THE NOTION OF CHILD-INCLUSIVE MEDIATION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

THE NOTION OF CHILD-INCLUSIVE MEDIATION - Essay Example This approach definitely has its merits. Attaching considerable importance to the voice of the child is highly important during mediation processes and leads to reduced conduct problems among children.1 This also facilitates both the parents and the jury to acknowledge in a better way the child’s experiences, concerns, and desires2 and how to design parental responsibilities in accordance with those experiences later. But even after myriad benefits offered by the child-inclusive notion, the opponents of this mediation approach deny its credibility and argue that openly dragging children into the middle of the hot mess created by the parental conflict could inflict a wide variety of deteriorating effects on the raw minds of the young children. This could also make them experience divided loyalties, suffer from anxiety and confusion as they may feel overburdened by offering their opinions.3 In addition to this, a child may feel disappointed when he/she expresses his/her views bu t realizes later that those views were not listened to.4 This essay aims at contemplating the arguments both in favor and against of child-inclusive strategy by exploring research literature in an attempt to evaluate the credibility of the argument that child-inclusive mediation is flawed and misguided. In order to validate discussion, the relevant research is also presented with special reference to the rights of the child. A growing body of research could be found presently related to the concepts of child-inclusive and child-focused mediation both of which are child welfare oriented strategies but stand in stark contrast to each other in terms of practical procedure. While child-focused intervention encourages parents to address the child’s needs without any direct involvement of the children,5 the child-inclusive intervention includes separate consultation by a specialist with the children.6 Mediation is important because otherwise post-separation court visits, legal affa irs, and acrimonious family disputes together inflict a profoundly devastating influence on the minds of innocent children related to aggression, impulsivity, delinquency, depression, peer difficulties, and academic achievement.7 It is further claimed that for about 10% of all divorcing couples, the unremitting animosity will shadow the entire growing up years of their children.8 General consensus is that long-standing, unresolved, and harsh conflicts prove to be highly risky for not only the parents but for the children also9 and it has been repeatedly suggested that family disputes which are tried to be resolved by involving courts take considerably more time than which are resolved through the aid of cost-effective10 mediation. Ineffective communication between parents following separation readily fosters flawed parenting which leaves the child stuck in the middle of chaos11 and it is advised that the quality of parenting provided by both parents following separation and divorce is as important as conflict in determining children’s outcomes.12 Mediation is effective in this regard because not only it seeks to resolve chronically bitter family disputes but also provides opportunities to exit the legal system at the earliest point possible.13 Though the basic aim of child inclusive practice is to enable parents to become bigger, stronger, wiser, and kinder,14 there is much conflict regarding which mediation approach should be used and the issue is hotly debated so as to find out which way would produce least ruthless effects on the children. It is widely believed that the voice of the child is important and should be heard during times of parental

Tax Law Essay Example for Free

Tax Law Essay Summarize the sources and objectives of modern income tax statutes. The primary source of US tax law is Congress. Power to initiate tax legislation is vested in the House of Representatives but all tax bills must pass both houses and be signed into law by the President. Many times the details of the legislation are not dictated by Congress, but left to the Treasury Department which adopts regulations (that have the force of law) to spell out the details as well as interpret the statutes and provide guidance on the law. In addition, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issues rulings that address the application of the law to specific fact situations. The court system is also involved in making tax law through decisions about specific fact situations. The main tax courts are the US Tax Court and the District Courts of the US. These decisions can (and do) overturn and change tax provisions based on other decisions, as well as the legislative history of the particular legislation. The primary objective of the federal income tax law is to raise revenues for government operations. In recent years, the federal government has broadened its use of the tax laws to accomplish various economic and social policy objectives. Economic Objectives The federal income tax law is used as a fiscal policy tool to stimulate private investment, reduce unemployment, and mitigate the effects of inflation on the economy. The federal income tax law also attempts to stimulate and encourage certain activities, specialized industries, and small businesses. Social Objectives The tax law attempts to encourage or discourage certain socially desirable or undersirable activities. For example: Special tax-favored pension and profit-sharing plans have been created for employees and self-employed individuals to supplement the social security retirement system. Compare and contrast GAAP and tax accounting. Explain why they are different. GAAP accounting records all financial transactions: cash, accrual, investment, expenses, tax and all other expenses and deductions that may or may not have to be reported on your yearly tax form. This form of accounting is governed by strict standards and rules and may show actual income that is different from taxable income. GAAP accounting is a set of standards provided by policy boards and commonly accepted methods of recording financial information that gives consistency to any type of financial reporting. Tax based accounting is used by most CPAs, and the majority of certified financial statements come from tax based accounting. The focus of this type of accounting is on tracking your taxable income as it builds throughout the year. Tax accounting is a method of producing financial statements that uses the same methods that will apply to your tax return. Features GAAP accounting provides a means for a business to have a complete overview of the reality of its operations by tracking all monetary relationships, investments and expenditure. Tax accounting provides a focus on business or personal expenses that pertain to tax records only. Benefits GAAP accounting is more involved then tax accounting and provides more details about the monetary reality of daily operations that may or may not pertain to your tax needs. It also provides an accurate statement of your liabilities and assets. Tax based accounting has less rules and makes it easier to see where you stand at any given point of the year with taxable income, it does not, however, reliably report all liabilities and assets. Considerations When choosing which form of accounting to use for your personal or business needs there are several points to consider. If your business must issue financial statements to investors, GAAP provides greater consistency in the reporting, as it is guided by industry standards and not subject to the many changes that occur in tax requirements on a yearly basis. If you are newly in business, or if you are just beginning to use an accounting method in your personal life, you may want to utilize GAAP standards, as it will allow ou to begin to see how money is used in all areas of your life and business. If you are established in your business and do not need to issue financial statements, or your personal budget is adequate and realistic to your living needs, the simpler tax accounting methods may be better for you as your focus will remain on what is needed to successfully file taxes at the end of each year, and you do not need the masses of data associated with tracking ever y financial transaction that occurs during the year. Expert Insight Tax accounting, also known as OCBOA (Other Comprehensive Basis of Accounting), also includes a method of accounting known as cash basis. It is rare that any business can succeed basing its accounting on cash. The intricacies of financial transactions and the necessity of looking for non-cash based deductions come tax time make cash based tax accounting impractical. Note that all standards for accounting are set by the IASC (International Accounting Standards Commission). Differentiate between tax avoidance and tax evasion. Since the passage of the first income tax law, tax accountants, lawyers, and business persons have concerned themselves with choosing among the various forms a transaction may take. Tax planning is the process of arranging an individual’s transactions in such a manner as to maximize the individual’s after-tax income. This process is called tax avoidance, and it is a legal and legitimate pursuit. Some persons choose to ignore their obligations and the clear provisions of the law, and their actions often result in Tax Evasion. Tax evasion involves fraudulent or criminal behavior as well as conduct involving deception, concealment, or destruction of records. Tax evasion occurs when the taxpayer avoids payment of taxes that are legally due and owed under tax laws, either through underreporting income or claim deductions to which they are not entitled. The English precedents were relied on repeatedly by Indian courts as well. Tax avoidance was thus seen as a permanent right of assessees. Then came the turbulence, temporary though. The Supreme Court, in the McDowell Co Ltd vs CTO (1985 154 ITR 148 SC) case, said that time has come to depart from the old thinking. It said even tax avoidance is bad and deserves condemnation. The apex courts justification for this being, the House of Lords, the highest judicial forum of English, has given a go-by to the principle laid down by the British courts (in Duke of Westminster case). Since tax avoidance as a legal route was rejected by the very country of origin, it does not merit any better treatment in India, the Supreme Court held. The adverse legal consequences of this judgment for taxpayers were enormous. First, it came from the highest court of the land and, therefore, binding on all lower courts and Tribunals. Two, the McDowell case blurred the distinction between avoidance and evasion. The Department, of course, welcomed the ruling. It repeatedly tried applying this case, as only the Supreme Court can undo the McDowell case, if at all. And fortunately the apex court did reverse the findings in the McDowell case in Union of India vs Azadi Bachao Andolan (2003 132 Taxmann 373 SC). It was argued before the Supreme Court that the McDowell case had changed the face of fiscal jurisprudence in the country. Therefore, for any tax planning, the court must strike down what is intended to and results in avoidance. Rejecting this argument, the apex court upheld the legitimate rights of taxpayer in tax avoidance. In the process, it found that the McDowell ruling was nothing exceptional but only an exception to the well-settled law.

