Benefits Of Distributed Leadership Education Essay

Benefits Of Distributed Leadership Education Essay Leadership is not all down to the Head teacher, the head of department or, in the classroom the teacher. If it is, nobody is learning anything at all about leadership. The first rule about leadership is that it is shared. (Brighouse and Woods, 1999:45) Most often administrative leadership is viewed as different from any kinds of leadership in school. The roles might be different since most managerial roles are completed outside the classrooms while teachers leadership is exercised within the classroom. Nevertheless in school, teachers, administrators, Learning Support Assistants (LSAs), parents and students can all work together towards the improvement of Distributed Leadership (DL). That is why Sergiovanni states that, If leadership is a practice shared by many then it must be distributed among those who are in the right place at the right time and among those who have the ability. (2006:189-190) In this section, literature will be organised and focused round the following questions: What are the benefits of distributed leadership in a secondary school? To what extent is leadership shared among all stakeholders in Sunflower School? How far can distributed leadership facilitate learning? How effective to the schools improvement and success can distributed leadership be? What are the benefits of distributed leadership in a secondary school? A successful leader is classified as such, when s/he manages to involve others in the process of leadership. According to Sergiovanni, when principals share leadership, they get more power in return (2006:185). DL also enables those involved to develop their own leadership skills. With DL, Principals are helping their colleagues by boosting their self-confidence, and to make their own decisions (Nicholls, 2000). Recently, Mifsud found that Maltese Heads practise shared decision-making to ensure widespread ownership (2008:7). Thus all teaching-staff (Teachers and LSAs) will become more autonomous, while abiding with the School Development Plan (SDP) and curriculum. Sharing leadership with all stakeholders involves dedicating time to achieve good results (Brighouse and Woods, 1999). The pure type of collegiality (Bush, 1995:52) works its best, when the institution is formed by a small number of staff. Having a large number of teaching-staff will surely make DL difficult. Although in our schools context we have a large number of staff, DL can still work since the teaching-staff is divided into smaller groups. Likewise, Brighouse and Woods say that, The smaller the school or teaching unit, the more leadership, as well as work, can be shared (1999:45). According to Leithwood et al DL helps teachers to be satisfied with their work, increases their sense of professionalism, stimulates organisational change, increases efficiency and encourages cross-interactions between teaching-staff (1999:115). Although, Blase and Blase argue that entrusting teachers with self-autonomy and empowerment makes them feel satisfied, motivated and confident and they are likely to give their utmost in their job (1994:29); this sometimes may also lead the teaching-staff to overpower the Principal like it happens in our school. Yet, Blase and Kirby (1992) found that when teachers are empowered through autonomy, their attitudes and performance will get better. Moreover, even when leadership is shared among teaching-staff and students, this creates an attitude of respect between them, especially when they are so directly involved. Having a democratic leader helps gain attentive listening from subordinates, which in turn will also help improve relationships. When teachers working in democratic schools but had previous experiences in other schools which have authoritarian leaders were interviewed Blase and Blase (1994) concluded that teachers classroom autonomy enable them to have class control. An autocratic style called by Brighouse and Woods north pole-north pole leadership will lead teachers to work to rule and nothing more (1999:51). In contrast having a democratic style called north pole-south pole where leadership is shared among all stakeholders, will unlock enormous surges of energy and effort among professionals (Brighouse and Woods: 1999:51). They also argue, that sharing leadership will relieve Heads form some leadership stress. Thus DL, leads to sharing of responsibility which will not remain a burden on the Heads shoulders. Until recently, according to Cauchi Cuschieri (2007), leadership in Maltese Church Secondary Schools was seen as the Head teachers job. However, the style used nowadays is much more DL amongst stakeholder s. In our school this is not the case, since from its founding, it was believed that DL enables sharing ideas and responsibility which finally leads to the schools improvement. Duke et al, (1980) established, that the school is democratic one when the teaching-staff, is involved in the process of decision making. Likewise, Blase and Blase argue that increasing teacher access to decision making is essential to empowering teachers (1994:33). Also, Churchfields secondary school study shows, that teachers feel the need to participate in the schools management as it gives better results in the decision making process (Bush, 1995). Finally, when a decision is taken, it is the teaching-staffs responsibility to put it into action. So, being involved leads the staff to make a decision (Bush, 1995). Rivalland (1989 cited in Wolfendale 1992:57) presents a number of benefits that can be achieved from parental involvement in schools: They work for a better learning environment since it is for their own childs interest; Whatever is needed to be done in school, and whatever parents are able to do, they do it and they offer themselves as human resources to the school; They create the learning connection between schools and students respective homes; With their presence in school, they will become aware of what the school needs from time to time. Although, Wolfendale (1992) argues, that having parents involved in the study and formulation of schools behaviour and discipline policy will give a good result; this may not be applicable in our school since it seems that the Parents and Teachers Association (PTA) tackles only social issues and personal concerns of parents. However, this will be investigated later on in this study. King states that students leadership is mostly exercised in the prefectorial system (1973:141). However, this does not seem to be the only solution for our school, since leadership is also exercised through the students council. It is true that the ultimate responsibility of decision-making in schools is in the hands of the Principal. Nonetheless, as Frost claims Schools can also be enriched by students contributions to decision-making and curriculum development (2008:356). Moreover, when students are consulted in certain matters such as finance they are taught some of the hard lessons of democracy (Colgate, 1976:123). Prefects and councillors are students particularly chosen to help in school control and decision making. If their appointment is successful they may also serve as role models for other students (King, 1973). Contrary to all the benefits of involving all stakeholders, one has to say that collegiality is an intense activity since it entails work after school hours. Likewise, Smylie and Denny (1990) argue that the involvement of the teaching-staff in leadership may be time consuming and may have an effect on the students needs. The time for training and the funding allocated for these functions are not enough, argues White (1992). These problems make DL more difficult to succeed. However since all teaching-staff in our school have free periods during the day, this may not be a problem. Adding to this, having a large number of participants might create problems in communication, even when having a wide range of different views from all participants (Bush, 1995). To what extent is leadership shared among all stakeholders in Sunflower School? Leadership is not a one man job, because to be successful this must be shared. Moyo writes that: The concept of distributed leadership is the idea of sharing leadership amongst all stakeholders. These stakeholders, as stated earlier include head teachers, middle leaders, teachers, parents and students. (2010:25) It is not leadership if a person orders, requires, seduces, or threatens anothers compliance, (Sergiovanni, 2006:192). So true leadership is when it is shared among all those having the ability to be involved in it. Similarly, Brighouse and Woods emphasise that: One person may be key but leadership is shared among pupils, teachers and other staff and members of the community (1999:48). Likewise, Leithwood et al (1999) refers to DL as a key element of many SDPs. Until recently the Head teacher in Maltese schools was seen as the schools ultimate authority (Mifsud, 2008). Rather than having an autocratic school, having a democratic one entails having a DL (Bush, 1995). With collaboration, and exchange of ideas, problems can be solved collegially, while individual qualities are developed further (Leithwood et al, 1999). This is what Bush calls collegiality (1995:52), and claims that there are two different types of collegiality, one is the restricted, meaning that a number from the staff are chosen to participate in the process of decision making, while the other called pure is the process which involves everyone equally (Bush, 1995:52). Teachers, LSAs, parents and students who are enormously committed to children and school life (Brighouse and Woods, 1999:49) are perfect for participating in DL, because they are more approachable, more trusted, and their main goal is school improvement. In one of the interviews carried out in Blase and Blases (1994) study, a teacher describes best what a shared governance principals attitude should be like, that is, to guide not to dictate. Teachers interviewed could make comparisons of past and present principals. Although its ideal to involve everyone in the process of decision making, in the context of our school, there should be a person that leads both the discussion, and assumes responsibility for taking the final decisions, which should be the Principal or a delegate. About this, Blase and Blase state that principals are compelled to assume full responsibility over all school matters (1994:78). Dunford et al also maintain that whilst the Head will remain the leader, others will need to add a leadership role to their management responsibilities (2000:5). Weick (1976, cited in Blase and Blase 1994:135) claims that now schools have developed into organisations, in which administrators and teachers work separately and independently. This does not appear to be our schools situation, as the stakeholders all seemed to be involved in teamwork. In contrast, Blase and Blase (1994) research presents principals under study as being open to others opinions, collegiality and DL. When this issue of DL was introduced, most Senior Management Team (SMT) members were being involved. Arguing this Dunford et al (2000) say that particularly having more SMT members in a secondary school, leads to the shared responsibility and