Examining The Green Paper Every Child Matters Social Work Essays

Examining The Green Paper Every Child Matters Social Work Essays Examining The Green Paper Every Child Matters Social Work Essay Examining The Green Paper Every Child Matters Social Work Essay In 2003, the authorities published a Green Paper called Every Child Matters. This was published alongside the formal response to the study into the decease of Victoria Climbie , the immature miss who was horrifically abused, tortured, and finally killed by her great aunt and the adult male with whom they lived. The Every Child Matters ( ECM ) Green Paper identified the five results that are most of import to kids and immature people, which include being healthy, remaining safe, basking and accomplishing, doing a positive part and accomplishing economic wellbeing. These five results are cosmopolitan aspirations for every kid and immature individual, whatever their background and fortunes ( DfES, 2003 ) . The results are reciprocally reenforcing, for illustration kids and immature people learn to boom when they are healthy, safe and engaged, and the grounds shows clearly that educational accomplishment is the most effectual path out of poorness ( DfES, 2003 ) . Therefore in this essa y I am traveling to critically measure the current statute law, policies and processs that impact on looked-after kids ( LAC ) with mention to two of the five ECM results: being healthy and basking and accomplishing. CONTEXT FOR LAC Under the Children Act 1989, a kid is looked after by a local authorization if he/she is in their attention or provided with adjustment for more than 24 hours by the local authorization. This includes kids who are accommodated under a voluntary understanding with their parents ( subdivision 20 ) , kids who are the topic of a attention order ( subdivision 31 ) or interim attention order ( subdivision 38 ) and kids who are the topic of exigency orders ( subdivision 44 ) ( opsi.gov.uk ) .A The Department for Children, Schools and Families ( DCSF ) national statistics for LAC in England ( including acceptance and attention departers ) for the twelvemonth stoping 31 March 2009 noted that there were about 60,900 LAC, which is 2 % more than last twelvemonth s figure of 59,400 and comparatively unchanged compared to 2005 ( 61,000 ) . The bulk ( 73 % ) of kids were of White British beginning, with the staying 27 per cent being from a assortment of other cultural backgrounds ( DCSF, 2009 ) . The bulk of LAC 73 per cent are looked after by surrogate carers, with 1 in 6 of these placed with household and friends. A little figure of kids ( 290 in 2007 ) live in secure kids s places, either as welfare arrangements or placed by the Youth Justice Board. About a 3rd of kids ( 30 % ) are placed outside of their local authorization boundary, although around half of these still live within 20 stat mis of their place. This has deductions for how services are commissioned for these ki ds. The authorities hence developed policies and statute law which highlight a thrust towards significantly bettering the future results of all LAC. Health OF LOOKED-AFTER CHILDREN It is of import to observe that kids and immature people should bask the best physical, emotional, mental and religious wellness and development so that they feel good about themselves and their lives ( CYPNow, 2009 ) . The National Service Framework for Children and Young People ( DoH, 2004 ) besides states that all kids should accomplish the best physical and emotional wellbeing. But research has shown that LAC s physical and mental wellness is known to be significantly poorer than that of the general kid population. LAC are amongst the most socially excluded of all immature people. They are often reported in authorities research, policy and counsel to hold greater demands than their equals yet are less likely to have equal health care and intervention ( DoH, 2004 ) . Meltzer et Al. ( 2003 ) found that about two-thirds of all LAC were reported to hold at least one physical ailment. The most often reported were oculus and/or sight jobs, address or linguistic communication jobs, bed-wetting ( including among older kids ) , trouble with coordination, and asthma ( DCSF, 2008 ) . A survey analyzing the immunization position of over 3,000 kids looked after by nine wellness governments across England found that they were more than twice every bit likely as kids populating at place non to hold received the meningococcal C vaccinum ( Hill, Mather et al. , 2003 ) . A survey in Wales reported that kids who had been in public attention for at least six months were significantly less likely than kids populating in their ain places to hold received immunizations against lockjaw, whooping cough and infantile paralysis ( DoH, 2002 ) . However all these surveies were undertaken in the early 2000s and betterments in the wellness demands of vulnerable immature people have since been recorded by most local governments. For illustration, the mean immunization rate rose from 76.5 per cent in 2005 to 80 per cent in 2007 ( DoH, 2008 ) . This addition was influenced by the launch of the Quality Protects Initiative ( 1998 ) and the 2002 Department of Health Guidance on Promoting the Health of LAC which influenced many local governments in the state to hold local wellness squads dedicated to working with LAC. This holistic theoretical account of wellness in the 2002 counsel uses the spheres of the Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their households ( DH, 2000b ) . This is merged with the LAC system to make the Integrated Children s System ( DH, 2002 ) which provides the common model for appraisal, intercession and planning for all kids in demand including LAC. The counsel provinces that when a kid enters th e attention system, they should have a wellness appraisal by a registered medical practician within 14 yearss, which provides a footing for a wellness program which will so be reviewed yearly ( DH, 2002 ) . The mental wellness demands of LAC are widely known to be greater than those of the general population ( Utting et al. , 1997 ) . Meltzer et Al. ( 2003 ) found that 45 per cent of LAC aged 5 to 17 were assessed as holding a mental upset compared to 10 per cent of the general population, while a study by the National Foundation for Educational Research ( 2009 ) found that many attention departers were enduring from mental wellness jobs ( CYPNow, 2009 ) . Early household experiences which may hold resulted in the immature individual being in attention, coupled with experiences within the attention system such as frequent arrangement moves, strong-arming and maltreatment, may lend to the high degrees of mental wellness demands of LAC ( Minty 1999 cited in Callahan et al. , 2003 ) . In order to run into the demands of LAC with mental wellness jobs, the Care Matters White Paper stated that the authorities will utilize statutory counsel to guarantee CAMHS ( Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services ) provide targeted and dedicated proviso that suitably prioritises kids in attention . But the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children ( NSPCC ) saw a startling disagreement between assessed demands and service