Federalism in Australia Essay

Federalism in Australia Essay Kerry Maloney Federalism in Australia is dying. Do you agree? Understanding what Federalism is, is the key to understanding how the Australian government functions. Federalism in Australia was formedon 1 January 1901. Australia’s unique constitution is a blending of the Westminster system, the USA’s system of government (two spheres of government) and the Swiss system (referendum procedures).[1] ‘They constituted their new nation as a federal union by creating a new spear of national government, also called the ‘Commonwealth’ with bicameral federal parliament, responsible government executive, and a high court.’[2] Throughout the history of federalism in Australia reforms have been made when needed, however the basic structure of government has remained the same. Federal parliament is separated into two areas, Commonwealth government and State government. Legislative power is separated between the two, the Commonwealth government has legislative power over areas such as taxation, defence, foreign affairs, postal and telecommunications services.[3] ‘The state government has legislative power over all other matters that occurred within their borders, including: police, hospitals, education and public transport.’[4] During the course of this essay, issues with the federal system Australia is currently dealing with will be presented and how the Australian government is attempting to address problems within the system. Public expenditure and federal arrangements for taxing is a major area of concern. State governments have varied capacities to deliver services and revenue raising within the federation, ‘the current mining boom and the global financial crisis have contributed to substantial changes in the distribution of the GST amongst the States and heightened scrutiny about the equalisation process and its outcomes.’[5] A good example of the above can be found in The Commonwealth Grant’s Commission’s report on GST Revenue Sharing Relativities, Update 2012. This report shows how due to ‘Western Australia’s above average mining production, property transfers, payrolls, motor vehicle registrations and land values, Western Australia has the highest assessed fiscal capacity’[6]. This translates into Western Australia’s GST revenue falling from 7.5% to 5.8%. Then we have South Australia, due to the fact it has above average number of elderly and people of low socio-economic status, ‘below average population growth and below average investment and net lending requirements.[7] South Australia has below average revenue raising capacity across all state taxes’[8], especially payroll tax (due to lower wages, population and employment rate) and below average mining revenue. The above facts translate into above average revenue for South Australia from commonw ealth payments. ‘South Australia has the third lowest assessed fiscal capacity’[9] and gets a GST revenue share of 9.3%.[10] Taking both states GST revenue share and productivity into consideration, some people feel the current system to be unfair and many concerns were heard in the lead up to the last Western Australian state election on 9 March 2014. When federal government intervene in areas that usually belong to the state, intergovernmental conflict occur. A classic example of intergovernmental conflict is environmental protection, concerning issues such as the Great Barrier Reef protection, forestry, coal-seam gas production and the Murray-Darling Basin. In the case of the Murray-Darling Basin, in 2004 The National Water Initiative (NWI) was introduced, NWI allowed the federal government to attempt to resolve problems with upstream usage and management of down stream flows.[11] This demonstrates our system shifting more towards organic federalism and the federal factors political power.[12] In the past decade a more organic federalism has developed in many policy areas. Organic federalism is when the federal government plays a major role in public policy and the state governments and territories role is more in the administration and implementation of policy made at the federal level.[13] Education is a good example of organi c federalism seen in commitments in national policy frame works and direct Commonwealth initiatives.[14] Other issues federalism face, is too much bureaucracy, duplication and inconsistency. Overlapping responsibilities within multiple governments create problems of state and federal governments blaming each other when policies fail due to confusion of which government is constitutionally responsible.[15] Currently the Coalition has made a commitment to release a white paper on federalism. The federalism white paper could be a catalyst for federalism reform, it aims to address functional overlap, duplication and give opportunity for the public to vote on recommendations at the 2016 election.[16] The council of Australian Governments (COAG) is equally a focus of the Coalition, with intentions of streamlining COAG agenda to make it more effective.[17] In an attempt to carry out a large number of major reforms the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) was formed. COAG reforms are aimed at collaboration between the commonwealth, state and territory governments being strengthened.[18] The council of COAG is made up in a way that all sides are guaranteed to be heard. ‘The  members of COAG  are the Prime Minister, State and Territory Premiers and Chief Ministers and the President of the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA). The Prime Minister chairs COAG. The role of COAG is to promote policy reforms that are of national significance, or which need co-ordinated action by all Australian governments.’