Ebt Classroom Management Essay

This is a free additional chapter for ‘Evidence Based Teaching’ by Geoff Petty (2006) Nelson Thornes. It can be downloaded from www. geoffpetty. com. The book as a whole combines and summarises research on which teaching methods and strategies work best, and explains these strategies with examples. See the notes at the end of this chapter for more detail. Can I get my students to behave better? The evidence is emphatic, yes you can! And we know how. There are of course very many strategies designed to improve classroom management and discipline, but which ones work? Robert Marzano (2003) summarised the findings of over 100 reports on classroom management, including 134 rigorous experiments designed to find out which classroom management techniques work best. These experiments were carried out with real teachers in real classrooms. This chapter draws heavily on this ‘meta-study’ of Marzano’s, and compares strategies to find out which is best. Such studies of studies are the best source of evidence on what works as they include and integrate all reliable evidence. For a full account see ‘Classroom Management that Works’ Robert Marzano et al (2003) for the detail, it is well worth reading. These experiments tell us what teachers have made work, rather than reporting hunches and wishful thinking. No special training is required to use these strategies. If you are a reasonably experienced teacher, just experiment with the following methods, and you should get positive results quite quickly. You will need to give them a fair try for a few lessons before you and your students get the hang of them. The investment will be well worth it as their improved behaviour and motivation will begin to show. Less experienced teachers may need more time to make the strategies work. Marzano’s meta-study describes four basic approaches that have been found to improve behaviour in classrooms. Their effectiveness is compared in the table below. Comparing the effectiveness of aspects of classroom management| Average effect-size| Number of students or pupils| Number of studies| Decrease in number of disruptions(Average for the studies)| Summary of experimental data from Marzano (2003)| | | | | Rules and proceduresStrategies to clearly and simply express rules and other expectations of student behaviour. Also to justify these persuasively from the teacher’s and students’ point of view. For greatest effect the rules are negotiated with students| 0. 76| 626| 10| 28%| Teacher-student relationshipsStrategies to improve the rapport, and mutual respect between teacher and student| 0. 87| 1110| 4| 31%| Disciplinary interventionsThe effective use of ‘sticks and carrots’ to enforce the rules described above| 0. 91| 3322| 68| 32%| Mental setStrategies to develop your awareness of what is going on in your classroom and why. A conscious control over your thoughts and feelings when you respond to a disruption. | 1. 3| 502| 5| 40%| Marzano grouped high quality research studies on classroom management into the four categories above, and then calculated an average effect size for each. â€Å"Effect size† is explained in chapter 4, they are a measure of how effective a strategy is. If you don’t know about effect sizes look instead at the last column in the tables: ‘percentage reduction in the number of disruptions’. For example, in experiments on strategies that involve teachers in devising rules and procedures the number of disruptions in the classroom was reduced by 28% on average. This is in comparison with not devising explicit rules and procedures. In experiments, only one strategy can be used at a time. (If two were used, we would not know which caused any positive effects. ) However, you can obviously use strategies in all these categories at once. This will have a greater effect than using strategies in one category alone. However, it is not statistically valid to add the effect sizes or the percentages in the table to find their combined effect. If you find this a bit bewildering, just remember that the strategies that teachers made work best are those with a large percentage in the last column in the tables. However you are unique! You might not get the same results as an average teacher. So the best results will probably come from concentrating on the category that you or your students have most difficulty with, or that you have considered least in your teaching. The final test is what works in your classroom, try the methods for a few weeks and see what happens! I will now look at the strategies that have been found to work best in each of Marzano’s four categories. I will only outline these, and if you want more detail please read the following chapters in my ‘Teaching Today’, which have more strategies and more detail. I am relieved to say these chapters are very much in line with the Marzano findings. Alternatively follow up one of the Chapters in ‘Teaching Today’ that might be helpful: 7 The teacher – learner relationship and equal opportunities page 77 8 Classroom management page 96 9 Discipline and problem solvingpage 108 references at the end of the chapter. Some teachers think a well-planned, interesting lesson will by itself prevent disruption. Or that if the teacher is entirely benign and respectful of students, conflict will simply melt away. This isn’t the case. We often start our teaching careers with these assumptions, but enlightenment usually doesn’t take long. All teachers experience problems with behaviour, it’s just that some are better at preventing it, and dealing with it. But how? The strategies that teachers have made work best in experiments are explained below, with the theory outlined. However, if you are only interested in the strategies themselves look for the strategy icon in the margin: Improving your use of rules and procedures You might be forgiven for believing that how students should behave in classrooms is blindingly obvious, and explanation is entirely unnecessary. However, experiments show that classrooms become much more orderly when rules are stated, or better still negotiated, discussed and fully justified. It seems the little blighters need persuading of the obvious! So: 1. Create rules: Decide for yourself what rules and procedures will maximise learning, and would create a good atmosphere in your class. Alternatively adapt the rules in the box on page 4. Express these rules positively rather than as a list of â€Å"don’ts†. There should be a maximum of about 8 rules at secondary level, some say less at the elementary level. 2. Justify rules. Work out to your own satisfaction a persuasive case for each of these rules, however obvious this is. I’m afraid ‘because I say so’ is not a persuasive justification! Very early on, perhaps in your first meeting with the class, explain that you want an effective, fair and happy classroom, and a set of rules and procedures to achieve this. There are two main ways to do this, set out in 3 and 4 below. 3. Discuss rules with the class. Discuss why we have laws, rules and procedures in football, families, and in society. Ask for examples. (Avoid the off-side rule even if you understand it! ) What would happen if we didn’t have rules? Explain that the purpose of class rules is not to pump your megalomania, but to improve learning, and to ensure people enjoy the class. 4. Negotiate to get commitment. Suggest your set of rules as a start, asking for deletions, additions and suggestions. Be prepared to justify and compromise. (Alternatively ask the class to devise their own set of rules as described in 5 below. ) * Consider asking students to work in small groups to make sticky note responses to your rules. Then display and discuss these as a class. * Consider asking each group to design a poster to illustrate one of the rules, and display these on the notice board. These can then be used as a reminder in subsequent lessons. * Students could literally ‘sign up’ to the rules as political leaders sign treaties. Refer to the rules as ‘our rules’ not as ‘mine’. 5. Get the class to devise their own rules. Especially with older or more responsible groups you could ask them to come up with their own class rules. It may help to start this process off if you give them issues such as ‘how can we make sure everyone gets the help they need? ’. Or you could ask them what has worked in other classrooms. * Students can work in groups to devise rules on different aspects of class management, e.g. bringing materials; talking; attendance and punctuality, etc * The class can then discuss and then vote on suggestions * Then you go away and finalise the set of rules. You have every right to the last say of course. If you reject a popular suggestion explain why. Here is a typical set of rules at secondary or college level. It is of course best to devise your own: 1. Treat others as you want to be treated yourself. Be positive and helpful. Try to help two other people every day. 2. Treat other people’s property at least as well as you would treat your own. 3. Hands up if you want to say something when the teacher, or another student is talking. 4. Don’t distract others from their work. Only talk to neighbours, and only about work. 5. If you are stuck ask neighbours for help first, then ask Mr Petty. 