Clive Robertson vs Hal Niedzviecki Essay

There are contrasts between Clive Robertson and Hal Niedzviecki. One is talking about how Artist-Run Centre can run better and it should be continue with younger artist in this century and one is talking about the Art Bureaucracy is ruining artists’ creativity and decisions. The following essay will be deep discuss each writer’s point of view and the ambitions of art. In Clive Robertson’s essay, â€Å"Policy Matters: Administrations of Art and Culture, through InFest: International Artist Run Culture, it was held in Vancouver in 2004. He discussed the Canadian artists where they held artist space, artist-run centre or artist’ events during the past and present. Clive said, â€Å"The manifestations of the artist-run culture movement in Canada has been widespread and enduring for many reasons aside from its existence within a particular conjuncture of nation-building through state funding. † (Clive 3) Artist-Run Culture was very active during the sixties and seventies, that’s why Clive said the art culture movement has been widespread. Clive also discussed what claims to be contemporary art in the essay. Talking about artist-run culture, many people must be confused what that is. For myself, I didn’t know the differences between public gallery, commercial gallery or what artist-run centre is if I see a gallery on the street because the gallery is usually just showing the works. After a deep thought, I realized there are differences between different galleries. Public gallery is like AGO, though you need to pay the admission fee to go in, it’s a museum for you to browse the arts. Museum usually is just for browsing, not purchasing. For commercial gallery, is a private owned gallery where the artists can sell their own works. I didn’t know much of Artist-run centre until I know there’s Nuit Blanche. Nuit Blanche is a big artist-run centre in Toronto and I think it’s very successful. As Clive said in the text, â€Å"The first thing is that conceptualism’s intellectual currency as an art-making strategy is very much alive; and, secondly that the projects of self-government or self-administration and bureaucracy for artists have to be â€Å"lived through† in order to comprehend and assess what rules are in play and which sets of rules provide the most or least acceptable ethical opportunities and advantages. (Clive 2) Artist-run is hard to run it without funding from government or non-profit organizations. So, they think it’s better to run as bureaucracy for artists. They will have a more stable base to run art. Arts need to be thinking out of the box which Designers always been asked to do. Artist-Run Centre keeps on running in different places, but it seems like artists and curators stop discussing about it. The artists and curators from this generation should start to write about the Artist-Run Centre, or else it would just stop as history and there’s no contemporary anymore. Hal Niedzivecki discussed in the essay, Fear and Loathing on the Granting Trail: Canadian Art Versus Canadian Bureaucracy†, Niedzivecki said Canadian artists suffers from Arts Bureaucracy Angst (ABA). ABA can ruin the artists’ life, such as creativity. The world is full of judgments and right or wrong, but it seems like Arts Bureaucracy is not giving artists choices of what they are doing. Niedzivecki had given examples of the artists/writers about their story. â€Å"You’ll note that Molly Morin learned a reverse lesson: she got her grant, and so was empowered, personally – not financially – to pursue her poetry and publish her chapbook†¦. A faceless verdict is issued; lacking context or explanation or encouragement, one can easily mistake that verdict decision – ever meant to be† (Niedzivecki 259) Arts Bureaucracy can be putting some pressures on the artists. People always say being an artist is so poor; you’ll be famous after you died. For artists, they make art because they love to create something through art and they make money from it, but it is hard to make money from doing art. As Niedzivecki mentioned, â€Å"Artists have always needed funding. † (Niedzivecki 259), artists don’t know their art will sell and earn them money. ABA is the ugly, gnawing feeling we get when we sense that our livelihood is under threat by forces – global, government – that we can neither affect nor predit. † (Niedzivecki 260) Not only artist and designer, basically everything is controlled by the global and the government. You do have the right to make some art or design, but you can’t avoid having judgments or rejections from the global. ABA is totally a discouragement to artist. Niedzivecki could depict the truthfulness and the ugliness of ABA in the essay. In conclusion, contemporary art is not only involve with conceptual art, body art, environmental art, correspondence art, performance art, but it’s include with artist-run centre and arts bureaucracy angst. In contrast between Clive Robertson and Hal Niedzivecki, they both have different points of view of contemporary Canadian art. Indeed, I found a similarity between two authors message is that artists are â€Å"starving artist†, where Niedzivecki had mentioned in the essay. Artists want to do their best in their artworks and get compliments from others. Unfortunately, the rejections or judgments they get are way more than compliments.