proviso for mental wellness. Research shows that up to 17, 000 kids in attention who have mental or emotional wellness demands received no support from CAMHS in 2006-07, go forthing them reliant on voluntary sector proviso ( Ward et al. , 2002 ) . A figure of grounds are suggested to explicate this mismatch of demands and services. First, many general CAMHS usage rigorous referral standards to find the rightness of referrals, and will merely accept immature people who meet those standards. Long waiting lists farther complicate issues for immature people, and are an obvious manner in which general CAMHS are unresponsive to the demands of vulnerable immature people. Typically, immature people are referred at a clip of crisis. Although it is non needfully allow for CAMHS to be wholly crisis responsive, it is however improbably of import for vulnerable immature people to have aid at the point when they try to prosecute the system. Besides many CAMHS services do non supply intervention at all for kids in short-run arrangements or those deemed non stable, despite the fact that behavioral or emotional jobs may forestall a kid accomplishing stableness. The consequence will be that each clip a kid moves arrangement they will hold to be re-referred to CAMHS and get down at the underside of long waiting lists ( Ward et al. , 2002 ) . For attention departers, it was noted that conflicting theoretical accounts of pattern between kid, stripling and grownup mental wellness services and higher thresholds for referrals into grownup services affected professionals ability to supply attention departers with proper support ( CYPNow, 2009 ) . Specialist squads and practicians can better the service kids in attention receive from mental wellness services by supplying fast response and appraisal, audience to carers and societal workers, placement support, and priceless protagonism, every bit good as intervention ( DoH, 2002 ) . Besides professionals and carers who work with vulnerable people need to be trained as they frequently find it hard to place mental wellness demands and to do appropriate referrals ( Minnis and Del Priore 2001, cited in Harper and Dwivedi, 2004 ) . The Audit Commission ( 1999 ) maintains that CAMHS should be planned in concurrence with other bureaus, as the mental wellness of kids and immature people is the duty of all those straight involved with kids and non merely the duty of CAMHS ( DfES, 2004 ) , and this is in line with the Integrated Children s System and the National Service Framework for Children and Young People ( DfES, 2004 ) . EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES OF LOOKED-AFTER CHILDREN The importance of basking a good educational experience is cardinal for all kids, and could be argued to be paramount for LAC and immature people. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989, article 28 ( 1 ) provinces that all kids have the equal right to instruction ( cited by UNICEF, 2006 ) . Jackson ( 1994 ) cited in Blyth and Milner ( 1996 ) points out that it is merely through school that kids earn a passport to a different sort of future as it improves the chances for their employment, fiscal independency, personal and household life and wellness and wellbeing ) .Those without instruction are at a personal and institutional disadvantage.A This is said to be one of the grounds why parents care so passionately: why they move house, take out insurance and even put on the line political animadversion to direct their kids to a school of their pick. Are local governments prepared to do comparable forfeits in their function as parents? Are they inspired to procure a different sort of hereafter for their kids? ( Blyth and Milner, 1996 ) Research shows that LAC achieve significantly poorer educational results than other kids. It has been noted that, in 2008-09, merely 44 per cent of LAC had at least 1 GSCE or GNVQ compared to 46 per cent in 2007-8, and merely 7 per cent obtained at least 5 GCSEs at class A* to C, a figure which has remained the same over the last few old ages ( DSCF, 2009 ) . Even though the authorities has initiated some policies and strategies to better the educational attainment of LAC, wide-scale betterment has been much slower than anticipated. Some of the policies initiated include Quality Protects ( 1998 ) , Children ( Leaving Care ) Act 2000, the Care Standards Act 2000, Every Child Matters Green Paper 2003 taking to the Children Act 2004, Education and Inspections Act 2006 and Care Matters: Time for Change White Paper 2007. Hayden ( 2005 ) states that the chief grounds for hapless educational results include: unequal corporate parenting, the attention environment, a failure to prioritize instruction, inappropriate outlooks, arrangement instability and disrupted schooling every bit good as pre-care experiences ( Hayden, 2005: 343 ) . The Social Exclusion Unit study A Better Education for Children in Care identified cardinal countries for action based on bettering the educational attainment of kids in attention. One was to understate school absenteeism and exclusion of LAC in schools. This has been addressed by the Social Exclusion Policy Unit which was launched in 1997 and the Guidance on the Education of Young People in Public Care ( 2000 ) which states that LAC should non be for good excluded and that exclusion is to be used merely as a last resort ( DfES, 2000 ) . Although national marks were set to cut down the figure of school exclusions by one tierce before the twelvemonth 2002, the graduated table of the job is difficult to quantify. Statisticss on kids for good excluded represent merely a proportion of exclusions, but over recent old ages Numberss appear to hold been lifting systematically, particularly among younger students. Social disadvantage is a common subject: kids in public attention, travelers, immature carers and kids with SEN, African Caribbean students and male childs are peculiarly at hazard. It has been estimated that up to 30 % of kids in public attention are out of mainstream instruction at any minute whether through exclusion or hooky ( DH, 2000 ) . Separate on-site support units have yet to hold much positive impact on exclusion or suspension figures, though school-based societal workers and instruction public assistance officers have been shown to be effectual ( Department of Health research in pattern, 2000 ) . The usage of designated instructors to work with LAC in schools was introduced by the authorities counsel Supporting and Promoting the Education Achievement of Young People in Public Care ( 2000 ) , and is besides stated in subdivision 20 of the Children and Young Persons Act 2008. The function of the designated instructor is to move as an advocator for LAC within their school and to work in partnership with other professionals when fixing a Personal Education Plan ( PEP ) . The Social Exclusion Unit ( SEU ) study found that although some schools actively promoted the usage of designated instructors, other schools provided designated instructors with few or no extra resources ( SEU, 2003 ) . Fletcher-Campbell et Al. ( 2003 ) cited in Petch ( 2009 ) found that there were troubles in guaranting that all kids in attention really had a PEP. Some instructors