Dr. Martin Luther King; a Dream Come True? Essay

During the Civil Rights Movement, a man named name Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stepped up as a leader in order to help end racial segregation. During this time and the many years before it, African Americans suffered greatly. Dr. King’s â€Å"I Have A Dream† speech made a huge turning point in the Civil Rights Movement and opened the door to equality. On August 28, 1963, King gives his speech for freedom. He begins by stating the emancipation of the slaves, issued by Abraham Lincoln and mentions that blacks are still not free. He is very persuasive and passionate while also being aggressive and confrontational. King, along with his supporters, demands a fast and radical change rather than a slow process. Although demanding, King is a very peaceful person and hopes to obtain equality through non-violent actions. His use of Ghanaian style protest proved to be the most humble and effective approach. He knows that fighting violence with violence will only create an endless cycle of fighting, cruelty, and suffering. After stating his demands, he moves on to what many people would call the most memorable part of the speech, which is his â€Å"I have a dream† part. In that part he laid out his vision and hopes for the Civil Rights movement. The ultimate message from his speech is equality among all people not just African Americans. Forty-nine years has passed since this legendary speech, which begs the question; Did Dr. King’s dreams come true? This is not a perfect world and there will always be some sort of conflict or imperfection when it comes to true equality, but that being said, I think that his dream has come true. His dream was that people would be judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character; that segregation would end; and that all men, women, and children could live as free human beings. In some ways, Dr. King’s dream has come true. African American students can go to schools with white students, they can all eat in the same restaurants together, and some even marry one another. Segregation is kept out of school and communities so the children of today are able to have better lives. His dream was that everyone could be free. It seems clear that life in the South has improved for African- Americans. African-Americans have become professionals and teachers and even Mayors of cities and towns throughout the South. Black Congressmen and women have been elected from the South. In the North, Blacks have also progressed in all walks of life. One African-American of mixed heritage grew up to be elected to the Illinois State House and the United States Senate and made it all the way to the White House. The ability of Barack Obama to become President was made possible by Dr. King and his comrades who brought the Civil Rights movement to all of our doorsteps. There will always be some form of racism out there, but at this point it’s just regarded simply as ignorance. Right now, racism isn’t even close to how it was nearly fifty years ago. For the most part, people treat each other equally. Any opportunity for a white man is the same opportunity for a black man. There are no limitations to anyone based on race. Equality has definitely gotten a lot better ever since Dr. King’s speech. Dr. King’s dream has certainly come true in many ways. Take President Obama for example; the first African American president in U.S. history after all the bad that’s happened like slavery and unfair treatment against blacks. We have come from being in the slave house to the white house. The Civil Rights Movement definitely helped the progression of African American’s rights in America. With public demonstrations, rallies, boycotts and freedom rides, the African American race was given the right to ride on the same public transportation, eat at the same restaurants, and go to the same schools as the white race. The Civil Rights Movement also gave African Americans the right to register to vote. Since Martin Luther King’s time, there have emerged many African Americans who have become very successful and influential like Oprah Winfrey, Sean â€Å"P. Diddy† Combs, and Shawn â€Å"Jay-Z† Carter to name a few. We have accomplished and are doing so many good things and have become very proud people. There are still many people out there who are racist, make racist remarks, and feel like other races are different in a bad way. That being said, the level of significance in racism is nowhere near how it was before. As previously stated, this isn’t a perfect world and there will always be ignorance everywhere. If that disparity in behavior can’t be completely eradicated, will the Black man ever be truly free? Dr. King initiated a huge improvement in the freedom for many and he was definitely successful, but at this point it is up to the individuals to make a difference for themselves whenever they face ignorance.