Community Development Practical Approach

GROUP PRESENTATION ESSAY As part of ‘Community Development in Practice, we went on a field trip to two community organisations, Tallaght Community Arts and St. Kevin’s Family Resource Centre. The purpose of which was to look at how each project practices the principles of community development as described by the Ad Hoc Committee (2008). We had to work as a group of 3 students which included Samantha Hogan, Anthony Kelly and Elaine Vince-O’Hara, to put together a group presentation on the project of our choice.We chose St. Kevin’s Family Recourse Centre as it is a grassroots community development organisation which we believe every community needs. St. Kevin’s Family Resource Centre St. Kevin’s Family Resource Centre is a community organisation and is based in a local primary school in Kilnamanagh, Tallaght, and whose remit covers the areas of Kilnamanagh, Tymon North and Kingswood. Established in 1994, they were one of only three ‘pilot ’ Family Resource Centres (FRC) funded through the Family Support Agency.The centre is managed by a voluntary board of management of which 70% are people from the local community and run by Grainne Begley, the Co-ordinator, Cynthia Moore, the Administrator and a large group of 25 volunteers for additional support. St. Kevin’s have a number of training rooms, counselling/ holistic therapy rooms, a youth cafe and a community childcare centre. They have an open door policy, where community members are at all times welcome to drop in and see what's happening in their community.They have five key areas of work; Community Education, Supporting Community and Voluntary Groups, Counselling ;amp; Holistic therapy, Childcare and Youth Work. St. Kevin’s Mission Statement: ‘St. Kevin’s Family Resource Centre is a community organisation whose mission is to bring about change through the process of empowerment and support at family, individual and community level. ’ St Kevin’s describe themselves as: ‘a thriving and integral part of the community development structures in the area†¦. social inclusion organisation†¦ concerned about the people in the community who†¦. are not participating in society to their fullest potential’ (St. Kevin’s FRC Work Plan 2010-2012). They work out of the values and principles of community development as described by the Ad Hoc Committee (2008) as they strive towards social justice, equality and anti-discrimination through participation, empowerment and collective action to support individuals, families and their wider communities and this is evident throughout their work.They practice the principle of participation by aiming to meet the needs of the local community, enabling them to gain the skills necessary for full participation: They do this through a community consultation process for their work plans and the provision of; community education programmes, a cou nselling service to help overcome many issues including oppression, holistic therapies to promote individual well being and community childcare which provides people with the opportunity to participate and become empowered.St. Kevin’s practice the principles of empowerment as they: acknowledge value and build on people’s lives and existing experiences which is the basis of the community education which they provide. They work with people to; build an understanding of their reality and identify ways to overcome them and build confidence and self-esteem through the provision of their counselling service and holistic therapies offered. St.Kevin’s practice the principles of collective action as they collaborate and build alliances with other groups, organisations and agencies in order to advance key community objectives, they do this through their support of diverse user groups and networking with various agencies including; South Dublin Community Platform (SDCP), A ctive Citizenship Together (ACT), South Dublin County Council (SDCC), the County Development Board (CDB) This ‘process empowers the community to develop new skills and be more pro-active in their own learning’. Impacts include empowerment of groups, sustaining their development and development of partnership relationships between the Centre and new groups’. ‘There is a large increase in community activity’. Motherway, B (2006) St. Kevin’s practice the principles of social justice by building strategic alliances and encouraging active participation to create awareness of the work of the family resource centre, in order to bring about social change. They work with the community in developing appropriate responses to identified needs through consultation with the community and they provide pportunities to access community education for the purpose of achieving personal and community development. They build the capacity of the management committee and continue to build a strong community development organisation to ensure that resources are utilised to their maximum effect ‘provide a safe, inclusive, happy childcare facility where children can grow and develop in confidence, thus supporting the family’ (St. Kevin’s Family Resource Centre Work Plan 2010-2012) St.Kevin’s practice Equality ;amp; Anti Discrimination in acknowledging the diverse nature of their local community, where 20% are lone parents, 25% having no formal education, 10% have a disability, 8% are from an ethnic minority family and there is a high rate of unemployment. They promote difference and diversity, evidenced by their active role in developing a strategy to promote the integration of travellers and ethnic minorities, which was put forward to the County Development Board for consideration.They also promote understanding and analysis of equality issues, and strategies to address them within communities through their community ed ucation programmes. Challenges Some of the current challenges faced by St. Kevin’s include: adapting to the impact of the recession including: trying to meet the needs of unemployed people accessing the service who are looking to up skill and or retrain, having to reduce the number of community education programmes due to cuts and people not engaging due to the social and economic difficulties which are hindering their ability to participate.Successes As well as challenges they have had many successes, primarily the development and progression of a hugely successful and affordable community childcare centre, which started over twenty years ago as a two parent, parent and toddler group and grew through true grassroots community development ‘by the people, for the people’. To this day a weekly parent and toddler group are still going strong with up to 40 families taking part. Cynthia Moore, another success first became involved in St. Kevin’s FRC as a partic ipant.She went on to complete a community employment scheme in the centre after which she secured part-time paid employment as the administrator. She continued to participate on many community education courses and through empowerment she eventually gained the confidence to undertake a Leadership ;amp; Community Development degree course which she successfully completed in 2011. Cynthia continues in her role of Administrator and she also volunteers as a ‘Rainbows’ facilitator, a peer mentoring programme aimed at supporting young people suffering varying degrees of bereavement and loss.Cynthia has come full circle and is a great example of what community development and community education are about and of the outcomes it has the potential to achieve. Other successes include; many previous centre users coming back to help out in a voluntary capacity, their ability to provide support to and facilitate many diverse groups, continued provision of community education, which empowers members of the community to take charge of their lives and participate in their community and their ability to network with various agencies and take lead roles in devising strategies.Conclusion Over the last 18 years the centre has grown and adapted to the ever changing needs of the community and is now a thriving and integral part of the community development structures in the area. As we see it, by continuing to work out of the principles and practices of community development as described by the Ad Hoc Committee, St.Kevin’s Family Resource Centre will continue to achieve effective community development, overcome challenges faced and continue to have many more successes in the future. Bibliography: Ad Hoc Committee (2008) Towards Standards for Quality Community Work, Dublin Motherway, Brian (2006) the Role of Community Development in Tackling Poverty in Ireland, Dublin, Combat Poverty Agency St. Kevin’s Family Resource Centre, Work Plan 2010-2012 Samantha H ogan Anthony Kelly Elaine Vince O’Hara 10th October 2012

