The Individuals with Disability Education Act

A Summary of the Six Key Components of the Original 1975 IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) The Individuals with Disability Education Act (IDEA) was signed into law in 1975; however, it was originally called 1975 Education for all Handicapped Children Act (EHA) or Public Law 94-142. Before the development of the act, many disabled children were denied access to education and very few schools allowed in public schools.Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on The Individuals with Disability Education Act specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Under the Act, the US has a goal of ensuring that all youths develop into independent, responsible, and respectable people in the society (Gargiulo, 2010 p.33). Therefore, the Act was developed to protect the rights and meet the needs of disabled children and their parents, as well as ensuring that all children got equal opportunity in education in the United States (La in, 2006, p.1). This original IDEA had six key components, which include free and appropriate public education(FAPE), individualized education plan(IEP), nondiscriminatory evaluation and Identification, the least restrictive environment(LRE), procedural due process and parental participation(Lee, 2005, p.259). The first important component of IDEA 1975 is free and appropriate public education (FAPE). FAPE implies that all the children with disabilities should have access to the special education and special services that they need irrespective of the severity of their disability conditions. This special education should be provided at the public cost and should equally meet state’s education standards (Tenor865, 2009). It requires a proper definition of the educational placement, services and setting that are most appropriate for students with disabilities (Lee, 2005, p.259). FAPE ensures that parents of such children do not pay for the special education and services that are offered to their children. The other component is nondiscriminatory testing and evaluation. This provides that, an unprejudiced assessment criterion should be applied to decide if a child qualifies to be provided with special education services (Lee, 2005).Not all disabled children qualify for services offered under the IDEA act, those with mere disabilities are usually left out. Only children with visual impairment, mental retardation, auditory impairment, language and speech impairment and those with severe emotional disturbance can qualify the services offered under IDEA. It also defines the kind of placement that can be used for a given child, depending on the type of need recorded. The assessment should be done by trained and qualified staff before a child with disability can start receiving special education (Tenor864, 2009, p.2).Advertising Looking for coursework on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It is aime d at ensuring that children are not prejudiced based on their cultural, racial, or language differences. It avoids overrepresentation of a particular group of people in the institutions that give these special needs services. This is particularly essential since most districts find high number of minority children enrolled in the special education schools (Lee, 2005, p.259). The individualized education plan (IEP) is another important component of the IDEA. Children have differing disabilities and different children will require different learning services and needs. Moreover, each student has specific learning goals and will require specific learning modifications and this should be put in consideration. The development of the IEP is required to optimize learning for each student and requires a joint work by a team comprising of parents, educational personal, and students in certain instances to develop a student education plan. The motive is to find the type of services needed by a particular student (Tenor864, 2009). Least restrictive environment is another component, which is concerned with the establishment of an independent and friendly learning environment for students receiving special needs and services where they can realize their full potential. This component of IDEA makes sure that handicapped children are educated along their fellow non-disabled children (Tenor864, 2009). The component provides that the children should have access to independent environment and be subjected to regular lessons as far as the disability condition can allow. The children can be subjected to residential treatment or they can be subject to full inclusions depending on their needs (Lee, 2005, p.259). The procedural due process is another component that ensures that the principles outlined in the act are completely followed by schools. The section provides for the rights of people concerned to be involved in the entire program. This includes the disabled children and the ir families, teachers, psychologists and other pertinent persons. The component â€Å"allows the parent to be represented by legal counsel, and to ask for an impartial trial if there is a disagreement about their child’s educational plan† (Tenor864, 2009, p.2). With this component, parents of children with disabilities have the right to reach the records of their children and make sure that the records are confidential (Tenor864, 2009).Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on The Individuals with Disability Education Act specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The parents have the right to take part in IEP and should also be informed of any possible changes in the services, for instance, a change of the individualized education plan, a change in placement, or a shift in educational class of the child (Tenor64, 2009). It has the legal provisions for solving the differences between families and schools providi ng these special needs and services. Procedural safeguards are very important because they protect the rights for both the children and their parents. The other component is parental participation, which provides for the inclusion of parents in educational decision-making and setting of the learning objectives for children with disabilities and generally in IEP development (Lee, 2005, p.259). Much of the intervention to help a child with disabilities should follow the consent of parents or any other people responsible for the child. Parents should be informed more often of their children’s situation in schools and they must be consulted before any action about their children like new placements or change of services is taken. In addition, this component of IDEA ensures that parents are consulted before any disciplinary action is taken on their children. Summary of the Key Components of the Later IDEA Reauthorization The IDEA has had several developments since its inception. C hanges have been necessary to understand how laws can be put into practice and the necessary adjustments that can make them efficient and effective (LD Online, 2011). Public Law 99-457 (1986) One of the major changes that followed the 1986 amendment of the Education for all Handicapped Children Act was the addition of the infant and toddler component. This was characterized by provision of more services to infants and young children with disabilities from birth to the age of five. This was made possible by incorporation of a new pre-school program grant program which increased the money allocated to disabled children between three to five years of age by threefold (Cengage Learning, 2011a). Two parts, B and H, had the particular provisions on these interventions. The developments included an establishment of interagency council on early intervention which lead to the establishment of Early Intervention Program(EIP), the development of individualized family service plans(IFSPs) which join families in nurturing their handicapped children, promotion of public awareness programs on possible interventions, and putting families as the center of focus in these programs (Cengage Learning, 2011a).Advertising Looking for coursework on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More There were also concerns on safeguard rules and effective transition of families between different systems and reduction of the likelihood of putting disabled children in various institutions while at the same time nurturing their potential for independent living in the society. Public Law 101-476 (1990) Amendment in 1990 saw the change in the name of the law. The law was there before known as Education for all Handicapped Children Act (EHA) and was renamed Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1990, its main aim being recognizing the child with disability (Cengage Learning, 2011b). Under the new provision, the term handicapped was removed and victims were termed as â€Å"children with learning disabilities.