Relationship Between Learning and Growth in Business

Relationship Between Learning and Growth in Business Introduction The introductory chapter begins with a description of the context of the present study and a presentation of the fundamental issue addressed in this empirical investigation. The significance of intangible assets in knowledge era, objectives, conceptual framework and contribution value of this study is also addressed in this chapter. 1.1 Research Context This section presents the broad context within which this empirical investigation is undertaken. The current problems and significance of intangible assets in knowledge era are explained. Traditionally, profit and loss figures in the balance sheet and annual financial reports are used as the main financial performance indicators for the action previously taken monitoring and crafting short term strategies. Accounting for intangible assets starts with documenting the various categories of expenses. Profit (or loss) is derived from the financial difference between sales revenue and operating cost. The costs include the expenses in brand building, customer database, training, product development, information technology, etc. These are usually treated as part of the operating cost and marketing expenses. The investment of tangible assets such as equipment, machinery, building, etc. is also recorded in balance sheet. This simple accounting record mechanism is no longer sufficient in the knowledge based economy. There is no linkage with long term strategies to compete with global competitors and survive in dynamic economic. Since an increasing share of market value in this era is not represented by inventory or physical assets. Investments in intangible assets are usually not documented in a proper systematic manner because of data non-availability. Consequently, reasonable estimates of the future performance potential of an organization could not be provided to the management. It is intriguing to note that the cause-effect relationships between marketing, production and human resource and financial performance have not so far been made operational. Prior to the knowledge era, business lived in the world of tangibles, which worked well with the traditional accounting practices. However, things are different in todays world of intangibles. Modern management style and strategic crafting have adapted in response to global competition and volatile economic environment. The industrial age management has been replaced by the knowledge age leadership, with corresponding transformational effects on the economy and workplace (Figure 1.1). The focus on tangible assets in the industrial age has shifted to intangible assets in the knowledge age. This paradigm shift encourages organizational employees to utilize their knowledge in line with organizational goals. Globalization is the main driver of knowledge economy. Toffler (1990) proposed knowledge as the key success factor in the present competition. Knowledge can be transferred by information flow from manufacturers to customers. Organization knowledge could be frequently managed by well- organized people in organization. Knowledge and information technology form an important part of intangible assets. With the realization of this paradigm shift, issues concerning intangible assets are now more widely researched and practiced. Figure 1.1 The shift in management style from industrial age to the knowledge age Intangible assets are of increasing importance for the corporate value creation  processes of all kinds of organizations. In 1978, intangible assets were determined to constitute only 5% of all assets, while they become 78% of all assets today. Some 50 to 90 percent of the value created by a firm in todays economy is estimated to come from the management of the firms intellectual capital rather than from the use and production of material goods (Guthrie and Yongvanich, 2004). Some public and private sector organizations do not attempt to incorporate the value of intangible assets. Sonnier et al. (2007) examined 150 high technology companies and found that management may want to reduce the level of disclosure to conceal sensitive strategic information in order to maintain a competitive advantage. As such, management reporting and financial statements will become increasingly irrelevant as a tool supporting meaningful decision making. Forward-thinking management has to ensure that in tangible assets are identified, monitored, built and leveraged. Financial profit alone could not guarantee the long term survival of companies. To be sustainable, companies need to understand and be able to manage intangible factors, including organizational learning and growth, internal process and external structure. Management that aspires for sustainable business growth and industrial leadership in the twenty-first century has to focus on superior management skills and knowledge under limited resources. Augier and Teece (2005) and Johanson (2005) reported that human capital, knowledge and other intangible assets have emerged as key to business performance in the economic systems. The intangible assets are the competitive edge over competitors. Srivastava et al. (1998) suggested the framework linking market-based assets to shareholder value which could be considered as the subset of present study. The market investment in brand and customer-profile databases leads to cash flows via a combination of price and share premiums, faster market penetration, reduced distribution, sales and service costs, and increased loyalty and retention. Brands are economic assets which are to create value shareholders and develop competitive advantage (Doyle, 2001). During the last three decades, brand is widely recognized as playing the key role in business. Brands influence customer choice, but the influence varies depending on the market in which the brand operates. Ittner (2008) suggested several pre vious studies that provided at least some evidence that intangible asset measurement is associated with higher performance. Several previous studies are limited by over-reliance on perceptual satisfaction or outcome variables, inadequate controls for contingency factors, simple variables for capturing complex measurement practices, and the lack of data implementation practice. In this study, the Balanced Scorecard strategy map (Kaplan and Norton, 2004) is chosen to provide a framework to illustrate how strategy links intangible assets to value creating processes. The reasons for choosing Balanced Scorecard as the stage to build the framework for the present research are as follows: First, Balanced Scorecard is a practical approach to measure the intangible assets that has been widely used in a variety of organizations over the past two decades. Second, through the strategy map concept, Balanced Scorecard provides the linkage the relationship between intangible assets and business performance including the interrelationship between intangible assets elements: 1) Learning and growth affect internal process 2) Internal process affects external structure 3) External structure affects business performance. The measures in the four perspectives are linked together by cause-effect relationships. The company builds the core competence and training to support the i nternal process. The internal process creates and delivers the customer value proposition. When the customers are satisfied, the sales and profit are delivered in terms of financial performance which is the key measure of business performance. 1.2 Research Objectives Since developed economies have become knowledge-based and technology intensive, view of the firm has significantly changed and intangible assets have become fundamental determinants of value and control. There are three fundamental elements of intangible assets which are learning and growth, internal process and external structure (Sveiby, 1997; Kaplan and Norton, 2004). The ultimate goal of firm is to maximize the business performance (financial performance, sales performance and customer fulfillment). This study aims to establish empirically the cause-effect relationship between learning and growth, internal process, external structure and business performance, including the interrelationships between the elements leading to business performance. 1.3 Expected Contributions of the Study There are two key areas of expected outcomes of the study. First, the impact of intangible assets on business performance is expected to be empirically established. In particular, the cause-effect relationship between learning and growth, internal process and external structure would be identified and analyzed. This is so that the detail underlying the relationships can be implemented in practice. Second, it is expected that the effect of business size, business sector and establishment age on the causal links between intangible assets and business performance would be established. As there are various types of firms business (service and non-service), sizes of business (large and SME), establishment age in the industry, this study would provide the pattern of cause-effect relationships between intangible assets and business performance in each business characteristic. Given the expected outcomes, the expected academic contributions of the present study would be to encourage similar studies to establish the causal links between intangible assets and business performance in other types of economies. The study would also provide the foundation for the field of intangible asset management For business practitioners, top management will benefit from the understanding of cause-effect relationship and the realization of the importance of intangible assets (learning and growth, internal business process and external structure) and business performance. With the clearer understanding, proper budget allocation and intangible assets management will be more properly focused and controlled to increase sustainable competitive advantage. The intangible assets are the strategic key to a sustainable competitive advantage and future economic profit. 