Nigerian government Essay

1: Could the alleged payment of bribes to Nigerian government officials by Jeffrey Tesler be considered â€Å"facilitating payments† or â€Å"speed money† under the terms of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act? Answer: After this all came out in June 2004, Halliburton promptly fired Jack Stanley and severed its long-standing relationship with Jeffrey Tesler, asking its three partners in the Nigeria consortium to do the same. The United States Justice Department took things further, establishing a grand jury investigation to determine if Halliburton, through its KBR subsidiary, had been in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. In November 2004 the Justice Department widened its investigation to include payments in connection with the Nigeria fertilizer plant that Kellogg had been involved with during the 1980s under the leadership of Jack Stanley. In March 2005, the Justice Department also stated that it was looking at whether Jack Stanley had tried to coordinate bidding with rivals and fix prices on certain foreign construction projects. As of mid 2007, the U.S. investigation was still ongoing. 2: Irrespective of the legality of any payments that may have been made by Tesler, do you think it is was reasonable for KBR to hire him as anintermediary? Answer: Tesler’s involvement in the project might have remained unknown were it not for an unrelated event. Georges Krammer, an employee of the French company Technip, which along with KBR was a member of the consortium, was charged by the French government for embezzlement. When Technip refused to defend Krammer, he turned around and aired what he perceived to be Technip’s dirty linen. This included the payments to Tesler to secure the Nigeria LNG contracts. 3. Given the known corruption of the Abacha government in Nigeria, should Kellogg and its successor, KBR, have had a policy in place to deal with bribery and corruption? What might that policy have looked like?Answer: It is not known whether a bribe was actually paid. What is known is that in December 1995, Nigeria awarded the $2 billion contract to the KBR consortium. The LNG plant soon became a success. Nigeria contracted to build a second plant in 1999, two more in 2002, and a sixth in July 2004. KBR rehired Jeffrey Tesler in 1999 and again in 2001 to help secure the new contracts, all of which it won. In total, Tesler was paid some $132.3 million from 1994 through to early 2004 by the KBR consortium. 4. Should Kellogg have walked away from the Nigerian LNG project once it became clear that the payment of bribes might be required to secure the contract? Answer: The KBR consortium was one of two to submit a bid on the initial contract, and its bid was the lower of the two. By early 1995 the KBR consortium was deep in final negotiations on the contract. It was at this point that Nigeria’s oil minister had a falling out with the country’s military dictator, General Abacha, and was replaced by Dan Etete. Etete proved to be far less accommodating to the KBR consortium, and suddenly the entire deal looked to be in jeopardy. According to some observers, Dan Etete was a tough customer who immediately began to use his influence over the LNG project for personal gain. Whether this is true or not, what is known is that the KBR consortium quickly entered into a contract with the British lawyer, Jeffrey Tesler. The contract, signed by a Kellogg executive, called on Tesler to obta in government permits for the LGN project, maintain good relations with government officials, and provide advice on sales strategy. Tesler’s fee for these services was $60 million. 5. There is evidence that Jack Stanley, the former head of M.W. Kellogg and KBR, may have taken kickback payments from Tesler. At least one other former Kellogg employee, Wojciech Chodan, may have taken kickback payments. What does this tell you about the possible nature of the ethical climate at Kellogg and then KBR? Answer: This turn of events led French and Swiss officials to investigate Tesler’s Swiss bank accounts. They discovered that Tesler was â€Å"kicking back† some of the funds he received to executives in the consortium and subcon-tractors. One of the alleged kickbacks was a transfer of $5 million from Tesler’s account to that of Albert J. â€Å"Jack† Stanley, who was head of M.W. Kellogg and then Halliburton’s KBR unit. Tesler also transferred some $2.5 million into Swiss bank accounts held under a false name by the Nigerian oil minister, Dan Etete. Other payments included a $1 million transfer into an account controlled by Wojciech Cho dan, the former Kellogg executive whose extensive hand-written notes suggest the payment of a bribe to General Abacha and payment of $5 million to a German subcontractor on the LNG project in exchange for â€Å"information and advice.† 6. Should Halliburton be called into account if it is shown that its KBR unit used bribery to gain business in Nigeria? To what extent should a corporation and its officers be held accountable for ethically suspect activities by the managers in one of its subsidiaries, particularly given that many of those activities were initiated before the subsidiary was owned by Halliburton? Answer: In early 2005, however, Halliburton put KBR up for sale. The sale was seen as an attempt by Halliburton to distance itself from several scandals that had engulfed KBR. One of these concerned allegations that KBR had systematically overcharged the Pentagon for services it provided to the U.S. military in Iraq. Another scandal centered on the Nigerian LNG plants and involved KBR employees, several former officials of the Nigeria government, and a mysterious British lawyer called Jeffrey Tesler. The roots of the Nigerian scandal date back to 1994 when Kellogg and its consortium partners were trying to win an initial contract from the Nigerian government to build two LNG plants. The contract was valued at around $2 billion. Each of the four firms held a 25 percent stake in the consortium, and each had veto power over its decisions. Kellogg employees held many of the top positions at the consortium, and two of the other members, Technip of France and JGC of Japan, have claimed that Kellogg managed the consortium (the fourth member, ENI of Italy, has not made any statement regarding management).

Morse, Imminent Dangers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Morse, Imminent Dangers - Essay Example s a covert extension of the Catholic faith, and they too must be stopped in their missionary work due to their potential strength in influencing all levels of men in the society (Morse 304, par. 4). Supporting idea: Because Catholics strongly believe in the Pope, they are seen by Morse as blind followers that would endanger the liberties of the country simply by being in the United States (Morse 303, par. 3). Supporting idea: Based on how he describes the Catholics and the religion as a whole by using highly negative adjectives such as â€Å"miserable, intolerant fanatics, and pious bigots† (Morse 303, par. 3), it can be inferred that Morse came from a religion that deeply criticizes Catholicism. Supporting idea: Morse mentioned that the Jesuits are a secret society that has numerous members from all walks of life (Morse 304, par. 4), thus he sees the introduction of more Catholics as something with an ulterior political motive guised under religious intentions. Supporting idea: In order to fully separate religion from the state, Morse believes that followers of the Pope must not be put into power, for they could be easily influenced by the priests and bishops with regards as to how they would govern the people, making the religious entities rule over people covertly through powerful people in the government (Morse 305, par. 9). Supporting idea: Morse believes that what former President Jefferson predicted with regards to the inconveniences that could result from uncontrolled influx of immigrants was already happening in the United States, posing a threat to the peaceful living of the nativists and forcing them to harmonize with the immigrant population (Morse 307, par. 12). Supporting idea: There are other factors as to why immigrants tended to form groups, but instead of finding out why this came to be, he simply passed this as immigrants contradicting their profession of being naturalized American citizens (Morse 307, par. 13). Supporting idea: For Morse,

