Peloponnesian War (Research Pap.)

DESTINED FOR WAR Jarod Bleibdrey, M. S. C. J January 20, 2013 As humans have evolved into vast, complex civilizations, a growing trend became notable to mankind, which was corruption. Speculating that Herodotus was the first true historian, and Thucydides was the second, then the Peloponnesian War would be the first form of government corruption in which war became inevitable. At this point, the war varies in perception of the two great alliances, and why the war was even fought.This essay will demonstrate how the Peloponnesian War stood as a great example of how superpowers become thrust into battle with one another, based upon corruption, vast difference in lifestyles, and the urging from smaller entities. Focus will be on how both Athens and Sparta’s political, social and diplomatic systems forced them into battle, but the battles themselves are of little concern in this essay. It was the â€Å"behind the scenes† events that can best explain and summarize the war.Wit h the focus laying upon the causes of the war, it becomes important to remember that, what began as a great alliance, turned into the devastation of Greece and allowed the conquest of Philip of Macedonia to commence. Let us begin with the culture of Athens and Sparta, in an attempt to explain the vast contrast within the two city-states. The Spartans were obsessed with their military superiority, while the Athenians were interested in comfort and culture. Granted, the Athenian Navy was the strongest maritime force of the age, but more on this when we get to corruption.The culture of Athens and Sparta was different to their core; everything from political to daily living conflicted, causing them to become competitive and distrustful of each other. The Spartan government was a very complex structure, which consisted of a dual monarchy, a warrior assembly (apella), a council of elders (gerousia) and the ephors. Herodotus claims that the two royal families of Sparta, which consisted of the Agiadai and Eurypontidai families, shared a common ancestry and could trace their lineage back to Herakles himself.Thus making the royal families by blood lines, which would be unable to be displaced, as opposed to that of military power, which could be overthrown. The kings were limited in their power as they only held command of the military. They had no influence in the laws which were left to the apella, gerousia and ephors. The apella was composed of every Spartan warrior who had reached the age of thirty. The apella’s primary functions included electing members for the gerousia, and the ephors. The apella held the ultimate power on matters of legislation and policy.The manner in which they voted was through a process of acclamation. Above the apella was the gerousia, which consisted of the two kings and twenty-eight members of Spartan warriors who had reached the age of sixty. The members elected into the gerousia served a life term, and could only be removed by the ephors. The true nature of the gerousia is unknown, but Herodotus wrote the gerousia could serve as a court to hear capital cases. The last political body of the Spartans and possibly the most important is that of the ephors. The five ephors were freely elected each year and attended much of the daily business of Sparta.Each month the kings and the ephors would exchange oaths, to which each pledged to uphold the position of the other. The ephors were the true controlling body of the Spartans, and thus resembled an oligarchy rule. It was this oligarchic rule of the ephors which insisted on the agoge, and placed Sparta into a militaristic focused city-state. The government in Athens followed a very different course than Sparta. Athenian citizens had the duty to vote or hold office. During the 6th century B. C. , Athens instituted a unique form of government in which the citizens had a direct say in the election of leaders.This early form of democracy was lead by Cleisthenes who creat ed the Assembly, which comprised every citizen of Athens, and the Council of Five Hundred. This Council was comprised of fifty representatives from each of the Ten Tribes of Athens. This ensured each tribe had an equal say in the creation of laws and election of leaders. To ensure equality, the law was set that each member of the fifty from one of the ten tribes must not be related, nor hold the same occupation as any other member†¦to ensure there was no nepotism or common vestment.The Council of five hundred represented the legislative body of Athens. The executive power was placed within the Strategus, in which 10 generals were elected into office for one year terms, of these 10 strategi, one was elected as leader of the group and served as commander in chief. The judicial power of Athens was placed with the Areopagus, or the Supreme Court. This body was made up, primarily, of wealthy land owners who had been elected as archons (judges) in the past. This legislative, executiv e and judicial branched government is reminiscing to all modern day democracies.The major deviation from modern times being that Athens was a direct democracy, in which the citizens had to be present to vote. Each branch of the government was capable of vetoing one another, thus establishing a check and balance system. It was also customary to expel from the country, any speaker who became too powerful, in a process called ostracism. Every year the Council voted and one member would be ostracized (banished) for a period of ten years. Athens would vote by tossing colored rocks into a giant pot.This would be a very time consuming process as each topic would have orators speak on its behalf, and upon conclusion of the debate the voting would begin. The rocks were either white or black, where white stood for approve and black represented a denial. When choosing a person to ostracize, broken shards of pottery called ostrakon would be used with the intended person of exile name, etched on to the shard. After all votes were made, the numbers of each were tallied and the victor/ostracized proclaimed. This would take a long time and thus the Athenians prided themselves upon their dedication and attention to detail.This could have lead modern historians to view the Spartans as impulsive, and the Athenians as cautious. This has been a major misconception, as evident by the speech given by King Archidamus of Sparta, in which the Spartan King asked the council to exercise reason and caution before declaring war upon Athens. In turn, Pericles himself urged the Athenians to war against a dominant land army. Another difference between the two great city-states was their daily living and how it affected the trade in the two cities.The Athenian economy was heavily dependent upon foreign trade and because of their location on the Aegean Sea, maritime became life, and the sea meant life and livelihood. While trade was a necessity in Athens, Sparta relied upon their slave labor. Th e Helots (slaves) of Sparta were the driving force of Spartan agriculture, and allowed for Spartan’s excessive free time to translate into their dedication to the agoge. Since Sparta was cut off from the rest of Greece by two mountain ranges there was little trade being conducted, and thus alliances ere not a suitable strong point of Sparta. The Spartans rarely traveled from their city-state or allowed foreigners into it, thus making the only true vantage of joining Sparta, being that of their reputation in battle. With Sparta being an isolationist state, their perception would have been considered truth and fact, no matter what was written of them. One of the greatest differences between the Athenian and the Spartans regarded their attitude towards women. The role of women in the Greek city states of Athens and Sparta sheds light upon the acceptable values of their time.Spartan women had similar equality to their male counterpart (except for voting rights). Spartan women did little housework or sewing, as they relied upon their slave labor to conduct the daily chores. Due to the men being in the military and often away from home, the women had full authority over their households and were not forced into a life of only childbearing and housekeeping. Since Spartan women demonstrated a greater authoritative influence, the nation thrived and became a beacon of advancement, which would truly be a closer resemblance to modern civilizations than Athens.When Athenian girls came of age, their fathers offered them for marriage. Even as wives, they were required to stay indoors at all times, and their primary life tasks were child rearing, housework, and sewing, thus giving them no possibility to contribute to the Athenian's development and culture. Sparta was uneasy, perpetually concentrating on war and the state of Sparta as a whole, while the Athenians focused their attention on comfort and found time to foster great thinkers in science, philosophy, literatur e†¦etc.With their differences in government, physical surroundings and views on women, Sparta and Athens represented the two very different ways a polis could have been back in the fifth century of Ancient Greece, and thus set them-selves on a crash course for supreme dominance, but war and battle would hold a true value to the Greeks, and so it was battles which lead to great alliances and enemies. In 478 BC, following the defeat of Xerxes' invasion of Greece, Pausanias the Spartan led Hellenic forces against the Persians.He was an unpopular commander (who may have conspired with the Persians), and Sparta was eager to stop prosecuting the war. Sparta surrendered the leadership of the ongoing campaign to Athens, whom was eager to accept it. The Athenians now had their opportunity to take the reins and gain glory for themselves and Greece. The Delian League was inaugurated in 477 BC as an offensive and defensive alliance against Persia. The principal cities in the League were At hens, Chios, Samos, and Lesbos, but many of the principal islands and Ionian cities joined the league.Athens led the Delian League from the beginning, though at its founding the treasury was located on the island of Delos, and each state in the league had an equal vote. The assessment due from each state was assigned by Aristides the Just, leader of the Athenians; some members were assessed ships, others troops, others weapons, and others money. A council of all the cities met at Delos regularly, probably when bringing their assessment to the island. The turning point of the Delian league occurred in 461 BC, when Cimon was ostracized, and was succeeded in his influence by democrats like Ephialtes and Pericles.This signaled a complete change in Athenian foreign policy, neglecting the alliance with the Spartans and instead allying with her enemies, Argos and Thessaly. Megara deserted the Peloponnesian league and allied herself with Athens, allowing construction of a double line of wal ls across the Isthmus of Corinth, protecting Athens from attack from that quarter. Around the same time they also constructed the Long Walls connecting their city to the Piraeus, its port, making it effectively invulnerable to attack by land.The Athenian dominance within the Delian league was unmatched and unquestioned; this led to major changes within the Delian league and Athens. This progression and events will be discussed later within this essay. Reverting back, the Delian league was not the only alliance within Greece, as the Spartan lead Peloponnesian league also took root. In the second half of the 8th century B. C. , Sparta conquered Messenia, a state in the southwest of the Peloponnese. The land was turned over to Spartans and the Messenians turned into helots.The Messenians revolted in the middle of the next century, but after 17 years, the Spartans prevailed. By the time the Spartans were attacking the Arcadian city of Tegea, in the 6th century; her plans for the conquer ed citizens had changed. Tegea was made a dependent state obligated to furnish troops. Sparta soon created a confederacy of most of the other Peloponnesian states according them a similar arrangement: Sparta was in charge (known as the hegemon) and they would supply troops. Each had its own treaty and sent deputies to help in decision-making.This became known as the Peloponnesian League. Unlike that of the Delian League, the Peloponnesian league has no official start date, as each treaty was collected and approved over time and in that time the tag name of Peloponnesian league was given. This league was formed in recognition of Sparta’s dominance and no misconceptions of that were ever given. Each city-state that joined recognized Sparta’s military power as better than their own, and utilized the Peloponnesian League as a body guard against other city-states looking to invade them.Under the protection of the Spartans, their allies enjoyed a voice when they would have b een forced to remain silent. Unlike Athens, the Spartans did not make their allies pay any tribute, but they did ensure they were governed by oligarchies (who would work in the interest of the Spartans). It is important to note: Argolis and Achaea were excluded from this league. Argos and Sparta had been at odds over the territory of Thyreatis. Their first battle had proved to be inconclusive, as the story goes, all but one on