Resistance and the Shifting Power in Participatory Spaces

Research Methods Data aggregation was undertaken between June and July 2014. The survey relied on open-ended interviews with 12 Nguti community members who were actively involved in the protest mobilisation and action and legion unplanned and unstructured conversations Nguti villagers. We aimed to capture the procedures taking to forest struggle among the private sector ( Wijma ) , the military, and local administrative governments and Nguti villagers. The interviews conducted included both young persons ( eight males and two females ) and seniors ( two males and females ) of Nguti – two types of histrions that would go of import in the flowering of the events related to the Agreement in Nguti. Our efforts at gender balance in the interview procedure were overcome by the limited handiness of respondents given the sensitive nature of the capable affair. Merely respondents who could be that we could keep their namelessness agreed to take. The interviews focused on events environing struggle rela ted to the Agreement. We were besides concerned to derive penetrations into village’s economic activities and support schemes. Of peculiar involvement was to seek and understand what benefits if any, the villagers had received, which could be connected straight or indirectly to Wijma’s operations. For case, since Wijma had agreed to provide the small town with waste wood from its processing activities, as portion of the Agreement we sought to understand the grade of small town dependance on this wood and how failure to provide could interrupt their support schemes. Despite our relentless enterprises, both Wijma and local administrative histrions would non hold to be interviewed. Although their absence might impact a more rounded history of the fortunes taking to forest resource struggle, our chief aim in this paper was to depict the struggle procedure as it unfolded, including the function of the chief histrions with a peculiar focal point on the protest schemes adopte d by some of the Nguti villagers. That notwithstanding, we relied on publications from an environmental audit, including Wijma’s ain publications to derive an apprehension of the company’s place on environmental and societal duty. Through examination of the 1994 Cameroon Forest Law, we gained a deeper apprehension of State-community-private sector partnership agreements and the duties and privileges of each party as prescribed in the ordinance. Penetrations into the struggle procedure were besides gained from correspondence [ Fred Saun1 ] between Wijma and Nguti Youths every bit good as between the Youths and local administrative histrions. Discussions Resistance and the Switching Power in Participatory Spaces Gaventa ‘s ( 2006 ) typology of participatory infinites captures the switching power dealingss at drama in Nguti where it was of import to understand how and why displacements in power occurred and the conditions that gave rise to the different types of participatory infinite where this power was enacted. Additionally, what were the agencies in which Nguti villagers sought to fight for increased answerability and transparence and finally claim the power and legitimacy to give consequence to the Agreement? In short, Gaventa ‘s ( 2006 ) typology puts accent on understanding how displacements in power through participatory procedures among histrions can be understood and applied dynamically. Initially, Nguti villagers had small chance to efficaciously take part in determinations that affected them related to the wood processing undertaking, so in Gaventa ‘s words it was a, ‘closed infinite ‘ even though the Agreement in rule sought to present small town ben efit. Decisions were made by others beyond the small town with small or no engagement or even audience with villagers. Subsequently, after the decease of the original benevolent agent, self-appointed ‘shadow histrions ‘ opportunistically stepped in with clear rent-seeking purposes. There was infinite for this within the new institutionalised wood administration constructions in Cameroon. Because the Agreement was informal and negotiated behind closed doors, there was no mechanism for the villagers to name WIJMA or the other histrions involved to account to present on committednesss contained in this. This state of affairs is non alone to Cameroon. Elsewhere reexamining instances from India, the US, Russia and the Philippines, Robbins ( 2000: 424 ) argues that such ‘extralegal’ exchanges that allow unbridled entree to natural resources are more of a regulation than an exclusion, and represent an institutionalised system of nature/society interactions. To chan ge by reversal the state of affairs, NGUYOCUDA and finally the small town Elders and others mobilized and staged a inactive public protest by ordaining a traditional injunction to convey those who brokered the Agreement to account and in making so efficaciously ‘claimed infinite ‘ to prosecute their involvements through their actions. There were sedate hazards involved for the villagers in taking this public look of dissent, as evidenced by the initial military response to the small town mobilisation ( and other similar incidents in Cameroon ( see Amin 2012 for elaborate military response to youth mobilisation and protest, particularly the ill-famed February 2008 events ) . But by taking this public action, which was linked to legitimate traditional establishments, new boundaries were created which allowed villagers ‘ voices to number ( Scott 1990 ) . This ‘claimed infinite ‘ later gave manner to ‘invited infinite ‘ as Wijma realized, given the break caused by the small town injunction and the inability of the State to manage this type of rebelliousness, that they now must carry through their duties to the villagers and include them in decision-making if they are to go on to their lumber procedure operations unhindered. This alteration suggests that villager engagement had become meaningful or influential in that it led to positive alteration. Of class this ‘resolution ‘ to the administration job of the lumber processing undertaking faced by Nguti villagers is comparatively minor in footings of opening up the many closed infinites of natural resource administration that citizens are consistently excluded from in Cameroon – a point which is discussed farther below. While this public look of rebelliousness appears to hold been effectual in the Nguti instance, the ‘special conditions’ which need to be before a traditional injunction can be invoked are likely to restrict an upscaling of simi lar public protests. [ 1 ] Lack of Accountability in the Forest Law and on the Land When Cameroon’s 1994 Forest Law was created it was recognized at the clip as a landmark statute law in Sub-Saharan Africa due to its elaborate amplification of stairss to purely safeguard and esteem the societal, environmental