American History Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

American History - Article Example Later on, in 1948, Johnson vied for Senate and won. Whilst he was a senator, in the 1950s, his position on civil rights was clear, especially when he passed the Civil Rights Act in 1960, he wanted to end racial discrimination (Heasman, 2011). Johnson came to office following the tragic assassination of President Kennedy, in 1963, as he was the Vice-president. However, in 1964, he won the presidential elections and set on to keep President Kennedy’s programs alive, including the Civil Rights Movement. Johnson relied on convincing Congress to the Civil Rights Act in 1964 as the Act did away with most discrimination the Black Americans and other races were facing (Cokie and Steve, 2004). However, this was not easy as he was facing resistance on the same Act from the Southerners in the US. His motives were crystal as he aimed at getting rid of racial discrimination against the non-natives; moreover, this would guarantee him more votes in the following elections (Cokie and Steve,

Practical proposal about ATM fraud Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Practical proposal about ATM fraud - Essay Example Smart phones can be used to make withdrawals and payments in retail stores instead of credit cards. This will protect the PIN numbers and other personal information. According to Abagnale, the use of smart phones will not apply universally as this will require one to become an expert of some electronic gadget, a task that is not so easy. However, technology is just part of the inevitable change that happens as we become more civilized. The same way people got training on computers, is the same way they can get training on use of these efficient gadgets (Abagnale, 108). The investment is actually worthwhile for varied reasons. First, it is impossible to record the PIN as done on an ATM. Secondly; the same smart phone can be used to keep track of one’s expenses as it records when and where the transaction was made. This information can also be accessed through emails. Also, some of these gadgets are so advanced that they also utilize the use of genes and fingerprints. A good example in this case is the use of gene coding in most bank vaults which has proved to be safer over the

Business Law Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business Law - Assignment Example In such a way, fair use doctrine allows for copyrighted material oftentimes displayed for specific purposes without the necessity of acquiring permission from the right holder. 3. trade secret Trade secret necessarily first you process, practice, formula, design, or other instrument or pattern which can be understood to be directly related to the means by which an economic advantage is leveraged within the company. Oftentimes, such trade secrets or confidential; however, they are protected under a different type of United States law as compared to classified information. 4. easement An easement refers to a specific right to utilize the property of another without ultimately having ownership. In this way, it can best be defined as a right of way. 5. adverse possession Adverse possession be understood as the process by which a given property changes ownership. In such a manner, the title to another individual’s property can oftentimes be seen without direct compensation. In such a way, the growth and development of squatter’s rights have, to be evidenced. 6. bailment Bailment is a defined as a type of transfer of personal property with one individual to another. Most commonly, the surprises when property is given to another individual process of safekeeping it is born out of an independent contract. 7. intestacy Intestacy is designed as situation in which individual passes away only more property than the sum of all their debts and/work funeral expenses and without making it will provide the declaration of what should be done with their belongings when they pass. 8. insurable interest Insurable interest in defined as an interest in which the insurer has a specific level of interest or other type of benefit with existence of such an object. In this way individual has insurable interest in something as long as loss or damage of this particular good would consequently serve type of financial loss stop 9. security interest Security interest can ultimate ly be understood as a type of agreement for cooperation of law over assets that help to ensure that the security of an obligation will ultimately be performed. 10. perfection (Article 9) Article 9 of the uniform code governs the way in which interests may be obtained on certain types personal property as a means of securing debt. Ultimately, this particular article defines the way in which the owner of the collateral is responsible for interacting with the holder of the collateral that is ultimately paid off. 11. commercial paper This ultimately refers to the type of unsecured promissory note with a fixed maturity date. In this way, commercial paper is often a type of non-monetized security that is sold by corporations in order to rapidly create short-term debt in order to meet current needs. 12. holder in due course Holder in due course is with reference to a commercial law that seeks to provide a level of protection to the purchaser of debt. The doctrine helps to insulate the purc haser against charges that the other party in the transaction may hold against the purchaser. 13. accommodation party An accommodation party is a type of surety bond or other type of guarantee that serves as a promise between one party and another that debt collection will be assured in the event that the borrower defaults. 14. presentment warranty The present but warranty refers to an implied promise with regards to the

ASSESSMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

ASSESSMENT - Essay Example There are, for instance, societies that practice circumcision of males as a way of graduating them into adulthood. On the other hand, there are communities that do not have that kind of practice. When these two categories of people belong in the same team at the workplace and there happens to be acrimony between them, the circumcised person would most likely use unwelcome words on the uncircumcised one to suggest that they are not man enough because they are not circumcised. Cultural clashes can be real horrible experiences at the workplace (Parker, 2013). Supervisors at work have over the years abused the employees working under them only because the employees do not subscribe to their way of thinking. One thing that leads to differences in thinking are the cultural indoctrinations where one believes that everybody else should believe in the things that they believe in (Parker, 2014). A supervisor will tend to frustrate workers that view things differently. They could end up recommending them for sack or demotion and give vague reasons for that while deep inside, they know that the hate they have for such individuals emanates from differences in culture and, in some cases, religion. Those are very common scenarios. Managers of cross-cultural teams always have a lot to do in terms of creating cohesion among employees drawn from sundry cultural backgrounds. The most important thing for such managers is to try as much as they can to inculcate workplace values and ethics that will ensure that cultural diversity is not a source of conflic t and disrespect. Ethno-cultural conflict within the international classroom is a topic that requires a lot of research. There is bound to be fierce conflicts in a class containing people from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Teachers and school heads have the duty to ensure that such conflicts do not hamper the learning process and try as much as

Understanding Human Behavior is critical to organizations Essay

Understanding Human Behavior is critical to organizations - Essay Example Understanding Human Behavior It also forms a foundational block for the leadership skills of an individual. It is reported that it can be easier for one to understand others when he understands himself (Beach 28). This is usually referred to the people surrounding the individual. As a leader, one is required to portray a strong sense of self-discipline in order to attain the self-assessment values, which eventually leads to continuous improvement. The leaders should ensure that certain aspects are put into practice before engaging into other people’s affairs. The first aspect is the practice of what one preaches. This implies that leaders are expected to tell people what to do while at the same time do the same thing. They are expected to take ownership of the statements they give to people on the things they expect from them as they are expected to behave the same. Therefore, they are the ones to set these standards. The second aspect is based on the belief that change is always okay. It is good to make changes to the intended target if the leader is in a position of identifying the reason for having a different path (Millan and Melissa 51). These points can be useful in the implementation of the self-evaluation tools used by leaders individually or for the organization. If a leader decides to take a professional image, he should know that the implication is usually positive or negative. Leaders should be well equipped in knowing their weaknesses and strengths, which will help them as they take advantage of the whole concept. They will take their time on improving their weaknesses and using the skills, they have acquired to improve their strengths. This can be done by practicing their coaching skills at the same time implementing their mentorship skills. For a long time, scholars have been arguing in indicating the possibility of an individual being his own leader (Beach 36). This can be supported by the initiative that leaders are suppose to implement rules and helping their emplo yees under the same principles which guide them. This is difficult for many leaders as they are expected to take ownership of all the problems affecting the organization together with the people working in it. This helps the other employees to have self-management, which is comprised of self-leadership. This is the type of mechanism that majority of today’s leaders use in making decision for their workers in the organization. Another argument raised by scholars implies that this is applicable to all the leaders. However, this can be refuted as some leaders have a strong implication of themselves, which will have a different view in establishing their weakness or strength. This is applicable when attempting to look at the changes they are required to undergo. Another benefit of having a self-assessment as a leader is the readiness of production of ideas (Mawson 69). There are cases where individuals will have numerous ideas but will be unable to air them out to the public. Thi s situation is attributed to several factors such as being introvert, low self-esteem or being scared. On the other hand, a self-assessed individual will not accept and will brush them off before they initiate the ideas. Another argument that has always been raised in regards to self-assessment is the genetic association with the leadership skills. It is asserted that there is a strong interaction amongst genetic influence and leadership when it is a question of entrepreneurial skills and running of businesses.

Proposal on The DREAM Act Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Proposal on The DREAM Act - Essay Example This innovative legislation would render immigration benefits to several young individuals who are presently considered as illegal migrants in the country. And this is the very reason that why several lawmakers and analysts oppose this bill. For example, reputed immigration policy analyst Krikorian has asserted that â€Å"all amnesties have at least three harmful consequences, and the DREAM Act ignores all three. The first of these is massive fraud. Perhaps one-fourth of those legalized under the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act received amnesty fraudulently, including Mahmud Abouhalima, a leader of the first World Trade Center attack.† Hence, review of immigration enforcement is a precondition to the enactment of the proposed DREAM Act. Thesis Statement: The DREAM Act can benefit both the US economy and the young immigrants in the country provided that immigration enforcement within the provisions of the proposed Act is properly implemented and fraudulent practices are prevented. Benefits: The DREAM Act seeks to legalize the undocumented youth and young adults in the country if they fulfill certain educational criteria and effort to obtain college graduation. From an economic viewpoint, legalization of unauthorized students can be an important incentive for them to work hard and graduate from a high school. This will improve their chances of obtaining higher education. Ultimately, the overall number of college graduates in the country will increase. College graduates obtain higher salaries and hence they will yield higher tax revenues as well. The increased financial contribution of the legalized educated immigrants will repay the necessary educational investments within a few years.