interviewed in their survey felt that PEPs were merely a paper exercising. Harker et Al. ( 2003 ) reported a deficiency of apprehension in some schools of the PEPs and the designated instructor s function. Merely 42 per cent of the immature people in their survey had heard of PEPs, and non all of those really had one. Out-of-school-hours educational support and extra-curricular activities can hold a positive consequence on educational results and can play an of import function in guaranting that looked-after immature people are enjoying and accomplishing , an of import aim in Every Child Matters ( DfES, 2003 ) . Article 31 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child besides states that all kids have the right to take part in leisure, cultural and artistic activities ( UNICEF, 2008 ) . However, research has shown that current out-of-school-hours survey support and extra-curricular proviso for looked-after kids vary a great trade by country. The Social Exclusion Unit found that merely three quarters of the 2,000 kids in attention that it surveyed had entree to after-school activities and nines, and merely two tierces used them ( SEU, 2003 ) . Those populating in residential places or with parents, as opposed to further carers, had lower degrees of entree. Similarly, a survey of athletics found that more than one tierce of LAC non presently playing athletics would wish to, and 91 per cent of immature people in attention who were questioned identified at least one barrier to engagement that they personally faced: cost ( Who Cares? Trust, 2004 ) . The authorities developed the Department for Education and Skills Guidance ( DfES 2006 ) which states that schools can utilize their delegated budgets to subsidize drawn-out activities that conveying an educational benefit for vulnerable kids and immature people, including LAC. The Green Paper Care Matters: Transforming the Lifes of Children and Young People ( DfES, 2006 ) besides encouraged local governments to supply free entree for kids in attention to all their installations including leisure Centres, athleticss evidences and young person nines. However, the impact of these commissariats on out-of-school-hours larning activities for LAC seems to change across different schools and local governments and still needs to be closely monitored. On attention departers, surveies have shown that the effects of neglecting to obtain educational makings are really serious, frequently reprobating immature people to life on the borders of society ( Biehal et al. , 1995 ) . Their opportunities to hold a good and stable life are damaged by the deficiency of support and services offered whilst in attention and during the critical passage to adult life. Since the pioneering research of Stein and Carey ( 1986 ) cited in Biehal et al. , 2004, the troubles and challenges confronting immature people go forthing attention have been more widely recognised. For illustration, attention departers make up 30 per cent of stateless immature people ( Hutson, 1997 ) . An enquiry by the Howard League into the usage of prison detention for adolescent misss found that 40 per cent of 15- to 17-year-olds had been in attention ( Biehal, et Al, 1995 ) . These effects are non short-run ; with fewer occupations available for ill educated people, the employment chances of those once in attention get increasingly worse as they grow older and their chances for engagement in mainstream society lessening ( Biehal et al. , 1995 ) . However, even though there is grounds of some advancement in GCSE public presentation and in post-16 instruction and employment since the debut of the Children ( Leaving Care ) Act 2000 ( Petch, 2009 ) , studies indicate that many immature people are still go forthing attention early and that the chief elements of passage to adulthood be given to be compressed and accelerated ( McNeish et al. , 2002 ) . This therefore shows that societal workers and other professionals involved with kids in attention still necessitate to make a batch in doing certain that immature people are given all the support they need before traveling out of attention. The importance of inter-agency working among professionals working with LAC has been stressed in legion policies and statute law to better their results. For illustration, the Audit Commission study, Seen but non Heard ( 1994 ) , cited in Alcock et Al. ( 2008 ) stressed the necessity to accept shared duty when reacting to the educational demands of LAC and immature people: Social Services and instruction demand to accept joint ownership of the job of disrupted instruction of LAC and work together to happen solutions ( Audit Commission, 1994, p. 25 ) . Most late there has been Working Together to Safeguard Children ( 2006 ) , which states that, a shared duty and the demand for effectual articulation working between bureaus and professionals that have different functions and expertness are required if kids are to be protected from injury and their public assistance promoted ( DCSF, 2006: p.10 ) . Successful inter-agency working is non ever achieved as societal workers and instructors have different professional civilizations, and in today s universe have separate marks and ends, which are set by the Government. Current policies have identified societal workers as being cardinal to bettering the criterions of LAC s instruction, as they advocate on behalf of LAC, initiate Personal Education Plans, arrange LAC reappraisals and liaise with all professionals involved in a LAC s life. However the attitudes and actions of societal workers have been considered as causal to the hapless accomplishment of LAC. Specifically they have been cri ticised for giving instruction a low precedence, holding low outlooks of LAC and neglecting to value the importance of instruction as a manner of bettering self-esteem ( Iwaniec and Hill, 2000 ) . Aldgate et Al. ( 1993 ) reported that merely 2 % of societal workers consider the support of educational attainment as an of import facet of their occupation. Harker et Al. ( 2003 ) besides suggest that the force per unit areas of a societal worker s heavy caseload may ensue in them giving greater precedence to issues they consider to be more of import than the instruction of LAC. Decision Even though the authorities has launched a figure of enterprises to better the wellness and educational results of LAC, advancement has been slow and there is a deficiency of consistence across the state. Multi-disciplinary working has been identified as being cardinal to guaranting that LAC are provided with the best chance to make their full potency. The General Social Care Council ( GSCC ) codification of pattern provinces that societal workers should recognize and esteem the functions and expertness of workers from other bureaus and working in partnership with them ( GSCC, 2002 ) . However, this is non ever go oning, as hapless communicating between societal workers and instructors has been cited as a cause for concern in a figure of surveies. Therefore societal work practicians need to reevaluate their degree of communicating and to be cognizant of the bing policies and counsel to guarantee best pattern and recommend efficaciously for their kids.

