The Role of the Community in Artistic Endeavour Essay -- Islamic Grave

The Role of the Community in Artistic Endeavour Imagine a gravestone nearly a metre in height on a large base with incised geometric vine patterns. An elaborately carved collar with lotus motifs on a background pattern of a spider's web is found above this base. In the center of the stone, finely carved inscriptions of Sufi or Islamic mystic poems concerning death executed in Naskh calligraphic style are framed in decorative panels reminiscent of Persian illuminated manuscripts. The poem reads: "Listen. Verily the world is perishable, the world is not everlasting. Verily the world is like a Web woven by a spider" Flanking the inscriptions are elaborate floral motifs that protrude outwards and curl upwards, resembling wings. This whole arrangement is surmounted by a multi-tiered arrangement of forms symbolizing Mount Meru, the abode of Hindu gods, with the Muslim profession of faith or shahadah inscribed upon it. This stone is but one of several styles of a type of gravestones known as Batu Aceh (Type C, Appendix). Batu Aceh are a highly distinctive genre of early Southeast Asian Islamic gravestones manufactured in Aceh, North Sumatra from the late 13th century to the 19th century and exported to various parts of the Malay-Indonesian Archipelago. They were elaborately carved and expensive, and were a mark of distinction, being reserved for the graves of royalty and other important or wealthy persons. Although produced to mark Muslim graves, they are peculiar in exhibiting motifs drawn from Hindu and Buddhist religious philosophy. In this aspect they belong to the wider tradition of syncretism in Southeast Asian art and culture, in its inherent tendency to combine or reconcile differing beliefs and traditions. Can Bat... ...s directly to indigenous aesthetic ideals, the harmonious combination of Hindu/Buddhist, Islamic as well as indigenous elements in Batu Aceh not only proves the resilience of the underlying autochthonous culture and tradition, but points also to the creative synthesis and adaptive flexibility expressed by their anonymous carvers. Works Cited Othman bin Mohd. Yatim. Batu Aceh: Early Islamic gravestones in Peninsular Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur: United Selangor Press, 1988 Bougas, Wayne A. "Some Early Islamic Tombstones in Patani" In JMBRAS vol. 59 part 1 1986 Best, David. The Rationality of Feeling: Understanding The Arts in Education. London: The Falmer Press, 1992 Hall, D G E. A History of South-East Asia. London: Macmillan, 1985 Bourassa, Stephen C. The Aesthetics of Landscape. London: Belhaven Press, 1991 Last updated: 24 June, 2003

An Ecological Theory Applied to Aging Essay

Ecological theories of human development consider the complex interactions between humans and their changing social and physical environments. Every member of society experiences these interactions in a different manner, depending on factors such as the amount of resources available to them or the interconnectedness of their support system at birth. As people age and as the macrosystem itself changes in response to events, people within the system shift to occupy different positions in society. People’s psychological reactions to their evolving statuses reflect the culmination of a lifetime’s worth of experiences. At each juncture within people’s lives, their statuses are subject to norms and rules belonging to society. Understood from the vantage of Bronfenbrenner’s ecolological systems approach, initial transactions in a person’s life are the result of direct interrelationships between the infant and members of the microsystem (church, family, peers, school, neighborhood, play area, and health services). Microsystems, in turn, are shaped by a host of higher-up systems, which are also acting on each other at the same time. When the children in Bronfenbrenner’s model mature into adulthood, they are likely to occupy new roles within the macrosystem. These acquired roles may be transient because familial roles, career placement, financial status and other factors may vary throughout people’s lifetimes. Age, however, is one factor that invariably affects people’s lives, and society – to a large part – determines the extent of that effect. Deep-rooted in the mentality of members of a system are beliefs about which members are suited to which roles. If a society assigns a value to the knowledge gained through a lifetime of experience, then people in late adulthood and beyond will perceive themselves as vital. Alternatively, if a society chooses not to recognize that elders have an important contribution to make in society, then the elders of that society may internalize those beliefs and feel valueless. In the United States, common stereotypes of the elderly are that they are poorly able to meet the physical and mental demands of performing routine tasks. However, as medical science improves, people are living into their  hundreds and remaining active. In addition, various forms of martial arts are practiced to enhance balance, coordination, and flexibility, and cardiovascular exercise strengthens the heart, body, and elevates mood levels. Because of a heightened awareness of the positive effects of keeping a healthy diet and exercising regularly, in many cases, people can continue to function physically and mentally at high levels. An ecological theory of human development would recognize recent changes, such as increased longevity and improved functionality, as the catalyst for the development of new late adulthood roles and altered definitions of late adulthood. Cognitive development throughout the lifespan, or fluid intelligence, is valued above accumulated stores of intelligence, or crystallized intelligence, in some ecological systems. In a system that seeks ways of applying the wisdom of age, mentors and