† The other important amendment was on the eligibility criteria. In effect, autism and traumatic brain injury were introduced as other exceptionally categories (Cengage Learning, 2011b). The amendments also provided for transition planning between systems a nd services for disabled children at the age of sixteen. Another amendment to the act at this time was the definition of Assistive Technology Devices and Services (ATDS) for the disabled children which can be included in the Individual Education Plan (IEP). Lastly, there were also concerns to extend the least restrictive environment so that children are educated along non-disable children (AT Laws, 2012). Public Law 105-17 (1997) This amendment yielded the most important changes for the IDEA, with the law being restructured from nine to four subchapters (Cengage Learning, 2011c). Other developments included much emphasis on the roles of the parents and families, students and other education stakeholders in promoting IEP programs for the students with disabilities. The amendment provided clarity on the extent to which the children with disabilities can be disciplined by the teachers in schools (AT Laws, 2012). The access to general education was also emphasized under the amendments. On the use of Assistive Technology and Devices and Services to aid in IEP, amendments were made to allow these devices to be used in various setting like at homes to make sure the students get fair and appropriate education. In addition, the act emphasized that teachers should include orientation and mobility services to specific students particularly those with visual and auditory impairment when using assistive technology and devices in IEP (AT Laws, 2012). IDEA 2004: Public Law 108-446 This amendment marked the final regulations on IDEA being the last amendment that has been made. The IDEA 2004 has four sections – A, B, C, and D. The first section defines the terms as used in the law and section B outlines how to source funds from the federal government to aid the eligible students with disabilities (LD Online, 2011). This defines the eligibility criteria and mechanisms for evaluation. Section C entails early intervention programs for the infants and toddlers with disabili ties whereas the last section focuses on how educational agencies can work effectively with these children with disabilities indeed the amendments on the act at this time allowed the disabled children to take part in various operations and programs under the IDEA(US Department of Education, 2008). IDEA amendment in 2004, allowed local government agencies to conduct child find activities and make sure that there is fair distribution of resources among the handicapped children in their locality. In addition local government agencies were allowed to deliver special services to private schools and to decide the right amount of money to spend on the disabled children in their area. Lastly, the amendments of the act in 2004 lead to the corporation of new consultation rules for private schools which host disabled children (U.S Department of Education, 2008). Summary of IDEA Guidelines of Referring Students with Suspected Disabilities The first step involves identifying a child needing spec ial education and services. This can be done through child find which consists of government agents who identifies disabled children in each state and through referral by a parent or other people who wants a child to be evaluated for disability. Secondly, the chosen child is then evaluated for the disability. The consent of the parent to a child suspected of disability is necessary in the initial evaluation of the child. Evaluation is a vital step in referring children with suspected disabilities because with this it is possible to know whether the child is eligible to special needs and services. Parents are can call for reevaluation of their child if they are dissatisfied with the results obtained (National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities, 2011). The third step is to decide whether the child is eligible for the special education and services based on the evaluation results. A certain level of disability is required for a child to qualify for the special educatio n and services under IDEA. As a result not all disabled children are eligible for the special education and services but those with extreme disabilities. At this stage, parents may be summoned to hear eligibility decision made on their children. After determination of eligibility of the child, within a month a team is selected to focus on the child and set up Individual Education Plan for the child. An IEP team meeting is then organized; this meeting is attended by teachers, psychologists, special teachers and other pertinent persons who have knowledge about the child. The meeting is then held and the IEP team determines the best services to offer to the child. All this is done with the consent of the parent and if they disagree, their mediation and options may be considered.This step culminates with a well written IEP for the child (National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities, 2011). Provision of services to the child then follows; special education and services ar e provided to the child based on the IEP. All the parties involved are given a copy of the child IEP for them to know their responsibilities which include: modifications, accommodations and support. The parties include; parents, teachers and special service providers who have the responsibility of supporting the child daily through various means. Services are offered to the child for a given period after which a progress report is filled by IEP team. Reports are prepared and presented to the parents and other concerned people occasionally to determine effectiveness of the IEP to the child. With these reports, the IEP is reviewed and amendments can be done on it for the benefit of the child. Normally, IEP review is done on annual basis unless parents request for frequent reviews. The last step is to review the child to know how he/she is progressing. This review is usually done after every three years although the review can be done more often if situations demand that or on parent o r on teacher request (National Dissemination center for Children with Disabilities, 2011). Some Other Intervention Concepts In accomplishing the above procedures, certain procedures also need to be followed as interventions to help the children with disabilities. The referral process may be detailed and time consuming; however, there is enough evidence indicating eligibility. In this case, an intervention can be given while the evaluation process is underway – this is