Saturday, August 31, 2019

The New Trend on the Rise Is Pop-Up Stores

Pop-up stores: new events buzz on the way Heidi Klum's old adage that, â€Å"in fashion, one day you're in, and the next day you're out,† has seldom been applied to the retail side of shopping – until now. The rise of the â€Å"pop-up shop† has emerged as a trend in shopping that, despite what its premise would suggest, has surprisingly maintained steadfast popularity. After all, fashion is arguably one of the most fickle and volatile industries out there, so it comes as no surprise that the stores that display its wares should come and go in the same manner. WHAT IS A POP STRORE AND WHAT IS IT FOR?Between street marketing and traditional boutique, for a few days, few weeks, few months, or for an indefinite period, Pop-up stores are â€Å"ephemeral store† custom created for the brand or product showcase. More user-friendly and interactive than traditional stores, these stores play mainly with the atmosphere which must symbolize a product or brand identity. As the company says, â€Å"My Pop Up Store†, specializing in the creation of ephemeral stores, Pop-up stores enable companies or brands to â€Å"enjoy a seasonal, celebrate a big event, launch a new product or repositioning.The idea is to highlight the world of a product, brand or business (traditional for the upgrade or new to anchor) through the store's decor and activities that are proposed. Finally, like any fad, and as it is still an innovative practice in France, launching a pop-up store gives the company the status of a pioneering communication company at the forefront of the trend. It is an important asset for companies whose turnover is related to fashion, new technology or who need to prove they are â€Å"connected†.THE FENOMENOUS Pop-up shops, temporary stores that have sprung up in shopping destinations worldwide, have a tendency to draw in huge crowds, buzzing with exclusivity and spontaneity. After all, who can deny the inner hipster in us just itching for items that only a few thousand will have the opportunity to own? Veritably, pop-up stores are glorified â€Å"One-of-a-Kind Shows,† in miniature. A few years ago, when cheap real estate was scarce, pop-up stores were a major investment for marketers.Now temporary stores have emerged as a perfect solution for cash-strapped brands, commission-hungry brokers and landlords faced with a glut of commercial real-estate space. Brands are using these interim spaces as a means to create buzz, test new concepts or even evaluate a new neighborhood or city. While temporary stores first began popping up with some regularity in 2003, sky-high rents and a lack of available space made them a massive undertaking for brands. Now, in the midst of the recession, the shops are being viewed as a logical, and even inexpensive, marketing tool.In the past few months, high-end brands including Hermes, Emilio Pucci and La Perla have embraced the pop-up-shop concept, as have Gap, Seven For All Mankin d, Daffy's and others. But it's not just limited to fashion brands. Furniture designer Kenyan Lewis, wine bar MADCrush, chef Tom Colicchio, and the New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism have also jumped on the pop-up wagon. Though pop-up retail has established itself in the industry as â€Å"hip† and â€Å"cool,† it creates a frenzied experience and gives new meaning to the term â€Å"impulse shopping. There is a fine line between exclusive shopping and a hyped-up marketing stunt. Regardless of whether or not the pop-up shop will ever replace shopping at tried and true static outlets, these ad hoc retail installations are a mainstay for shopaholics and trend-hunters alike. â€Å"Opening up a pop-up store can generate a lot of buzz for the brand,† said Mike Kraus, retail adviser for AllBusiness. com. â€Å"In a media marketplace that's fragmented, [brands] are trying to find interesting ways to reach the public. No matter who opens one and where it opens, m edia is covering it. Brushfire Marketing, which worked with the New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism on the Jersey Shore Store, said the temporary shop garnered nearly $1 million in earned media. The agency said the store led to 46 broadcast segments and 21 print and online placements. On average, 1,000 visitors passed through the store each week and 500 pieces of collateral were handed out daily. ONE-ON-ONE MARKETING â€Å"It's one-on-one marketing,† Mr. Leonardi said. â€Å"In a recession, when marketers are looking for alternatives, they need to ask how can they do something different, something maybe less expensive, something that's not a long-term investment. People familiar with the real-estate business say that, today, landlords are much more likely to entertain temporary tenants. And in many cases, rents are significantly cheaper than they were just a year ago. Indeed, brands are finding availability in major cities such as New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Miami, London, Paris and Hong Kong, as well as smaller towns such as East Hampton, New York. â€Å"The rules of the game have changed,† Mr. Kraus said. â€Å"[Brands] are finding that they can jump into a space for a few months, and they're not stuck with having to sign a five-year lease. Faith Hope Consolo, chairman of the retail division at Prudential Douglas Elliman, said landlords are embracing the shops in part because it keeps activity on the street alive. If a street starts to become quiet, shoppers will move on to other areas and may not return, even when business picks up, she said. â€Å"Landlords love these shops. It gives them some income while they continue to search for and negotiate with permanent tenants. And in some cases, these temporary stores can become the permanent tenants,† she said. â€Å"[Brands] get to test retail or a new product line or format at a greatly reduced cost.This is a win-win situation during a challenging retail time. † Probably the hardest part of determining what pop-ups mean for regular retailers is the fact that they are so hard to classify – anything goes. For instance, sisters Caillianne, Samantha and Chloe Beckerman, designers of the label Beckerman , hosted a pop-up lounge event at Yonge-Dundas Square in Toronto earlier this month. The â€Å"Summer Lounge† is pretty much exactly what it sounds like – a chance to sip drinks and enjoy music while perusing a curated selection of H&M's upcoming summer collection.Others prefer a smorgasbord of brands not readily available in the country; like Sauvage , which opened in Queen West's Burroughes Building, offering handbags and accessories from labels that have never made their way to Toronto. We've even seen the emergence of restaurant pop-ups, with celebrity and notable chefs headlining – the designers of the foodie world. It's the ultimate way for chefs to boost their personal brands, as young chef Matthew Sullivan did with his pop-up dinner series, Boxed. Even once-a-year-dinner-parties are gaining traction with celebrity chefs, in particular, the Banana Mafia.If their moniker alone isn't enough to sell you on the concept, these notable Toronto chefs, such as Nick Liu, Robbie Hojilla, Jeff Claudio and more, recently held their inaugural Asian Street Market party, which already has foodies' tummies rumbling for next year's event. BENEFITS While the lack of long term commitment is most appealing, there are also many other advantages to opening a pop up shop. For starters, it’s a great way to explore new neighborhoods, cities or even other states in an effort to test new markets for a permanent storefront.Additionally, pop up shops offer multiple vendors a chance to display their products together, creating powerful merchandising opportunities that translate into sales. The benefits for retailers are unequivocal, especially for independent and lesser known designers. For one, only operating on a temp orary basis means not having to fork out the cash for highly sought-after real estate in prime shopping areas – especially during slow months (because who wants to shop in January and February anyway? ). It's our primal instinct to want the things we can't have.So it goes without saying that spontaneity, coupled with high-end designers and exclusive collections will have us throwing cash at retailers. For shopping and fashion purists, pop-ups represent the hunt. There's nothing more satisfying than landing a piece from a designer who may not sell in your city (an all-too-familiar horror in Canada), and to rub elbows with the fashion industry's noteworthy insiders. It's becoming evident that the pop-up shop has to keep up and deliver on the hype and buzz (as well as chaos and frenzy).The products themselves are only the beginning; celebrities, exclusive collections, lounges and parties certainly deliver on what they promise. The pop-up might represent a marketing agent's wet d ream, but we're okay with that, since we get to reap the benefits too. TARGETED CONSUMER Pop-up store are particularly segmenting. They are intended for particular audiences, clearly defined and targeted. This is also the principle and interest of these ephemeral stores: address a potential target consumer using the codes it work.As shown by several studies in recent months, the overall consumption (especially with the advent of the net) is currently moving towards a greater segmentation. Brands will increasingly specialize and products covering risk losing market share. In this economic and social individualization of consumption, Pop-up store targeted â€Å"communities† seem to be one appropriate response. In this it seems logical to predict yet beautiful days at this new marketing tool. Five Things to Consider Before Popping Up 1. Do your research.Is the space empty because of a lack of foot traffic in the area or because of some issue with the property? Remember the space is vacant for a reason. 2. Don't scrimp. Even though the space is temporary, you should budget for a build out that is in keeping with the brand's image. 3. Get creative. As pop-ups become the norm, you'll need more effort to attract attention. DJs, freebies, special events, celebrity appearances and contests keep the publicity rolling. 4. Don't expect a profit. Pop-up stores are more about buzz than sales.But the longer a store is open the more likely you'll be profitable. 5. Take a chance. Try a new neighborhood, a new design, a new product, a new marketing tack. If it doesn't work, it's only temporary. That's the beauty of a pop-up. EXEMPLES OF POP-UP STORE NICOLA FORMICHETTI The fashion icon Nicola Formichetti has created its own brand of haute couture. To inaugurate the launch of the brand, it was also decided to create a pop-up store named â€Å"Nicola's† where he will present a retrospective of his work with his new creations to highlight its style, anchoring his mark an artistic universe.For the event, Nicola Formichetti took to his blog, tumblr , and twitter account, an announcement of a contest to collaborate with him in the construction of it. The announcement brought architects and construction companies from all over the world, to present their ideas to the unorthodox Formichetti. Designer for Mugler, stylist for Lady GaGa and creative director for Uniqlo, MAC, Vogue Japan and V Magazine, Nicola Formichetti is unstoppable. Coinciding with fashion week, this new installation is only viewable for 2 weeks and is intended to fuse fashion and architecture to create a new creative space.Gage/Clemenceau Architects, the winners from the BOFFO contest, a non profit organization that organized the contest for the temporary installation. The duo of architects has been working closely with Nicola, who decided them as winners, just by looking at the first page of their proposal. HERMES For the first time since its inception in 1837, Hermes have opened in May 14th 2012 its ephemeral boutique rue de Sevres in Paris. It is located in the same street as the main store. The pop up store, designed by Stephane Parmentier, is dedicated to Women shoes.You can discover the exclusive shoes collection Spring-Summer 2012 and the upcoming Fall-Winter 2012/2013, designed by the creative director of the brand Pierre Hardy. This uncluttered space to house code 2012 evokes the theme â€Å"the time ahead. † The shop now host the new Hermes Chinese brand Shang Xia. LOUIS VUITTON For the