[19] Some good examples of COAG’s past achievements are; the  National Health Reform Agreement  in August 2011; reforms of laws that overlapped areas of activity within states consisting of unnecessary differences; a wide range of educational reforms; and working with ‘closing the gap’ concerning the disadvantages Australian indigenous.[20] In conclusion, it would be fair to say there are many pressing issues with the federal system and some discontent does exist within the public and government, which have been highlighted during the last few elections both federal and state. However federalism in Australia is not on its way to the grave but is at point where major review and reform is needed. Considering Australia has had federal reform in the past and actions are in motion for federal reform at present in the forms of COAG, GST reform and the Federalism white paper. It seems more likely Australia may see more organic federalism in the future and federalism in Australia will evolve along with changing times and to meet the ever changing needs of a maturing country. Bibliography. Australian Government, australia.gov.au.Australias federation. (n.d.), accessed viahttp://australia.gov.au/about-australia/our-government/australias-federation> on 18 April, 2014. Australian Government, The Treasury, Submission to the GST Distribution Review, Canberra, October 2011, p.8. Collett, E. Federalism Frequently Asked Questions.Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law. (n.d.), accessed viahttp://www.gtcentre.unsw.edu.au/resources/federalism/frequently-asked-questions> on 20 April 2014. Commonwealth Grants Commission, Report on GST Revenue Sharing Relativities — 2012 Update, Canberra, 2012, pp. 16-17. Council of Australian Governments, About COAG. Council of Australian Governments, (n.d.), accessed viahttp://www.coag.gov.au/about_coag> on 25 April 2014. Dudley, J., Contemporary Politics in Australia, Theories, Practices and Issues, Cambridge University Press, New York, 2012, pp.356-361. ‘Federalism’ definition in The Oxford Companion To Australian Politics, eds, B. Galligan and W.Roberts, Oxford University Press, Sth Melbourne, 2007, p.202. Haward, M., Contemporary Politics in Australia, Theories, Practices and Issues, Cambridge University Press, New York, 2012, pp.275-279. [1] ‘Federalism’ definition in The Oxford Companion To Australian Politics, eds, B. Galligan and W. Roberts, Oxford University Press, Sth Melbourne, 2007, p.202. [2] ‘Federalism’ definition in The Oxford Companion To Australian Politics, eds, B. Galligan and W. Roberts, Oxford University Press, Sth Melbourne, 2007, p.202. [3] Australian Government, australia.gov.au.Australias federation. (n.d.), from accessed viahttp://australia.gov.au/about-australia/our-government/australias-federation> on 18 April, 2014. [4]Australian Government, australia.gov.au.Australias federation. (n.d.), from accessed viahttp://australia.gov.au/about-australia/our-government/australias-federation> on 18 April, 2014. [5] Australian Government, The Treasury, Submission to the GST Distribution Review, Canberra, October 2011, p.8. [6] Commonwealth Grants Commission, Report on GST Revenue Sharing Relativities — 2012 Update, Canberra, 2012, pp. 16-17. [7] Commonwealth Grants Commission, Report on GST Revenue Sharing Relativities — 2012 Update, Canberra, 2012, pp. 16-17. [8] Commonwealth Grants Commission, Report on GST Revenue Sharing Relativities — 2012 Update, Canberra, 2012, pp. 16-17. [9] Commonwealth Grants Commission, Report on GST Revenue Sharing Relativities — 2012 Update, Canberra, 2012, pp. 16-17. [10] Commonwealth Grants Commission, Report on GST Revenue Sharing Relativities — 2012 Update, Canberra, 2012, pp. 16-17. [11] Dudley, J., Contemporary Politics in Australia, Theories, Practices and Issues, Cambridge University Press, New York, 2012, pp.356-361. [12] Dudley, J., Contemporary Politics in Australia, Theories, Practices and Issues, Cambridge University Press, New York, 2012, pp.356-361. [13] Dudley, J., Contemporary Politics in Australia, Theories, Practices and Issues, Cambridge University Press, New York, 2012, pp.356-361. [14] Haward, M., Contemporary Politics in Australia, Theories, Practices and Issues, Cambridge University Press, New York, 2012, pp.275-279. [15] Collett, E. Federalism Frequently Asked Questions.Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law. (n.d.), accessed viahttp://www.gtcentre.unsw.edu.au/resources/federalism/frequently-asked-questions> on 20 April 2014. [16] NOVAK, J. New Senate might reform.THE AUSTRALIAN. 11 September 2013, accessed viahttp://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/opinion/new-senate-might-reform/story-e6frgd0x-1226716373957#> on 20 April 2014. [17] OAKES, L. New way to fix old problem with federalism.HERALD SUN. 15 March 2014, accessed viahttp://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/new-way-to-fix-old-problem-with-federalism/story-fni0fha6-1226855178626> on 20 April 2014. [18] Council of Australian Governments, About COAG. Council of Australian Governments, (n.d.), accessed viahttp://www.coag.gov.au/about_coag> on 25 April 2014. [19]Council of Australian Governments, About COAG. Council of Australian Governments, (n.d.), accessed viahttp://www.coag.gov.au/about_coag> on 25 April 2014. [20] Council of Australian Governments, About COAG. Council of Australian Governments, (n.d.), accessed viahttp://www.coag.gov.au/about_coag> on 25 April 2014.