1.4 Conceptual Framework During last decade years, intangible assets are widely expanded and researched. The value of intangible assets is likely to grow over time if the firm undertakes successful intangible assets management. The intangible assets in each fundamental element (learning and growth, internal process and external structure) are selected and classified as shown in Table 1.1. More detail explanation is given in Chapter 2. Table 1.1 Framework of intangible assets indicators The cause-effect relationship is covered in strategic mapping (Kaplan and Norton, 2004). There have also been several studies, e.g. Huselid and Becker (1997), Hitt et al. (2001), Liu and Tsai (2007), that examined the relationship between learning and growth and business performance as explain in more detail in Chapter 2. The main hypotheses in the present study are shown in Figure 1.2. Figure 1.2 Research hypotheses testing model H1: Learning and Growth is positively related to Internal Process H2: Internal Process is positively related to External Structure H3: External Structure is positively related to Business Performance H4: Learning and Growth is positively related to Business Performance 1.5 Outline of Methodology The research hypotheses formulated in this study were tested in the mail survey or questionnaire of registered company at the Thai Chamber of Commerce. The initial step in the analysis of the data collected focuses on examining the frequency distribution and the mean and standard deviation for each item or variable considered in this research. The next step in data analysis is to assess the validity of measures. Here the study uses item-total correlation, confirmatory factor analysis and the Cronbach alpha coefficient. The initial data analysis, and reliability and correlation analyses are performed using the SPSS statistical package. Furthermore, the structural equation modeling (SEM) EQS program (Bentler, 1995) is used to perform the confirmatory factor analysis, discriminant validity tests and testing of the structural model. The entire step-by-step model fit process from data collection by field survey questionnaires is shown in Figure 1.3. More details of research methodology ar e provided in Chapter 3. 1.6 Structure of the Thesis The thesis is structured on the basis of five chapters, which represent the different stages that are involved in the overall research process. Chapter 1 has covered the research context, current problems, purpose and expected contribution of the studies. Chapter 2 provides an extensive review of definition of intangible assets, intangible assets value and the Balanced Scorecard strategic mapping. This detail provide support to conceptual model of the study and the set of research hypotheses of the study which links learning and growth, internal process and external structure to business performance through cause-effect relationship. Chapter 3 presents the step-by-step research methodology used to conduct the study. It illustrates a range of important methodological issues including the research design, sampling, questionnaire development process, data collection and measurement of model variables. The Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) technique is briefly explained. Chapter 4 provides results of validity testing of the constructs and hypotheses of the present study by using EQS program for SEM technique and Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) program. Not only the results of the main research hypotheses testing model, but also other possible models are explored. Chapter 5 presents a summary of the major findings and conclusions of the study. It also suggests the long-term strategic implications of the study finding for top management. Finally, consideration is given to the limitations of this empirical investigation and suggestions are made for potential directions and strategies for future research. Literature Review This chapter reviews the definition of intangible assets and its value. The previous correlation empirical research between intangible assets and performance are reviewed. 2.1 Introduction There have been a large number of studies in intangible assets during the last two decades (see Figure 2.1). Intangible assets are involved in the customers, external structure, human resources, and internal process. The intangible assets are defined as non-financial assets without physical substance that are held for use in the production or supply of goods or services or for rental to others, or for administrative purpose (Epstein and Mirza, 2005). Intangible asset is an accounting term, but intellectual capital is a noun used in the management field. They both refer to the same thing. Therefore, Edvinsson and Malone (1997) and Tseng and Goo (2005) pointed out that intangible assets and intellectual capital are synonyms. Intangible assets are identifiable and controlled by the enterprise as a result of past events, and from which future economic benefits are expected to flow. Figure 2.1 Research development on intangible assets 2.2 Intangible Asset Element Classification Several studies have variously attempted to categorize intangible assets as summarized in Table 2.1. Some categorizations are in more common use than others. Table 2.1 Approaches for the categorization of intangible assets The purpose model of the above intangible assets researchers is summarized by Bontis (2000) in Table 2.2. Table 2.2 Purpose of intangible model In Table 2.1 and Table 2.2, there are the intangible elements correspond in each study. Wingren (2004) proposed that framework the correspond to intangible assets framework presented by Sveiby (1997) and Kaplan and Norton (1992) in Figure 2.2. Wingren (2004) mentioned that the Balanced Scorecard is primarily tool for internal development and evaluating the market value of the company for long run. Bose and Thomas (2007) implemented the concept of Balanced Scorecard to a company and they claimed that the formulating of Balanced Scorecard fits the strategic interest of the organization to achieve sustainable competitive advantage. The Balanced Scorecard encapsulates the short and long-term strategies. The motivation and evaluation of employee to achieve goal in BSC is rather than using it just as a measuring tool. When intangible assets are addressed and defined, there are four practical approaches to measure the intangible assets (Luthy, 1998): 1. Direct Intellectual Capital Method (DIC) Estimate the value of intangible assets by identifying its various components. Once these components are identified, they can be directly evaluated, either individually or as an aggregated coefficient. 2. Market Capitalization Method (MCM) Calculate the difference between a companys market capitalization and its stockholders equity as the value of the intellectual capital or intangible assets. 3. Return on Asset Method (ROA) Average pre-tax earnings of a company for a period of time are divided by the average tangible assets of the company. The result is a company ROA that is then compared with its industry average. The difference is multiplied by the companys average tangible assets to calculate an average annual earning from the intangibles. Dividing the above value of average earnings by the companys average cost of capital or an interest rate once can provide an estimate of the value of its intangible assets or intellectual capital. 4. Balanced Scorecard Method (BSC) The various components of intangible assets or intellectual capitals are identified and indicated. Indices are generated and reported in scorecards or graphs. Wingren (2004) has chosen to use the BSC concept because BSC contains outcome measures and the performance driver of outcomes, linked together in cause-effect relationships. There are linkages between customer, internal process and learning/growth with financial performance. The financial performance is the outcome and visible to the observers. 2.3 Intangible Assets in Balanced Scorecard Among the above four approaches, the Balanced Scorecard is by far the most well-known, although its original intent was not meant to be the measure for intangible assets, as discussed by Marr and Adams (2004) and Mouritsen et al. (2005). The Balanced Scorecard may be used to measure all the intangible assets in Table 2.1. Bose and Thomas (2007) recently applied the Balanced Scorecard in an empirical study of the Foster Brewing Group. The formulating of a scorecard that best fits the strategic interest of the organization is considered vital. In their view, the Balanced Scorecard is never really complete because the business environment (new competitors, changing customer demand, etc.) is dynamic and constantly evolving. As is already well-known, the Balanced Scorecard was introduced by Kaplan and Norton (1992) as a tool to link financial performance with non-financial performance dimensions: learning and growth, internal process and customer perspectives. Linkages and relationships between customers, internal process and learning/growth with financial performance are shown in Figure 2.3. The Balanced Scorecard acts as a measurement system, a strategic management system, and a communication tool. Seggie et al. (2007) made an argument for the Balanced Scorecard to be the measurement tool in marketing to measure non-financial assets and provide the organization with a long-term perspective. The Balanced Scorecard is at least partially forward-looking and partially geared toward the long-term performance of the firm. The Balanced Scorecard concept has been examined the performance measurement of bonus plan in major financial services firm. Ittner et al. (2003) recommended that the future research on Bal anced Scorecard adoption and performance consequences must move to encompass the entire implementation process. . The concept of cause-effect relationship separates the Balanced Scorecard from other performance management systems. The measures appearing on the scorecard should be linked together in a series of