Chinas Speedy Development in the Past Three Decades Essay

Chinas Speedy Development in the Past Three Decades - Essay Example Domestic policies have seen China’s economic development rise and continue to grow, even as other large world economies experience negative or stagnant growth. These policies opened up China to foreign trade and investment leading to a fast-growing economy in the recent decades; moreover, the domestic policies supported industrialization and structural change stimulates growth. They aim at developing strong and sustained investments that are driven at the very low levels, thus empowering the poor and uplifting their financial status (United Nations, 2012 p. 39). Effective management and proper implementation of the laid down policy frameworks have lead achievement of substantial strides in the developing China’s economy. The formulation of domestic policies established reforms in various sectors of the economy such as agriculture, industry, trade and foreign investment, which has also seen economic growth and human development. Reforms in the agricultural sector alleviated extreme poverty and food shortages; food prices also fell as the agricultural income was on the rise. In the industrial sector, there was large-scale privatization of enterprises owned previously owned by the local government. This encouraged growth of the private sector, and increased their output and increased the revenue to the economy. Initially, China’s economy centrally controlled, vastly inefficient and isolated from the global economy but with reforms to policies on trade and foreign investments, the economy improved to achieve a steady growth rate each year (Sahoo et al, 2010 p. 3).

Transformational Leadership Essay Example for Free

Transformational Leadership Essay What are the most important concepts you have learned this week? I have understood that a skillful leader must be an example for his followers. I have realized that the chances to become a leader are not very high and if I don’t become leader I’ll be able to apply my leadership skills to the role of follower and thus will become useful for team work. What would you recommend to your management/leadership based on these concepts? During last week I have realized that to be a leader means to be highly responsible and to be a leader means more than simply giving instructions. Skillful leader may sometime act as follower and it won’t mean that the leader is weak or his followers are stronger. It means that leader should act logically. How will these concepts impact you personally and professionally? The key elements of leader’s success are certainly communication, responsibility, planning, consistency and motivational. After having read lots of relevant materials I have realized that many difficult situations have made me stronger and provided me with leadership characteristics. Thus nowadays I am successfully equipped with all of them at my working place. What is the value-added from these concepts, or what differences can these concepts make to your organization? The value –added from these concepts are the same as in the previous week. They are to reduce misunderstanding, mistakes, miscomputations as well as to increase good communication, mutual respect and motivation of every team member. It is necessary to understand your own virtues and characteristics in order to find out whether you are a natural leader. Describe important references used this week. List the references in proper APA style. Ackoff, R. L. (1999). Transformational Leadership. Strategy Leadership, 27, 20–25. Avolio, B. J. , Yammarino, F. J. (2002). Transformational and Charismatic Leadership: The Road Ahead. Greenwich, CT: JAI. Bass, B. M. (1990). Leadership and Performance Beyond Expectations. New York: Free Press. Bass, B. M. (1990). Handbook of Leadership: Theory, Research and Managerial Applications (3rd ed. ). New York: The Free Press. Bal, V. , Quinn, L. (2004). The Missing Link: Organizational Culture and Leadership Development. In M. Wilcox S. Rush (Eds. ). The CCL Guide to Leadership in Action: How Managers and Organizations Can Improve the Practice of Leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 163-171. Characteristics of Good Followers. (2006). Retrieved November 5, 2006, from http://www. ssu. missouri. edu/faculty/rcampbell/Leadership/chapter5. html. Clark, D. (2005, April 2). Concepts of Leadership. Retrieved November 5, 2006, from http://www. nwlink. com/~donclark/leader/leadcon. html. Leadership. (2006, November 3). Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved November 5, 2006, from http://en. wikipedia. org/w/index. php? title=Leadershipoldid=85498479. Life Issues In-Focus – Dealing With Stress: Visioform Personal Growth. Retrieved November 5, 2006 from

East of Eden Essay: Criticism of East of Eden -- East Eden Essays

Criticism of East of Eden      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Possibly the best piece of criticism I discovered was an essay by Joseph Wood Krutch. Krutch begins by making a statement praising the enormous amount of energy that is required for a book with the scope of East of Eden. Very briefly, Krutch summarizes the novel and draws an analogy between it and The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann. Krutch points out that in this novel, Steinbeck has avoided falling into the trap of writing a melodramatic as he has in some other pieces. Krutch says of Steinbeck: "Never, I think, not even in The Grapes of Wrath, has he exhibited such a grip upon himself and his material." (Krutch 370) Krutch points out that, especially in the first third of the book, the character parallels to symbolic figures are rather distracting, but become less so as the book progresses. Steinbeck is often associated with writers who hold deterministic philosophies and are moral relativists, but Krutch asserts "it is difficult to imagine how any novel could more e xplicitly reject [these values]." (Krutch 370) Krutch assigns East of Eden the position of determining Steinbeck's position as a moralist and ends his review by stating "there is no question whether Mr. Steinbeck has written an intensely interesting and impressive book." (Krutch 371) Harvey Curtis Webster was the author of another review I found helpful. He begins with the very blunt statement that "it will take almost equal quantities of pride and stupidity to deny that it is one of the best novels of the past ten years and the best book John Steinbeck has written since the Grapes of Wrath." (Webster 369) To conclude his strong opening paragraph Webster states "It is to be doubted it any American novel has better chronicled ou... ...ress. 1957. pp. 302-305. Rpt. In Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Ed. David Marowski. Vol 45 Detroit: Gale, 1987. pp. 370- 371 Neary, Walter. "About John Steinbeck". 27 Nov. 2001 <http://www.steinbeck.org/About.html>. Steinbeck, John. Grapes of Wrath. 1939. New York: Penguin, 1973. Steinbeck, John IV Nancy Steinbeck, and Andrew Harvey. Other Side of Eden. Prometheus Books. Feb. 2001. Various contributors. "Amazon.com Buying Information." Amazon.com <http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/stores/detail/-/books/0140186395/ customer-reviews/qid=1007248185/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_75_1/102-8744870-2692125>. 28 Nov. 2001 Webster, Harvey Curtis. Out of the New Born Sun. Saturday Review, New York. Vol. XXXV. No. 38. 20 Sept 1952. pp. 11-12. Rpt. In Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Ed. David Marowski. Vol 45 Detroit: Gale, 1987. pp. 369-370

egypt :: essays research papers

There are many things similar and different between ancient China, Egypt and the Sumerians were lead by the high priests. One important thing is how the three kingdoms were ruled. With Egypt they had Pharaohs, which were appointed by their gods. In Sumeria they had. With Chinese leaders were mostly conquers which lead for a while and passed down through their families. Also each one of the civilizations had made their first writing systems but the writing was different with Chinese but somewhat the same with Egypt and Sumeria. In the Old kingdom Egypt and Sumeria the words were mostly symbols or pictures. With Chinese there are plenty of lines in different directions, which mostly are like symbols, which is almost like the new kingdom Egypt. With China outside wars were not a worry due to the fact of the mountains and the sea and the Great Wall of China. But with Egypt and Sumeria there were plenty of rivers to get to each city which were a good source for conquers to try and get the land. Also with Egypt and Sumeria there were rivers, which gave them good soil, and a good resource for water and transportation for trades. In China they didn’t really have a chance to trade with other countries but it was big enough to trade with themselves and to fight themselves for other Lords to get more land then what they already had. All three civilizations had temples to hold their gods, priests or Pharaohs. These were for the afterlife for their leaders to live good in the afterlife. They all put precious things in there with their leaders. This was for them to live well in the afterlife.

Discussing Frankenstein Essay

Living in a society, we are accustomed to completing tasks within minutes if not seconds. With this fact in mind, it is very difficult to comprehend the amount of painstaking labor of Victor Frankenstein. The long days eventually turned into months and then into years. Victor observed worms in a graveyard, collected materials, and painstakingly created a being, complete with the intricacies of a human body and mind. After the realization of his greatest achievement, Victor looked upon the lifeless individual as his creation. As the father of this illegitimate being, Victor is already physically and morally responsible for the creature. Since the very beginning of the experiment, Victor was entrusted with this being. Once the creature opened his yellow eyes, Victor relinquished his task to educate his design. Instead of worrying over the creature’s welfare and the interest of others, he drove from his mind all thoughts of the experiment. The monster was left to fend for itself, learning the basic essentials of survival by what he saw an the only food he could find. Only until the monster hurt something of significance to Victor, did the scientist feel accountable. It is no doubt the monster is now evil. His unanswerable question in life is â€Å"why am I here? † The man who gave him life fled from his side just like the rest of society. Victor, at this point in the story, has a choice. The scientist can either make another life form or suffer earthly torments from the monster. By not completing the request of the creation, Victor handed over the lives of his family and friends. Again, Victor can be held morally responsible for the deaths. Creation tells him to make another life form and everything will be alright. The scientist never realized his mistakes. If he has only taken care of his creation, the deaths of his father, wife, brothers, and sisters could have been avoided. With such a brilliant mind, Victor could have been one of the brightest minds in science. If it were not for the irresponsible beginnings of the experiment, the evil in the creature may have never surfaced. Throughout the novel, Frankenstein, the theme of life and death is pervasive in connection to the moral ignorance of Victor and his monster. Evidently both characters showed a great quantity of wrongdoing; however the awaiting actions are all start from one: the creation of life from science. This was thought of as an impossible task, but would prove to be Frankenstein’s foremost dream and goal for his youth and adolescence. Not realizing the severity of the consequences; Victor succeeded in breeding his creature, which would ironically lead to his future destruction. Being unaware to what a creature might do without the proper nourishment from family or friends, Dr. Frankenstein shunned his own creation even though he had the obligation as a parent to foster his child. However, not only did Victor overlook the proper care for his creation, but he also cursed and criticized the appearance of the wretched monster. Frankenstein assembled the beast to look inhuman and rejected what he purposely created. The grotesque look of his child not only repelled his master, but also disgusted the rest of society. Although Victor did not physically commit murder, his denial as a father to his imperfect being was in fact killing the monster from the start. mention the part when F sees monster for the first time It is now obvious that Victor was the most morally irresponsible. He tried to forget his past, as he did not want to be linked with that daemon which was created by his own hands. Frankenstein exhibited selfishness along with small-mindedness. He first ignored his family upon creating his child and then ignored his child upon escaping his workplace. Victor did not think twice and failed to resolve the problem before it augmented. Just a baby being brought into a new and evidently prejudice world, his creation did not know what to do. The monster had to survive in the dangerous world alone with no one to love or give love in return. He had no one to help him, no one to teach him, no one to feed him, no one to even talk to him. Whenever he helped humans, he would always receive harm. He harmed mankind because they harmed him first. Unquestionably, if he were treated with love, he would return the love tenfold. However, Frankenstein was responsible for the miss-education of the child and for the actions of the child. Moreover, Frankenstein was responsible for the deaths of his friends and family. Being the cause of his own unfortunate destiny, Dr. Victor Frankenstein is clearly the one who demonstrated the least moral responsibility. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Mary Shelley section.