the establishment of different roles. Leithwood et al (1999:121) in their study found that teachers were most likely involved in school planning and school structure and organisation while the principals leadership is more focused to management issues. In our school this is not the case as in school planning the Principal is the Chairperson. Normally, people think that teacher leadership is exercised only within the classroom. However, in democratic schools like ours, teachers are involved in all aspects of the school, even when taking decisions. Blase and Blase also state that, Successful shared governance principals show trust in teachers capacity for responsible involvement in both school-level and classroom-level decision making. (1994:27) Similarly Leithwood et al argued that there are two forms of teacher leadership; one is the formal style for leadership of class control, or an informal one: By sharing their expertise, volunteering for new projects and bringing new ideas to the school helping their colleagues to carry out their classroom duties, and by assisting in the improvement of classroom practice, (1999:117). Brighouse and Woods (1999) concluded that because teachers are leaders in classes they dont like to be followers, and so expect to participate more in school leadership. Moreover, they also say that: Successful Headsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ are men and women with ideals and the ability to share those ideals with those whom they lead. (1999:54). Therefore, through the sharing and openness of ideas, leadership is shared and decisions taken will hold much more. However, in the context of our school, if leadership is to be shared and if teachers are to work in different groups, they are to be monitored either by the Principal or assistant principal. Moreover Leithwood et al, (2000) claim that the number of people involved in DL varies according to different tasks. Most effective distribution of leadership functions would vary the numbers of people providing leadership in response to the complexity of the tasks to be performed-more in the case of complex tasks and fewer in response to simple tasks (2007:58). Research shows that in Malta, Practically all schools have teachers involved in one team or another (LIE, 2009:176). The benefits of DL indicate that Maltese schools are trying to work hard on it. Since 1980, the Education Act in England ensured parental representation on school governing bodies (Wolfendale, 1992:62). Likewise, the Maltese Education Act that was reformed in 2006 states that the Maltese Directorate for Educational Services, Should promote, encourage and monitor the democratic governance of schools through School Councils with the active participation of parents, teachers and students. (GOM, 2006:7) Thus the PTA and Students Council were introduced in Maltese Schools so that they may participate actively in school leadership and decision making. As Wolfendale (1992) said, the aim for parents participation is to represent other parents, to discuss common interest issues and to inform other parents of decisions taken through written circulars or school meetings. It is also described as a forum for teachers and parents to meet and engage in social and perhaps fundraising activities (Wolfendale, 1992:74). Furthermore, research in Malta confirms that parents are indeed involved in policy decision making and practice (LIE, 2009). Parents are always keen to participate in school leadership for the benefits of their own children and for the schools improvement (Wolfendale, 1992). In our school, this may not be the situation, since there are those who are passive and do not participate in any activities or meetings even if it regards their own childs interests. In most of the Maltese schools or colleges, only a small percentage of parents are involved through the PTA committee, while others get involved only through activities organized by the school or the PTA. Some parents are called upon by the schools to offer their expertise where necessary (LIE, 2009:175). However, Wolfendale (1992) notes, that sometimes teachers do not feel the benefit of parental involvement in school. Harding and Pike (1988 cited in Wolfendale, 1992:59) suggest ways in which parents can be directly involved in the school. This can be done through: Personal contact with the school and staff; Written communication; PTA or other parental groups within the school; Their involvement in school matters and learning. In contrast, in primary schools the rate of parental involvement in the PTA is higher than in the secondary. This most probably happens because secondary schools are much larger in number and more teachers are involved, so the rapport between parents and teachers may not be that strong. These issues have been called by Wolfendale as difficulties to set up and maintain teacher-parent initiatives in secondary schools (1992:58). The development of the School Development Plan was one of the main activities where DL was exercised in Maltese schools with the intention of including all stakeholders in planning and discussion. As the aim was for the schools improvement and improved learning for all students, it was noticed that students were not included in any of the discussion. This issue was later tackled firstly by a students school council (LIE, 2009) and then by an Ekoskola committee, which takes care of the environment (Bezzina, 2007). Since, students are the final achievers of the educational institution, they should have space and opportunities to share their views and talk about their needs. Bell and Harrison (1998) state that it is of mutual importance for the school to work in collaboration with students and encourage them in teamwork. Likewise, Brighouse and Woods (1999) stress the importance of involving children in leadership roles within the school, to make them more responsible and prepare them for the world of work. However, there are two types of student leaders and these must be clearly distinguished. There are those called bullies, who use their power to intimidate others and as a result push away all other students. The other group is called unofficial leaders (Brighouse and Woods, 1999:48), who somehow always attract others. Moreover, they may be trusted and given a number of leadership duties to carry out as they are seen by teachers as capable and responsible pupils. To distinguish between these kinds of leaders, the school can organise a socio-gram test at the beginning or at the end of the scholastic year. How far can distributed leadership facilitate learning? Leithwood et al (1999) argue that there is a challenge between leadership practice, and the research that points out ways in which leadership affects students and their learning. In contrast, Spillane claims that: What matters for instructional improvement and student achievement is not that leadership is distributed, but how it is distributed (2005:149). However, Leithwood et al (2006b) maintain that after classroom teaching, leadership is next to influence students learning. Lately, Leithwood and Massey emphasised that Leadership is a major cause for the improvements in student achievement. (2010:79) Principals and other SMT members are encouraged to work hard towards creating a better environment for better learning. This means that they are to ensure that the school atmosphere is good both for teachers to work in and for students to learn. This does not refer only to the physical environment, but also to the distribution of leadership and teachers autonomy. Principals acceptance of trust and DL within their school means that they let the teaching-staff choose their ways and means of teaching that is best applicable for the students under their responsibility (Blase and Blase, 1994). This also can be done through encouraging teamwork between teachers and LSAs. Similarly, Bezzina claims that Only by involving all stakeholders and respecting differences can we give birth to new ideas (2006:86) and thus create a better atmosphere for better learning. Moreover, Brighouse and Woods highlight that DL and collaboration among all staff will result in: raising the achievement of pupils (1999:83). Christopher Bezzina conducted a case study in one of the Maltese Church schools, where the academic achievement was not so high. The schools Head, having had experiences in different schools introduced the issue of DL for better learning. Teaching-staff, parents and students were encouraged to participate in the schools matters and decision making programmes. The result was successful concluding that quality improvement initiatives placed a great emphasis on the leadership of the organisation (Bezzina 2008:23). Thus, one can conclude that having DL in a school has a great impact on learning. According to Moyo, DL has an effect on students learning through teachers, who are the closest leaders in contact with students and their learning; But in order to achieve this, teachers need to be involved and motivated by the leadership, (2010:23). Teachers having a personal view of DL, help children to learn more. This is done by involving them in leadership practice inside and outside the classroom. Brighouse and Woods (1999) note that even the type of teacher-student relationship has an influence on students learning. Moreover, having autocratic leadership style in class does not help in creating a learning atmosphere for students. The teacher with good student relationship encourages pupils to never give up, and aim high in life for the future. As stated by Blase and Blase (1994), teachers autonomy is when they are free to decide their own ways and means, to carry out their work. In Malta, teachers autonomy is mostly linked with the classroom; where they are free to design their lesson plans, with their own resources, while also having autonomy to students control, which Blase and Blase (1994:73) call it disciplinary matters. This kind of DL will also influence students learning. Besides this type of autonomy in the classroom, new methods and techniques should be tried and encouraged. This so called innovation facilitates learning for all students, as education becomes not just one size fits all, but adapted especially to the pupils needs (Blase and Blase 1994:75) through the organisation of differentiated learning. In school, this entails teamwork, reinforces collegiality and sharing of the resources within. For teachers to improve students learning, they must first share their ideals with others and then work together towards that ideal. It is the job of the management to bring those ideals together into common set of objectives, (Brighouse and Woods, 1999:54). Parents are considered as the first educators, great contributors of all aspects of learning, and always interested in helping their children to learn better. Wolfendale (1992:60) argues that, parents as educators, can make a significant contribution to childrens acquisition of reading and literacy skills. Moreover, Leithwood et al argue that: No matter what the student population, involving parents primarily in the teaching of their own children is most likely to contribute to childrens learning (2006a:102). The study by HMI (Her Majestys Inspectors) showed that Parents involvement in