the Spartan side and two on the Argive side were killed.The Argives claimed the victory because more survived, and went back home. The Spartan stayed on the spot and therefore claimed he was the victor. The next time the two sides fought, the Argives clearly lost and forfeited the territory to Sparta. With two powerful alliances within Greece, one would conclude that war would have been inevitable; however, Sparta did not want to advance into war with Athens. Athens did not wish to advance into war with Sparta, but the corruption of Athens created a chain of e vents which spawned the forthcoming war.Thucydides expresses the cause of the Peloponnesian war to be that of Sparta’s jealousy and concern in Athens growing power. This is stated in Book 1 verse 23, when Thucydides states, â€Å"But the real reason for the war is, in my opinion, most likely to be disguised by such an argument. What made war inevitable was the growth of Athenian power and the fear which this caused in Sparta. † This view point is, in my opinion, very closed minded to the whole. The history of the Delian league leads to a better perspective in that the Delian League, particularly the Athenians, were willing to force cities to join or stay in the League.As an example to this, let us examine Carystus, a city on the southern tip of Euboea, who was forced to join the League by military force of the Athenians. The justification for this was that Carystus was enjoying the advantages of the League (protection from pirates and the Persians) without taking on an y of the responsibilities. Furthermore, Carystus was a traditional base for Persian occupations. The Athenian politicians had to justify these acts to Athenian voters in order to get votes, and so they utilized oration to sway the public vantage of the situation.Next is Naxos, a member of the Delian League, which attempted to secede, and was enslaved; Naxos is believed to have been forced to tear down her walls, lost her fleet, and her vote in the Delian League. Thucydides tells us that this is how Athens' control over the League grew. â€Å"Of all the causes of defection that connected with arrears of tribute and vessels, and with failure of service, was the chief; for the Athenians were very severe and exacting, and made themselves offensive by applying the screw of necessity to men who were not used to and in fact not disposed for any continuous labor.In some other respects the Athenians were not the old popular rulers they had been at first; and if they had more than their fair share of service, it was correspondingly easy for them to reduce any that tried to leave the confederacy. The Athenians also arranged for the other members of the league to pay its share of the expense in money instead of in ships and men, and for this the subject city-states had themselves to blame, their wish to get out of giving service making most leave their homes.Thus while Athens was increasing her navy with the funds they contributed, a revolt always found itself without enough resources or experienced leaders for war. † -Thucydides At this point it is important to note that Thucydides is an Athenian General, and even though he offers a large writing to state he will approach his historical account with eyewitness testimony and scientific based method†¦he is bound to bias. Even the name most commonly known as the Peloponnesian War is biased upon the Athenian view point. In Spartan record, the war is referred to as the Athenian War.In ancient Greek writings the na me of a battle is given to the opposing side, as to infer the enemy started the confrontation and modern translation is inclined to demonstrate this. If at this point one is resistant to this view point, I offer Thucydides own words when commenting on why Athens became the dictator of the Delian League, â€Å"†We have done nothing surprising, nothing contrary to human nature, if we accepted leadership when it was offered and are now unwilling to give it up. † -Thucydides With Thucydides now shown as biased record, the observation of what truly caused the Peloponnesian/Athenian war is to come to light.Athens and Sparta were the superpowers of ancient Greece, with only Corinth possessing the ability to be of notable mention in matching these powers. In 454 BC, Athens moved the treasury of the Delian League from Delos to Athens, allegedly to keep it safe from Persia. However, Plutarch indicates that many of Pericles' rivals viewed the transfer as Athens way to utilize the leagues monetary resources to fund elaborate building projects. They also switched from accepting ships, men and weapons, to only accepting money. The new treasury established in Athens was used for many purposes, not all relating to the defense of members of the league.It was from tribute paid to the league that Athenians built the Acropolis and the Parthenon, as well as many other non-defense related expenditures. It was during this time, Donald Kagan expresses, and the Athenian Empire arose, as the technical definition of empire is a group of cities paying taxes to a central, dominant city, while keeping local governments intact. This is what began to occur within the Delian League. It was turning from an alliance to an empire†¦against the wishes of the league. With Athens now being the most powerful of the Delian league, the smaller city-states were obliged to remain†¦or join Sparta.The smaller city-states are, in my opinion, the true cause of the Peloponnesian War, as they began to bounce from an alliance with Athens to Sparta and vice versa. If Athens and Sparta are to be viewed as two boulders, connected by a single chain (which represents the smaller city states), as the chain pulls from one to the other†¦the boulders become destined to collide. This situation is reminiscing to England v. France, U. S. A. v. Russia (Cold War) and multiple other wars since the Peloponnesian War. Both sides had many opportunities for diplomacy to take effect, and the outcomes pushed force into the only method of resolution.Diplomacy in Sparta consisted of the allies of the Peloponnese to take up the forum and express their grievances. Corinth laid the foundation and even though the Spartan king attempted to refrain from entering into a war with Athens, the council voted to declare war upon Athens for their many violations of the peace treaty. With that, an ultimatum was sent to Athens; The Spartan assembly decreed that Athens should abandon the siege of Po tidaea and should give Aegina her independence, but the chief point was that war could be avoided if Athens would revoke the Megarian decree which excluded the Megarians from all ports n the Athenian Empire and from the market in Attica itself. The Athenians focused upon the latter of the demands, (seeing as they would not yield to the first), and in this Pericles gives a riveting speech to the assembly stating that giving in to any of Sparta’s demands would be an act of submissiveness and that would, in turn, lead to Sparta dictating further Athenian actions. The council voted for war and thus the Athenian war began. This was the final attempt at diplomacy before the two juggernauts squared off against each other.Diplomacy, to this point, has kept the giants in their respective corners, but the inferior city-states pushed them into battle. The Spartans knew of their inferiorities on the ocean, and of their perpetual tether to their homeland†¦and in so, they were limited . The Athenians relied upon their superior numbers, finances, navy and arrogance to see them through as victors. On paper the battle was desperately in the Athenians favor, but Sparta was breed for war, and Athens had turned friends into enemies. Finally, it is important to remember Athens set out with great intention, as the Delian League was a symbol of unity and cohesive teamwork.With that great power, Athens became dependent upon the tributes and became a superpower of monumental stature. Athens then began punishing any of those that wished or attempted to defect from the Delian league. It is now apparent why the Delian league is synonymous with the Athenian Empire, and proof that power leads to corruption. About now, one remembers that Sparta won this conflict, (with the aid of the Persians), and became the supreme ruler of all Greece. True to the Peloponnesian league, Sparta instituted an oligarchy within the borders of Athens, and that lasted for thirty years.It was not corru ption that led to the fall of the Athenian oligarchy; it was the people and their customization to democracy. The oligarchy was overthrown and democracy was instilled back into the polis. This demonstrates that not all subjective groups with power will abuse it, but when power is free to be grasped†¦beware. The story continues to demonstrate how Athens and Sparta were so devastated by fighting each other, that Philip of Macedonia was able to sweep in and conquer all of Greece. This set up the perfect opportunity for Alexander the Great, (Philips son) to conquer the known world and spread the greatness of Greece to all corners.Without the Peloponnesian War, Philip would probably not been able to conquer and the Hellenistic theology would have been confined. When viewing epic battles between the boulders of humanity, it is essential to remember; the outcome is necessary for the future line of events to occur. BIBLIOGRAPHY * Donald Kagan, 2003, The Peloponesian War, Publisher: Pen guin Group (U. S. A) * Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, trans. Rex Warner (London: Penguin Group Publishing, 1972) * Aristotle, Xenophon, Aristotle and Xenophon on Democracy and Oligarchy, trans.J. M. Moore (Berkeley California: University of California Press, 1975) * Paul Cartledge, 2002, The Spartans, Publisher: Vintage Publishing (New York) * Nic Fields, 2007, Thermopylae 480 BC: Last Stand of the 300, Publisher: Osprey Publishing (Oxford UK) * Karolos Papoulias, 2006, Athens-Sparta, Publisher: Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation (U. S. A. ) * D. M. Macdowell, 1986, Spartan Law, Publisher: Penguin Group (Edinburgh Scot. ) * C. A. Hignett, 1952, History of the Athenian Constitution to the end of the fifth century B. C. Publisher: University of Oxford press (Oxford) * Yannis Lolos, 2006, The history of Athens from the eighth to the late fifth century B. C. , Publisher: Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation (U. S. A) * Herodotus, The Histories,ed. Jo hn Marincola, trans. Aubrey De Selincourt (London: Penguin Group publishing, 2003) ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Herodotus, The Histories,ed. John Marincola, trans. Aubrey De Selincourt (London: Penguin Group publishing, 2003) Verse 6. 52 [ 2 ]. Herodotus, The Histories,ed. John Marincola, trans. Aubrey De Selincourt (London: Penguin Group publishing, 2003) Verse 5. 6-60 [ 3 ]. Herodotus, The Histories,ed. John Marincola, trans. Aubrey De Selincourt (London: Penguin Group publishing, 2003) Verse 5. 40 [ 4 ]. Aristotle, Xenophon, Aristotle and Xenophon on Democracy and Oligarchy, trans. J. M. Moore (Berkeley California: University of California Press, 1975) Verse 15. 7 of Xenophon â€Å"The Politeia of the Spartans† [ 5 ]. Aristotle, Xenophon, Aristotle and Xenophon on Democracy and Oligarchy, trans. J. M. Moore (Berkeley California: University of California Press, 1975) taken fro m Aristotle’s The Constitution of Athens [ 6 ]. Aristotle, Xenophon, Aristotle and Xenophon on Democracy and Oligarchy, trans.J. M. Moore (Berkeley California: University of California Press, 1975) taken from Aristotle’s The Constitution of Athens [ 7 ]. Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, trans. Rex Warner (London: Penguin Group Publishing, 1972) Verse 1. 79-85 [ 8 ]. Herodotus hints to this, but quickly states the facts are not there for condemning [ 9 ]. Kagan, 2003, The Peloponnesian War, Published by Penguin Group (U. S. A. ) [ 10 ]. Lolos, The history of Athens from the eighth to the late fifth century B. C. , 2006, Publisher: Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation (U. S. A) [ 11 ].Hegemon utilized by Thucydides to describe this relationship [ 12 ]. Cartledge, The Spartans, 2003, Publisher: Vintage Books (U. S. A) [ 13 ]. Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, trans. Rex Warner (London: Penguin Group Publishing, 1972) Verse 1. 19 [ 14 ]. Fields, Thermopylae 480 B. C. , 2007, Publisher: Osprey Publishing (U. S. A) [ 15 ]. Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, trans. Rex Warner (London: Penguin Group Publishing, 1972) Verse 1. 23 [ 16 ]. Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, trans. Rex Warner (London: Penguin Group Publishing, 1972) Verse 1. 99 [ 17 ].Cartledge, The Spartans, 2003, Publisher: Vintage Books (U. S. A) pg. 181 [ 18 ]. Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, trans. Rex Warner (London: Penguin Group Publishing, 1972) Verse 1. 76 [ 19 ]. Kagan, 2003, The Peloponnesian War, Published by Penguin Group (U. S. A. ) [ 20 ]. Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, trans. Rex Warner (London: Penguin Group Publishing, 1972) Verse 1. 39 [ 21 ]. I utilize the term Athenian war, because it was the Athenians who ultimately decided to engage in battle, as the Spartans were trying to appease their allies and avoid war as well.