cause-effect relationships to tell the organizations strategic story. Increasing promotional expenses will lead to the increase in brand value. Increased brand value will lead to higher sales revenue The investment of human capital will create the continuous learning and growth in the organization. When the employees have more experience and knowledge, they can create the internal process which serves and fulfills customer satisfaction. The profit and revenue are the final outcomes of this causal chain. Heskett et al. (1994) explained that the linkage of the above model that investment in employee training leads to improvement in service quality. Better service quality lead to higher customer satisfaction. Higher customer satisfaction leads to increased customer loyalty. Increased customer loyalty generates increased revenues and margins. The following are five principles of successful Balanced Scorecard users (Kaplan and Norton, 2004): 1. Mobilize change through executive leadership 2. Translate the strategy into operational term 3. Align the organization to the strategy 4. Make strategy everyones job 5. Make strategy a continual process Intangible assets can be considered very much part of the Balanced Scorecard. Intangible assets are linked mainly to the marketing and human resources. Following is the review of intangible assets in Balanced Scorecard by Kaplan and Norton (1992) and intangible asset monitored by Sveiby (1997) are reviewed. By using the categories developed by Hall (1993), Sveiby (1997), Shaikh (2004) and Roos et al. (1997) reviewed and classified the intangible assets into a framework of internal structure, external structure, and employee competence as shown in Table 2.3. Table 2.3 Framework of intellectual capital/ intangible assets indicators From the above table, the intangible assets are reviewed as follows. 1. Learning and Growth The learning and growth is the capacity of employee to act in a wide variety of situations. Employee is the most valuable asset of the company in the highly competitive market. It is the one asset that creates uniqueness to the company and differentiates the company from the competitors. Sveiby (1997) emphasized employee capability as a key asset for organization growth. Employee satisfaction refers primarily to job and what employees perceive as offerings. Employee satisfaction is positively related to organizational commitment. There are several studies mentioned that human resource is effect to business performance. Huselid (1999) and Hand (1998) have reported the existence of a positive and significant relationship between investments in human resources and the market value of companies. Huselid and Becker (1997) found that there is a strongly positive relationship between a high performance human resource systems and firm performance. Bontis et al. (2000) found that human capita l had positive effect on customer retention and loyalty regardless of industry type. Hitt et al. (2001) and Hurwitz et al. (2002) found that human capital has a positive effect on performance. Also, human capital is shown to have moderate cause-effect relationships with strategy and firm performance. Moon and Kym (2006) confirmed that human capital, structural capital and relational capital have direct impact on intellectual capital. Liu and Tsai (2007) surveyed 560 managers from major Taiwanese hi-tech companies and found that knowledge management has a positive effect on operating performance. Lin and Kuo(2007) also investigated that human resource management influences operational performance indirectly through organizational learning and knowledge management capability. Knowledge is one of learning and growth perspective. In knowledge era, the knowledge management has been widely studies. The knowledge is lost by the organization when the employees leave the firm (Ordonez de Pablos, 2004). McKeen et al.(2006) founded that knowledge management was positive significant to overall organization performance (product leadership, customer intimacy and operational excellence) which is part of internal and customer perspectives in Balanced Scorecard. Organization performance was significant to financial performance. There was no significant direct relationship between knowledge management and financial performance. The knowledge sharing is a key issue in order to enhance the innovation capability that is one of internal process (Saenz et al., 2009). There is also the linkage of learning and growth and internal process. Forcadell and Guadamillas (2002) studies a firm used knowledge management to develop a process of continuous innovation which is in the inter nal business process perspective. 2. Internal Process The internal process includes patents, concepts, models, information technology systems, administrative systems and organizational culture (Aaker, 1991). Such leading companies as GE, Sony, IBM, or Ford used to cover a wide variety of products, but after finding that they could not sustain all product lines, they switched to selective products, while improving the intangible factors, quality and innovation. Deng et al. (1999) suggested that patent attributes are statistically associated with stock return and market to book ratio. Research and Development is one of intangible assets which is the most importance performance. Chu et al. (2008) founded that the valuation of assets and long-term focused in operation of US ICs firms are higher than the firms in Taiwan. 3. External Structure The external structure includes relationship with customers and suppliers. The Balanced Scorecard is concerned only customer value proposition, but the external structure covers supplier. The external structure also encompasses brand-names, customer loyalty, customer satisfaction and the companys reputation or goodwill. In the brand valuation terminology, brand is a large bundle of trademarks and associated intellectual property rights. Cravens and Guilding (1999) reported that brand valuation is one of the most effective means for business to bring accounting and marketing closer for the purpose of strategic brand management and effective means of communication between marketing and accounting. A branded business valuation is based on a discounted cash flow analysis of future earnings for that business discounted at the appropriate cost of capital. The value of the brand business is made up of a number of tangible and intangible assets. There are 2 brand evaluation models 1) research-based approaches measure consumer behavior and attitudes that have an impact on the economic performance of brands. No financial value on brands is in this model 2) purely financially driven approaches. Relationship Between Learning and Growth in Business Relationship Between Learning and Growth in Business Introduction The introductory chapter begins with a description of the context of the present study and a presentation of the fundamental issue addressed in this empirical investigation. The significance of intangible assets in knowledge era, objectives, conceptual framework and contribution value of this study is also addressed in this chapter. 1.1 Research Context This section presents the broad context within which this empirical investigation is undertaken. The current problems and significance of intangible assets in knowledge era are explained. Traditionally, profit and loss figures in the balance sheet and annual financial reports are used as the main financial performance indicators for the action previously taken monitoring and crafting short term strategies. Accounting for intangible assets starts with documenting the various categories of expenses. Profit (or loss) is derived from the financial difference between sales revenue and operating cost. The costs include the expenses in brand building, customer database, training, product development, information technology, etc. These are usually treated as part of the operating cost and marketing expenses. The investment of tangible assets such as equipment, machinery, building, etc. is also recorded in balance sheet. This simple accounting record mechanism is no longer sufficient in the knowledge based economy. There is no linkage with long term strategies to compete with global competitors and survive in dynamic economic. Since an increasing share of market value in this era is not represented by inventory or physical assets. Investments in intangible assets are usually not documented in a proper systematic manner because of data non-availability. Consequently, reasonable estimates of the future performance potential of an organization could not be provided to the management. It is intriguing to note that the cause-effect relationships between marketing, production and human resource and financial performance have not so far been made operational. Prior to the knowledge era, business lived in the world of tangibles, which worked well with the traditional accounting practices. However, things are different in todays world of intangibles. Modern management style and strategic crafting have adapted in response to global competition and volatile economic environment. The industrial age management has been replaced by the knowledge age leadership, with corresponding transformational effects on the economy and workplace (Figure 1.1). The focus on tangible assets in the industrial age has shifted to intangible assets in the knowledge age. This paradigm shift encourages organizational employees to utilize their knowledge in line with organizational goals. Globalization is the main driver of knowledge economy. Toffler (1990) proposed knowledge as the key success factor in the present competition. Knowledge can be transferred by information flow from manufacturers to customers. Organization knowledge could be frequently managed by well- organized people in organization. Knowledge and information technology form an important part of intangible assets. With the realization of this paradigm shift, issues concerning intangible assets are now more widely researched and practiced. Figure 1.1 The shift in