termed as pre-referral interventions. The identification of disability, evaluation for eligibility, and the subsequent delivery of the special need services involve the participation of different people including educational professionals, parents, students (in possible cases) and other education stakeholders. If the child is found eligible, parents and educators have to meet to arrange for individualized education program to help the child (National Dissemination center for Children with Disabilities, 2011). Me etings are held between the parents and educators to discuss the conditions such as placement of special services. There is also a need to cascade service delivery options. This intervention is necessary due to the different needs met by children with disabilities. It involves developing a learning environment that accommodates all children by ensuring that the instructor provides special attention to the students with special education needs. Early intervention concepts should also be put in place by use of early education programs which are useful in identification of children with disability. Young children are unable to speak and due to that, they only express themselves by crying, pushing or even gesturing. Some children have a challenging behavior which does not respond to efforts of early educators and parents who find it hard to meet the children needs. This lot of children may need an individualized plan where they will be monitored closely to find out their problems in tim e. This is very important for social and mental development and can be used to identify children with special needs who can benefit from the provisions of the IDEA (National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities, 2011). Early intervention services are also referred to as part C services provided under the IDEA act. These measures are there for infants who are handicapped or have developmental delay. Such children are evaluated to decide their eligibility to receive early intervention measures. References AT Laws. (2012). Special Education Laws and Legislation. Retrieved from: http://www.atto.buffalo.edu. Cengage Learning. (2011a). The Education for All Handicapped Children Act Amendments of 1986 (PL 99-457). Retrieved from: http://college.cengage.com/education/resources/res_prof/students/spec_ed/legislation/pl_99-457.html. Cengage Learning. (2011b). The Education for All Handicapped Children Act Amendments of 1990 (PL 101-476). Retrieved from: http://college.cengage.co m/education/resources/res_prof/students/spec_ed/legislation/pl_101-476.html. Cengage Learning. (2011c). The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997 (PL 105-17). Retrieved from: http://college.cengage.com/education/resources/res_prof/students/spec_ed/legislation/pl_105-17.html. Gargiulo, R. (2010). Special Education in Contemporary Society: An Introduction to Exceptionality. Fourth Edition. Thousands Oaks: SAGE Lain. (2006). IDEA: A Breakdown of Its Components, Amendments, and Referral Process. Retrieved from: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/53212/idea_a_breakdown_of_its_components_pg2.html?cat=25. Lee, S. (2005). Encyclopedia of school psychology. Thousand Oaks: SAGE LD Online. (2011). IDEA 2004. Retrieved from: http://www.ldonline.org/features/idea2004. National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities. (2011). 10 Basic Steps in Special Education. Retrieved from http://nichcy.org/schoolage/steps. Tenor864. (2009). A Look at the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Retrieved from:http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1656837/a_look_at_the_individuals_with_disabilities_pg2.html?cat=17 U.S Department of Education. (2008).The Individuals withDisabilities Education Act: Provisions Related with Children with disabilities Enrolled by their Parents in Private Schools. Washington DC.Retrieved from: http://www2.ed.gov. This coursework on The Individuals with Disability Education Act was written and submitted by user Daisy Doyle to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Harriet Tubaman and Nat Turner essays

Harriet Tubaman and Nat Turner essays Harriet Tubman and Nat Turner were abolitionists who strongly believed that all slaves should be free. Though they didnt succeed in some of their goals they inspired other abolitionist and slaves that they should fight for freedom. Nat turner was born into slavery in Virginia. As he was growing up he was known as a prophet because he learned how to read the bible at the early age. He later on became a Christian preacher Nat turners owners let him preach because they believed it would civilize slaves. Turner did not like that slave owenersz were cruel to slavesTurner started to have visions of slave revolts. There was one vision that he took as sign to rebel he heard a voice telling him that he should take the burden of Christ and fight against evil which were the his owners and that he should led the other slaves to rebel against their owners. Turner wanted to change slavery by making a rebellion. By doing a rebellion white owners would be afraid they would be killed and they would have to free slaves Turner united with other slaves at night and plans their rebellion. Since Turner believed he was Gods prophet he waited signs from God on when to rebel. Not every slave knew about His plan in killing slave owner families he knew that some body will betray him. Turners methods were violent once he killed one family he would go to the next farm and kill another family some slaves from other farms joined him. Harriet Tubman another abolitionist was born in Maryland she was also born into slavery. As she grow up being a slave she married a free black man John Tubman Harriet Tubman was a semi slave she was still a slave but she could live with her husband. When she decide to go north she knew her husband would refuse to go north with her so she left him behind. Tubman wanted slavery end abolitionist cause she joined other abolitionist who wanted to end slavery. She met abolitionist in the under ground railroad. She h...

War Occurs Because There Is Nothing to Prevent It Essay

War Occurs Because There Is Nothing to Prevent It - Essay Example According to the realist theory, the international system operates on checks and balances method that is flawed to a certain extent given the ethnic and cultural dissimilarities between the peoples of the world. Samuel Huntington’s â€Å"The Clash of Civilizations† argues that the fault lines between civilizations lead to war. This has proved in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks against the US. Other commentators like Robert Kagan have pointed to the resurgence of Russia and the recent conflict in the Caucasus between Russia and Georgia as an example of how â€Å"history returns† whenever certain nations fall from pre-eminence and then assert themselves to regain the lost glory. In his recent work, â€Å"The Return of History and the End of dreams†, Keegan forcefully makes the point about how the 21st century might look like when it comes to international relations. The realist perspective seems a good prism to look at the complex dynamics shaping war. Thi s can be seen from the fact that in the aftermath of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Collapse of Communism, the then US president George Bush Sr. made a case for a â€Å"New World Order† and proclaimed that â€Å"we are at the threshold of a new era that has been dreamed by generations of men but has always eluded them†. However, the euphoria was short lived as Iraq, under Saddam Hussein attacked Kuwait and subsequently this led to American intervention and the first Gulf war. Thus, we have history repeating itself in 2008 when Russia asserted itself in South Ossetia.