6. No unpleasantness, snatching or hitting. If you can’t resolve a disagreement yourself, or with your group, consult Mr Petty 7. Leave the room better than you found it. The aim here is to get students to ‘buy into’ the rules and to see them as their own, and as worth keeping and enforcing. Other uses of rules * Remind students of any relevant rules before a potentially disruptive activity. This is more positive than only responding to disruption and has been found to reduce disruption by about 25%. You could even gather students around the poster that illustrates the rule(s) and ask them for the justification for it. * If a rule is broken remind the student that, â€Å"we agreed†¦.. † and remind them that they are part of a team so must keep to team rules. Be a ‘team player’ could be a heading on the list of rules * Get students to self assess their own behaviour against the rules with a self-assessment form. Then use this to set themselves targets for improvement. See the example below Self-assessmentIs†¦((student name here))†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. a team player? | I kept to this rule:| | always| often| some-times| never| Treat others as you want to be treated yourself| | | | | Hands up if you want to say something when the teacher is talking| | | | | Don’t distract others from their work| | | | | Etc.. | | | | | | | | | | Improvement since my last self assessment:What I need to work on most is: | If you use self-assessment consider the following: * Asking students to remind themselves of their self-assessed targets at the beginning of a class (see the last row in the self assessment form above). Tell them you will ask them to self-assess any improvement at the end of the same class. * Allow students to reward themselves with a sticky blob against their name on your notice board if they have improved, say, twice running in these self-assessments. Yes I know this sounds toe-curlingly naff, but the less mature students often love this. Strategies to improve teacher-student relationships If you have read chapter 25 you will recognise the value driven management and leadership approach that was so successful in managing staff. The strategies below have reduced disruptions in classrooms by 31% on average. Good teacher-student relations ensure that students have a more positive attitude to the teacher and to learning, and make them more likely to accept rules and any disciplining. They turn the classroom into a cooperative team, and reduce antagonism. So even if you detest the little clutch of demons, its worth developing good relations with them, and if you do, you might find that you don’t detest them quite as much! What is the nature of good teacher-student relations? Marzano (2003) quotes internationally renowned research by Theo Wubbels, whose findings remind me of the old staffroom adage ‘be strict but fair’. Wubbels has found that the most effective teachers are both dominant (strong leaders) and cooperative (helpful, friendly and fair), but they are neither to extreme. This is shown diagrammatically below. The Ideal teacher-student relationship Dominant * Strong sense of purpose in pursuing clear goals for learning and for class management. * Leadership. Tends to guide and control * Prepared to discipline unapologetically Too dominant * Too controlling * Lack of concern for students * Teacher student relations damaged Ideal teacher- student relationship Opposition. * Treats students as the enemy * Expresses anger and irritation * Need to ‘win’ if there is a disagreement between teacher and students Cooperative * Great concern for the needs and opinions of students. * Helpful, friendly * Avoids strife and seeks consensus Too cooperative * Too understanding and accepting of apologies * Waits for students to be ready * Too desirous to be accepted by students Submission * Lack of clarity of purpose * Keeps a low profile * Tendency to submit to the will of the class * Entirely unassertive, rather glum and apologetic The diagram tries to show that the most effective teachers have found an optimal balance between cooperation and dominance. They are not so dominant that they fail to cooperate, nor so cooperative that they fail to lead. The precise approach will of course depend on the nature of the class; some need more dominance or more cooperation than others. Research has also shown that students prefer the dominant-cooperative mix about twice as much as the purely cooperative style, or indeed any other style. Wubbels has found that teachers new to the profession tend to start too cooperatively and with insufficient dominance. However after 6 to 10 years they often become too dominant. To improve student-teacher relations experiment with some or all of the following strategies which other teachers have made work well. Are you better at dominance or cooperation? Ideally you should strengthen your weakest style, even if you also work on your strongest. Many students are coping with stress, difficult home circumstances and worry about abuse, depression, eating disorders and so on. If your students experience such social and psychological strains you will need to attend to these as well trying the strategies that follow. This goes beyond the scope of this chapter. The ‘FATE’ approach in ‘Teaching Today’ may help, as will Marzano (2003). Strategies to increase your dominance (leadership) Don’t be put off by the word ‘dominance’. It means to become an effective leader, to pursue, vigorously and enthusiastically, a clear path towards both important learning goals, and good behaviour in the classroom. It does not mean to strut about in jackboots barking orders. We are doing this for the students, so we need not be shy about taking charge and accepting responsibility. 1. Ground Rules If you negotiate ground rules with students, and consequences for not keeping them as described on page , then you have already shown this attribute to some considerable extent. 2. Orientation Clarify the purpose and the key points in each topic before it is taught, including a persuasive reason for studying it. If you have read chapter 16 you will remember that these methods had very high effect sizes. (An effect size of 0. 5 for a strategy means that if it is done well students learn the topic about a grade better. An effect size of 1. 0 gives a two-grade improvement. By ‘grade’ I mean an improvement equivalent to a GCSE or ‘A’ level grade, but just for that topic of course. ) Strategy| Effect size from Marzano| Goal setting before introducing a new topic. E. g. ‘your goal is to use the information in this topic to solve this problem in the case study†¦. ’| 0. 97| Goals which the students are involved in designing| 1. 21| Advance organisers (summary in advance of what is about to be learned along with a persuasive case for studying it)| 0. 48 for easy topics0. 78 for more demanding topics| Highly specific behavioural objectives â€Å"At the end of this lesson you should be able to†¦Ã¢â‚¬ | 0. 12| Another way of setting goals is to discuss with students the assessment criteria for the task they will do, as long as they really understand these. 3. Authoritative body language Appear absolutely confident and in control, especially when you are not. When interacting with students, especially if dealing with misbehaviour, your dominance is conveyed by ‘body language’. This includes proximity, confident posture, and tone of voice (not shrill or angry, but authoritative. ) In Teaching Today I describe the ‘PEP’ approach, which stands for: * Proximity: dominance is increased by walking closer to the student. Walk around the classroom, if you notice students about to misbehave stand by their desk. When you talk to students stand a little ‘too close for comfort’ but don’t invade ‘personal space’. This is not an easy judgement. * Eye contact: Holding eye contact expresses dominance, especially if you hold it for some time. What you say will be taken more seriously if you hold eye contact first for a few seconds, then say it maintaining the eye contact, then maintain eye-contact for a few seconds more. * Posing questions. Rather than telling a student off for not working, ask questions such as ‘Why have you not started? ’ Do this with proximity and eye contact. This has much more effect than getting angry or raising your voice, and will make you appear much more in control. The combined effect of close proximity and sustained eye contact can be very powerful indeed, so don’t over do it. Strategies to increase Cooperation Being cooperative sounds easy, until you notice it means being cooperative with the worst behaved students in your class. This can try a saint. As so often in educational problems, we have a vicious cycle to deal with here, but with determination we can turn it into a virtuous cycle: Vicious cycle The student misbehaves more or works less well You are less positive, friendly and fair towards the student You dislike the student more and/or†¦ The student dislikes you and your classes more In your direct control Breaking this cycle is hard, but it can be done. If you succeed it ensures the student behaves better, learns better, but it also makes your life much easier. You will need to have negotiated clear rules with your students as described earlier, then you can start to break this cycle. This requires a great deal of emotional generosity and/or patience and restraint. If you cannot muster the generosity, try acting! Probably the only part of the cycle you can break is: ‘You are less positive, friendly and fair towards the student’ here are some strategies that break the cycle here: 1. Catch them doing something right. Keep an eye on them, and when you notice they are doing something right, even by accident, comment on this positively in private. ‘Well done, you’ve made a start’. Many students who misbehave are attention seekers, and if they earn attention for behaving well, they are less likely to steal attention by misbehaving. You can even bribe such students: â€Å"That’s an interesting start, when you’ve finished the question let me know and I will have a look at it† A promise of attention like this will often motivate students, but do keep your promise. See Madsen et al (1968) 2. Put the student into ‘intensive care’. There is a violent method to do this, which in your darkest moments often appeals! Here is a legal way. As well as ‘catching them doing something right’: Smile, use their name positively, ask for their opinion in class discussion, try to find something positive to say about their response. Make a point of looking at their work, and comment favourably about any genuine effort or achievement. Talk to them about it. ‘That’s an interesting point, what made you think of that? ’. Keep high expectations however: ‘I know you can do this’. Be patient and helpful. If you react like this it shows you are not ‘rattled’ by their misbehaviour. Warning! The above advice can be overdone. Don’t try too hard with ‘intensive care’ especially, as you will be disliked if you appear desperate to be liked. The trick is to make your behaviour seem very natural, and the way you teach everyone. So you must give this same attention to at least some well-behaved students nearby too. More general advice about increasing cooperation includes other ways of showing that you value students as individuals: 3. Learn and use their names 4. Communicate informally with students, Don’t just talk about learning issues. When they are coming into, or going out of the classroom ask their opinion: â€Å"Do you think your haircut would suit me? †Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. â€Å"What do you think of the new library? †Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Ask about hobbies, attitudes and opinions, 5. Use eye contact and proximity to spread your influence about the whole room. 6. Negotiate difficulties with the class. â€Å"I am having problems with students not giving in work, what’s the problem? What can we do about this? † The strategies on page 17 and 18 also help with cooperation. Improving disciplinary interventions The strategies that follow reduced disruptions in classrooms by 31% on average. There has been a heated debate for some decades over whether teachers should use mild punishments, or should only give students praise and recognition for appropriate behaviour. You may not be surprised to find that Marzano’s meta-study, having statistically compared these approaches, shows that you are best doing both. However, while nearly all teachers will use mild punishments, few give enough recognition for good behaviour. If you only use punishments, such as telling students off in response to inappropriate behaviour, then you can create a negative, nagging image for yourself. Also, attention-seekers will begin to misbehave in order to get your attention, as it is the most effective way. Effect sizes are from Marzano (2003)| Average effect-size| Number of studies| Decrease in number of disruptions| Disciplinary Interventions| | | | RemindersReminding students of relevant rules just before they start an activity. E. g. reminding them of the ground-rules for working in groups before starting a group-work activity | 0. 