Applications of Environmental Valuation for Determining Externalit Article

Applications of Environmental Valuation for Determining Externalit Cost - Article Example However the regulators and the companies alike have difficulties in converting the physical consequences of such abating into monetary terms. This becomes necessary to guide the regulators and the companies to fix the priorities in adapting various technologies on the basis of the costs and benefits of the individual processes involved. In the case of goods and services that are being traded in a competitive market it becomes easier to value the externalities. The 'externalities' denote the external effects caused by positive or negative spillovers from the production of a product or service. The agency involved in such production of the product or service may be asked to provide additional technology or processes to reduce the negative impact of such externalities. In this case the cost of such externality will be shifted to the producer. Alternatively the consumer may be charged more to discourage the use of the particular product which has a negative externality and in that case the social cost of the externality is borne by the consumer. But problems may arise when the product or service is not traded in the market. ... In a process of evaluation of the benefits of abatement the first step is to estimate the effect of the emissions on the health, visibility, deterioration of materials and depletion of natural resources and damages to the natural environment. The logical next step is to convert the effect into dollar terms. For instance the deterioration on the steel structures caused by the emission of Sulphur dioxide can be arrived as a percentage on the weight of the structures over a period of year and later on this percentage can be converted dollars. This way the cost of replacing the deterioration of steel structures can be calculated. Thus damage functions can be established for all effects of environmental pollution including the health hazard to human beings caused by air pollution. It thus becomes possible to model all the physical effects which in turn help to arrive at the quantitative effects of changes in various levels of pollution. The final step in assessing the monetary value of th e environment impact can be calculated by ascribing a dollar value to the physical changes. However in spite of spending more time and efforts on the research on the qualitative and quantitative effects of environmental pollution no certain models could be developed. This has made the damage function models somewhat ineffective in estimating the value of environmental impact precisely. Willingness to Pay (WTP) Studies: In the example of steel structures the cost of replacing can be ascertained by taking into account the market value of the replacement or repairs to the structures. This may turn out to be a good estimate of the monetary value of damages. But in those cases where it is difficult to monetize the physical changes like in the case of a health hazard due to pollutions of

Islamic Societies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Islamic Societies - Essay Example Religious matters are mentioned not very often in the text. The main character of the text states that â€Å"I had covenanted with Allah, be He exalted, since I was of the age of about a score, that I would not delay prayer as for as it was in my power†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Chenery, Steingass, 1867/1898, 58). The text concerns itself with such Arabic literature features as protection of persons from sins, prayers among people, especially poor. The text contradicts to description of such a moment in the piece of reading when the events take place on the slaves market which is located in the city of Zabid, Yemen. The Arabic literature states that the Prophet Muhammad was the first fighter against the slavery. This piece of text belongs to the type of maqama – a prose which is rhymed and something between fiction and non-fiction. As this type of writing tackles different subjects within the text, the subjects of it are religious matters – protection from sins, prayers, and descr iption of slavery, a contradictory point to the Arabic literature. The second reading source, Irwin’s â€Å"The Penguin Anthology of Classical Arabic Literature†, also has religious issues. There is an example in the text when the Prophet is referred to: â€Å"Bless Mohammed, the last of Thy prophets for ever, him that came thy message to deliver! Bless the lights of his family and Keys of his victory!† (Irwin, 2006, 190). This reference source provides evidence of efflorescence of the Arabic literature. Such poet as Omar Khayyam is reasonably considered the most prominent one in the Arabic literature. His most famous book, Rubaiyat, describes the things that are far from the Islamic religion norms and restrictions, and he is considered to be the supporter of hedonism. Another bright example of the Arabic literature is One thousand and One Nights, a collection of South

The book The Evolution of management thought

The book The Evolution of management thought In his comprehensive book The Evolution of Management Thought Daniel A Wren writes: Within the practices of the past there are lessons of history for tomorrow in a continuous stream. We occupy but one point in this stream. The purpose .. is to presentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the past as a prologue to the future. Broadly it has been classified into : 1.Scientific management theory 2.Administrative management theory 3.Behavioral management theory 4.Management science theory 5.Organizational environment theory I. PRE SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT ERA à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢I. Ever Since Down Of civilization. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢-Administration of mohenjodaro harappa Cities Of ancient aryan in 2000 B.C. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢-Buddha order and the sangha à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢-Organizations of public life in ancient greece. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Organisation of roman catholic church. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Organisation of military force à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢SECOND HALF OF NINETEENTH CENTURY à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Use of management Principles in business. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Robert Owen-1813 :-Development of mgmt Concepts. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Factor which influence the productivity of personnel in plants. Adam Smith (18th century economist) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Observed that firms manufactured pins in one of two different ways: Craft-style-each worker did all steps. Production-each worker specialized in one step. F.W.TAYLOR AND SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT The systematic study of the relationships between people and tasks for the purpose of redesigning the work process for higher efficiency. Defined by Frederick Taylor in the late 1800s Wanted to replace rule of thumb Sought to reduce the time a worker spent on each task by optimizing the way the task was done. Frank and Lillian Gilbreth Studied fatigue caused by lighting, heating, and the design of tools and machines. Time and motion studies Breaking up each job action into its components. Finding better ways to perform the action. Reorganizing each job action to be more efficient. ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGEMENT THEORY The study of how to create an organizational structure that leads to high efficiency and effectiveness. Rules formal written instructions that specify actions to be taken under different circumstances Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) specific sets of written instructions about how to perform a certain aspect of a task Norms unwritten, informal codes of conduct that prescribe how people should act in particular situations BEHAVIORAL MANAGEMENT THEORY The study of how managers should behave to motivate employees and encourage them to perform at high levels and be committed to the achievement of organizational goals. Focuses on the way a manager should personally manage to motivate employees. Mary Parker Follett   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Concerned that Taylor ignored the human side of the organization Suggested workers help in analyzing their jobs lf workers have relevant knowledge of the task, then they should control the task. MANAGEMENT SCIENCE THEORY An approach to management that uses rigorous quantitative techniques to maximize the use of organizational resources. Quantitative management utilizes linear programming, modeling, simulation systems and chaos theory. Operations management -techniques used to analyze all aspects of the production system Management Information Systems (MIS) provides information vital for effective decision making. Total Quality Management (TQM) -focuses on analyzing input, conversion, and output activities to increase product quality. ORGANIZATIONAL ENVIRONMENT THEORY The set of forces and conditions that operate beyond an organizations boundaries but affect a managers ability to acquire and utilize resources Open System A system that takes resources for its external environment and converts them into goods and services that are then sent back to that environment for purchase by customers. There is no one best way to organize The idea that the organizational structures and control systems manager choose depend on-are contingent on-characteristics of the external environment in which the organization operates. What is management? The term management encompasses an array of different functions undertaken to accomplish a task successfully. In the simplest of terms, management is all about getting things done. However, it is the way and the process of how one achieves ones target or goals and it is in this respect that management is considered an art and a science as well. The term management may