Segmentation Essay Example for Free

Segmentation Essay Market segmentation is where marketers split the market into groups with similarities that would make it easy to target their product to the consumers, if they do not do this then they could waste money and time on targeting the wrong people. The company would be trying to maximise their sales so that they can gain as much money as possible. Using market segmentation could mean a business could gain a commercial advantage as they would be advertising to a specific audience, they would be matching target audience and the product effectively. Demographics are where the companies target market would be to a group because of their Gender, age, race/nationality, family size, occupation and education. For example McDonalds advertise happy meals to children because they would keep bugging their parents to take them to get them it. Geographic’s are where the companies target market would be to a group because of where they live, for example an expensive store wouldn’t come to Burnley because most of the residents are working class and don’t have a lot of money. Psychographics are where the companies target market would be to a group because of personality, lifestyle and interests. For example subway would advertise to people with a healthy lifestyle. These segmentation methods are used to split up the market so business can find the perfect target market, if companies didn’t use these methods then the companies wouldn’t have a good understanding of the people they are trying to advertise to. ACORN or A Classification of Residential Neighbourhoods, is used to segment the market into different classifications, the classifications are split up into 5 categories, which are: †¢ Wealthy Achievers – wealthy people who already have good, well-paid jobs, †¢ Urban Prosperity – wealthy people who are aspiring to have good, well-paid jobs, †¢ Comfortably Off – people aren’t particularly wealthy but have a decent sized house etc. †¢ Hard Pressed lower classed people, who are live in high rise flats etc. Moderate Means – working class people, live in terraces. Another method of segmentation the public are is a system created by Experian called Mosaic, this assigns people to groups based on their post code, neighbourhood etc. and it makes assumptions about peoples likes, dislikes and lifestyles based on their postcode area. †¢ A Career professionals living in sought after locations †¢ B Younger families living in newer h omes †¢ C Older families living in suburbia D Close-knit, inner city and manufacturing town communities †¢ E Educated, young, single people living in areas of transient populations †¢ F People living in social housing with uncertain employment in deprived areas †¢ G Low income families living in estate based social housing †¢ H Upwardly mobile families living in homes bought from social landlords †¢ I Older people living in social housing with high care needs †¢ J Independent older people with relatively active lifestyles †¢ K People living in rural areas far from urbanisation McDonalds target markets are happy meals, saver menu, portion sizes, fillet o’Fish, breakfast and hot drinks; the happy meal is targeted towards children as they will use pester power to make their parents take them to McDonalds. They sell small portions that contain a healthy snack and you get a free toy in them, the toy is themed towards a children’s cartoon film, they normally advertise on nickelodeon, cartoon network and Disney channel because that’s what most children watch. They advertise after 3 o’clock because that’s when most children get home from school as if they advertised before 3 o’clock then not a lot of children would see it; the happy meal would also suit the elderly as they won’t be able to eat a big meal. The saver menu would suit students and people who don’t have a lot of money; it would suit students as they won’t have to spend a lot of money on the larger meals and they can spend it more important things or going out at the weekend. It would suit people who don’t have a lot of money as they are relatively small portions and it is only 99p for a burger so it is a cheap. The portion sizes would be good for when people who aren’t particularly hungry or they are really hungry, as if they aren’t hungry they can get a medium meal, If they are really hungry they can get the large meals. This is good as it creates more of a target market for McDonalds to attract. The Fillet o’Fish as people who don’t like eating meat can get this instead of just getting chips, this is good as well as it McDonalds look like they are family orientated and they don’t miss anyone out. The McDonalds breakfast suits people who have to get up early as they do normal breakfast meals instead of a burger they could get sausage or something else. The hot drinks are good for when it is winter as people won’t want cold drinks as they would want warm drinks like coffee or hot chocolate etc. McDonalds will have a variety of different targets for their products and services. 4 examples can look at: Families: Families are targets as when families go out, they normally go to places that the kids will enjoy as if the kids aren’t happy, then parents will not be happy as they will be seeing their children unsatisfied with where they are. McDonalds will advertise all they can to make it look more appealing to all generations of families, These services aim towards providing friendly environments for the customers to have fun at and enjoy meals at affordable prices. They will be close families, as they will be visiting places with the idea of where is best suitable for the kids and themselves to enjoy themselves. The gender is not again specific as families could be of mixed gender. The age range will be from 1+ as a nice little outing to McDonald’s with the family is always nice. Parents with Children: parents with children will take their child to McDonald’s to give their children a treat. This is a product that McDonalds has produced to attract children between the ages of 1-10, as it has a free toy with the meal it is aiming to attract children and not only will the food be a treat but they will also get a free toy to play with. The target markets for happy meals is the parents buying their children food will be identified as young children ranging from ages of 1-10 as the toys that come with the happy meals look suitable for children of that age. Teenagers: Teenagers usually have limits to how much they can spend on food, As they may have limited pocket money or more important ideas of something they may want to purchase so cannot afford to spend their money on fast food. This is why they are attracted to the saver menu, the saver menu is where you can buy food for a reasonably price. Also teenagers are known to be the main users of social networking sites and users of the internet, so the idea of free WIFI access available in their restaurants is also another way to attract people to their restaurants. So, the target market for the saver menu will be identified as someone who wants to enjoy McDonald’s at an affordable price and the target market for the free wifi will be mainly teenagers as a stop at a restaurant for a quick check of their social networking sites will tempt them to buy something quick to enjoy whilst they are in the store. The age range for both the saver menu and WI-FI will be from 16+ as people from the age of 16 + are identified to be the age range of social networking sites and the saver menu is for everyone. Local Workers: Whilst on their breaks; local workers may pop in to the closest McDonalds, they have nearest to them to have a hot meal as it’s usually served very quickly and this makes it very efficient for the workers as they may have a short break. The lifestyle of these regular workers will be busy as they are working and may not have enough time in mornings to prepare dinner before they leave so they visit cafe/restaurants that are close by to eat in at and then head back to work. Also, they will need reasonable prices as they may have budgets for their dinner/meals. Gender of local workers will also not be specific in this case as you can be of any gender to have a job. The age range will be that of 18+ to about 65, as 18 is the age you most people start working and usually people retire at 65 and are not likely to be regular customers, as fast food places as due to being older than maybe teenagers, they have to be more careful with their diets as they can be more affected easily health wise with regular takeaway consuming. A Business Person: a business person will visit McDonalds during the morning, maybe for a brew or the breakfast, Also their food can be eaten in a vehicle without it affecting a busy work schedule, as they can use the drive thru, McDonalds have many drive thru’s which is a service that makes it efficient for people that may not have enough time to eat in to enjoy their products in their vehicles. The target market for a drive thru will be busy people that do not have enough time to eat in. The gender for business customers will be both male and female as in the modern world. The age range of established and busy business people is most likely to be about 30+.