Oedipus complex and relationships in ‘Sons and Lovers’ Essay

David Herbert Lawrence was born in 1885 in Nottinghamshire, England where his father was a miner. His experience growing up in a coal-mining family provided much of the inspiration for Sons and Lovers. Lawrence had many affairs with women in his life, including a longstanding relationship with Jessie Chambers (on whom the character of Miriam is based), an engagement to Louie Burrows, and an eventual elopement to Germany with Frieda Weekley. Sons and Lovers was written in 1913, and contains many autobiographical details. His childhood coal-mining town of Eastwood was changed, with a sardonic twist, to Bestwood. Walter Morel was modeled on Lawrence’s hard-drinking, irresponsible collier father, Arthur. Lydia became Gertrude Morel, the intellectually stifled, unhappy mother who lives through her sons. The death of one of Lawrence’s elder brothers, Ernest, and Lydia’s grief and eventual obsession with Lawrence, seem hardly changed in the novel. (Both Ernest and his fictional correspondent, William, were engaged to London stenographers). Filling out the cast of important characters was Jessie Chambers, a neighbor with whom Lawrence developed an intense friendship, and who would become Miriam Leiver in the novel. His mother and family disapproved of their relationship, which always seemed on the brink of romance. Nevertheless, Chambers was Lawrence’s greatest literary supporter in his early years, and he frequently showed her drafts of what he was working on, including Sons and Lovers (she disliked her depiction, and it led to the dissolution of their relationship). Lawrence’s future wife, Frieda von Richtofen Weekly, partially inspired the portrait of Clara Dawes, the older, sensual woman with whom Paul has an affair. Considered Lawrence’s first masterpiece, most critics of the day praised Sons and Lovers for its authentic treatment of industrial life and sexuality. There is evidence that Lawrence was aware of Sigmund Freud’s early theories on sexuality, and Sons and Lovers deeply explores and revises of one of Freud’s major theories, the Oedipus complex. Still, the book received some criticism from those who felt the author had gone too far in his description of Paul’s confused sexuality. Sons and Lovers was the first modern portrayal of a phenomenon that later, thanks to Freud, became easily recognizable as the Oedipus complex. Never was a son more tied to his mother’s love and full of hatred for his father than Paul Morel, D. H. Lawrence’s young protagonist. Never, that is, except perhaps Lawrence himself. In his 1913 novel he came to grips with the discordant loves that haunted him all his life–for his spiritual childhood sweetheart, here called Miriam, and for his mother, whom he transformed into Mrs. Morel. It is, by Lawrence’s own account, a book aimed at depicting this woman’s grasp: â€Å"as her sons grow up she selects them as lovers–first the eldest, then the second. These sons are urged into life by their reciprocal love of their mother–urged on and on. But when they come to manhood, they can’t love, because their mother is the strongest power in their lives. † Of course, Mrs. Morel takes neither of her two elder sons as a literal lover, but nonetheless her psychological snare is immense. She loathes Paul’s Miriam from the start, understanding that the girl’s deep love of her son will oust her: â€Å"She’s not like an ordinary woman, who can leave me my share in him. She wants to absorb him. † Meanwhile, Paul plays his part with equal fervor, incapable of committing himself in either direction: â€Å"Why did his mother sit at home and suffer?†¦ And why did he hate Miriam, and feel so cruel towards her, at the thought of his mother. If Miriam caused his mother suffering, then he hated her–and he easily hated her. † Soon thereafter he even confesses to his mother: â€Å"I really don’t love her. I talk to her, but I want to come home to you. † The result of all this is that Paul throws Miriam over for a married suffragette, Clara Dawes, who fulfills the sexual component of his ascent to manhood but leaves him without a complete relationship to challenge his love for his mother. When Paul, physically aroused, finds no natural response in the girl who seems to love him-Miriam, he is confused, helpless, and becomes even cruel. Unable to assert himself, or even to accept as natural his longings he is unable to continue in the spiritual relationship with the girl—because his mother alone already owns his soul. The relationship is ended, Paul’s personality suffers a kind of tearing or splitting and in his next relationship Paul realizes at some unconscious level he must leave his soul somewhat free for his mother and participate on a kind of detached physical level. Thus, in his relationship with Clara, it is the primarily bodily maleness of Paul bonding with the primarily bodily femaleness. Obviously the danger is to oversimplify the Paul/Miriam and Paul/Clara relationships. It is true that the contact with Clara puts Paul at least temporarily into richer contact with his own body, his phallic consciousness, as Lawrence would say, whereas in his sterile relationships with his mother and Miriam Paul has had to forego this fuller consciousness. Now he experiences what he believes is a kind of paradisiacal kind of love and fulfillment. In any case, all the relationships in Sons and Lovers seem to involve power struggles: Mrs. Morel extracts power from her husband by turning from his sexual presence and then dominating, even emasculating her sons; she controls Paul’s devotion through the imposition of her values and aspirations and thus weights down their relationship. The balance of power in relationships seems to be an essential concern of D. h. Lawrence, since it is appears over and over again to be responsible for the death of love. Lawrence’s men and women will not be controlled, possessed or lost in another individual’s reality. D. H. Lawrence’s perpetual search for the archetypal human relationship affects all his fiction and particularly Sons and Lovers, his coming of age novel. It is here that his preoccupation with the love ethic and the profound split caused by the imbalance or â€Å"power cast,† of most relationships are so nakedly revealed. The incomplete and imperfect relationships of Sons and Lovers are among the most discussed and analyzed in English Literature. Paul Morel’s imprisoning relationship with his mother cripples all his other relationships.