Definition and Examples of Derivation in English

Definition and Examples of Derivation in English In morphology, derivation is the process of creating a new word out of an old word, usually by adding a prefix or a suffix. Adjective: derivational. Linguist Geert Booij notes that one criterion for distinguishing derivation and ​inflection is that derivation may feed inflection, but not vice versa. Derivation applies to the stem-forms of words, without their inflectional endings, and creates new, more complex stems to which inflectional rules can be applied (The Grammar of Words, 2005).   Derivational change that takes place without the addition of a bound morpheme (such as the use of the noun impact as a verb) is called zero derivation or conversion. From the Latin, to draw off. Examples and Observations Derivational morphology studies the principles governing the construction of new words, without reference to the specific grammatical role a word might play in a sentence. In the formation of drinkable from drink, or disinfect from infect, for example, we see the formation of new words, each with its own grammatical properties.(David Crystal, How Language Works. Overlook Press, 2005 Derivation versus Inflection Morphology may be divided into derivationrules that form a new word out of old words, like duckfeathers and unkissableand inflectionrules that modify a word to fit its role in a sentence, what language teachers call conjugation and declension. (Steven Pinker, Words and Rules: The Ingredients of Language. Basic Books, 1999)The distinction between inflectional morphology and derivational morphology is an ancient one. Fundamentally, it is a matter of the means used to create new lexemes (derivational affixes among other processes) and those used to mark the role of the lexeme in a particular sentence (accidence, inflectional morphology). . . .It seems that although we probably can maintain a distinction between inflectional and derivational morphology relatively well in Englishalbeit with certain problematical cases which do not invalidate the fundamental notionthe distinction is not helpful to us in understanding any other aspects of the morphology of English. The classification might be useful in terms of typology, but does not throw much light on the behavior of English morphological processes.(Laurie Bauer, Rochelle Lieber, and Ingo Plag, The Oxford Reference Guide to English Morphology. Oxford University Press, 2013 Derivation, Compounding, and Productivity Word-formation is traditionally divided into two kinds: derivation and compounding. Whereas in compounding the constituents of a word are themselves lexemes, this is not the case in derivation. For instance, -ity is not a lexeme, and hence taxability is a case of derivation. The word income tax, on the other hand, is a compound since both income and tax are lexemes. Changing the word class of a word, as happened in the creation of the verb to tax from the noun tax, is called conversion, and may be subsumed under derivation. . . .Morphological patterns that can be systematically extended are called productive. The derivation of nouns ending in -er from verbs is productive in English, but the derivation of nouns in -th from adjectives is not: it is hard to expand the set of words of this type such as depth, health, length, strength, and wealth. Marchand (1969: 349) has observed some occasional coinings like coolth (after warmth)  but notes that such word coinings are often jocular, a nd hence do not represent a productive pattern. If we want to coin a new English noun on the basis of an adjective, we have to use -ness or -ity instead. (Geert Booij, The Grammar of Words: An Introduction to Linguistic Morphology. Oxford University Press, 2005 Changes to Meaning and Word Class: Prefixes and Suffixes Derivational prefixes do not normally alter the word class of the base word; that is, a prefix is added to a noun to form a new noun with a different meaning:Derivational suffixes, on the other hand, usually change both the meaning and the word class; that is, a suffix is often added to a verb or adjective to form a new noun with a different meaning: patient: outpatientgroup: subgrouptrial: retrialadjectivedark: darknessverbagree: agreementnounfriend: friendship (Douglas Biber, Susan Conrad, and Geoffrey Leech,  Longman Student Grammar of Spoken and Written English. Longman, 2002)

Nike Case Study

Nike Case Study Free Online Research Papers In this day of how business is conducted it becomes hard to come across a company or any manufacturing business that makes their product from the ground up, without outsourcing for all or part of its product. Nike is no exception this American business trait of conducting business. Nike has multiple manufacturing facilities throughout the world (primarily Asian countries). Nike was one of the first major global foreign companies who was widely scrutinize not only for outsourcing jobs to lower economic countries, but much of the controversy was brought over wages and working conditions of its employees; of which much of the judicial systems placed in these countries have no system enforced for such employment rights. Since the beginning of the Nike Corporation which was founded in 1972; the origin of business was strategically contracted with outsourcing to factories in Taiwan and South Korea; at which that point in time did not have strict bylaws on workers’ wages or conditions. Following the next two decades of conducting business workers in these countries lobbied to have their government establish such laws; at which Nike decided to venture into other less established countries. The convenient irony is that the countries they decided to open shop are known countries such as China, Indonesia and Vietnam where it is illegal to organize, plus these strategically hit countries are among one of the lowest paying wage countries in the world. (Charles Hill, 2009). Roles of the Government After much negative press Nike was bombarded with many allegations of un-ethical child labor, forced overtime and paying below poverty level wages. Much of this media attention brought pressure from U.S civil right organizations such as Education for Justice, Global Exchange, and Students Against Sweatshop Labor (Charles Hill, 2009). Not only was the pressure from these groups and public securitizing growing, but also the native citizens of these countries were also becoming restless; of which they started to protest for worker rights of which such acts are illegal and strongly prosecuted in their countries. Operational Challenges With all this negative publicity mounting Nike decided to makes changes which drew and gave the right for the global community to inspect the company on foreign grounds. The operational challenges that faced Nike manager in this open global front agreeing to allow random factory inspections from the Fair Labor Association and independent monitoring of international organizations; not to mention Nike added its own specialized staff team to stay in compliance of the regulations set. In conclusion business or global business it will always come down to the bottom dollar. It becomes no wonder that natives of this country are no longer value struck or driven to keep the U.S economy growing but are more harvested on their own personal growth. Nike being a product of the U.S should hold as no surprise that its natural trait to make money; the only reason Nike is projected more negatively because they are on a larger scale and stage. Also as a native to these country traits it also becomes Nike obligation to lead by example in leading by example and playing police and rule keeper to the world by holding ourselves to greater statue. Nike showed this by issuing a company Code of Conduct for all its factories to regulate safety conditions, health and labor standards in nations were this is simply not required. Even if with all its changes the company to this day still faces much scrutiny over working hours of employers’ and wages. References Charles W. L. Hill. (2009). International Business. Competing in the Global Marketplace. Retrieved from Charles W. L. Hill, Mgmt 448 website Research Papers on Nike Case StudyNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NicePETSTEL analysis of IndiaDefinition of Export QuotasTwilight of the UAWMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andHip-Hop is Art