apprentices benefit from the transference of knowledge and perspective. In agriculture-based communities, where apprenticeships are integral to the continuity of life, members view hastiness and rapid decision-making as immature qualities; whereas, forethought and the ability to absorb the totality of a situation are the attributes of old age. In certain Black African societies, elders in the community are regarded as founts of knowledge. In traditional Latin societies, it is believed that older members of society possess inner-strength and can pass that quality along to younger generations. Individuals in these societies depend on their elderly and base many of their personal, social, and job-related decisions on the utterances of elder s in the community. In technology-based societies, crystallized intelligence is undervalued because adaptation is seen as more important to the sustenance of economic development. Those who fall behind in terms of technological instrumentality and rapid response rate are perceived as slow instead of as thoughtful. Furthermore, the uniform sentence order and grammar of English restricts the range of expression available to many elderly people. In a macrosystem in which speed and the delivery are prized more than the content of the message, senior citizens and their contributions are marginalized. The effect is that society’s message to seniors – that they are slow and  ineffectual – becomes an internalized belief of everyone in society. In many other cultures, such as Arab ones, the treatment of aged people in society seems to be the reverse of how older people are treated in the U.S. In these countries, the religion and culture serve as the rational basis for assigning seniors authority in deciding on household matters. It is expected in traditional societies that the young provide care for and honor their aging family members. In societies with Confucian based ideologies, such as Korea, the hierarchy of respect is based on age, with the eldest members of society receiving the most esteem. The exosystem in these societies is tipped in the direction of considering the importance of elders and their influence. All microsystems, mesosystems, and individuals tap into this human resource because the macrosystems endorse the idea that the elderly in society are indispensable. Microsystems in many countries are successful at integrating the services that seniors provide into the caregiving structure. In many Asian and African societies, grandparents live in the same house as parents and children. Whereas the commonly held belief in the U.S. is that grandparents’ excessive indulging of their grandchildren may negatively affect children’s personalities and achievement in school, it has been found that in China educated grandparents have a positive effect on their grandchildren’s academic performance. In the U.S., grandparents may play an important role in parenting children in single-parent headed homes. Additionally, parents look forward to becoming grandparents, and a study conducted by Brubaker showed that 80% of grandparents were happy with their grandparenting roles. Just as these eager parents delight in assuming new roles as grandparents in life, so are there many things to look forward to as one approaches late adulthood. Dependi ng on the macrosystem one is part of aging can be perceived as a positive or negative prospect. The extent to which a macrosystem views the importance and necessity of caring for aged ones can dictate the quality of life for seniors, particularly for those who are afflicted by poor physical health or forms dementia brought on and exacerbated by old age. In the US, middle-aged  adults find themselves â€Å"sandwiched† between caring for their children and their parents. The financial and emotional burden put on these middle-aged adults further begs a solution to the need for a better system of caring for the elderly. The issues seem especially pressing in industrialized nations, where traditional ideas about caring for older family members are either nonexistent or eroding. In China, a nation in the midst of industrialization, as rural-to-urban shift increases, parents and grandparents are being left behind. In Latin cultures, filial bonds and intergenerational teaching are perpetuated by a macrosystem that espouses religious belief and traditional norms. In countries trying to balance industrialization and tradition, managing care for aging populations presents a problem, especially in countries such as Italy and Japan, where the declining birthrate presents a challenge for this generation of youths An individual’s microsystem system shapes the pattern of interactions to follow for the rest of that person’s life, Shifts in familial status, shifts in occupational status, issues related specifically to aging, external events, and the set of values and beliefs embodied by the macrosystem all contribute to the quality of people’s perceived well being. Senior citizens’ well-being is often related to the quality of their interactions within their microsystems. Depending on the structure of the macrosystem and sometimes on the individual’s accessibility to resources, social support systems may consist of children and grandchildren of the individual, other elderly members of the community, or community members of all ages who seek the guidance of elders. Ecological systems theories provide a framework for identifying the elements of the system and within the individual that account for reasons why individuals behave and think the way they do. Shortcomings in the systems, such as with the treatment of elders, are apparent when macrosystems are compared side by side. This society’s values and beliefs will have to accommodate more positive associations with old age before the majority of elders can enjoy meaningful, productive, and satisfying lives.