Air Pollution and Climate Change in Tanzania Essay -- Africa Environme

Air Pollution and Climate Change in Tanzania In looking at how weather and climate effect Tanzanian society, it is important to emphasize how both increased air pollution and evidence of climate change are of growing concern to Tanzania’s future. A developing nation of roughly 38 million citizens invested in an economy primarily focused on agriculture, Tanzania is at this time unable to handle the growing issues it is facing as they relate to the livelihoods of the majority of its citizens. Prolonged drought has increased the importance of the country’s rainy season, and further amplified the threat of each year’s dry months, which last for the majority of the year. While many of Tanzania’s citizens worry about the lack of federal monitoring and legislation surrounding air pollution and climate change, they are often inadvertently contributing to their own demise as they struggle to survive with antiquated technology and lifestyles in general. As of September 2007, and as reported in September 2003, the Tanzanian government has no official policies or standards on air pollution that its industries and citizens must follow. Instead, due to a lack of financial and thus technical resources, little has been done to measure and assess the amount of harmful toxins in the air that the general population breathes daily, most especially in its densely populated cities. The Tanzanian government hasn’t sat completely idle however, and in general terms has addressed issues of air pollution in legislation dating back to the 1960s. However, the Merchant Shipping Act (1967), one of the first pieces of legislation mentioned the concept of air pollution, did not do so in a way that concentrated on the significant dangers raised pollution... ... aid Tanzania is likely to be destined to a fate it cannot and will not be able to control. References: APINA. â€Å"Tanzania—Country Fact Sheet.† Air Pollution Information Network – Africa. September 2003. . Kupaza, Ramdhani. â€Å"Tanzania: Expected Attitude Toward Air.† Arusha Times. 15 September 2007. . Loserian, David. â€Å"Climate Change and Poverty: Experiences in Eastern Tanzania, Morogoro Region.† Tanzania Forest Conservation Group. No Date. seors/file_storage/8mi6mz7utr9h9ce.pdf>. Paavola, Jouni. â€Å"Vulnerability to Climate Change in Tanzania: Sources, Substance and Solutions.† Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment. 19 June 2003. papers/paavola_tanzania.pdf>.

Lao Yzu :: essays research papers

Lao Tzsu â€Å"Tao Te Ching† Discussion Questions 1. What is the most valuable way to live? Discuss the two examples of this idea.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The most valuable way to live is to live passively. An example of this idea includes being able to ride roughshod over the hardest in the world means one can lasts longer in this competitive world by being passive. And only a few in the world means that not too many realize the way of life is to live passively. 2. Discuss the first three questions in this poem. What is â€Å"that’ in line 7?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first three questions in this poem asks the reader to reflect. That in line 7 can mean the word because. That can also represent the many complexities in life due to value. 3. What is contentment according to this poet? Of what value is this state of mind?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to this poet contentment comes but not holding grudge because it states that excessive meanness is sure to lead to great expense. It tells one to let go because being angry and having things bottled up can only hurt oneself. 4. â€Å"Highest good† or â€Å"the way† indicates a state of perfection in life. What does this poem recommend as a way to approach life?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The poem recommends one to approach life like water because water is an indispensable element that has no conflict in any positions. It is able to adapt and go in area and position that is ideal. 5. What is the author’s point about materialism and excesses? What is his recommendation to the reader about the way to live?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the author’s point about materialism and excesses is not to be greedy. There is no point to be greedy because one can loses as much as it makes and no one can use possess of its wealth after death. The key is to have just enough because wealth can create problem. His recommendation to life is do what you have to do. 6. What paradox is presented in this poem?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The paradox presented in tis poem is that a seemingly weak object water can be as strong as anything. The weak can overcomes the strong and the submissive can overcomes the hard. 7. Which personal qualities are valuable in rulers, according to the poet?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to the poet valuable qualities in rulers should be the ability to admit and held responsible for the wrongs done in its empire.