schools, lead to students success (1991, cited in Wolfendale, 1992:56). Its interesting to study ways in which parents can help both teachers and students in relation to learning. However, one must also take note of the relationship that exists between parents and teachers and not cause any job meddling. Usually, we only think of academic results when it comes to students learning. However, research shows that through their participation in leadership, students gain more knowledge and acquire new skills. These skills are needed for their future in society. Frost claims that students participation in leadership also helps them acquire other non-academic achievements; greater self-esteem, heightened self-confidence, interpersonal and political skills, and self-efficacy when students have opportunities to exercise responsibility (2008:356). When given certain leadership roles, students set their own targets for learning through that experience (Brighouse and Woods, 1999), which might also be of help to other students. Brighouse and Woods (1999) argue that a teacher can give responsibility to students to help those in need in a certain matter. Through each others support, those that have less academic abilities will achieve and learn more. Research shows that pupils have so much to say about their learning, and as such they should be consulted for the benefit of their learning, and the methodology used by teachers in class (Morgan, 2011). How effective to the schools improvement and success can distributed leadership be? Fink sees schools as living systems where: Leadership is distributed across the various cells that affect a school such as students, teachers, parents, unions, social services, County Hall, and local communities. (2010:44) Bezzinas study carried out in a Maltese Church School revealed, that when teachers were involved in DL the majority of staff felt responsible for determining the way forward (2008:24). He then concluded that school improvement and success can be achieved, with hard work, sacrifice and commitment expressed by the Head teacher, the senior leadership team, pupils, parents and teachers, (Bezzina, 2008:26). LIE maintains that when a policys decision making process involves all stakeholders in a school including, SMT, teachers, students and parents; Then the values which are held dear by the school will be on the road to success because they would have been owned by all (2009:176) Brighouse and Woods (1999:45) confirm that research done in the past and again lately by OFSTED shows that, leadership in schools is the key factor in improvement and success. They also argue that, A key ingredient to school success is the extent to which the values of school life are shared among all the members of the community, (Brighouse and Woods, 1999:55) According to Telford (1995) collaboration between all stakeholders within a school brings about school improvement. She argues that the following points which lead to school improvement affect both the individuals within the school and the institution itself; Development of the educational potential of students, professional development of teachers, good organizational health, institutionalization of vision (Telford, 1995, cited in Bell and Harrison 1998:14). It is interesting to note that it is much easier for principals to control goals rather than humans. To gain control for the accomplishment of a goal, leadership must be shared (Sergiovanni, 2006). Little (1981, cited in Sergiovanni, 2006:186) found that when principals work through collegiality with teachers, the school will improve. It is of importance to equalize the principal and teachers opinions in a discussion, since no one should be preferred to the others as everyone is sharing from his/her own knowledge, for the schools best interest (Blase and Blase, 1994). Similarly, Nicholls (2000) argue that leadership is best carried out when a number of people having the same values and aims challenge each other for getting better results. In other words, one can say that school leadership is best fulfilled when all those involved in the institution, share their thoughts without being considered as superior to one another. Thus, including group activity liberates leadership and provid es the framework we need for widespread involvement in improving schools (Sergiovanni, 2006:186). In successful schools, when a debate crops up on school improvement, the staff should work on: Involving pupils, parents and governors (Brighouse and Woods, 1999:83). Likewise, Davies and Davies (2010) also claim that it is crucial to involve others in school leadership as it leads to school improvement and success. Moreover, they say that: Engaging all the staff in discussions about where the school is, where it needs to go and hence the skills and knowledge we need to learn to achieve progress is a uniting factor. (Davies and Davies, 2010:15) Shared leadership might bring about changes which are required for school improvement to take place. The best change is usually one generated from something or someone within the school because it Recharges energy in participants and embraces the greatest likelihood of improvement in teaching and learning styles, simply because it is so localised, (Brighouse and Woods, 1999:60). Changes for school improvement are gained faster, when teachers are involved in the process of decision making (Bush, 1995). Furthermore, Brighouse and Woods, (1999) argue that when change for school improvement is required, time has to be allocated in the schools diary, since the staff needs time to work on the implementation process. In their study Leithwood et al concluded that teachers consider their participation in leadership, as a step for the school to be more effective and innovative (1999:121). Moreover, when teachers are involved in the decision making they are less likely to have adverse reactions to principals expectations. According to Dunford et al (2000) when the decision making process involves those who are closest to its impact it gives a positive attitude towards school improvement. In addition, they say that if secondary schools want to be effective, leadership must be shared at least among senior staff. Furthermore, Sergiovanni (2006) emphasises that in schools where power is shared among principals, teachers, parents and others, work is done autonomously towards schools aims for school improvement. Likewise, Nicholls (2000) claims, that a shared vision is indispensable for school improvement. Trusting teachers through empowerment may lead principals to achieve their desired goals without imposing them. Building trust is critical to empowering teachers, (Blase and Blase, 1994:29). They also claim that this shows that the principal demonstrated great faith in them and valued them as experts and professionals, (Blase and Blase, 1994:77). Teachers involved in different leadership roles are expected to work for the improvement of the decision-making process (Leithwood et al, 1999). This collegial process of involving others in the decision making process is exercised through discussion and shared power in the institution. In a collegial, collaborative environment, principals consistently concentrate on enabling others to examine and redesign schools for improved learning, and teachers learn to share power and work as a team. (Blase and Blase, 1994:33) Leithwood et al (2007) concluded that when DL is implemented and when opportunities are offered, staff will be much more motivated to work towards school improvement. From their research Leithwood et al established that: Informal leaders had more involvement with creating high-performance expectations and motivating others than formal school leaders, while formal leaders had more to do with identifying and articulating a vision. (2007:57) With informal leaders we can include both parents and pupils. When students are at home most of them speak about their school experience with their siblings and through this parents get to know their thoughts and feelings. Hence, parents might be another link between schools and children. Parental involvement in schools may bring about changes which will finally lead to school improvement. Similarly, Wolfendale argues that, parental opinion can be mobilized to bring about significant changes (1992:63). Conclusion Schools success lies in the skills and attitudes of the professional staff, not merely within the leadership capabilities of the principal. (Blase and Blase, 1994:28) Thus DL is needed for growth and development because the Principal sometimes is in need of other staff members to solve certain problems. According to Bezzina, DL calls for an extension of that power vertically downwards to involve all members of staff, (2000:305). Moreover, the final result of school success is a job that belon

Ride Of The Second Horseman :: essays research papers fc

Robert O’Connell explains to us the decline of organized warfare between people. This is stated in three different regions of argument; the nomads having to change to cope with the new geographic changes find it easier to just try to take the agriculturalists food sources rather then find their own. Second the new divisions of government cause a more humanistic approach to settle disagreements rather then warfare, and thirdly the total demise of how warfare once was. The shift to domesticated farming, away from nomadic pastorals, led to a clash between these two subsistence patterns. The nomads, facing geographic change and poor food supplies, attempted to make their way down from the hills and take on the agriculturalist. This is the only way the nomads could keep a steady food source. ‘Cultures that knew nothing of war suddenly began suffering unprovoked attacks by terrifying strangers.’(13) This shows you the kind of bloodthirsty savages the nomads were, their way of life was changing and they weren’t ready for it to change. ‘So it is that these voracious ant armies number in the millions, just as major outbreaks of nomadic aggression were characteristically preceded by inertial congregations. If there is strength in numbers among the sedentary, there is only hunger among the nomadic.’(21) Again this shows how the nomadic are going hungry and have no way to turn except to fight for food. The agriculturalist have superior strength in numbers and after a few attacks from the nomads the will be ready to take them out for good and worry about them no more. This new age of society is just too profitable for them to leave it, crops that a few men farm yielding the food for twenty. The economics itself are just to great to turn back now. ‘The key to such realti0onships is mutualism, with booth plant and animal oolong in ways that intensify the partnership†¦In the period between 8500 BC and AD 1 the great majority of humans made the transition from wild food to planting and harvesting domesticated crops-a span of only eight and a half millennia in the more than four-million history of our line.’(55) Once more you see the demise of the nomads, the ability to culture nature to how humans want it; it’s just to easy. So why continue to keep picking up and moving your entire group when you could just center out of one area and have ever possible thing you could need to sup port yourself.