64| 70| 24%| ‘Sticks’ Mild punishments| 0. 78| 40| 28%| ‘Carrots’ Strategies that reward students for appropriate behaviour including recognition, praise, symbols etc. | 0. 86| 101| 31%| ‘Carrots’ plus ‘sticks’Using both mild punishments, and strategies that reward students for appropriate behaviour with recognition symbols etc. | 0. 97| 12| 33%| Reminders. Many teachers are reactive, waiting for disruption and then responding to it, yet reminding students of the ground-rules for a forthcoming activity is a very positive and quite effective strategy. If you have agreed class rules, and students have designed posters to illustrate them, gather students round the posters to discuss the rules, and ask questions about why we have them. This need not take long, yet has reduced the number of disruptions in experiments by almost a quarter on average. Carrots: strategies to reinforce appropriate behaviour. This works better than just telling students off, and most of us don’t do it enough. Try these strategies: 1. Tokens or symbols Here is an example. A teacher asks each student to start off the lesson with five behaviour ‘points’. Or they might only do this with two or three problematical students. The students write five ‘1’s on a piece of paper on their desk. During the class the teacher places an extra ‘1’ if the student is working well, and crosses one off when they are not. Students often don’t need an explanation for the removal of a point if the class rules are clear. Simply praising good behaviour also works remarkably well, Madsen et al (1968). At the end of the class the student records how many behaviour points they have on a proforma. This might ask them to set targets for improvement. They might also be able to exchange these points for privileges such as sitting where they want, or giving out materials etc. It is important to explain the system you use and why: ‘to help you become better and more mature learners’. It should not be seen as a bribe even when privileges are given. These are often laughed off by teachers, but they really work and are greatly underused Tokens and symbols can include: * A ‘thumbs up’ sign, wink, smile, praise etc to a student working well. It works especially well with problematical students * ‘Official Pat On The Back’, this can be public or private. It is fun to ‘say this with capital letters’ and administer it with mock ceremony, but not sarcastically * Recognition in class notices, bulletins or notice-boards * Round of applause†¦ or even standing ovation! * Encouraging words * ‘Open microphone’. The student is asked to speak to the class to explain how they succeeded, or, if you are brave, to make any point they like. * Smiley faces, points, or stickers on a privately held record card, that you can ask to see and use as the basis for discussion on behaviour improvement. * Smiley faces, points or stickers on a publicly displayed class list * Badges: e. g. â€Å"I’m an improver† â€Å"The gal done good† * Displaying work * Letters home saying that behaviour is good or has improved. Most students regard this as very significant and it doesn’t cost that much. You could also use e-mail, text message, or phone message, but letters are permanent and you don’t even need to put a stamp on as students will be keen to take them home. They can be used to earn: * Privileges such as sitting where you choose, helping to give out materials, leading groups, being allowed to present to the class, etc * â€Å"Class pressure points† which the class can ‘spend’ to persuade you not to set homework one particular week, or to allow more time to prepare for a test etc. * The opportunity to choose the work they do or the way they work. E.g. be able to write up their work on a classroom computer. * Letters, e-mails or text messages home, after say three weekly improvements * College or school certificates for mature behaviour. These can be given in half-termly ‘award ceremonies’ presented by the head of department * Being chosen to present to another class, or at parent’s evening or open evening * A class trip or visit earned if the class all improve in behaviour * Home privileges such as being allowed to keep your TV or computer games in your bedroom, to rent a video or buy a computer game. This clearly requires parental involvement. See the case study in the box below. 2. Self-assessment Students can use the self-assessment process described on page 5 to award themselves points or stickers etc. 3. Contingent rewards: These makes use of peer pressure to improve behaviour: a. Class carrots if the whole class behaves or improves. E. g. If the whole class reduces calling out instead of putting their hands up, then the whole class earn pressure points (described in the above box), or are allowed to go and see the Art Department’s final show of work. Success needs to be defined carefully, for example no more than three people calling out in each class for at least one week. b. Class carrots if a specific individual or group of students behaves well or improves. This needs to be treated with caution. E. g. â€Å"We are all going to help to keep Philip in his seat. If you are next to him remind him if he moves. If he does move, don’t talk to him. If Philip doesn’t get out of his place inappropriately for a week, the whole class gets five Team Player Points and Philip gets ten. † ‘Sticks’: strategies that involve mild punishment. This works best in conjunction with the ‘carrots’ above. Marzano’s metastudy stresses that the effect of this strategy comes from consistency rather than severity. Case studies with the use of rewards and punishments. TES 16th June 2006 www. tes. co. uk/search/story/? story_id=2250510 Duncan Harper, Head of a Special school says many children are miss-labelled as ‘autistic’ or having ‘Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder’ (ADHD). He believes their poor attention span etc is due to being too tired to work after spending four to five hours a night watching TV or playing computer games. 20% of his 58 children are diagnosed autistic, and 50% ADHD. But Harper thinks non are autistic, and only 2 have ADHD! He develops excellent relationships with the parents, who are contacted by phone every two weeks. He arranges with them to remove TVs and computer games from bedrooms if the student’s behaviour/tiredness does not improve. Harper himself made seven such removals that year. A recent inspection graded the school as outstanding in all categories. Evidence is growing that poor sleep is affecting students’ behaviour, thinking and learning. Try Googling ‘sleep student attainment’. Consistency and assertiveness The punishment itself seems less important than your consistency in expecting a rule to be obeyed, and your assertiveness when talking to students or punishing them when you have to. Assertiveness is not the same as hostility. It is linked with ‘dominance’ mentioned earlier and means that when you deal with class management you are firm, unemotional, matter of fact, unapologetic, confident and business like. It often includes a reminder to the student that you are implementing agreed class rules, not personal dictats. Being hostile angry or very strict is less effective, and may suggest to students that you are losing control. Be assertive Imagine you are dealing with a student who has been persistently talking. You have warned her that if she talks inappropriately again, you will move her. Despite this, she continues to talk. You could get angry, sarcastic and over-strict at this point. But it is more effective to be assertive: 1. Proximity and eye contact. Walk up to the student (proximity), with a firm upright posture, and fix them with eye contact . There should be little emotion in your voice or face. Just a business like confidence. 2. Ask for what you want in a decisive manner, act as if you mean it, and expect to be obeyed. The pitch of your voice should not be shrill, only slightly raised. â€Å"I want you to move next to John now. † â€Å"But Pete started it† 3. Listen, but use the broken record. Listen to such legitimate objections. It sometimes helps to repeat the objection to show you have listened as below. However do not accept denials, blaming or other arguing unless a genuinely strong case is made. It is the student’s duty to keep the class rules despite difficulties. Repeat what you want. â€Å"Even if Pete did start it, you should not have talked again. Please move now. † â€Å"But that’s not fair† (This process of listening, perhaps acknowledging what was said, but then repeating what you want continues as long as necessary. This is sometimes called the ‘broken record’. ) You remain firm unruffled and business like. â€Å"We all agreed our class rules are fair. Please move. † 4. Defer discussion but require obedience. If the student persists tell them that they are wasting valuable class time, and must continue this conversation after the class. In the meantime they must move. Repeat this once if necessary very firmly. 5. Withdraw. If they still don’t move remind them that defiance is a very serious There is a list of responses to inappropriate behaviour in Teaching Today 3rd edition, pages 117-8 offence and that they must see you after the class. Walk away to signal the dialogue is now over. The student might now move. If not, seek guidance from tutors and class managers; defiance is a health and safety issue as they might not even stop doing something dangerous when you tell them to. 6. Use Discipline Plans. If a student does not respond to assertive behaviour like this and problems persist, consult tutors and managers. Sit down with the student in a private one to one situation, and draw up a ‘Discipline Plan’ Allen. T (1996) * State the relevant class rules and explain why they help everybody learn and help create a happy classroom * Ask the student why they have a problem keeping the rule(s) and what would help them keep it better. Stress that the rule must be kept despite the stated difficulties. Ask them to become a team player.