and economic ends of the country’s forestry ( Cerutti et al. 2008 ; Assembe-Mvondo 2013 ) . One major job with the Forest Law, nevertheless, is that it was guided more by market aims intended to hike the macroeconomic potencies of the forest sector, with small attending to chiseled mechanisms that would steer and modulate the execution of private-public-community partnerships on the land. Another major job with the Forest Code arises from the deficiency of mechanisms to safeguard the involvements of communities hosting logging activities and to protect them in struggle state of affairss against the more powerful profit-driven companies. The World Bank-instituted SAP resulted in the chase by the authorities of Cameroon of high foreign grosss by pro moting increased forest development to counterbalance for diminishing universe market values for its other major exports like oil, java and chocolate ( Thomaset Al.1996 ) . The deficiency of pertinent sustainability foresight in the jurisprudence and the inability and/or involuntariness of the Government to implement its ain Torahs have led to small or no answerability in the sector on the land, with major effects for hapless rural communities. Consequences from the Nguti site show that communities populating next to commercial logging activities are frequently politically and economically weak and vulnerable to the corrupt societal and environmental patterns of powerful logging companies and rent searchers. This job is non alone to Nguti community entirely. Schwartz et Al. ( 2012 ) and Thomas et Al ( 1996 ) suggest that large-scale investings in natural resources in Cameroon by and large fail to esteem community rights in footings of audience, compensation, contractual footings and environmental protection. Furthermore, the involuntariness demonstrated by Nguti local administrative governments to step in in possible struggle state of affairss and keep logging companies to account in their legal power is farther testimony of the exposure of rural communities and the pronounced absence of answerability precautions in the private-public-community partnership agreement. Thomas et Al. ( 1996 ) besides describe similar tensenesss between logging companies and communities elsewhere in Cameroon as a consequence of the unfulfilling by these companies of their ( informal ) understandings with the villagers. In add-on, the repeated refusal by Wijma to hold to the villagers’ petition for a duologue – which is much contrary to their stated struggle bar and direction aims – and the prompt military response by local administrative governments to interrupt echt small town mobilisation for a common cause, constitute clear illustrations of deficiency of an swerability on the portion of both Wijma and local administrative governments to rural communities. The deployment of the armed forces against the peaceable small town presentation clearly resonates with the US September 11 image painted by Greenhouse ( 2005 ) in her statement that the hegemonic moves of the executive and other subdivisions of authorities in struggle state of affairss consists in repackaging subalterns in a manner that contributes to the undertakings of regulation and political capital by scapegoating them through such hegemonic mechanisms as Draconian anti-crime Torahs, which in Cameroon take the signifier of anti-protest military action. The military intercession in Nguti is besides an indicant that local authorities offices are less accountable to their citizens but more to pervert and uncompromising concern directors in order to safeguard a continued flow of gross from the private sector into authorities caissons. This state of affairs is non surprising, as it r eflects the econocentric aims that underpin and guide the 1994 Forest Law and its application as a major constituent of the World Bank-led Structural Adjustment Program of the state. The corrupt patterns of Wijma functionaries, local authorities histrions and the self-appointed agents suggest that de jure Torahs and de facto regulations barely of all time exist in sole isolation. Making a similar statement Robbins ( 2000: 427 ) Drew from institutional theory to situate that officially ( de jure ) constituted regulations frequently merge with informal ( de facto ) norms to make existent ‘operational’ regulations in resource scenes. Robbins theorizes as follows: ‘the de facto regulations that govern corrupt exchanges are forged out of the natural stuffs and societal resources supplied by de jure regulations, adapted and curved around the contours of local power’ ( pp 427 ) . Using this to the Nguti instance, we observe that the prevalence of local norms in Ng uti such as the corrupt patterns of Wijma and authorities histrions, and peculiarly the rent-seeking actions of the shadow histrions suggests less the forsaking of national ordinance in favour of de facto local systems, and more the adjustment of these local norms into loopholes that exist in the formal system. As the system of backing is profoundly rooted in local systems of power in Cameroon, instances of shadow histrions presuming the function of agents is non uncommon. Sometimes disputing this well-entrenched localised norm can turn out really hard, as evidenced by the initial refusal by Wijma – with the support of local administrative histrions – to give in to the invocations of NGUYOCUDA associating to the remotion the function of those shadow histrions in farther Wijma-NGUYOCUDA dialogues. Lack of Public Information on Land Tenure The happening of land differences in Cameroon are really high. A major ground for this relates to a general deficiency of public information on the being and localisation of land licenses and how to travel about land enrollment procedure, with serious deductions for the poorest in communities. All land that does non fall into the classs of Public Property of the State, Private Property of the State or is non capable to a private land rubric, is classified as National Land under the 1974 Ordinance set uping regulations regulating land term of office in Cameroon ( Schwartz et al. 201 ) . This means in simple footings that parts of community land that are non capable to private land rubrics are by inference National Land, even if they are occupied and/or used by locals. As a affair of general rule, the granting of land grants follows a procedure whereby a committee made of local bureaus and community representatives identify lands for the intent of avoiding overlapping rights ( Schwartz et al. 2012 ) . This is barely the instance in Nguti. The community as a whole is considered to hold usufruct rights to unoccupied community land. The community may make up one's mind to offer this land to specific persons as compensation for services rendered as is the instance with the land on which WIJMA operates. The bone of contention here lies in the fact that the land had been offered