Gerard Egan

An Easy Introduction to Egan’s Skilled Helper Solution Focused Counselling Approach By Patrick JM Nelson Part One What is it? Gerard Egan’s Skilled Helper Model of eclectically based counselling provides a structured and solution focused basis for counsellors, psychotherapists and hypnotherapists. It is a three stage model in which each state consists of specific skills that the therapist uses to help the client move forwards. By mastering the process of using these basic skills in an appropriate manner (often in a cyclical process of stage 1 – 2 – 3 evaluate 1 – 2 – 3 evaluate) the talking therapist may be able to increase their efficiency and structure their work in a more logical way, thus helping clients in a more consistent manner and being less reliant upon their fluctuating ‘therapeutic inspiration’. Theoretical Origins Theoretically the Skilled Helper approach draws on Carkuff's theory of high-level functioning helpers (which explains that helpers with the skills of empathy, respect, concreteness, congruence, self-disclosure, confrontation and immediacy are most effective); Strong's Social influence theory (which explains that helping is a process whereby clients are influenced by others because they perceive therapists as having particular attributes and with this influence being most powerful when the the therapist avoids both laxity and coercion and is instead collaborative, empowering and democratic) and Albert Bandura's Learning theory (in which clients are seen as acquiring skills through coming to understand the processes of learning and developing appropriate self-efficacy expectations – expecting to achieve their goals by learning useful behaviours). Essential Therapeutic Orientations The Egan Skilled Helper approach encourages clients to become active interprete rs of the world, giving meanings to actions, events and situations, facing and overcoming challenges, exploring problem issues, seeking new opportunities and establishing goals. Quite simply, success usually comes when human beings become active in initiating positive behaviours and developing problem-solving strategies. The Skilled Helper aims to help their clients develop the skills and the knowledge necessary to solve both their current problems issues and ones that may arise in the future. To facilitate client development the helper builds a healthy therapeutic alliance with the client based on collaboration, warmth and acceptance. The Skilled Helper facilitates the client by helping them to formulate a plan of action, helping them accept their responsibility for becoming a more effective person and helping them to develop their own inner resources. The Skilled Helper also helps their client to transfer newly acquired skills and knowledge to fresh situations, facilitates them in establishing appropriate and realistic goals (that match their problem-solving skills), encourages them to become selfdirective and develop the skills of problem-solving, helps them to build on their inner strengths and to utilize external resources and support groups, helps them realize their potential and facilitates them in developing goals which are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, ethical and reasonable. Furthermore the Skilled Helper remains in a state of external sensory awareness and retains an awareness of their client's non-verbal communications. Effective Listening – SOLER Effective listening is key to being a Skilled Helper. It consists of various skills, which Egan covers with the acronym : S. If it suits them, face the client Squarely (some prefer up to 45 degrees etc) O. Maintain an Open Posture with the client. L. Lean towards the client (as appropriate). E. Maintain appropriate Eye Contact with the client. R. Be a Relaxed helper as by doing so you greatly improve the quality and comfort of the sessions. Active Listening & Empathy Active Listening is a key skill for the Skilled Helper. It consists in concentrating on the client's non-verbal and verbal communications and relating them to the client's story (non-verbal communication includes body language, expressions, reactions etc). Verbal communication articulates the client's experiences, behaviours and feelings. The Skilled Helper encourages the client to stick to the point (what is relevant), they are non-judgemental and they are Empathic rather than sympathetic. Appropriate Empathy is a state of human interaction in which the helper enters and understands the client's perspective, whilst getting in touch with their thoughts and feelings, however, in this the helper remains rational in their understanding of the client's situation and reality. Unlike in some counselling approaches, although the Skilled Helper communicates Empathy to the client as the basis of counselling, when appropriate they may also use challenging skills with the client when particular and clearly harmful irrational statements