The Leadership Style of Donald Trump :: Charisma, Leadership

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Donald Trump is known for his eccentricity and unconventional businesses practices. He exhibits an unconventional leadership style. Donald Trump started early to develop his personal brand, this is exhibited by every piece of real estate Mr. Trump owns. Every casino, building or golf course has his name on it. He is eccentric, powerful, but yet he makes very smart business decisions. He is also a risk taker. All these business skills have made him a very well recognized business leader, and one of the nations most known billionaires. Donald Trump has appeared in many magazines, has written a couple of books, and even gotten his own show on NBC called â€Å"The Apprentice†. But what makes Donald Trump successful in almost every endeavor he takes on? Was he born a leader? or did he just become a great leader. There are certain characteristics common in all leaders. Some of those are values, skills and cognitive abilities. Mr. Trump exhibits all of these traits. If this is what h as made him as successful as he is, why are certain leaders not able to achieve his type of success? Perhaps he has something extra that has propelled him above everybody else. Everything that he touches seems to turn to gold. Donald Trump’s leadership styles have made him rich, powerful, famous and known through out the world. This paper will examine some of those leadership styles. Leadership traits   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Leadership research has not revealed a single trait that is possessed by all successful leaders, but a number of characteristics have been identified that are common to many of them†(Timpe, p.30, 1987). Leadership studies have not yielded one common trait possessed by all successful leaders, but they have identified a number of characteristics that are commonly found in successful leaders. And also displayed by Donald Trump Verbal Fluency This is not only having an extensive vocabulary, but also being able to speak in a manner that inspires and encourages. Being able to command attention from your audience is very important. When Mr. Trump speaks people listen. He is able to articulate and sell his ideas to you. He has had to do a lot of wheeling and dealing trying to acquire real estate, thus being able to persuade people by simply speaking is essential. Ability to Solve Problems   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Problem solving is another characteristics of effective leaders. You have to be able to care of situations when they arise.

Gurram Session Assignment

Sham C Grams Question I-Discuss how either good or poor quality affects you personally as a consumer. For instance, describe experiences in which your expectations were met, exceeded, or not met you purchased goods or services. Did your experience change your regard for the organization and/or its product? How? Response- When you consider a product or service the top notch factor that falls into consideration is Quality, be it anything from Pen in a students hand to a rocket on its way to mars should have a quality standard in order to survive.Quality may be in good or bad standard, depending upon the type of quality of the product or service provided one may personally change his idea or thought about the product. In my personal opinion I had both good and worse experiences of the products I used. Among many products I use I always look for the good quality product or service pay for. Experience 1- I am totally a gadget freak and put myself more into collecting electronic wonders an d smart phones.I bought a Sony smart phone worth 450$ back in hose time when one would hardly know what is an android phone, since Sony is way fast in releasing the smart phone's with android O. S thought to buy one for myself. I bought an Experts XSL worth 450$ and started using it. Everything was good until 5 months I really liked the phone and used to proudly display as my costly gadget, then one day Sony released a software upgrade for the phone and wanted me to update. Updated my device and it started to restart automatically, called up the customer support guys and hey proved no help to me. I tried contacting them several times but still no use finally the device stopped to start permanently and when mailed Sony about the issue they say that the device is out of warranty on the date when I send them a mail. Finally decide to start negative propaganda about Sony and still doing it. I will never ever recommend someone to Sony gadgets. Experience 2- I never shop online basically, one day I decided to give a try.I thought to buy a shirt from eBay. Com online store, went online and selected shirt for myself and then bought it with a scary thought about the quality of the product, surprisingly the quality of the shirt is great and am highly satisfied with the quality and the service provided by the online shopping giant. They also provided me a 15% discount for my next purchase. So from now on I would refer anyone to eBay. Com without having a second thought. Question 18- How can you internalize and practice quality at a personal level in your daily activities?Response- There is a wise saying that â€Å"If there is no Problem with the horse shoe, then he horse is good and if the horse is good than the race can be won easily†. If an individual follows quality and practice quality at personal level, he also puts the same practice at his work. Personal level quality practice includes like 1 . Completing tasks in given particular time 2. Reaching the desire d destination on time 3. Time management 4. Personality development 5. Maintaining accuracy 6. Planning 7. Appearance All these factors fall in developing the quality in daily activities at individual level.