by the community to the influential Nzo Ekanghaki in gratitude for his development enterprises in the small town. Whether Ekanghaki should be able transportation such rights to a 3rd party like Wijma is what did non sit good with some sources. They felt that even though the land was granted to Ekanghaki, it was still community land in footings of customary rights while it was non being straight used or occupied by Ekanghaki, and as such WIMJA is accountable to the community ( as the customary rights holder ) . Others refrained from such ownership polemics and instead argued that WIJMA is morall y apt to the small town because of its claims as maintainers of corporate societal duty criterions or merely because of the duties agreed to. Many people do non register their land with the Ministry of Land Tenure’s cadastre. This state of affairs generates the conditions for land differences. The sources we spoke to were non certain whether the land on which Wijma operates had been punctually registered as private belongings. The feeling was that even if the land had been registered as such, it was community land and as such should non be registered without due presentment of, and permission by, the appropriate Nguti governments. A necessary measure to avoid struggles like this would be, foremost, to make public consciousness of the necessity of duly registering private land and obtaining land rubric for it. Second, by doing the procedure of granting of land grants by the small town transparent and consistent with both customary and land Torahs – as these two beginnin gs of land allotment can overlap and bring forth confusion and defeat, or even worse, diminish people’s rights. Decision Events in Nguti have revealed important land term of office overlaps between customary land rights and land Torahs, as a consequence of deficiency of sufficient public consciousness about the pertinence of both types of Torahs. This led to contradictory claims over rights and duties. Events in the instance survey have besides shed visible radiation on built-in defects in Cameroon’s wood policy reform to redistribute rights and benefits to communities through deliberative procedures in pattern. We showed how power operates in closed administration infinites to work against just, democratic and effectual policymaking. We besides revealed how disfranchised communities can efficaciously open up these closed infinites and obtain effectual engagement in procedures denied them. Penetrations from the instance suggest that answerability mechanisms both within the 1994 Forest Law and existent execution procedures have non been tailored to efficaciously reflect the present neoliberal sig nifier of resource administration. This World Bank-institutionalized signifier of administration of natural resources brought with it other major histrions in forest direction, such as powerful private logging companies. The forest company involved in this instance survey failed to listen to community concerns about the agreements that had been brokered to let them to run in Nguti. Not merely did local authorities fail to keep WIJMA to account, it injudiciously sided with the company and authorized a military intercession to quash peaceable community mobilisation against WIJMA. The purpose of those Nguti villagers mobilized was non merely to do their voices heard and thereby do the lumber processing company accountable to them. Their attempts were besides aimed at taking the function of the rent-seeking shadow histrions from the administration agreements. These shadow histrions who, encouraged by weak administration constructions and uneffective answerability mechanisms in the wood sector, had seized negociating power from the community and acted without legitimacy as small town agents. We besides emphasized that the corrupt patterns at Nguti do non connote the absence of ordinance, but instead the presence of an option, nonlegal norm that transforms the weak enforcement of ordinances into corrupt signifiers found in profoundly frozen local systems of power. Nguti is portion of a state where the authorities does non merely promote increased forest development in order to roll up foreign gross, but it is besides dying to command protests and agitations that might impede its making this end. In add-on to extinguishing these timeserving histrions, the registration by NGUYOCUDA of other institutional groupings into their protest constituted a major manner to place themselves as a major force to think with in Nguti. The pick of a traditional injunction as the chief class of action when every other scheme was turn outing unfruitful or unsafe enabled them to efficaci ously ‘claim space’ in what was ab initio a ‘closed space’ . Recognizing that their concern operations were efficaciously halted by the power of the traditional injunction entirely, WIJMA instead reluctantly settled for inclusion of the villagers in determinations impacting them and promised to go on to make so in the hereafter. At this point, the officially ‘closed space’ for participatory decision-making on affairs impacting Nguti community had been wholly transformed into an ‘invited space’ , where they had chance to claim rights antecedently denied them.

Are Newspapers Necessary Nowadays

Are newspapers necessary nowadays? Can you imagine world without any newspapers? As far as I am concerned, they are the main source of information in our daily life. They educate readers on current event of our life. For this reason people became aware of global and local issue. So can be no doubt of newspapers necessity. In the first place, newspapers are very important in our society, due to the fact that they supply us the latest news and keeps us informed about the changing events of the world. They give us information not only about our homeland, but also about whole world.For instance, only from the newspapers, early in the mornings, we know what happened when we were sleeping. What is more, newspaper consists of various articles, for this reason every human will find interesting things. In addition, newspapers are the easiest way to find out about what is happening in the world. In my way of thinking if we did not manage to read newspapers early in the morning, we will purchas e one on the way to the job. Moreover newspaper is easier to carry and it could be read at any time during the day.On the other hand, there are those who believe that newspapers are not necessary because of rapidly developing Internet. They think that from the Internet we can search information much faster than from newspapers. Besides some people more often choose cable news, because it is more comfortable way to gain knowledge what is happened. To sum up, I feel that newspapers still are necessary, because they provide us diversity reliable articles about the latest news. Moreover it is the quickest way to gain main knowledge of the day.