management style from industrial age to the knowledge age Intangible assets are of increasing importance for the corporate value creation  processes of all kinds of organizations. In 1978, intangible assets were determined to constitute only 5% of all assets, while they become 78% of all assets today. Some 50 to 90 percent of the value created by a firm in todays economy is estimated to come from the management of the firms intellectual capital rather than from the use and production of material goods (Guthrie and Yongvanich, 2004). Some public and private sector organizations do not attempt to incorporate the value of intangible assets. Sonnier et al. (2007) examined 150 high technology companies and found that management may want to reduce the level of disclosure to conceal sensitive strategic information in order to maintain a competitive advantage. As such, management reporting and financial statements will become increasingly irrelevant as a tool supporting meaningful decision making. Forward-thinking management has to ensure that in tangible assets are identified, monitored, built and leveraged. Financial profit alone could not guarantee the long term survival of companies. To be sustainable, companies need to understand and be able to manage intangible factors, including organizational learning and growth, internal process and external structure. Management that aspires for sustainable business growth and industrial leadership in the twenty-first century has to focus on superior management skills and knowledge under limited resources. Augier and Teece (2005) and Johanson (2005) reported that human capital, knowledge and other intangible assets have emerged as key to business performance in the economic systems. The intangible assets are the competitive edge over competitors. Srivastava et al. (1998) suggested the framework linking market-based assets to shareholder value which could be considered as the subset of present study. The market investment in brand and customer-profile databases leads to cash flows via a combination of price and share premiums, faster market penetration, reduced distribution, sales and service costs, and increased loyalty and retention. Brands are economic assets which are to create value shareholders and develop competitive advantage (Doyle, 2001). During the last three decades, brand is widely recognized as playing the key role in business. Brands influence customer choice, but the influence varies depending on the market in which the brand operates. Ittner (2008) suggested several pre vious studies that provided at least some evidence that intangible asset measurement is associated with higher performance. Several previous studies are limited by over-reliance on perceptual satisfaction or outcome variables, inadequate controls for contingency factors, simple variables for capturing complex measurement practices, and the lack of data implementation practice. In this study, the Balanced Scorecard strategy map (Kaplan and Norton, 2004) is chosen to provide a framework to illustrate how strategy links intangible assets to value creating processes. The reasons for choosing Balanced Scorecard as the stage to build the framework for the present research are as follows: First, Balanced Scorecard is a practical approach to measure the intangible assets that has been widely used in a variety of organizations over the past two decades. Second, through the strategy map concept, Balanced Scorecard provides the linkage the relationship between intangible assets and business performance including the interrelationship between intangible assets elements: 1) Learning and growth affect internal process 2) Internal process affects external structure 3) External structure affects business performance. The measures in the four perspectives are linked together by cause-effect relationships. The company builds the core competence and training to support the i nternal process. The internal process creates and delivers the customer value proposition. When the customers are satisfied, the sales and profit are delivered in terms of financial performance which is the key measure of business performance. 1.2 Research Objectives Since developed economies have become knowledge-based and technology intensive, view of the firm has significantly changed and intangible assets have become fundamental determinants of value and control. There are three fundamental elements of intangible assets which are learning and growth, internal process and external structure (Sveiby, 1997; Kaplan and Norton, 2004). The ultimate goal of firm is to maximize the business performance (financial performance, sales performance and customer fulfillment). This study aims to establish empirically the cause-effect relationship between learning and growth, internal process, external structure and business performance, including the interrelationships between the elements leading to business performance. 1.3 Expected Contributions of the Study There are two key areas of expected outcomes of the study. First, the impact of intangible assets on business performance is expected to be empirically established. In particular, the cause-effect relationship between learning and growth, internal process and external structure would be identified and analyzed. This is so that the detail underlying the relationships can be implemented in practice. Second, it is expected that the effect of business size, business sector and establishment age on the causal links between intangible assets and business performance would be established. As there are various types of firms business (service and non-service), sizes of business (large and SME), establishment age in the industry, this study would provide the pattern of cause-effect relationships between intangible assets and business performance in each business characteristic. Given the expected outcomes, the expected academic contributions of the present study would be to encourage similar studies to establish the causal links between intangible assets and business performance in other types of economies. The study would also provide the foundation for the field of intangible asset management For business practitioners, top management will benefit from the understanding of cause-effect relationship and the realization of the importance of intangible assets (learning and growth, internal business process and external structure) and business performance. With the clearer understanding, proper budget allocation and intangible assets management will be more properly focused and controlled to increase sustainable competitive advantage. The intangible assets are the strategic key to a sustainable competitive advantage and future economic profit. 1.4 Conceptual Framework During last decade years, intangible assets are widely expanded and researched. The value of intangible assets is likely to grow over time if the firm undertakes successful intangible assets management. The intangible assets in each fundamental element (learning and growth, internal process and external structure) are selected and classified as shown in Table 1.1. More detail explanation is given in Chapter 2. Table 1.1 Framework of intangible assets indicators The cause-effect relationship is covered in strategic mapping (Kaplan and Norton, 2004). There have also been several studies, e.g. Huselid and Becker (1997), Hitt et al. (2001), Liu and Tsai (2007), that examined the relationship between learning and growth and business performance as explain in more detail in Chapter 2. The main hypotheses in the present study are shown in Figure 1.2. Figure 1.2 Research hypotheses testing model H1: Learning and Growth is positively related to Internal Process H2: Internal Process is positively related to External Structure H3: External Structure is positively related to Business Performance H4: Learning and Growth is positively related to Business Performance 1.5 Outline of Methodology The research hypotheses formulated in this study were tested in the mail survey or questionnaire of registered company at the Thai Chamber of Commerce. The initial step in the analysis of the data collected focuses on examining the frequency distribution and the mean and standard deviation for each item or variable considered in this research. The next step in data analysis is to assess the validity of measures. Here the study uses item-total correlation, confirmatory factor analysis and the Cronbach alpha coefficient. The initial data analysis, and reliability and correlation analyses are performed using the SPSS statistical package. Furthermore, the structural equation modeling (SEM) EQS program (Bentler, 1995) is used to perform the confirmatory factor analysis, discriminant validity tests and testing of the structural model. The entire step-by-step model fit process from data collection by field survey questionnaires is shown in Figure 1.3. More details of research methodology ar e provided in Chapter 3. 1.6 Structure of the Thesis The thesis is structured on the basis of five chapters, which represent the different stages that are involved in the overall research process. Chapter 1 has covered the research context, current problems, purpose and expected contribution of the studies. Chapter 2 provides an extensive review of definition of intangible assets, intangible assets value and the Balanced Scorecard strategic mapping. This detail provide support to conceptual model of the study and the set of research hypotheses of the study which links learning and growth, internal process and external structure to business performance through cause-effect relationship. Chapter 3 presents the step-by-step research methodology used to conduct the study. It illustrates a range of important methodological issues including the research design, sampling, questionnaire development process, data collection and measurement of model variables. The Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) technique is briefly explained. Chapter 4 provides results of validity testing of the constructs and hypotheses of the present study by using EQS program for SEM technique and Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) program. Not only the results of the main research hypotheses testing model, but also other possible models are explored. Chapter 5 presents a summary of the major findings and conclusions of the study. It also suggests the long-term strategic implications of the study finding for top management. Finally, consideration is given to the limitations of this empirical investigation and suggestions are made for potential directions and strategies for future research. Literature Review This chapter reviews the definition of intangible assets and its value. The previous correlation empirical research between intangible assets and performance are reviewed. 