Cash Flow Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cash Flow - Essay Example helps a company to detect problems with its liquidity because the lack of liquidity may have direct influence of performance of a company even while it is running profitably. A company is also required to prepare the statement as an alternative tool for measuring profitability especially for the profit making companies in the instances when accrual standards of accounting may not be representatives in economic realities. Besides, it illustrates the quality of income where income is interpreted to be of low quality when net income contains much of non-cash items (Kousenidis, 2006). Finally, the statement is instrumental in evaluation of risks in financial products such as the evaluation of a default risk in the company. It is to be acknowledged that an operating company has various ways through which cash is produced while at the same time having various ways through which it spends the funds produced. This therefore explains why a cash flow document contains three main sections where sections on financing and operations indicate the manners in which funds are generated and the section on investment illustrates how funds are utilized (Stoddard, 2013). The cash flow statement comprises three main sections, which are strategic and critical for its essence to a company. The three sections within a cash flow statement are cash flows as emanating from operating activities for the company, flows of cash from activities of investments as well as section on flows of cash from financing activities. Cash flow from operations section is fundamental section within the statement as it outlines gains realized from the activities of the company where changes in the flow would be useful in explaining performances of a company. The amount that companies invest in capital expenditures is the main components illustrated in the investment section while finance sourcing activities especially from outside are reflected in the section on financing activities (Wise,

Ibm Case Essay Example for Free

Ibm Case Essay History By the 1950’s, IBM became the dominant vendor in the computer industry with the release of the IBM 701 along with many other series of mainframes, which are large central processors. Then in the1960’s and 1970’s, the company had to diversify to get on the same level as smaller companies, such as Digital Equipment Corporation, who were introducing microprocessors. This threatened IBM’s position in the computer industry. Their response was coming put with a personal computer, software, and services. In 1981, IBM officially introduced the IBM PC with a compatible hardware platform. This was a large accomplishment for the company. A few years later, on May 1st, 2005, IBM sold its PC division to the Chinese company Lenovo for $655 million in cash and $600 million in Lenovo stock. Then on January 25, 2007, IBM sold their printing systems division for $725 million to Ricoh and created a new Ricoh subsidiary called InfoPrint Solutions Company. Ricoh will now own a 51% share and IBM will own a 49% share. Also in 2007, IBM’s yearly revenue was $98. 8 billion and they had a net income of $10. 8 billion dollars. IBM is run by about 427,000 employees. There are three main people who keep the business running smoothly. The most important one is Samuel J. Palmisano, who is the Chairman, President, and CEO. Another important associate at IBM is Mark Loughridge, who is the SVP and CFO. And lastly, Douglas Elix, who is another SVP, a Group Executive, and is in charge of Sales and Distribution. These three men are vital to the company’s success. Besides them, most of the employees at IBM are IT Specialists, Application Services Consultants, and Managing Consultants. Every company has to have competitors. Competition makes a healthy industry. Some of the top competitors IBM runs against are EDS (Electronic Data Systems Corporation), Hewlett Packerd, and their biggest competitor, Microsoft, whom they are ranked right behind in second place in their industry. IBM has many recent accomplishments within that last few years. One of the major ones was the development of the world’s tiniest nanophotonic switch, which is a device for routing light on a chip scale. Another project they have completed wasweb 2. security concerns with â€Å"SMash,† which is one of their development tools. Another very large project they completed was the design of the microprocessor for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and Nintendo Wii. All three of those were a good addition to the list of products they already design. This opened up their age range of consumers as well since a lot of children play these video systems. Besides recent accomplishments in their elec tronic field, IBM also had many of their employees win multiple awards for their achievements. They have had three of their employees win Nobel Prizes, which are achievements in either physics, chemistry, literature, peace, economics, medicine and physiology; four have received a Turing Awards, which are awards for technology; five have National Medals of Technology; and five more have received National Medals of Science. These are all very big accomplishments that IBM is very proud of. IBM is currently working on many projects. One of its big ones is Eclipse, which is a platform-independent, Java based software framework. Another is developerWorks, which is a website run by IBM for software developers and IT professionals. It contains large numbers of how-to articles and tutorials, software downloads, code samples, discussion forums, podcasts, blogs, wikis, and other resources. Then there is alphaWorks which is IBM’s source for emerging software technologies. They are also working on more semiconductor designs and manufacturing for them. Open client offering is another project they are working on. It is to run on Windows, Linux and Apples. Used for word processing, presentations, Lotus Notes, instant messaging, blogging, etc†¦ UC2: Unified Communications and Collaboration is an IBM and Cisco joint project. It will offer numerous Eclipse applications developers a unified platform for an easier work environment. Examples of this would be click-to-call and voice mailing. SWOT on Management IBM holds more patentsthan any other U. S. based technology company. IBM’s Project Management Center of Excellence, or PM COE, is first-rate. PM COE is considered IBM’s â€Å"Think Tank†. It is a program that has been set up to define the steps needed to strengthen IBM’s project management capabilities. PM COE combines external industry trends and directions with IBM business, organizational, geographic requirements and insight. Using PM COE, IBM has developed project management