Mat 540 - 1103 Words

1) What three universal questions are touched upon in the Epic of Gilgamesh? Answer: History tells us that the Mesopotamian people believed that the afterlife held no joy or happiness, only eternal distraught. The story of Gilgamesh is one that touched questions that are still asked today. 1. Does everything a person has accomplished in their lifetime mean nothing once they are dead? 2. Is there an actual point or goal of a human’s life? 3. If there is, by what means can a person gain understanding as to why they are alive. 2) List the six characteristics of civilized societies and of civilizations. According to the text in order for a society to be considered civilized they have to possess certain characteristics†¦show more content†¦In my opinion what this writer was trying to say is that no one can fight fate, if it is meant to be it will be; a lesson that people still pass down today from generation to generations. Aeschylus- Agamemnon The major theme of Aeschylus is one that emphasized the strong understanding of human’s weakness and how the quest of power can corrupt, but mostly he tried to emphasize that violence and vengeance only brings about more violence and vengeance. His work also shows the belief that good always wins and in order for people to learn from their mistakes they must first suffer from those mistakes. Aeschylus confided his message in three plays known as the trilogy, first one is â€Å"Agememnon†, and it tells a story of a powerful king Agamennon who returned from a successful battle. However, along the way he was given the choice to either forsake his quest of glory or sacrifice his daughter to gain safer passage and continue on his quest. Choosing to sacrifice his daughter he later returned home only to be murdered by his wife and her lover. Her motive to kill was revenge her daughter death, to replace her husband and make her new lover king. 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Night - 2904 Words

THHS Rachel Kupferberg, Rachel Maschler AP Literature-Band 6 May 1, 2011 Major Works Data Sheet- Night Title: Night Author: Elie Wiesel Date of Publication: 1958 Genre: autobiography, memoir Historical information about period of publication: World War II, and the Holocaust, ended in April 1945 when the liberating Allied armies came through the conquered territories in Nazi Europe. Night describes 16 year old Elie’s loss of faith in God, humanity, family and morality in general. Elie, therefore, vowed to not speak of his experience in Auschwitz, Buna or Buchenwald (or any event between 1943 and 1945, from the beginning of the occupation of Hungary to Germany’s liberation in 1945) for ten†¦show more content†¦Elie’s father died of dysentery, starvation, and exhaustion in Buchenwald, only weeks before the liberating army came to the gates of the camp. 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The images thatRead MoreLife Of The Night Market1280 Words   |  6 PagesDIEBERT 2/8/15 LIFE OF THE NIGHT MARKET Every person has a place that he or she feels comfortable in, a place that he or she is belong to, a place that is important to him or her in some way. My significant place is not a glorious place, but it is different from any other place. The place that is important to me is the night market. It is a local night market right in the heart of downtown Saigon where is located in the southeastern region of Vietnam – my country. The night market has its own beauty;

Macbeth vs. Romeo †Compare and Contrast Essay - 1224 Words

Some people say that a person’s fate is pre-determined. That nothing they do in life is by accident and everything that one does has been decided by a higher power. In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare explores the theme of fate by allowing the audience to be party to his characters’ destiny. In the opening lines of the play the audience is told what is going to happen to the lovers, â€Å"a pair of star-crossed lovers take their life.† Throughout the story, the audience is put in an omnipotent, god-like position from the start encouraging them to think about fate and to what extent our actions are free. In Macbeth, the idea of one character becoming both victim and villain is introduced. Macbeth falls prey to others deception, and is supplanted†¦show more content†¦In Act 2, scene 1, Mercutio calls for Romeo by saying, Romeo! Humors! Madman! Passion! Lover! He then says, My invocation is fair and honest, in his mistress name†¦. Mercutio shows his con cern and expresses it to Romeo. He does not want Romeo to marry Juliet, because he knows it will cause trouble between the two families. Whereas Macbeth, his relationship with Banquo was one of colleagues. According to (AI:ScII: Ln34), both were captains. They appeared to work well with each other on the job [Lines 34-41]. They also appeared to carry that good working relationship over into an equally good friendship. But as the story went on, Macbeth eventually murdered Banquo due to the fact that Banquo had clearly found out that Macbeth was Duncan’s murderer. This makes clear to us that Macbeth was a very treacherous, unfaithful person, which made Macbeth a much hated person and Romeo, a much loved person. Ambition is often the driving force in one’s life. It is suppose to be the motivating factor that drives one towards success. Society also deems ambition a necessary quality of their leader. It can be said that Macbeth exhibits this quality of ambition. He is the strong, valiant warrior who has won in battle and brought victory to Scotland. However, Macbeth’s quest to acquire more power-his ambition-ultimately leads to his tragic demise. Romeo is seen as a rash and emotional young man. He feels deeply and actsShow MoreRelatedMedia Magic Making Class Invisible2198 Words   |  9 Pagespoor himself, he just explains how the media also does not show the uplifting side of the poor. In order to be effective and show the reader that you can support your theories you need to show both sides, so they reader can get a clear view to compare and contrast the topic. Mantsios fails to do so especially in his articles about the poor. In his other article (Class in America), Mantsio s provides many examples and statistical data to show you that his facts are legitimate. On the other hand in hisRead MoreAmerican Literature11652 Words   |  47 Pagesattitudes emergence of ethnic writers and women writers Style: ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · narratives: both fiction and nonfiction anti-heroes concern with connections between people emotion-provoking humorous irony storytelling emphasized autobiographical essays Effect: ï‚ · too soon to tell Historical Context: ï‚ · ï‚ · people beginning a new century and a new millennium media culture interprets values Analyzing Poetry: Poetry Tips Analyzing Poetry What is poetry? How is it analyzed? What are