Long term conditions Essay

Long-term conditions also known as chronic diseases or non-communicable diseases have been defined by the World Health Organization (WHO, 2005, p.35) as conditions that have origins at young ages take decades to be fully established, with their long duration, requiring a long term and systematic approach to treatment. Plans to transform care for patients with long-term conditions are based on continuing to maintain focus on early intervention and prevention; supporting integrated services shall help the patients and the public have a clear set of rights and patients in turn shall help the health care by undertaking the necessary steps, to take good care of their own health: promoting a preventative, people- centred, and productive care to be delivered (Great Britain. Department of Health, 2009). Director General of WHO expressed that, â€Å"the lives of far too many people in the world are being blighted and cut short by chronic diseases, this is a  very serious situation, both for public health and for the societies and economies affected† (WHO, 2005, p. VII), which has raised a need for long term conditions to be managed differently. Goodwin et al (2010, p.61) report that it was recognised, if patients with long-term conditions were managed effectively in the community, they would remain relatively stable and enjoy a quality of life free from frequent crises or observed increases in hospital visits. Chronic diseases have placed a heavy burden on the health care with demand for services and cost for treatment; the economic cost levels incurred; directly by the health care and indirectly by the individuals has also increased, and also increased use of hospital resources, raising need to manage the differently (Canada. Department of Health and Community Services, 201 1, p.7). They are time-consuming and some do not require the expertise and skill of a physician, but rather, may be managed by other members of the health care team (Canada. Ontario Medical Association, 2009, p.1). Chronic conditions have an effect on workplaces as regards productivity losses, where modifications have to be made by employers who attain workers with long-term conditions; so there is a need to manage them differently (Canada. Department of health and Community Services, 2011, p.7). Great Britain. Department of Health (2012) published a policy to support the management of long term conditions: improving quality of life for patients with long term conditions. Majority of the health care systems of middle-income countries, including Malaysia, are organised around models of healthcare developed in western countries, such systems are clearly at odds when dealing with long-term and continuing illness that require collaboration across health care sectors and where patient behaviour change forms the primary focus (Yasin et al, 2012, p.3). Malaysia is now implementing the Innovative Care for Chronic Conditions Model (ICCC), for it was developed, recognizing the challenges of the under-resourced and non-integrated health systems in low-and-middle income countries; but still holds focus on encouraging behaviour change at an individual level through improving self-management (Yasin et al, 2012, p.4). Managing long-term conditions requires key principles to be applied for  health care to remain focused with the plans to transform care; the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (Great Britain. Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, 2012, p.13) identifies six key principles that may be used as guidelines for managing long-term conditions and these include: working in partnership with the patients and their carers, supporting self-management, avail appropriate and timely evidence-based information to service-users and their carers, promote personalised aid for patients to manage their medicines, recognising carers as partners in planning and delivery of services, services should be patient-centred, and flexible and integrated services across all sectors. In this assignment, a scenario of a patient diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis three months ago, is going to be discuss, regarding examination findings outlined in the pro-forma; her name is Marjory 32 years old, married and a mother of two, works as a secretary. It is her first physiotherapy session, and she is receiving active treatment, and shall be introduced to self-management guidelines that are to help her manage her condition at home. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory, autoimmune disease that causes pain, joint stiffness especially in the morning, and loss of function; it can occur at any age but is more common in persons over the age of 30 years and affects women more often than men (Australia. The Department of Health and Ageing, 2009, p.1). RA is a systematic disease that affects the whole body; joint pain and swelling manifest, leading to structural deformities and disability, causing a reduction in joint movement and muscle use; this happens because the immune system attacks the synovium first, with which the synovial membrane becomes thick and inflamed, resulting in unwanted tissue growth, but the most affected joints are particularly those of the wrists, hands and feet (Australia. The Department of Health and Ageing, 2009, p.3-4). Goal-setting process is required when managing RA patients: a formal process where a physiotherapist together with the patient formulates the rehabilitation goals which need to be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic/relevant and timed, i.e. meeting the criteria for â€Å"SMART† principle (Meesters et al, 2013, p.1). Physiotherapy management of RA uses a comprehensive approach which consists of a combination of education, exercise and pain relief agents, with the emphasis varying depending on clinical needs identified, so the physiotherapist and patient discuss coming to an agreement in regards to setting goals (The National Collaborating Centre for Chronic Condition (NCCCC), 2009, p.77). Physiotherapy aims to reduce pain and stiffness, prevent deformity and maximise function, independence and quality of life, which Marjory equally needs (NCCCC, 2009, p. 77). Kavuncu and Evcik (2004, p.1) assert that successful management involves educating patients and informing them about the planned treatment modalities that are going to be used and their effects to the patient’s identified problems. It was identified that Marjory had residual swelling around her hands, but no heat on palpation and the range of motion (ROM) had also reduced; paraffin wax therapy and hand exercises are the interventions chosen. Kacunvu and Evcik (2004, p.2) recommend using heat therapy before exercise for maximum benefit and applications are recommended for 10–20 minutes once or twice a day. Paraffin wax therapy has a short term symptomatic relief of pain and stiffness at the hands; the use of moist heat is intended to increase blood flow to the area, reduce pain and improve ROM (Welch et al, 2011, p.2). Recent evidence shows positive results for paraffin wax baths combined with hand exercises for arthritic hands on objective measures of ROM, pinch function, grip strength, pain on non-resisted motion, stiffness compared to control after four consecutive weeks of treatment (Welch et al, 2011, p.2). Despite paraffin wax therapy having benefits, its heat effects may increase inflammation, thus increasing swelling of the synovial membrane, so both joint and skin temperature elevate following superficial heating, which is a disadvantage to using heat therapy as an intervention, because RA patients often have unstable vascular reactions following exposure to heat (Hayes, pg.255, 2006). Another identified problem on Marjory was the swelling on the knees with heat on palpation, cold therapy is preferred for active joints where intra-articular heat increase is undesired; the physiological effects of  cold therapy include an abrupt drop in skin temperature, and a slow decline in temperatures within the muscles and joints: the recommended application time is 20 minutes to decrease synovial blood flow in patients with arthritis (Demoulin and Vanderthommen, 2011, p.117). Cold therapy is advocated to be applied intermittently rather than continuous, for the optimal parameters; each session should last 25 to 30 minutes, which is the time thought to be needed to substantially decrease temperature, blood flow, and metabolism (Demoulin and Vanderthommen, 2011, p.118). After cold therapy application, then TENS will be applied on Marjory’s knees, for it decreases pain and inflammation, and also reduces stiffness; its physiological effect of stimulation of the large sensory fibres prevents impulses from the smaller pain fibres from being transmitted in the ascending tracks in the spinal cord; decreased inflammation and joint volume will give an analgesic effect (Hayes, 2006, p.257). The burst-mode is recommended for it has both the high (70–100 Hz), and low (3–4 bursts per second) frequency modes; the advantage of burst-mode TENS is the greater comfort of the current, recommended treatment time is 30 minutes, only once per day for several weeks (Hayes, 2006, p. 257). The disadvantage of TENS, is the discomfort that arises from skin irritation through the electrode couplant from the electricity, and a study reported that an RA patient developed paresthesias which increased pain following heat and TENS, these effects were delayed, so RA patients should be monitored closely (Hayes, 2006, p. 257). In early disease of RA, patient education is a foundation of all rehabilitation interventions; however, using cognitive behavioural approach delivered at the appropriate time which is after active treatment, in order to promote long-term adherence to management strategies rather than an education-only approach (Luqmani et al, 2006, p.5). Research suggests that changing of illness perceptions and the use of coping strategies have a significant influence on psychological well- being, health-seeking behaviours, adherence and treatment outcome on rheumatoid arthritis patients (Dures and Hewlett, 2012, p.553). Rehabilitation is targets managing the consequences of disease, so there are other strategies that are to be applied for long-term remission for everyone with RA (Hammond A, pg.135, 2004); for which Marjory shall be empowered to manage her condition. Self-management training does plays a role with patient knowledge gain, aiming to give patients the strategies and tools necessary to make daily decisions to cope with the disease; patients’ involvement in the management of their care helps to improve self-confidence, desirable behaviour and improved functional status (Vliet Vlieland, 2007, p.1400). Self-efficacy is a component that may influence Marjory to have a positive change towards her health behaviour, become motivated to succeed and have perseverance once she has decided on a plan of action; and she gain the ability to recover from setbacks, and the likelihood of maintaining the change over time (Dures and Hewlett, 2012, p.553) Joint Protection and energy conservation strategies through resting and using splinting, compressive gloves, assistive devices, and adaptive equipment have beneficial effects in managing RA symptoms and deformities, which help to stabilise Marjory’s