or destructive patterns etc keep resurfacing, however any challenging must be congruent with the maintenance of therapeutic Rapport and Empathy because Empathy and Rapport provide the client with the warmth, comfort and safety needed to facilitate effective positive change. Exploring Skills (Egan Stage I Introduction) Exploring the client's Existing Situation The stage one skills of the Egan Helping Model are based upon the exploration of the client’s situation and they basically correlate with the Rogerian counselling skills of the Person Centered Approach. The purpose of Stage I is to build a nonthreatening counselling relationship and help the client explore their situation and then focus on chosen issues. In this stage the Skilled Helper helps the client to identify and clarify problems and opportunities and assess their resources. Clients are often reluctant or resistant at this stage, therefore the therapist helps them to explore new perspectives, challenges negative modes of thinking and constructively challenges the client's excuses, evasiveness, distortions and negative self-statements. This stage is based around helping the client in establishing priorities and developing action plans that put into practice productive strategies. Stage I exploring skills include: Open-ended questions Silence Focusing Empathy Paraphrasing & Reflecting Meaning Paraphrasing & Reflecting Feeling Structuring Summarising Understanding Skills (Egan Stage II Introduction) Helping the Client Establish Aims and Goals The purpose of Stage II is to help facilitate the client in developing a more in-depth and objective understanding of their situation. This stage is enacted as the Skilled Helper assists the client in exploring options and possible goals. The Skilled Helper establishes what the client really wants and needs and the client is encouraged to consider new possibilities and perspectives, choosing ones that are realistic, consistent with their values and for which there are adequate incentives. The Skilled Helper facilitates the client in developing rational decision-making based upon healthy data collection, analysis and action planning. In this state brain-storming, divergent thinking, a balance-sheet approach and force-field analysis may be used with the client in order to facilitate choices between different ways of dealing with situations and achieving goals. These techniques help the client to explore various options and strategies as well understand and work around blocking factors with facilitating factors. Stage II understanding skills include: Recognising Patterns & Themes Alternate Frames of Reference Self-disclosure Immediacy Challenging Timing & Pacing Advanced empathy Acting Skills (Egan Stage III Introduction) Help the Client to Develop Strategies Stage III skills are assist clients to take appropriate action by defining goals, changing ways of relating and working through issues using problem solving or decision making methods, while providing support and encouragement. Stage III skills help the client to cope with current problems and assist in the learning of new skills that will enable them to live more effectively in the future. Action is based on exploration and understanding gained by using stage I & II skills. In stage III the Skilled Helper facilitates the client in finding ways of achieving their goals. After helping the client to come up with as many strategies as they can the Skilled Helper then helps them to focus upon those that are viable in terms of client situati on, needs, aspiration and resources. This process is designed to help the client move from the current situation to one that they would prefer. Transition experiences may make the client feel vulnerable therefore the process may often be built upon the taking of small comfortable steps as the client grows in confidence (but this must be based upon the needs of the client – some like big jumps). Realistic achievable planning and time-tabling are key to success and the Skilled Helper is warm and supportive – helping the client look out and overcome obstacles, turning challenges into opportunities and inspiring the client to mobilise their personal, social and material resources (particularly helpful family members, friends and self-help networks etc). Stage III action skills include: Divergent Thinking Goal Setting Decision Making Problem Solving Programme Choice Evaluate Knowledge of Resources Using Knowledge of How Behaviour is Changed Using Knowledge of How Useful Behaviour is Maintained Teaching skills & Promoting Learning skills Evaluation In addition to Explore, Understand & Act skills evaluation of the therapy process is also important. It can take place at the end of each session as a summarization, whenever appropriate. It helps the client understand what ground they have gone over, helps them perceive progress they have made and inspires them with understanding on how they want to move forwards. To learn about this approach in detail see Part II, III & 4 of An Easy Introduction to the Egan’s Skilled Helper Solution Focused Counselling Approach by Patrick JM Nelson. Gerard Egan’s ‘The Skilled Helper’ is available from the FETT Bookshop Article Copyright Patrick JM Nelson 2007