Jesse Owens: The Silent Movement

When America typically thinks about black athletes, they think of the great ones like Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali, Jackie Robinson, and others in that category. One athlete that is over looked is the great Jesse Owens. It might be that he did not participate in a popular sport like basketball, football or baseball, but he was an exceptionally fast on the track and overcame racial adversity. Jesse Owens impacted athletic world in a positive way throughout his life. From his time at Ohio State to the Olympics the very next year, he was a positive role model and a humble human being when he won.Jesse Owens came from small town folks and that made him who he was during his lifetime in having a good set of core values. With the help of role models throughout Jesse Owens’s life, he showed restraint in not acting out against the racial prejudice, while still dominating the track and field world in the 1930’s. The childhood of Jesse Owens made him to be the man he was during h is college career due to how little Jesse had. Owens was born on September 12, 1913 of Henry and Emma Owens in the little town of Oakville, Alabama.Little did they know that their newborn baby would become one of the greatest track and field athletes to walk the face of the earth. Owens was a sick child and suffered from chronic bronchial congestion because his family was poor and could not properly feed everyone in the family, and they had a lack of heat in the winter. Aside from all the physical problems Owens faced, the racial prejudice that Jesse was born into took a mental toll on him. All of the poverty and destruction that Owens saw made him appreciate and become sensitive to adult success and how important that would become in his life.Later in life Owens would always show a smile when he won and agreed with what the newspapers said about him. Owens once said to an interviewer, â€Å"I try awfully hard for people to like me,† This shows that his childhood experiences positively reinforced his view on success and what it represents to him in life. His early years in Alabama laid the foundation for his success later in life. Young male adolescences are susceptible to a role model or mentor in their life that will immensely impact them on who they grow up to be.Years later Owens moved on to Fairmount Junior High School where it is argued that his track career started and this is where Owens met Charles Riley. Riley was the gym teacher at Owens’s school and Jesse looked up to Riley as a father figure. People would say things about Riley being white and coaching a black teenager but neither Owens nor Riley saw race, they only saw each other as a team on the track. They began to have track practice every morning before school for an hour and by the eighth grade Jesse was participating in junior high track meets.At first Owens’s running form was strained and he had very bad facial expressions due to lack of proper training. Riley coached him to be more fluid and that determination came from the inside of oneself and not from the public around him. This was a major turning point in the track and field career of Owens. Owens learned not to see color at an early age and Charles Riley was the main contributor to that and this shaped Owens into the man that he was. Owens was soon turning into a young man and he was making vast improvements in his speed.Riley timed Owens in the 100 yard dash and he clocked Owens in eleven seconds flat. He did not believe what the watch was telling him so he went and found another watch and clocked Owens at the same time. This proved the fact that Riley had found a very gifted athlete that everyone was searching for and he is teaching him to become a man with values that will help him in the rest of his life. The first records that Owens set were in 1928 when he jumped six feet in the high jump and twenty two and eleven inches in the long jump.Riley then began to tell Owens that he needed to keep training for the next four years. That was Riley’s motto, â€Å"Train for four years from next Friday†. Owens did just this and started perfecting his technique and bettering his consistency during races. The smooth, fluid form of running that is a trademark of Jesse Owens came directly from the training of Charles Riley. While Owens was progressing through his running, he was faced with racial judgment by having a white coach again. People would make judgments on how a white man could never make something out of a black man.Owens and his coach never talked about racial issues because they did not see race, they only saw a partnership on the track. Jesse once said about Riley, â€Å"He trained me to become a man as well as an athlete†¦Coach Riley taught me to behave. His influence on me and many other boys kept us out of trouble. Without his guidance, we could very easily have become wards of the state. † Charles Riley was a father figure to Owens a nd all that Riley taught Owens directly influenced Owens’s future in track and field in a constructive way. After Jesse’s first intercollegiate competition, he sent the watch he won to Charles Riley.This proves that Jesse did not see race color in his coach and mentor and that Owens has grown into a man that does not forget how he got to where he was in his success. Jesse Owens’s success kept on the upward sloping curve once he entered at East Tech High School. Charles Riley became an assistant coach at East Tech High School where Jesse Owens attended. The media described Owens as â€Å"’one-man team,’ ‘a marvel,’ ‘the outstanding individual track man in northeastern Ohio. ’† In the summer coming out of his sophomore year, Owens over estimated his abilities when he tried out for the United States Olympic team.Owens did not make it past the Midwestern preliminaries in Evanston and he then began to read about the four black athletes that did make it to the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles. Eddie Tolan, Ralph Metcalfe, Edward Gordon, and Cornelius Johnson were the four black athletes that would pave the way to a new era for the black athlete. These four would go on to win three gold medals, one silver medal and bronze medal. This would fuel Owens to achieve what these four athletes just did in front of a world stage. After the 1932 Olympics several European athletes held track meet in Cleveland for local talent and Olympians.This track event proved to be a boost of confidence for the young and upcoming Jesse Owens as he took first in the 100-meter and 200-meter races and placed second in the long jump to the Olympic gold medalist Edward Gordon. This meet helped Jesse in more ways than one. In Owens’s senior track season he never suffered a loss and he also set the long jump record of high school boys at 24 feet 3 and ? inches. The attention was always on Owens at track meets no matter what eve nt he was in and took the spotlight from other racers. This was new to the world because of Owens’s skin color.The world had never paid this much attention to a black athlete. To finish off his high school career at the national Interscholastic Championship meet, Owens won the long jump, set a new world record of 20. 7 seconds in the 220 yard dash, and tied the world record in the 100 yard dash with a time of 9. 4 seconds. East Tech High School won the meet with a total point count of fifty four and Jesse was responsible for thirty of those points. After all of Jesse Owens’s success throughout his astonishing high school career, he had a dilemma on what his next step in life would be and who would lead him on the right path.During this time Ohio State was known for black prejudice and racial policies. This decision to attend Ohio State was debated by the press on a daily basis. Headlines read, â€Å"He will be an asset to any school, so why help advertise an instituti on that majors in prejudice†. Owens was not fazed by these editorials and continued on to attend Ohio State University and become the Buckeye Bullet. Charles Riley still played an important role in Jesse’s life and took Jesse to two track meets in Canada where Owens took first in the 100 meter dash.Jesse had not lost any pace over the summer and had shown that he will only continue to get better throughout his college career. Despite all of the success by being trained by Charles Riley, Owens’s college track coach, Larry Synder, was not happy with the form at which Owens ran. Synder began tweaking all of Jesse’s movements while he ran. All of this change would not hurt Owens in the long run and Jesse would see the benefits soon in his college track career. After all of the years with Charles Riley, Owens has found another mentor to help him on his path to being man.Synder would prove to be a great successor to Riley in Owens’s life. Owens’s c ollege experiences concerning racial injustices would help Owens in the future when he is faced with racial problems. Back in the 1930’s the United States still faced racial injustices in parts of the country and even at Ohio State this was no different. Due to the decline in the economy in 1929, Ohio State had to cut down on staff on lack of funds. This made the teacher to student ratio too large to accommodate Owens’s needs in the classroom and this led to Jesse not receiving good grades.Also there was a shortage of dormitories for students. The White students were assigned to the dorms; Owens had to room a half mile away from campus in an apartment with three other black athletes. This is some of the issues that Jesse had to overcome in order for him become successful. Another issue that Owens had to face was that he was not able to compete in some of the meets his freshman year due to academics and an ankle injury. At a dual meet Owens set a new Ohio State record a t the long Jump and in the 120 yard sprint. Larry Synder described Owens as a golden future for Ohio State’s track future.At the Big Ten Freshman meet in Columbus, Owens won all three events that he entered. He set new records in the 100-yard dash at 9. 6 seconds, 220-yard sprint in 21 seconds flat and a long jump distance of 24 feet and 10 inches. This success continued on to his sophomore year. In Owens’s first Big Ten varsity meet he won three out of his four events. This was a tremendous accomplishment for the young man and a rung on his ladder to success. Anyone concerned in the track and field world would never forget the day of May 25, 1935 in Ann Arbor, Michigan and neither would Jesse Owens.On this spectacular day Owens broke three world records and tied another within the time of an hour. He broke the world records in the 220-yard sprint, 220-yard low hurdle, long jump and tied the world record in the 100-yard dash. The next day in a Cleveland news paper it r ead, â€Å"the 12,000 spectators were alternately stunned into silence and then moved to tremendous salvos of applause when the Buckeye ace staged his almost unbelievable show†. Despite all of the racial troubles during those times, Jesses’ old, white track coach Charles sat in the stand and cried while Owens performed that day.This shows that people saw past color and just admired the person on the inside. Despite all of Owens’s success, his toughest times in life were just around the corner. Jesse Owens has always held his head when ever questioned about his views on racial discrimination around the world, but when the 1936 Berlin Olympics came around Owens was in no position not to say anything and finally spoke out. This is the only time that Owens ever verbally spoke against racial problems. In a short radio interview in November Jesse said, â€Å"if there is discrimination against minorities in Germany then we must withdraw from the Olympics. After all of the years of not speaking out, Owens finally spoke what he believed needed to be said. Once Larry Synder heard about this he strongly encouraged Owens to refrain from taking a side on the matter because Owens was on top of the world right now in the track and field world. The black press really dissected what Synder said to Owens and all the controversy that it brought upon Owens. The black press was then confronted by Synder and why they did not cover the story about the Sugar Bowl Meet in New Orleans.Jesse Owens and other black athletes were not invited to the sugar bowl, but yet no one was suggesting that those games be cancelled like the Berlin games. Synder commented on the issue, â€Å"Why should we oppose Germany for doing something that we do right here at home? † This comment by Synder really opened the eyes of the American people on the issue of discrimination in athletics. During the indoor track season Owens and his black teammates were denied admittance to resta urants. This is the real life discrimination that Owens finally faced.During all of these challenging times for Owens, he held his head high and tried to be the best man that he could he could be. With all of these racial distractions around Owens, he still had a job and that was to continue to be as fast as he could to win the Olympics in Berlin. Despite the slow start in Owens’s junior season at Ohio State in the indoor portion, he took off in the spring due to his hard work and determination. During the season Owens ran in five consecutive meets and broke world, conference or local records in all of them. It seemed as if Owens was unstoppable and no one would be able to compete on the level that he was on.Ten black athletes made the Olympic team for track and field and would later be called the â€Å"Black Auxiliaries†. All of these black competitors would prove to be superior over their competition at Berlin. With all of the excitement towards the Olympics and what it holds, it was still during the great depression and funding for the Olympics was not on top of the list. Most of the spending was raised by colleges and similar organizations and even exhibition events were held in Europe to ensure that the United States track and field team would be in Berlin to compete with the world’s best.According to Owens, while on the boat ride over to Europe, senior black athletes had meeting saying that they were going to the Olympics to run and jump, not to debate politics. It did not help that during the opening ceremonies everyone in the stands rose and gave the â€Å"Heil Hitler† salute and the Nazi symbol dominated the scene as did German pride. This would not faze Owens and he kept concentrated on his goal of winning multiple gold medals. Owens would show his displeasure with the Hitler’s views of Aryan race superiority by winning four gold medals.Jesse Owens had become an amazing man in his talents on the track and the way he presents himself off the track as well in not acting out to the race problems at college. These traits would be seen throughout the Olympics. To prepare for the Olympics, Herr Hitler made the grounds as beautiful as it was possible. He spent great amounts of money to upgrade the image of Germany during the time the games were held. The political controversy started on the first day of the games with Hitler shaking hands with two German gold medalists and the Finish team that finished first, second, and third.But When Owens’s teammate Cornelius Johnson won the high jump Hitler was nowhere to be found. Did Herr Hitler leave because Johnson just proved his Nordic supremacy and Aryan aristocracy theory wrong? Many feel this is the case, but according to officials Herr Hitler was scheduled to leave at the time he did. When Cornelius saw that Herr Hitler was leaving he just smiled and grinned as the first day of the track and field came to a close. The feature event for the track and field competition was hands down the 100-meter and Owens was in no mood to disappoint the crowd.In the semi-finals for the 100-meter Owens broke the world record with a time of 10. 2 seconds but was soon dismissed due to a back wind. To put a nail in the coffin for Herr Hitler’s Aryan views, two African Americans took first and second in the 100-meter sprint. It was Owens who won first and Metcalfe who took second. This would be the first of four gold medals for the young Jesse Owens. The day after is now known as Black Tuesday due the qualify heats that Owens and two other African American teammates dominated. Owens usually excelled at the long jump, but he cut it very close in his qualifying.He scratched his first two attempts to qualify for the finals. On his final qualifying attempt he soared to an astonishing twenty six feet. It was the first time that anyone had ever jumped twenty six feet. Owens was used to breaking records and just looked to improve on his next ju mps. On Owens’s last and final jump he cleared an unheard of distance of twenty-six feet and five inches. This broke both the Olympic and World records. An Olympic record had been broken twice in one day by an African American and Hitler could not do anything to stop it.The World is finally seeing what African American athletes are capable of. Jesse easily won his third Gold medal in the 200-meter sprint with a world record time of 20. 7 seconds. He won the crowd over with his third medal, but he would never win over Herr Hitler. The fourth and final Medal for Owens would come on the 400-meter relay team. Normally Owens did not this event, but due to an injury on the team Jesse was nominated by his teammates to run and that is exactly what Jesse did. The American team Soared to victory over the other competitors.The â€Å"Black Auxiliaries† were running away with most of the medals for the United States track and field team with six out of ten medals. This Olympics wou ld go down in history for political reasons concerning the Aryan race and for the records Owens broke. Owens had overcome much adversary in his life and the Olympics were what he strived for his whole life. Jesse Owens is one of America’s greatest athletes and will always be remembered for his triumphs at the 1936 Berlin Olympics winning four Gold Medals.Owens did not have the easiest road to his success because of political, legal and health problems, but he fought through them with prosperity. His various role models in life including Charles Riley, Ralf Metcalfe and Larry Snyder helped Owens overcome the racial injustices of the time and molded Owens in to the great runner he was. Owens later in life died in March of 1980 due to lung Cancer. From the small town in Alabama, to the great Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany, Jesse Owens was an amazing athlete and just as amazing individual.