Essay on Abortion and Respect Life vs. Catholic Church

Essay on Abortion and Respect Life vs. Catholic Church Essay on Abortion and Respect Life vs. Catholic Church Essay on Abortion and Respect Life vs. Catholic ChurchAbortion is one of the most controversial issues in the US because the conservative part of the US society stands for the legal ban of abortion, while the liberal part of the US society stands for the full legalization of abortion as one of the basic rights of women. The core of the abortion debate is the debate between proponents of abortion, who believe that abortion is essential and women should have the right and opportunity to undergo abortion, and opponents of abortion, who believe that abortion is a sinful, wrong act that should never be practiced at all. In this regard, opponents of abortion represent the religious community mainly. At this point, it is worth mentioning the fact that the position of the Catholic Church is particularly important in the abortion debate because the Catholic Church traditionally stands against abortion, which Catholics view as a sinful act that contradicts to the will of God. The debate betwee n the Catholic Church and proponents of abortion grows stronger as abortion has already become a widely-spread surgery in the US that contradicts to the position of the Catholic Church in this regard. In fact, the Catholic Church stands for its fundamental principles, which respect human life and view it as a gift of God that makes the position of the Catholic Church concerning abortion rigid and unchangeable.The position of the Catholic Church was and still is vulnerable to the severe criticism from the part of proponents of abortion, who believed abortion to be an essential option for women to determine whether to deliver a child or not. Historically, motherhood limited economic and social opportunities of women and feminists, for example, believe that the ban of abortion is the way to set control over women and limit their opportunities of birth control. They believe that women should be free to decide whether they need abortion or not and this is the way for the liberation of wo men because it expands their opportunities for birth control.At the same time, there are more sophisticated arguments that refer to the life and death issues which emerge, in case of pregnancy of women. For example, proponents of abortion insist that pregnancy may threaten to the life of some women. This is why they believe that abortion should be legal and the ban of abortion will put under a threat the life of many women. This position is very strong since it rejects any arguments that there are other tools of birth control but abortion, because there are cases of pregnancy after rape, for example. Hence, abortion seems to be virtually an essential option for women.However, the Catholic Church still insists on the ban of abortion and views it as absolutely unacceptable and sinful act. In fact, there are several key points, which justify the position of the Catholic Church in this regard. First, the Catholic Church views a human life as sacred (Boonin, 2002). Catholics believe that a human life is a gift of God that should be always respected and not a single human has the right to play God and decide whether let a human life to appear or not. In other words, the Catholic Church stands on the ground that humans has no moral right to take a decision on abortion because abortion is the   deprivation of life of the unborn baby. This is why the Catholic Church views abortion as a sort of murder, while murder is one of the greatest sins in Catholic religion.Furthermore, the Catholic Church respects the childbirth and views it as one of the most important and sacred elements of human life on the Earth. In fact, the birth of a child is sacred and highly respected by the Catholic Church because Jesus Christ was born by a human woman and he was the son of God (Hern, 1996). Similarly other babies are also born in a natural way and, if they are born, then this is the will of God. Moreover, the Catholic Church views the childbirth as one of the main elements of the hum an life because the childbirth is one of the major responsibilities of women as well as men. They should live according to divine laws and they should create their families, have children and bring them up with respect to God and Catholic teaching.In addition, the Catholic Church always stood for traditional family values and childbirth comprises an integral part of traditional family values. In fact, children make the family life more purposeful and pleasant for God. This is why the Catholic Church promotes the idea of the childbirth as an essential element of the family life. The idea of abortion contradicts to the idea of the childbirth. Therefore, the Catholic Church insists on the necessity to ban abortion because it undermines traditional family values and lifestyle. In fact, the Catholic Church associated abortion with the downfall of morals in society because abortion leads to the devaluation of family values and it may have a destructive impact on the family life as well as life of individuals. Hence, the position of the Catholic Church to ban abortion is reasonable within the religious framework the Catholic Church operates within.At the individual level, abortion is also unacceptable for the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church stands on the ground that women cannot stop the life of the unborn child through abortion. The Catholic Church rejects the argument of its opponents of unwanted children, as is the case of rapes, for example (Finer, 2005). In response to such arguments, the Catholic Church develops the idea that there are no unwanted children. All children should be wanted by their mothers. Women should not reject their babies, even if they have got pregnant after a rape. Instead, women should be aware of the fact that, if they got pregnant, then this was the will of God. Moreover, the Catholic Church holds the premise that all children are born absolutely pure and women cannot view their children as the cause of their troubles. Instead, they should view them as innocent creatures, which they should take care for and provide for. Therefore, they should not commit abortions but, instead, they should deliver their babies and take care for them.In fact, the Catholic Church rejects all arguments of its opponents. When opponents of abortion remind of the threat to the life and health of women associated with pregnancy and delivery of children, the Catholic Church traditionally refers to the will of God and insists that the contemporary health care system can minimize risks to the life and health of women and women have ample opportunities to avoid pregnancy, if they are aware of risks to their health, instead of murdering unborn babies. At this point, the Catholic Church stands on the ground that abortion is the murder of the unborn child.The position of the Catholic Church originates from the traditional Christian teaching, which makes the respect of life the major priority. This is why the Catholic Church respects every li fe that is born or is going to be born. The life is the most valuable humans have in their life and the Catholic Church view the life as a sacred concept, as a gift of God and as a will of God, which humans cannot change or contradict to. Instead, the Catholic Church is respectful to life because every person has the right to live and other people cannot deprive any person of this right, including unborn children. This is why the Catholic Church insists on the ban of abortion in the US.Thus, abortion is still one of the most debatable issues in the US. The large number of opponents of abortion has a strong religious background because religion tends to reject abortion. In this respect, it is possible to refer to the case of the Catholic Church, which stands against abortion as a sinful act and as a murder of an unborn child. The Catholic Church justifies its position by strong religious and moral concepts. The Catholic Church insists that abortion contradicts to the will of God, vio lates basic moral laws, destroys families and undermines traditional family values. Therefore, abortion has a destructive impact on individuals and the entire society.

The Relationship between MNEs & SMEs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Relationship between MNEs & SMEs - Essay Example Global dominance of the TRIAD and the MNE’s within it will be gone forever. 1. The relationship between MNE’s within the TRIAD and SME’s in low cost economies and characterise how TRIAD MNE’s have sustained their dominance within international markets. The relationship between MNE’s within TRIAD and SME’s in low cost economies has been particularly based on the intricate dynamics of global trade with the former dominating the business environment while the later simply working towards developing a niche in the vast international market (Royd et al, 2004, 94-96). Therefore, MNE’s have been significant in developing global supply chains and other complex networks in low cost economies which saw the rise of SME’s in those countries. As a result, the connection between MNE’s within TRIAD and SME’s in low cost economies is diverse in the sense that the aspect of market competition and economic rivalry has prevailed link ing the two in which MNE’s have been perceived as dominating the market in low cost economies at the expense of local SME’s. ... sing the link between MNE’s and SME’s, it is necessary to focus on the business environment in low cost economies prior to the entry of TRIAD MNE’s and how their activity spurred growth among local SME’S. There is a symbiotic relationship linking TRIAD based MNE’s and SME’s in low cost economics whereby MNE’s are perceived as potential partners on economic growth and expansion of trade linkages and thus welcomed and supported by the local SME’s through supply networks and other business cooperation mechanism(United Nations, Transnational Corporations and Management Division, 1993, 65-71). As a matter of fact, the relationship involving SME’s and MNE’s has been bolstered by governments and other trade agencies in low cost economies who have realized the huge potential of trade linkages involving the two. Therefore, low cost economies have laid several incentives in place for MNE’s to cooperate with SMEâ€℠¢s creating a dynamic liaison that is beneficial to trade. Attracting MNE’s particularly those with manufacturing plants has become the focus of most local economic development agencies that endeavour to promote an enabling environment for the respective MNE’s due to the many benefits associated with MNE activities in local businesses. Apart from the creation of job opportunities in low cost economies, MNE’s have been identified and credible agents in the development of strategic clusters in low cost economies that could spur economic development. More particular has been the fact that MNE’s can augment the development of SME’s in low cost economies through purchasing inputs and material components thus creating niche for local businesses. The connection involving MNE’s of TRIAD and SME’s of low cost economies are primarily based on

Factionalism in American Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Factionalism in American Politics - Essay Example Madison underscores the importance of breaking or controlling the factions and the ‘factious spirit’ that make public administration a complex affair. Factions exist in the American politics and continue to pose a problem especially in the development of public policies. The factions are mainly caused by the inequality that exists in the distribution of wealth and property.   The passing of The Healthcare Reform Bill brought to the fore the various factions at the various stages of the passing of the bill. The healthcare bill while designed for the benefit of the majority of the Americans faced major hurdles during the legislative process. The factions that opposed the bills include those who were opposed to the Stupak-Pitts Amendment provision in the bill. The pro-choice faction in the house argued that the Stupak-Pitts Amendment imposes restrictions on the right of women to access reproductive health services. Women should be guaranteed these rights by law. The other faction in the healthcare debate is those that were in support of the Stupak-Pitts Amendment. This faction argues that abortion should be restricted, and proposes a further restriction on funding on abortion. In the process of enacting the legislation there was a faction that was against the passing of the healthcare reform bill as they had some concerns about impact that the bill will have on the illegal immigrants’ attempts to access healthcare services (‘Obama Hails Vote on Health Care as Answering ‘the Call of History’).The factions that were at play in the development of the healthcare reform bills have brought about a situation in which the proponents, as well as the opponents of healthcare reforms policies, give different explanations to their positions on healthcare reform.

Blogs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Blogs - Essay Example However, what we miss to realize is that those who fail to make a good impression does not necessarily translate to someone’s real potential at something. Just like today’s notion of a not so service-centric yet title focused notion of leadership, I would say that this diminishes the impact of leadership to people & society as a whole. What society misconstrues is that it looks at leadership closely based on what it is called, highlighting the role of being a â€Å"leader† instead of looking at it as a responsibility of being able to lead a group with different capacities, beliefs & personalities. With this said, I would say that the most effective leader is measured not only based on whether a certain goal is achieved but most importantly, how one imparted wisdom & helped each member of a team to perform significantly in a group. As it is said, it is not only the destination that counts, but also the journey where all the learning happens. The first clear shot each of us had on leadership would probably be in school when we are required to work in groups for a certain project. Though each of us have different experiences what is common to all would be the fact that in the real world, some people would have to take on the role of a leader while others as followers. Though a lot of us still have not learned to appreciate the beauty of a follower’s role, one of the things that we might miss from focusing too much on taking the role of a leader would be the fact that being a follower intensely shapes one’s character more than being a leader. Why? Well, first of all, being a follower which is invisibly looked down on in society would teach one to be humble especially when one gets his or her first run on obedience. Aside from which, what makes it even harder would be when you encounter a situation where your adrenaline knows deep down that your idea is better than what is being presented but you have to submit just because

Personality inventories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Personality inventories - Essay Example uestions can be answered in a variety of ways designed so that the respondent's instinctive response would be the indicator of how they are most likely to respond to a situation, 8) answering truthfully will give the best profile for the respondent's personality (UNSW, 2003). The Big Five Theory was developed by Costa and McCrae (1988). The five components are used to assess personality traits. The five factors include: Extroversion, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Openness to Experience, and Neuroticism. Since they are considered as relatively stable traits, they are used to described variances in human personality. Extroversion measures the volition to seek the company of others and outside stimulation. This factor deals with social skills, how a person relates with other people, confidence in society, assertiveness, empathy towards others and warmth. Conscientiousness demonstrates the desire to achieve, self-discipline, and responsibility.

Sayyid Qutbs Milestones Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sayyid Qutbs Milestones - Assignment Example The story unfolds that faith and beliefs in adult peoples minds are predetermined while a child poises questions to these faith and beliefs. The story has two principal characters; a six-year-old boy and a man by the name Shaykh Naqib. Naqib is an adult with bizarre demeanor who walks around naked, pour dust and mud over his naked body, run through streets screaming in a shrill and terrifying voice. The adults of the village describe Naqib’s behavior as an approach to reach the sainthood after taking a particular medicine. The protagonist, then a six-year-old boy who also once took the same foul-smelling, foul-testing bitter medicine fails to understand why the same medicine turned Naqib into a fearsome wandering devil. The adult believes Naqib is favored by God because only those who are favored by the God can have the special medicine. It cleans soul, purifies spirit, and the human becomes a Magzub. Thus, Naqib is a Magzub. In Arabic, Magzub represents an individual who lives in a divine attraction. A Magzub does not adhere to social norms. Thus by walking naked and performing other bizarre things, Naqib never v iolated social norms. Naqib is a saint in adults’ minds, but for children he is a devil who can reach them with his terrible stick from any distance; then burn their backs, and break their ribs. The author in this story uses perception conflict of the same fact or phenomenon by two different generations; adults perceive through wisdom, children through instinct. Furthermore, the author in this regard does not provide an answer as to who is right and who is wrong. He leaves it under reader’s judgment; how to find the truth – through wisdom or instinct? The culmination of the story is dramatic, even revolutionary to a certain extent. Protagonist becomes sick; another woman recommends his mother to send him for a night to the Magzub.