Analysis of Spotify's strategy Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analysis of Spotify's strategy - Case Study Example This paper takes off from an examination of the historical and current business moves of Spotify, alongside its traditional cost structure and other relevant data, to piece together its current and emerging business strategies. From there, the paper uses theoretical analytical models, among them SWOT and Porter’s Five Forces models, to assess and analyze the soundness of Spotify’s business strategies, and to recommend ways forward for the firm based on the findings of that analysis. Piecing Together Spotify’s Current and Evolving Strategy Newer data reveals that the total user base of Spotify has grown to 24 million users who are active by 2013, with the number of paying subscribers roughly equal to one quarter of that number, or six million. Moreover, the company has pushed to widen the range of free music it is able to offer to mobile users, aiming to break free from a model where users have to pay 10 British pounds in the UK, to be able to access music from mobile devices as well as tablets. This is in line with the pricing of rivals such as Deezer, Napster and Rdio, which all charge the same monthly fee. A glimpse of its business model can be gleaned from the way it has allocated revenues to differing costs, key among them the payouts to the holders of the copyrights to the songs, which reached 188 million Euros in 2011. This payout to the holders of the song copyrights translates to 70 percent of all revenues. Since 2006 when it was launched, total payout estimate to the holders of the copyrights has reached half a billion dollars. The company has not turned a profit from its operations as of 2012 (Halliday 2013; CrunchBase 2013; Facebook 2013). Other recent developments that give a hint as to the evolving business strategy of Spotify include its first forays into advertising in the

Cross culture management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Cross culture management - Essay Example To cater for the supply in Europe, Africa, and Middle East, Nokia had established plants in Finland, Hungary and Germany. Nokia’s plant in UK produced Vertu. Nokia had mostly located its plants in low cost countries like Mexico, China and India in order to maximize profitability. Nevertheless, a vast majority of workers belonged to Western European countries like Germany and Finland. Despite that, the labor costs in countries like Germany were less than 5 per cent the product cost. Nokia had sales and marketing unit and a devices R & D team in Germany in addition to the production plant. Thus, globalization has encouraged Nokia to move its business totally to the CEE countries where it has to pay simpler and lesser taxes and increase profitability by paying low labor and non-wage labor costs. Ans. 2 Nokia’s plant in Germany accounted for no more than 6 per cent of Nokia’s global supply while the personnel costs matched 23 per cent. The high labor and non-wage lab or costs in Germany were not conducive for the desired profitability of production. Thus, Nokia decided to abolish its plant in Germany. Germany’s backlash upon Nokia was partly justified because of four underlying reasons: 1. Nokia was not going in loss in Bochum. It was making profit that was only increasing year by year. 2.

Acquisition of Major Competitors and Pricing Essay

Acquisition of Major Competitors and Pricing - Essay Example Many people would be against the acquisition of competitors because it is one of the ways through which monopolies can be created. This is because when a major player in an industry acquires their competitors, they end up accumulating the market share that was previously under the control of their competitors. As a result of such marketing strategies, big corporations have the luxury of controlling market prices without having to fear being out-priced by their competitors. In such scenarios, it can always be said that the consumers are the people who are most affected. A thing might even get worse in a scenario where an organization acquires a competitor then increases prices of products or services that they deal in while at the same time do very little to enhance the quality or even offer products or services that are of a lower quality than they used to before. In some cases, it will be seen that an organization has just acquired their main competitors but not all the competitors. The point in acquiring their main competitors is that even the minor competitors will not be able to go into a price war with them (Engelbeck 2002, p. 137). For instance, the proposed acquisition of Times Warner by Comcast will mean that Comcast will have more than 30% of the total broadband market share in the United States of America. This does not imply that they will gain total control of the broadband market in the United States of America. It will mean that they will gain majority shares of the market and the remaining shares will be divided among other organizations that do not have the resources that can put competitive pressure on them (Haws & Bearden 2006, p. 307). Even if they decide to increase their prices the other existing companies will not be in a position to take advantage of this and compete for the market share. In such a scenario, it is highl y possible that they will even offer lower quality services and still charge higher than they used to do before.