Critical analysis of the change from personnel management to HRM free essay sample

Course: Master in Management (MiM part-time) Module: HRM4003D Human Resource Management Essay Title: ‘HRM can be seen as a distinctive approach to the management of people, which contrasts with more traditional approaches to personnel management’. Critically explore and analysis this statement and the challenges of implementing HRM. Submitted by: Liesel Butterfield Student Number: 13204579 Lecturer: Sile O’Donnell Submission Date: 2nd of December 2013 Word Count: 3,700 The development of Personnel Management From the 1940s to the 1970s increased status and focus was given to the personnel function within organisations. During this period there was dramatic growth in the size and complexity of organisations which demanded a greater knowledge of the management of the workforce (Gunnigle et al, 2011). The growth in workforce management came to the forefront particularly as a result of the growing significance of industrial relations. Derry (1991) defines industrial relations as ‘the behaviour and interaction of people that shape the employment relationship between management and labour’. Personnel management developed as a specialist area concerned with the staffing function within organizations (Gardner et al, 1992). Personnel management specialists developed as experts in areas such as recruitment, selection, job design, and motivation (Gardner et al, 1992). Specialists had appropriate knowledge, experience and training in the field of human relationships (Singh et al, 1996). People are the most complex factor in an organisation and personnel management recognised the need for correct management of their personalities in order to maintain good industrial relations (Reddy, 2004). It concerned itself with solving the human problems of the organisation in a manner where maximum satisfaction of the employee were achieved and the goals of the organisation were accomplished to the fullest extent (Reddy, 2004). It was regarded as a major sub-system of the total management process as it aimed to attain the goals of the organisation through maintaining the relations of the organisations most valued asset (Reddy, 2004). Personnel management was inseparable from management as it was always concerned with how human resources could be utilised to benefit the organisation as a whole. Employees account for a large proportion of enterprise expenditure therefore depending on how they are managed; the personnel department could make a contribution to either a firm’s success or failure. The department undertook a varied and comprehensive array of tasks in order to ensure the successful management of the manpower resource. Reddy (2004) describes some of the core tasks undertaken: Organizational Planning Personnel specialists were specifically concerned with planning which concerns the allocation of the various jobs to be performed into effective units, divisions or positions (Reddy, 2004). For planning to be successful it is necessary that the organisations needs are defined in terms of both long term and short term objectives. Based on their capabilities and strengths, employees will be placed in positions where it is regarded that objectives will be met to the fullest extent. The division of jobs aimed to create and maintain a cohesive, homogenous and interacting workforce. It is necessary for every employee to know what their job is, what results are expected of them, the standard by which performance is measured and how their work fits in with the organisations (Singh et al, 1996). An employee’s job definition must be clear in order to avoid confusion which can result in reduced efficiency. Employment Employment involves activities such as the recruitment, selection, placement and induction. They identified potential or future vacancies, aimed to attract qualified personnel, develop policies and procedures for the selection and place a person to a job that his qualifications and personality traits are best suited to. Performance reviews, promotion policies and the maintenance of employee records were also responsibilities of the department. Training and development of personnel They implemented various training programmes to increase the skills of employees with the aim of contributing to the organizations objectives. Wage and salary administration The personnel department developed a suitable wage structure for individuals based on various factors such as demand and supply in the labour market, salaries in other organizations and the capacity for the organisation to pay. Employee benefits and services The personnel department also managed welfare activities such as the provision of pensions, welfare provisions, fringe benefits and fulfilment of social security. Modern organisations are very volatile and frequently major changes in the systems, procedures, structures and techniques can be embarked on by management without necessary consideration given to the effects these changes may have on the human beings involved (Singh et al, 1996). Defiance, lack of cooperation, resentment, suspicion, fear and reduced motivation can occur when employees are not considered in major changes. Personnel specialists provided careful consideration of human aspects which helped to achieve the successful implementation of new plans and policies (Singh et al, 1996). It has become clear that organisations struggle to operate efficiently if employees are not satisfied in terms of job satisfaction, working conditions and chances of progression. The personnel specialists’ role was regarded as one of an advisory nature to management. A blurring of personnel specialist’s roles with line managers responsibilities created a situation where the specialist was an arbitrage between employees and management (Singh et al, 1996). Specialists assisted, advised and serviced but ultimate control of executive decisions remained with the line managers provided with the advice (Singh et al, 1996). The development of Human Resource Management The 1980s saw the HR function come to surface ultimately replacing personnel management. This development began a sterile debate concerned with the differences between personnel management and HRM. Michael Armstrong (2003) defines human resource management as a ‘strategic and coherent approach to the management of an organisations most valued assets; the people working there who individually and collectively contribute to the achievement of its objectives’. Strategic integration is often regarded as a key policy goal for HRM, which is concerned with an organizations integration of HRM into the overall strategic