policy, practices, methods, and tools (Wikipedia, 2008). For someone to be considered for a management position, they must complete IBM certification or accreditation. To be accepted in to the certification or accreditation process an individual must have done the following. Successfully passed PMI exam (i. e. be a certified PMP). Verifiable documentation and approval for mastery/expertise in a well-defined set of PM skills. Several years of PM experience spanning at least 3 verifiable projects within the immediate 5 years (including specific role, team size, and budget requirements). Verifiable documentation and proof of at least one area of specialty. Demonstrated the use of IBMs Worldwide Project Management Method (_WWPMM_). Completed extensive classroom and online education and testing. To become a Junior Project Manager, you must go through self assessment and get supervisors authorization to be accredited. Becoming a Senior Project Manager requires going through the rigorous IBM certification process, which involves Candidate preparing a detailed package with proof of above requirements. Package review, approval, and support by at least two levels of Senior Management. Package review and re-verification by PM COE expert. Personal interviews with the PM COE Certification board. Candidates whose experience, skills, knowledge and education are deemed valid, verifiable and accurate, are certified by the board as either Certified Senior Project Manager (CSPM) or Certified Executive Project Manager (CEPM). Senior Project managers must validate their skills and expertise against IBM’s worldwide standards. It is a deliberately long process with multiple checkpoints designed to ensure the integrity, fairness and legitimacy of the certification. This helps IBM maintain customer confidence in their products (Wikipedia, 2008). Since IBM is such a large, diversified, and established company they do not have many weaknesses. One weakness is they have a tendency to â€Å"strong arm† clients that are highly dependent on IBM products (Bradley, 2004). In the future this reputation could lead companies to be hesitant to rely on IBM’s merchandise. This reputation could also create bad enough relationships with current clients to make them transfer to a competitor’s product. IBM has also been known to â€Å"over promise† (Bradley, 2004). Since they are such a large corporation, with many capabilities, they tend to promise unrealistic deadlines to their customers. Businesses don’t like losing money, and opening later then planned is a good way to do that. These delays in their customers start-ups, could also lead to unfavorable relationships that could cause clients to move their business elsewhere. IBM is constantly looking for new opportunities to expand their share of the market, or start a new market. IBM is looking into revolutionizing the prevention of traditional and online fraud and Identity thefts. They are working on a comprehensive anti-fraud program that is going to help banks protect themselves and their customers, while continuing to offer their products and services (IBM, 2006). IBM is also conducting case studies for the automotive industry. The case studies are going to help them change the industry, and become more innovative (Lunani, 2006). Hopefully, the innovations will alleviate some of the stress the industry is under. Management Practices ; Theories SWOT analysis is a very important part of finding out a lot of information pertaining to current management functions within the company. However, it is what the management does after they find their strengths, opportunities, weaknesses, and threats that are the most relevant part of determining a company’s success. The theories and practices the company uses to take advantage of their strengths, try to combat their weaknesses, use opportunities to their best interest, and to defend themselves from threats are the key determinant on what the company’s future looks like. IBM as one of the top companies in the world clearly knows what they are doing. They have taken into careful consideration their SWOT analysis and their management theories and practices are derived from their analysis. Being involved in competitive global competition, the company’s workforce is an essential part to IBM’s success. In knowing of this, IBM has created a list of seven key core workforce capabilities. These capabilities include: Understanding the demographics and capabilities of the workforce, predicting future labor supply and demand, utilizing social networks to increase the visibility and application of knowledge across the organization, enabling individuals to perform work regardless of location, facilitating collaboration across traditional organizational boundaries, driving the rapid development of skills and capabilities to meet changing business conditions, and evaluating employee performance and providing appropriate feedback. IBM has implemented these guidelines so their workforces can constantly adapt to the ever changing global business environment. In addition, workers are paid incentives for their input to keep the employees with a sense of involvement which is important to keeping them excited about IBM. At IBM, the managers believe and in a workforce that is diversified. According to Ron Glover, VP for Global Workforce Diversity at IBM, focuses on what it means to retain a true culture of diversity is IBM’s greatest competitive advantage. From all the way back to World War I, IBM has romoted workforce diversity when they hired disabled veterans to work for the company. Even when no one was using diversity IBM was. Way back in 1953, CEO at the time Thomas Watson sent out a very controversial stating that IBM needs to hire the best people, regardless of their race, ethnic origin, sex. In addition, the company added sexual orientation in 1984. He knew that this would give IBM a competitive advan tage because IBM would then be able to hire talented people the it’s competitors would turn down. (hrmreport. com, 2008) Another way IBM tries to get the best workers is using their program called Extreme Blue. This is an internship program for graduate and undergraduate students. This internationally known program is great for getting students prepared to work for IBM. IBM believes this will give students interested in working for a IBM a realistic perspective on what it would be like to work for them. IBM runs this diverse workforce under a classical management perspective. Money is assumed to be the primary motive and have a traditional compensation plan. The main forms of pay to employees are base pay and valuable other forms of benefits such as retirement plans and insurances. According to the company’s website, â€Å"cash compensation opportunities include