Influence of Culture on Global Organizational Practices Essay

Influence of Culture on Global Organizational Practices - Essay Example Hofstede’s cultural dimensions theoryThis theory is a structure for cross-cultural communications that was created by Geert Hofstede, which describes the impact of the culture of a society on the beliefs of its adherents and the manner in which these values are connected to behaviour while utilizing a framework that is resultant from factor analysis (Bardhan and Weaver, 2011, p. 111). This concept has been broadly implemented in a number of disciplines as an archetype for research especially in cross-cultural mind-sets, multinational management along with cross-cultural communication. The cultural dimensions theory was originally developed to evaluate the results of a global survey of the values of workers by IBM in the sixties and seventies. The theory was among the first that had the capacity to be computed and could be used in the explanation of observed differences in different cultures.When the concept was initially developed, it recommended four proportions that could be used to examine cultural values including individualism-collectivism, avoiding of ambiguity, and power distance together with masculinity-femininity. Research that was conducted in Hong Kong resulted in Hofstede adding another dimension, long-term bearing, to address the features of values that had not been addressed in the original archetype. Consequently, Hofstede added another dimension in 2010, which was indulgence versus self-restraint based on the analysis that was conducted by Michael Minkov.

Introduction to International Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Introduction to International Business - Essay Example Memo: Selling Portable Water Filtration System in China China boasts the world’s largest population with more than 1.3 billion people (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010). Many of them are hard working and honest, but lack what industrialized nations should have: access to potable drinking water from the tap. For this reason, it is imperative that Brita International, market its portable filtration devices to them before other companies with an equal ability to penetrate the market do so. The key demographics include wealthy, health-conscious households as well as manufacturing workers. The wealthy families will be inclined to purchase a larger array of products, such as countertop systems for the family as well as canteen water bottles. As for the latter group, China’s manufacturing workforce boasts more than one-hundred-twelve million people whose wages have increased at an average of 9% over the past five years (Foshan, 2010). These workers put in long hours and are not always in the best conditions due to their lack of formal support as many of them are migrant workers and not part of a formal union. The factories are likely not to be any better than residential areas, and perhaps worse, making the need for clean water all the more paramount to the lives and livelihood of the people who work in them. While there is some apprehension from other companies to do business in the world’s most powerful communist country, it should be noted that of the thirty-two regions in the nation, five are autonomous and four are municipalities, showing that while China may have certain governmental preferences, it is obviously a nation governed by people who are understanding of the variances in leadership styles as well as government operations. In the judicial system, Chinese courts have a hierarchy much like the United States, but rather than it being separated as a structure of municipal, state, and federal courts, there is the Basic, Intermediate, Higher, and Supreme courts. Unlike the United States, though, â€Å"litigants are often limited to one appeal† in the event that their case goes unfavorably (Fischer). Like in the United States, in some cases, a person wanting to be heard by the kind of judge who may have the power to enact what he or she needs, may not be able to do so simply on the basis that this system of the people can work against those it is said to serve the most. The government of China is very much involved in the economy of the nation, but not to the extreme that Karl Marx envisioned of the communist paradise where there would be no personal property or rights to inheritance (Marx, & Engels, 27). Instead, the people do own property to include homes and businesses. This occurs more so in areas like Hong Kong, which does not follow the strict communist rule of the mainland, and while there are more provinces (twenty-three) under the rule of the more centralized and controlling regime than there are under the le ss strict rule of law, this does not mean that Brita International should not do business there since nationalization is not going to be an issue as the products can be moved from the Deutschland offices, and while the method of governing the people of this country may not be to the preference of some, the people who are in need are not a government, but citizens who are

Dianna Abdala case Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Dianna Abdala case - Assignment Example Mr. Korman should not have forwarded the emails to other people while Abdala should not have reacted the way she did by accepting the job and then dismissing it again. This inconvenienced Mr. William Korman. To some extend it would jeopardize her career since Korman conducted major law firms about the incidents, which eventually resulted in many people apologizing to Korman on behalf of Abdala. William Korman warned Abdala on her professionalism. In addition, he told her to watch out because she might end up offending more young experienced lawyers at the start of her career. The exchange between Korman and Abdala becomes some of the similar email gaffes portrayed by many individuals. Emails on many occasions bring emotional responses in that they might cause anger or upset. For instance, in this case, Korman expressed his anger by forwarding the emails he received from Abdala to other people. In addition, there is lack of personal touch; some things such as contracts are done well if not typed. Emails cannot out do had written letters when it comes to strengthening relationship like in this