be recently defined, but it existed at a time when men started learning the art of organizing, strategizing (during wars) and/or simply planning. At the core of it, management was quintessentially considered as an art of managing men and hence the term manage-men-T. Management is like investment. Managers have resources to invest their time, talent and, possibly, human resources. The goal (function) of management is to get the best return on such resources by getting things done efficiently. This doesnt imply being mechanical or narrowly controlling as some writers on management suggest. The managers style is a personal or situational matter and it has evolved over time. With highly skilled and self-motivated knowledge workers, the manager must be very empowering. Where the workforce is less skilled or not very motivated, the manager may need to monitor output more closely. Skilled managers know how flex their style, coach and motivate diverse employees. Getting things done through people is what they do. By saying that management is a function, not a type of person or role, we can better account for self-managed work teams where no one is in charge In a self-managed team, management is a group effort with no one being the designated managerAnd much later, management scholar, Peter Drucker (1993) defined management as Supplying knowledge to find out how existing knowledge can best be applied to produce results is, in effect, what we mean by management. But knowledge is now also being applied systematically and purposefully to determine what new knowledge is needed, whether it is feasible, and what has to be done to make knowledge effective. It is being applied, in other words, to systematic innovation. (Drucker, 1993) Today the importance of management from an organizations point of view has increased multi-fold. It is only through effective management that companies are developing and executing their businesss policies and strategies to maximize their profits and provide with the best of products and services. Management today combines creative, business, organizational, analytical and other skills to produce effective goal-oriented results! Some of the key functions in management includes learning to delegate, planning and organizing, communicating clearly, controlling situations, motivating employees, adapting to change, constantly innovating and thinking of new ideas, building a good team and delivering results which are not just figure -bound but results that also focus on overall growth and development. Management focuses on the entire organization from both a short and a long-term perspective. Management is the managerial process of forming a strategic vision, setting objectives, crafting a strategy and then implementing and executing the strategy. A good management style is a blend of both efficiency and effectiveness. There is no point in acting efficiently if what you are doing will not have the desired effect. Management techniques can be viewed as either bottom-up, top-down, or collaborative processes. Management is an organizational function, like sales, marketing or finance. It doesnt necessarily mean managing people. We can manage ourselves or the material assigned to us at work. If you managed a project very well on your own, it would mean that you did the job in a well-organized, efficient manner, making good use of all resources at your disposal. In India, largely the top down approach is popular. In the top-down approach, the management makes the decisions, which the employees have no choice but to accept. On the other hand, in the bottom-up approach, employees submit proposals to their managers who, in turn, funnel the best ideas further up the organization. However the bottom up approach is not a very popular approach in India as most of the Indian businesses are family run businesses. Management as art scientific principles and theories will be able to implemented in actual managerial situations. Instead, these managers are likely to rely on the social and political environment surrounding the managerial issue, using their own knowledge of a situation, rather than generic rules, to determine a course of action. For example, as a contrast to the example given previously, a manager who has a problem with an employees poor work performance is likely to rely on his or her own experiences and judgment when addressing this issue. Rather than having a standard response to such a problem, this manager is likely to consider a broad range of social and political factors, and is likely to take different actions depending on the context of the problem. Henry Mintzberg is probably the most well-known and prominent advocate of the school of thought that management is an art. Mintzberg is an academic researcher whose work capturing the actual daily tasks of real managers was ground breaking research for its time. Mintzberg, through his observation of actual managers in their daily work, determined that managers did not sit at their desks, thinking, evaluating, and deciding all day long, working for long, uninterrupted time periods. Rather, Mintzberg determined that mangers engaged in very fragmented work, with constant interruptions and rare opportunities to quietly consider managerial issues. Thus, Mintzberg revolutionized thinking about managers at the time that his work was published, challenging the prior notion that managers behaved rationally and methodically. This was in line with the perspective of management as an art, because it indicated that managers did not necessarily have routine behaviors throughout their days, but ins tead used their own social and political skills to solve problems that arose throughout the course of work. Another scholar that promoted the notion of management as an art was David E. Lilienthal, who in 1967 had his series of lectures titled Management: A Humanist Art published. In this set of published lectures, Lilienthal argues that management requires more than a mastery of techniques and skills; instead, it also requires that managers understand individuals and their motivations and help them achieve their goals. Lilienthal believed that combining management and leadership into practice, by not only getting work done but understanding the meaning behind the work, as effective managerial behavior. Thus, he promoted the idea of the manager as a motivator and facilitator of others. This manager as an artist was likely to respond differently to each employee and situation, rather than use a prescribed set of responses dictated by set of known guidelines. Another proponent of the management as art school of thought is Peter Drucker, famed management scholar who is best known for developing ideas related to total quality management. Drucker terms management a liberal art, claiming that it is such because it deals with the fundamentals of knowledge, wisdom, and leadership, but because it is also concerned with practice and application. Drucker argues that the discipline (i.e., the science) of management attempts to create a paradigm for managers, in which facts are established, and exceptions to these facts are ignored as anomalies. He is critical of the assumptions that make up the management paradigm, because these assumptions change over time as society and the business environment change. Thus, management is more of an art, because scientific facts do not remain stable over time. Managing is one of the most important human activities. From the time human beings began forming social organizations to accomplish aims and objectives they could not accomplish as individuals, managing has been   essential to ensure the coordination of individual efforts. As society continuously relied on group effort, and as many organized groups have become large, the task of managers has been increasing in importance and complexity. Definition: Management is the art, or science, of achieving goals through people. Since managers also supervise, management can be interpreted to mean literally looking over i.e., making sure people do what they are supposed to do. Managers are, therefore, expected to ensure greater productivity or, using the current jargon, continuous improvement. Management is not easy. It is not an exact science. In fact, it is seen as an art that people master with experience. Managing your businesss most vital assets is too important to leave to chance.People who believe management is an art are likely to believe that there is no specific way to teach or understand management, and that it is a skill borne of personality and ability. Those who believe in management as an art are likely to believe that certain people are more predisposed to be effective managers than are others, and that some people cannot be taught to be effective managers. That is, even with an understanding of management research and an education in management, some people will not be capable of being effective practicing managers. Practicing managers who believe in management as an art are unlikely to believe that scientific principles and theories will be able to implemented in actual managerial situations. Instead, these managers are likely to rely on the social and political environment surrounding the managerial issue, using their own knowledge of a situation, rather than generic rules, to determine a course of action. For example, a manager who has a problem with an employees poor work performance is likely to rely on his or her own experiences and judgment when addressing this issue. Rather than having a standard response to such a problem, this manager is likely to consider a broad range of social and political factors, and is likely to take different actions depending on the context of the problem. The perspective of management as an art assumes to some extent that a manager has a disposition or experiences that guide him or her in managerial decisions and activities. Thus, with this perspective, many managers may be successful without any formal education or training in management. While formal management education may promote management as a science,many development efforts support the notion of management as an art. To cultivate management talent, organizations offer mentoring, overseas experiences, and job rotation. These activities allow managers to gain greater social and political insight and thus rely on their own judgment and abilities to improve their management style. Much of mentoring involves behavior modeling, in which a protà ©gà © may learn nuances of managerial behavior rather than a set of specific guidelines for managing. Overseas experiences are likely to involve a great deal of manager adaptation, and the general rules by which a manager might operate in one culture are likely to change when managing workers in other countries. Finally, job rotation is a technique that requires a manager to work in a variety of settings. Again, this encourages a manager to be flexible and adaptive, and likely rely more on his or her personal skill in manag ing. Management actually more of art than science. A huge part of Management is leadership, and no matter how many books and courses you take on the subject, if you dont have it in you, then the best you can be is a poor manager. On the flip side, a manager, even with the right innate skills, can make a lot of obvious mistakes if he didnt study well.   