symptoms; splints may be used to give desired position at rest and functional positioning to the involved active joints; indirectly diminishing pain and inflammation, preventing development of deformities, preventing joint stress, supporting joints, and reducing joint stiffness (Kanvucu and Evcik, 2004, p.4). Compression gloves give a gentle compression which is an advantage on controlling joint swelling leading to decrease of pain (Kanvucu and Evcik, 2004, p.4). Exercise therapy has physiological advantages of improving cardiovascular health, increasing muscular hypertrophy and increasing bone mineral density; also as a therapy, it enhances physical function and psychosocial advantages of the patients (Law et al, 2012, p. 332). Despite the positive reports about exercise, there are barriers to this management approach: psychosocial aspects cause barriers, concerns relating to joint health and limitations in exercise prescription, musculoskeletal pain and fatigue (Law et al, 2012, p. 334). Pain Management strategies are needed because pain is the main cause for the lack of activity and losses of functional ability in RA patients, successful rehabilitation cannot be achieved if the patient is in pain, so the control of the disease with classic therapeutic forms to control the pain and to improve the activities is needed (Giavasopoulos.E.K., 2008, p.65). Thermotherapies should be recommended for Marjory to use at home; even if hot and cold stimuli, in inflammatory arthritis do not alter the articular inflammation, but improve the secondary answer in the pain and the behaviour (Giavasopoulos.E.K. pg.66, 2008). Pain in the soles is common presentation among RA patients, recommendations on using insoles from high density polypropylene, that are to produce satisfactory treatment of the pain (Giavasopoulos.E.K., 2008, p.67). Work rehabilitation strategies are needed; Hammond (2004, p.143) points out key strategies to maintain people in work and these include: rapid communication with employers, job modification, re-organizing work schedules; short periods of rest should be allowed because rest decreases the inflammation and the pain and promotes the physiologic place of articulation. Good evidence indicates that introducing a simple work problem-screening tool assists early identification of work problems, and early work assessment reduces work problems, maintain people in work and results in high levels of satisfaction from workers with RA (Hammond, 2004, p.143). This assignment has justified the purpose of promoting the plans to transform care for patients with long term conditions, particularly RA for this case, by showing how the policy of improving quality of care for people with long term should be implemented in the healthcare system. The key principle priorities that were applied to Marjory, were: provision of patient education, facilitation of self-management, delivery of patient-centred care, giving evidence-based interventions and improvising early proactive intervention: these principles display patient involvement to improve the quality of care with the aim of producing good management outcomes and preventing secondary complications on the patient, so as to  improve the patient’s quality of life despite her having rheumatoid arthritis. APPENDIX 1 Proposed Management Approach Pro-forma Student Number: w12035846Scenario Number: #1 Current problems identified in order of priority: †¢Pain, swelling and stiffness at the knees †¢Stiffness in her hands – MCP and PIP joints †¢Slight swelling at the hands †¢Reduced ROM †¢Reduced grip strength Short Term Goals: †¢Reduce pain †¢Reduce swelling †¢Reduce stiffness †¢Increase grip strength †¢Increase range of motion in reference to the extension lack at the knees †¢Increase muscle strength of quadriceps †¢Counsel patient to correct emotional status Long Term Goals: †¢To stabilize symptoms †¢To improve quality of life Does the patient require any active treatment at the moment? If so, what? If not, why? †¢Yes, in reference the swelling and stiffness around the hands †¢Active treatments: Paraffin wax therapy combined with hand exercises, Ice therapy for the knees, TENS, and Patient Education What strategies do you think it would be appropriate for you to use in assisting the patient to self-manage their condition at this stage? †¢Joint protection (energy conservation, assistive devices, splints) strategies, †¢Pain management strategies heat therapy †¢Therapeutic Exercise †¢Work rehabilitation strategies †¢Hydrotherapy †¢Gait Training †¢ Evaluation and monitoring strategies using outcome measures How do you think your role will change / evolve in the long-term management of his patient? Physiotherapy plays as a role in rehabilitating Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) with the goal to optimize function in patients. As a physiotherapist, role playing is recognised through providing patient education with reliable and appropriate information, and availing evidence based treatment programmes to the patient; by identifying factors that will positively or negatively affect maintenance of the management of RA condition. Also encourage the patient to have a positive mind set towards exercise prescriptions and physical activity tasks. Another role is to improve patients’ perception towards the management approach of RA. REFERENCES Australia. The Department of Health and Ageing (2009) A picture of rheumatoid arthritis in Australia. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (9) (pp.1,3,4) [Online]. Available at: http://www.aihw.gov.au/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=6442459857 (Accessed: 14 May 2014) Canada. Ontario Medical Association (2009) Policy on Chronic Disease Management, Ontario: Health Policy Department [Online] Available at: https://www.oma.org/Resources/Documents/2009ChronicDiseaseManagement.pdf (Accessed: 7 May 2014) Canada. Department of Health and Community Services (2011) Improving Health Together: a policy framework for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management in Newfoundland Labrador. Newfoundland Labrador: The Department of Health and Community Services. (p.7) [Online] Available at: http://www.health.gov.nl.ca/health/chronicdisease/Improving_Health_Together.pdf (Accessed: 14 May 2014) Demoulin, C and Vanderthommen, M. (2011) ‘Cryotherapy in rheumatic diseases’, Joint Bo ne Spine, 79, pp. 117-118. ScienceDirect [Online] Available at: (Accessed: 20 May 2014) Dures, E. and Hewlett, S. (2012) ‘Cognitive–behavioural approaches to self-management in rheumatic disease’, Perspectives, 8(10), p.553. [Online] Available at: (Accessed: 27 May 2014) Giavasopoulos, E.K. (2008) ‘Rehabilitation in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthrits’, Health Science Journal, 2 (2), pp.

Historical context: book of 2 thessalonians Essay

Thessalonica was one of the key cities of Macedonia. In Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, he had expressed that their efforts to spread the Gospel to their place were not wasted because their faith in God became evident and in fact, became known to many places in Macedonia and Achaia (1 Thessalonians 1). Because of the good news Paul had been hearing about the Thessalonians, he longed to visit them again. The second letter, probably sent about six months after the first letter (The Book of 2 Thessalonians, 2008), contained reminders about the coming of Jesus and about idleness. The first time Paul had visited Thessalonica; he stayed there about 3 months and shared the Gospel in their synagogues. Many Thessalonians belief in Jesus through Paul. But because of the Jewish who got jealous of Paul started trouble that caused Paul to leave Thessalonica. News came to Paul that there were issues concerning the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Thessalonians were confused whether Christ had already come or not. Paul was proud of the Thessalonians for they had accepted Jesus Christ and their faith was growing more and more. Yet, they were easily disturbed by the issue of the coming back of Christ. The devil had seen the faith of the Thessalonians. He looked for ways to shudder their faith and he found the opportunity by creating news that Jesus had already came back. In his second letter to the Thessalonians, Paul had instructed the Thessalonians not to get alarmed easily on such reports. He encouraged the Thessalonians to stand firm on their faith to God. Paul had explained that the devil was doing his best to discourage them from serving God. Among the churches of God, Paul and his company boasted about the Thessalonians because of their endurance in times of trials. So the work of the devil was also evident here for many Thessalonians, through the help of the Holy Spirit had truly developed a good relationship with the Father. But since they were also â€Å"new† to the Gospel, some Thessalonians had rattled easily on the issue for Jesus’ coming back. So in the second letter, Paul had reminded them not to be deceived immediately. Trust God. Another news that came to Paul was regarding idleness. Some Thessalonians were lazy. Paul reminded them that during his stay with them, he worked hard so he would not be a burden to them. In fact, he said, he worked day and night just to provide for what he needed. Paul had reiterated to the Thessalonians that they should never be influenced by those who are idle and by those who did not live according to Christ’s teachings. He set as an example himself when he was with them. He was never lazy, for Paul believed that if a man won’t work, he couldn’t eat. For those who did not live according to Christ’s teachings, Paul told them not to be associated with them. Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians also contained his thanksgiving to the Lord for the continuous growth of the church in Thessalonians. He commended the Thessalonians for their perseverance amidst persecutions. This was God’s working. The Thessalonians remained with God for God had allowed it. With the present condition in the churches during Paul’s time, his second letter also contained prayer requests. Persecutions of the followers of Jesus were great during the earlier times. So prayer was very necessary and since the Thessalonians had deep relationship with God, Paul requested them to pray for the successful advancement of the Gospel. The letters of Paul showed the relevant development and issues concerning the Christian life of the Thessalonians. Paul also used this letter to encourage them to stand firm in the faith and live according to God’s plan. Works Cited â€Å"Book of Lamentations. † Easton’s Bible Dictionary: Christian Classics Ethereal Library. 25 September 2008 â€Å"Lamentations. † The University of Sheffield. Edited by Rogerson, J. W. and J. D. W Dunn. 30 May 2000 (online publication). 25 September 2008 â€Å"Lamentations. † New American Bible. 09 December 2002. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. 25 September 2008 â€Å"The Book of 2 Thessalonians. † IBS-STL Global. 2008. 25 September 2008 Malick, David. â€Å"An Argument of the Book of Lamentations. † bible. org. 25 September 2008 Pride, Lesley. â€Å"Paul’s Second Letter to the Thessalonians. † EasyEnglish. January 2004. 25 September 2008 The Holy Bible, New International Version. USA: International Bible Society, 1984.