Developmental Psychology and Anecdotal Assignment

CLDDV 101 Anecdotal Observation Assignments â€Å"Education of the mind without education of the heart is not education at all. † Aristotle Goal – Observing Children The goal of observation is to enhance your understanding of the major concepts and milestones of development through observation of real children rather than just reading or hearing about how children grow and develop. Child development refers to the kinds of changes that occur from conception through late adolescence.Physical (fine and gross/large motor), cognitive, emotional, social, self-help, and aesthetic development will be explored through these observations, providing a brief account of development as it occurs. In addition, using well-written anecdotal records teachers are better able to track a child’s interests, how a child is getting along, learning, and progressing in a program, become the basis for planning developmentally appropriate curriculum to help the child build skills, and have documentation to support classroom assessments.Observations, recorded over time, and representative of all domains of development can present a comprehensive picture of a child’s development . Child Development/Developmental Domains: Child development focuses on the processes of change and stability in children from conception through late adolescence. Developmental scientists study both quantitative change and qualitative change in children. Quantitative change is a change in number or amount, such as in height, weight, size of vocabulary, or frequency of communication and is continuous throughout childhood.Qualitative change is a change in kind, structure, or organization and is discontinuous. It is marked by the emergence of new phenomena that cannot be anticipated easily on the basis of earlier functioning. One example is the change from a nonverbal child to one who understands words and can use them to communicate. The processes of change and stability that developmental scientists study occur in domains. For purposes of study, developmental scientists separate the domains into different aspects of the self including physical (small and large muscles), cognitive, emotional, and personalsocial.All domains are interrelated. Physical Development: growth of the body and brain, the development of sensory capacities and motor skills including health. Cognitive Development: change and stability in mental abilities, such as learning, memory, language, thinking, moral reasoning, and creativity. Emotional Development: change and stability in the development of a full range of emotional responses to events and interactions from sad to happy to angry, and learning to deal with them appropriately. Social Development: growth in one’s ability to interact and communicate with others in meaningful ways. 01 anecdotal assignment 09/29/2010 1 Piaget’s Concrete Pre-operational Stage (2-7 years of age) The preschool-aged children that you will be observing have entered into Piaget’s preoperational stage of cognitive development. The key feature of children’s thinking in this stage is symbolic representation. The child is now able to use a symbol, an object, or a word to stand for something else. The use of symbols can be clearly seen in the child’s use of language; for example, the child can now represent objects in the environment with the appropriate word and can refer to past and future events.The use of symbols is also apparent in children’s drawings, imitation, mental imagery, and symbolic play. For example, a preoperational child might be observed feeding her doll imaginary cereal or drawing a picture of the balloons at her last birthday party. Thinking in terms of symbols does permit more flexibility and planning in their problem solving. Despite these increases in cognitive skills, the thought processes of preoperational children result in characteristic differences in reasoning. Because they do no t use logical operations, their reasoning often seems flawed to adults.One of the most easily observed differences in how preoperational children reason at this age is the tendency to view the world from one’s own perspective only, a phenomenon that Piaget termed egocentrism. Because of egocentric thinking, preoperational children may â€Å"hide† by covering their eyes or only parts of their bodies, believing that if they can’t see the seeker than they, themselves, can’t be seen. Other preoperational reasoning errors result from thinking that is intuitive, rather than logical.For example, preschool children are incapable of conservation – they do not understand that certain properties of objects, such as volume or mass, do not change just because the superficial appearance of the object changes. Preoperational children are not only tied to their perceptions, they are also unable to de-center their thinking, or think about more than one aspect of a problem at a time. Their thinking shows what Piaget called irreversibility – they are unable to reverse or mentally undo an action. During this stage of development, children acquire new words at an astronomical rate.These rapid gains in children’s vocabulary are accompanied by mastery of more complex grammatical structures such as forming past tenses and plurals. As children acquire the grammatical rules of their language, a type of error called overregularization may occur in which children overuse the basic rules of language. For example, a 2 ? or 3-year-old may say, â€Å"I bringed my puppy,† or â€Å"My feets are cold. † Children also become more likely to use correct syntax – that is, they become more aware of how words should be ordered to convey a particular meaning. Children’s knowledge about gender and gender-role expectations develops very early.Preschoolers have a strong sense of gender identity, a sense of being male or female. Between the ages of 4 and 6, children develop gender constancy; the realization that gender stays the same regardless of how one looks or behaves. At this point, they may adopt very rigid standards for what they believe is appropriate male and female dress and behavior. 101 anecdotal assignment 09/29/2010 2 Preschool children are more likely to play with sex-appropriate toys; that is, boys are more likely to play with stereotypical â€Å"boy toys† – such as trucks; and girls are more likely to play with stereotypical â€Å"girl toys† – such as dolls and kitchen sets.Over the preschool years, gender segregation also increases, as children are more likely to play with same-sex peers rather than opposite-sex peers. Preoperational children’s social interactions become increasingly reciprocal and coordinated, which is reflected in their play. Children’s play can be divided into four categories, ranging from least to most socially complex – nonsocial activity (onlooker and solitary), parallel play, associative play, and cooperative play. Around the age of 4 of 5 there is a developmental shift in the type of play in which children engage.Four and five year olds begin to demonstrate constructive play, drawing pictures or working on puzzles in pairs or groups, purposefully creating and constructing something together. Play also becomes more complex as children begin to experiment with both everyday and imaginary roles through pretend or dramatic play. This type of play involves advances in cognition, perspective taking, and communication skills. While there are individual differences in development, most children develop typically.Some children, however, may show significant maturational delays or differences – these children are often identified with developmental disabilities. While many developmental disabilities are identified based on delays or differences from what we know of typical development, and differe nt labels are used to describe the patterns of difference. It is important to remember, however, that a child with a disability is first and foremost a child, and that all children are typical in many ways. So instead of saying ‘disabled child’, it is more appropriate and respectful to state ‘a child with a disability. Writing Skills †¢ If you struggle with your writing skills, there are several resources including enrolling in CLDDV-48, securing a mentor through the Mentor Program (see instructor for referral), utilizing MJC’s writing lab or tutoring center, or working with a skilled highschool or college student or peers to review your assignments before they are due. The following pointers will help your success in writing effective and informative observational reports. o Use the spell and grammar check functions in your computer’s writing program. Carefully review versions of commonly used words such as they’re (they are), their (the ir shoes), and there (There are the missing shoes. ) o Carefully review words such as then and than ? Then connotes the relationship between actions, such as, â€Å"We will learn about anecdotal records and then running records. † ? Than connotes a comparative measurement, such as, â€Å"Amanda is taller than Dylan. † o The over use of the word â€Å"then† is another area to consider. Try to limit your use of it in your observational reports as it is often used excessively. o Learn the correct format for quotations.Anytime you are reporting what the child said, you must use the standard quotation format. Example: Kevin could not reach the ball. He said, â€Å"Teacher will you get the ball for me? † †¢ 101 anecdotal assignment 09/29/2010 3 o When children are using tricycles, the word that describes how their feet work is pedal. Examples: He pedaled. She pedaled. He was pedaling. o Write your anecdotal observational reports in past tense. This means y our verbs will often end in â€Å"ed†. Examples: Julia played with the trains. Kevin walked from the blocks to the carpet area. Keifer asked the teacher, â€Å"May I have my turn now? How to record your observation: Directions †¢ Observations must occur in a licensed preschool center-based program. Licensed children’s centers are programs that operate either preschool and/or full-day childcare services for children between 30 months and 5 years of age. They are licensed by the State of California, Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing and receive site visits and inspections on a regular basis. †¢ The following are NOT acceptable as observation sites: family child care homes, faith based nursery programs, family events, park visits, or play dates.Past experience has demonstrated that these observations are not effective for the purpose of this course. †¢ Select a program that is willing to work cooperatively with you and provide the nec essary information such as the child’s birth date. It is appropriate to give a fictitious name to the child to keep the child’s name anonymous. †¢ Find a position where you can observe without interfering or interacting with the activities of the classroom. Come prepared with your paper and writing implements so that you do not interrupt the staff. A clipboard or supportive binder is appropriate, so that you can write â€Å"on your lap. Keep a low profile. †¢ Computer Generated Work/Word Processed Work/Paper Headings: All papers must be word processed (typewritten), with no less than a 12 font, space and a half. In addition, each paper submitted is required to be labeled with the information below in the top left hand corner of the first page. Please number each page and staple all pages together. †¢ Papers will be graded as follows: o Required Information – 10% o Conforms to format provided – 10% o Written content, answers assignment â₠¬â€œ 50% o Writing (grammar, spelling, syntax, structure, etc. – 30% †¢ Developmental Domains/required to focus on for each observation o Anecdote #1-Physical Development/Large Motor Skills (i. e. pedaling a tricycle, hopping, skipping, swinging) or Physical Development/Small Motor Skills (i. e. cutting, drawing, painting, beading) o Anecdote #2- Cognitive Development (i. e. pre-math, science, memory, cause/effect, following directions) o Anecdote #3-Emotional Development (i. e . typically there will be some type of social interaction where you record the child’s emotional response to the interaction) 01 anecdotal assignment 09/29/2010 4 o Anecdote #4-Social Development (i. e. a social interaction between the child you select and one other child; you may NOT record an observation between a child and an adult. ) Please record the conversation between the two children. This anecdote may be slightly longer than your first three anecdotal observations. Anecdote: †¢ †¢ Write verbs in past tense. Select ONE preschool-aged child who is 3, 4, or 5 years of age. The child you select is the focus in your anecdote. Follow the child as s/he moves, if necessary.Quickly record in sequence all activity and try to quote, word for word, the child’s speech. It is not necessary to quote a teacher’s comments; just summarize teacher comments. Your very first sentence in the anecdote needs to identify that the child who is the primary focus. Observe and document in writing a developmentally significant event; keep written documentation for later use when typing so that you are not pulling from memory. A developmentally significant event is representative of the child’s particular age and stage of development.Typically, a significant event in the child’s day is something that you would share with the parent/caregiver at the end of the day while discussing the child’s growth and development. Be specific and date each ane cdote. Times – note beginning time of significant moment. The anecdote is one short story, which is organized around a beginning, middle and end of a story. Some anecdotes may be 15 minutes long (i. e. several sentences) especially when documenting social interactions and conversations but most will be 2-3 minutes long (i. . 