is able to do and how this relates to what is expected for their age group, and how they can contribute to their child’s progress †¢ Information that allows them to assess a school’s performance overall and in improving student outcomes, including in relation to other schools with similar characteristics in their jurisdiction and nationally. 1 Any use or publication of information relating to a school’s enrolment profile should ensure that the privacy of individual students is protected. For example, where the small size of a school population or of a specific student cohort may enable identification of individual students, publication of this information should be avoided. 6 Reporting and Comparing School Performances FOR THE COMMUNITY. Principle 3: The community should have access to information that enables an understanding of the decisions taken by governments and the status and performance of schooling in Australia, to ensure schools are accountable for the results they achieve with the public funding they receive, and governments are accountable for the decisions they take. Students are an important part of our society and take up a variety of roles within it after leaving school. The community is therefore a direct and indirect consumer of the product of our schools, as well as providing the means of public funding. Information about schools in the public domain fulfils the requirement that schools be accountable for the results they achieve with the public funding they receive, including relative to other ‘like’ schools; it should also give the community a broad picture of school performance and a sense of confidence in our school systems. The community should have access to: †¢ Information about the philosophy and educational approach of schools, and their staffing, facilities, programs and extra-curricular activities that enables the community to compare the education environment offered by schools. †¢ Information about individual schools’ enrolment profile, taking care not to use data on student characteristics in a way that may stigmatise schools or undermine social inclusion †¢ National reporting on the performance of all schools with data that allows them to view a school’s performance overall and in improving student outcomes, including in relation to other schools with similar characteristics RESPONSIBLE PROVISION OF SCHOOLING INFORMATION Australian Governments will ensure that school-based information is published responsibly so that: †¢ any public comparisons of schools will be fair, contain accurate and verified data, contextual information and a range of indicators to provide a more reliable and complete view of performance (for example, information on income, student body characteristics, the spread of student outcomes and information on the value added by schools) †¢ governments will not devise simplistic league tables or rankings and will put in place strategies to manage the risk that third parties may seek to produce such tables or rankings, and will ensure that privacy will be protected. †¢ reports providing information on schooling for parents and families and the community will be developed based on research on what these groups want to know and the most effective ways the information can be presented and communicated. FOR GOVERNMENTS Principle 4: Governments need sound information on school performance to support ongoing improvement for students, schools and systems. Government also need to monitor and evaluate the impacts (intended and unintended) of the use and release of this information to improve its application over time. Good quality information on schooling enables governments to: †¢ analyse how well schools are performing †¢ identify schools with particular needs †¢ determine where resources are most needed to lift attainment †¢ identify best practice and innovation in high-performing schools that can be mainstreamed and used to support improvements in schools with poorer performance †¢ conduct national and international comparisons of approaches and performance †¢ develop a substantive evidence base on what works. This will enable future improvements in school performance that support the achievement of the agreed education outcomes of both the Ministerial Council for Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs and the Council of Australian Governments. 7 Reporting and Comparing School Performances 2. STUDENT OUTCOMES Information about the outcomes of a school’s efforts is key information for parents and caregivers if they are to judge the quality of educational provision; for school leaders to monitor a school’s performance and improvement; and for education systems and governments to identify schools in need of additional support. However, schools work to promote many different kinds of outcomes for their students. For some schools, an important objective is to improve school attendance rates. For others, assisting students to make successful transitions into the workforce is a high priority. Some schools are more focused than others on supporting the social, spiritual and emotional development of students. Still others measure their success in terms of entry rates into highly sought-after university courses. Decisions about the outcomes to be reported publicly for schools are important because they influence judgements about how well individual schools are performing. This is particularly true when education systems and governments attempt to construct ‘measures’ of school performance: Perverse incentives can arise when the [school] performance measure has both a large impact upon actors and focuses on an aspect of schooling that does not reflect the true or overall purpose and objectives of schools. Unfortunately, this can be common in school performance measures if the performance measure is too narrowly defined. (OECD, 2008, 26).