“I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King Essay

The effect of repetition of words and phrases on the main messages contained I have a dream is an inspirational speech delivered by Martin Luther king to emphasizeover the critical situation of negroes, who are still living in the dark age. Whereas he examinesthat how the blacks are suffering in the crucial situation, to convey the true feelings of AfricanAmericans. This is an argumentative and persuasive appeal to the readers in order to makethem aware about the duality that is among the blacks and whites; they are not treated equallyin America. The speech of the king become noticeable and effective to the readers because ofthe continuous use of repetition of words that is also the strategy of the king to give the nationa wakeup call to take a step towards Negroes for their welfare. The speech also leaves thetremendous effect on the minds of people. Although the speech was more effective when theking first delivered it in 1963. Hence, the whole speech contains several examples of repetition of words like onehundred year later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free. One hundredyears later, the life of the negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and thechains of discrimination. These lines describes the present unbearable condition of thenegroes that they are still grabbed in the terrible situation and they have a desire to get rid ofthis poverty and sadness which is not easy for them to tolerate. And they want to acquire theirown peaceful land where they get the equal rights and which should be free of all bounding andrestrictions. Coming up with the other repetition that is now is the time to in the last lines ofthe fourth paragraph he uses these words several times, where he strongly addresses that this isthe time to help yourself by making yourself independent like a rock and say goodbye to thedark side of life and by throwing away this separation and inequalit y because every humanbeing is equal in the eye of God. Furthermore, he also emphasize over the satisfaction of Negro by repeating the words wecan never be satisfied as long as on behalf of them. The Negroes are being the victims ofbrutality and at every step they are treated like animals that did not do anything without thepermission of their masters. Perhaps Blacks are not supposed to enter in the hotels and placeswhere the  whites live and their vote even do not matter in any elections. These are thedepressing things for them and they will never be satisfied until they get justice and a completefreedom. King sounds recommending the nation in the words go back to with these words healso took the names of those areas where black lives. He recommends looking forward theseblacks communities, then you come to know that the situation of blacks can be changed and itwill be changed. Instead, he is provoking those blacks that have lost their hope to live withtheir own identity and he also tells the blacks in a didactic way that they should leave thevalley of social outcast. Another repetition of word is I have a dream that begin from 10paragraph to 18 paragraph. Which indicates king emotional appeal towards the black that howimportant is freedom for them, their desire to be treated fairly not by ignorance and hatred,desire of holding the hands of whites to walk and live their lives together, the dream of havingjustice and the dream not to judge by their skin color but by their heart and character. Theydont want any separate nation for them but a nation, which is united and with equalopportunities as with the other white Americans. They want to destroy this inferiority amongthem, they want to low down all those hills and mountains where a person feel himself superiorto others and this is not only the dream of blacks but of America. Elaborating the other example with this faith we will be able to indicates that by this faithwe will definitely be able to come across the feelings of brotherhood and love for each other,and by this faith we will do every work of our routine life together. The word together willcome in our lives and with this togetherness we will understand the meanings of life that isgifted by God to us. By the help of the following words let freedom ring from the king tellsthat every state, valley and city will sing the song of freedom, love, prosperity, brotherhoodand justice. And we need to struggle for the day when we would say finally that we our free. In a nutshell the kings style in the whole essay is very effective and appealing. Therepetition of words and phrases used in this essay are very powerful which directly effect theheart of reader and make them realize that  this is the time to do something for the negroes andnot be late now.

Leonardo da Vinci Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Leonardo da Vinci - Research Paper Example This research paper examines Leonardo da Vinci's life. He was born on April 15th, 1452 to Piero da Vinci, a notary, and Caterina, a peasant woman, at the hill town of Vinci, Italy. Even though not much is known about his early life, this has been the topic of historical conjecture In his numerous notebooks, Leonardo struggled with differentiating between the perception and painting of a scene which he summarized as the difference between monocular and binocular vision. Leonardo da Vinci could not create on canvas, in Ames’ terminology, an equivalent of configuration. He may have had little knowledge of ocular anatomy but his use of optics to the eye is spectacular. In addition, Leonardo possessed observational skills that had no match and his ability to generate virtual reality on canvas was without equal. Leonardo da Vinci (1721) noted that even though a painting may be carried out with the best art and finished perfectly, with consideration of its lights, contours, colors, s hadows, it can never show the relief possessed by a natural object unless these qualities are looked at from a distance with a single eye. In other words, the perception of deepness in a painting is not as complete as that of a natural scene seen with both eyes. He struggled for long with the contrast between binocular and monocular vision. In one of his notebooks, Leonardo wrote down how he had to repeat his experiments several times before coming to a conclusion. The reason he gave for this was that the subjects of study were numerous.

Food Policy Reform in Schools Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Food Policy Reform in Schools - Research Paper Example For the lower socioeconomic groups, the food is free, whereas for the upper group children, it is provided at a cost but a subsidized rate. The main objective of the program is to deliver a healthy and nutritious diet for children at school and to develop good eating habits and promote healthy eating practices during the growing period when nutrition is utmost important for the development of the child (USDA 2008). More than 94% of the schools have subscribed to the NSLP and this is provided under the National School Lunch Act 1946 that was adopted as a policy by the Harry Truman Administration. About 17% of the federal budget meant for food and nutrition assistance programs actually goes to the NSLP (USDA 2008). During the implementation and development of the program initially in the 1940’s and the 1950’s, greater effort was being laid on addressing poverty, starvation and malnutrition in children. However, today, the concern is much different, and seems to be an equa l challenge that was present during the baby days of the NSLP. There is a growing concern of obesity and being overweight in children, especially in the lower socioeconomic groups who find it difficult to address their health needs (Rogers 2010). The NSLP was earlier meant to help children who were eating a diet at home to eat more and to meet their higher calorie and protein demand. Besides, there are children coming from diverse family backgrounds having diverse food nutrition and food needs and it would often be difficult to cater to their tastes. Hence, it would be difficult to meet the various needs through one lunch program. There are other concerns also including the sustaining the program through the federal funding and donations may create difficulties, facing stiff competition from the junk food sector, unnecessarily creating a crunch for the agricultural produce, and outdated structure of the program. In this paper, we would analyze one of the problems faced by the NSLP, look at the viable alternatives, and develop a solution to resolve the same (US Government Accounting Office 2003). Define and analyze the problem One of the main concerns of the NSLP is that the objectives of the program may not be in line with the requirements of the children today. When the program was being implemented during its baby days, its main aim was to address malnutrition, weakness and starvation in children and provide them with a nutritious meal for at least once daily. However, today, the program is considered as a factor that is causing obesity and unhealthy eating in children, and there is a concern on the quality of foods that is currently being served via the program. There is a growing concern whether the program is worsening the effect of obesity in the population in order to support the agricultural sector. Even the poor today are no more undernourished and are facing a stiffer problem with obesity. The program is encouraging the overconsumption of energy and fats and is also increasing the amount of food being consumed by children. As children of the poor are provided by food at lower costs, they are encouraged to eat more, not helping in reducing obesity and in the process developing eating habits that would worsen the problem further in life. The child when he or she grows into an adult would be prone to several health risks including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, arthritis, stroke, etc. There were concerns as to why the NSLP was

1929 America crisis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

1929 America crisis - Research Paper Example In this paper, I will start with an overview of the great depression. I will also look through the causes that have been considered to lie in the base of the American crisis of 1929. Finally, I will also dwell on social and economic effects of the great depression on America and conclude by looking through the end of the Great depression in America (Burg 90). OVERVIEW OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION The years preceding the Great Depression were marked by economic recovery evidenced by a rise in stock prices in 1928. The situation of trade in the preceding year also greatly mushroomed, and Americans were so engrossed in their economic prosperity that it became very easy for an individual to access a credit. The signs of a fluctuating economic situation became noticeable in the autumn of 1929, and the crisis was a surprise and a major blow to those who were caught unaware. This was followed by several activities by financial movers to save the economy: it is on Tuesday in October 1929 that 16 million of stock shares were directly traded, and the industrial index declined by the amazing 10%. Within the period that followed, shares of stock continued to lose their value at more than a half. It is these events that marked the official beginning of the American crisis of 1929 (Watkins 67). CAUSES OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION IN THE USA ... In the period of 1928 and 1929, however, the value of the shares of stock grew to so much higher levels than the value of the companies they represented that this resulted into an inappropriate situation where the companies could not meet up with the value of their stock shares (Fearnow 89). Another major cause of the Great depression in America was the behavior of Americans who used to buy on credit which was on the rise in the 1920s. This was a period of a marked economic boom, and this placed people in a situation of less thought and care about their future. There was a lot of installment buying where many people bought cars and electronics of high value which did not match the money they had in the possession or in savings. The availability of installment buying encouraged so many people to buy things on credit that when the stock market came to a crash, many people were left with huge debts to settle. This was followed by many people losing their jobs, and it became virtually im possible to settle their highly accumulated debts (Kupperberg 98). The supply and demand situation also played a great role in contributing to the start and lengthening of the Great Depression in America. During the period of economic prosperity in the 1920s, the American manufacturing industries and agricultural sectors produced large quantities of goods and services. This resulted in the market acting up with an increase in prices which was not marked by the adjustment in American workers’ wages which remained constant, but the workers had no more to keep up with the soaring prices, therefore, they stopped buying the goods and services. Factories, however, did not adjust their