Personality inventories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Personality inventories - Essay Example uestions can be answered in a variety of ways designed so that the respondent's instinctive response would be the indicator of how they are most likely to respond to a situation, 8) answering truthfully will give the best profile for the respondent's personality (UNSW, 2003). The Big Five Theory was developed by Costa and McCrae (1988). The five components are used to assess personality traits. The five factors include: Extroversion, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Openness to Experience, and Neuroticism. Since they are considered as relatively stable traits, they are used to described variances in human personality. Extroversion measures the volition to seek the company of others and outside stimulation. This factor deals with social skills, how a person relates with other people, confidence in society, assertiveness, empathy towards others and warmth. Conscientiousness demonstrates the desire to achieve, self-discipline, and responsibility.

Performance management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Performance management - Essay Example Studies have revealed that the simplification process has produced results that have not only been conflicting but also ambiguous. Due to the disadvantages stated above, Ferreira & Otley's formulated the performance management framework that clearly describes the operation and structure of performance management system. Researchers have emphasized that to obtain accurate results that are essential in developing skills and knowledge on management performance, it is important to use theoretical foundations. Managers of an organization need to select rational theories that will guide them when analyzing performance of an organization (Chapman, 2007p. 664). Performance management approach usually involves many processes that take place in an organization. These processes include analysis, measurement, control, and planning. The mechanisms employed in performance management systems are formal and informal controls. The controls are usually dependent on the size of the organization because larger firms use administrative controls (Margret, 2010 p. 210). Performance Management Framework by Otley’s In the year 1999, Otley developed a framework that was to provide a guideline in the study of the operations of management control systems. He focused on five areas that included identification of the main goals of an organization. ... The fourth area that Otley emphasized was the implications of either achieving or failing to achieve the targets set in an organization. Lastly, he focused on monitoring the performance of an organization. Levers of Control framework Simons proposed the levers of control (LOC) framework in the year 1995. These included beliefs, boundary, diagnostic and interactive control systems (Simons, 1995:p177). Simons’ framework was based on four major concepts especially core values, the risks, the variables of critical performance and strategic uncertainties. The belief system controls the core values while the risks are regulated by the boundary system. The diagnostic control system controls the critical performance variables. The main function of the diagnostic control is to monitor, assess and provide rewards based on the different levels of performance. Lastly, the interactive control system regulates the strategic uncertainties in a company. The levers of control framework have fa cilitated the study of the interaction between boundary systems and beliefs (Collier, 2005:p321). The LOC framework was criticized because of its incompatibility with the informal controls that exist in many organizations (Hutzschenreuter, 2009 p.10). However, the employment of LOC framework facilitates the assessment of the balance between positive and negative controls (Ferreira, 2002: 053). The Performance Management Systems Structure The existing frameworks had a number of limitations that prompted researchers to develop an extended framework. The extensive framework highlights the main aspects of performance management system, and provides foundation for the development of further investigations. The performance management system focused on several areas including organization structure,

Dependent clause Essay Example for Free

Dependent clause Essay TRANSLATION: The process of turning an original or source text into a text in another language. TRANSLATION TECHNIQUES Direct Translation Techniques are used when structural and conceptual elements of the source language can be transposed into the target language. Direct translation techniques include: * Borrowing * Calque * Literal Translation Borrowing Borrowing is the taking of words directly from one language into another without translation. For example software, funk. English also borrows numerous words from other languages; abbatoire, cafe, passe and resume from French; hamburger and kindergarden from German; bandana, musk and sugar from Sanskrit. Calque A calque or loan translation is a phrase borrowed from another language and translated literally word-for-word. Examples that have been absorbed into English include standpoint and beer garden from German Standpunkt and Biergarten; breakfast from French dejeuner. Literal Translation A word-for-word translation can be used in some languages and not others dependent on the sentence structure: El equipo esta trabajando para terminar el informe would translate into English as The team is working to finish the report. Sometimes it works and sometimes it does not. And one sentence can be translated literally across languages does not mean that all sentences can be translated literally. El equipo experimentado esta trabajando para terminar el informe translates into English as The experienced team is working to finish the report (experienced and team are reversed). Oblique Translation Techniques Oblique Translation Techniques are used when the structural or conceptual elements of the source language cannot be directly translated without altering meaning or upsetting the grammatical and stylistics elements of the target language. Oblique translation techniques include: * Transposition * Modulation * Reformulation or Equivalence * Adaptation * Compensation Transposition This is the process where parts of speech change their sequence when they are translated. It is in a sense a shift of word class. Grammatical structures are often different in different languages. Transposition is often used between English and Spanish because of the preferred position of the verb in the sentence: English often has the verb near the beginning of a sentence; Spanish can have it closer to the end. This requires that the translator knows that it is possible to replace a word category in the target language without altering the meaning of the source text, for example: English Hand knitted (noun + participle) becomes Spanish Tejido a mano (participle + adverbial phrase). Modulation Modulation consists of using a phrase that is different in the source and target languages to convey the same idea: Te lo dejo means literally I leave it to you but translates better as You can have it. It changes the semantics and shifts the point of view of the source language. Through modulation, the translator generates a change in the point of view of the message without altering meaning and without generating a sense of embarrassment in the reader of the target text. It is often used within the same language. The expressions es facil de entender (it is easy to understand) and no es complicado de entender (it is not complicated to understand) are examples of modulation. Reformulation or Equivalence Here you have to express something in a completely different way, for example when translating idioms or advertising slogans. The process is creative, but not always easy. Adaptation Adaptation occurs when something specific to one language culture is expressed in a totally different way that is familiar or appropriate to another language culture. It is a shift in cultural environment. Should pincho (a Spanish restaurant menu dish) be translated as kebab in English? It involves changing the cultural reference when a situation in the source culture does not exist in the target culture (for example France has Belgian jokes and England has Irish jokes). Compensation In general terms compensation can be used when something cannot be translated, and the meaning that is lost is expressed somewhere else in the translated text. Peter Fawcett defines it as: making good in one part of the text something that could not be translated in another. One example given by Fawcett is the problem of translating nuances of formality from languages that use forms such as Spanish informal tu and formal usted, French tu and vous, and German du and sie into English which only has you, and expresses degrees of formality in different ways. WORD: It is one of the units of speech or writing that native speakers of a language usually regard as the smallest isolable meaningful element of the language, although linguists would analyze these further into morphemes There are eight different kinds of words in the English language. Nouns| Pronouns| Adjectives| Verbs| Adverbs| | Prepositions| | | Conjunctions| | | Interjections| | | NOUNS and VERBS are the most common and most essential. Every English sentence MUST contain a NOUN and a VERB. NOUNS name: people, places, things, ideas. They are always singular or plural. They are always common or proper. They may show ownership. PRONOUNS replace nouns. They have person, number, and case. ADJECTIVES describe nouns. They answer three questions: Which one? What kind? How many? VERBS have three jobs: show action, act like an equals sign, or hang around a main verb to show tense. They also have person, number, and case. ADVERBS describe verbs. They answer four questions: When? Where? How? How Much? PREPOSITIONS tell anywhere a mouse can run. CONJUNCTIONS connect things. INTERJECTIONS jump into show emotion. Sentence: it is a sequence of words capable of standing alone to make an assertion, ask a question, or give a command, usually consisting of a subject and a predicate containing a finite verb. Kinds of sentences. Simple Sentence it is a sentence having no coordinate clauses or subordinate clauses. Complex Sentence it is a sentence composed of at least one main clause and one subordinate clause. Compound Sentence it is a sentence composed of at least two coordinate independent clauses. Phrase it is a group of words forming an immediate syntactic constituent of a clause. Clause it is an expression including a subject and predicate but not constituting a complete sentence. Pre-modifier is a word (or words), usually adjectives or adverbs, that comes before the word that it describes. Basic Modifiers * Adjectives * Adverbs * Prepositional Phrases More Modifiers * Degree Modifier * Presumptive Modifier * Summative Modifier Post-modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that functions as an adjective or adverb to limit or qualify the meaning of another word or word group. Adjective Order Adjectives can be used to describe lots of things, from physical size, age, shape, colour, material, to more abstract things like opinion, origin and purpose. We can use adjectives together to give a detailed description of something. Adjectives that express opinions usually come before all others, but it can sometimes depend on what exactly you want to emphasize. For instance: That nice, big, blue bag. (You like the bag. ) That big, nice, blue bag. (You like the colour. ) When adjectives are together there is a general rule for the position of each type adjective, these are: Position| 1st*| 2nd*| 3rd| 4th| 5th| 6th| 7th| 8th| | Opinion| Size| Age| Shape| Colour| Material| Origin| Purpose| | Nice| Small| Old| Square| Black| Plastic| British| Racing| | Ugly| Big| New| Circular| Blue| Cotton| American| Running|.