Art History Formal Analysis – Comparison

Formal Analysis Paper The pieces Ann Whitley Russell, done by an unknown artist in around 1820 and Lady Frances Knowles, also done by an unknown artist, in the mid-late 17th century are both examples of portraits that portray the sitters in diverse yet insightful ways to viewers. Both Ann Whitley Russell and Lady Frances Knowles are works of art composed of oil paint on canvas. Although these portraits are different, the aspects of space, color, and composition are all important elements that must be considered while comparing the woman in these two pieces.The significant element of space comes into play while analyzing the portrait of Ann Whitley Russell. The figure of Ann Whitley Russell herself is very flat and appears to be two dimensional, rather than three. The two dimensionalism of this portrait says something about the skill level and amount of training that this unknown artist holds; they were most likely self-trained. Since there is a shallow depth of field in this piece th e viewer is automatically drawn to the sitter, Ann Whitley Russell, who is positioned in the foreground of this piece.Ann Whitley Russell is illustrated sitting on a chair with a decorative cloth draped over the left arm, which is positioned in the middle ground of the portrait. The background is monochrome, blurry and is indistinguishable to make out other than the column to the side of the portrait. The column looks as if the artist based it on Greek and Roman architecture due to its rounded appearance and indented texture. These columns would have been found in Europe throughout the early to mid eighteen hundreds, which was around the same time that this portrait was created.By including this type of column in the background the artist may be trying to portray the sitter, Ann Whitley Russell, as someone who is elite, wealthy and privileged enough to live in a place where this type of architecture exists. Although the artist made this column visible, it is still impossible to dete ct a specific setting in the background of this portrait. Furthermore, although the significance of the element of space also effects how viewers perceive the portrait of Lady Frances Knowles it does so in a different way.The viewer is automatically drawn to the center of this piece, which is the vivid three-dimensional figure of the sitter, Lady Frances Knowles. While studying the portrait Lady Frances Knowles I was able to detect a clear distinguishable foreground, middle ground and background. The artist positions the sitter in the foreground of the piece sitting on a stone bench with one arm resting upon the ledge of a stone fountain which is positioned in the middle ground.The stone fountain in the middle ground which has a statue of a Roman mythological winged figure attached has water flowing down from it and appears to be solid in space and volumetric due to this. The statue of a winged figure appears to be an angel, which is a symbol of love, peace, and protection. The back ground of this piece has trees with flowering leaves which may be where the flowers upon the lap of Lady Frances Knowles and the bench she is sitting on came from.The background seems to be slightly shallower compared to the sitter who is lifelike and three-dimensional. The background is less defined than the sitter is however the trees, fountain and flowers are distinguishable and give evidence that she must be sitting somewhere outside. The artist may have positioned the sitter somewhere outside in order to show the importance of nature and natural beauty because the sitter herself is so naturally beautiful.The artist of Lady Frances Knowles and of Ann Whitley Russell both use space to visually demonstrate what type of person the sitter is in the portrait, even though the way the space is represented is different in both. Another very important aspect that must be considered during the analysis of the portrait of Ann Whitley Russell is color. In this portrait the artist tends to u se a narrow array of colors that are bland and monotonous. The artist uses the same colors of black, white, brown, grey and red throughout the entire piece.The background is incredibly dull and the shades of brown get darker as it moves further away from her head. In this portrait the red is only bright and exciting color, it is found used for the plain velvet looking chair, the red accents on the cloth draped over the chair, the stone in the center of her necklace and the thin line of lipstick on Ann Whitley Russell’s lips. The black of the sitters dress contrasts her pale white skin and due to