base pay, commissions, performance bonuses, awards and other forms of earnings. † In addition to these forms of pay, IBM also offers generous paid vacation and holidays. There are also some benefits to relieve stress and just get away from the company for a little while. These benefits include reduced-prices, cooking lessons, and fitness centers. This management style has worked for them and we think they should stick with the classical approach to management and not move to a behavioral perspective. IBM uses an analyzer strategy which most large companies use. An analyzer strategy is a strategy in which the firm attempts to maintain its current businesses and to be somewhat innovative in new businesses. They use this strategy because they want to produce some new product opportunities while protecting their base of operations. (Griffen, 2007) Management Structure â€Å"The management structure that IBM maintains is an effective internal control structure. This structure has clearly defined lines of responsibility, as well as comprehensive systems and control procedures. This structure is beneficial because it assures customers that their transactions are put through correctly and efficiently. â€Å"(http://sec. edgar-online. com) An important part of IBM’s management structure is a good internal audit program. IBM takes a good amount of time to train its workers correctly. Each employee receives written policies and procedures to ensure that each employee knows exactly what to do under any circumstance or problem that may arise. By doing this everyone is on the same page and everything is done the way they want it done. IBM is now thinking about cutting 13,000 jobs most of which should be mostly in Europe and other headquarters around the world. Ethics With all of the diversity that exists within the company it would be hard for IBM to conduct any work without ethics on their minds. As in any large company there is some sort of unethical behavior going on, however these behaviors have not been detrimental to the company thus far. So far it is obvious that IBM wont make any large scale unethical decisions such as the like of Enron. The ethics are very important in the business process and will be discussed more in an interview with a former employee. Interview With a Former Employee Flat or tall management structure? â€Å"The structure tends to be taller than most companies, especially within the consulting group. † Management Style? â€Å"The managers take a very classical by the book style to their decisions. Everything that had happened before was documented and later considered protocol, if there was success. † What ethics does IBM use in decision making? â€Å"IBM has well defined guidelines on many ethical issues, and it is required that all new employees review these guidelines. Employees are also required to take an annual review test to comply with IBM corporate policy. In my experience IBM relies on individual managers to make judgment calls on grey areas, and the managers I worked with all took ethic approaches to handling the issue. † What are the areas for improvement? â€Å"IBM has had difficulties integrating its consulting division, since the acquisition of Price Waterhouse Coopers consulting in 2002. Much effort has been focused on getting full value from this acquisition, and at least initially the purchase was viewed as a misstep. With changes over the last few years, the consulting division has become the bulk of IBM revenue, but there are still opportunities to better leverage the consulting division in light of other IBM business units. IBM has also been severally criticized for its outsourcing practices, and has taken very proactive measures to combat this public criticism. † Any alliances? â€Å"IBM has numerous alliances with companies, all the way from suppliers to working with competitors. The number of alliances in likely in the thousands. † What makes IBM so successful? The ability to solve large scale business problems, especially in the IT sector, by combining various internal specialties and partnerships to create and implement end to end solutions. † Have you witnessed any unethical behavior throughout the company? â€Å"I have not personally witnessed any unethical behavior, but have spoken to a former VP who was put in a position to take an unethical action by someone who wa s very senior in the organization. † Hiring procedures? Promotions procedures? â€Å"Hiring is done at the group level, based upon target numbers that are established at the top of the organization. Final hiring decisions are made at the senior manager level. Promotion decisions occur annually with promotions and compensation based upon the outcome of the decision. Promotion is granted if the employee can show sufficient evidence that he/she is operating at the intended promotion level, and that the results are sustainable (ie. , results must be shown for a relatively long time and consistent time period, in various situations) . The implementation of the corresponding compensation typically occurs six months after promotion decisions are made. The timing of promotions and compensation increases are an area which many employees feel needs to be corrected, and IBM has stated it intends to reduce the total time of the process. † Relationship between managers and subordinates? â€Å"Varies greatly based upon individual relationships. IBM offers many channels to discuss issues, but the design of the promotion/compensation/staffing structure makes it imperative to have a successful working relationship with direct and next level management. † Is there a lot of management restructuring? Yes, at the lower levels, especially in consulting, management roles are very fluid and change frequently in comparison with other companies. Some of this is based on market changes, some on promotions/exits, and some on business results. † What kind of fringe benefits do workers receive? â€Å"Discounts with partner companies, cell and broadband reimbursement, 401k contribution, pension (eliminated in 2006), corporate educatio n, annual bonus (consulting division), extensive health care coverage at low rates. † Is there a lot of communication between the different headquarters? Conclusion It is obvious that IBM is successful because their values and the way they conduct business. This is a direct reflection upon their management structure, style, and practices. They will surely stay on the same track of success for many years to come. As they push forward in their business they are becoming one of the most well known businesses whether it be for technology or consulting around the world. No matter what kind of work a person is in one thing is for certain, everyone can learn from the way IBM conducts their business.