launch of a capsule collection Louis Vuitton x Yayoi Kusama, Louis Vuitton rolls out seven pop-up shops worldwile. The pop-up outlets opened for one to two months, offering a range of spotted trench coats, handbags, and other accessories created with the artist for Louis Vuitton.The European branches had also exclusively offer tentacle-festooned handbags two months ahead of their scheduled launch date. Louis Vuitton creative director Marc Jacobs must have been so taken with Kusama when she presented him with a customized a Louis Vuitton Ellipse bag during his first visit to her studio in 2006 that she should get special treatment. Out of the three other artists — Stephen Sprouse, Takashi Murakami, and Richard Prince — Jacobs selected to partner with the brand, Kusama is the only one to have multiple pop-up shops in her line’s honor.GUERLAIN Prelude to expansion work of the 68 avenue Champs Elysees, Guerlain opened his own pop-up store, avant-garde space and interactive animation for several workshops in connection with home products. Aesthetics and mischievous daring decoration translate the codes and symbols emblematic of Guerlain in an atmosphere of total modernity. The decoration was designed by Patricia GROSDEMANGE, House Architect, in collaboration with artists and designers such as Nathalie Auzepy Catherine Square and Maryse Dugois-Guillope.Each symbol (filter perfumers, honeycomb, flasks) was diverted to illus trate the ability of Guerlain maintain its history and tradition in the heart of the image while updating. A decoration which also democratize the brand prestige giving it a quirky and fun character. And the concept of pop-up store is extended into the workshops. At the entrance, the Art Box makes a point on Guerlain actuality and the newness. The Perfumers Workshop decorated with cones, bottles and raw materials, unveils Thierry Wasser’s creations, the nose of the house. Visitors can even consult an expert to help them choose the fragrance that suits them.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Understanding Distributed Leadership and Impact on Teaching

Distributed leading has been the topic of much research in the domain of instruction in recent old ages. This research study explores how it is understood in the context of the Irish station primary school that I am presently employed in, with some mention to its impact on instruction and acquisition in the school. Our school is a Dublin south interior metropolis Presentation all-girls Secondary School ( now under the Backing of the late formed trust organic structure CEIST ) with disadvantaged position. There are 28 members of the teaching staff: principal, deputy principal, 7 Assistant Principals ( including a Programme Coordinator station ) , 8 Particular Duties Teachers and 11 instructors with no formal leading place. The Board of Management manages the school on behalf of the Patron and must confer with with and maintain the Patron informed of any determinations, proposals and policy alterations. Staff voluntaries have ever been invited to take part on assorted undertaking groups and subcommittees in our school. These groups were seen as being really of import in the development or alteration of policies or curricular issues and their recommendations were by and large taken on board by both staff and the principal/deputy principal. These groups have had no deficit of voluntary members from both postholders and non-postholders, which would propose a ‘fundamental nucleus of values that all members of the organisation clasp ‘ ( E849 Study Guide, pg. 21 ) and besides highlighted the fact that distributed leading exists within the school. The purpose of this assignment is to research the construct of distributed leading and the influence leading patterns have on instruction and acquisition in my school. The overall purpose of this research is to back up the instruction staff to go more cognizant of their ain leading perceptual experiences and patterns, with mention to the possibilities offered by distributed leading to positively impact on instruction and acquisition within the school. Given the fact that this was a little graduated table survey that had to be conducted in a short clip frame merely one research inquiry was addressed in the research: How make the instructors, chief and deputy chief understand the construct of distributed leading and how does this nexus to instruction and acquisition within the school? The attack taken throughout this research begins with the premise that a instructor ‘s leading function begins in the schoolroom with the influence they have on their students but besides extends beyond the walls of the schoolroom to working collaboratively with co-workers ( learning or accessory ) . A instructor ‘s leading function may widen to their part to the school civilization. Teachers may keep a station of duty ( Adjunct Principal or Special Duties ) or an in agreement place outside the formal station construction, e.g. capable coordinator. The Post of Responsibility system is a construction whereby a figure of instructors are given extra wage to transport out specified undertakings, responsibilities and duties in the school. It is besides called the â€Å" in-school direction † system. There are two classs of station ; Assistant Principal and Particular Duties. The Assistant Chief station carries an extra salary allowance of about a‚ ¬9,000 per annum and the Particular Duties allowance is about a‚ ¬5,000 per annum. Teachers in reception of either of these allowances are required to carry through responsibilities and take duties in add-on to their full instruction hours. The responsibilities attached to the station are defined by the Board of Management following a audience procedure affecting all the staff. The audience procedure includes an analysis of the school demands, understanding on the precedences and the pulling up of a â€Å" Agenda of stations † to fit the in agreement precedences. Each school is allocated a specific figure of Particular Duties and Assistant Principal stations on the footing of school size, harmonizing to a expression based on the figure of whole-time instructors in the school. Appointment to a station of duty is by competitory interview among the instructors already employed in the school, whether full clip or portion clip, lasting or impermanent. Choice standards have been agreed at national degree and include recognition for the figure of old ages experience in that school and â€Å" the most senior suited † ( DES Circular Letter 05/98 www.education.ie ) campaigner. Therefore, in most instances, instructors keeping stations of duty are more likely to be the instructors who have been in the school for the longest figure of old ages. However, other instructors may besides keep no formal place but may be influential with co-workers. Leadership at this degree may hold a important and direct influence on instruction and on the general acquisition environment. Distributed leading has been interpreted in many different ways, but incorporates many of the constructs outlined supra such as instructors as scholars, influence over co-workers and part to school clime and civilization whether or non in formal places of leading.Literature ReviewResearch has shown that leading is one of the most of import factors in doing a school successful ( OECD 2008, Leithwood and Riehl 2003 ) . Where leading is effectual staff and students are better motivated, people know what is traveling on because communications are clear and frequent, and everyone feels they are drawing together and working towards shared ends ( Day, Sammons et al 2007 ) . Distributed leading is one signifier of leading that is outstanding in the current educational discourse. The thought of distributed leading has been in being for about three decennaries. Murgatroyd and Reynolds ( 1984 ) stressed that â€Å" leading can happen at a assortment of degrees in response to a assortment of state of affairss and is non needfully tied to ownership of a formal organizational function † ( cited in Law and Glover 2003 p.37 ) . This construct incorporates thoughts such as instructors working together in squads and instructors taking a assortment of duties within the school. On the positive side, it was considered good to learning and larning within schools if instructors discussed their pattern with co-workers, gave and accepted reviews of their work and were unfastened to larning from each other. Another position broadened the range of their leading to decision-making in the overall operation of the school. Hallinger and Heck ( 1996 ) found small grounds associating distributed leading to improved pupil results. Weiss and Cambone ( 1994 ) found that instructors ‘ engagement in whole-school alteration could take away from schoolroom instruction. On the other manus, Greenleaf ( 1996 ) found it led to positive effects on instructor efficaciousness and degrees of morale within schools. Spillane, Halverson and Diamond ( 2001 ) position distributed leading as being cardinal to the instruction and larning procedure in the school and agree that leading involves all members of the school community, non merely the principal and deputy principal. They argue that leading happens in a assortment of ways throughout the school and is centred in the interactions between people. â€Å" Depending on the peculiar leading undertaking, school leaders ‘ cognition and expertness may be best explored at the group or corporate degree instead than at the single leaders degree † ( Spillane, Halverson and Diamond 2001, p.25 ) â€Å" Peoples in officially designated places and those without any such appellations can and make take duty for taking and pull offing in the schoolhouse † ( Spillane and Diamond 2007 p.7 ) . Therefore, this distributed leading position recognises that leading functions are played by different people at different times. Distributed leading ( Gronn, 2000 ) ‘sees leading as a map which is widely dispersed through the administration instead than as a duty vested in an person ‘ ( Study Guide, pg.21 ) . The station of duty construction in Irish schools allows for some of the leading maps to be distributed throughout the designated station holders, though this still leaves the inquiry about how to affect all non-post holders. Distributed leading ‘assumes that there is an underlying values consensus that enables staff to work harmoniously towards shared intents and to hold on the bases by which the effectivity of their organisation is judged ‘ ( Study Guide, pg.21 ) . This, therefore, would look to presume a greater engagement by all staff in the determination procedure of the administration. One of the features of distributed leading is â€Å" an emergent belongings of a group or web of interacting persons † ( Woods et al 2004, p.441 ) . Gronn footings this pooling of energies ‘concertive action ‘ and suggests that it is about the extra moral force which is the merchandise of conjoint activity – where people work together in such a manner that they pool their enterprise and expertness, the result is a merchandise or energy which is greater than the amount of their single actions ( Gronn 2000 ) . This is comparable to Spillane ‘s definition of distributed leading as â€Å" the collective belongingss of the group of leaders working together to ordain a peculiar undertaking, taking to the development of a leading pattern that is potentially more than the amount of each person ‘s pattern † ( Spillane et al 2001 p.25 ) . Theories on teamwork portion the position that working together produces consequences over and above what would be expected from persons working entirely. The literature on teamwork frequently makes the differentiation between formal and informal squads but suggests that both types operate best in a civilization that fosters an unfastened clime and where relationships are based on trust, common protection and support ( Belbin 2000, Nias et Al 1989 ) . There can be given to be some tensenesss between ‘designated leaders and distributed leading ‘ ( E849 Study Guide, pg.146 ) . School Principals are accountable for school public presentation, supported by deputy principal and designated station holders. ‘On the other manus, much of the productive work of educational organisations takes topographic point in collaborative squads, characterized