Why Radical Right Parties Struggle to Maintain Support

Why Radical Right Parties Struggle to Maintain Support Explaining the rapid decline in support for radical right parties in Western Europe Abstract The general trend amongst the radical right parties of Western Europe has been a steady increase of fortunes in elections to the national legislature. However, cases in France, Austria, Germany and the Netherlands have presented a phenomenon whereby the party haemorrhages their share of the vote soon after an electoral breakthrough. The aim of this work will be to highlight why (where it occurs) parties of the extreme right have struggled to maintain the consistent support of a large portion of the electorate and explain why this decline is more rapid than traditional mainstream parties. Introduction Background Amongst observers of Western European parties of the radical, or extreme, right there has been a general consensus that the last three decades have exhibited a trend of resurgent fortunes. Since the collapse in support and legitimacy for such parties in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War and the onset of the Cold War, they initially struggled to establish an electoral foothold in both the traditionally and newly democratic systems of Western Europe. Approaching the 21st Century, though, most countries in Western Europe witnessed an upturn in fortunes for the radical right, with many achieving the status of mass organised parties and becoming a persistent presence in national legislatures. Consequently, academic literature has tended to focus on the reasons behind this phenomenon, observers attempting to provide explanations behind the electoral performance of specific parties or an over-arching explanation of why radical right parties appear to be becoming increasingly p opular and successful in elections to national legislatures. This has provided several factors which are generally considered to be conducive towards the success of the radical right, such as: populist appeal; charismatic leadership; shifting debate in the political spectrum which creates a niche which the radical right alone can exploit; increasing salience of radical right issues; notably immigration and race relations; decline in voter confidence in the traditional democratic elites (including electoral effects of voter apathy); and increasing perception of mainstream party corruption; and inability to deliver on critical issues; and more. Taking the general theme of research in this area, then, one might assume that the fortunes of Western European radical right parties has on the whole been of increasing, or at least stable, electoral fortunes. Indeed, in researching for this paper, it has been noted that electoral results for radical right parties to national legislatures has in almost all Western European countries been improving over the last three decades. However, there are certain cases which present an interesting question regarding the futures of such parties and the continuance of this trend. This is the question of whether they are institutionally capable and stable enough to maintain support and legitimacy, as well as operate as a successful governing party once they have achieved significant success. Such success we might define as the institutionalisation of the party as a relatively permanent feature in national elections, with reasonable potential to participate in coalition negotiations or be a signif icant factor affecting the passing of bills and focus of debate in the national legislature and media. As mentioned, for many parties this is already a reality, or could realistically become one, but four cases suggest that once extreme right parties have reached a certain level of support, they encounter the same risks as many other institutionalised parties with regard to reversals in fortune. However, I will argue that many of the risks they face are unique to parties of the radical/extreme right, and hence why in the cases under study the decline in support has been so rapid. The cases under question regard when parties of the radical right experience a reversal of the general electoral trend, namely a decline in support. As mentioned, examples of this have been the exception rather than the rule, but are of significant interest because of the fact that radical right parties are still essentially niche parties. The cases investigated in this paper Austrias FPO, Frances Front National, Germanys Die Republikaner, and the Dutch parties of the radical right have all at some point experienced a significant downturn in electoral support in national elections. In 2002, the FPO slipped from 26.9% of the popular vote to just 10% after a tumultuous period in coalition with the OVP, and though experiencing a resurgence in fortunes, the party has suffered from Haiders split to form the BZO. In Germany, the Republikaner party went from being a party with European Parliament and Landtag seats and polling over half a million votes in federal elections by 1998, to a sp lintered and no longer apparently extremist party which has almost dropped off the electoral map in federal elections. The French Front National has been an ever-present and outspoken feature of French politics since Jean-Marie Le Pen burst onto the scene, but after the unexpected success in the 2002 presidential elections, they have been unable to maintain momentum, with numerous internal spats and a slide a results in 2007 Le Pens lowest result in presidential elections since 1981, and the National Assembly results more than halving. Finally, the Netherlands presents an interesting case, whereby several radical right parties have scored seats in general elections, yet so far all have swiftly collapsed, despite what might be argued is a fertile ground for the radical right as a force in Dutch politics. These cases stand out because of the unusually damaging decline in electoral fortunes, which buck the trend of established radical right party performance over the last three decades. Whilst there are examples of established radical right parties (i.e.: parties which have representation in the national legislature over several terms) which have suffered electoral setbacks (notably the Alleanza Nazionale in 2001, Norways Fremskrittspartiet in 1993), such declines in support have been relatively minor, and such parties have recovered from them swiftly. This paper seeks to provide some explanation as to why the reversal in electoral fortunes for the four parties under investigation here has been so rapid. Whilst there have been cases elsewhere in Western Europe of radical right parties suffering electoral setbacks, none have been so markedly significant as these, where the parties under examination have experienced declines in performance of at least 60% in elections to the national leg islature in the space of just two elections. In two cases the LPF and Republikaner this has been near a near terminal decline; in the case of the FPO, this was followed by a significant split from which they are only just recovering; and the FN are left at in a difficult position, particularly given the age of their ever-present leader Jean-Marie Le Pen. These results stand in stark contrast to the general story of radical right success in recent decades, where a decline in votes for an established party has been both relatively minor and recoverable from, the four parties under investigation have experienced what appear to be electoral nose-dives. Consequently an examination of the reasons why these four parties have suffered such unusually damaging results might help to produce interesting results concerning how the parties of the radical right operate as an electoral force and any unique challenges they face in consolidating themselves in the party systems of Western Europe. Previous research in this area As mentioned earlier, general research into the declining fortunes of the radical right has been relatively sparse and overwhelmed in comparison to the amount of research conducted into the reasons behind success for the radical right. Much of the general work into the radical right as a new phenomenon has provided useful grounds for research into decline, most notably Herbert Kitschelts The Radical Right in Western Europe (University of Michigan Press, 1995), which posited that the radical rights success in the late 20th century can to a large extent be explained by an electoral systems effect on voter choice. This seminal work has gone some way to explaining the differing levels of success exhibited by the radical right, offering a plausible reason why there appear to be significant limits to radical right success at a national level in mixed and majoritarian systems, such as the UK, Germany and Scandinavia, compared to systems which are more proportional or have lower thresholds for entry into legislatures. It is useful to take into account the effect of electoral systems, given that many individual and general studies suggest that successful radical right parties will often exhibit very similar traits with rega rd to leadership style, policy platforms and party organisation, and in particular the mobilisation of electoral coalitions on common policy issues; yet these similarities stand in contrast to electoral results which might vary greatly. Though Kitschelts theory as elucidated in The Radical Right is intended primarily to explain the conditions for radical right emergence and success, it has also been to some extent used to explain the converse why the radical right might experience a decline in success. However, the great weakness of Kitschelts study is that it is so concerned with explaining conditions for emergence. Numerous studies have gone to show that taking the converse of Kitschelts theory that electoral systems can explain reversals in success for radical right parties will not provide satisfactory explanations of the radical right phenomenon. Partly this is because the electoral systems model cannot account for reversals in success once a radical right party has become established. Indeed, if we take Kitschelts theory strictly, we might conclude that once a radical right party has established itself as a legitimate and vote-winning parliamentary party (i.e.: it has broken through the electoral thresholds and maintained representation for at least one subsequent election), then it is unlikely to fall back into a position whereby it retreats into permanent decline despite a permeable electoral system. Significant counter-examples to this notion exist, most notably the Dutch example, whereby the radical right has broken through electoral barriers to make relatively significant gains, only to suffer rapid and terminal decline, despite little change to the electoral system and the obvious salience of radical right politics amongst a stubborn group of extremist voters and significant group of protest voters. The issue is further complicated when we consider the effect of other actors in the electoral system. Two studies in 2005 (Veugelers and Magnan; Meguid) complimented an approach which showed how flawed an analysis of electoral systems can be when considering the reasons for a decline or restriction in the success for radical right parties. The Veugelers Magnan study sought to apply Kitschelts electoral systems theory, although the study was specifically aimed at analysing the conditions for far right strength. The significance here was that the study A.) suggested that the conditions for far right success were dependent to a significant extent upon the structure or restructuring of party competition; and B.) that an application of the electoral systems theory could not satisfactorily explain the (varying levels of) success for parties in France and Austria. Whilst Meguids studypaid little attention to electoral system features as a variable, it did present strong evidence that the a ttitudes of ‘mainstream parties towards niche (including radical right parties) is crucial to the electoral fortunes of a niche party at a general election a theory backed up by Art, who believed the differing levels of success experienced by the German and Austrian extreme right was primarily attributable to mainstream responses to their presence in the arty system. The structure of party competition is therefore of interest, as it provides the possibility of a significant external factor which might effect a decline in support for a radical right party. Individual studies have shown the significance of mainstream responses to radical right issues when it comes to electoral performance. Generally, there is a lot of divergence across countries with regard to cross-party adoption of and attitudes towards the policies and issues canvassed by the radical right. This is partly due to the nature of political discourse in each country, with what we might call ‘radical right grievances amongst voters and politicians alike rather diverse. Whilst the primary issues championed by the radical right tend to be common (foremost amongst which are immigration, race relations and anti-establishment platforms), the salience of these issues amongst voters varies significantly from country to country, and accommodation of such issues likewise. For instance, m ainstream responses to immigration and race issues in Germany are rather muted by mainstream fears of being accused of auslà ¤nderfeindlichkeit, despite it being a highly vocal issue at local level in contrast, there has been a marked shift in strategy amongst the French mainstream since the early 1990s to accommodate issues popularised by Le Pens outspoken rhetoric. Again, much of the general work on party system effects on the fortunes of the radical right has centred upon their emergence and the conditions for success, rather than failure. A general theme popularised by Ignazi (1992) was that the evolution of political discourse in post-industrial Western Europe to focus on neo-conservatism and neo-liberalism had opened up and legitimised dialogue concerning issues traditionally confined to the extreme right. Given that these same themes are to some extent still prevalent today, it might be suggested that any decline in fortunes for the radical right might be due to internal factors affecting radical right parties, rather than the result of further shifts in the political spectrum which havent been evidenced. However, Ignazis theory has become less popular recently, with studies such as Abedi (2002) suggesting that radical right parties are just as successful where ‘overcrowding of the centre is evident as when the centre parties open up (as Ignazi suggested) to allow possible entry. Further to this, no obvious correlation between a fall in support for the radical right and a change in the party system can be drawn. This is partly due to difficulties in producing a coherent model of the party system which analyses such a correlation, as well as because responses to the influence of a radical right party tend to be driven by particular or extraordinary events in the short term, rather than medium- and long-term shifts in discourse. Particularly evident are the cases of the LPF and FPO, whereby shifts to actually accommodate these parties in government by pragmatic coalition partners were immediately followed by a rapid decline in support, even though the overall terms of political debate did not significantly change over the period in question. This might lead us to agree with Abedi that any change in support for the radical right is largely unrelated to the degree of polarisation exhibited by the party system. We m ight subsequently take the view that a decline in support for a radical right party has an ambiguous relationship to restructuring of the party system. Given this we might look to the manner in which parties of the radical right garner support in the first place (excepting any influence from external actors such as those discussed above). Studies in this area have again tended to concern how the radical right achieves support in the first place. A recent example is