Management as science Science can be defined as any skill or technique that reflects a precise application of facts or a principle.. In practice, management as a science would indicate that managers use a specific body of information and facts to guide their behaviors, and that management as an art requires only skill and no specific body of knowledge,. Management Science deals with development and application of the concepts and models in case of any issues and solves managerial problems. The models are usually represented mathematically, but sometimes a few other methods such as computer-based, visual or verbal representations are also used. Believers of management being a discipline of science believe that there are ideal managerial practices available for certain situations. A manager who believes in the scientific principles, when encounters a managerial dilemma has got the view that there must be a rational and objective way to determine the correct course of action. It is possible that the manager will adopt the general principles and theories and also by creating and testing hypotheses. For example, when the employees performance is poor then the manager assumes that certain principles will work in most situations and reacts accordingly to the issue. The concept may be something learnt from a business school or through any f ormal means of training that the person might not consider other factors such as the political and social factors involved in the situation. Many early management researchers opined that managers are like scientists. The first theory that served subscribed to the vision of managers as scientists. The scientific management movement was the primary driver of this perspective. Scientific management, by Frederick W. Taylor, Frank and Lillian Gilbreth, and others tried to discover the one best way to perform jobs. The theory was published in Taylors monographs, Shop Management (1905)] and The Principles of Scientific Management (1911).The main aim was to bring in a theory to evaluate and organize work in order to get the optimum efficiency and effectiveness. The pig iron is the best illustrative of the scientific management theory. The load was split into lots weighing 92 pounds each, known as the pig. On an average 12.5 tons were loaded onto the rail cars by the workers but Taylor believed that it could be increased to 47 or 48 tons per day and as he had believed it completely worked. The following result was achieved by Matching the skill sets of the workers with that of the task that is required to do. Clear instructions are being provided for the workers on how to perform each of the tasks and it was ensured that the the instructions were being followed. Equal division of labour between the workers and the management. The employees were then motivated by providing them with a significantly higher daily wage. It was believed that the shop floor by 200% through the following principle. The theory of scientific management was adopted throughout the world including France, Russia and Japan. McDonalds has been successfully adopt the principles of Scientific Management into its system in the areas of bonus systems, the mutual understandings with the workers and systematic training provided The theory completely created a paradigm shift in the understanding the psychology of workers thus reducing the efficiencies to a very large level. Management, like other sciences has its own principles, laws, generalization which is universal in nature and can be applied to various situations. But management could not be treated in the same way as the other sciences are being treated, the sole reason being that management deals with people and it is very difficult to predict human behaviour accurately. Therefore, it can be said that management falls under the category of Social Sciences. Management has taken a giant leap in this century. Many are of the misconception that the scientific method will provide solutions to all problems but managers must understand that they must contend with the uncertainties that cannot be removed by the scientific endeavour. With the era being an era of science and technology, it is quintessential that we understand their importance. It is inevitable that every business involves some amount of scientific and technological systems. Management is a science as the scientific principles and rules (such as Taylors theory of scientific management and Webers conception of social and economic organization) that have been devised can be applied for improving productivity. Management as technology What is managementWhat is technologyAre these two related somewayIs technology good or bad These are some basic questions that we shall try to answer to understand this concept of management as technology Technology is the scientific methodology and the materials used to achieve certain goal or solve a particular problem. Management is the process of getting activities completed efficiently and effectively with and through other people. In laymans words, Management is to manage the man, money machine and technology helps in better management In todays world everybody is using technology in some way or the other whether knowingly or inadvertently. Technology is everywhere around us; in our homes, in our offices etc. The role of technology becomes even more important when it comes to the application of various functions of management. Todays business scenario is extremely fast, dynamic and full of uncertainties. Todays managers cannot afford to waste time on getting information ,then analysing it, then concluding results out of that raw information and then executing plans .Thus .here comes technology to his rescue. Technology makes it faster, far more efficient and easy for the managers to get results out of pieces of information and then formulate and execute plans and in turn generate profits for the business. But the question is How does technology do it and what technologies are available? A lot of technologies are available today to help out managers to take fast and effective decisions as well as expand their businesses. With the help of technology various software tools have been designed to manage all types of help desk customer service related tasks. It allows you to centrally record, track, update proactively manage customer service CRM related tasks, issues projects by allowing you to create, customize and automate workflows processes. Technology is designed to create, optimize automate business process based upon the customers requirement. It delivers complete transparency control to manage different workflows approvals for all types business enterprises. Technology allows organizations to proactively manage issues. Technology provides simple, easy to use, customizable web-based business management tools.   Technology management can also be defined as the integrated planning, design, optimization, operation and control of technological products processes and services, a better definition would be the management of the use of technology for human advantage. Today technology is used in every section of management whether it is marketing management, production operation management, human resource management, finance management or systems management. Project management is also the important part of technology management. Project management is the discipline of planning, organizing and managing resources to bring about the successful completion of specific project goals and objectives.   