by professional norms and distributed leading, where those with relevant expertness take the lead, irrespective of formal functions ‘ ( E849 Study Guide, pg.146 ) . However, ‘the construct of distributed leading still assumes that persons will follow that lead when it is provided ‘ ( E849 Study Guide, pg. 21 ) . Teamwork is a cardinal component of distributed leading in that the nature and intent of distributed leading is â€Å" the ability of those within a school to work together, building significance and cognition jointly and collaboratively † ( Lambert 1998 p.5 ) . However, the being of structured squads entirely does non represent distributed leading. In fact, distributed leading patterns may non underscore the formal structured attack to teamwork but instead acknowledge that groups of instructors work together as appropriate in order to accomplish a peculiar aim at a given clip. Another typical feature of distributed leading ( Woods et al 2004 ) , is that the distribution of leading varies harmonizing to expertness. There is acknowledgment that assorted undertakings require different expertness and that all the expertness does non shack in one individual at the top. Schools presents are complex administrations and therefore it is excessively much to anticipate that they can be led by one individual. â€Å" The function of chief is now so complex and demanding, that it is unrealistic to believe that any one individual can dispatch the function without the aid of considerable figure of co-workers, both from the instruction and the support staff † ( Martin 2006 ) . This is peculiarly important in the context of leading for improved acquisition as it is recognised in the literature that the most important influence on pupil acquisition is the direct influence the instructor has in the schoolroom. The construct of trust emerges from the literature as being important ( Duignan 2006 ) . Teachers need to experience sure and supported by their principals and their co-workers. Trust is necessary if instructors are to experience motivated in their work and if they are to be allowed to originate an activity and take duty for decisionmaking. Along with being trusted in their work, people besides need support. Peoples want to speak about what they are making – back uping these conversations is an indispensable undertaking of the leader ( Wheatley 1999 ) . Trust, allied with support, is an underpinning value within the construct of distributed leading. Harris ( 2004 ) recognises that structural and cultural barriers operate within schools which could do it really hard for some instructors to demo leading. Cheating for power places in a school can make a clime which is non contributing to, for illustration, immature instructors showing their sentiment, particularly if it differs from the traditional or prevalent sentiment. Such action could be perceived as a menace to the position quo. Another construct that links distributed leading with acquisition is that of professional larning communities. Professional larning communities may be viewed as an extension of teacher leading. For illustration, Harris et Al ( 2003 p.79 ) identifies four dimensions of the teacher leading function that extends to the overall operation of the school. Teacher leaders: – 1. translate the rules of school betterment into the patterns of single schoolrooms ( a brokering function ) ; 2. aid other instructors to cling around a peculiar development and further a more collaborative manner of working ; 3. drama a mediating function in school betterment. They are an of import beginning of expertness and information ; 4. forge close relationships with single instructors where common acquisition takes topographic point. Schools with professional acquisition communitiess study important benefits for pupils, including lower rates of absenteeism and decreased dropout rates. pupils have besides exhibited academic additions in maths, scientific discipline, history and reading than in traditional schools. ( Hirsh and Hord 2008 p.27 ) . The direct nexus between leading and pupil results â€Å" is a rare event so in the research literature on educational leading and school betterment † ( Mulford, Silins and Leithwood 2003 p.3 ) However, Mulford et Al ‘s research found that what was of import was that staff are actively and jointly take parting in the school and experience that their parts are valued. This contributes to making a acquisition administration where instructors ‘ acquisition, every bit good as pupil acquisition, is valued ( p.6 ) .MethodologyDavies and Ellison ( 1999 ) argue that a assortment of data-gathering techniques should be used to develop a balanced position of the administration ‘s strategic place. For this ground, my chief research methodological analysiss involved the usage of a elaborate questionnaire distributed to all learning staff every bit good as a follow up focal point group meeting. These methods of probe have designed with the intent of better functioning the aims of the research. Mellon ( 1990, pg.49 ) states that the two chief inquiries to be addressed were: â€Å" who might hold the information you need and who is accessible † ? As highlighted by Patton ( 1990, pg.45 ) , â€Å" where the focal point is on persons, an inductive attack begins with the single experiences of those persons † . This multi-method attack allowed for triangulation, utilizing different methods of informati ons aggregation within the survey to guarantee that it is as full and balanced as is possible within the comparatively short clip graduated table. A mixed-method attack was decided on, through which a questionnaire would place relevant issues on distributed leading in order that these issues could be examined in more item in focal point groups. Strauss and Corbin ( 1998 ) highlight the function of literature reappraisal as a valuable beginning of experience that leaves the research worker with: better apprehension of the information needs on the field, aware of the spreads left by old surveies, and sensitive to the issues he/she might place in the information. Literature could be a secondary beginning of informations, and assist the research worker to explicate inquiries to be used in interviews and questionnaires, during the initial stairss of the research. It can besides corroborate findings, comparing the research consequences to past grounds. This will be really of import in this survey. My trust with all instructors involved is really of import to develop. ‘ As Bassey ( 1999 ) points out, research workers, in taking informations from people, should make so in a manner that recognizes those people ‘s initial ownership of the informations and that respects them as fellow human existences who are entitled to self-respect and privateness ‘ ( Study Guide, pg.55 ) . As worlds were evidently be the most of import constituent of this research, the issue of informed consent had to be addressed. Therefore, it was necessary to inform all interview participants about the survey, their function within the probe, and how the information they provided would be used. While, as argued by Miles and Huberman ( 1994, pg 291 ) it may be that genuinely informed consent is impossible in qualitative research the issue could non be dismissed, and, consequently all participants selected for the survey were informed of both the nature and intent of the research. They were besides given the chance to make up one's mind whether to take part in the study or to retreat at anytime. The chief rules of research moralss are: The individuality of participants ‘ must be protected in order that the published consequences of the survey do non mortify or harm them in any manner. Anonymity must hence be extended to all records, written or electronically recorded, that are collected during the survey. All participants must be treated with regard and informed of the research worker ‘s involvements. The participant must hold to take part in the survey. The research worker must non lie to the participants or record conversations on concealed mechanical devices. The research worker must do clear the footings of the research and abide by the footings of the understanding. The findings must be based on the informations and truthfully reported. ( Bogdan and Biklen, 1992 ) These form the chief push of my ethical considerations when carry oning the survey. For this research, a questionnaire was designed to guage instructors ‘ perceptual experiences of distributed leading and the patterns in the school that contribute to it. The findings were used to organize the footing for farther probe through a focal point group treatment. The questionnaire was chiefly an attitudinal one and hence used the Likert graduated table which places people ‘s replies on an attitude continuum ( May 2001 p.104 ) . In add-on, three unfastened inquiries were included. This allowed participants greater freedom in their replies. Responses to the questionnaires were used to clear up the research inquiries and place more specific issues which would be discussed within the focal point group. Focus groups have been defined as a group of persons selected and assembled by research workers to discourse and notice on, from personal experience, the subject that is the topic of the research. ( Powell et al 1996 p.499 ) They can be used to determine attitudes, feelings, cognition, perceptual experiences, thoughts and beliefs of participants, from the participants ‘ personal experience. As the literature suggests ( Gibbs 1997 and McNamara 2006 ) , the research worker plays an of import function which includes supplying a clear intent, assisting people to experience at easiness and easing interaction between group members. This was made slightly more hard, given that the research was conducted in my ain school. In hindsight, it may hold been more appropriate to carry on the probe in a neighbouring school. Questionnaires were distributed to all instructors in the school. The questionnaire was designed on the footing of findings from the literature on distributed leading. Part 1 of the questionnaire contained 15 statements refering to leading and participants were asked to rate their understanding or otherwise with these statements utilizing the Likert graduated table. Respondents ‘ tonss of 4 or 5 denote understanding or strong understanding. Tonss of 2 or 1 denote dissension or strong dissension severally and a evaluation of 3 is considered ‘neutral ‘ . Part 2 consisted of 15 statements refering to leading patterns in schools. In this subdivision, participants were asked to hit each point on the footing of how far along a spectrum their school was in implementing this pattern. A mark of 4 or 5 denotes a well-established pattern and a pattern which is being refined, severally. Tonss of 2 or 1 denote that the pattern is get downing or does non go on in the school severally. A evaluation of 3 denotes that advancement is being made in this pattern. By inquiring respondents to bespeak their grades of understanding with these statements, the research worker can determine the respondents ‘ perceptual experiences of distributed leading and place the key issues which they highlight as being cardinal to the pattern of distributed leading and its connexions to learning and larning. These can be analysed from a normative position, based on the literature findings. The questionnaire included three unfastened inquiries ; the first elicits farther penetrations into respondents ‘ apprehension of distributed leading, the 2nd asks them to place factors that support their work and the 3rd seeks to place factors that inhibit their work. Following treatment at a staff meeting, where I explained the intent of the research, staff agreed to take part and questionnaires were distributed to the 28 instructors on staff. A sum of 16 questionnaires were returned ( 57 % response rate ) . In order to reply the research inquiries it was necessary to garner farther informations from a focal point group comprised of instructors that have experience of different degrees of leading. Therefore, the group comprised of the principal and deputy principal, 3 instructors who hold stations of duty and 3 instructors who do non keep stations of duty. The focal point group was about one hr continuance.FindingssResponses to the first set of statements on the questionnaire