Ivarsflatens (2008) study, which supports the theory that the only grievance mobilised by all radical right parties with any success is that of immigration. Importantly, this study suggests that radical right parties are just as effective when no particular grievance is mobilised (intentionally or not). This presents one of the more crucial issues that the radical right faces, namely how to deal with a voter base which tends to be split along three lines first, committed voters who are attracted to the partys general platform; second, voters who would normally vote otherwise, but are attracted because the issues touted by the party (in particular, immigration) suddenly b ecome more salient; and thirdly a protest vote from those voters who have become particularly disillusioned with mainstream parties(more on this later). The suggestion, consequently, is that it is not a change in policy or grievance issues which effects a drop in support for the radical right, but rather a partys response to changing perceptions of legitimacy and reliability as a legislative grouping. This is particularly important given that radical right parties so often emphasise themselves as anti-establishment, meaning they risk de-legitimisation if they acquire the labels of ‘corrupt and ‘ineffective which they hurl at mainstream parties. Having to contend with these issues, radical right parties have consequently developed rather unique party structures in order to respond effectively to voter issues. Of particular interest is common assertion that the radical right tend to be populist parties. For numerous reasons too extensive to list here, radical right parties have relied heavily on new media and the appeal of a charismatic and outspoken leadership. Due to their small size relative to mainstream parties, as well as the more transitory nature of their voter base, they have tended to rely heavily on alarmist campaigning, often gaining press coverage in excess of their size or real influence, in order to get heard and maximise their effect on party dialogue. This is a regularly observed strategy, even if it weakens or threatens solidarity and effectiveness in the party leadership. One key objective of such a technique is to widen and enhance their voter appeal, but in order to work successfully radical right parties have often had to ‘water downproposals, or at least simplify them in order to fulfil the need for soundbites and slick campaign material. Such campaigning, and a reliance on uniquely charismatic and authoritarian leadership (a common feature across the most successful radical right parties), is a factor common to most radical right parties, particularly those under study in this paper. Hypotheses Given the variety of factors affecting the establishment and growth of the radical right, it might be reasoned that there are numerous reasons behind the failings of radical right parties where they have occurred. Although external factors such as party system structure, electoral system and the nature of the electorate have been shown to have an effect on the performance of radical right parties, existing research suggests that this is most significant when a radical right party is emerging. However, I will seek to show that whilst these factors can be part of the reason for a decline in support for radical right parties, they are not necessarily primary causes. In particular, in the four cases under investigation, the hypothesis is that the external factors mentioned are not significant enough to explain why the decline in support for these parties was so rapid. The central question of this paper is why the radical right in the four countries under investigation have experienced such a substantial decline in voter share between elections, rather than a minimal drop or continuing to grow as has been the case with the radical right in other West European countries. A hypothesis based on external factors (party system and competition, media strategy, electoral system, voter issues, etc.) affecting the party is unlikely to be sufficient, as the variation in circumstances for the four parties under consideration means it would be difficult to derive a general cause for electoral demise, particularly given the highly unorthodox nature of the parties decline in comparison to the overall story of radical right success across Europe in the same period. A hypothesis based on internal factors (leadership, party strategy, etc.) alone is also insufficient, as it is difficult to envisage how the decline in votes scored on such a large scale can be the res ult of internal structural issues without a significant alteration in the external factors precipitating a decline. Comparing these cases to other Western European radical right parties which have not suffered a significant or permanent collapse in support, it is suggested that the successful parties have better managed a transition which allows them to present themselves as reliable governing parties which can (sustainably) fulfil the demands of voters in parliament or government, rather than just reliable vote-winning ­ parties which can win representation on limited issues at individual elections. The former is shown to be present in the case of parties such as Italys MSI/AN and Lega Nord, Switzerlands SVP, Norways Fremskrittspartiet, etc, all of which have avoided significant declines in vote-share despite changing conditions in the party system or electoral system. It is therefore expected that in the four cases under investigation the three most significant factors conducive to the plunge in electoral results are:- 1.) Leadership style. As mentioned, radical right parties tend to, without the ‘taming effect of coalition partners, be characterised by a populist style of campaigning, often focusing on specific political issues to fan voter sentiments and gain cross-cleavage support from the electorate. This often includes leaders who embody a highly pragmatic and charismatic leadership style. It is hypothesised that in our four cases this style of leadership makes it difficult for the party to the demands of government or maintain a stable coalition of support. 2.) Mainstream party responses to the radical right. Since the emergence of the ‘new radical right party family there has been a general move by radical right leaders towards legitimising their parties within political systems, and it is not controversial to suggest that this is a necessity for them to be perceived as legitimate by an electorate in order to break into a national legislature or into government, or by the parties they have to negotiate with in parliaments (for the passage of bills, formation of coalitions, etc.) in order to effectively influence policy. It is postulated that the reaction of mainstream parties to a breakthrough by the four parties under consideration inhibits the respective radical right partys ability to operate as a governing/policy influencing party, as well as inhibiting the ability of the initially large electoral coalition which gave them representation to support them in a consequent election. 3.) The social bases of electoral support. Given the heterogeneous nature of support for radical right parties at the polls, it is suggested that a significant portion of the vote for the parties under consideration at ‘breakthrough elections is mobilised on a temporary, rather than a permanent, basis. This could be for a variety of reasons issue salience, identification as a ‘radical right voter, legitimacy of the party. It is suggested, therefore, that the four parties under investigation have been unable to establish a stable and reliable basis of electoral support between parliaments, such that when factors (1) and or (2) come into play the party suffers from the departure of one or more groups of voters that are attracted to the party by temporary issues. Consequently the steep decline in vote share is a result of the inability of the party to consolidate their appeal to a broad enough group of voters to maintain their electoral momentum, resulting in only a small g roup of faithful voters turning out to prop up their poll numbers. Methods and Focus This paper will focus on the developments of four parties in the electoral periods relevant to the subject of enquiry. These are: the French Front National between the 2002 and 2007 presidential elections, and the 1997, 2002 and 2007 National Assembly elections; Austrias Freiheitliche Partei Osterreichs (FPO) between the 1999 and 2002 Parlament elections; Germanys Die Republikaner between the 1998 and 2002 Bundestag elections; and the cases of the Dutch radical right parties, concentrating on the electoral fortunes of the Lijst Pim Fortuyn between the 2002 and 2003 elections to the House of Representatives. In each of these cases the parties in question have gone from positions of relative strength to haemorrhaging votes, results which stand in contrast to results for radical right parties elsewhere across Western Europe. This paper will then focus on analysing whether the hypotheses listed above are true. This has been done by assessing academic papers which have analysed the conditions of the relevant parties in order to determine what, if any, consensus there is on the reasons behind these parties collapse in vote share, backing this up with media evidence where it is relevant. Additional to this, general research into the systematic effects determining what might cause a drop in votes for the radical right has been called upon in order to confirm the hypotheses, as well as potentially extrapolate the hypothesised causes for vote decline from external factors (such as changes in the party or electoral system, the strategies of rival parties, changes in issue salience, etc) in order to see if it can be confirmed. Throughout the investigation special attention will be given to several key themes which contribute the events surrounding the electoral defeats of the parties in question. These will include:- Party leadership All four parties under investigation have been generally considered by observers as exhibiting a populist style of political strategy. Three factors are worth considering here. First, how far this is important in allowing the party to generate votes at general elections; second, to what extent the party uses populist campaigning to gain influence on policy; and thirdly, how this affects the partys ability to respond to demands of government/the electorate (where relevant). Legitimacy of the party This does not concern whether or not the party is viewed as a legitimate, i.e.: not anti-system, party; rather, it concerns whether or not the party has a reputation for delivering on its promises, or can present candidates who are genuine and reliable enough for an electorate to support them. This is important in the sense that the partys chances of maintaining electoral momentum may be hampered by poor performance in government or in the legislative process in parliament. Competition in the party system How other (relevant) parties in the countrys party system respond to the challenges posed by the party of the radical right. Obviously there is a difficulty in assessing which responses by what parties actually have an affect on the performance of the radical right party. Consequently we will be looking for cases collaboration, cohabitation, or ostracisation by mainstream parties which have an observable effect on either the radical right partys electoral fortunes, or their ability to operate as a policy-influencing party (be it by governing or as a force in the legislature). Salient policy issues at elections Parties of the radical right have been noted to campaign on a breadth of issues, albeit often engaging more vocally with a specific issue in order to generate support, in contrast to mainstream parties (particularly those with ambitions of government) which are forced to campaign on a wide variety of issues affecting all voters. Consequently, it is of interest to observe whether the specific campaign and policy stances of the radical right parties at elections in any way effected (or possibly even mitigated) the decline in vote share. The social bases of support Radical right parties do not fit easily into a cleavage-based model of the party system, as they tend to draw their support from a wide variety of social backgrounds for numerous different reasons. It is of interest, therefore, from what groups did the party under investigation originally garner support in the election preceding the regression, and whether there was any observable change in the type or confidence of the groups who voted for the party by the time of their decline in the following election. Cases Studies Austria the Freiheitliche Partei Osterreichs (FPO) The FPO is possibly the most significant party to begin this investigation with, due to the fact that it is not only one of the longest established radical right parties, but also because it occupied government for far longer than any other under investigation here. Since Jà ¶rg Haider was elected leader of the party in 1986 it had experienced a remarkably sustainable rise in results, culminating in the earthquake success at the 1999 election where it became the second largest party with 26.9% of the vote. It is of note that the FPOs success has roughly correlated to the declining fortunes of the ‘Grand Coalition of SPO and OVP. Popular disenchantment with the Proporz system which had characterized Austrias two-party system came to a head in the 1999 elections when both parties opinion poll ratings slumped immediately prior to the election. The SPO/OVP coalition had not, by most standards, been particularly unsuccessful or hit by scandal, even benefitting from increasing opinion poll numbers thanks to Austrias presidency of the EU in the second half of 1998. Whilst the Social Democrats poll numbers remained remarkably stable (with only a minimal drop in 1999 compared to the OVP), the OVP had a much harder time, being unable to mitigate a general trend of decline that had continued since the 1991-95 Parlament. In particular, Mà ¼ller notes that the party had difficulty in producing a coordinated and effective campaign on election issues, compared to the aggressive campaigning of the SPO and FPO, the latter of whom was particularly successful at enlivening their campaign by recruiting celebrities such as Patrick Ortlieb and Theresia Kirler. The constitution of the vote for the FPO in the 1999 election is also interesting with regard to how it broke the OVP/SPO duopoly. The FPO had been remarkably successful at increasing turnout from voters of every background, suggesting the FPO was poaching voters from both the SPO and OVP. This is partly due to voter dissatisfaction with the continuation of the Grand Coalition still too tainted by Proporz, as well as the FPOs ability to play off Haiders recent election to the Governorship of Carinthia a success which greatly enhanced the FPOs credentials as a party of government. However, the core vote for the FPO remained blue collar (predominantly male) workers, largely (and perhaps disproportionately) drawn from former SPO-leaning voters, despite the SPO being generally seen to have been more successful than the OVP at limiting the drop in votes experienced as the 1995-9 coalition came to its end. (Though it should be noted that the FPO increasingly attracted a significant number of voters from right-leaning farmers and middle-class professionals unhappy with the OVPs commitment to the EU and perceived lack of leadership.) The FPO had also more than any other party managed to increase membership of the party, particularly amongst professionals and those exhibiting no ideological affinity for the party. Luther points out that as beneficial as this may have been for maximising turnout, the membership drive was set against a push by Haider to fill organisation posts within the party with individuals likely to be loyal to the party leadership (i.e.: Haider), including key figures such as Susanne Riess-Passer and Karl-Heinz Grasser. T