Journal - wk2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Journal - wk2 - Essay Example Visual, kinaesthetic, and auditory learning styles provides opportunity for the students in that it helps them to attach with, absorb, and recall information being handed over. While it is rather tricky and confusing to vary teaching approaches to serve each student’s learning preference, changing and shifting the method in which teaching is being carried out bring about positive upshots in that it reduce the possibility for the students to get a bit lost, unfocused, and unfastened with the material or information. Considering the fact that each student could only retain information that they individually conceived and developed, it is therefore effective to draw on the pre-existing knowledge of the student. This will improve the student’s understanding over the same information. Although is very possible that each student could have no prior knowledge about a particular information, the introduction of new concepts could be easily inculcated to their thoughts with the help of the different learning

Globalization Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Globalization - Annotated Bibliography Example th and early twentieth centuries due to European imperialism and colonialism but it continues in todays global environment due to new information and communication technologies. A firm aspiring today to be successful must be adaptable and flexible in a globalized environment. Most businesses today place globalization as one of their top concerns. This is because globalization is the future of any successful business; it is a rapidly-growing challenge as the world economy gets more integrated due to the accelerating trend of globalization. Any firm that aspires to be successful must tackle the issue of globalization, in particular the cultural or local characteristics of a foreign national market. This means management must consider the local context when making vital decisions such as on strategy, hiring or marketing. Although global markets can be considered as borderless, there are local issues that need to be solved or considered when entering or penetrating a new market (OMeara, Mehlinger, & Krain 101). It may be incorrect to adapt a one-size fits-all global strategy when it comes to national markets because countries can differ significantly on cultural practices and beliefs. There is truth to an old adage when it concerns globalization and is a goo d warning: Think global but act local. Perhaps the most challenging part of globalization is the management of people who belong to various ethnic groups. Cultural diversity presents special challenges to management with the main task of bringing out the best in people coming from various backgrounds. It is a difficult task of unifying people towards a common corporate objective. Modern globalization is evolving and the new paradigm today is â€Å"Think local, act global† (Park & Hirowatari 238). Understanding foreign cultures is essential to everything. It is the key to successfully entering a new market or introducing a new product or service to existing markets. It is easy to adapt a general global strategy

LAND LAW Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

LAND LAW - Essay Example The Law Commission in its Report No. 271 which gave way to the 2002 Act stated that the aim of the 2002 Act was to create a conveyancing climate in which: â€Å"...the register should be a complete and accurate reflection of the state of the title of the land at any given time, so that it is possible to investigate title to land on-line, with the absolute minimum of additional enquiries and inspections.†3 Section 70(1) of the Land Registration Act 1925 contained what can be described as a comprehensive list of property rights that could possible bind a bona fide purchaser. The greatest difficulty for a potential purchaser under the Land Registration Act 1925 was that although an overriding interest was not registered, it could bind the purchaser if the interest could be discovered by a reasonable investigation of title and inspection of the property. The list of these overriding interests under the Land Registration Act 1925 can be summarised as follows: 3- The rights of persons in actual occupation of the land in question or the rights of persons entitled to the receipt of profits and/or rents in respect of the land except where reasonable inquiries are made and the right of these persons are not discovered. 4- ‘Leases granted for a term not exceeding 21 years.’4 The Land Registration Act 2002 narrowed the list of these overriding interest as contained under Section 70(1)(g) of the Land Registration Act 1924 and goes on to function in such a way as to encourage the voluntary registration of these rights.. The revised list of overriding interests under the Land Registration Act contains a proviso that the rights are overriding upon first registration and by doing so expanded the list of those interest that are capable of registration. The new list of overriding interest include leases that terminate at the expiration of a seven

Barbara Kruger Contemporary Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Barbara Kruger Contemporary Art - Essay Example The essay "Barbara Kruger Contemporary Art" talks about the Contemporary Art of Barbara Kruger. For instance, in Your Body is a Battleground, Kruger chooses a common font style, which is strongly emphasized against a somewhat monochromatic photo of an attractive woman. However, in this particular work, the woman depicted in the photo is split down the middle, with the left side of her face exhibiting a rosy-colored, somewhat positive expression. The right side of the subject's face is shaded, in a somewhat obscured light, with the artist using a variety of antiquing processes to add further emphasis to the message Kruger is attempting to relay. Further, it is important to identify what specific message is attempting to be sent in this poster image titled Your Body is a Battleground. It is vital to realize that during the latter portion of the 1980's, civil unrest and global demands for independence were being heard around the world. From the fall of the Berlin Wall to radical changes in feminism and women's rights, it is no wonder why Kruger chose to blend contemporary imagery and the written word (usually using red as the font color of choice) to exhibit the pain, suffering, joy, and outright complexity of being a woman in modern times. Having offered this, some individuals viewing Kruger's artwork may consider her attempts at expressing feminism as being somewhat outlandish due to its simplicity. However, using simple materials, such as photography, words, and collage-inspired designs.

The Dropping of the Atomic Bomb Essay Example for Free

The Dropping of the Atomic Bomb Essay On August 6, 1945 an American bomber dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima., Japan. Three days later another atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan . Theses bombs brought the end of World War two with Japan. After the Allies defeated the Axis powers in Europe, America need a way to quickly end the war. This came the decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan, which was a military necessity. The drain of early battles, an full-scale invasion on Japan, and the threat of Soviet influence cause for such a dramatic decision to be made. The United States had managed to stay out of war in Europe, until the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. This bombing by the Japanese had dragged America into the fight (Doc A). The Pacific front of the war was one of the bloodiest. Americans had lost its footing in the Eastern front in the early years. Such as the lost of control of the Philippines, when General MacArthur retreated to to Australia on April 9, 1942. It wasn’t until June of that year at the battle of Midway when the U.S. started to turn the tables. Fighting on two fronts was draining on the U.S. and after V-E day in March of 1945, the United States need a way to end the war soon, or face a the war to continue to drag on, causing thousands of more American lives. The United States didn’t think of dropping the bomb to end the war at first. U.S. forces had began to plan a full scale invasion on Japan’s mainland in November 1945. American forces had been bombing cities, military bases, and industries, in Japan since the take over of Guam in the battle of Marianas on June 1944 (Doc E). The invasion of Japan would cause millions of deaths, not only American, but Japanese lives as well (Doc C). The atomic bomb had began construction under President Roosevelt to use against the Germans (Doc B). Once Truman became president, the bomb seemed to be the quickest way to end the war while spearing as many lives as possible (Doc D). The drop of an Atomic bomb would also end the need for Soviet assistance in ending the war with Japan (Doc F). With the Soviet Union joining came the threat of communism spreading. It seemed not a good idea to be in the situation to need help from the USSR. Some think the bomb was a way to threaten the Soviet Union. To show off the U.S. power (Doc G). After dropping the first atomic bomb, Stalin declared war on Japan, August 8, 1945. This raised the even more need to drop the second bomb. That caused Japan asked of peace on the 10th of August 1945, stopping the need for the not so welcome support. Though the out come of the bombing was terrible (Doc I), and some like to say there where other ways to end the war, avoiding using the atomic bomb (Doc H).Though in the end the dropping of the two atomic bombs was a necessity. It was the only option to end the war, without causing a significant number of lives in that time.