identified a figure of issues perceived by the respondents to be associated with distributed leading. It was clear from the questionnaire responses that all instructors perceived themselves to be leaders. However, the context of that leading was in the schoolroom – they see themselves as leaders of their pupils within the schoolroom, holding a direct influence on their acquisition. Their position of themselves as leaders with influence beyond the schoolroom was instead limited. The questionnaire besides revealed that instructors believe that learning and acquisition is influenced positively when instructors work together and when they engage in professional development to better their cognition and accomplishments. Besides, instructors saw distributed leading as including their engagement in decision-making and in taking new enterprises in the school. However, they besides acknowledge the cardinal function the principal dramas, for illustration in guaranting that there is a shared vision among staff and that pastoral attention systems operate efficaciously for pupils. In response to the 2nd set of statements on the questionnaire, respondents highlighted a figure of leading patterns that are operational in the schools to a greater or lesser extent. These patterns were identified as: Monitoring and back uping pupil acquisition Working together as a staff Structures and systems such as capable sections and stations of duty Monitoring and back uping pupil acquisition included holding systems to back up pupil larning analyzing consequences of scrutinies and utilizing the information to reappraisal patterns all instructors playing a function in supervising pupil public presentation and four ) all school policies being designed with a focal point on heightening, bettering and developing a high quality larning environment. These points were all portion of a late completed DEIS program in the school. Working together as a staff incolved: discoursing school development precedences at staff meetings, professional development on whole-school issues, jointly prioritizing specific actions to better acquisition. Capable sections were seen as organizing a cardinal portion of distributed leading. However, in the school they are considered to be a forum for sharing resources and are merely now being used for capable planning. The responses from the unfastened inquiry on distributed leading emphasised community and coaction instead than hierarchy. The 2nd unfastened inquiry on the questionnaires asked instructors to call the factors that back up them in their work. The cardinal issue emerging was the demand for support and aid from both co-workers and direction, peculiarly in covering with student behavioural or disciplinary issues. They besides referred to the accessibility, handiness and openness of the principal as being an of import factor in enabling them to make their occupation good. Other factors stated were encouragement from direction, being trusted and treated as a professional, good administration and planning and being allowed to seek out new thoughts without intervention. The positions of distributed leading expressed by respondents in the questionnaires were reinforced in the focal point group treatment, peculiarly by the post-holders. However, different positions on the nature of decision-making were expressed by the post-holders ‘ in the focal point group ; foremost, if leading is distributed so that should intend doing determinations together but on the other manus, â€Å" sometimes it is of import for a principal to do a determination. There might be a determination that the squad ca n't hold on and it is a atrocious determination and the principal has to do the determination. † The participants in the focal point group agreed that it was of import that everybody has a voice. The thought of holding a voice was extended farther by a non post-holder, who stated that â€Å" if, at a staff meeting, people are listened to, so you are traveling to acquire the message that this is a good topographic point to portion enterprise and portion thoughts. † Participants besides agreed that instructors are function theoretical accounts for the pupils and that their behavior and interactions with co-workers, every bit good as with pupils, have a major influence on pupils. ‘We ‘re function theoretical accounts for pupils in what we do, in how we interact and speak with each other ‘ . The focal point group treatment allowed for a grade of interaction, dissension and argument about issues and constructs that was non possible in reacting to a questionnaire. Leadership and direction were debated. While there was a general consensus that leading involved everybody in the school, there was some argument about the function of postholders. The consensus among the group was that all instructors, non merely post-holders, can be empowered to take. The principal saw distributed leading as widening beyond schoolroom leading to whole-school issues. ‘Now about every member of staff will either hold authorization delegated to them for a peculiar country or will take it on their ain back to organize something. Whether you are a coach or whatever it is, there is much more involvement in school life now than there was in the yesteryear ‘ . ‘I would see leading as leading wherever it expresses itself throughout the school, whether it is in direction or whether it is running the school musical or whatever it might be that it is the capacity of the individual to convey people with you to accomplish a peculiar undertaking ‘ . Concepts mentioned by both the principal and deputy principal included authorization, giving independency, engagement in decision-making, recognizing expertness, taking by illustration, deputation and making an environment where people are non afraid to take hazards and are encouraged to take enterprise. There is strong overlap between the positions expressed by the principal and deputy chief and those expressed by both post-holders and non post-holders. There was really strong understanding among all participants in the focal point group that leading is a construct that can use to all instructors, whether they hold a place or station of duty or non. The participants all agreed that distributed leading is about authorising people, leting them to take enterprise and be involved in decision-making. They besides agreed that it is about the ambiance in the school that encourages instructors to take leading functions in specific facets of the school, e.g. extra-curricular activities and particular maps that occur in the school from clip to clip. There was understanding that distributed leading incorporates the thought of instructors working together in squads and join forcesing in planning and supplying larning chances for pupils. This applies at both capable section degree and at whole school degree, for illustration holding a squad attack to policy development. There was understanding that if all instructors took leading duty beyond their schoolroom, e.g. for pupils ‘ behavior in the corridor, it would be a really good school. But a note of cautiousness was sounded about some instructors taking on excessively much power and the demand for the principal to â€Å" direct † came through strongly â€Å" he directs us to do certain we ‘re all talking with one voice to pupils and parents † . All were in understanding that the principal and deputy play a peculiar leading function, whether in pull offing staff or directing patterns, so that there will be a shared vision in the school. The post-holders themselves discussed the readying and preparation they received when appointed to their stations of duty. There was strong understanding that they had no formal preparation for their station. They watched other post-holders making similar occupations, particularly twelvemonth caputs. They all agreed that non merely did you watch them but you consulted with them and asked their advice and sentiment. Some stations, nevertheless, are new and their officeholders hence have no ‘predecessor ‘ or co-workers to confer with with. These stations require â€Å" an atrocious batch of enterprise † . Some clip was given to discoursing the system in topographic point for communicating between post-holders and the principal or deputy chief. The participants in the group see meetings, whether formal or informal, with the principal or deputy as being a signifier of support to them in their function. The agreements for formal meetings varied significantly between schools and besides between the two degrees of postholders, i.e. adjunct principals are more likely to hold formal meetings with the principal and deputy than particular responsibilities instructors. The participants agreed that the particular responsibilities instructors were non seen as a squad because they ne'er meet. Generally all Assistant Principals held twelvemonth caput places, while the particular responsibilities maps were more varied which may travel some manner in explicating why meetings ne'er took topographic point. The treatment led to a argument about remaining after school for meetings. In a neighbouring school this is the norm one time a month. Post holders stated they would non be willing to make this, as stations were supposed to be carried out during the school twenty-four hours. However, a non station holder mentioned that because post-holders get an extra allowance they should be willing to remain on after school to transport out responsibilities related to their station. Cipher responded to this statement. There was a important grade of similarity in participants understanding of distributed leading. It is something that must pervade the whole school and is apparent through the prevalent civilization and atmosphere. The principal and deputy chief drama a really of import function in puting this ambiance and they do this in both formal and informal ways. The general ‘approachability ‘ of both chief and deputy plays a cardinal function – demoing a echt involvement in and concern for the work of each person teacher helps to put the tone for how people approach their work. But distributed leading goes beyond that to supplying chances for instructors to exert leading. This may be through actions like chairing a meeting, taking a new enterprise or taking an extra-curricular activity. This chance to exert leading must be facilitated from the top, i.e. the principal or deputy. There was besides understanding that constructions were an of import component of distributed leading as they allow for leading to be exercised by a assortment of people. Structures included capable sections and squads set up to turn to a assortment of school development issues from clip to clip. To be considered a ‘structure ‘ , they must hold clip to run into and peculiar ends to accomplish. Different people may play different functions from clip to clip within these constructions and in that manner they allow for instructors ‘ voices to be heard, therefore including them in the overall decision-making of the school. They besides provide chances for instructors to exert their influence, whether they hold a formal place of leading or non. In the responses to the questionnaires 93 % of respondents agreed that when instructors work together pupil acquisition is enhanced. The focal point group besides agreed that the pupils benefit when everybody works together. ‘I believe they [ pupils ] pick up on an ambiance where everybody is working together, and where more cognition is transferred between sections, staff is more cognizant of how pupils are making. They pick up on those sorts of things that are in the ethos of the school ‘ . Capable sections are now playing a more of import function than in the yesteryear. The capable section meetings offer the chance to be after lessons together, to synchronize learning across a twelvemonth group and to discourse learning methods for peculiar elements of the course of study. There was understanding that many capable sections are in the early phases of development, and that holding formal capable meetings is indispensable for this development to go on. But capable section meetings are non the lone structures that enable instructors to work together. An illustration was given of a meeting, set up by a principal, to reexamine the advancement of a peculiar