Keller Williams One Man Band :: essays research papers fc

Imagine attending a concert in which if you were to close your eyes, you would assume that the music you are hearing is being created by a cast of band members, each playing their respective instruments. Contrary to your assumptions, however, this band only consists of one member. Keller Williams, dubbed by critics as a one-man-band, is one of a kind both in his musical talent and his solo act. Very few solo musicians have mastered such a multi-dimensional sound and captivating live show as Keller, making him standout amongst today’s musicians. Keller’s ability to perform improvisational live shows, form a large and dedicated fan base, and share the beliefs and attitudes of the hippie generation has given him the musical identity of the jam band genre in addition to his personal identity of being a solo act.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Keller grew up in of Fredericksburg, Virginia and first began performing at the early age of 16. Without any formal teaching, he taught himself how to the play the guitar, mimicking the styles of his role models John Fahey, Leo Kottke, and the late Michael Hedges. Williams started out playing in bars and restaurants in his hometown. He played in various bands to help him get a feel for his own skills. After doing so, he decided that a band would not suite the type of music path he was set out for and quickly decided to take a more solo-oriented route. The type of music Keller creates fuses elements of rock, funk, jazz, folk, bluegrass, and techno. His lyrics are â€Å"usually lighthearted, inventive and conjuring images of a twisted reality† (â€Å"Keller Williams Bio†). It is these characteristics, combined with the looping techniques that he uses to create a full-band sound with only himself on stage, which is what further distinguishes Williams fr om all other musicians.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Placed in the genre of jam bands, Keller is able to create a solo jamming experience with the use of his arsenal of various instruments. Keller was â€Å"introduced to looping techniques by ‘Flecktones’ bassist Victor Wooten,† which he now uses â€Å"to build a full-band sound with only one man on stage† (â€Å"Keller Williams Brings†). A typical song will begin by Williams playing a guitar riff which he will then â€Å"loop† so that it repeats continuously. Next, he might pick up another guitar, of which he has collection numbering eight or so, and record another riff which he will loop on top of the original riff.

A Separate Peace :: essays research papers

Difference Too Often Leads to Hate   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many times in the world, differences have lead to hate. Think of Martin Luther King, for example, who stood for fighting against one of the largest differences. A Separate Peace, by John Knowles, is one of many examples of differences leading to hate. Gene and Finny, who somehow managed to become friends, have completely different views of each other. Finny wanted to be friends with Gene, but had trouble facing the reality that Gene felt differently. Gene became jealous over Finny’s difference to himself. Difference has led to hate, once more, and pain has again resulted, first mentally and emotionally, then finally physically.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Knowles creates Gene as one who always is strictly trying to comply with the rules and regulations, always obeying his superiors; completely different then that of Finny’s personality. â€Å"Over your head? Pink! It makes you look like a fairy!† (909). Considering such, he envies Finny, because Finny can ‘get away with murder’ if he wanted to, and can stay out of trouble doing so. â€Å"Phineas could get away with anything. I couldn’t help envying him†¦a little† (909). Knowles shows how much jealousy Gene had over Finny’ s ability to stay out of trouble, no matter what he did. â€Å"This time he wasn’t going to get away with it.† (909). He would rather be in accordance to the rules and be on his best behavior, than to be a rebel who goes against everything. Finny, on the other hand was more of a rebel. â€Å"I wonder what would happen if I looked like a fairy to everyone.† (909). Finny, more of a rebel, is very outgoing; he, however shows himself off as a perfect individual. One day at Devon, he gets into small dispute because he wore the school tie as a belt. This he frees himself from quickly, explaining, â€Å"It goes with the shirt and it all ties together†¦with what we’ve been talking about, this bombing in Central Europe.† (910). Complying with not only Devon’s rules and regulations, but also the standards of formal conduct, Gene has a strong instinct to follow order, guided by careful thought, which Knowles has implanted in him, throughout the text. Gene is a person who thinks before he acts. â€Å"What was I doing up here anyway? Why did I let Finny talk me into stupid things like this?† (906). He is an individualist with distinct and well-thought characteristics.

Revolutionary Republicanism Essay

Revolutionary republicanism is an ideal example of the American war fighting for their independence from England. The ideology of revolutionary republicanism is pieced together from English political ideas, Enlightenment theories, and religious beliefs. This was all constituted with the revolution in thought. Many lives, economies, politics, religions, and even thoughts were changed in effect to the American war. The Revolutionary republicanism by the American War caused a lot of change in many people’s lives. Native Americans, women, African Americans, and Loyalists were all affected by this change. Many Native Americans homes, family, and fields were destroyed by the war. The group from the Native Americans mostly affected by war were the Iroquois. In the summer of 1779, American troops launched raids into the Iroquois country. These attacks caused many burning villages, the killing of men, women, and children, and destroying a lot of corn. By the end of the war the Iroquois had lost about one-third of their people as well as many towns. Even though many Native Americans lost lives because of the war, it brought countless numbers of them to America. The second group of lives changed by war were women. Women still continued to fight for their rights and freedom but they continued to be denied franchise. Women had still never voted nor held office positions except on a few occasions. Then in New Jersey the constitution of 1776 opened the franchise to â€Å"all free inhabitants† who met property and residence requirements. Many women took advantage of this. After this women’s traditional roles took a new and improved political meaning. The third group that had their lives changed because of revolutionary republicanism was the African Americans. During the war many African Americans were enlisted in support of the revolutionary cause. Then after the war about 20% of African Americans went to behind the British lines to gain freedom. Most of the blacks saw England as freedom not tyranny. The slaves who fled behind British lines never sought out their freedom. Then lastly many Loyalists’ lives were changed. Most of the Loyalists gained partial reimbursement for their losses. All loyalists were deprived of voting, confiscating houses, and banishing from their homes. Also the punishing of Loyalists, accused of Loyalism, was popular. The American war didn’t just change people’s lives it changed the economy, religion, and politics too. After the War people were into politics like never before. Newspapers multiplied and pamphlets by the thousands followed the political debates. The expansion of popular politics resulted from an explosive combination of circumstances. The war also put huge stress on the economy too even though the war ended with an American victory. The war had caused many casualties, properties being destroyed, and the local economies being unbalanced. This conflict left the Iroquois and the Cherokee severely weakened. This opened the doors to the western expansion. The ideology of revolutionary republicanism is pieced together from English political ideas, Enlightenment theories, and religious beliefs. This was all constituted with the revolution in thought. Because the war had changed so many lives and thoughts the nation as a whole began to transform. By 1783 a new nation had come into being, and it was based on doctrines of republican liberty.

Key Benefits And Challenges Of An Integrated Approach To Working With Children With Additional Needs And Their Families In An Early Years Setting.