The African diaspora and education Essay Example for Free

The African diaspora and education Essay Education is the passport to our future, Malcolm X reverberated to the world that statement. Throughout centuries and throughout civilisations we have seen education being implemented in its different manifestations respective of those civilisations cultural and social needs. As a by-product, the children who came out of those systems drove their cultural and social heritage forward with considerable zeal that led to the perpetuation of those civilisations. When one observes the educational institutions of the Ancient Greeks, one is confronted with the type of education that reflected the needs of that society that venerated reason and contemplative thought, which was the basis for its governments. In the Great Civilisations of West Africa, The Songhay in particular, the educational systems reflected those societies need of, first and foremost, to inculcate in its generations the need for moral excellence which was believed to be an important ingredient in a just and harmonious social environment. All of the civilisations that existed since the dawn of time had this important element governing the scheme of things- an education for its youth that imbues that societys traditions and values and hence carrying those elements forward to their future generations. When the colonialists started to invade our territories the first thing they did was to dismantle our educational institutions and replace them with their own. Even though they militarily removed the existing chiefdoms and other local forms of governments they had always faced resistance and hence the need for an ideological brainwashing of the African societies which was made possible by the establishment of an education which propagated and promulgated the colonialists values and worldview. The curriculum carried the viewpoints of the colonialists, which did not by any means, reflect the social and cultural heritage of the native peoples. It enforced ideas which indoctrinated the pseudo-inferiority of the black people and geared the populace to the legitimating of the colonial rule. The colonialists had a reality principle which needed to serve the perpetuation of its power. What they did as Wilhelm Reich in his Dialectical Materialism and Psychoanalysis explicates was to bring the proletariat to accept this reality principle which means an affirmation of the proletariat exploitation [ ] as a whole. This process led to the students being made to internalise this reality principle and consequently develop a false conscious amongst the populace of the proletariats position in the world around him. By falsifying his conscious activity, as Frantz Fanon says, the black man wears a white mask. The colonialists education teaches him to be non-white is to be inhuman and he wishes to be human. Consequently, he starts hating himself and hence the result is a deeply hammered inferiority complex. Therefore he premises all his principles and self-governing laws as postulated by the white man-explicitly or implicitly. President Nyerere in his essay Education for Self-Reliance stipulated a brilliant theory of Education. He stated that the colonialists basis for educating the native peoples was to induce attitudes of inequality and the subjugation of the weak by the strong. It encouraged the individualistic tendencies and instincts. Material success was the major impetus for ones pursuit and acquirement of education. The end product was an increase in the gap between the rich and the poor, the extreme arrogance of the so called educated and the perpetuation of the class-based differences amongst the masses in our country. Therefore, for we as a nation to build a plausible and well fortified foundation for the youth there needed to be a complete re-evaluation and hence reformation of the educational system and its existing institutions. With Presidents Nyereres deep admiration and yearning of implementing socialism, he theorised an educational system which would compliment his much craved dream. Whether it worked or not is a matter of differing opinions. However, with the collapse of socialism and the governments decision to apt for a more capitalist-inclined economic system in the late 1908s, meant a need for a complete change of ideological necessities that would concurrently complement the new system. As a result, the education that preached Ujamaa na Kujitegemea was surplus to requirements. Contemporary system of education was born. Whether this was done consciously or subconsciously again is of differing opinions. Thus I come to the present. As sad, painful and distraughtful it is to admit we have regressed to the colonialists system of education but in a much disguised form with all its values and worldview being instilled in the minds of the youth. The consequences of capitalism haunt us with this harsh reality. Imperialism lingers where it often has been in a kind of general cultural sphere as well as its specific political, ideological, economic and social practices. The point I want to make is that neither imperialism nor colonialism is a simple act of accumulation and acquisition but also an enormous effort of impelling impressive cultural formations of the so called dominant cultures. And this can only be done through the colonisation of ideas which is achieved through the means of education. As a nation we have capitulated to the so called dominants culture educational system. The by-product is the westernised young men and women coming through the secondary schools and universities. Their worldview is completely western and their thought patterns sadly westernised. Materialism has, at least for now, prevailed in our society as a result of capitulating to a materialistic form of education. What is being instilled in the youth today is not the developing of mans natural thirst for knowledge but an ideology that education is pursued for one to achieve material bliss and success. This has bred individualism amongst the youth as opposed to imbuing them with the collective and co-operative inclinations, procreated an incredible level of arrogance amongst the so called educated and perpetuating the increasingly widening of the wealthy and the poor. As Ivan Illich argues students emerge from the educational system with a variety of qualifications, which they believe have provided them with the training, skills and competence for particular occupations. However, the pupil is schooled to confuse teaching with learning, grade advancement with education, a diploma with competence. Whatever students achieve in the current educational system only prepares them to become mindless consumers to whom the consumption of the goods and services of industrial society becomes an end in itself. What they fail to realise is that they spend all their lives working for those in control of the means of production and the little they get paid, is given back to their bosses through their endless consumption of goods and services, hence they are enslaved. The philosopher Alfred Whitehead defined education as the transmission of culture to enable individuals to attain a quality of life which is always beyond the mere facts of life. Contemporary education in our country has evolved to become a mere inculcation of facts, figures and information but makes no effort in trying to make those in education to become better and liberated human beings. This should be the purpose of education. Improving ones understanding of reality and existence as it truly is. It should be about understanding our true nature as human beings. Young men and women should be encouraged to read which has now become an antithesis as to what young mean and women are all about. Television is revered while reading is frowned upon. We need to ask ourselves where are we going with this type of materialistic, mechanistic and consumerist society. Young men and women are improving their standards in educational achievement yet there are more ignorant and stupid than the graduates ten years ago. If we are going to take the western archetypes and models of reality, we have to also realise that when they fall down the cliff, we will go down with them unless we change to our own reality which produced great people like Othman Dan Fodio (the great leader of the Sokoto empire) and his contemporaries. The choice is our own. Lets make the right one.