pupil. All instructors involved with this pupil were invited to analyze the state of affairs and aid instructors to work together to run into the challenges of back uping this pupil in his acquisition. This meeting required a restructuring of the timetable for the period of the meeting and the proviso of category screen for some instructors but the precedence it was given showed the belief in the power of instructors working together to better the educational experience for this pupil. In the focal point group there were two instructors who had trained and worked in the UK and Australia. They spoke of their experience of working as portion of a squad in their several schools. They both agreed that the constructions were more formal than in Ireland and that these formal constructions non merely enabled instructors to work together but created the outlook that they would. There were formal systems in topographic point for sharing resources, for keeping meetings and for detecting each other ‘s lessons. Both instructors agreed that these systems and constructions were good. There was consensus in the focal point group that when the ambiance is friendly instructors can speak to each other and ask inquiries in an informal scene such as the staffroom. They expressed the support they felt when they work together. It removes the sense of isolation and supports their schoolroom instruction. The quotation mark below is brooding of the consensus among the group. Not merely does it assist instructors but they besides perceived that it has a positive impact on pupils. ‘I will inquire the other instructors inquiries and I think it has truly helped me to loosen up and experience that I am non†¦ a small island on my ain. I can inquire for aid. Thingss like that do pervade out to the pupils every bit good when they see it ‘ . There is besides acknowledgement that newer patterns such as school development planning and Department of Education reviews have encouraged instructors to work together.Decisions and RecommendationsIn the questionnaire in this research, the respondents suggested that pupils and their parents should play a leading function in the school but, in pattern, their voices are frequently non heard in decision-making. A really important position on distributed leading is losing from this study by non including these two component groups. Further research should include both pupils and parents in the data-gathering procedure. Schools are now required to hold both pupil and parents ‘ councils and are expected to include them in policy development in the school..The function of capable sectionsThe function of capable sections has become more outstanding in schools in recent old ages, as a consequence of the school development planning and the whole school rating procedures. In this survey the function of capable sections in heightening pupil acquisition was acknowledged. Capable sections could supply a forum for sharing good thoughts and resources. A more formal attack would better the chances for these sections to act upon schoolroom pattern, for illustration by discoursing teaching method every bit good as course of study proviso. Further probe into the leading of capable sections would add well to the pattern of distributed leading in the school. This is surely an country of untapped potency. If instructors are trained in leading in their capable sections it would better the operation of a section and hence better instruction and acquisition. It would besides take to the betterment of instructors ‘ assurance in their ain leading abilities therefore constructing leading capacity in the school and finally lending to school betterment.Contemplations on my work in this ECAIn this geographic expedition of distributed leading, I had concerns about discoursing distributed leading with research participants before specifying or determining their apprehension of leading in general. For that ground, a questionnaire was given to instructors. This was a really utile exercising in that it produced thoughts about leading and how instructors perceived school leading. It yielded a really wide reading of leading but identified the fact that instructors accept that they play a leading functio n – leading is non the exclusive privilege of the principal and deputy principal. However, in hindsight, more geographic expedition of the difference between leading and direction would hold been helpful. I learned a batch about practician research in one ‘s ain educational administration. While one has the benefit of cognizing the participants, this can besides hold disadvantages. I was witting that participants may non hold been as unfastened and honest with me as they would be with an external research worker and that this may hold some deductions for my findings. In future research, I would prefer to work with staff in a school external to mine. I would interview the principal and deputy chief separate to the focal point group ( in order to guarantee a more unfastened treatment ) and would carry on two separate focal point groups – one for postholders and one for non postholders in order that their positions could be comprehensively compared. A utile result of the research procedure has been the articulation by instructors themselves of their leading function, and a acknowledgment of the influence they exert non merely on the pupils but besides over their co-workers. The research has highlighted certain issues that the school could concentrate on that would heighten instruction and acquisition. If the ambiance is positive, so a civilization of coaction can be developed and the leading function of postholders can be discussed and articulated more clearly. Similarly, more preparation for capable section squad holds the possibility of doing a really positive part to school betterment. The leading of the principal and deputy principal is really of import. First, they create the positive ambiance by paying attending to each person teacher – recognizing that their influence on pupil acquisition is through their instructors. Second, they are in a place to organize constructions and systems that enable instructors to work together and to develop leading accomplishments. Third, professional development is an of import portion of making an ambiance of larning among staff. Having completed the survey, the findings can be used by the school in a figure of ways. The principal will have a study sketching the responses to the questionnaire and a sum-up of findings from the focal point group treatment. The cardinal issues will hold deductions for the principal and deputy principal in that the findings highlight the importance of their leading function in developing a positive acquisition environment but besides in developing single leading accomplishments in instructors and supplying chances for leading to be exercised among co-workers. All of these have the potency to better instruction and acquisition. The studies could besides be used as a footing for treatment among postholders, concentrating on their function in taking acquisition. This research study set out to research what was meant by distributed leading and to see, if practised in a school, would it lend to bettering instruction and acquisition. Through questionnaires and a focal point group treatment the construct of distributed leading was explored and the consequences presented and analysed. A broad runing definition emerged that recognised that all instructors can be leaders, but the extent of their leading maps varies from within the schoolroom to their influence on pupils beyond their single schoolroom, to their leading influence over co-workers. Their apprehension of distributed leading encompassed structural and cultural issues, both of which had the possible to influence instruction and acquisition. This potency is non to the full realised, but with a more knowing focal point on instruction and acquisition and a witting development of leading capacity this state of affairs could alter to the benefit of pupils.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

The Evaluation And Possible Solutions Of Egypt’s Current Energy Crisis

Egypt, one of the cradles of civilization, is distinguished by its tourist industry due to its mysterious cultural attributes and long history. Its abundant touristic resources and attractions made Egypt an admiration of travelers all over the world. Consequently, the tourist industry has become an essential role of Egypt’s economic foundation. Moreover, Egypt is also regarded as the largest non-OPEC (organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) country in the continent of Africa (Payne, 2012).According to Payne (2012), Egypt’s daily yield of crude oil is approximately 700,000 barrels, and since the year of 2008, Egypt has discovered 7 crude oil and natural gas deposits. Among them, the largest detection produces around 58000 barrels of crude oil and 2. 8 million cubic feet of natural gas every day. (Graeber, 2013). Norton Rose Fulbright, an international business organization, has also indicated that Egypt possesses a total capacity of 4.4 billion barrels of crude oi l and 78 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in its deposits. Ironically, even with such unique financial advantages and bountiful domestic natural resources, Egypt is now undergoing the most severe energy crisis in its history. This tremendous energy scarcity has already resulted in a soaring of food prices, and regular blackouts of household electricity, if this deficiency continues it could further threaten the livelihood of Egyptian citizens or even lead to serious social security issues.Kirkpatick (2013) pointed out in his report that because diesel machineries are the most common apparatus Egyptian use to irrigating and harvesting their crops, the insufficiency of fossil fuel has disabled numerous famers from yielding crops in the harvest season. It is not only the farmers who are despairing, the employees who need to commute a long distance for work also feel miserable due to the fact that the scarcity of gasoline has doubled the fuel price and caused a long queue in every gas station.Furthermore, the electricity blackouts have made the electricity in vital public facilities such as schools and hospitals unstable, thus tremendously impaired the quality of medical and educational affairs. More seriously, an evaluation of International Crisis Group has revealed that the fragile political stability accompanied with the growing public panic (concern) toward the inflating of fuel price could ultimately result in the withering of Egypt’s hard-earned democracy (Kirkpatrick, 2013).Before the government can take any action to appropriately resolve this severe energy scarcity, it is extremely crucial for them to be acquainted with the principal causes of this problem. Although several speculations have been made toward the root of this devastating energy crisis through different perspectives, it is generally believed by experts that Egypt’s energy insufficiency is the ultimate result of its incompetent refining technologies, inappropriate subsidizing policies, leaky energy allocating systems, and teetering social security.First of all, the initial element that put Egypt in this vulnerable circumstance is its inadequate refining technology. According to Kirkpatrick (2013) and Payne (2012), Egypt has very restricted capability in refining crude oil into petroleum products such as diesel fuel. Therefore, despite the fact that Egypt holds a considerable amount of domestic energy, they have to rely heavily on the import of petroleum products, and export their crude oil at a much cheaper price. The other primary preexisting factor that contributes to the energy crisis is Egypt’s burdensome subsidizing policy of energy.According to Ragui, an official of Egypt’s Economic Research Forum, nearly 30% of Egypt’s governmental expense can be attributed to the energy subsidy. Moreover, Ragui also pointed out that subsidized fuel cost less than one fifth of its original price (Kirkpatrick, 2013). Although this program is v ery beneficial to civilians especially in the condition when 40% of Egyptians are below the poverty line, the economists in Egypt have already doubted the practicability of this policy even before the crisis, according to Kirkpatrick’s report (2012), many experts considered this policy untenable.Even though, Egyptian government expended a great effort on subsidizing energies, the leaky distributing system has played a major role that not only negated the benefit of subsidizing policy, but also indirectly resulted in the present energy scarcity. As pinpointed by Hakim’s report (2013), only 20% of subsidized fuels were allocated to those who deserve it, and the other 80% of them did not go to where they were supposed to. Since the Egypt government has difficulty on tracking their fuels, many tanker trucks sell subsidized fossil fuels to black markets for better profit.In addition, because this leaky distributing system made illegal access of fuel more effortless, once th e rumor of impending fuel shortage spread out, the inappropriate hoarding of fuel from panicked citizens has increased tremendously, and that, according to Kirkpatrick’s report, is the other significant factor that worsened this energy crisis. The trigger that linked every preexisting factor together and ultimately resulted in Egypt’s energy crisis is the instability of Egypt’s social security.Before the â€Å"2011 Egyptian revolution†, with its thriving touristic industry and expanding foreign investments, Egypt was prosperous. As the growing of the energy demand for their rapidly developing economy and fast expanding population, they put more budgets on importing fuels and subsidizing energy. However, according to Kirkpatrick (2013), after the ouster of Hosni Mubarak, who has been the president of Egypt for more than 30 years, violent protests and mayhem from his advocates have collapsed Egypt’s tourism and unnerved its foreign investors.Without those two essential sources, the economy of Egypt soon contracted and withered to almost one third of its annual income in 2010. Nevertheless, with such a severe economic contraction, Egypt’s energy expenses remained the same. Consequently, the new government was incapable of affording the heavy subsidization, and energy import, therefore, triggered the national wide energy crisis. According to the different perspective, there are various opinions concerning the possible solutions of this energy crisis, however, only few of them are considered as realistic and practical regarding the urgent circumstance of Egypt.Among them, the most practicable solution of Egypt’s energy crisis is to reform the government policy, to improve the distribution system, to accept the loan from the I. M. F. (International Monetary Fund), and to advance the next democratic election date. Although it has been mentioned by several organizations that improving Egypt’s refining technology may be a long-term solution that could terminate Egypt’s demand of importing petroleum products, it is not a preferable solution base on the current circumstances.According to Payne (2012), if Egypt can refine its domestic crude oil, it would produce adequate petroleum products to sustain Egypt’s own energy consumption in a much lower cost. However, the advancing of refinery requires years of development and the investment of foreign technology: the two elements that Egypt is lack of. The turbulent social security of Egypt has unnerved most of its foreign investors (Graeber, 2013), and the deterioration of economy and political stability has urged government to  take immediate action.The other controversial solution is the development of renewable energy. It is highly recommended and encouraged by many energy experts that Egypt should allocate funds to invest in renewable energy technology instead of subsidizing the fossil fuel. Due to its geographical distinction, E gypt possesses massive potential for sustainable energy such as solar energy, wind energy, or geothermal energy. (Norton Rose Fulbright, 2013).The advocates of renewable energy claimed that due to the flawed allocation system, the subsidization policy is an extremely inefficient way to spend funds. They further affirmed that through a specific solar energy project, which can generate about 3-giga watts within 18 months, Egypt’s energy insufficiency will be resolved easily. (Hakim, 2013) However, many economists considered this method unrealistic due to its time consumption and expensive initial expense.They pointed out that it would take at least 3 to 5 years of transition time to invest on the new energy including building new supply chains, setting up generators, and establishing new infrastructures. (Watson, 2012). Moreover, due to Egypt’s abundant crude oil deposits, it is not advisable to invest more currency on developing the other alternative energies, especiall y in this vital period when the government is already in deep deficit. It is crucial for Egyptian administration to reform their heavy energy subsidization policy in order to alleviate the unbearable burden on their economy.As indicated by Kirkpatrick (2013), by implementing a reduction on energy subsidy, it will not only give the government sufficient funding to import energy, but it will also restore Egypt’s credibility for more international loans and finish this energy crisis even faster. However, reform in policy can be very problematic, especially when subsidy is involved. The teetering political stability of Egypt could be too vulnerable to afford any big change in society.According to the reports of Kirkpatrick (2012,2013), the administration of this reform could be extremely challenging due to the fact that 40% of Egyptians are under the poverty line and most of them possess resentments against the government already because of the existing energy scarcity and the so aring price of food. Kirkpatrick further indicated the difficulty of this reform by stating: â€Å"any potential increase in fuel prices or the price of other basic necessities could spur renewed unrest. †Moreover, even if the government can successfully implement the reform on  its subsidization policy, it is possible for the positive effects to be nullified if the leaky energy distribution system, which is currently preventing Egyptian citizens from purchasing fuel at its original price, stays the same. In order to monitor the allocation of subsidized energy more effectively and make it more accessible to the people who deserve it, the Egyptian government has developed a smart card system that can effectively track the gas trucks and ensure that they reach their destination with whole shipments (Kirkpatrick, 2013).Although this new technology is not nation wide it has received a great success in the villages that adopted it. Moreover, according to Kirkpatrick’s rep ort (2013), Egyptian civilians possess a great hope in this new system. The other factor that could contribute to the solution of Egypt’s energy insufficiency is a $4. 8 billion loan offered by the I. M. F. (International Monetary Fund). This international loan could enable Egypt to import sufficient fuel to temporarily settle the energy crisis in this urgent period.However, although it can effectively secure Egypt from the damage of this energy crisis for awhile, it is not a long-term solution. Moreover, this loan is offered with a condition of the commitment to increase taxes and cut subsidies. Therefore, accepting this loan could stimulate more civil unrest and worsen an already shaky social security. Under the fear of public reaction, despite the advice of the UN, the Egyptian administration refused this offer repeatedly (Kirkpatrick, 2013).Finally, in order to ultimately resolve this problem, find a way to stabilize the political unrest is inevitable. According to the re port of Watson (2012), the whole energy crisis occurred initially after the ouster of the former present Hosni Mubarak in 2011 and climaxed after the first democratic president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013. Evidently, the Egypt’s energy crisis is closely related to its political stability. Watson also reported that the core factor of Egypt’s social unrest can be attributed to citizens’ resentment against the military regime.Therefore, in order to change this phenomenon appropriately, it is highly recommended to advance the election date from 2014 to as soon as possible. That way Egypt will not only revitalize its tourism but also gain back most of the foreign investment, thus solve the energy crisis once for all. In conclusion, Egypt’s energy scarcity is mainly leaded by its flawed subsidizing policies, deficient energy distribution system, and shaky social security.Therefore,  in order to resolve this energy crisis appropriately, it is crucial for Egypti an administration to focus and reform these problems one by one. According to the research, the most practicable way to result these problems is to first promote the smart card system, which will help government to allocate subsidized energy more effectively to people who need them. After increase the accessibility of subsidized energy, the government can subsequently implement a reduction on energy subsidy. Due to the teetering social security, it is highly advisable to execute this reduction subtly and appropriately.This reform of Egypt’s subsidy policy will not only largely alleviate the burden of its economy, but will also make Egypt eligible to take the international loan offered by the I. M. F. ; therefore, provide Egypt more funds to import fossil fuel for the sake of its energy crisis. Subsequent to the reform of governmental policy, it is advisable for Egypt to advance the date of democratic election due to the purpose of stabilizing its social security. Once the soc ial security is stabilized, Egypt will be able to revitalize its touristic industry and regain its foreign investment, which will resolve the energy crisis once for all. The evaluation and possible solutions of Egypt’s current energy crisis Egypt, one of the cradles of civilization, is distinguished by its tourist industry due to its mysterious cultural attributes and long history. Its abundant touristic resources and attractions made Egypt an admiration of travelers all over the world. Consequently, the tourist industry has become an essential role of Egypt’s economic foundation. Moreover, Egypt is also regarded as the largest non-OPEC (organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) country in the continent of Africa (Payne, 2012).According to Payne (2012), Egypt’s daily yield of crude oil is approximately 700,000 barrels, and since the year of 2008, Egypt has discovered 7 crude oil and natural gas deposits. Among them, the largest detection produces around 58000 barrels of crude oil and 2. 