2.1 Introduction There have been a large number of studies in intangible assets during the last two decades (see Figure 2.1). Intangible assets are involved in the customers, external structure, human resources, and internal process. The intangible assets are defined as non-financial assets without physical substance that are held for use in the production or supply of goods or services or for rental to others, or for administrative purpose (Epstein and Mirza, 2005). Intangible asset is an accounting term, but intellectual capital is a noun used in the management field. They both refer to the same thing. Therefore, Edvinsson and Malone (1997) and Tseng and Goo (2005) pointed out that intangible assets and intellectual capital are synonyms. Intangible assets are identifiable and controlled by the enterprise as a result of past events, and from which future economic benefits are expected to flow. Figure 2.1 Research development on intangible assets 2.2 Intangible Asset Element Classification Several studies have variously attempted to categorize intangible assets as summarized in Table 2.1. Some categorizations are in more common use than others. Table 2.1 Approaches for the categorization of intangible assets The purpose model of the above intangible assets researchers is summarized by Bontis (2000) in Table 2.2. Table 2.2 Purpose of intangible model In Table 2.1 and Table 2.2, there are the intangible elements correspond in each study. Wingren (2004) proposed that framework the correspond to intangible assets framework presented by Sveiby (1997) and Kaplan and Norton (1992) in Figure 2.2. Wingren (2004) mentioned that the Balanced Scorecard is primarily tool for internal development and evaluating the market value of the company for long run. Bose and Thomas (2007) implemented the concept of Balanced Scorecard to a company and they claimed that the formulating of Balanced Scorecard fits the strategic interest of the organization to achieve sustainable competitive advantage. The Balanced Scorecard encapsulates the short and long-term strategies. The motivation and evaluation of employee to achieve goal in BSC is rather than using it just as a measuring tool. When intangible assets are addressed and defined, there are four practical approaches to measure the intangible assets (Luthy, 1998): 1. Direct Intellectual Capital Method (DIC) Estimate the value of intangible assets by identifying its various components. Once these components are identified, they can be directly evaluated, either individually or as an aggregated coefficient. 2. Market Capitalization Method (MCM) Calculate the difference between a companys market capitalization and its stockholders equity as the value of the intellectual capital or intangible assets. 3. Return on Asset Method (ROA) Average pre-tax earnings of a company for a period of time are divided by the average tangible assets of the company. The result is a company ROA that is then compared with its industry average. The difference is multiplied by the companys average tangible assets to calculate an average annual earning from the intangibles. Dividing the above value of average earnings by the companys average cost of capital or an interest rate once can provide an estimate of the value of its intangible assets or intellectual capital. 4. Balanced Scorecard Method (BSC) The various components of intangible assets or intellectual capitals are identified and indicated. Indices are generated and reported in scorecards or graphs. Wingren (2004) has chosen to use the BSC concept because BSC contains outcome measures and the performance driver of outcomes, linked together in cause-effect relationships. There are linkages between customer, internal process and learning/growth with financial performance. The financial performance is the outcome and visible to the observers. 2.3 Intangible Assets in Balanced Scorecard Among the above four approaches, the Balanced Scorecard is by far the most well-known, although its original intent was not meant to be the measure for intangible assets, as discussed by Marr and Adams (2004) and Mouritsen et al. (2005). The Balanced Scorecard may be used to measure all the intangible assets in Table 2.1. Bose and Thomas (2007) recently applied the Balanced Scorecard in an empirical study of the Foster Brewing Group. The formulating of a scorecard that best fits the strategic interest of the organization is considered vital. In their view, the Balanced Scorecard is never really complete because the business environment (new competitors, changing customer demand, etc.) is dynamic and constantly evolving. As is already well-known, the Balanced Scorecard was introduced by Kaplan and Norton (1992) as a tool to link financial performance with non-financial performance dimensions: learning and growth, internal process and customer perspectives. Linkages and relationships between customers, internal process and learning/growth with financial performance are shown in Figure 2.3. The Balanced Scorecard acts as a measurement system, a strategic management system, and a communication tool. Seggie et al. (2007) made an argument for the Balanced Scorecard to be the measurement tool in marketing to measure non-financial assets and provide the organization with a long-term perspective. The Balanced Scorecard is at least partially forward-looking and partially geared toward the long-term performance of the firm. The Balanced Scorecard concept has been examined the performance measurement of bonus plan in major financial services firm. Ittner et al. (2003) recommended that the future research on Bal anced Scorecard adoption and performance consequences must move to encompass the entire implementation process. . The concept of cause-effect relationship separates the Balanced Scorecard from other performance management systems. The measures appearing on the scorecard should be linked together in a series of cause-effect relationships to tell the organizations strategic story. Increasing promotional expenses will lead to the increase in brand value. Increased brand value will lead to higher sales revenue The investment of human capital will create the continuous learning and growth in the organization. When the employees have more experience and knowledge, they can create the internal process which serves and fulfills customer satisfaction. The profit and revenue are the final outcomes of this causal chain. Heskett et al. (1994) explained that the linkage of the above model that investment in employee training leads to improvement in service quality. Better service quality lead to higher customer satisfaction. Higher customer satisfaction leads to increased customer loyalty. Increased customer loyalty generates increased revenues and margins. The following are five principles of successful Balanced Scorecard users (Kaplan and Norton, 2004): 1. Mobilize change through executive leadership 2. Translate the strategy into operational term 3. Align the organization to the strategy 4. Make strategy everyones job 5. Make strategy a continual process Intangible assets can be considered very much part of the Balanced Scorecard. Intangible assets are linked mainly to the marketing and human resources. Following is the review of intangible assets in Balanced Scorecard by Kaplan and Norton (1992) and intangible asset monitored by Sveiby (1997) are reviewed. By using the categories developed by Hall (1993), Sveiby (1997), Shaikh (2004) and Roos et al. (1997) reviewed and classified the intangible assets into a framework of internal structure, external structure, and employee competence as shown in Table 2.3. Table 2.3 Framework of intellectual capital/ intangible assets indicators From the above table, the intangible assets are reviewed as follows. 1. Learning and Growth The learning and growth is the capacity of employee to act in a wide variety of situations. Employee is the most valuable asset of the company in the highly competitive market. It is the one asset that creates uniqueness to the company and differentiates the company from the competitors. Sveiby (1997) emphasized employee capability as a key asset for organization growth. Employee satisfaction refers primarily to job and what employees perceive as offerings. Employee satisfaction is positively related to organizational commitment. There are several studies mentioned that human resource is effect to business performance. Huselid (1999) and Hand (1998) have reported the existence of a positive and significant relationship between investments in human resources and the market value of companies. Huselid and Becker (1997) found that there is a strongly positive relationship between a high performance human resource systems and firm performance. Bontis et al. (2000) found that human capita l had positive effect on customer retention and loyalty regardless of industry type. Hitt et al. (2001) and Hurwitz et al. (2002) found that human capital has a positive effect on performance. Also, human capital is shown to have moderate cause-effect relationships with strategy and firm performance. Moon and Kym (2006) confirmed that human capital, structural capital and relational capital have direct impact on intellectual capital. Liu and Tsai (2007) surveyed 560 managers from major Taiwanese hi-tech companies and found that knowledge management has a positive effect on operating performance. Lin and Kuo(2007) also investigated that human resource management influences operational performance indirectly through organizational learning and knowledge management capability. Knowledge is one of learning and growth perspective. In knowledge era, the knowledge management has been widely studies. The knowledge is lost by the organization when the employees leave the firm (Ordonez de Pablos, 2004). McKeen et al.