Four seasons hotels inc hr practices

Four seasons hotels inc hr practices The assignment is based on a case study that revolves around Four Seasons and their culture in relation to employment. The purpose of this assignment is to basically answer five questions that are specific to understanding the culture of Four Seasons and the influence of HRM on the organisation. Like any case there are issues that the company needs to deal with and the writer tries to identify these issues by explaining what caused the issue to occur. The assignment also recognizes several key factors that the HRM of the companies have to deal with and at the same time identifying how important is the HRM to the Four Seasons and what kind of influence it has on the employment strategy. The writer identifies several options and recommendations to solving the issues and also explains the purpose of choosing the option at the same time illustrating the affect each of the options would have on the organisation and the various stakeholders. The writer has incorporated various models and matrices to the various sections in order to facilitate in the explanation of the topics. Company and its position in the hospitality industry Isadore Sharp (Sharp) with the help of his brother-in-law, Eddie Creed (Creed) and his friend Murray Koffler (Koffler) founded the Four Seasons with an investment of less than a $ million. The first property was a motel, Four Seasons Motor Hotel in 1961 in downtown, Toronto. This was a 125 roomed motel, with upscale atmosphere and amenities that were the reason for attracting their guests and especially celebrities from the neighboring T.V. station. The next property was a 569 rooms Toronto Inn Park which was built in the year 1963. Since then Sharp went on to built several new hotels such as the Inn on the Park, in London and other small inns in smaller urban areas such as Belleville, Ontario and Nassau, Bahamas only in the year 1970. This building of new hotels came to a serious problem in around the year 1994 as the Four Seasons saw themselves in a huge debt and only due to the help of Saudi Prince Al-Waleed Bin Tala Bin Abdufaziz al Saud (Al-Waleed) and his investment of C$100 million did the Four Seasons and Sharp survive this collapse. With this financial support from Al-Waleed, Four Seasons was able to built new hotels in Singapore, Mexico City, Berlin and Prague; with this resorts were built in Hawaiis Kona Coast, Carlsbad, California and Chiang Mai, Thailand. The Four Seasons on February 2007 was acquired by various investing groups namely Casacade Investment, L.L.C. which belonged to Microsofts Chairman Bill Gates, Kingdom Hotels International, owned by Al-Waleed, and Triples Holdings Limited, a family holding company of Sharps, which together was a US$3.37 billion buyout offer. As a part of their negotiations a 10 percent interest in the group and the CEO position was given to Sharp, in addition to this a long-term incentive contract related to the sales of villa and penthouses as private properties. By the end of 2008, Four Seasons had 82 managed properties in 34 different countries with about 33,185 associates. Four Seasons lived on a term called The Golden Rule which meant Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you and keeping this in their mind they have treated their employees with as much respect as they would expect from the employees to the customers. This was personified with the various recognition they received from various publications such as Consumer Reports, Gourmet and Travel Leisure, Mobil Travel Guide, Gallivanters Guide and Condà © Nast Traveler Magazine. The most valued honor to Four Seasons and which they have managed to earn from the last thirteen years is the Top 100 Companies to Work For by Fortune Magazine and as of year 2010, Four Seasons were positioned at the 58th spot which compared to the hotel industry only Marriott International made the list as the 82nd position. This itself gives a picture of what the employees think about Four Seasons and their culture but there are some critics that say otherwise as they believe that the reason for their success i s because they tend to be very bias to foreign white skinned employees and prefer to hire them and the example given here was the Four Seasons Maldives resort, which was believed to be corrupt and bias as foreigners were given preference instead of locals irrespective of their talent and qualification and that local professional Maldivians were ignored just because of their color of skin. Another criticism was that even though the employees were paid well they were working extended hours and were stressed to deliver impeccable service. Four Seasons at present is one of the leading hotel chains in the world and have easily been considered to be one of the best in the field in comparison to hotel chains like Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton, Intercontinental, etc. and despite the various criticism Four Seasons has consistently been on the top when it comes to its work culture, thus becoming a globally successful hotel chain. Culture of Four Seasons and comparison to major competitors Four Seasons has always tried to provide its guests with value added service and hassle free stay and by keep this in to their working culture they have earned the reputation of a superior customer service organisation. The Four Seasons had also created more than 247 standards which were meant to identify what the customers should expect to receive in a Four Seasons Hotel. Even with these many standards Four Seasons always believed in empowerment as every employee was given all the rights to do what they felt right and this worked well for the company as an e.g. in the case mentioned how a bride had got her wedding dress stuck to the car door and the