5-7 sentences. ) Avoid subjective statements where you give your opinion or make inferences about things like, o Goodness or badness (instead of saying that the child’s behavior was bad, state that when the other child grabbed the puzzle, the child reached over and hit) o Intentions (instead of saying that the child was waiting for the teacher to notice him, state without saying a word, the child was quietly standing next to his teacher) o Feelings/Emotions (instead of saying child is mad, state child is stomping feet, etc. †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Skill Building: †¢ †¢ †¢ Verbs will be written in a mixture of tenses as you share what child did in the past in order to explain child’s current skill base Include two specific skills that the child is learning as from the documented significant event. Write two complete sentences and identify the domain area (i. e. aesthetic development; cognitive development, emotional development; physical development/fine motor; physical development/ large motor; elf-help skills; social development. ) 101 anecdotal assignment 09/29/2010 5 Subjective Summary: †¢ †¢ †¢ Verbs will be written in a mixture of tenses as you share what child did in the past in order to explain child’s current skill base You, the observer, share your professional opinion about what you observed during the developmentally significant moment. When you share your opinion, follow it with a statement of something observed to support your statement.Stay away from words such a good and great and also stay away from labeling and diagnosing behavior such as att ention-deficit or autism. ) Suggestion to help the child continue to progress (When making the suggestion, take a look at the child’s current skill base and then make a suggestion to scaffold to a more complex activity): †¢ You, the observer, share your professional recommendation for future curriculum activities. Suggest similar activities that will help the child increase proficiency in the area that s/he is building skills.If the child appears to be at the mastery level of his/her developmental stage of development, then suggest a more complex activity that you believe is still developmentally appropriate for that child. 101 anecdotal assignment 09/29/2010 6 Sample Anecdotal Assignment (Set up your assignment using this same format; the sample format in the syllabus is not correct. You are welcome to copy and paste this sample into your own word document and then replace the existing information with your information. CLDDV 101 Last name, first name: Smith, Laurie Tit le of Assignment: Anecdotal Observation #1 Due Date: Wednesday, September 15, 2010 Date Turned In: Wednesday, September 15, 2010 (on time) or Wednesday, September 22, 2010 (late) (Note: if you are turning in the assignment on time, then you will enter the same date for â€Å"Due Date† and â€Å"Date Turned In. † If you are turning it in 7 days late, then you will enter two different dates. Name of preschool: Address of preschool: Phone number of preschool: Name of head teacher: Date of visit: Time of significant event: Number of teachers present: Number of children present: Name of child (it is okay to give the child a fictitious name): Angelica Birth date of child: January, 2006 Age of child including years and months: 4 years and 8 months Focused on the following developmental domain: Physical Development/Large Motor Objective Anecdote (do NOT use subjective words such as happy, sad, nervous, excited): While outside during free choice, Angelica walked over to Daisy a nd asked, â€Å"Do you want to go swing? Daisy responded with a smile on her face, and then they ran to the swings. With the help of a teacher giving Angelica some starter pushes, she smiled and began to pump. She looked at Daisy and said, â€Å"Look. I’m up so high! † Daisy, who was pumping on the swing next to her, responded by saying, â€Å"Me too. † Angelica continued to swing next to Daisy for a few more minutes before moving to another activity. Skill Building (select from chart below or create your own): In terms of Angelica’s physical development/large motor skills, she is developing balance and strengthening the large muscles in her arms and legs as she pumps on the swing.A second skill that Angelica is building is in the area of social development. The emergence of prosocial behavior is observed as she respectfully invites the other child to swing and then continues to interact with her in a positive manner during this interaction. Subjective S ummary (in this area you can use your opinion): After observing Angelica swing, it is believed that she has well-developed physical coordination in the area of her large motor skills as she is able to sustain pumping on the 101 anecdotal assignment 09/29/2010 7 swing with just a little help from the teacher getting her started.In addition, Angelica appears to play well with other children as noted when she not only respectfully invited another child to swing, but also continued to initiate a conversation with the other child while swinging. Suggestion to help the child continue to progress (When making the suggestion, take a look at the child’s current skill base and then make a suggestion to scaffold to a more complex activity): In the area of curriculum development, it is suggested that Angelica continue to be provided with opportunities to engage in large motor activities such as swinging, running, jumping, climbing, and pedaling on a tricycle.Since, she already knows how to pump while on the swing, it is suggested that the teachers show her how to start the swing moving back and forth without the help of a teacher. This is a difficult skill to learn, so it is important to allow Angelica the choice to start on her own and/or get a starter push from a teacher as she works on skill building in this area. (If she was not able to pump at four years and eight months, you might say: She is encouraged to continue to practice swinging with the support of a teacher who can break down the steps as she teaches her how to pump.If she was only three years old, you might say: She is encouraged to continue to have positive experiences on the swing with the help of a teacher putting her on the swing and pushing her. As she grows older, a teacher can break down the steps as she teaches her how to pump. ) 101 anecdotal assignment 09/29/2010 8 Use this chart to help you locate skills that the child is developing. The Creative Curriculum Goals and Objectives at a Glance SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT: COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT: Sense of Self Learning and Problem Solving -Shows ability to adjust to new situations. Observes objects and events with curiosity. -Demonstrate appropriate trust in adults. -Approaches problems flexibly -Recognizes own feelings and manages -Shows persistence in approaching tasks. them appropriately. -Explores cause and effect. -Stands up for rights. -Applies knowledge or experience to a new context. Responsibility for Self and Others -Demonstrates self-direction and independence. -Takes responsibility for own well being. -Respects and cares for classroom environment and materials. -Follows classroom routines. -Follows classroom rules. Prosocial Behavior -Plays well with other children. Recognizes the feelings of others and responds appropriately. -Shares and respects the rights of others. -Uses thinking skills to resolve conflicts. PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT: Gross Motor -Demonstrates basic locomotor skills (i. e. running, jumping, hop ping, galloping. ) -Shows balance while moving. -Climbs up and down. -Pedals and steers a tricycle (or other wheeled vehicle. ) -Demonstrates throwing, kicking, and catching skills. Fine Motor -Controls small muscles in hands. -Coordinates eye-hand movement. -Uses tools for writing and drawing. Logical Thinking -Classifies objects. Compares/measures. -Arranges objects in a series (i. e. sequence/set. ) -Recognizes patterns and can repeat them. -Shows awareness of time concepts and sequence. -Uses one-to-one correspondence. -Uses numbers and counting. Representation and Symbolic Thinking -Takes on pretend roles and situations. -Makes believe with others. -Makes and interprets representations (i. e. be a symbol for. ) LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT: Listening and Speaking -Hears and discriminates the sounds of language. -Expresses self using words and expanded sentences. -Understands and follows oral directions. Answers questions. -Asks questions. -Actively participates in conversations. Readin g and Writing -Enjoys and values reading. -Demonstrates understanding of print concepts. -Demonstrates knowledge of alphabet. -Uses emerging reading skills to make meaning from print. -Comprehends and interprets meaning from books and other texts. -Understands the purpose of writing. -Writes letters and words. 2001 Teaching Strategies, Inc. Washington, DC. Permission is granted to duplicate in programs implementing The Creative Curriculum. 101 anecdotal assignment 09/29/2010 9Use the following ideas to help you locate more skills that the child is developing. The developmental domain area (i. e. physical development, cognitive development, etc. ) is not identified; therefore, you will need to identify the domain area when selecting skills from below. What Children Learn from Play WHEN I EASEL PAINT I LEARN: -to develop imagination and creativity. -hand-eye coordination. -to distinguish and purposely create shapes. -to express feelings and ideas. -that ideas have value. -relationship s of space and size. -concepts of symmetry, balance, and design.WHEN I CUT WITH SCISSORS I LEARN: -to control the small muscles in my hand. -concepts of shape, size, color, and location. -to exercise imagination and creativity. WHEN I SCRIBBLE AND DRAW I LEARN: -to hold a pencil or other drawing implement and to control the pressure. -hand-eye coordination. -to exercise imagination and creativity. -that ideas have value. -Concepts of shape, size, color, and location. WHEN I FINGER PAINT I LEARN: -to exercise imagination and creativity. -about how colors mix to make new colors (science. ) -concepts and shape, size, color, and location. hand-eye coordination. -an acceptable way to make a mess, and have fun sharing ideas with others who are near. WHEN I PASTE, GLUE, AND COLLAGE I LEARN: -to exercise imagination and creativity. -concepts of shape, size, color and location, and design, relevant to reading. -about different textures. -how to create patterns and designs, a math skill. WHEN I PLAY WITH PLAY DOUGH OR CLAY I LEARN: -to see the shape against the background of the table, a reading skill. -concepts of shapes, sizes, length, and height. -to see negative space when cookie cutter shapes are taken away. to express feelings, especially negative feelings with squeezing and pounding. -to exercise imagination and creativity. -that the amount of a substance remains the same even when the shape changes. WHEN I PLAY WITH SAND I LEARN: –to exercise my imagination. –concepts of size, shape, and volume; empty and full. –how to use tools. –to solve problems. –concepts of warm and cool, wet, damp, and dry, heavy and light. –how to play socially with others. 101 anecdotal assignment 09/29/2010 10 –to create own patterns and symbols, reading and writing skills. –to observe changes, a science skill.EXAMINING OBJECTS AT A NATURE TABLE HELPS ME LEARN: -new vocabulary. -concepts of texture, color, weight, and size. -to gro up objects into categories. -to observe likenesses and differences. -to appreciate nature and develop a sense of wonder. WHEN I SORT THINGS I LEARN: -to notice details, likenesses, differences and to form categories, essential reading and math skills. -concepts of color, size, and shape. -numeral concepts of more and less. -logical reasoning. WHEN I STRING BEADS I LEARN: -hand-eye coordination. -concepts of color, shape, and location. number concepts like more, less, longer, and shorter. -to create and reproduce patterns. -pride in accomplishment. WHEN I PLAY WITH PEGBOARDS I LEARN: -one-to-one correspondence, one peg for one hole, a pre-math skill. -to make and repeat patterns, a pre-math skill. -concepts of addition as I add one peg at a time. -colors. -symmetry, shapes, order, and design. -hand-eye coordination. WHEN I DO COOKING PROJECTS I LEARN: -about nutrition, tastes, and food groups. -how heat and cold change things. -concepts of volume and measure. -vocabulary. -whole-part relationships, math concepts. awareness of my own and other cultures. WHEN I PLAY WITH BLOCKS, CARS, AND TRUCKS I LEARN: -concepts of shape, size, length and location, all reading and math skills. -to create and repeat patterns, a math skill. -to exercise imagination. -to express ideas. -to cooperate with others. -to solve problems. -about the properties of wood. -to see oneself from a different perspective, that of a giant. WHEN I DO THINGS FOR MYSELF (SELF-HELP SKILLS), I LEARN: -to competently care for own needs. -to control the small muscles in hands when buttoning and zipping. -to problem solve. to see oneself from a different perspective, that of a capable person. -self-confidence, as new skills are mastered. -I can teach others to help themselves. -awareness of the importance of hygiene when I wash my hands before eating or after toileting. WHEN I PLAY ON RIDING TOYS I LEARN: -strength, balance, and large muscle coordination. -to use energy in a constructive way. -concepts o f speed, direction, and location. -to use imagination as I pretend to be different characters and to make different â€Å"road† noises. 