plan (Armstrong, 2006). Fombrun et al (1984) was a major contributor to this philosophy. He developed a term called the â€Å"matching model† which emphasises that HR systems and the organizational structure should be managed in a way that is in line with the overlying organizational strategy (Fombrun cited by Armstrong, 2006: 7). The integration of HRM with management enables line managers to see the long-term importance of HRM for the achievement of organizational goals. The modern HR department is one which is decentralised meaning line managers now have the primary responsibility of managing employee relations. In this modern organisation human resource specialists have the role of providing people management systems which assist managers in the management of their employees (Dransfield, 2000). All aspects of the HRM system must cohere and consist of interrelated and supportive practices to enable line managers to make informed decisions that contribute to the goals of the organisation (Armstrong, 2006). As HRM is given a strategic importance this filters down to all the actions of an organisation (Dransfield, 2000). Important to HRM is the achievement of high organizational performance through human capital by enhancing employee’s motivation and job commitment. Motivation encourages people to apply their abilities while commitment is about identification with an organisations goals and values, both of which will assist in the achievement of organizational goals (Armstrong, 2003). HRM aims to create policies and practices which best serve both the organisation and the individual. The model aims to generate â€Å"human capital advantage† which can be regarded as the accumulation of employees who possess valuable skill and knowledge. Millmore et al (2007) argued ‘people form a significant component of an organisations strategic capability and the ability to understand the organizations strategic position will largely be a function of the capabilities of the organizations people’. This stems from the ‘Resource-based theory’ which is an underpinning theory of HRM. A firm develops a competitive advantage if its resources which include its human resources are valuable, rare and costly to imitate (Armstrong, 2006). The pluralist ideology underpins the HRM approach to people management. It recognizes that within an organization various interest groups most notably management and employees, who have interests which are conflicting but of equal importance (Wilton, 2011). The existence of various interest groups makes conflict both inevitable and normal. HRM policies and practices are created to consider the various interest groups and to manage workforce conflict if it occurs. HR practices and policies within Enterprise Ireland Enterprise Ireland is a government organisation responsible for the development and growth of Irish enterprises in world markets. The organisation works in partnership with Irish enterprises to help them start, grow, innovate, and win export sales on global markets. The fundamental goals of Enterprise Ireland are to support sustainable economic growth, regional development and secure employment. Enterprise Ireland was established under the Industrial Development (Enterprise Ireland) act of 1998. The agency was established as an integrated service bringing together the skills and resources of the previous Irish Trade Board, Forbairt and the Services to Business function of FAS. The establishment of Enterprise Ireland in 1998 marked the end to the multiplicity of agency schemes and the introduction of a more concentrated approach to the development of Irish firms. It currently has 28 regional offices nationwide with its headquarters located in Dublin, and also has 53 global offices in various locations worldwide. When Enterprise Ireland was established HR policies and practices were already in place from the predecessors. However the end of a multiplicity of agency schemes created two important actions for the department: 1) The removal of certain non-core business units which were no longer needed. This action resulted in a reduction of the headcount within Enterprise Ireland. 2) Recruitment of staff with the appropriate specialist skills and expertise to work with Irish indigenous industries. Human resources together with policy and investment form a distinct unit within the corporate structure. HR consists of four units which are; resourcing, training and development, employer relations and administration. When Enterprise Ireland was established importance was given to the recruitment of professionals with formal education and relevant experience in the field of human resources. The HR department needed to be strategic and properly equipped to cope with the changes occurring and HR professionals were recognised as a necessity for this. The HR department have always been regarded as a strategic department within the organisation. The head of the department reports directly to the Executive Director who then reports to the CEO. The HR department consult with management on all decisions and changes that are felt could affect employees. Since the introduction of the moratorium on recruitment and promotions in the public service, Enterprise Ireland staff numbers have been significantly reduced resulting in key posts remaining vacant in Ireland and overseas. Currently 740 people work for the Enterprise Ireland Irish offices, 16% less than there was before the introduction of the moratorium. In 2010 the Government committed to reducing its general deficit to less than 3% of GDP by 2015. In order to do so, it entered into two significant Public Service Agreements Croke Park Agreement (2010-2014) and Haddington Road Agreement (2013-2016). Croke Park introduced cuts and freezes to pay and allowances, a moratorium of staff through the Employment Control Framework, pension levies and greater standardisation of employment conditions across sector (Ireland. DPER, 2010). The focus of the Haddington Road Agreement was on consolidating the series of pay and productivity measures to achieve necessary savings in the Public Service Pay and Pensions bill, namely by reduced headcount through voluntary redundancies, increased working hours, redeployment, strengthening of performance management and flexible work sharing agreements (Ireland. DPER, 2013). Over the last few years’ significant work has gone in to reducing organizational costs while also maintaining and improving the standard of services for clients. Many of the actions implemented to reduce costs and maintain quality of service have been the responsibility of the HR department. The department began reorganising the structure of staff allocation on a regular basis to ensure the delivery of quality service to clients despite a