An Analysis of PepsiCo and Coca-cola Essay -- Business Analysis

Since the mid 1980’s many of us have become familiar with the terms â€Å"the Cola Wars† (Wikipedia, 2010). Coca Cola and Pepsi have been the two largest soft drink competitors in the world for quite some time now. What makes these companies successful? What gives them the retention to prosper for years across the globe? For this project I analyzed the financial statements from 2003 through 2005 of both companies to gain insight as to these questions and others. By reviewing and then analyzing the data it becomes visible that these two companies are still standing strong in a market that is still dominated only by each other. To begin we will examine three ratios for each company. The first ratio is a liquidity ratio. Liquidity focuses on the reliability or availability of a borrower to pay back the loan they borrowed. A common liquidity metric is ccurrent ratio. Current ratio measures a company’s ability to pay back short term obligations or debts. We get this calculation by taking the current assets and dividing by current liabilities. For instance, PepsiCo’s current ratio is equivalent to current assets in 2005 (10,454) divided by current liabilities in 2005(9,406) which equals 1.11:1. Their current ratio in 2004 was 1:28:1. (Current assets for 2004/current liabilities for 2004; 8639/6752). Coca Cola’s current ratio for 2005 was taken by computing their current assets for 2005 (10,250) and divided by the current 2005 liabilities 99836) which equaled a ratio of 1.04:1. In 2004 Coca’ Cola’s current ratio was equal to current assets for 2004 of 12,281 divide d by current liabilities for 2004 of 11, 133, which totaled 1.10:1. What this means is that for every dollar of current liabilities, Coca Cola has $1.04 of ... ...ges and soft drinks. They have ventured out to non carbonated beverages like iced tea and juices but now need to move into the food market space. My final recommendation for Coca cola is to stay with their product. One of the biggest setbacks for Coca Cola occurred when they introduced their â€Å"new coke† in the 1990’s. (Wikipedia, 2010) This new formula did not go over well with their consumers and they were forced to quickly stop the new Coke production. In conclusion I think both companies are stable and strong. Obviously both companies are able to compete globally which in and of itself says an awful lot. Each company has its strengths and minor weaknesses but their overall financial success has been proven. Their ability to remain the only two competitors amongst their carbonated beverage industry is a strong indicator of their future potential.