101 anecdotal assignment 09/29/2010 11 -to negotiate and take turns. to solve problems -self-confidence, as I master new skills. WHEN I PLAY ON CLIMBING EQUIPMENT I LEARN: -physical strength, coordination, and balance. -to use imagination. -to cooperate with others when involved in group play. -to solve problems. -self-confidence as I develop new skills. WHEN I PARTICIPATE IN CIRCLE TIME ACTIVITIES I LEARN: -to listen, sit still, and understand spoken words. -that ideas added to the discussion have value. -to wait when others are talking. -new vocabulary words. -to remember the words of songs and poems I have learned. -the names of others in the group. to cooperate and be considerate of the needs of others. -to help plan what we will do and what we will need to do it. WHEN I LOOK AT BOOKS AND LISTEN TO STORIES I LEARN: -that learning to read is important and enjoyable. -that letters on a page represent words. -to express own thoughts, feelings and ideas better. -to exercise imagination. -to interpret pictures to represent words and ideas. -to listen well to spoken language. -to make up own stories. -to handle books with care. -to recognize certain words when I see them in print. -to use more complex language patterns in my own speech. to follow the development of thoughts and ideas in the plot of a story. Reading to children frequently is one of the surest ways to ensure that they themselves will become eager and capable readers. WHEN I SING SONGS I LEARN: -principles of music and rhythm -vocabulary. -memory skills and sequencing. -to be conscious of others. -various concepts emphasized in songs. -â€Å"auditory discrimination† recognizing differences in sounds, necessary for learning to read. -awareness and identification with my culture and other cultures. WHEN I PLAY RHYTHM INSTRUMENTS I LEARN: -to be consciou s of rhythm in music. concepts of fast, slow, loud, and soft. -to express oneself in new and different ways. -listening skills. -â€Å"auditory discrimination† recognizing differences in sounds, necessary for learning to read. -to interpret and understand signals and cues. WHEN I PLAY LETTER GAMES I LEARN: -to recognize and name upper and lower case letters. -to associate letters with the sounds they represent. -to recognize own name and other words. WHEN I DANCE I LEARN: -balance and coordination. -to be conscious of the moods and rhythms of the music. -to express myself physically. 101 anecdotal assignment 9/29/2010 12 WHEN I PLAY WITH PUPPETS I LEARN: -to express ideas with words. -to take on the role of someone else. -to use voice tones as well as words. -to use imagination. WHEN I PLAY IN THE DRESS-UP AREA I LEARN: -to be flexible in my thinking and to make decisions. -to express oneself with my words. -to try on different adult roles. -to solve social problems through n egotiation with friends. -to sort and organize play things. -to improvise and use things in a symbolic way to represent something else, abstract thinking. -to exercise my imagination and creativity.WHEN I SAY GOOD-BYE TO MY FAMILY WHEN I ARRIVE TO SCHOOL I LEARN: -that the loving relationships that I have created with my family provide me with the confidence and the ability to create caring relationships at school with my teachers and my friends. -how to say goodbye. -to express how I feel; and I learn that my feelings will be accepted. -that my family will consistently return each day to take me home. -that I am a capable person. 2001 Teaching Strategies, Inc. Washington, DC. Permission is granted to duplicate in programs implementing The Creative Curriculum. 101 anecdotal assignment 09/29/2010 13

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Why businessman need to know about young people's buying behavior Essay

Why businessman need to know about young people's buying behavior - Essay Example The paper intended to trace the important trends shaping the buying behaviour of young people and the possible repercussions of ignoring these trends and their outcomes, by businessmen. It ought to be mentioned that collectively speaking, the researched sources agreed upon attributing people affiliated to the age group 15-30 years as being classified to be considered ‘young’. Approach To meet the objectives envisaged in the purpose statement of this paper, the research scholar resorted to an exhaustive study and analysis of the available academic and media sources to recognize the salient trends influencing the young consumers, an ignorance of which could have a detrimental impact on the modern businesses. The sources resorted to for research purposes included books, journals and print publications like news papers and magazines. The intentional approach was to correlate the varied facts in the research sources so as to identify the prominent trends having an impact on t he buying behaviour of the modern young consumers, and with which the contemporary businessmen need to be conversant with. In a theoretical context, this general review attempted to initiate a research and study into the factors influencing young buyers and their repercussions for the businesses aiming at targeting young customers. Findings. The research paper came to the conclusion that the buying behaviour of the modern youth is being shaped by multiple socio-economic trends. The businesses can immensely benefit by being cognizant of these trends and by responding to their impact on the young buyers. Limitations As this paper is based on the views and conclusions culled from varied academic and media sources, the conclusions drawn may tend to differ from the general views and opinions of the established authorities on the topic under consideration. Besides, since most of the sources referred to, belonged to varied time periods, the conclusions drawn may not represent the current and up to date opinions. Practical Implications This paper may prove informative and insightful to the businesses interested in attracting and influencing young buyers. Value This paper is unique in the sense that very few researchers have attempted to delineate the varied trends influencing the young consumers, and their implications for the businesses and corporations. Key Words: Young People, Consumption, Behaviour, Trends, Buying, E-Commerce 1.0 Introduction In a very conservative and traditional context, businessmen used to focus on the consumers lying between the age group 30 and 45. However, things have changed in the last two decades, in the sense that more and more young people are entering the markets as potential buyers (Michman et al., 2003). One simply cannot accept the fact that consumerism and the material aspects of life are confined merely to the older generation. Actually, the young people of today are much more in tandem with the varied aspects of consumerism and materialism. In this context, it has become imperative for the businessmen to understand and have a pragmatic insight into the buying behaviour of the young people, so that they can target their marketing strategies and business plans as per the needs and aspirations of this potent and influential consumer segment. It is a must for the busines smen to understand as to how the young consumers perceive and value their products and services. Realistically speaking, the more competition oriented and proactive businessmen are already in the process of narrowing down their focus on the young consumers. Yes, to a great extent, the young people of today are more receptive of and vulnerable to varied promotional and advertising approaches (O’Shaughnessy & O’

What Implications Do the Notions Contained within Ideas of New Essay

What Implications Do the Notions Contained within Ideas of New Humanitarianism Have for Disaster Response, Reconstruction and Mitigation in the Developing world - Essay Example They will note many significant events that happened at the end of the XX century and during the first decade of the XXI century. They will talk about the world socialism fall and the end of the Cold War, half-century-long, about the transition of many countries to democracy, about their formation on free market and open society, about a new stage of economic globalization, in the information space, along with the human values and human rights movements strengthening, about freedoms and the struggle of the world community against international terrorism. First, the very humanitarian message is based on the principle of non-partisan, which prohibits the use of this ideology to struggle for gaining power in society, as well as using techniques of suggestion and propaganda during the humanistic enlightenment. From the outset, the first humanitarians rejected the methods characteristic of religious sermons and political parties’ campaigning, involving public-relations technology, hypnosis, and manipulation of consciousness, because they considered them morally and psychologically unacceptable and even offensive to any free and self-respecting person (Held, 1995). Humanistic teachers and educators scrupulously kept the principle of free choice and critical studies, including (perhaps even primarily) humanitarianism relation to the theory and practice. The philosophy of the new humanitarianism can form the basis for planetary noosphere Ethics, resting on the principles of spirituality, multiculturalism, valeological practices and environmental responsibility But the main reason of why most people gradually became, in turn, consciously practice the ideas of humanitarianism, was that this ideology did not invent anything qualitatively new and did not call for anything. It just points to the existing principles and values that were actually recognized, and it was necessary only to clarify, develop and strengthen them. Humanitarianism identified, systematized, exp lained, but did not invent anything new and, of course, these universal moral, civil, educational, aesthetic, ecological, noosphere and other values were not imposed to anyone (Blackham, 1996). Humanitarian assistance is a kind of grant aid (assistance), means for life, distributed free to residents of areas affected by a humanitarian catastrophe, or standing on its edge. International Court of Justice has determined permissible humanitarian aid for the conditions of armed conflict, such as "providing food, clothing, medicines and other humanitarian aid, but that does not include the provision of weapons, weapons systems, ammunition or other equipment, vehicles and materials that can be used to inflict serious bodily harm or cause death. " Humanitarian aid is different from foreign aid due to its urgency and the fact that it is used to relieve the plight of disaster victims. Any person has a right to receive humanitarian aid in case of disaster. The victim has the right to ask for h umanitarian assistance needed to save his or her life and human dignity in a disaster, to receive this assistance from government or other competent organizations. The first organizations, which began providing humanitarian aid, were religious organizations. So-called Missionary Society, which reached their peak in Europe and North America in the XVIII and XIX centuries, was not only engaged in conversion to Christianity, but also provided the inhabitants of various distant countries with humanitarian assistance. They promoted awareness of humanitarian needs in other parts of the world, and in this regard, some particular communities often financed the

International Business Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