8 million cubic feet of natural gas every day. (Graeber, 2013).Norton Rose Fulbright, an international business organization, has also indicated that Egypt possesses a total capacity of 4.4 billion barrels of crude oil and 78 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in its deposits. Ironically, even with such unique financial advantages and bountiful domestic natural resources, Egypt is now undergoing the most severe energy crisis in its history. This tremendous energy scarcity has already resulted in a soaring of food prices, and regular blackouts of household electricity, if this deficiency continues it could further threaten the livelihood of Egyptian citizens or even lead to serious social security issues.Kirkpatick (2013) pointed out in his report that because diesel machineries are the most common apparatus Egyptian use to irrigating and harvesting their crops, the insufficiency of fossil fuel has disabled numerous famers from yielding crops in the harvest season. It is not only the farmers who are despairing, the employees who need to commute a long distance for work also feel miserable due to the fact that the scarcity of gasoline has doubled the fuel price and caused a long queue in every gas station.Furthermore, the electricity blackouts have made the electricity in vital public facilities such as schools and hospitals unstable, thus tremendously impaired the quality of medical and educational affairs. More seriously, an evaluation of International Crisis Group has revealed that the fragile political stability accompanied with the growing public panic (concern) toward the inflating of fuel price could ultimately result in the withering of Egypt’s hard-earned democracy (Kirkpatrick, 2013).Before the government can take any action to appropriately resolve this severe energy scarcity, it is extremely crucial for them to be acquainted with the principal causes of this problem. Although several speculations have been made toward the root of this devastating energy crisis through different perspectives, it is generally believed by experts that Egypt’s energy insufficiency is the ultimate result of its incompetent refining technologies, inappropriate subsidizing policies, leaky energy allocating systems, and teetering social security.First of all, the initial element that put Egypt in this vulnerable circumstance is its inadequate refining technology. According to Kirkpatrick (2013) and Payne (2012), Egypt has very restricted capability in refining crude oil into petroleum products such as diesel fuel. Therefore, despite the fact that Egypt holds a considerable amount of domestic energy, they have to rely heavily on the import of petroleum products, and export their crude oil at a much cheaper price. The other primary preexisting factor that contributes to the energy crisis is Egypt’s burdensome subsidizing policy of energy.According to Ragui, an official of Egypt’s Economic Research Forum, nearly 30% of Egypt’s governmental expense can be attributed to the energy subsidy. Moreover, Ragui also pointed out that subsidized fuel cost less than one fifth of its original price (Kirkpatrick, 2013). Although this program is ve ry beneficial to civilians especially in the condition when 40% of Egyptians are below the poverty line, the economists in Egypt have already doubted the practicability of this policy even before the crisis, according to Kirkpatrick’s report (2012), many experts considered this policy untenable.Even though, Egyptian government expended a great effort on subsidizing energies, the leaky distributing system has played a major role that not only negated the benefit of subsidizing policy, but also indirectly resulted in the present energy scarcity. As pinpointed by Hakim’s report (2013), only 20% of subsidized fuels were allocated to those who deserve it, and the other 80% of them did not go to where they were supposed to. Since the Egypt government has difficulty on tracking their fuels, many tanker trucks sell subsidized fossil fuels to black markets for better profit.In addition, because this leaky distributing system made illegal access of fuel more effortless, once the rumor of impending fuel shortage spread out, the inappropriate hoarding of fuel from panicked citizens has increased tremendously, and that, according to Kirkpatrick’s report, is the other significant factor that worsened this energy crisis. The trigger that linked every preexisting factor together and ultimately resulted in Egypt’s energy crisis is the instability of Egypt’s social security.Before the â€Å"2011 Egyptian revolution†, with its thriving touristic industry and expanding foreign investments, Egypt was prosperous. As the growing of the energy demand for their rapidly developing economy and fast expanding population, they put more budgets on importing fuels and subsidizing energy. However, according to Kirkpatrick (2013), after the ouster of Hosni Mubarak, who has been the president of Egypt for more than 30 years, violent protests and mayhem from his advocates have collapsed Egypt’s tourism and unnerved its foreign investors.Without t hose two essential sources, the economy of Egypt soon contracted and withered to almost one third of its annual income in 2010. Nevertheless, with such a severe economic contraction, Egypt’s energy expenses remained the same. Consequently, the new government was incapable of affording the heavy subsidization, and energy import, therefore, triggered the national wide energy crisis. According to the different perspective, there are various opinions concerning the possible solutions of this energy crisis, however, only few of them are considered as realistic and practical regarding the urgent circumstance of Egypt.Among them, the most practicable solution of Egypt’s energy crisis is to reform the government policy, to improve the distribution system, to accept the loan from the I. M. F. (International Monetary Fund), and to advance the next democratic election date. Although it has been mentioned by several organizations that improving Egypt’s refining technology m ay be a long-term solution that could terminate Egypt’s demand of importing petroleum products, it is not a preferable solution base on the current circumstances.According to Payne (2012), if Egypt can refine its domestic crude oil, it would produce adequate petroleum products to sustain Egypt’s own energy consumption in a much lower cost. However, the advancing of refinery requires years of development and the investment of foreign technology: the two elements that Egypt is lack of.The turbulent social security of Egypt has unnerved most of its foreign investors (Graeber, 2013), and the deterioration of economy and political stability has urged government to  take immediate action. The other controversial solution is the development of renewable energy. It is highly recommended and encouraged by many energy experts that Egypt should allocate funds to invest in renewable energy technology instead of subsidizing the fossil fuel. Due to its geographical distinction, Eg ypt possesses massive potential for sustainable energy such as solar energy, wind energy, or geothermal energy. (Norton Rose Fulbright, 2013).The advocates of renewable energy claimed that due to the flawed allocation system, the subsidization policy is an extremely inefficient way to spend funds. They further affirmed that through a specific solar energy project, which can generate about 3-giga watts within 18 months, Egypt’s energy insufficiency will be resolved easily. (Hakim, 2013) However, many economists considered this method unrealistic due to its time consumption and expensive initial expense.They pointed out that it would take at least 3 to 5 years of transition time to invest on the new energy including building new supply chains, setting up generators, and establishing new infrastructures. (Watson, 2012). Moreover, due to Egypt’s abundant crude oil deposits, it is not advisable to invest more currency on developing the other alternative energies, especially in this vital period when the government is already in deep deficit. It is crucial for Egyptian administration to reform their heavy energy subsidization policy in order to alleviate the unbearable burden on their economy.As indicated by Kirkpatrick (2013), by implementing a reduction on energy subsidy, it will not only give the government sufficient funding to import energy, but it will also restore Egypt’s credibility for more international loans and finish this energy crisis even faster. However, reform in policy can be very problematic, especially when subsidy is involved. The teetering political stability of Egypt could be too vulnerable to afford any big change in society.According to the reports of Kirkpatrick (2012,2013), the administration of this reform could be extremely challenging due to the fact that 40% of Egyptians are under the poverty line and most of them possess resentments against the government already because of the existing energy scarcity and the soa ring price of food. Kirkpatrick further indicated the difficulty of this reform by stating: â€Å"any potential increase in fuel prices or the price of other basic necessities could spur renewed unrest. †Moreover, even if the government can successfully implement the reform on  its subsidization policy, it is possible for the positive effects to be nullified if the leaky energy distribution system, which is currently preventing Egyptian citizens from purchasing fuel at its original price, stays the same. In order to monitor the allocation of subsidized energy more effectively and make it more accessible to the people who deserve it, the Egyptian government has developed a smart card system that can effectively track the gas trucks and ensure that they reach their destination with whole shipments (Kirkpatrick, 2013).Although this new technology is not nation wide it has received a great success in the villages that adopted it. Moreover, according to Kirkpatrick’s repo rt (2013), Egyptian civilians possess a great hope in this new system. The other factor that could contribute to the solution of Egypt’s energy insufficiency is a $4. 8 billion loan offered by the I. M. F. (International Monetary Fund). This international loan could enable Egypt to import sufficient fuel to temporarily settle the energy crisis in this urgent period.However, although it can effectively secure Egypt from the damage of this energy crisis for awhile, it is not a long-term solution. Moreover, this loan is offered with a condition of the commitment to increase taxes and cut subsidies. Therefore, accepting this loan could stimulate more civil unrest and worsen an already shaky social security. Under the fear of public reaction, despite the advice of the UN, the Egyptian administration refused this offer repeatedly (Kirkpatrick, 2013).Finally, in order to ultimately resolve this problem, find a way to stabilize the political unrest is inevitable. According to the rep ort of Watson (2012), the whole energy crisis occurred initially after the ouster of the former present Hosni Mubarak in 2011 and climaxed after the first democratic president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013. Evidently, the Egypt’s energy crisis is closely related to its political stability. Watson also reported that the core factor of Egypt’s social unrest can be attributed to citizens’ resentment against the military regime.Therefore, in order to change this phenomenon appropriately, it is highly recommended to advance the election date from 2014 to as soon as possible. That way Egypt will not only revitalize its tourism but also gain back most of the foreign investment, thus solve the energy crisis once for all. In conclusion, Egypt’s energy scarcity is mainly leaded by its flawed subsidizing policies, deficient energy distribution system, and shaky social security.Therefore,  in order to resolve this energy crisis appropriately, it is crucial for Egyptia n administration to focus and reform these problems one by one. According to the research, the most practicable way to result these problems is to first promote the smart card system, which will help government to allocate subsidized energy more effectively to people who need them. After increase the accessibility of subsidized energy, the government can subsequently implement a reduction on energy subsidy. Due to the teetering social security, it is highly advisable to execute this reduction subtly and appropriately.This reform of Egypt’s subsidy policy will not only largely alleviate the burden of its economy, but will also make Egypt eligible to take the international loan offered by the I. M. F. ; therefore, provide Egypt more funds to import fossil fuel for the sake of its energy crisis. Subsequent to the reform of governmental policy, it is advisable for Egypt to advance the date of democratic election due to the purpose of stabilizing its social security. Once the soci al security is stabilized, Egypt will be able to revitalize its touristic industry and regain its foreign investment, which will resolve the energy crisis once for all.