Rational Choice Theory Essay Example for Free

Rational Choice Theory Essay A Significant theory to me will be the Rational Choice theory. This theory explains how people make decisions by seeking the most cost-effective means to achieve a specific goal without reflecting on the worthiness of that goal; to maximize personal advantage by weighing costs against benefits without moral or ethical values. It is a popular theory as it is an efficient system that explains and predicts a behavior of a person, and to larger extent, a collective group of people. Understanding this theory would allow a person to understand quickly how decisions are made, and the impact of the decisions on a society — how it functions and performs economically. Based on this theory, people’s measured decisions are often calculated based on financial benefits and costs. Singapore, by and large, has functioned on this theory, which has benefited from this tool of measurement and prospered since the days of nation building. However, this theory will work perfectly only if everyone in the society shares the same values, had perfect information, and the ability to make the most rational decisions at any point in time. People living in a society with homogenous values, such as Singapore, have similar behavioural patterns, which enable this theory to work. However, on a global scale, this theory will no longer work as peoples’ values are varied and culturally diverse. The most rational choice for one man might be an irrational choice for another. And when this occurs, there will be unpredictability and the results that follow can be disastrous. The Great Financial Crisis is a good example of the rational choice theory gone awry. Financial institutions’ goal is to maximize profits. To maximize profits, financial institutions have to find ways to create profits. One of these methods was to get creative with offering mortgage to people who wanted to own homes. Credit terms were made easy and the securities in place to safeguard the process were ignored. These consolidated loans were sold to big investment banks which resold them as securities offering high returns. Credit agencies working for these investment banks told investors’ that securities were safe. Selling a financial product based on a large group on loans was supposed to limit the risk if a few loans went bad. However, a large number of loans, later known as toxic, were borro wed by individuals with no financial means. Furthermore, many of these loans were offered in the form of adjustable rate mortgage, which started out with an initial period of low interest rate, and later ballooned up to three times the initial rate. All these borrowers were saddled with a monthly mortgage payment way beyond their monthly income. To make matters worse, the sprint to own a house on such easy terms had created a housing bubble, causing house prices to escalate astronomically. This phenomenon further pushed people to borrow way beyond their means. Consequently, millions of homeowners were unable to repay their mortgage loans. The financial institutions disregarded moral and ethical values to draw up shady credit schemes. Consolidated mortgages were bundled in with the toxic ones and resold for profits. Individuals felt the need to buy a house simply because everyone else was buying a house without the discretion of affordability and the hyper-inflated housing prices. Ea ch acted on imperfect knowledge to maximize personal benefits and disregard moral and ethical values. Rational choice theory can be an efficient method as a decision-making tool to attain goals, but it is definitely too simple an application on a macro context. To make a good decision, one has to balance cost-benefit analysis with moral and cultural factors.