International Business Questions - Essay Example This means that the marketing and management, amongst various others, strategies they deploy address regional and local markets and not the global one per se. Within the context of the stated, and as affirmed by Stevens and Bird (2004) multinational firms perceive of the global market as a series of interconnected local and regional markets and, hence, pursue strategies which are consistent with this perspective. Hence, despite their popularly being referred to as multinational, global firms justifiably pursue inherently regional strategies. The pursuit of regional vs. global strategies is partially determined by the imperatives of balancing between globalisation and localisation. There are intense, contradictory pressures on multinational enterprises to integrate across borders as well as to respond to local pressures; that means, to pursue local strategies which address the domestic/local market and global strategies which target the international market. Indeed, were multinational firms to eschew the imperatives of adaptation to the local market and the design of strategies which address its characteristics, they would probably be perceived of as an alien entrant into the market, thereby arousing consumer resistance (Reed, 1997; Rugman, 2001). Were they, however, to pursue local/domestic or regional strategies, they would be perceived of as part of the market in question, thereby offsetting the potential for consumer resistance. In other words, and as Rugman (2001) emphasises, the success of multinational firms is pa rtially predicated on market perceptions of them as belonging to and understanding of the market in question, entailing the design of strategies which are consistent with the micro-environment. International strategies are inconsistent with the very notion of the micro-environment while regional strategies are (Roth and Morrison, 1990; Rugman, 2001). It is for this reason that multinational firms adhere to regional, as opposed to international strategies. It is important to emphasise that corporations are embracing the basic principles of globalization, as evidenced by ever increasing cross-border trade and the widening grip of MNEs on international business. It is doing so, however, within the context of regionalization. Trade laws and enthusiasm for globalisation aside, the fact is that while markets are interconnected, there is no international homogeneity of consumer tastes and market characteristics. Safarian (2003), arguing for market interconnectedness but against homogeneity, maintains that the reality of globalisation is pockets of globalisation. This means that globalisation, as in market homogeneity and interconnectedness, is only valid and present on the regional level. There is no such homogeneity, although there is interconnectedness, on the global/international level. The implication here is, as may be inferred from several scholars, is that there is simply no basis for the formulation and implementation of global marke t and marketing strategies. The global market, as in the homogeneous and interconnected one, simply does not exist (Sheth, 2001; Safarian, 2003; Rugman, 2005; Dicken, 2007). From this perspective, therefore, firms cannot pursue international/global strategies and, indeed, have no choice but to adhere to regional ones within the contex

Growth Performance Management Essay Example for Free

Growth Performance Management Essay In this report I have given a lot of research into the relevant subjects. I think that the way I have looked at the possibilities will help Helen Marsh and Brian Taylor overcome some of the obstacles in their organisation in order to make there business successful. Suggestions on what you should be specifically looking at in order to make your business a success, in my view would be the try to improve employee attitudes and training for employees. I think I have covered all the points that you have given me in depth if I have not apologies on my behalf. Introduction- Aims of the Report The aim of this report is to show Helen Marsh and Brian Taylor the problems of their business in more detail than the report give (case study). I will outline and investigate further into the following matters: * Growth * Performance Management * Performance Appraisal Systems and Motivation * Motivation * Rewards * Employee Turnover/Retention * Training and Development * Communication Growth To consider the growth of Brian and Helens company, we will look need to examine into the PEST (Political, Economical, Social and Technological factors) and SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis for this company, this will help us identify if the company should continue to grow. By understanding about the SWOT and PEST analysis this will show us key information and help us identify some of the problems with the business. SWOT Analysis: SWOT Analysis is a very effective way of identifying your Strengths and Weaknesses, and of examining the Opportunities and Threats you face. Carrying out an analysis using the SWOT framework helps you to focus your activities into areas where you are strong and where the greatest opportunities lie. SWOT Analysis is a strategic method for identifying your businesses Strengths and Weaknesses, and to examine the Opportunities and Threats. These are just some of the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats there may be more if you feel that there are, pleases do not hesitate to call me we can discuss these further. By reading the report that you gave me (case study) I found more weaknesses than strengths. This is not bad as this shows you that you can improve on these to make your business a success. Read more:Â  Difference Between Performance Management and Performance Appraisal PEST Analysis: It is very important that an organisation considers its environment before beginning the marketing and decision planning process. In fact, environmental analysis should be continuous and feed all aspects of planning. The SWOT analysis shows a lot of weaknesses in the business, the points that I have mentioned in the SWOT analysis affect the future growth of the business. I think that if you over come the weaknesses that are outlined in the SWOT analysis this will help improve and develop the company significantly because the employee would contribute to the full potential and would also create a good working environment which means less staff turnover. I suggest that you should postpone in growing for the moment and consider improving on the weaknesses that I outlined in the SWOT analysis. I suggest that you should consider growing in the future rather than now. I found out that: Weakness are not necessarily indicating bad things of the organization but showing a path to a better future. ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR (1990) Northcraft. G page 437 You should consider improving the weaknesses into strengths as this would be beneficial in the future when you should consider to grow (it is not necessary yet) by improving weaknesses the business would function better and more advantages would be gained such as more share and profit. Performance Management In the report given to me (case study) I see that you have a problem on monitoring the field based staff. This is a important issue as the staff may or may not be doing what you have told them this would cause all sorts of issues with your company for example you may be losing money, valuable resources and time. Field based staff may be difficult to manage but there are ways. Staff that work in the office are easier to evaluate on what and how that are doing. When managing or monitoring employees you have to be aware of their privacy and not to breach that mutual line as this may inevitably cause conflict in the work place. But When you cant be present to observe employee performance, be sure that you have the right processes in place through which you can learn about how theyre doing this can be undertaken for field based staff also. These processes should be open, fair, and understood by everyone. Options for obtaining input about performance in your absence may include, but are not limited to, the following: * Evaluate the output and products of the employees work. * Have routine one-on-one meetings with your employee and include discussions of performance. * Every so often review and discuss with your employee the standards of performance for his or her job and your expectations. * Ask your employee to do periodic reports and share them with you for discussion. * Obtain feedback from customers in writing when possible. * Do brief stand-up check-ins or phone calls to field based staff as well as office based staff. * Ask an appropriate person who is present day-to-day to serve as a work leader or give the person authority to act in your stead, and ensure that everyone understands the persons role. * Perform routine spot checks of the employee at work. * Ask for confidential evaluations of employee performance by peers (or direct reports of supervisors). This process should be clearly understood by everyone and applied fairly to all. Performance Appraisal Systems and Motivation Performance appraisal systems are designed to serve the companys and employees interests. They are used to inventory the abilities and resources of employees and to let an employee know where he stands so that he will be stimulated to improve his performance. Employee motivation can be enhanced and performance improved with the monitoring of employees performance level and the use of feedback to advise those employees about their effectiveness. Performance feedback exchanges can be ongoing and informal, on a day-to-day coaching basis or on a formal basis, annually. I found this statement: ..Employers want to be sure their employees are doing a good job, but employees dont want their every sneeze or there trip to the toilet logged Managing People 2nd edition Tomson. R I think that employee monitoring is acceptable to a reasonable level but should nod be exceeded. I used to work at KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) and the manager was constantly monitoring me and other staff that work there. I can understand this as people in other restaurants have tampered with food for example a Mc Donalds restaurant in USA Mississippi once was shut down because of food tampering. So to some degree a lot of monitoring needs to be undertaken. But I think you should use some of the procedures I have given for example I would recommend these: * Perform routine spot checks of the employee at work. * Obtain feedback from customers in writing when possible some sort of feed back sheet of possibly a questionnaire * Do brief stand-up check-ins or phone calls to field based staff * Ask your employee to do periodic reports and share them with you for discussion. Motivation Staff motivation is the one of the most significant factors in managing people. No one style is better than another for motivating employees, but it is essential that leaders are aware of their staff motivation style and are able to adapt for different circumstances. Some circumstances will call for a strong direction to inspire staff motivation other circumstances will call for staff motivation to be influenced by a more advice-giving approach. The necessary skill is in knowing what motivates people and satisfying the needs of individuals and groups at a given time. Staff motivation in regard to reward and recognition means taking account of and balancing the needs of the organisation and its objectives as well as the needs of the people expected to achieve those objectives. One of the worlds most successful Software and Hardware entrepreneurs stated: When we create a desirable workplace and find good ways to have work/life balance, well attract and well retain the best people and thats our competitive advantage. Lewis Platt, CEO, Hewlett-Packard (1001 Ways to Reward Employees 2000) Source: www.nelson-motivation.com/hpackard/ceo Hear is an example of a motivational theory: Douglas McGregor, was a American social psychologist, he proposed his famous X-Y theory in his 1960 book The Human Side of Enterprise . Theory X and theory Y are still referred to commonly in the field of management and motivation. Mc Gregors X-Y Theory remains a valid basic principle from which to develop positive management style and techniques. McGregors XY Theory remains central to organisational development, and to improving organisational culture. McGregors Theory X and Theory Y THEORY X THEORY Y 1. Workers must be supervised as closely as possible, either through direct oversight or by tight reward and/or punishment systems. 1. People usually do not require close supervision and will, if given a chance to control their own activities, be productive, satisfied, and fulfilled. 2. Work is objectionable to most people. 2. Work is natural and enjoyable unless it is made offensive by the actions of organisations. 3. Most people have little initiative, have little capacity for being creative or solving organisational problems, do not want to have responsibilities, and prefer being directed by someone else. 3. People are ambitious, desire autonomy and self-control, and can use their abilities to solve problems and help their organisations meet their goals. Creativity is distributed normally across the population, just as is any other characteristic. 4. People are motivated by economic factors and a need for security. 