Internship report outline Essay

Executive Summary (Describe where your internship was carried out shortly (company, department, location, etc. ). Summarize your internship goals, activities, and accomplishments. In addition, describe the key learning from your internship (both personal and professional)). Table of Contents Table of Figures/Tables I. Overview of Internship a. Student name, ID, program & specialization, telephone, email. b. Internship dates/Period c. Internship company name, department/division, address, contact numbers, e-mail d. Internship company supervisor’s name and position e. Internship objectives f. Job scope – Job description/duties & responsibilities (intro) g. Student’s contribution to the company h. Benefits to the individual/Student i. Student’s career interest(s) j. Problems and difficulties if any faced during the internship period k. Recommendations and suggestions (Analyze your performance during the internship. What are your three primary strengths? Give examples of what you did well. What are three areas that you would like to improve? Give examples of what you would do differently. Ask your company supervisor for input on this aspect of the report. ) II. Organization Part (on overall issues about the organization, its legal status, organizational structure, character of business activities, list of the main business operations; character of works, performed directly by the student during the internship, explain how the work done during the internship relates to your major or to your career objectives) a. Introduction (Objective, methodology, scope, limitation)Â  b. Overview of the Company c. Management Issues d. Marketing Issues e. Finance/Accounting Issues f. Operations Management and Information System Issues g. Industry and Competitive Analysis (SWOT, market dynamics, competitive dynamics) h. Observations/Findings i. Summary and Conclusions j. Recommendations III. Project Part (on a particular issue – a topic preferably related to student’s major and internship/work) a. Introduction (background, objective, significance of the issue) b. Methodology c. Findings and Analysis d. Summary and Conclusions e. Recommendations References Bibliography (List the books, articles, websites that are referred if any) Appendices (Tables, maps, government reports, conversions if any) Required size of the MBA Internship Report – not less than 25 pages without appendices, 1. 5 space, 12 font, Times New Roman Required size of the BSc Internship Report – not less than 15 pages without appendices, 1. 5 space, 12 font, Times New Roman

Ed Philosophy Essay

Philosophy of education can refer to either the academic field of applied philosophy or to one of any educational philosophies that promote a specific type or vision of education, and/or which examine the definition, goals and meaning of education. As an academic field, philosophy of education is â€Å"the philosophical study of education and its problems†¦ its central subject matter is education, and its methods are those of philosophy†. [1] â€Å"The philosophy of education may be either the philosophy of the process of education or the philosophy of the discipline of education. That is, it may be part of the discipline in the sense of being concerned with the aims, forms, methods, or results of the process of educating or being educated; or it may be metadisciplinary in the sense of being concerned with the concepts, aims, and methods of the discipline. â€Å"[2] As such, it is both part of the field of education and a field of applied philosophy, drawing from fields of metaphysics, epistemology, axiology and the philosophical approaches (speculative, prescriptive, and/or analytic) to address questions in and about pedagogy, education policy, and curriculum, as well as the process of learning, to name a few. [3] For example, it might study what constitutes upbringing and education, the values and norms revealed through upbringing and educational practices, the limits and legitimization of education as an academic discipline, and the relation between educational theory and practice. Instead of being taught in philosophy departments, philosophy of education is usually housed in departments or colleges of education, similar to how philosophy of law is generally taught in law schools. [1] The multiple ways of conceiving education coupled with the multiple fields and approaches of philosophy make philosophy of education not only a very diverse field but also one that is not easily defined. Although there is overlap, philosophy of education should not be conflated with educational theory, which is not defined specifically by the application of philosophy to questions in education. Philosophy of education also should not be confused with philosophy education, the practice of teaching and learning the subject of philosophy. Philosophy of education can also be understood not as an academic discipline but as a normative educational theory that unifies pedagogy, curriculum, learning theory, and the purpose of education and is grounded in specific metaphysical, epistemological, and axiological assumptions. These theories are also called educational philosophies. For example, a teacher might be said to follow a perennialist educational philosophy or to follow a perennialist philosophy of education. Contents * 1 Philosophy of Education * 1. 1 Idealism * 1. 1. 1 Plato * 1. 1. 2 Immanuel Kant * 1. 1. 3 Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel * 1. 2 Realism * 1. 2. 1 Aristotle * 1. 2. 2 Avicenna * 1. 2. 3 Ibn Tufail * 1. 2. 4 John Locke * 1. 2. 5 Jean-Jacques Rousseau * 1. 2. 6 Mortimer Jerome Adler * 1. 2. 7 Harry S. Broudy * 1. 3 Scholasticism * 1. 