The Risks Of Employing Ex Convicts General Studies Essay

The Risks Of Employing Ex Convicts General Studies Essay 1. Background and Rational for choice of 1st area. Risk of companies employing ex-convicts through the Yellow Ribbon Project. (SPRING.gov.sg) Ex-convicts are trained in courses such as Nitec certification in electronics, ISC in food preparation, ISC in electrical wiring, and NSRS in cleaning skills. They also gain work experience in Singapore Corporation Of Rehabilitative Enterprises (SCORE) industries (eg. Bakery, laundry services, multimedia etc) to remain relevant in the workforce. This benefits employers as these workers are pre-trained and able to start work immediately. It is important to promote the employment of disabled as Singapore has a small population, hence need to maximize human resource. Also, companies need to address prevailing skills shortages and problems in filling job vacancies in tight labour markets. Besides this, due to the fact that Singapore is dependent on foreign workers, ex-convicts can be employed instead, with a lower pay, to reduce their cost of production. Need for ex-convicts to be included in society and for them to be able to sustain themselves without living off others. Thus they will no longer be a burden to society, including companies. Internet sources Ruth and Bryan to find information that explains: (i) risk taken (ii) Its necessity Others Rayna and YiKai to gather statistics/evidence/ survey results to: (i) Provide evidence to show why risk is worth taking (ii) Substantiate the reasons for importance to take risk 2. Details of what happened or was done Companies interested in employing ex-convicts register an account to access the Singapore Corporation Rehabilitative Enterprises online job portal. Companies then employ ex-convicts, giving priority to those who participated in rehabilitative and aftercare programmes, provided by the Yellow Ribbon Project. Last year, a record 2,459 companies pledged to give former convicts a second chance up 13 per cent from the 2,118 registered with the Score in 2009. E.g. Logwin Air + Ocean Singapore pte ltd (Straits Times 14/2/11) Logwin Air + Ocean Singapore, an international logistics company, has hired 3 ex-convicts since 2008. Among these is Mr Abdul Rahim Daud, who was jailed for vehicle theft in 2009. He currently works as an assistant for the company, ensuring that the company does not accidentally export more goods than necessary, saving it money. His boss, managing director Jimmy Ler, says that he is an efficient worker and he is good at what he does. (+)Employed ex-convicts were already trained, so no need to allocate resources to training, save time and money. (+)They work hard as they know the 2nd chance is precious (-)Employees need to go for follow-up sessions with the Singapore After-Care Association (SACA) and Singapore Anti-Narcotics Association (SANA), takes up time. (-)Some employees may revert to old ways, threat to company (-)May tarnish companys reputation as public do not accept criminals, generally. Printed/ internet sources Rayna and Yikai to refer to website and others for employment of ex-convicts programmes. Resource Persons Ruth and Bryan to seek expert opinion about employment of ex-convicts programme. . Printed/ internet sources Rayna refers to Yellow Ribbon website on write-up of collaborations Rayna to write Bryan to vet for spelling grammer and to format document Ruth to vet that substantiation is adequate and start writing Biblio YiKai to vet for logic gaps q Group has shown that 1st area is interesting and has significant lessons to learn from. q Group has shown that an appropriate amount (not too much, not too little) of background information to 1st area is given. 3. Lessons learnt 1. The number of employers willing to hire ex-convict has jumped by nearly a third. 2. Important role families play in the rehabilitation of former prisoners. The Family Resource Centres set up in prisons are where counsellors run workshops in family, parenting and marriage for prisoners to prepare them for life outside jail. Helps them patch things up with family and reconnect with society without being a burden because they are able to support and sustain themselves with a job. 3. Rehabilitative and aftercare programmes and skills training helps to ensure that the ex-convicts will be able to help the company increase productivity and not make losses. Printed Internet sources Ruth and YiKai to find information on: (i) effect of hiring ex-convicts on society (ii) ways government and public can help Others Rayna and Bryan to gather statistics/evidence/ survey results to: (i) provide evidence to show positive welfare effect (ii) substantiate the reasons for employing ex-convicts who participated in the rehabilitative and aftercare programmes. q Specific impacts/approaches have been clearly identified. q Appropriate and relevant lessons learnt have been drawn out from each impact/approaches. 4. Background and rational for choice of 2nd area. Successful social entrepreneur wants to contribute and return back to the society. They lead other companies to employ disabled to build an inclusive society. Joan Bowen is conferred the Notable New Employer Award. The cafe and culinary centre was started in August 2009 to teach essential life-long skills to mildly intellectually handicapped young adults. The cafe operates as a social enterprise with the ultimate aim of equipping youths with special needs with a range of culinary skills so that they are able to make their mark as individuals and contribute as active members of society, says Jeanne Seah-Khong, managing director of Joan Bowen. Joan Bowen, founded by Ms Seah and her husband Khong Yoon Kay, both 55, currently has 13 PWDs on its payroll. They work as cooks, dishwashers and service attendants. To enable the PWDs to learn better, Joan Bowen provides tools like visual aids to help them overcome their handicaps in reading. Work in the cafe is structured for PWDs to work smoot hly. Through systematic training, the PWDs became so proficient in operating the point-of-sale machines, coffee machines and credit-card terminals that they were even able to tell when the machines were due for servicing, Ms Seah adds. Other employers employ disabled because of the following reasons: At the counter in the Toa Payoh KFC restaurant, a crew member taps on his I am deaf badge and, without fuss, takes your order with a big smile. This shows that hiring people with disabilities have benefits as it is believed that many have to work very hard to be accepted into the workforce and will, therefore, be less likely to leave and hence, are motivated and determined to meet employment challenges. Lights, monitors and visual cues in the kitchen alert the hearing-impaired staff when food is ready to serve. A shift manager is on duty he