(2006) founded that knowledge management was positive significant to overall organization performance (product leadership, customer intimacy and operational excellence) which is part of internal and customer perspectives in Balanced Scorecard. Organization performance was significant to financial performance. There was no significant direct relationship between knowledge management and financial performance. The knowledge sharing is a key issue in order to enhance the innovation capability that is one of internal process (Saenz et al., 2009). There is also the linkage of learning and growth and internal process. Forcadell and Guadamillas (2002) studies a firm used knowledge management to develop a process of continuous innovation which is in the inter nal business process perspective. 2. Internal Process The internal process includes patents, concepts, models, information technology systems, administrative systems and organizational culture (Aaker, 1991). Such leading companies as GE, Sony, IBM, or Ford used to cover a wide variety of products, but after finding that they could not sustain all product lines, they switched to selective products, while improving the intangible factors, quality and innovation. Deng et al. (1999) suggested that patent attributes are statistically associated with stock return and market to book ratio. Research and Development is one of intangible assets which is the most importance performance. Chu et al. (2008) founded that the valuation of assets and long-term focused in operation of US ICs firms are higher than the firms in Taiwan. 3. External Structure The external structure includes relationship with customers and suppliers. The Balanced Scorecard is concerned only customer value proposition, but the external structure covers supplier. The external structure also encompasses brand-names, customer loyalty, customer satisfaction and the companys reputation or goodwill. In the brand valuation terminology, brand is a large bundle of trademarks and associated intellectual property rights. Cravens and Guilding (1999) reported that brand valuation is one of the most effective means for business to bring accounting and marketing closer for the purpose of strategic brand management and effective means of communication between marketing and accounting. A branded business valuation is based on a discounted cash flow analysis of future earnings for that business discounted at the appropriate cost of capital. The value of the brand business is made up of a number of tangible and intangible assets. There are 2 brand evaluation models 1) research-based approaches measure consumer behavior and attitudes that have an impact on the economic performance of brands. No financial value on brands is in this model 2) purely financially driven approaches.

Oedipus and Creon in Sophocles Oedipus the King Essay -- oedipus Soph

Oedipus and Creon in Sophocles' Oedipus the King   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At first glance, Oedipus and Creon are two very different people. But as time progresses their personalities and even their fates grow more and more similar. In Sophocles’s play â€Å"Oedipus the King†, Oedipus and Creon are two completely opposite people. Oedipus is brash and thoughtless, whilst Creon is wise and prudent. In â€Å"Oedipus the King†, Oedipus effectively portrays the idea of the classic â€Å"flawed hero†. He becomes arrogant and brash. He accuses Creon and Tiresias of treachery. Even worse however, Oedipus goes against the gods. This causes them to punish him severely. Creon is the exact antithesis of Oedipus. He thinks before he acts. Creon is wise and loyal. In Sophocles’ other play, â€Å"Antigone†, however, he undergoes a drastic personality change. He becomes more and more like Oedipus. Creon commits acts of hubris, kills and humiliates people for no reason whatsoever. Once he realizes the folly of hi s ways, he punishes himself for going against the gods and destroying all that he loved, This is strikingly similar to the story of Oedipus. At first Oedipus and Creon seem like entirely different people. But through the course of events, they share almost identical personalities and even fates.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In â€Å"Oedipus the King†, Oedipus is a brash and arrogant ruler while Creon is his patient, thoughtful right hand man. After Oedipus and his sons all die and Creon becomes king of Thebes, he begins to grow wilder and even more out of control than Oedipus was. In â€Å"Oedipus the King† Oedipus accused Creon of bribing Tiresias, the blind prophet, to make a prediction that will doom Oedipus. He accuses Creon of â€Å"plotting to kill the king† (189). He does this without any concrete evidence or proof. Oedipus rationalizes that because Creon induced him to â€Å"send for that sanctimonious prophet [Tiresias]† (190), he is responsible for the prophecy. Oedipus assumes that â€Å"if the two of you [Creon and Tiresias] had never put heads together, we would never have heard† (192) the prophecy. Creon even calls Oedipus a man is full of â€Å"crude, mindless stubbornness† (190). Oedipus lashed out at Creon for â€Å"betrayin g a kinsman† (192). He did so without any evidence or proof. He just did accused Creon without thinking about the consequences. Although Creon stands against rashness and unthinking now, he soon becomes another Oedipus. ... ...e world that you can name† (237) Creon receives a very similar punishment. He too, loses all he deems valuable in the world. Creon will not allow Haemon to marry Antigone. He condemns their marriage and greatly distresses his son, Haemon. As a result of Creon’s actions, Haemon commits suicide, â€Å"his blood spilled by his very hand† (120). Eurydice, Creons’s wife, also kills herself. She is so wracked with anguish by Haemon’s suicide, that she â€Å"stabbed herself at the altar† (126). Creon â€Å"murdered†¦ his son†¦ and his wife.† (127). He has nowhere to â€Å"lean to for support† (127) and no-one to â€Å"look to† (127). The chorus sums up his and Oedipus’s fate when they say â€Å" The mighty words of the proud are paid in full with mighty blows of fate, and at long last those blows will teach us wisdom† (128) Creon and Oedipus were obviously very similar people. They both rose through chance and circumstance and they both fell because of their brashness and hubris. Creon started off as a very different person to Oedipus. But once he became king, he immediately became an almost identical person to Oedipus. He was rash, unthinking and uncaring. This resulted in his downfall just as it caused Oedipus’.

Racial Diversity Worksheet

According to Wikipedia Encyclopedia African Americans have experienced significant changes in their economic, social and political standings since the Civil Rights Movement. African Americans have more access to getting a higher education, a better paying job, and they are more involved in the American political process than any other minority group in the United States. Even though you still see many African Americans living in poverty, struggling to survive, and having limited access to healthcare, you also see many African Americans working extremely hard to accomplish many great things.Many of them have great jobs, own their own homes, and are living a wonderful life all together. For example, Barrack Obama beat all the odds and became the first African American President of the United States. Barrack Obama survived being and â€Å"average† American to complete school, go to college, raise a family, and eventually becoming the President. He is changing the way the â€Å"a verage† African American and Americans in general are viewed and what their potential standings in economic, social, and political America will be.  I know that President Obama is having a lot of issues right  now and not looking like a good role model, but at one point he was someone that African Americans and all Americans did look up to.1. There are two definitions for racism. The first definition of racism is the belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others. The second definition of racism is discrimination or prejudice based on race. There are many ways that racism affects diversity. Racism keeps people away from people of different races and with that happening they are not learning about all the different ethnic backgrounds.2.  According to the National Journal the interactions of racial groups has become more positive than negative or neutral. Many people do not see their friends and neig hbors as different races even though they are. Today many people are open to diversity. They are willing to learn more about the different cultural backgrounds, because of the potential day to day interaction with friends, family, and neighbors.3. Even though we the people believe that we are all equal there is still existing social inequities based on race. African Americans and Latinos are more likely to live in high- poverty communities than poor white people.  This means that African Americans and Latino are at high risk of not being to have quality schools, housing, healthcare, affordable consumer credit, or anything else that will help them to get out of poverty.4. I believe that the causes of racial prejudice and discrimination in today's society is people are afraid to give a person of another racial group a chance to prove who the really are. Many people live in the past and are brought up to believe that their racial group is superior over any other racial group. Many of these people are stuck in their own ways and are not open to any change.