3. 1 Thomas Aquinas * 1. 3. 2 John Milton * 1. 4 Pragmatism * 1. 4. 1 John Dewey * 1. 4. 2 William James * 1. 4. 3 William Heard Kilpatrick * 1. 4. 4 Nel Noddings * 1. 4. 5 Richard Rorty * 1. 5 Analytic Philosophy * 1. 5. 1 Richard Stanley Peters * 1. 5. 2 Paul H. Hirst * 1. 6 Existentialism * 1. 6. 1 Karl Jaspers * 1. 6. 2 Martin Buber * 1. 6. 3 Maxine Greene * 1. 7 Critical Theory * 1. 7. 1 Paulo Freire * 1. 8 Postmodernism * 1. 8. 1 Martin Heidegger * 1. 8. 2 Hans-Georg Gadamer * 1. 8. 3 Jean-Francois Lyotard * 1. 8. 4 Michel Foucault * 2 Normative Educational Philosophies * 2. 1 Perennialism * 2. 1. 1 Allan Bloom * 2. 2 Progressivism * 2. 2. 1 Jean Piaget * 2. 2. 2 Jerome Bruner * 2. 3 Essentialism * 2. 3. 1 William Chandler Bagley * 2. 4 Social Reconstructionism and Critical Pedagogy * 2. 4. 1 George Counts * 2. 4. 2 Maria Montessori * 2. 5 Waldorf * 2. 5. 1 Rudolf Steiner * 2. 6 Democratic Education * 2. 6. 1 A. S. Neill * 2. 7 Classical Education * 2. 7. 1 Charlotte Mason * 2. 8 Unschooling * 2. 8. 1 John Holt * 2. 8. 2 Contemplative education * 3 Professional organizations and associations * 4 References * 5 Further reading * 6 External links| Philosophy of Education Idealism Plato Inscribed herma of Plato. (Berlin, Altes Museum). Main article: Plato Date: 424/423 BC – 348/347 BC Plato’s educational philosophy was grounded in his vision of the ideal Republic, wherein the individual was best served by being subordinated to a just society. He advocated removing children from their mothers’ care and raising them as wards of the state, with great care being taken to differentiate children suitable to the various castes, the highest receiving the most education, so that they could act as guardians of the city and care for the less able. Education would be holistic, including facts, skills, physical discipline, and music and art, which he considered the highest form of endeavor. Plato believed that talent was distributed non-genetically and thus must be found in children born in any social class. He builds on this by insisting that those suitably gifted are to be trained by the state so that they may be qualified to assume the role of a ruling class. What this establishes is essentially a system of selective public education premised on the assumption that an educated minority of the population are, by virtue of their education (and inborn educability), sufficient for healthy governance. Plato’s writings contain some of the following ideas: Elementary education would be confined to the guardian class till the age of 18, followed by two years of compulsory military training and then by higher education for those who qualified. While elementary education made the soul responsive to the environment, higher education helped the soul to search for truth which illuminated it. Both boys and girls receive the same kind of education. Elementary education consisted of music and gymnastics, designed to train and blend gentle and fierce qualities in the individual and create a harmonious person. At the age of 20, a selection was made. The best one would take an advanced course in mathematics, geometry, astronomy and harmonics. The first course in the scheme of higher education would last for ten years. It would be for those who had a flair for science. At the age of 30 there would be another selection; those who qualified would study dialectics and metaphysics, logic and philosophy for the next five years. They would study the idea of good and first principles of being. After accepting junior positions in the army for 15 years, a man would have completed his theoretical and practical education by the age of 50. Immanuel Kant Main article: Immanuel Kant Date: 1724–1804 Immanuel Kant believed that education differs from training in that the latter involves thinking whereas the former does not. In addition to educating reason, of central importance to him was the development of character and teaching of moral maxims. Kant was a proponent of public education and of learning by doing. [4] Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel Main article: Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel Date: 1770–1831 Realism Aristotle Bust of Aristotle. Roman copy after a Greek bronze original by Lysippos from 330 B. C. Main article: Aristotle Date: 384 BC – 322 BC Only fragments of Aristotle’s treatise On Education are still in existence. We thus know of his philosophy of education primarily through brief passages in other works. Aristotle considered human nature, habit and reason to be equally important forces to be cultivated in education. [1] Thus, for example, he considered repetition to be a key tool to develop good habits. The teacher was to lead the student systematically; this differs, for example, from Socrates’ emphasis on questioning his listeners to bring out their own ideas (though the comparison is perhaps incongruous since Socrates was dealing with adults). Aristotle placed great emphasis on balancing the theoretical and practical aspects of subjects taught. Subjects he explicitly mentions as being important included reading, writing and mathematics; music; physical education; literature and history; and a wide range of sciences. He also mentioned the importance of play. One of education’s primary missions for Aristotle, perhaps its most important, was to produce good and virtuous citizens for the polis. All who have meditated on the art of governing mankind have been convinced that the fate of empires depends on the education of youth. [2] Avicenna Main article: Avicenna Date: 980 AD – 1037 AD In the medieval Islamic world, an elementary school was known as a maktab, which dates back to