housekeeping staff did not waste any time and sent her to the spa while the staff member was patching the torn areas so that it would not be noticed. This was the kind of thinking that Four Seasons and especially Sharp want from their employees by this they created an environment where the employees were willing to use their mind in solv ing problems thus reducing the chances for it to escalate. Sharp also believed that loyalty and retention are the key to success, but loyalty to the customers came before the loyalty of the guests. They also truly believed in The Golden Rule and designed their recruitment, selection, training and development of the employees. Four Seasons culture was based on the value each and every employee could bring to the company and did not care about the qualification and experience the candidate had, this turn gave them employees who were willing to challenge themselves and at the same time willing to develop to the betterment of the company. This is also one of the reasons why their customers were loyal as they felt that the employees were willing and striving to help make their stay better, this can be seen with the award that Four Seasons have been receiving since 1980, which are the AAA Five Diamond awards. This award clearly shows the respect and loyalty that the customers have for the company due the respect and loyalty that the employees show to their customers. In comparison to Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton, Starwood, etc. Four Seasons believes in empowerment where as the other only use it as a form of marketing strategy. The mission statement or The Golden Rule of Four Seasons is Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you whereas Marriott has the Core Values that states Its about serving the associates, the customer, and the community. Marriotts fundamental beliefs are enduring and the keys to its continued success (Marriott International, 2010), Hyatts mission statement is To provide authentic hospitality by making a difference in the lives of the people we touch every day (Hyatt Corporation, 2010), Hilton believes in We will be the preeminent global hospitality company the first choice of guests, team members and owners alike (Hilton Worldwide, 2010) and Starwood would like to Create the most successful branded, global, lifestyle hospitality company by forming a trust- and respect-based corporate family committed to re-imagining our b usiness with creativity and innovation, resulting in the most fun workplace in the history of the world (Starwood Hotels and Resorts, 2010). Only by looking at these mission statements we can get an idea of who really caters to their employees as among the four major hotel chains mentioned only Marriott Hotel has their employees mentioned in their mission statement and even that is only considering that they take care of the associates but does not give an idea that they are willing to empower their employees like the way Four Seasons does. This does not mean that other hotels do not empower their employees but in terms of the definition which means giving the right and authority to an individual to think, behave, take action and make decisions in an independent way (Heathfield, 2010). By just applying the definition to the various hotels and their mission statements we can see that Four Seasons and Marriott are the only two hotel chains that seem to be empowering their employees to take their own decisions. Empowerment of employees sounds good and will attract employees but the real factor here would be that this would to some extent create a very bias hiring environment in the company as Sharp mentioned that they hire employees with the right attitude for the company and there is little need for them to have experience as the work itself can be thought, which as mentioned before created a bias environment in Maldives as almost all the employees that were hired were foreigners and even though the local population had all the right credentials and at times even better that the foreigner staff, they were not selected and this is the major difference between Four Seasons and the other hotels as almost every hotel select their employees based on their qualification and experience but being selected for having the right attitude to some extent is inappropriate and unethical especially if they are selected by the color of their skin, which is taking it to the extent of being racist and this i s a very dangerous road to take especially if Four Seasons would like to expand to newer countries particularly the developing and non-developing countries. This is also one of the major differences between Four Seasons and other hotel brands as Marriott for example believes in hiring employees from various cultures so as to help incorporate a multi-cultural environment in the organisation. Another reason for companies trying to incorporate local cultures in the company is because of the Corporate Social Responsibility as it is one of the most important factor for the existence of any company as by not incorporating it into the company means that various stakeholders such as government, NGOs, suppliers, stakeholders, local residents, etc. would not respect the hotel brand and thus causing future problems. HRM influence on vision, mission values and companys identity Four Seasons have been in this business since the 1960s and have live by one mission called The Golden Rule which defines their values as well. They focus on their employees and promote empowerment in the company, in addition they hire employees based on their attitude and not on their experience and knowledge as they believe that the job can be learnt by training but the attitude of a person cannot be changed. Human Resource Department (HRM) is considered to be the most vital and unavoidable