The primary challenge of project management is to achieve all of the project goals and objectives while honoring the preconceived project constraints. Typical constraints are scope, time, and budget. The secondary challenge is to optimize the allocation and integration of inputs necessary to meet the pre-defined objectives. Some tools that are used in the Organizations are :- Online business networking Networking is a marketing method by which business opportunities are created through networks of like-minded business people. Businesses are increasingly using business social networks as a means of growing their circle of business contacts and promoting themselves online. In general these networking tools allow professionals to build up their circle of business partners they trust. By connecting these business partners the networking tools allow individuals to search for certain people within their network. Since businesses are expanding globally, social networks make it easier to keep in touch with other contacts around the world. Specific cross-border e-commerce platforms and business partnering networks now make globalization accessible also for small and medium sized companies. Social networking websites like LinkedIn.com, Facebook.com are some technologies that help businessmen meet each other online and remain in contact from any part of the world. Sharing of ideas and thoughts Blogs and certain websites like Twitter.com etc are some technologies which provide a platform where people can share their thoughts and present their opinions. Database management and data mining Today no longer we need any books etc to maintain data and records because today we have online database management systems which not only record our data but we can also query out information very fast and effectively. Data mining is the process of retrieving useful patterns out of data stored in the data warehouses which helps managers to analyze data and take quick decisions from the patterns. ERP Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is an integrated computer-based system used to manage internal and external resources, including tangible assets, financial resources, materials, and human resources. It is a software architecture whose purpose is to facilitate the flow of information between all business functions inside the boundaries of the organization and manage the connections to outside stakeholders. Built on a centralized database and normally utilizing a common computing platform, ERP systems consolidate all business operations into a uniform and enterprise-wide system environment. In the absence of an ERP system, a large manufacturer may find itself with many software applications that cannot communicate or interface effectively with one another. ERP systems connect the necessary software in order for accurate forecasting to be done. This allows inventory levels to be kept at maximum efficiency and the company to be more profitable. Integration among different functional areas to ensure proper communication, productivity and efficiency Design engineering (how to best make the product) Order tracking, from acceptance through fulfillment etc. Thus, we just now learnt about some technologies that the managers have at their disposal to help them out perform critical managerial functions. So, now we can certainly say that yes management and technology go hand in hand and without technology, management would become too difficult. Modern Management Theories and Practices Management thought has been evolving and redefining itself . There have been three phases of development during the process The Classical Approach, The Human Relations Approach and the contemporary approaches. The classical approach just emphasized the importance of production and administration process within the organization. The Human Relations Approach elucidated the importance of maintain human relations and thus adhering to sound practices in order to achieve the harmony. The contempropry approaches laid importance on the social systems, the decision making process and the application of quantitative methods. These are often grouped together as modern approaches. The classical management approach, developed during the Industrial Revolution, suggested the development of standard methods for doing jobs and the people were trained and they worked like machines. Every person had his own specialized work and he had to do it. This approach accentuated the work element and did not see the workers as human beings but machines. As management became more sophisticated, there was a shift from the era of production or the stress on production to punctuation on human relations. The Hawthrone experiments clearly indicated that apart from the working conditions and the physiological state of the workers, there were other factors influencing the productivity. George L. Mayo postulated these factors as social and psychological in nature. Recent Developments in Management Theory The recent developments in the management theory have been the Systems Approach, Situational or Contingency theory, Chaos theory, and Team Building theory. The Systems Theory: A system is looked at as having inputs (e.g., raw materials, funds, and human resource), processes (e.g., planning, organizing, motivating, and controlling), outputs (products or services) and outcomes (e.g., enhanced quality of life or productivity for customers/clients, productivity). According to this approach, the four aspects of the system is inter connected and this can be used to determine patterns and events. The Situational or Contingency Theory: This theory postulates that all aspects of the situations must be taken into account when managers make a decision. For e.g. if one is leading a military troop, then an autocratic style or a bureaucratic style must probably be adopted, whereas in the case of a medical facility, a more participative and facilitative leadership style will be more suitable. The Chaos Theory: This theory suggests that systems naturally tend to go complex and hence will lead to more volatility and instability. Thus inorder to maintain a balance, it is important to exert more energy. This trend continues until the system splits and falls apart entirely. Manager must be able to effectively scrutinize and take care so that mishaps dont happen. The Team Building approach: This theory postulates that team building is the essence of providing quality circles, best practices, and continuous improvement within the organization. This theory also elucidates that the reduction of levels of hierarchy or flattening of the system will bring in more effectiveness. Consensus management is the essence of the theory that is involving more people at all levels in the process of decision-making. MODERN MANAGEMENT PRACTICES The basis of Modern Management Practices are based on Leadership and Commitment, Business Planning and Risk Management, Control Systems, Performance Management, Accountability Management Leadership and Commitment: Open-door management style, strong management board, good relationship with staff, importance in the area of values and ethics are all the prerequisites of Modern management. The Senior Financial Officer and the staff play a strong leadership role in the organization and participate in all major business decisions. Business Planning and Risk Management Strong linkage exists between business planning and management accountability agreements. This is achieved by setting well defined the corporate strategies and priorities.

Design Activities and Environments Essay

1. Review the definitions of architectural and detailed design and the brief descriptions of high-level design activities at the beginning of the chapter. Which activities are clearly architectural? Which are clearly detailed? Which can be architectural or detailed? Designing the support services architecture and deployment environment and designing the software architecture are clearly architectural. Designing use case realizations and designing the database are clearly detailed. Designing the system and user interfaces and designing the system security and controls can be architectural or detailed. 2. Discuss the evolution of client-server computing from file server to multilayer applications to Web-based applications. What has been the driving force causing this evolution? Where do you think network computing will be in the next five years? Ten years? Cheaper computers, and networks, ubiquitous networking, and the desire of companies to increase the accessibility of their systems to increase the customer base/satisfaction, gain efficiencies from greater inter- and intraorganization coordination, and greater flexibility to reorganize people, processes, and systems. 3. Assume that the deployment environment for a high-volume payment processing system consists of the following: †¢ DB2 DBMS running under the OS/390 operating system on an IBM S/390 mainframe †¢ WebSphere application server running under the Z/OS operating system on an IBM zSeries 900 mainframe †¢ CORBA-compliant component-based application software written in Java that will be executed by other internal and external systems What are the key architectural design decisions that must be made for the system? When should the decisions be made and who should make them? Outline the subsequent design tasks that should occur after the key architectural design decisions are made. To what extent can the subsequent steps be performed in parallel? Some key architectural decisions to explore include: the key components and subsystems, where each component will execute and how will all of the pieces interoperate (which requires nailing down how the network, CORBA, and database infrastructure will be configured)? Many of the decisions depend on whether the supporting infrastructure is already in place. If it is, then many of the architectural decisions can be delayed until much code has been written and tested. If not, then the required infrastructure and tools will have to be acquired and configured. Developers will have to be trained, and architectural design will need to occur early to ensure that the developers don’t make any â€Å"mistakes† due to lack of fit with the development or deployment environment. Note that an OO development approach is assumed given the nature of the infrastructure and tools 4. Develop a network diagram that supports the architectural design decisions in your answer to number 2. Answers will vary. Some important points that should be included are: File servers just sent the data across the network. They tended to use lots of bandwidth, because the entire file was sent. Also, since the applications that processed the data were on all the different workstations, deployment and maintenance of these applications was expensive. Application servers moved the applications from the workstations (clients) to the server. This made it easier to maintain a consistent set of applications and to upgrade the applications. This movement was influenced by the appearance of â€Å"thin clients† that had very little storage, but good processing capability. However, due to the drastic reduction in storage costs, thin clients have not caught on. Multi-tier networks are where multiple servers and clients work together to provide the complete functionality of a system. Some processing will be on the clients. Servers such as database servers and application servers provide additional capability. The driving force behind much of this is the rapid growth and capability of the Internet and languages such as JAVA with protocols such as J2EE. Microsoft’s .NET also provides capabilities to have distributed systems. Answers for the future will vary.