at least the 10th century. Like madrasahs (which referred to higher education), a maktab was often attached to a mosque. In the 11th century, Ibn Sina (known as Avicenna in the West), wrote a chapter dealing with the maktab entitled â€Å"The Role of the Teacher in the Training and Upbringing of Children†, as a guide to teachers working at maktab schools. He wrote that children can learn better if taught in classes instead of individual tuition from private tutors, and he gave a number of reasons for why this is the case, citing the value of competition and emulation among pupils as well as the usefulness of group discussions and debates. Ibn Sina described the curriculum of a maktab school in some detail, describing the curricula for two stages of education in a maktab school. [5] Ibn Sina wrote that children should be sent to a maktab school from the age of 6 and be taught primary education until they reach the age of 14. During which time, he wrote that they should be taught the Qur’an, Islamic metaphysics, language, literature, Islamic ethics, and manual skills (which could refer to a variety of practical skills). [5] Ibn Sina refers to the secondary education stage of maktab schooling as the period of specialization, when pupils should begin to acquire manual skills, regardless of their social status. He writes that children after the age of 14 should be given a choice to choose and specialize in subjects they have an interest in, whether it was reading, manual skills, literature, preaching, medicine, geometry, trade and commerce, craftsmanship, or any other subject or profession they would be interested in pursuing for a future career. He wrote that this was a transitional stage and that there needs to be flexibility regarding the age in which pupils graduate, as the student’s emotional development and chosen subjects need to be taken into account. [6] The empiricist theory of ‘tabula rasa’ was also developed by Ibn Sina. He argued that the â€Å"human intellect at birth is rather like a tabula rasa, a pure potentiality that is actualized through education and comes to know† and that knowledge is attained through â€Å"empirical familiarity with objects in this world from which one abstracts universal concepts† which is developed through a â€Å"syllogistic method of reasoning; observations lead to prepositional statements, which when compounded lead to further abstract concepts. † He further argued that the intellect itself â€Å"possesses levels of development from the material intellect (al-‘aql al-hayulani), that potentiality that can acquire knowledge to the active intellect (al-‘aql al-fa‘il), the state of the human intellect in conjunction with the perfect source of knowledge. â€Å"[7]

Ge’s Talent Machine: the Making of a CEO

General Electric (GE) is a true global company with attendance in more than 100 countries. Clearly, with a workforce of more than 320’000 employees, GE also has to have proper human resources processes established. Its energetic Business Operation Model and sophisticated and evolved human resources strategy are results of the steady growth over more than 130 years of corporate history. Since its incorporation in 1878, many CEOs have shaped the company’s products, people and processes, few very intensive and a bit less (GE, 2011). GE has been able to create a surplus while most companies have difficulty producing sufficient quality candidates for top management succession. Producing sufficient quality top management is very difficult for most companies, GE was producing managers not only for own, but enough quantity to meet the need of industry. The philosophy that GE had adopted included some techniques, policies, and practices which allow GE to fill vacant top positions. These techniques were continuous improvement, focus strategy, emerging culture, company strategy, and meritocracy (Bartlett, 2003). As for continuous improvement, management development process of GE was very successful in which employees are developed step by step. As a focus strategy and to fill vacant top positions, GE was focusing on internal foundation. For company strategy, the company was trying not only to gain objectives but also to unite the new employees with the existing culture followed at GE. And lastly for meritocracy, GE employee’s performance was measured by quantitative and qualitatively and the basis of this evaluation, the employees were promoted. GE’s policies and practices were so good that it was producing the surplus managers. Values, culture, training programs, and performance assessment measures are factors that help GE in revealing and polishing the talent of every employee (Bartlett, 2003). Overall policies and practices are very good and fulfill the requirement and need of management development. These policies and practices were generalized in every where in the world up to some extent. Their extent depends upon the circumstances, situations, and environment of the geographical areas, laws, and regulations of state because these factors vary from culture (Bartlett, 2003). These policies and practices are implemented in European culture but it is very difficult to implement these policies in the Asian culture due to HR policies have to deal with human behavior and culture. Human behaviors are different in each country in same situations. For transferring these policies it is necessary to change and create the circumstances and situations according to that of GE. HR departments have to deal with factors like value, culture, and behavior and these things are different from each culture to culture, company to company (Bartlett, 2003). GE believes its ability to develop management talent