Introduction Many families who have children with additional needs often fear sending their children to mainstream schools (Wang 2009). Such parents often fear that their children will not be treated equally in mainstream school, and also worry about how well their specific needs can be met (NCSE 2011). As such they often place them in special settings with low student-pupil ratios and with specialized teaching. However, the effectiveness of special settings has recently been questioned. Placing children with special needs in special settings has been a subject of considerable debate over the past few years (Wall 2011). While the general public view is that special needs students can benefit from individual and small group instruction, there is no compelling evidence to support this claim. In fact, the opposite seems true. According to a study conducted by Casey et al (1998), it was found that special schools with curricula designed specifically for special needs students did not necessarily result in better improvements in children’s cognitive ability or developmental outcomes. A similar study by Bunch & Valeo (1997) came to similar conclusions It was claimed that special placement of children with additional needs has not demonstrated substantive advantages over mainstream classes, despite specialized teaching and lower teacher to pupil ratio. More recent researches by Brown et al (2005) and Allen & Cowdery (2005) have made similar conclusions. In this regard, this paper examines the key benefits and challenges of an integrated approach to working with children with additional needs and their families in an early years setting. Defining the term ‘Additional needs’ Before exploring further, it is worthwhile to first define the term ‘additional needs’. This term is used in reference to certain conditions or circumstances that might lead to children requiring special support (Owens 2009). Children with additional needs are mainly those that have health conditions and needs related to learning and physical development (Roffey 2001). That is, children with additional needs include: those who are physically handicapped, those with developmental delay or intellectual disability, communication disorders and those diagnosed with conditions such as Down syndrome, Autism or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Owens 2009). ‘Inclusion’ Having defined the term ‘additional needs’, it is important to understand the context in which the term ‘inclusion’ is used. As Connor (2006) points out, the concept of inclusion is used to describe placement of children with additional needs in regular settings rather than special facilities. It should be noted that inclusion goes beyond just teaching the child in inclusive classroom settings and includes the quality of the child’s experience of school life and association with other peers. Legislative framework. Key legislations governing provision of services to special needs children include the ‘Education (NI) Order 1996’ and the ‘Special Education Needs and Disability (NI) Order 2005’ (DoE 2009). The former outlines the rights and duties of the following in relation to special needs students: schools, parents, Health and Social Services Boards, Education and Library Boards Department of Education It also sets out a Code of Practice and establishes an arrangement for issuing a statement and assessment of these children’s education needs (Porter 2003). The ‘Special Education Needs and Disability (NI) Order 2005’ resulted from amendments made to the first one to include the right of special needs children to mainstream education and introduction of new disability discrimination responsibilities (DoE 2009). Integrated approach In the UK, these children with special needs are integrated into the mainstream schools provided that there is adequate equipment, enough staff and the right resources to ensure that they achieve their full potential ( Heinemann & Vickerman 2009). However, it is not mandatory for mainstream schools to enroll children with special needs. Rather, it depends on the ability of the school itself to meet their needs. If the mainstream school setting cannot provide for their needs, the child is placed under the local authority which then seeks to provide solutions (Silberfeld 2009). There is a growing recognition of the benefits of including special needs students in mainstream schools as opposed to remedial settings. Now more than ever, there is an increased emphasis on collaborative model and joint working to ensure that children with special needs are included in mainstream education (Duke & Smith 2007). Perhaps this has been driven by the recognition of its benefits and increasing trend in children in need of special attention. The number of children with educational needs in the UK has been on the rise over the past few years. For example, their proportion as a percentage of the total school population increased from 14.6% in 2003 to 17.7% in 2007 (DoE 2009). Benefits There are several benefits for such an integrated approach to working with children with special needs. First, such inclusive programs will help other children to understand them, accept them, appreciate and value their similarities and differences (Sammons et al. 2003). This will enable them to see each person as an individual as opposed to seeing them in terms of their needs. Another benefit to such an integrated approach is the reduction in stigma. There is compelling evidence that shows that placing children with special needs in mainstream schools in the early stages can significantly reduce stigma (Griffin 2008). Inclusion programmes have the potential to facilitate a relationship that can be mutually beneficial for both groups of students. It allows children from both groups to develop awareness and to value their differences, thereby reducing stigmatization and labeling. An integrated approach to learning enhances social integration and reduces stigmatization and prejudice ag ainst children with special needs (Griffin 2008). Inclusion also reflects the acceptance of special needs children in the society. The integrated approach makes children with special needs to feel accepted to the society and by their peers and gives them a sense of belonging (Robinson & Jones-Diaz 2005). Such inclusive programmes can as well be of benefit to the parents. All that parents want is for their children to live typical lives like other students including being accepted by their friends and peers (Owens 2009). Families’ visions of having their children experience typical life like other regular students can come true (Weston 2010)Furthermore, maintaining an inclusive setting can be more economical than running a special setting (Weston 2010). Additionally, the economic outputs can be greater when special needs students are educated in mainstream schools because of the self-sufficiency skills stressed in such settings (Mitchell 2009). Other benefits to such an integr ated approach include: improved academic performance, opportunity to participate in typical experiences of childhood, and gaining confidence to pursue inclusion in other settings such as recreational groups (Jones 2004). Research seems to suggest that special need children perform better when placed together with other peers in the natural setting (Brown et al., 2005). As Allen & Cowdery (2005) points out, special need children who receive services such as occupational therapy, language therapy and special education perform even better when provided with these services in the natural settings with their typically developing peers. Challenges While the arguments in favour of integration are valid, it should also be remembered that integration in itself is a two-way process. In most cases, the benefits of integration have been argued from the side of special needs student. What about the other group of students. Aren’t they going to be affected by the way services are devoted t o special needs students? Such an integrated approach raises several key challenges. One particular challenge relates to the issue of fairness. Given their inclusion in mainstream classrooms, how can fairness be determinedWhat is fair for a typical average studentAnd what is fair for a special needs student (Swartz 2005)It is questionable whether the educational needs of these students can be met in mainstream classes especially given that they requires some sort of specialized services and special attention as well. There is a danger that the attention given to the special needs students will affect the quality of services that the regular students receive (Hoccut 1996). Given the developmental delays that most special needs students experience, the other regular students may rate themselves with these students in terms of academic performance which eventually might lead to the decline in their creativity and critical thinking capabilities (Wang 2009). Can this be termed as fair to either groupThis remains a major challenge to such inclusion programmes. Another challenge relates to the aggressive nature of some of these children. Coping with emotionally and behaviourally disturbed children can be particularly challenging for both the students and teachers (Cohen et al 2004). This can be seen with the recent push by some schools for ‘responsible inclusion’. Some of these children mental health needs are beyond what the mainstream education can deliver and as such can be disruptive to other students. Schools have become de facto mental health providers for children with special needs yet they were not set up for such purposes (Heinneman & Vickerman 2009). Despite these challenges, the focus should be on promoting integration of special needs students into the mainstream education. While there are many arguments in favour of and against integrations, the benefits for such integration are significant. Those in favour of special facilities argue that these facilities are best for children with special needs in that it helps them maintain self-esteem and experience greater success (Cohen et al. 2004). They argue that segregation helps them with self-esteem and protects them from stigmatization. To some extent, they raise a valid argument especially given that the mainstream schools do not have enough human resources and adequate material for catering for the needs of such children (Hocutt 1996). However, such an approach will only further enhance stigmatization and negative labelling. Also, it might lead to social isolation from their peers and a lack of academic press, and higher order thinking among children with special needs. Moreover, placing such students in special facilities conjures up images which render them as failures and this may further reinforce their low-self esteem (Cohen et al 2004). Perhaps this might be the reason why some of these students become physically aggressive or verbally abusive. They end up viewing aggression as the only way to be recognized (Cohen et al 2004). There are several benefits to such an intergrated approach to learning including better social adjustment and stigma reduction. Children with special needs may also benefit from inclusion programs through participating in typical experiences of childhood, gaining an understanding about diversity of people in the community, and gaining the confidence to pursue inclusion in other settings such as recreational groups (Nutbrown & Clough 2010). Other regular students may benefit from the opportunity to meet and share experiences with special needs students, and developing positive attitudes towards students with varied abilities (Weston 2003). There is a need to ensure that these students receive as broad and balanced an entitlement curriculum as possible, similar to that received by the regular students (Cohens et al. 2004). Regardless of their condition or of the developmental delays that children with special needs may e xperience, they should all be allowed to learn and participate in everyday routines just like other children (Weston 2003).It should be remembered that children of all ages have the same intrinsic value and are entitled to the same opportunities for participation in child care. Conclusion Research has shown that special needs students who are mixed with their peers in mainstream classrooms are more likely to achieve better outcomes academically and socially while those in segregated classes fall further behind. There are, however, challenges to such an integrated approach to working with special needs children. Challenges related to coping with emotionally and behaviourally disturbed children and the challenge of ensuring fairness have been highlighted in this paper. Despite these challenges, the paper calls for an integrated approach to working with children with special needs. Unless there is a compelling reason to put special needs children in special settings, they should be placed in the mainstream educational setting. To ensure the success of this integrated approach, it is important that all the professionals involved value and appreciate their individual roles and those of others in order to ensure that these children receive best education, care and support. Families must also show their commitment to the multi-disciplinary partnership approaches. References Allen, K. E., and Cowdery, G. E., 2004. The exceptional child: Inclusion in early childhood. Albany, NY: Delmar. Brown, J.G., Hemmeter, M.L. and Pretti-Frontczak, K., 2005. Blended practices for teaching young children in inclusive settings. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Cohen, L., Manion, L. and Morrison, K., 2004. A guide to teaching practice. Psychology press Connor, J. (2006) Redefining inclusion. Every Child. 12(3) Watson ACT: ECA Department of Education (DoE), 2009. The way forward for special educational needs and inclusion. Department of Education Dukes, C. and Smith, M., 2007. Working with parents of children with special educational needs. London: SAGE publications. Griffin, S., 2008. Inclusion, equality and diversity in working with children, Professional Development. Oxford Heinemann, A. and Vickerman, P., 2009. Key issues in special educational needs and inclusion. London: Sage Hocutt, A.M., 1996.’Effectiveness of special education: is placement the critical factor?à ¢â‚¬â„¢ The Future of Children Special Education For Students With Disabilities, Vol.6 (1) Jones, C.A., 2004. Supporting inclusion in the early years. Supporting early learning. McGraw-Hill Mitchell, D. (ed) 2009, Contextualizing inclusive education. London: Routledge National Council for Special Education (NCSE), 2011. Children with special educational needs, National Council for Special Education Nutbrown, C. and Clough, P., 2010. Inclusion in the early years. London: Sage Owens, A., 2009. Including children with additional needs in child care. National Childcare Accreditation Council Inc. Porter, L., 2003. Young children’s behaviour. Practical approaches for caregivers and teachers. 2nd edition. London: Paul Chapman Publishing Robinson, K.H. and Jones-Diaz, C., 2005. Diversity and difference in early childhood education. Issues for Theory and Practice. Maidenhead: Open University Press Roffey, S., 2001. Special needs in the early years London. David Fulton Sammons, P., Tag gart, B., Smees, R., Sylva, K., Melhuish, E., Siraj-Blatchford and Elliot, K., 2003.The early years transition and special educational needs (EyTSEN) project. London: University of Oxford Silberfeld, C. et al., (eds), 2009, UEL early childhood studies reader. London: Sage publications Swartz, S.L., 2005. Working together: a collaborative model for the delivery of special services in general classrooms. Wall, K., 2011. Special needs and the early years. A practictioner guide. 3rd edition. London: Sage publications Wang, H.L., 2009. ‘Should all students with special educational needs (SEN) be included in mainstream education provision– a critical analysis’. International Education Studies, vol. 2(4) Weston, C (ed), 2010. UEL special needs and inclusive education reader. London. Sage publications Weston, C., 2003. ‘Educating all: inclusive classroom practice’. In: Alfrey, C., Understanding Children’s learning. London. David Fulton.