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Managing Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Managing Change - Essay Example A ‘hard’ definition of HRM can also be derived that is it helps to maximize the economic benefit an organization gets from its human assets (Wilkinson, 2000). Currently one of the biggest challenges organizations are facing relate to a rapidly changing environment where global, technological and economic factors make it necessary to make decisions under uncertain conditions and adapt quickly in order to survive or maintain their competitive edge. Flexible organizations with a knowledgeable workforce are at an advantage in these conditions as any change initiated within an organization can only prove beneficial if it is widely accepted by the workforce. These changes may be technological in nature or allow for the modification of organization structure or the management, acquisitions, mergers, and other operational changes are increasing in trend. However, a survey done in 2010 indicated that for most corporations the changes made did not bring the desired results, with 6 2% measure somewhat successful and 24% having no change at all. (APQC, 2010) The reasons for the failure of these measures, is usually the inability of the top management to actively involve HR in the change management process. Employees who are not given complete information or training regarding the changing measures are often skeptical and hostile towards them as they may perceive them as threat to their position, daily routine, status in the organization or overall job security. These employees may be so resistance to change that they will not be able to adapt to the new conditions and even be outwardly hostile. For employees who don’t have a hostile attitude towards the change and disruption they may still have no receptivity towards it; without enthusiasm to embrace the new measures it is possible that the optimum level of benefits may never be utilized. The survey done indicates that employees who don’t understand the reasons behind the change and are still forc ed to adhere to the new rules and practices face a decline in engagement level of upto 71% with over a 43% increase in unwanted turnovers, which could lead to a prominent loss of productivity after the change is implemented. HRM practices can effectively work on transforming the negative attitudes of the employees. To support the change management there are two avenues for HR to take, firstly they can work on removing the hostility from the employees by assuring them that their fears and skepticism are unfounded by increasing their knowledge about the change being initiated through seminars, programs and training. â€Å"HR Professionals have to lead the change programme through a systematic drive of providing education, communication, facilitation and support to the employees, so that we may secure the involvement, participation and commitment of the complete workforce† (Lal, 2001) Lal, J. (2001). Managing Change through HR, Presidential Address. Delhi Business Review A well informed workforce will be more willing to admit why the change is necessary and management should make

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Analysis of the War on Terror Discourse from the Perspective of Dissertation

Analysis of the War on Terror Discourse from the Perspective of Systemic - Functional Linguistics - Dissertation Example Halliday’s Systemic-Functional Linguistics. Before we go into the actual formation in the speeches, let us first re-examine the core essence of the Interpersonal Metafunction within SFL itself. There are three component areas: the speaker/writer persona, social distance, and relative social status. Interpersonal Metafunction within SFL Societies, or individual if you like, form contexts based on experience. The evolution of experience, therefore, equals the evolution of meaning. However, the system of this formation is more a maze than a cycle because almost every components is a variable whose value is relative to almost every receiver in the formation of the experience. On the interpersonal level, the context and meaning of a text depends largely on speaker/writer, the giver of the text. From the image, persona, and all that constructs the speaker/writer stands for, the context is formed and subsequent meaning to the text is attached. It is, therefore, almost impossible to e xamine any process of information exchange by isolating the speaker or source of the message from historical frameworks. By now, some of you are probably saying that contexts are also largely formed by the receiver’s personal experience. ... However, expressions of future orientation or modalities are not independent causations that you can examine in isolation. In fact, these are results rather than causes of a long process where language is constructed, evolved, deconstructed and elevated to a position of power that can change countries and its destiny. A political speech is one clear example of how the interpersonal metafunction can influence and even manipulate human experience through systematic functional linguistics. Political speeches are delivered rarely as a mode of reporting. Political speeches are delivered to convince, gain votes, get approval of current and prospective voters primarily and all the other secondarily. There is, perhaps, no other platform of communication where meanings are pre-formed even before actual linguistics than a political speech. The persona or source of the message has already formed his meanings through the political parties he or she has chosen to join, stance on political issues, overall media behaviour, and even, physical appearance. The personal forms the social standing and establishes the social distance. Yes, those meanings can be changed as receivers form their own contexts but it can also be enforced once the speaker imposes his or her own using different rhetoric, form different ideas, and establish different presets. The rhetoric used in that speech was one that inspired, not forced take note, the entire nation into war. The text that was used, the thematic formation, and the poetry above the message operated across texts and across time. To demonstrate how the Interpersonal Metafunction in a Political Speech can manipulate human

Monday, August 26, 2019

Are people obligated to fight evil if they have the ability to do so Essay

Are people obligated to fight evil if they have the ability to do so And are intellectuals the most fit to lead society - Essay Example It can be termed as destructiveness, as well as motives of causing pain and suffering for selfish or malicious intentions. Leadership, conversely, has been illustrated as the procedure of social authority in which an individual can procure the aid, as well as support, of others in the deed of a common duty. Other in-depth meanings of leadership have also materialized. This paper will discuss whether people are obligated to fight evil if they have the ability to do so and whether intellectuals are most fit to lead the society than non-intellectuals. Question 1 There is a distinction between an individual who is uninformed of social etiquette and a person who has a permanent impulse to wound and hurt other people. There is also a distinction between someone who has a rough day, as well as someone who is rough every day. The fact is that evil, as well as an evil person, is characterized by deception, viciousness, cruelty among other traits (Freeman 1). However, at other times people jus t might be having one of those temporary lapses that everybody has at times. The known characteristics portrayed by evil characters are: destruction, depiction as well as manipulation. Destruction is where by people aim to cause damages. Evil people recurrently tear down relationships plus they cannot maintain friendships. Evil people continually wound other people with cruel actions, as well as speeches. Now, a way of obviously fighting this person would be simply to avoid him or her. However, the challenge is how to note an evil person before a person becomes interactive with him or her. Another trait of evil or an evil person would be deception (Freeman 1). It is a fact that evil individuals chronically tell lies to the extent that people never know when they are telling the truth. People are obliged to avoid such behaviors, and they should take it as their initiative never to believe a word of an evil person. It is viable even not to talk to evil people. That is a vital way of t aking the initiative of fighting evil. Evil is also known to be a vital factor of manipulation. This is because evil people do not have a ‘god’ complex. Evil individuals desire to be the center of the universe. They also think that they are the center of the universe. Hence, they will proceed with what they want so as to acquire what they need. Now, a person with high self esteem, as well as morals, cannot easily be manipulated. The only means to fight such an individual is to show them that they cannot easily control a person’s life. That acts as a diminishing factor to evil people since they want to control everything (Freeman 1). This is a way of taking your own initiative to fight evil. Also, simply hoping that evil or an evil person will get better will not work. Hoping they will astonish people with 'goodness' is also a poor strategy. If a person is in a position to control evil, then they should undertake the task. It will mostly work if the person takes o n the evil person in public. This will put the evil person in a tough spot. It is not advisable to send any message such as a text or email, not unless from a lawyer. Also, people can tackle evil if they have the ability to involve a higher person in the society (Freeman 1). If the evil person is breaking the organizations rules, the person should involve the boss in a way of fighting that evil. It is also advisable to make their actions known by everybody. Everybody trying

Approach And Characteristic Of Corporate Governance In Russia Essay

Approach And Characteristic Of Corporate Governance In Russia - Essay Example Corporate governance offers the framework through which the goals of the companies are formulated and also suggests the means of accomplishing those objectives as well as identifies controlling performances (Viam Invest, 2012). It is in this regards that corporate governance can be identified as quite significant for today’s commercials. Sound corporate governance needs to offer adequate incentives to attain the desired objectives by the company. It must also assist in proper monitoring of the activities of the organisation and thus endorse the firms to make use of the resources in an effectual manner (Shvyrkov, 2012). Corporate governance method in Russia can be regarded as appealing since they tend to take place because of the institutional experiments undertaken by the Russian government in the early 1990s with strong support of international financial institutions (Paredes, 2003). Hence, the concept of corporate governance system practiced in Russia has been one of the sig nificant topics of discussion in the present times. Most of the Russian firms are found to be adhering to good corporate governance standards by escalating disclosure, conforming to the international accounting standards and espousing numerous codes related to the matter. The government of Russia, the regulators as well as private agencies has taken certain measures such as enforcement of the codes, improvement of the transparency along with accountability issues among others in order to enhance the corporate governance (DYCK, 2002). The objective of this paper is to demonstrate and discuss the numerous approaches as well as features of the corporate governance system in Russia. The various drivers as well as impacts of corporate governance in Russia will also be discussed in the paper. Last but not the least, it will endeavour to identify whether the corporate governance system of Russia offers transparency as well as accountability to its stakeholders. Approach and Characteristic of Corporate Governance in Russia The corporate governance system in Russia is featured by elevated ownership attentiveness in firms basically in the hands of the insiders. It has also been noted that the legal institution of the country is not quite firm that has generally led to greater personal advantages of controls through corruption and immature capital markets which might lead to inadequate return on shareholders’ investments a fragmented labour market as well as major participation of the state in business with increasing political barriers (Vasilyev, 2002). The Russian corporate governance tends to be quite different from that of the corporate governance in developed countries such as Anglo-Saxon countries. The chief conflict of interest with regards to the Russian firms has been between big and small shareholders instead of managers and greater number of fragmented shareholders as in the contexts of US or UK (Nestor & Jesover, 2000). Notably, the Russian model of pr ivatisation that was exercised in the period of 1992-1994 facilitated in the determination of the main features of the structure of corporate ownership as well as governance in the country. Privatisation also identified the main direction for the growth of Russian firms. Nearly