Midway Plaisance Essay example -- Architecture History

Midway Plaisance The Midway first came to being during the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago as a bit of an accident. The world's fair scheduled for 1892 was pushed towards a higher standard than most others. The successes of the 1876 Philadelphia and 1889 Paris fairs drove the Chicago planners to produce something even greater. As stated by Richard Wilson, the Paris fair especially hit home for the Americans. The sheer magnificence of the buildings and exhibits made the United States look very backward indeed. While France and the rest of the Old World countries held their own with remarkable advances in art, architecture, and science, the U.S. appeared to be falling behind. America's relatively inferior showings didn't help to shake this harsh image. The U.S. was desperate for a new self-image. It needed an opportunity to establish itself as the superpower it felt it deserved to be. The Columbian Exposition gave the U.S. this chance. Fair organizers planned the fair on a grand scale. They gra vitated towards a solemn Neo-Classical style, as exemplified in the all-white Court of Honor, a style which represented order, tradition, purity, and grandeur -- all the things that America was trying to display. However, this new classical character impressed upon the fair's major buildings produced a conflict with a group of people that had already laid claim to the fair: the members of the entertainment industry. Even before the formal announcement of the Fair in 1890, requests for space from all sorts of vendors, musical and circus troupes, and restaurateurs. Amusement vendors had been set up at previous expositions, usually right outside the fairgrounds. There, they not only attracted more fairgoers than the regular exhibits... ...ighted crowds at Montreal in 1967. This endurance of the idea of the Midway is a testament to its charisma, its power, and the high place amusement holds in the eye of society. Bibliography Richard Wilson, "Challenge and Response: Americans and the Architecture of the 1889 Exhibition," in Annette Blaugrund (ed.) Paris 1889. American Artists at the Universal Exposition, Philadelphia: Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, 1989, 93-110. Findling, John E. Historical Dictionary of World's Fairs and Expositions: 1851-1988. New York: Greenwood Press, 1990. Meehan, Patrick. "The Big Wheel." Chicago's Great Ferris Wheel of 1893. Rydell, Robert W. Fair America: World's Fairs in the United States. Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 2000. Keefe, John Webster. Libbey Glass: A Tradition of 150 Years: 1918-1968. Toledo, Ohio: Toledo Museum of Art, 1968.

Kings philosophy Essay

The aim of this essay is to critically evaluate platos justification of rule by philosopher kings. First the essay will try and stress how plato understood the way the state has to be governed in conjunction with philosophy. In Platos most famous work Republic he puts forward the view that only the study of philosophy would allow man to see what was good and just. Therefore to cure the ills of society it would be necessary to either make kings philosophers or make philosophers kings. I intend to show how Plato justifies this view and then attempt to point out some possible problems with this justification . Platos starting point was his recognition that justice was one of four cardinal virtues, along with wisdom, courage and moderation, that when working harmoniously together in a high level of order – he felt equaled the elusive good life . Kahn and Charles (2004). Plato thought that the best way to discover what justice was, was to create a perfect soul – this he did by first creating a theoretical perfect city , which would have a good soul and all four virtues. Using the theory that the polis is the individual writ large he intended to compare his perfect city with a perfect person and subsequently evaluate justiceTarà ¡ (2001) Plato s perfect city was to be a model of order, efficiency and discipline. Above all it would be governed by the strict adherence to what White refers to as the natural division of labour . This was to take the form of vocational and social division within the city. Everyone had one job in order to specialise and become good at it. We forbade our shoemaker to try his hand at farming or weaving or building and told him to stick to his last, in order that our shoemaking should be well done. Kierkegaard, (1992). More fundamentally however the city was to be divided into three distinct social classes, in which pe ople would be raised from birth. These classes consisted of the producers, the guardians and the rulers. These correlated to a high degree with their microcosm in the individual soul in which they took the form of reason, spirit/emotion and appetite/desire. The producers were to be the farmers and artisans who were responsible for the supply of food, clothing and other such essential but basic needs. They would be highly specialized and allowed money and private property as their main incentive. In the individual soul the producers equated to desire as they were not governed by true reason. In the same way that ungoverned desire e.g. I must eat this cake even though it is not mine, created conflict in an individual that must  be controlled, the producers were susceptible to the temptation to take land with better soil or more area for example. Therefore a second class was necessary – to protect from both internal and external threats and keep both the city and the soul in order. The perfect city maintained order by using guardians, the guardians were the warrior class that protected the city. These warrior characteristics made them a potential internal threat, so Plato decided to neutralise volatile factors such as greed or envy by denying the guardians access to money or private property. The guardians equate to the spirited or emotional side of the soul, which was usually tamed by reason, but might spontaneously follow desire. Nails, (2006) The third class in the perfect city is by far the most important and complex. Rulers were chosen from the guardian class on the basis of aptitude (but with some degree of assumption of hereditary traits). Plato felt that as a pre-requisite to rule they must have a thorough understanding of the theory of forms including the essence of justice and the other virtues and ultimately the true essence of good by grasping which the philosopher will finally achieve a full understanding of all the rest. Vlastos,(2006) . Plato explains in his allegory of the cave, along with his theory of the line and the sun, how the philosophers who understand the theory of forms are the only ones with true objectivity and how the rest of society is merely staring at shadows – mistaking them for reality and so they would believe that the shadows of the objects we mentioned were in all respects real Therefore by the theory of forms a philosopher is able to release himself from the subjective