cant hear you either. This shows that companies will benefit as many people with disabilities are accustomed to finding alternative ways of doing things. This innovative thinking can carry over into the workplace. Thus, the cost of hiring disabled workers is not much higher than that of ordinary workers. Despite its handicap, the Toa Payoh outlet has been operating since 2003. Its success has spawned two other deaf-operated KFC branches, in Fuchun Community Centre and Jurong West Community Centre. Apart from the 300 deaf crew on its payroll, KFC also opens its doors to people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder as well as the intellectually, physically and visually handicapped. Their ages range from 16 to 56. Some have been with KFC for as long as 19 years. Thus, ensures that human power shortage can be avoided as many people with disabilities tend to remain with the same employer for many years. KFC has not gone unnoticed as a PWD-friendly boss. It was appointed Ambassador for the Deaf in 2004 and awarded the Presidents Social Service Award in 2006. Thus, hiring disabled do not result in a decrease in business for companies but instead increase their business. KFC did not experience a decrease in the number of consumers. This shows that hiring disabled will not affect the business of the companies as customers will often be attracted to or remain loyal with a company that they feel is being inclusive. Statistics show that people with disabilities use less sick leave than non-disabled employees. (Journal of occupational Accidents-1984). Thus, hiring disabled has benefits as they are more productive While the 50 PWDs Hans employs are small in number compared with those on KFCs payroll, they make up almost 10 per cent of its staff. The PWDs are treated as part of Hans big family. We address the PWDs as colleagues and dont see them as a burden, says Hans deputy general manager Gan Yee Chin. Five others also got a special mention for particular exemplary qualities in hiring PWDs Joan Bowen, Eureka Call Centre Systems, Pizza Hut Singapore, Holiday Inn Singapore Orchard City Centre and Fong Shen Mould and Precision Engineering. As a whole, hiring disabled has more advantages than disadvantages as employers have found that most have not only met but exceeded exceptions- In fact, They have gone on to become very productive and loyal Employees. Need to employ disabled people 1. Diversity in the workplace employing disabled people helps the the team to be more diverse, which in turn ups the level of creativity and innovation. Furthermore, they will be drawing from a wider talent pool and there are disabled people who have skills, knowledge and expertise to contribute to the company/society. Louis Harry Survey showed that 88% of people working with a disabled colleague say that this experience is enriching, likely to modify their opinion of disabled people and to give a new sense of value to their job (60%). 2. Tight labour market limited human resources, companies have to make full use of expertise available, and employing disabled people helps them to boost manpower. Louis Harry Survey showed that 80% of people employing or working with disabled workers think that they are as productive as any other employee. 3. Contribute back to society employing disabled people will enable them to earn a steady income to support themselves or their families, also helping to boost their confidence when interacting with other able-bodied individuals. Moreover, the company will earn the respect and admiration of others because of their humanity, they are willing to employ disabled people and are not focused solely on making money. Louis Harry Survey showed that 75% of people working with a disabled colleague think that the recruitment of disabled workers in their firm gives a positive image and influences them favourably in the perception of their employer. Internet sources Rayna and Bryan to design survey for companies, which employed disabled, to gather statistics. Ruth and YiKai to interview KFC for statistics. q Group has shown that 2nd area is interesting and has significant impact. q Group has shown that an appropriate amount (not too much, not too little) of background information to 2nd area is given. 5. Strategies that can be developed from lessons learnt in (3) to apply to 2nd area. Â · Strategy 1: ESPERANZA(Hope) Features of the website: The organizer is the Asian Womens Welfare Association. The main objective of setting up the ESPERAZA is to provide a convenient platform for job matching. The website will be managed by AWWA, which the bridge between companies and disabled. AWWA assist disabled in going onto the website to look for more job opportunities, especially, people who are blind. The website is specially formatted to make it easier for the disabled (cannot sit or look at the computer screen for too long) as the job are categorized according to type of disabilities (e.g. deaf) and industries (e.g. handicraft). To ensure that companies can save money on providing skills training and disabled job opportunities to disabled according to their last talents/experiences and skills learnt previously in AWWA. Disabled visit website, know about different job opportunities and decides on interested and relevant job. AWWA alert disabled that once clicked on `confirm button, disabled will be an official employee of compan y, cannot black out, otherwise they will have a black record and remain unemployed for lifetime. Solution to reduce risk: One of the main reasons why companies hesitate hiring the disabled is cause they are unsure whether the disabled are able to fully commit themselves to the jobs. This includes resigning after a short term and so on. With the features like ‘confirm button, disabled people will take their job interviews into careful consideration. This is turn reduces the risk that the companies face when hiring the disabled. Ways to encourage companies to participate in the job search portal: Send volunteers to companies who are able to hire the disabled to conduct talks. With the talks, companies would be encouraged and ensured that the disabled are not inferior as compared to normal people in terms of efficiency and attitude wise. Lessons learnt from other job search portals Yellow ribbon project: account registration An account is needed for both the employee and the employer. This would prevent anyone from playing prank on such websites, causing inconvenience. Thus, the website would prove to be more efficient and the parties would not have to be afraid of being involved in scam cases. Australian job search portal: Most of the time, it is the employer who comes up with the requirements and the employee who have to search. With the uploading of resumes onto the website, employees are also able to have a chance of getting a job even when they are not using a computer as employers would be able to read the resumes online and decide whether they want to hire the disabled people or not. Thus, the application of allowing the disabled people to upload their resumes online would allow a higher efficiency as it would not only be a one sided issue where only the disabled people are searching for a job but also companies to search for workers. Â · Strategy 2: Rainbow Ribbon Project The Rainbow Ribbon Project is initiated to convince employers that employing disabled has more benefits than disadvantages and also as a supporting role to ensure that companies faces minimum problems with the employment of disabled. The objectives of the Rainbow Ribbon Project can be summarized in R2P: 1. Realizing potential of disabled people to ensure that employers will be able to fill up skills gaps in companies. 