4. People are motivated by a variety of needs only some of which involve economics or security. Figure Obtained from: MANAGING PEOPLE R. Tompson, 2nd Ed, Pub: Institute of Management I think that employee motivation in regard to reward and recognition means taking account of and balancing the needs of the organisation and its objectives as well as the needs of the people expected to achieve those objectives. I think that motivation should also have been included in the SWOT analysis. I think you should also consider how you can motivate staff you could use the web site I have given above for more information. The more you motivate staff the better they will work, this will also help with the monitoring of employees. You should also consider looking at the various patterns used by managers to encourage motivation in the work place, for a good example see Appendix 3. Rewards There are a staggering amount of reward types and schemes, you just have to make sure you have the right ones chosen for your business because performance of staff is the key to the success of any organisation. One of the main rewards that I think is relevant for your business is PRP (Performance Related Pay) One of the key contributors to effective performance is a well-designed performance management process. Such a process should incorporate objective setting, the day-to-day management of performance, the review or appraisal of performance, and rewarding performance. Your employees are your most important asset, they are the people who shape and form the companys future. Rewarding staff can develop healthy in-house competition between individuals, teams or even departments. Another major factor in rewards are employment benefit packages. Reward and incentive programs are a popular part of employee benefit packages. Many employees value such offerings as flexible scheduling, tuition assistance, and child care in order to satisfy personal needs and professional development. I think that you too should consider re designing your employment package. Nowadays society, it is becoming more and more common to support these reward systems with the overall business strategy of an organisation in order to satisfy business needs and to improve shareholder value. In addition, many organisations are developing or restructuring their rewards programs based on employee performance. This trend is likely to continue as costs continue to increase and competition continues to thrive in a highly unpredictable economy. Some other useful reward types that can be used are as follows: Social Rewards: Which include praise, employee recognition, and social acceptance within the business. Psychic rewards: Which include self esteem, job satisfaction, and feelings of accomplishments You could also give piece-rate pay, commissions, merit pay and bonuses. When I was talking about the business and how it will grow in Conclusion of Growth in the first part I think that in order for the business to grow you need the best employees you can get. So you would need to have the reward schemes that the employees are looking for. I the way you are rewarding employees at the moment is not working in fact I know it is not working I think you should use the PRP (Performance Related Pay) method, and also consider giving annual bonuses. Also if you give PRP (Performance Related Pay) you will sort out the problem you have with the monitoring of Field based staff as they too will be attracting more customers for the business. You should also give bonuses if the company is making a stable profit as this would encourage more work to be completed. Employee Turnover/Retention One of the most difficult problems companies had to cope with in the increasingly volatile business climate of the 1990s was the high rate of employee turnover. When employees, particularly long-term employees leave a company that has made a substantial investment in them, they take with them training, skills, experience, and productivity. Output is inevitably diminished during the training process of new employees, no matter how qualified. additionally, a high level of workplace turnover rends the types of social bonds that encourage other employees come to work and maintain their normal levels of productivity. ..In todays workplace, employers are not only having a hard time attracting employees, but are also having a difficult time keeping them.. (Harkins, 1998) I found out that employees leave for a variety of reasons, including poor supervision, unchallenging positions, limited advancement opportunities, lack of recognition, limited control over work, perceived pay inequity, and the perception of more favorable opportunities in other companies. Measuring Absence Obtained from: MANAGING HUMAN RESOURCES J. Weightman, 2nd Ed, (1996), Pub: Cromwell Press This overall figure, however, leaves many questions unanswered. For example, is the absence rate a reflection of a few employees suffering from long-term ill-health or are a substantial number of employees being regularly absent for relatively short spells? A more in depth way to monitor absence and retention is give in Appendix 1. Hear I found some of the ways in which to help with retention: * Align your employees with company goals and visions * Establish department goals and standards * Set employee goals and performance measurements * Conduct performance reviews that test the established goals * Train managers to effectively coach their staff * Identify barriers find strengths to build upon * Isolate key performance gaps and craft a plan to improve performance * Define the relationship between job satisfaction, goal alignment and individual performance growth I suggest that you should consider some of the points above in order to combat turnover/retention. You should regularly try to monitor staff absence. Try to make the rate as nearer to 8.5 % as possible if it goes over this may be critical to the business. You should have a maximum number of days for employees to comply by, for example I work as Safeway Petrol station in the Penn, employees there are only allocated 50 hours off of work (excluding sick or acceptable absence). You should check out Appendix 1 in how to measure turnover and retention in your organisation. Training and Development There are a number of advantages to training and development and this is another point that was added in the SWOT analysis that needed to be improved in order for the business to function properly and effectively. Training has become the most important feature of a successful organisation. Training is necessary because it improves profitability and/ or more positive attitudes towards profit orientation. Enhances the job knowledge and skills at all levels of the organisation. The work force gets a high morale. Due to proper training employees can identify with organisational goals, corporate image gets improved. Training fosters realism, openness and trust. A boss an the subordinates get to work in a better environment and relationship. Some typical reasons for employee training and development can be initiated for a variety of reasons for an employee or group of employees, for example: * When a performance appraisal indicates performance improvement is needed * To benchmark the status of improvement so far in a performance improvement effort * As part of an overall professional development program * As part of succession planning to help an employee be eligible for a planned change in role in the organisation * To pilot, or test, the operation of a new performance management system * To train about a specific topic I found out some key topics for employee Training and Development they are as follows: * Communication- The increasing diversity of todays workforce brings a wide variety of languages and customs. * Computer skills- Computer skills are becoming a requirement for conducting administrative and office tasks. * Customer service- Increased competition in todays global marketplace makes it critical that employees understand and meet the needs of customers. * Diversity- Diversity training usually includes explanation about how people have different perspectives and views, and includes techniques to value diversity * Ethics- Todays society has increasing expectations about corporate social responsibility. Also, todays diverse workforce brings a wide variety of values and morals to the workplace. By giving the appropriate training and development you can gain a lot of advantages. The general benefits from Employee Training and Development are: * Increased job satisfaction and morale among employees * Increased employee motivation * Increased efficiencies in processes, resulting in financial gain * Increased capacity to adopt new technologies and methods * Increased innovation in strategies and products * Reduced employee turnover * Enhanced company image, e.g., conducting ethics training (not a good reason for ethics training!) * Risk management, e.g., training about sexual harassment, diversity training I think that training aids in developing leadership skill, motivation, loyalty, better attitudes and other aspects that successful workers and managers usually display which we discussed earlier in the report. The quality of work is also increased and so is the productivity. Its cost effective as well, it cuts costs in different areas e.g. production, personnel, administration etc. it develops a sense of responsibility to the organisation for being capable and knowledgeable. Labor management is also improved, as workers instead of feeling ignored, feel taken care of which develops a sense of loyalty Communication Effective communication skills are vital for success in a business environment with most business people being engaged in some form of communication activity most of the time reading, listening, writing or talking. Business communication is, however, different from educational or literary writing and speaking it requires precision, clarity and efficiency since business people just do not have the time to savor an idea or an expression. Moreover, unethical behavior in the workplaces arising from the lack of ethical communication by the top management to the first-line supervisors proves the fact that employees are either directly or indirectly rewarded for unethical acts or harshly abandoned for going against the norm of practicing corruption (Zimmerman: Jansen and Von Glinow, 2001, p. 119). As explained in this text that I researched into, Jansen and Von Glinow through their in-depth study that encouraging counter norms in an organisation is also a form of promoting corrupt standards in a company in order to save the firms name or to avoid charges by this means reflecting the decreasing ethical communication in organisations. There are many factors that help establish an organisations ability and skill in maintaining the stability and organisation among its employees/members. One of these factors includes attaining an organisational communication process through effective communication skills. The most prominent forms used by most organisations are the development of verbal and non-verbal communication since these are the most obvious ways of communication that provide a dialogue for employees and the management in an organisation. However, what is not realized by both the employees and management is that listening is one important communication aspect that precedes verbal and non-verbal communication. I think that in order to attain effective communication verbally or non-verbally, communicators must first learn to listen in order to assess carefully the issues at hand and the required action that must be taken. If you have a look at Appendix 2 it shows you different types of communication processes. I would recommend that you try to focus on the complete network as this would make communications in your business better. Overall Report Conclusion and my Recommendations I think overall this is what we should be doing in order to maintain and run a successful business: * Growth- we should not be growing just yet as there are to many problems as indicated in the SWOT analysis. We should be improving on the weaknesses and consider to grow and expand in the future. * Performance Management- monitoring needs to be undertaken but only to some degree that is acceptable by you and the employees. But I think you should use some of the procedures that I have indicated in this previous section (please refer to Conclusion for Performance Management). * Performance Appraisal Systems and Motivation- Performance appraisal systems are designed to serve the companys and employees interests. * Motivation- You have to consider Douglas McGregor Theory X and Theory Y. to offer the best motivation go through the chart that I have drawn and consider what you can do to have a successful motivated staff. Look at Appendix 3 for patterns of managerial approaches to motivation. * Rewards- if you offer better rewards and better benefit packages then Turnover/Retention will be low, and employees will work more and contribute their highest potential. * Employee Turnover/Retention- you need to make sure that you monitor employees sickness and absenteeism and make sure it dose not go over 8% Check Appendix 1. * Training and Development- if you train and develop employees better the function of your business will be better, you should try to encourage more employees to gain different skills and knowledge. You should also try to offer recognised qualifications. * Communication- look at Appendix 2 I recommend that you try to bring in the process of complete network communication. There are numerous factors that help conclude an organisations ability and skill in maintaining the stability and organisation among its employees/members, one of these factors includes attaining an organisational communication process through effective communication skills. References I recommend that you look at the following text as this will help you improve on the factors mentioned in this report and also help you with difficult decisions about your business. I recommend looking at this text: ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR: INDVIDUALS, GROUPS AND THE ORGANISATION I. Brooks (1999) 1st Ed, Pub: Financial Times HUMAN RESOURCE STRATAGIES Salman, (1998) Pub: The Open University MANAGING PEOPLE R. Tompson, 2nd Ed, Pub: Institute of Management ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR: A MANAGEMENT CHALLENGE G.B.Northcroft M.A.Neale (1990), Pub: Ronda Colour PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT GA Cole, 4th Ed (1997), Pub: Ashford Colour Press MANAGING HUMAN RESOURCES J. Weightman, 2nd Ed, (1996), Pub: Cromwell Press The following Web-Sites are useful also: www.bized.com www.hrmang.co.uk www.humanrecourses.co.uk/text/hrissues www.resourcemanage.co.uk