Behavior: Teacher and Young People Essay

Adults that support children and young people in school setting have to be aware of the different stages that children and young develop: this includes emotional, physical and social development. Children and young people learn how to behave in time and need guidance and clear boundaries from adults in order to behave the way society expects them. There are Strategies to make children and young people’s behavior one of them is the need to praise them for their work and effort. Children and young people need to feel valued, some seek to belong to group being able to communicate with them effectively to build a positive relationship will help them learn to use to positive behavior. A behavior policy will help all staff to learn how to promote positive, by explaining that children need to develop positive skills and attributes. In my setting these are some of the behavior policies in place: Behavior policy-in order for effective learning to take place, good behavior in all aspects of school life is necessary. By adhering, this policy we aim recognize and promote positive behavior and in doing so we will help promote self-esteem, self-discipline and build positive relationship based on mutual respect. The policy is not only aimed at pupils but to all who are involved in the school community from parents to governors to staff ect in order to be able apply it consistently. In key stage one and two an assembly is held each week one child will receives a prize for earning a Golden star award which is selected by raffle of all the awards. Golden awards are counted up in houses across the school and the wining house receives a reward such a additional P.  E/ games or an ice skating trip. All classes have an opportunity to LAD achievement assembly, which parents/cares are encourage to attend, where are able to show and celebrate examples of their best work. Each week a different year group’s achievement are celebrated in whole school assembly with individual pupils being selected to come on stage to receive a certificate. All staff work hard to help children maintain high standards of behavior. This important so that they can use their in school effectively to learn that learning is not disrupted by others. We actively encourage and promote good behavior which is rewarded in variety of ways such as house points, certificates, stickers, praise from other teachers ect. Children also understand that poor behavior is not acceptable. Within school we have a clear set of behavior consequences such if a child is disruptive: question them on their behavior; a warning inappropriate behavior continues; consequence if child choose not to heed warning. Six Golden Rules: This is the guideline in my setting for pupil so they have an understanding how to behave in school: * Do be kind and helpful * Do be honest * Do look after property Do be gentle * Do listen to other people * Work hard * Do wear the right uniform. Teachers are only able to teach effectively and pupils learn effectively in orderly classes with good behavior. (Department for children and families- taken from school setting behavior policy) Sanctions In my setting they have accepted that some children will find it difficult to abide by the schools code conduct therefore all staff have to be consistent when confronted with inappropriate behavior. The staff are informed of the three groups of behavior that the school has listed: * Less serious incidents- calling out in class Serious incidents-swearing * Very serious incidents-fighting Depending on behavior staff will allocate appropriate sanctions which may include; loss of privileges- not being a prefect, class leader, helping the teacher with register, loss of lunch or morning break or the loss any extra, curricular activities if the child keeps contenting behaving the same. In key stage two, children who are being disruptive in class not working too of their ability and who have forgotten their homework will be given 5mins in the time out corner and if it happens twice in one week is detention at lunch time. Parents are always informed of their child’s inappropriate behavior, if the child gets two lunch time detentions for the same reason in one half term. They get a lunch time detention with the head teacher or Deputy head teacher. And the parents are invited to discuss the matter with the class teacher. In a case where the child’s disruptive behavior continues, either in the playground or the classroom, the child will receive two warning. If the child continues to behave inappropriately then the head teacher, after consultation, may decide to issue an internal exclusion. An internal exclusion differs from exclusion as the child is still able to come into school but the child works away from their own class for fixed period. Exclusions also vary depending on the behavior. If a child is excluded and it is for over 15 days the head teacher will need to get it approved by a panel of governors. The outcome is decided by the Chair of Governors and the LEA. All exclusion are record in every child’s school file and will eventually be sent on to their secondary schools. BULLING: In my setting, all staff work alongside with parents and the children to create a school community where bulling is not tolerated. They take all types of bulling seriously such as, emotional, physical, and racial, cyber bulling and are recorded in the school behavior book by the Head teacher. Any form bulling is reported to the Head teacher as well as the class child protection officer. The children are encouraged to speak to their class teacher if they feel they have are being bullied. The school involves the parent(s) of the child who is bulling others by encourages them to support and re-educate their child, they also inform the parent(s) of the child who have been bullied and offer support. Describe with examples the importance of all staff consistently and fairly applying boundaries and rules for children and young people’s behavior accordance with the policies and procedures of the setting: In my setting staff promotes positive behavior by giving children and young people the opportunity to develop their true potential academically, morally and spiritually. It is important for all staff to be consistent when dealing with inappropriate behavior so that children and young people have sense and knowledge of right from wrong and also know what is expected from them. Example: One day the teacher was instructing the children on their learning objective when a child was being disruptive. I asked the child politely not to sit down and if he/she needed something to put their hand up first, I was quite taken back by when he/she replied rudely. I waited till the whole class was busy with their work and approached the child spoken to her about her rudeness then and asked her if she would move her name down from green to yellow, also made her aware I would tell her teacher about her behavior. The class teacher spoke to the child and he/she was told to apologize to me. It is important for all staff to work alongside each other so that children and young people will expect rules to be the same. If boundaries and rules are not consistent staff would feel undermined. If one staff allows inappropriate behavior and another disciplines the child, the child would be confused. It is also important to remember when addressing a child or a young person of their unaccepted behavior the appropriate sanction is used according to their age and stage of development. For example a child in key stage one who behaves inappropriately would not be given lunch time detention for not doing their homework as opposed to a child in key stage two or at secondary age. The reason why policies and procedures are in place is for parents to support children and young people in their school work and for children and young people to understand what is expected from them. As well as school having a behavior policy, each class would have their own ‘golden rule’ that was created by the children themselves. The importance of letting children create this rule is to include them and allow them to participate. Children benefit by this as they feel valued which helps their self-esteem and self- development. In my setting children who behave inappropriately are given verbal warning and are encouraged and supported to make more positive choices. If the unaccepted behavior continues throughout out the week the child misses their morning and lunch time break by spending it in detention supervised by the Head teacher. Their parents are also informed they may come a time when a child or a young person’s behavior is out of control that parents, class teacher, Head teacher and appropriate practitioners have to work alongside each other. IEP {Individual Education Plan} is created for the individual and a target is set to manage the child or young person’s unwanted behavior. This approach is known as the S. M. A. R. T target {specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time, bound/specific} The plan may include use of intervention to get the child not to behave inappropriately. It also has to be specific and clear so the child understands what has to be achieved. The target has to be realistic in order for the child to be able to achieve it, therefore it needs to be relevant and time given is reviewed according to the child’s behavior. Before a child or young person is put on the IEP, teachers invite the child’s parents/guidance/Carer to discuss the behavior. A child’s behavior may be a cause of by many factors that has affected them largely such as a change in family structure, home environment or transition to a new school such as secondary school, it can also be through bereavement, parents getting divorce, parents getting re-married, new siblings or illness on one of the family members. In order to support the child, staff in school setting has to act as role model, it sets the standards of behavior and expectations to the children and young people. This is how they learn about positive behavior by watching us. Praising the child for positive behavior and rewarding them with responsibilities such as head boy/girl prefects, class monitors will build their self-esteem, create a calmer environment and build relationships.