2. Reducing prejudice of society towards disabled to ensure that the number of consumers of companies employing disabled will not decrease and that companies will not make any losses. 3. Provide trust of employers in disabled employees to ensure that companies will make sure that their disabled employees can compete and flourish on equal terms in the workplace, maximising the use of human resource and minimising losses for the companies itself. Actions to take: To support the companies, an organization can be set-up. To minimize the extra cost needed to be paid by the companies to employ disabled, the organization will provide assistance to the disabled. Disabled will be attached to a volunteer mentor to offer guidance through taken through the entire project, which starts from helping disabled in getting a suitable job to adapting and settling down in a comfortable job. Disabled will be taken through the process of examining what they have to offer an employer and exploring careers, offered tips on finding a job, getting hired, and making that job work for them, They will be assisted to build their own resume online in RainbowCareerConnect and also link to resources for employment listings. With all these in place, companies do not have to worry and pay extra attention to the disabled employees as their welfare is taken care of, by the organization. 1. Rainbow Day The project reduces the risk of companies employing disabled as it increases the confidence of companies towards disabled. Prior to this day, companies will partner with groups of polytechnic students (School of Design and technology) and share with students areas in companies where disabled can help. After that, Students will design disabled-friendly aids base on needs of companies (e.g. light bulbs used in kitchen as indicators instead of using buzzers, very illustrative menu cards, and simple sign language posters). The Rainbow Day is for companies to witness potential of disabled through try-out of machines. On the actual day, The Coffee Bean shares success in employing disabled to manufacture BURLAP bags to convince companies the abilities of disabled. Disabled people will then visit the booths, where the Polytechnic student showcases aids designed at different booths, to gain hands-on experience. Companies witness what disabled can do when disabled try-out the aids and discover disabled suitable for employment before giving job application forms. Companies provide choice of short-term (e.g. manufacture period) and long-term employment, according to what disabled can do. With this special day in place, companies will not have to provide extra training for the disabled, helping them save cost and after employing them as they employ only disabled with skills they need. Furthermore, this day provides assurance to the companies as they are very sure that the disabled they employ will be of help to the companies, helping it to increase its productivity. 2. Run! for the Rainbow Companies employers will be the participants invited for the competition. Instead of running as a normal people, employers will be running as disabled. Employers will be asked to use or put on special items (e.g. blindfold, wheelchair) as disabled (e.g. blind, deaf, wheelchair-bound), putting themselves in the shoes of disabled people and gain a deeper understanding of the difficulties faced by them. To win the competition, the employers will push themselves hard and put in their best effort to win the competition. Hence, through this competition, companies will be assured of the commitment that disabled employees will put in as they understand how much effort the disabled will put in to ensure that he or she will not be sacked. Thus, companies will benefit as its productivity increases. 3. Rainbow award To recognize values and talents disabled bring to work place. Other than just receiving an award title, disabled will be given a chance to bring in friends, who are also limited by disabilities and are unable to get a job. This will help to increase the overall employment of disabled in the society. To ensure the companies will benefit, the awardees will be the job trainers for the new employees they recommended and must ensure that the new employees are of help to the companies. Thus, with this award, the productivity of the companies will only continue to increase as its manpower will definitely increase but not decrease. Resource Persons Ruth and YiKai to request an interview with AWWA in-charge. Printed/internet sources Bryan refer to AWWA website on how organization works. Rayna find out the different types of jobs suitable. Rayna, YiKai conduct survey for companies interested: -To get evidence that companies need to know potential of disabled before taking the risk to employ Printed/internet Resource YiKai and Ruth research on manufacturers Resource Persons Rayna and Bryan to request collaboration between DPA and polytechnics Resource person Ruth and Bryan contact person-in-charge of The BURLAP bag to gather evidence of its success q The suggested strategy is creative. q The suggested management strategy is appropriate and effective for the target audience. q The suggested management strategy is feasible and manageable. q There is a clear link between the lessons learnt from 1st area and the suggested proposal q Details of the strategy are clearly presented. q There is clear and honest evaluation of the strategy. Any other comments / considerations? There may be a lack of statistics and evidence from the website and hence we need to carry out surveys. We might not be able to get the interviews done in which case we might have to look at another location or organization that is willing to communicate with us. Economically minded organizations may not be willing to work with us as little direct benefits, then need to request help from other non-profit organizations q The group is aware of the potential difficulties they may encounter. q The project is manageable.