the incredibly dull background color more attention is given to her.By using these colors the artist shows how although Ann Whitley Russell is a woman of great wealth, she is a plain woman and instead of embellishing her with vibrant colors he focused on maintaining the sitters true essence. Additionally, while analyzing the portrait of Lady Frances Knowles the importance of color is also used however it is to express different meanings. It is easy to see that the artist of this piece finds color very important due to the vast color pallet he uses in order to contrast the colors of the sitters dress and her skin tones.The pallet consists of a diverse amount of blue, white, pink, red, grey, brown, and black shades, which are used to illustrate the sitter and her surroundings. The artist uses flowing brush strokes to engage viewers in Lady Frances Knowles, a strong example of these brush strokes can be seen in the sitters long brown flowing hair that she is trying to show off. The background of the portrait, which contains a variety of red and pink accents against a darker black background, deeply contrasts the white and pink shades of the sitters skin tone and the shades of blue on the sitters dress.Shadowing is used on the skirt and sleeves of the sitters dress to create realistic folds and wrinkles in the expensive fabric. The shades of red and pink are used fo r the flowers held by and surrounding Lady Frances Knowles, and are emblems representing femininity, beauty and fertility. The artists use color in contrasted ways in the portraits of Lady Frances Knowles and Ann Whitley Russell in order to illustrate the sitter’s unique personal attributes. The aspect of composition is one of great value while discussing the portrait of Ann Whitley Russell.Ann Whitley Russell’s figure takes up the majority of the piece and viewers are pulled into the portrait by the way the sitter’s head is slightly tilted in a contrapposto pose causing her gaze to fall upon us. The way the artist positioned the sitter with both of her arms resting over one of the arms of the chair seems uncomfortable and awkward, however this may have been seen as a proper way of sitting in 1820. Ann Whitley Russell’s portrait is a half body portrait from the waist up rather than a full body portrait that would have been more expensive at the time.The a rtist also focuses on the importance of lines by making them very defined so the viewer is able to depict where everything is easily. Due to the blurred and empty space in the background the sitter appears to be placed in an empty environment the artist may have done as to draw more attention to the subject (the sitter). Moreover, while analyzing the use of composition again in the Lady Frances Knowles portrait it is evident that it’s use is different.The artist gains the viewers full attention by the way the sitters face is held up gently by her hand and her soft eyes connect with the gaze of the viewer, drawing us even closer to the work of art. The way the artist positioned the sitter looks as if the sitter is going to get up at any moment due to how comfortable and relaxed her position is. The figure is directly centered with the background however her arm resting on the edge of the fountain on the side brings the main focus from herself to the intricate fountain.The back ground of the portrait is cluttered and the brush strokes are heavy and dark so the viewer will keep their focus on the sitter rather than the background. The proportions of the sitter in the portrait are accurate and almost entire the body of the sitter is portrayed, showing how she is willing to pay more for something more elegant. The artists for Ann Whitley Russell and Lady Frances Knowles both communicate diverse and very distinct characteristics about the sitter to viewers through the use of composition.After analyzing both of these portraits in excessive detail I have found that although they are unique in a variety of ways, both artists concentrations of work are the same. Some contrasts between the two portraits are that Ann Whitley Russell is two dimensional with a bland color pallet and is a half body portrait; while Lady Frances Knowles is three dimensional with a broad expanse of a color pallet and it is almost a full body portrait. The use of the elements space, color, and composition all influenced how the artists created the portraits of Ann Whitley Russell and Lady Frances Knowles and the themes within them.The unknown artist of the Ann Whitley Russell portrait used all three elements in order to illustrate how the sitter is a simple woman yet wealthy and elite as well. In the portrait of Lady Frances Knowles the artist, who is also unknown, uses these aspects to portray the natural beauty, femininity and wealth. Both themes are similar because they relate to how both sitters for each portrait aspired to be portrayed by the artists as attractive and wealthy.