is a core competency that represents a source of sustainable competitive advantage. Traces the development of a 25-year-old MBA named Jeff Immelt, who 18 years later is named as CEO of GE, arguably the biggest and most complex corporate leadership job in the world, and how he frames and implements his priorities for GE. Immelt's own developments and the strategic changes Immelt adopts in his first year as CEO, when he pulls hard on the sophisticated human resource levers his predecessors left him. Immelt questions whether the changes in place will foster the development of the next generation of GE growth leaders. Jeffrey Immelt was identified as a â€Å"young hot-shot† in one of these programs, and eventually rose up the ranks to become the present Chief Executive Officer (Bartlett, 2003). Under Mr. Immelt (beginning in 2001), GE shifted its business model to a more technological focus, identifying certain growth sectors such as health care IT, water technology (among others) for managers to focus on generating revenues. In addition, they emphasized greater â€Å"customer focus† in their businesses and looked towards growing internationally as well. In this stage, HR decided to include more engineers in the SEB program, and encouraged more transfer of talent into sales/marketing positions in order to emphasize their desire to establish long-term customer relations. The talent machine had to change to be in line with the changing business environment (Bartlett, 2003). Immelt has the opposite managerial approach when compared to Welch even though some similarities are found in both leaders. They both encourage anagers to follow programs that are aimed at improving management skills and get them involved with the company vision and goals. Immelt also requires a two way communication between employees and supervisors, but he prefers a quite exchange of opinion rather than a more confrontational approach that Welch was approving. Both Immelt and Welch knew or know all employees in depth. But it see ms that Welch, even though he was very tough and feared, was loved at all levels and employees felt to be part of a big family. Immelt on the other hand, is considered to be more people oriented and friendly (Bartlett, 2003). The organization under Immelt is growing a strong customer oriented culture rather than a product oriented culture that Welch created. New ideas are brought in by hiring managers from the outside business world and diversity within the employees is seen more favorably by the management. GE employees are now encouraged to come up with new ideas through â€Å"idea jams† meeting sessions, a type of group brainstorming. The best ideas are also awarded with the Excellerator Award (GE, 2011). The word GE evokes the thoughts of people focus, performance oriented growth, leadership and talent development, retention and maximum talent utilization. GE’s HR strategy is completely aligned with the business goals of the organization (Pinto, 2011). This strategic framework of double sided benefit (Employee and Employer) based on the talent or growth potential can be called as a Talent Machine. Given by the fact that the CEO and senior leaders spends valuable time helping devise the HR strategic goals division by division at the beginning of every year. Visions are communicated and shared throughout the business process (Bartlett, 2003). GE spends a huge sum of around 1 billion dollars every year for the employee development. The growth potential of the employees especially the leadership potential is tracked closely and is rewarded appropriately (Business Week, 2005). The performance review at GE is highly effective and evolved. It has a long-term direction and constructive criticism and an in built succession planning. The most important HR strategic policy is that more than 90% of the leadership positions are filled from within the organization (Hitt, 2007). Therefore, success in GE needs not just performance, but also a true present of GE culture and values. On the whole, GE’s maturity in the area of HR is clear when one looks into the sophisticated performance management process and tools and how the organization benefits itself and at the same time promises a good return to the employee (Bartlett, 2003). The quality of employees and their development through training and education are key factors in determining long-term profitability of any business. If you hire and keep good employees, it is a good strategy to invest in the development of their skills, so they can increase their productivity. Employees often develop a greater sense of self-worth, dignity and well-being as they become more valuable to the firm and to society. Generally they will receive a greater share of the material gains that result from their increased productivity. These factors give them a sense of satisfaction through the achievement of personal and company goals (Zero, 2011). Your business should have a clearly defined strategy and set of objectives that direct and drive all the decisions made especially for training decisions. Firms that plan their training process are more successful than those that do not. Most business owners want to succeed, but do not engage in training design that promise to improve their chances of success (Zero, 2011). GE believes its ability to develop management talent is a core competency that represents a source of sustainable competitive advantage. This case traces the development of GE's rich system of human resource policies and practices fewer than five CEOs in the post-war era, showing how the development of talent is embedded into the company's ongoing management responsibilities (Bartlett, 2003).