Critically Compare the Concepts of Equal Opportunities and Sports Equity in British Sport

Critically compare the concepts of equal opportunities and sports equity in British sport This paper aims to compare the ideas of equal opportunities and sports equity with regard to sport in Britain. Within this structure, there will be particular emphasis on the theoretical approaches that are used to look at equality in British sport. A key part of this comparison is the study of (social) equality; this includes formal, radical and liberal interpretations of equality. The arguments and suggestions will be reinforced and supported by literature and other texts outside of just the sporting context.Many sports historians such as Holt (1989) say that sport, pre 20th Century, was almost private and restricted to the upper class minority. Recreational sports had a complex set of laws (i. e. tennis) this was to restrict participation from the lower classes. Another vestige of the times was the limitation of sport to women; this was not necessarily written law but was accepted none the le ss. Racism in sport was not tackled or even considered until well into the 20th century when the government introduced laws and legislation that banned prejudice based on race.As a consequence of these legalities, many recognised sporting institution in Great Britain have introduced policy and recommendations to deal with the problems of ‘inequality’ within their respective organisations. Nevertheless, as indicated by Guttman’s analysis (1978), continuous development in recent years has slowly begun to break down certain barriers to equality. Should someone wish to investigate further into actual modern equality work they can access a variety of net resources. A quick look at equality policies of the Football Association for example demonstrates that work is being done for the purpose of equality.Guttman (1978) even goes so far to say that in many sports worldwide, participants of any circumstance and environment are encouraged to participate. He also states howe ver that equality in sport and its aims is seen by some as a distant achievement, it remains unrealistic. Guttman’s (1978) study illustrates that as sport entered the 2nd half of the 20th century, systems that control other components of a balanced society would also affect modern sporting institutions in the same way In order to better understand the aim of this paper, a number of key terms need some more clarity. The first term that needs defining is ‘equality’ and more pecifically ‘basic equality’. According to Baker (2004) basic equality is the concept that people have the same worth and are consequently worthy of equal interest and value. Many would argue that certain individuals and groups have earned more respect than other people and therefore inequalities should exist. Maybe what we should be considering is a minimum level of equality, a fundamental idea of equality whereby people all exist at the same point of respect. This would mean putti ng a threshold on what it is to be human. As indicated by Craig and Beedie (2010) the study of equality is an area of fascination to many sporting sociologists.Coakley (2003, p326) states, that this curiosity is established because many believe that sport goes beyond monetary and economic inequalities. A common belief is that sport is available to all; irrelevant of which equality strand someone may fit into (age, race, ethnicity etc). According to Craig and Beedie (2010) some consider the sporting domain a discrimination free arena; where a result is contested on fair grounds and the result goes to those with the most aptitude or skill. Another key term is stratification. This is a way of breaking down the different levels of society based on their sociological group.This helps to highlight the in/equality that is present in sport. A number of actual examples have been highlighted by Craig and Beedie (2010). Examples of these stratification layers include; the system of class forma tion affects the poor, the working class, and the lower/ middle and upper classes, these structures all seem to be highly rigid. The concept of social class is best recognised by using Marxist ideas of capitalism, where the idea of equality is seen in financial terms. Feminism however opposes the theory that ‘class stratification’ is the most important foundation of social inequality.Justifications about the gender distinctions in a sporting context vary from those concentrated on a biological argument to the arguments that place more impetus on the social understanding of gender. There is a repeated and constant emphasis in sport and society on the power of patriarchal arrangements; this too is present in sport. Liberal equality can be a little difficult to decipher in that it accepts basic equality but denies some other aspects of equality. The main principle according to Baker (2005) is that inequality of income and power cannot be alleviated.Equality as a concept pl ays the part of controlling inequalities so that income and power are more fairly distributed. In a way it can be said that liberal equality requires supporting the bare minimum that people are allowed and have access to, whilst controlling the advantage experienced by those that have more. Baker (2005) further states that the main underlying belief of liberal egalitarianism is the upholding and support of the most basic rights that all should have access to. Equal opportunity of course plays a key part in this study. Liberal equality is often used in conjunction with equality of opportunity.This is where groups or individuals have equal access to the opportunity to gain higher representation within their respective circles. It is rooted in the idea that inequalities in power will be ever present. Baker (2004) summarises this sentiment, he claims that the point of equality of opportunity is for everyone to get a fair chance in the sociological struggle, within a society that is uneq ual. Baker (2004) describes equal opportunity as the belief that everyone in society deserves a fair chance to contest over the positions in society that carry the most power.This concept was first used officially in the French Declaration of human rights in 1789. It states that everyone can hold a position â€Å"within their abilities† (French Declaration of the rights of man 1789). These days institutions everywhere boast equality policies and equality laws that make the discrimination based on gender and race in social institutions against the law In support of this, equal opportunity claims that nobody ought to benefit or suffer from their social circumstances; any prosperity and expectation ought to come about due to personal skills and endeavours. Rawls (1971) labels this concept ‘fair equal opportunity’.He believes that education should be used as a vehicle by the lower classes to develop the skills that would put them into a more advantaged situation. Equ al opportunity is unachievable whilst those in positions of power use their influence to achieve hierarchy over others. Liberal equality approaches do not take into account the characteristics of structured inequality. Powerful social stigmas are not dealt with. We can therefore conclude that people’s opinions and beliefs (inequality) cannot change whilst such stigma still exist. Some would argue that this is good in theory but education doesn’t actually function in this way.A different aspect of equal opportunity includes establishing policies and legislation to assist people from minority groups in getting work and schooling/qualifications. Were people from minorities perhaps not supported properly in schools or education institutions then this could be down to them not having ‘equal opportunities’ to progress as the majority do. Baker (2004) appears to believe that the biggest sign of equal opportunity within an organisation is seen in the participation rates. A more comprehensive liberal equality view is that of Rawls (1971).This states that inequalities ought to favour those that need them the most. For those that believe in liberal equality this is not always the final solution however; improvements can be made to a number of factors contributing to equality, including: education, sport, the economy etc. A fine-tuning to these frameworks rather than completely overturning them is often the preferred way to achieve to equality. In order to understand liberal equality properly however, something to compare it to is required. Radical approaches to equality oppose the liberal view of equal opportunity.It maintains that in order to eradicate inequality much larger steps should be taken. Inequalities should not just simply be dealt with after recognition. â€Å"The key to this much more ambitious agenda is to recognise that inequality is rooted in changing and changeable social structures, and particularly in structures of dominatio n and oppression. These structures create, and continually reproduce, the inequalities which liberal egalitarianism sees as inevitable. † (Baker 2004, 18) This handsomely describes the way in which radical equality aims to eliminate equality compared