Information Security Program Survey Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Information Security Program Survey - Essay Example As described in its website, VA is one of the world’s largest consolidated IT organizations and the department’s Office of Information Technology has a $3.1 billion budget for the current fiscal period. The organization operates nearly 800 community based outpatient clinics and 152 medical centers. In addition, it possesses over, 300,000 desktop computers, 30,000 laptop computers, and roughly 450,000 email accounts (CRISP). Recently, the VA has implemented the Continuous Readiness in Information Security Program (CRISP) to enhance the privacy of information about Veterans and their families. This information security program greatly fits the VA’s FY 2010-2014 strategic plan because this program notably contributes to value optimization and stakeholder satisfaction. However, the organization has been performing poorly in major information security control areas for long years. This issue has limited the performance efficiency of the CRISP to a certain extent. The costs and benefits of the CRISP development and execution are yet to be known. VA’s Strategic Plan The VA strives to be people-centric, result-driven, and forward looking (VA strategic plan). All operations of the department are directed towards promoting the wellbeing of Veterans and their families. ... It also aims to meet Veteran client satisfaction by delivering improved ‘health, education, training, counseling, financial, and burial benefits and services’. Another key objective of FY 2010-2014 strategic plan is to improve the willingness to deliver services and to protect people and their properties on a continuous basis, and particularly in times of crises. Finally, this strategic plan also strives to â€Å"improve internal customer satisfaction with management systems and support services to achieve mission performance and make VA an employer of choice by investing in human capital† (VA strategic plan). Information security program The VA has established the Continuous Readiness in Information Security Program (CRISP) by coalescing different information security initiatives. The major purpose of this program is to strengthen the security of information about Veterans, particularly health care records. This information security program is characterized with â€Å"unannounced audits, surveys, and self-assessments† (CRISP). The department claims that this program is very effective to ensure the confidentiality of sensitive information about Veterans. Actually, CRISP began as an initiative to ensure the department’s 334,000 employees 100 percent comply with mandatory security and privacy awareness training. The CRISP is completely in line with the department’s â€Å"long-standing security policies, including the provision of consistent, centralized training on IT security, records security, and privacy awareness†. The most part of the training is based on internet. In addition to following the traditional policies, the

Leading Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Leading - Essay Example In portraying managers as leaders, several factors define leadership in managers. These factors are discussed below. Control- good leadership in management is demonstrated by the ability of managers to control. At times difficult situations may arise in the company that requires a strong personality to come over it. This therefore requires a manager to posses the quality and zeal of control in order to be able to come over such matters. Control in management incorporates an upright ability to exude confidence in the decisions you make that affect the people around you and the institution under your management. This also entails instilling the same confidence in others so that they can exhibit the same virtues. Courage- every decision making process presents a different scenario to the manager of any company. The period that succeeds decision making is always full of uncertainty. This is because when a decision is made, there is an expected result. This is because the success of the decision can either pass or fail. To be a leader, you must have the courage to make decisions without fear of failing. This defines the leadership in a manger. Top manager- the top managers have the responsibility of showing exemplary leadership and also attempt to lead through positive influence. In bestowed upon them to lead with a lot of knowledge and understanding of what management entails to the managers. Their leadership strategy includes the following; Building employee engagement- employees are the working unit of a company. This makes them the most important part of the company. Their involvement in the company issues is very fundamental. This is because everyday management of the company directly affects them. In order to build a lasting company that is assured good business future, employee engagement into the issues touching the operability of the company is always deemed a very good aspect of top management. This

Contemporary Developments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Contemporary Developments - Essay Example Some of the competitors of Cafà © Coffee day are Barista, Cafà © Mocha and Costa Coffee. India is a growing economy and has shown stability over the past decades in terms of economic growth. The GDP (gross domestic product) of 6% has been maintained in the past ten years and India has become the fourth largest economy in the world (Government of India, 2005). Along with having increased the per capita income of a large number of its people, especially the middle classes, India now has a vast middle class with large amount of disposable income (Aguilar, 2006). This makes the country a choice for consumer product producers and retailers. AT Kearneys annual Global Retail Development Index (A.T. Kearney, 2008) lists India at the top and the country is hailed as the 5th largest retail investment destination (with expected growth of investments to US$ 427 billion by 2010 and US$ 637 billion by 2015) (A.T. Kearney, 2008). It also has the largest number of retail outlets at 12 million, out of which 5 million retailers cater for the food and beverage requirements (India Brand Equity Foundation, 2008). In addition to the proliferation of the retail business in urban India, there is tremendous potential provided by the smaller towns and cities. A very large section of the Indian masses reside in the semi-urban regions that border the metros as well as in the villages. These people are as yet not introduced to the retail boom that urban India is experiencing, and offer a large market that can be tapped. According to Brand Equity Survey, the there investment through franchising in rural India is expected to double by 2010 (India Brand Equity Foundation, 2008). The indigenous coffee organizations however face increased competition from foreign brands and retailers who are getting a stronghold in India. India started its economic reforms in 1991 and deregulated economy that led to an influx of foreign