Entertainment Law Essay

The issue at hand is whether Mary, through a contract with Mr. Shifty, Dream Works Picture’s Vice President of Production, is entitled to compensation. (Rule) By meeting the standards of the six elements an agreement, consisting of an offer and acceptance; consideration; capacity; legal purpose; genuine assent; and writing, if any. Mary Asher has a valid, contract with Mr. Shifty, a representative of Dream Works Pictures. Agreement, the first of the six relevant elements, is a meeting of two or more minds in regard to the terms of a contract. The process of agreement usually involves two steps. The first step is offer. An offer is a promise or commitment to perform or refrain from performing some specified future act made by the offer. Secondly ,is acceptance by the offeree either in the form of words or of conduct, which indicate agreement to the terms of the offer. An offer may be made to the general public, but no person can accept such an offer unless he knows that the off er exists. Mr. Shifty indeed entered into an agreement with Mary. His offer was indication of willingness to enter into a contract with her. The agreement consisted of him to observing her story’s synopsis. Consideration is the second of the mention elements. Consideration is Value given in return for a promise. Consideration must be (1) legally sufficient and (2) bargained for by the party receiving it. Legally sufficient is a consideration may take promising, performing and refraining. Consideration is bargained for if it is sought by the promisor in the exchange for the promisor’s promise and the given the promise in exchange for the promisor’s promise. A bilateral contract is an exchange of promises. Thus, each party is both a promisor and a promisee. The promises are binding provided there is either a legal benefit to the promisor or a legal detriment to the promisee. Each promise is the consideration for the other, which is referred to as mutuality of obligation. Mary and Mr. Shifty made a bilateral contract to one another. Therefore, they had Mr. Shifty had an obligation to Mary. Capacity, is three relevant elements, is challenged in terms of Mary’s age. However, her age has no effect on the validity of the contract. According to the law, a minor or a person who is under the age of legal majority, eighteen in most jurisdictions, is considered to possess legal capacity. Liability is any contract involving a minor is voidable. Further, the contract is only voidable by one of the parties, the minor entering into the contract. . The exercise of a minor’s power to void a contract is known as disaffir ¬mance. As mentioned, a minor has the ability to void a contract at his or her own discretion. A minor may disaffirm a contract at any time before reaching the age of majority. Also, unless already ratified. The individual has reasonable time after he or she becomes of age to void the contract. Ratification can occur in three ways: (1) express, (2) implied Liability for necessaries deals with items that reasonably supply a person’s needs. Minors are liable for the reasonable value of necessary items, which may be different fro m the contract or selling price. Necessaries include products that the minor needs to maintain a reasonable lifestyle†. By offering to look at her synopsis of a story, Mr. Shifty indeed entered into an agreement with Mary. His offer was indication of willingness to enter into a contract with her. Both parties agreed on an oral agreement. Legal purposes, is the fourth element. It falls under unconscionable contract and substantive unconscionability. Unconscionable contract is contracts that contain terms that are unfairly burdensome to one party and unfairly beneficial to the other. Substantive unconscionability arises when the contract contains term that deprives one party of the benefit of its bargain or of any meaningful remedy in the event of breach by the other party. Mr. Shift took all of the beneficial advantages of Mary synopsis story. Leaving Mary with unfair burdensome. Genuineness of assent the last relevant element is a party who demonstrates that he or she did not genuinely assent to the terms of a contract may avoid the contract. Genuine assent may be lacking due to mistake, fraudulent misrepresentation, undue influence, or duress. The true contracts entered is a lacking contractual capacity, contracts lacking genuine assent are voidable, not void. (Application) In this problem, Mary was a minor at the time she and Mr. Shifty made an agreement. The agreement consisted of him to observing her story’s synopsis. He accepted by grabbing her hand, giving her a wink, and saying, â€Å"anything you send I accept.† The next day she mailed the synopsis to him. A year later he produced a movie by Dream Works that was identical to Mary’s story involving the scientist’s experience in the Arctic. Now she has reached the age of majority and can ratify the contract with Dream Works Pictures. As a result, Mr. Shifty is entitled to compensation through a contract with Mary. (Conclusion) Therefore, since they both parties agreed on the oral agreement and she was a minor at that time there is a valid contract with Mary and Mr. Shifty.

Writing News Emily Dickinsons Manuscripts to Receive a Brand New Edition

New Directions Press has shared a piece of fascinating news for every Emily Dickinson enthusiast out there. If you were ever interested in seeing her writing in the exact way she wrote them, then your time has probably come. The publishing house in question is going to release the first full color facsimile edition of Emily Dickinson’s Manuscripts under the title The Gorgeous Nothings. What it so unusual about it? It is an attempt to show her late, experimental works in exactly the same way they were written. And here we speak not only about the author’s handwriting, but also what they were written on – in this case, on the scraps of old envelopes. All in all, the book includes fifty-two of these envelopes: full color, life-size, both front and back. For those who are unable to understand Dickinson’s handwriting, there is a transcription for every text. Of course, Emily Dickinson is not unique in this respect. As most people who are interested in the history of literature probably know, a lot of famous writers have left at least some of their legacy on scraps of paper which are not popularly associated with literary work: envelopes, letters, napkins, pages from pull-off calendars and so on. Among them were Keats (the first draft of his famous â€Å"Ode to a Nightingale† was written in exactly the same manner), Emily and Charlotte Bronte, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Mary Shelley, Bob Dylan and many others. The purpose of this unusual edition is to give readers an opportunity to get deeper into the world of their favorite author – deeper than it was possible ever before, because her works have never been presented in such a way in the past. According to the representatives of New Directions Press, this unusual project was brought about by an artist Jen Bervin, a Dickinson scholar Marta L. Werner and a poet Susan Howe who provided some contributions to the final product as well. They consider it to be a great step forward for the Dickinson studies and community, popularizing them and offering a fresh viewpoint on the works of the famous poetess. The edition is sure to be interesting both for Dickinson enthusiasts and simply people who are fond of collecting rare and unusual books. It is announced that The Gorgeous Nothings is set to be released on October 29, 2013.