to the liberal view.As oppose to the liberal view of concentrating on the power distribution allocated to individuals, the radical view allows for advantage to more than just individuals, but groups. On the contrary to liberal ideas of how power is allocated, the radical approach attempts find answers in the social connection between related parties. Another trend of the liberal approach is to reward individuals with their own triumphs and indeed failures. The radical approach on the other hand tends to attribute these triumphs and failures to larger social occurrences.As indicated by Baker (2004) many argue that the liberal approach to equality differs from that of equality of outcome. However, the radical approach, as does the l iberal approach encourages choice as the final outcome. There is no reason that both approaches to equality cannot allow for choice. In order to summarise the above comments â€Å"basic egalitarianism tends to concentrate on subsistence needs, liberal egalitarianism on the idea of a decent standard of living and radical egalitarianism on what people need for a full human life† (Baker 2004, 19) In order to fully understand this task, we must also look at the origins of sport in the UK.During the late 1800s (Victorian period) Great britain went through a major reform, this is commonly known as the ‘Industrial revolution’. It was driven by invention, engineering breakthroughs and class restructuring. A movement from farming and agriculture towards Industrial urban based work meant that labourers moved from the countryside to the city. This mass movement of workers into factories allowed the newly middle class employers considerate control over the workforce and the opportunity to influence the way workers should spend their leisure time.Throughout this era of reform, sport was still however considered an activity of the higher classes. The control exerted over the masses encouraged employees and workers into a different way to spend their leisure time. Structure in recreation became encouraged. According to Townson (1997) this became the norm as the middle classes had fears that the increasingly large urban population may become unruly. The idea of ‘rational recreation’ became the name of this notion. Over the years the bourgeoisie anticipated discomfort among the working class.Towards the end of the 19th century in Great Britain the concept of ‘Muscular Christianity’ (Holt 1989) was established in order to distract the masses from want to reform (Holt 1989) â€Å"The very idea of a play discipline would have seemed absurd, yet this is what a growing band of bourgeois idealists advocated during the second half of the century† (Townson 1997). Sport and recreation had been introduced by the bourgeoisie. This helped maintain a healthy labour force and diverted masses away from ‘urban radicalism’.It was during this time that the upper classes and more advantaged started to consider the importance of fairness through reform and education. While sport for the masses still took on a rational recreation edge, sport was undergoing a period of change. A combination of factors leading to this change included an emphasis on health through exercise (due in part to inferior performances from the British forces in South Africa) and an increasing emphasis on professionalism. Sports clubs and facilities were made available by middle class.Key factors that occurred during the Victorian period according to Davis (2000): †¢An ethical code produced by the bourgeoisie became associated with sport †¢Realisation of fair-play (introduction of rules and equal conditions) †¢Freedom at we ekends gave people more time for recreation. †¢Sport in education was limited to gym and discipline The second notable phase in british sport history swaying further towards equality was the establisment of the Wolfenden report of 1960. This was written for the Central Council of Physical Recreation by an autonomous group of individuals to determine the state of sport in the UK.According to Rous (1960) it was published to demonstrate the inequalities and problems that existed in UK sport in comparison with its peer countries. After the publication of the wolfenden report the government took yet a further step towards a more interventionist approach by establishing the GB sports council in 1972. Collins (2003) claims that this was an important step for the government, as it allowed authorities to make social and welfare provision for public sport After new labour came to power in 1997, sport was given a new social status.The organisation of UK sport structure at the time was con sidered an obstacle to governments recently set out aims: †¢Increased youth participation †¢Increased succes in elite sport This quote taken from Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) demonstrates the awareness that some had of the state of sport within the UK â€Å"There is a need for a radical rethink of the way we fund and organize sport, we offer a modernizing partnership with the governing bodies of sport† (DCMS 2000 p19).In the same review they also threaten Governing Bodies within sport with withdrawal of funding should they not meet required governmental targets. The 3rd and perhaps most important stage of movements towards equality came in the shape of sporting equity. Sport England (2000) very broadly defines sports equity as fairness in sport. According to Sport England (2000) sports equity is in place to make sport more accessible to everyone period. It is a concept larger than sports equality and all strands of equality are made irrelevant. Equi ty: In its simplest sense, ‘fairness’; the process of allocating (or reallocating) resources and entitlements, including power, fairly and without discrimination. It may also use positive action initiatives and measures to address existing inequities. † (Sport England 2000 p39) As already stated inequalities date back to the beginnings of sport, in some ways they were institutionalised (Sport England 2000). After all the development in sport however, cases of inequality do still exist. Even in todays modern society there are still only a handful of for example; ethnic minority ‘power’ in sport.Coaches seem to remain white, middle class. However, these inequalities are now recognised and agencies are putting in structures to improve the situation for these inequalities â€Å"Sport England is committed to supporting governing bodies in their quest to overcome inequality in sport† (Sport England 2000, p3). Equity in sport came around relatively la te. A number of thngs happened which really pushed the equity movement forward. Equity issues came under the spotlight during the Macpherson Report and the stephen Lawrence inquiry.Both of these highlighted the extent of discrimination still present in society. Sporting campaigns and government iniatives have pushed for further equity in sport and according to Sport England (2000) but have committed to further action in the future. â€Å"It cannot be assumed that any sport is open and accessible to all members of the community† (Sport England 2000, p4). Even the sport england equity page recognises that more needs to be done to secure access to sport for all. Further policy will be encouraged and implemented. Society is changing and the existence of organisations, societies or clubs that exclude large sectors of the population from their activities, whether directly or indirectly, is viewed as anachronistic and increasingly unacceptable†. (Sport England 2000, p3). This quote demonstrates that the government is aware of the mass change in stance towards inequality. Despite the emergence of sports equity policies and propositions; inequalities still exist in sport. This can be seen in the recent Luis Suarez racism case and the John Terry racism case. These examples demonstrate that equality exists at the highest level.Equality work needs further development, much in the same way sports equity has developed. References †¢Baker, J. ; Lynch, K. ; Cantillon, S. ; and Walsh, J. (2004) Equality: from Theory to Action London: Palgrave. †¢Coakley, J (2003) Sports in Society: Issues and controversies. New York: Mcgraw-Hill †¢Collins, M. F. with Kay, T. (2003). Sport and social exclusion. London: Routledge. †¢Craig P and Paul Beadie (2010) Sport Sociology. 2nd Edition. Active Learning in Sport †¢Davis, B. et al. (2000) Physical Education and the Study of Sport. UK: Harcourt Publishers Ltd †¢Department for Culture, Media and Sport . (2001a).Elite Sport Funding Review (chair, J. Cunningham). London: DCMS. †¢Guttman, A (1978) From ritual to record. New York. Columbia press †¢Holt R. (1989) Sport and the British: A Modern History. Oxford: Clarendon †¢Rawls, J. A. (1971) A Theory of Justice. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press †¢Sport and the community : the report of the Wolfenden Committee on Sport 1960 †¢Sport England, June (2000). Governing Body Resource Pack. Planning for sport. Factfiles: Sports equity †¢Stanley Rous. Chairman, Executive committee, C. C. P. R. 1960 †¢Nigel Townson 1997 The British at Play – a social history of British sport from 1600 to the present