Corporate Governance And Ethics Practice

Corporate Governance And Ethics Practice This report looks at the differences of the sustainability report for year 2011 of the two companies that from the same automotive industry and based in different countries. The first company is a Volkswagen Group, which is a German multinational automotive manufacturing company based in Wolfsburg and founded in 1937. The area served of Volkswagen Group is worldwide and it produced almost 8.5 million vehicles in year 2011. It is one of the worlds leading motor automobile manufacturers and has kept the largest market share in Europe for over 20 years (Wikipedia, 2012). The second company is a Mazda Motor Corporation, which is the Japanese automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchu Aki Hiroshima and founded in 1920. The area served of Mazda Motor Corporation is worldwide and it produced almost 1.3 million vehicles for global sales in 2007 (Wikipedia, 2012). Are all the car manufacturers harmful to society and environment? Based on these two firms sustainability reporting, both firms have revealed that they are taking their corporate social responsibility seriously which will audit and measure their activities, and putting money into green research. The two automotive companies, of course, have to comply with toughening fuel economy regulations reduce the impact of global warming and be more compliant because there is an increasing market demand that new generation of consumers are looking at fuel economy and sustainability mobility for making decision for what they buy. For fuel economy regulations, according to (Feng Amanda, 2004) in their report for Pew Center on Global Climate Change that the European Union (EU) and Japan have the most stringent standard for requirement for gasoline new passenger car fuel efficiencies as shown in their report. For the purposes of this assignment, the focus will be on sets out the differences between the reports of the two companies on in terms of the range of issues dealt with in the reports and the depth of the coverage; explains to the differences between the two reports in terms of country factors; assesses the quality of the reporting in terms of Zadeks (1997) criteria (i.e. inclusivity, comparability, completeness, evolution, management policies and systems, disclosure, external verification, and continuous improvement); evaluates the extent to which it would be appropriate for the two companies to use a standardized approach; and makes recommendations about how each of the reports could be improved and why. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO REPORTS IN TERMS OF THE RANGE OF ISSUES DEALTH WITH IN THE REPORTS AND THE DEPTH OF THE COVERAGE The sustainability reports of these two automakers have look into consideration of ESG criteria (Environmental, social and corporate governance) and making major strides in these similar sustainability issues: Management Approach; Corporate Governance and Ethics Practice; Environmental Protection; Product Quality and Safety; Workplace Practice; Human Rights; and Community Practice. In terms of reporting structure, Volkswagen Group had divided the report to eight chapters, which are strategy, economy, society, CSR projects worldwide, sustainability mobility, environment, key indicators/figures, and back-up. On the contrary, Mazda Corporate had identified the six chapters, which are Mazda CSR, management, environmental protection, social contributions, customer satisfaction, and respect for people. The next few paragraphs of this report will looks at the coverage of the issues dealt in these chapters and the differences between the two sustainability reports. Management Approach At Strategy chapter, Volkswagen Group had disclosed the management approach on CSR strategy in eight pages that covered company new sustainability objectives, development of top class team, sustainability requirements for suppliers, management approach to the sustainability mobility, sustainability management of corporate social responsibility, stakeholder dialogue, global compact, cooperation with Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU), and the compliance to corporate code of conduct. Whereas Mazda Corporate had disclosed their approach of CSR strategy in the chapter of Mazda CSR in seven pages that covered corporate vision, CSR operations, external evaluation of CSR, awards, rising of employee awareness, stakeholders communication, shareholders and investor relations initiatives and dialogue. Set-aside the unstandardized of reporting structure, Volkswagen Group had disclosed the basis of information on its stakeholder dialogue program, but had not follow Mazda Corporate to disclose information on how company engages with each key stakeholders that with a full page table of Mazda group key responsibilities to stakeholders and opportunities for dialogue and disclosure. Corporate Governance and Ethics Practice At Economy chapter, Volkswagen Group had covered this chapter in seven topics, which are customer satisfaction, sustainability in suppliers relations, economic stability, raw material, localization, risk management, and compliance. On the contrary, Mazda Corporate covered this in two chapters with total of seven topics, which are corporate governance, internal controls, risk management, compliance, implementing CSR in the value chain, and customer satisfaction. At Customer Satisfaction topic, Volkswagen Group identified customer satisfaction as a key indicator of how well product developments and model facelifts cater to the needs of stakeholders, and focuses on market studies, complaint handling, and meets customer wishes. Mazda had covered this topic with extensive information on safety approach from three viewpoints of vehicles, people, and roads and infrastructure, with details information in safety technologies to explain how safety can be achieved. Additionally Mazda also covered extensive information in the four pillars that how the company can increase customer satisfaction, which are creating appealing products, improving product quality, improving customer satisfaction in sales, and improving the quality of after-sales service. At Sustainability in Suppliers Relations topic, Volkswagen Group had explained the system was built on four pillars which are sustainability requirements for suppliers before submitting quotes, an early warning system for minimizing risk, a transparent procurement process, and supplier monitoring and development process. On the contrary, Mazda had covered clearer information that outline on the Mazda supplier CSR guidelines, major channels of communication with supplier, evaluating and recognizing suppliers, measurement and quality improvement program for local suppliers. At Economic Stability topic, Volkswagen looked at global economic competition and stability; the company recognized the effort that to help in global economic is to achieve sustainable success by taking more responsibility for the environment and for social developments. This topic not covered by Mazda. At Raw Material topic, Volkswagen Group had revealed the secure and economic supplies of raw materials program, which contains corporate analysis system and regularly engages in dialogue with the Extractive Industries Transparencies Initiative (EITI) to identify risk of corruption. This topic not covered by Mazda. At Localization topic, Volkswagen Group had covered the implementation of systematic localization that had proven not only benefits in logistical but commercially and generates growth in the respective regions at new Volkswagen plan. This topic is not cover by Mazda. At Risk Management topic, Volkswagen Group had disclosed information on its risk management programs briefly. As a comparison, Mazda had enclosed more information on risk management policy, action guidelines, and methods of implementing, and the scopes of application. At Compliance topic, Volkswagen had outlined its compliance effort to keep in line with Germane Corporate Governance Code, which is core compliance teams were appointed, annually evaluation of compliance activities, anti-trust legislation matters, and corruption measurement. On the contrary, Mazda had revealed extensive information on corporate governance framework diagram that help in better understanding of company effort in dealing with management issues and how company boost transparency of management with board of corporate auditors. Also Mazda had covered internal controls topic that not by Volkswagen Group, which is disclosed its own self-examination of internal controls framework that having a department to support internal controls. Workplace Practice, Human Rights and Community Practice At Society and CSR Projects Worldwide chapter, Volkswagen Group had covered three ethic issues here, which are Workplace Practice, Human Rights and Community Practice. There are three topics covered, which are employment, reward and profit sharing system, AUTOUNI institution, Volkswagen way, employee opinion survey, ideal management, training and skills development, demographic change, advancing women and promoting diversity, social responsibility, and reveals on CSR projects worldwide. On the contrary, Mazda Corporation had covered in eight topics, which are social contribution framework, major activities in Japan and overseas, human development resolving around the principles of the Mazda Way, employee choice of self-realization, promoting work-life balance, advancing women and promoting diversity, reward and profit sharing system, and respect for human rights. As a comparison, Mazda had included a great data in the same page to explain their measurement and how Mazda achieve the g oals. Environmental Protection and Sustainability In terms of environmental protection and sustainability issue, these two companies had revealed their strategies in similar structure and topics, as shown in the table 1 below. The major differences between the two reports are Mazda had disclosed an impressive Mazda Green Plan 2020 Mid-Term Environmental Plan and clear data within the topic that help in understanding the topic. Both companies had covered good information on how they promote in climate protection, and the coverage are CO2 emissions reduction for automobile, energy supply strategy, environment factory, efficient production, environmental technology, green IT, and green logistics. Table 1: Comparing the coverage of environmental protection and sustainability issue: Volkswagen Group Mazda Corporation Environmental Management Mazda Approach to the Environment This is not cover by Volkswagen. Green Plan 2020 Mid-Term Environmental Efficient Powertrains and Fuels Developing New SKYACTIV Technology Electro-mobility Making Environmentally Friendly vehicles Resource Efficient Recycling and Resource Conservation Biodiversity Management and Reduction of substances Water Preventing Air and Water Pollution This is not cover by Volkswagen. Environmental Communication Climate Protection Prevention of Global Warming This is not cover by Volkswagen. Environmental Communication This is not cover by Volkswagen. Activities and Impact on the environment DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO REPORTS IN TERMS OF COUNTRY OR INDUSTRY FACTORS The effects of the Great East Japan Earthquake in year 2011 has influenced on how Mazda Corporate structured and produced their sustainability reporting. The word earthquake had appeared 25 times in the sustainability report. The top message of chairman of the board has included a paragraph to express company sympathies and condolences message. The paragraph explained how company makes a concerted effort to establish their ethical strategies, and deploy response plan into action to contribute in recovery for the areas affected by earthquake. The details of support activities for the recovery of stricken regions have presented in this formal report. The report also reveals the damage to Mazda group that Hiroshima Plant and Hofu Plant where forced to suspend operations temporary due to inability to obtain certain parts, and Mazda moved to weekly days off from Saturday and Sunday to Thursday and Friday during the summer period in accordance with the policy of the Japan Automobile Manufa cturers Association to reduce electricity consumption. For CSR strategy, Mazda Corporate evaluates its CSR strategy referencing to the Charter of Corporate Behavior issued by the Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren, 2004), and structure the table of contents of the sustainability report on these areas of Environmental Protection, Customer Satisfaction, Respect for People, Social Contributions, and Management (Compliance and Information Disclosure). Whereas Volkswagen Group has referencing their CSR strategy with EU Strategy 2011-14 (European Trade Union Confederation ETUC, 2011) and structure the table of contents in these areas of Strategy, Economy, Society, CSR Projects Worldwide, Sustainability Mobility, Environment, Key Indicators, and Back-up. In terms of code of ethics, Volkswagen Group has paragraph their compliance report in line with the German Corporate Governance Code, aside of Volkswagen corporate ethics codes of conduct. Per required by section 161 of the Aktiengesetz (AktG German Stock Corporation Act), an annual of conformity with the German Corporate Governance Code has issued by the Board of Management and the supervisory Board of Volkswagen AG on November 18, 2011 (Volkswagen, n.d.). Whereas Mazda Corporation has outlined their five principles of Mazda corporate ethics code of conduct. THE QUALITY OF THE REPORTING IN TERMS OF ZADEKs (1997) CRITERIA This paragraph looks at the quality of the reporting in terms of ZADEK et al.s (1997) eight principles of quality in social accounting. To what extend the reporting of two companies conforms to and contributes to the best practice. The eight issues are Inclusivity, Comparability, Completeness, Evolution, Management policies and systems, Disclosure, External verification, and Continuous Improvement. Inclusivity AAA Comparability AAA Completeness AAA Evolution AAA Management policies and systems AAA External verification AAA Continuous Improvement AAA THE EXTENT TO WHICH IT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE FOR THE TWO COMPANIES TO USE A STANDARDISED APPROACH Currently the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework, version 3.1, is the most widely used standardized sustainability reporting framework in the world (Wikipedia, 2012). The two companies have adopted the GRI framework as a reference to compile their reports. However both companies reports are not prepared exactly according to GRI guidelines and structure. Should two companies have to use a standardized approach for their sustainability reports that will exactly according to a GRI framework, so that it is helpful for reader to navigate the report, finding specific information, and easier to compare data among similar companies. Or should companies are recommended to be selective or focus primary that are most relevant to their business. To what extent that it would be appropriate for the two companies to use a standardized approach? It is not possible for the two companies to presence their data in sustainability reporting exactly the same structure and templates because each company is having their own reporting tools, data and context. However it is possible that the two companies to disclose and to measure of the extent to GRI Guideline Content Indexes. However as per Crane Matten (2010, p. 219) recognized that there is an issue with GRI which GRI has been criticized is its concern only with establishing procedures for voluntary reporting, rather than having an explicit aim to promote mandatory reporting. So it is not a regulation that company must follow the same GRI framework rules to prepare company sustainability report. Every company is free to determine its own data according to rules of its own choosing, and there is no performance or penalty at all. The new GRI fourth generation is now in development. It is an opportunity for the GRI seeking input from worldwide into development of the new standard which cater all the possible gaps in standardized approach. With the new G4 GRI standard it should improve on content in the current guidelines that could possibility encourage companies to use a standardized approach. THE RECOMMENDATIONS ABOUT HOW EACH OF THE REPORTS COULD BE IMPROVED AND WHY GRI Content Index Mazda Corporation could improve their sustainability report by including a comparative table with GRI content indexes that disclose all items in the report at each rows of GRI content index. On the contrary, Volkswagen Group had included the GRI content index but the reference column that contains page number can be confused to some readers and might be pointing to the wrong topic. The comparative table with GRI content index could provides an objective to measure whether all the elements in GRI guidelines have been applied in the report. It is definitely helpful for reader to find specific information and to compare data among similar industry. The sample of comparative table with GRI content index has shown below. Table 2: The Sample of Comparative Table with GRI content index (G3.1): Item GRI Content Volkswagen Group Mazda Corporation Strategy and Analysis 1.1 Statement from the most senior decision maker -Responsibilities increase with commercial success (Page 6-7) -Top Message (Page 5-6) 1.2 Key Impacts, risks -Responsibilities increase with commercial success (Page 6-7) -Responsibilities (Page 10-19) -Compliance (Page 28-29) -Top Message (Page 5-6) -Management (Page 21-22) Organization Profile 2.1 Name of the organization Page 1, 3 Page 1-2 GRI Content Index Mazda Corporation. CONCLUSION Reporting on sustainability performance is an important way for organizations to manage their impact on sustainable development. The challenges of sustainable development are many, and it is widely accepted that organizations have not only a responsibility but also a great ability to exert positive change on the state of the worlds economy, and environmental and social conditions. Reporting leads to improved sustainable development outcomes because it allows organizations to measure, track, and improve their performance on specific issues. Organizations are much more likely to effectively manage an issue that they can measure. By taking a proactive role to collect, analyze, and report those steps taken by the organization to reduce potential business risk, companies can remain in control of the message they want delivered to its shareholders. Public pressure has proven to be a successful method for promoting Transparency (behavior) and disclosure of greenhouse gas emissions and social responsibilities. As well as helping organizations manage their impacts, sustainability reporting promotes transparency and accountability. This is because an organization discloses information in the public domain. In doing so, stakeholders (people affected by or interested in an organizations operations) can track an organizations performance on broad themes such as environmental performance or a particular issue such as labor conditions in factories. Performance can be monitored year on year or can be compared to other similar organizations. (2704 words) (References/bibliography on the next page)