reduction in the staff numbers. The reduction in staff numbers called for a focus on strategic resource planning. The aim of this was to ensure adequate resources and skill sets remained in areas of expertise such as IT and technology. Since the introduction of the moratorium 9% of employees have been assigned to new roles within the agency. The HR department have engaged with trade unions and implemented a process which facilitates the reassignment of staff into key priority positions. A number of employees have engaged in programmes supported by the agency which have provided them with necessary skills to meet the requirements of new positions. Learn on the job training and shadowing have also been implemented. It has been the role of HR to ensure that employees are fully equipped to perform their new roles to the highest possible standard. The HR department now implement a performance management system with a dedicated member of the department working solely on this. The performance management system sets out goals and objectives very clearly for employees. The performance of employees and departments are rigorously reviewed every six months. The past few years have proved as very challenging for the department as they themselves have experienced a reduction in staff numbers from 27 in 2008 to 15 in 2013 while trying to cope with the overall impact the public service agreements on the organisation. Staff morale is low due to increased work hours and workload for a reduced salary. Those who joined enterprise Ireland from 2008 onwards have remained in the same positions since they started due to the lack of movement in terms of promotion. Maintaining employee motivation and commitment has proved a struggle for the department due to the current working conditions. Recruitment of new employees has commenced in overseas offices however the freeze remains in place in Ireland. Critical analysis of the contrasts between Personnel Management and Human Resource Management based on academic literature Personnel management can often be considered as an old-fashioned name for human resource management, and in some organisations there is often little difference between today’s HR departments and their predecessors. However HRM is often regarded as a revolutionary approach to people management which focuses on achieving organizational goals. The transition of personnel management to HRM caused a sterile debate between many academics. Some commentators have emphasised the revolutionary nature of HRM while others have denied that there is any significant difference between both. Both human resource professionals and academics have encountered problems in clearly identifying the differences between the two. A quote by Armstrong (1987:32) emphasises this issue: ‘It could be no more and no less than another name for personnel management, but, as usually perceived, at least it has the virtue of emphasising the need to treat people as a key resource, the management of which is the direct concern of top management as part of the strategic planning process of the enterprise’. Legge (1989) identifies four clear similarities between the two. 1. Both models emphasize the importance of integrating personnel/HRM with organizational goals. 2. Both emphasize a need for involvement with line management. 3. Both see the importance of individuals developing their abilities fully to make a contribution to the organizations success. 4. Both identify the importance of placing employees in positions where they are best suited and their skills are utilised to the highest potential. Armstrong (2003) also identifies that ‘same range of selection, competency analysis, performance management, training, management development and reward management techniques are used in both personnel management and HRM’. While many academics see the clear similarities between normative models of personnel management and HRM, clear distinctions have also been recognised. First, HRM is seen as focusing on the relations between line management and the individual worker. On the other hand personnel management appears to be a management activity directed largely at non managers who are essentially subordinates of management (Legge, 1989). Second, in HRM workforce management is fully integrated into managements strategic decision making (Gunnigle et al, 2011). A clear relationship is drawn between the proactive use of human resources to achieve organizational goals. The importance of personnel policies in the pursuit of the bottom line appear to be more specified in HRM than in personnel management (Legge, 1989). Third, personnel management is regarded as workforce centred, while HRM is resource centred. Personnel specialists direct their efforts towards employees. Their actions include; finding and training them, organizing their pay, justifying management’s actions, dealing with conflict and seeking to change actions which may have a negative response from employees (Torrington et al, 2005). HRM is directed more towards management needs rather than employees. Fourth, HRM is regarded as pluralist while personnel management is unitarist. Pluralism sees organisations as consisting of various interest groups while the unitarist view is based on employees and management sharing a collective interest. HRM recognizes that managers and workers have different yet equally legitimate interests and conflict of their viewpoints will be inevitable (Wilton, 2011). From the literature, in theory, HRM is more strategic than personnel management as it is experienced by managers, concerns itself with the achievement of business goals and regards the employee as a valued resource to be managed (Legge, 1989). Purcell (2001) comments ‘The distinction between personnel management and HRM too many practitioners is about the centrality of the role they play in the organization. It is nothing to do with a particular approach to labour management, one best set of practices’. Critical analysis of the contrasts between Personnel Management and Human Resource Management based on the policies and practices of Enterprise Ireland. Since its establishment in 1998, a human resource department has always been an important part of the organizational structure within Enterprise Ireland. The agency was established as an integrated service bringing together The Irish Trade Board, Forbairt and the Services to Business function of FAS, all of which previously also had human resource departments. The HR department today consist of four units which are; resourcing, training and development, employer relations and administration. The structure of the HR department was continued on from its predecessors even though there department was labelled as a personnel management one. HR has always been