world of the rest of humanity and enter the world of objective views. Salli (1999). The distinctive step which Plato has taken by the time of the republic is to suggest that forms which are the object of definition are entities in themselves, subsisting outside time and space, in which particular things come to share or which they imitate . The ruler class then is selected by aptitude and educated through a rigorous process until his understanding of the theory of forms is so complete that he understands the forms of the virtues of justice and even good, this then entitles him to rule. Plato connected the rulers with the reason aspect of soul. Just as the rulers were able to judge right or wrong for the city, the souls calculating part told a person the rational side of a situation. Plato  consolidated all of this with the myth of metals taught to all, whereby the rulers had gold in their veins, the guardians silver and the producers iron and bronze, but they were all brothers and should all be happy in their situation. For the perfect city all three classes must work in harmony – the producers making materials, the guardians protecting and ensuring stability from both above and below, and the rulers determining through their enlightened reason what was good or bad. The soul would work in a similarway. Melchert, (2002) Plato felt that he had now found justice through the concept of the ideal city and soul. If the soul was in order then the cardinal virtues of wisdom, courage, moderation and justice would exist in the person. The wisdom was present in the rulers of the city and the calculating part of the soul. The courage was present in the guardians of the city and the spirited part of the soul. Moderation was found when all three groups of the city and soul worked together, moderation was best seen in the soul when all three parts were equal, moderation showed harmony. Justice was created when every part was doing what it was supposed to do. With all of these different parts put together Plato created what he considered to be the ideal city and soul. Vlastos,(2006). It can be seen from his point of view, therefore, that philosophers must be rulers as they are the only ones with true objective understanding of justice and good as defined by Plato and are therefore the only ones competent to lead t he rest of the population towards them. There are however a number of problems with Platos argument. In his ideal city where philosophers are kings, it is necessary for order and efficiency that everybody sticks just to their own job – this is fine in theory but would soon lead to a lack of unity through a lack of understanding, empathy and therefore sympathy. Without these the obligation to help each other would soon be overrun by a lack of motivation. This would throw the whole system out of kilter. Plato may have argued that this may have been circumvented by education but he seems fairly a dam Anton a strict division of labour. This phenomenom would also spread to natural disaster, for example if the city was to burn down there may be insufficient carpenters to rebuild it, or insufficient doctors to treat disease. Plato himself admits that once philosophers gain the knowledge of the good they would usually prefer to reflect on it, rather than sully themselves in actual politics. To go back to the allegory of the cave, once they have discovered the real world, what motivation would they have to enter the dark world of the cave and participate in the pointless games? He argues that they will do it because they are just men and that their reluctance is not only a good thing but is actually necessary as it prevents dissension and strife over who shall rule. I think that in reality some would be unable to overcome their reluctance and that those who do enter face a very large chance of being corrupted by their superior knowledge. Plato makes the huge assumption that knowledge of the good is sufficient motivation to act in a just way, this, I feel , is a very dangerous assumption and the corrupting influence of power has been proved time and again throughout history. As Karl Popper quotes I think we must face the fact that behind the sovereignty of the philosopher king stands the quest for power. Argument can also be found in the works of Aristotle that dispute Plato s claim that philosophers should be king. Aristotle felt that Plato relied far too heavily on theory and disagreed with Plato s theory of forms, instead believing that actual instances in this world (rather than other-worldly forms) were the key to universals. This heavier reliance on experience allowed a more amateur approach, rather than years of formal training, to be acceptable. Another argument against Philosopher kings stems from the Christian influence. The core-belief of Christianity was that faith, rather than reason, held the key to salvation and so the good life , This created the need for a separate private and public sphere that would be unacceptable in Plato s ideal city. This would be compounded by the democratising effect of faith – which all can have, rather than reason which is restricted to the few. In modern times the faith aspect of the separation of public and private spheres has significantly diminished, however it has been replaced by a fierce belief in individualism that is underwritten by a nebulas concept of equality enshrined in individual rights and constitutional checks, perhaps based ultimately on the free-for-all concept of capitalism. Nails,(2006). In conclusion can be observed that even during platos days the philosopher king could have been difficult to achieve  because let alone any other since then given the nullifyi ng concepts from Aristotle to Christianity to Capitalism. I tend to agree to some extent with Karl Poppers view that Plato allowed himself to be seduced by the idea (as many others have since) that he (and his theoretical like in the philosopher-kings) were the only ones that could see objectively and so should rule. It is a trap more dangerous, possibly, than any other and democracy (in the modern, rather than Greek sense), its antithesis, is a far safer – if far less than perfect alternative. REFFERENCES Kahn, Charles H. (2004). â€Å"The Framework†. Plato and the socratic dialogue: The Philosophical Use of a Literary Form. Cambridge University Press Kierkegaard, Sà ¸ren (1992). â€Å"Plato†. The Concept of Irony. Princeton University Press Nails, Debra (2006). â€Å"The Life of Plato of Athens†. A Companion to Plato edited by Hugh H. Benson. Blackwell Publishing Tarà ¡n, Leonardo (2001). Collected Papers 1962-1999. Brill Academic Publishers Kraut, Richard (Ed.) (1993). The Cambridge Companion to Plato. Cambridge University Press Melchert, Norman (2002). The Great Conversation: A Historical Introduction to Philosophy. McGraw Hill. Salli John (1999). Chorology: On Beginning in Plato’s â€Å"Timaeus†. Indiana University Press Vlastos, Gregory(2006). Plato’s Universe – with a new Introducution by Luc Brisson, Parmenides Publishing