regarded as a strategic department due to its direct involvement in the overall management of the agency. The head of the HR department reports directly to an Executive Officer who then reports to the Chief Executive Officer. Ever since its establishment, HR has been involved in any decisions which could potentially affect the employee relations within the agency. The head of the department has been present at all board meetings regarding any relevant changes to Enterprise Ireland Upon establishment in 1998, the decision was made to remove a number of non-core departments that were regarded as no longer necessary. It was also decided that there would be recruitment of highly skilled professionals in order to provide a high quality of service to Irish firms. The decision to take these important actions was a result of lengthy consultation between the head of HR and senior management. HR worked closely with senior management to ensure the successful implementation of these changes to the agency. Highly skilled professionals within the agency are a necessity for delivering high quality skills and guidance to indigenous Irish firms. Employees have always been regarded as a resource necessary for the success of Enterprise Ireland. All services available to Enterprise Ireland clients are made available through development advisors who are the primary point of contact for all Enterprise Irelands services. The HR department and management have recognised from the beginning that employees are fundamental to the successful delivery of services to clients which is the core goal of Enterprise Ireland. Ever since its establishment training programmes approved by the agency have been available for employees to up skill and expand their expertise. Training and development has become more important due to lateral reassignments occurring as a result of the moratorium on recruitment. The HR department have the role of ensuring that programmes provide existing employees with the necessary skillsets to take on new positions within the organization. Enterprise Ireland and its predecessors placed emphasis on employee commitment and integration. Industrial harmony was of great importance to the agency. Enterprise Ireland works closely with Siptu and Unite, the two trade unions representing employees. While the organization still works on a day to day basis with unions their influence has significantly reduced due to the current economic climate. The public service agreements have dramatically affected employee commitment and integration. Administrative roles remain very important within the department. While administration is often associated with more traditional approaches to people management, these activities are necessary to keep the integrity of the department. In order to have employee’s full commitment and motivation administrative duties such as payrolls and pensions must be managed to an excellent standard. Enterprise Ireland has always carried out roles characteristic of a strategic human resource department. The department carries out the same roles and responsibilities as the personnel management departments of its predecessors. The focus of the department has changed since 2008 in order to cope with the effects of the economic downturn on public service employees. It is now more important than ever for the HR department to be as strategic as possible in order to maintain quality services despite a significantly reduced employee headcount. Conclusions From a review of academic literature and the practices and policies of Enterprise Ireland, contrasts between HRM and personnel management depend on how either are interpreted. HRM can be regarded as a revolutionary approach because of its emphasis on the importance of human capital to the success of an organisation. The differences between a HR department and personnel department in terms of policies and practices are few and far between. HRM is regarded now as a management practice which poses the question of how strategic a department is depends on the management which controls it.

Three Things I Wish I Knew Before Senior Year

As junior year eclipsed into summer, I was ready to relax and let the stress of junior year melt like butter pecan ice cream on my tongue. I had done it. I had finally finished my school year on track. In those first moments, there was nothing as exciting as leaving my standardized test prep books behind for the beginning of my senior year.I could already picture it: Polished senior yearbook photos, school football games, and spring break trips with friends, to name a few. Senior year was going to be my year (How often have you heard that cliche?).There’s nothing wrong with wanting the most out of your last year, but there are some things I wish I had known beforehand. These may seem to be given ideas, but I can’t stress enough how much more my outlook on senior year changed with these three points. With these in mind, I wish the best for ever senior or rising senior! 1. Use the most of your summer. When an older student says they wish they had spent more time on college applications, they really mean it. Take their advice - use your free time wisely, especially when you have it during the summer. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t enjoy your break. After a year of testing, you have every right to relax. But be careful of the downward spiral of â€Å"I worked hard junior year. I deserve this.† The summer after my junior year, I fell into it and proceeded to not spend a majority of my time as efficiently as I wished I had three months later. Looking into different colleges and writing up drafts for application essays can take more than anticipated, and dedicating time will be worth it. 2. Make senior moments. Especially if you’re involved in multiple AP and honor classes, it can be difficult to manage time outside of studying. But keep in mind that senior year is truly your last year of high school. I constantly forgot this as I spent another weekend burying myself in my studying. It wasn’t until months into the year that I realized how many opportunities there are to make new memories. Make your own High School Musical: Senior Year moment and embrace each minute. Of course try to maintain grades, but don’t be afraid to have fun with loved ones! 3. Talk to that person. You know, that person. The one you never realized was in class with you, or the one sitting by themselves in the corner. If you’re afraid, just remember that these months may be the last you ever have with that person. I met many of my close friends this year who I never even knew was in my grade! It’ll be worth even a minute to simply talk. Written by an high school student. Want to share your story? Shoot us an email via our contact form.