department of a company but the influence of the HRM on the company depends on the culture and values of the company and how important they consider the HRM is and if it would help to improve the companys staff quality. In terms of Four Seasons the HRM would be more of a supporting department as they would have little influence on the culture of the company and instead the culture of Four Seasons would identify the HRM departments duties and the kind of recruitment, selection, training, development, etc. criteria they need to follow. The organisation of Four Seasons depend on finding the employees that fit in their culture rather than hiring qualified and experienced staff and then molding them to the requirements of the company. This to some extent makes it a lot easier for the HRM in terms of designing the programs but it also makes it extremely difficult to look for the right people for the right job. Another factor would be to incorporate the empowerment factor into the selection, training and development programs as they will need to be very accurate so as to not select, train and develop the wrong people for the wrong job. To do so Four Seasons has already created a program which begins with h iring talented individuals with the resourcefulness and dedication to perform to their best and the training was began with a three month initial orientation and a supervisor and management development programs, the senior management had their own executive development programs and the employees also received classroom training. The whole employee development program was divided into seven parts being Recruitment, Selection, Orientation, Training, Performance Management, Rewards Recognition, Development Success and Promotion/Transfer each of these programs included their own specific components such as brain storming sessions and extensive interviews for Recruitment, align with strategy, attitude comes first, define required key competencies, 4 stages interview process and Behavioural Interviewing based on defined competencies for Selection, align with strategy, adequate lead time, emphasis on attitude, service teamwork, consistent global approach, multi-lingual Culture film, heavy management involvement buy-in and re-orientation as needed for Orientation, align with strategy, on-line (Standards) program, designated trainers and customers service skills, emphasis on Culture throughout and coordinated efforts for Training, align with strategy, identify key Competencies, Good At not simply Good Person, a ssessment starts early and never ends, provide actionable feedback, do it in time to make a difference, potential assessment, goals/processes/measures and do it in time to make a difference for Performance Management, paid vacations and monetary rewards for Rewards Recognition, align with strategy, succession planning, task force work, planned global exposure, multi-ethnic talent for Development Succession and based on performance experience and destinations of choice for Promotion/Transfer. The purpose of mentioning all these components is that the HRM program was extremely well defined and due to this the different departments did not need to depend on the HRM to tell them what was needed to be done but instead only had to follow these components and see that the employees followed them as well. Each and every factors of employee development was important but the most important factor for any company and especially in the hospitality industry is the Performance Management Syste m (PMS) which could be defined as A management technique intended to holistically consider the performance of (usually a group of) employees or machines to work towards optimum performance of a particular task or (more frequently) a group of tasks (Allsites LLC., 2010). The main reason why the PMS is so vital to an organisation is because in this stage the company can actually identify whether all the earlier stages such as Recruitment, Selection, Orientation and Training were successful and if there is a need to redo few or all of the stages again, in addition this gives an idea of what to expect in the future stages. In simple terms this is a crossroad that could make or break the whole program so considering its importance every organisation needs to develop the best possible components for it. Four Seasons have identified nine various components, which give an idea that they as well consider it to be a vital aspect. The major issue here as mentioned in the earlier section is the focus on empowerment of employees which drives the HRM department and this is also the reason why the HRM is more of a collaborator rather that than initiator which leave very little room for change and this would seriously affect their growth prospects as this would cause the HRM department to be bias towards a section of the employee market and this could also cause major future problems for the company such as distrust and deflation of the brand image. Another important factor would be to not to consider being selfish to a particular section of the employees especially the white skinned employees which in any country and also by U.N.s universal declaration on Race, Racism and the Law is considered to be racist and unethical, this can be proven by the article 23 point 1 in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, G.A. res. 217A (III), U.N. Doc A/810 at 71 (1948) which clearly states that Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable condit ions of work and to protection against unemployment (Bell, 2010). Thus it is extremely important for Four Seasons to try and not walk that line as selecting based on attitude could easily be perceived to be racist by international laws and this could also lead to a wide spread boycott of the Four Seasons and could tumble the identity and respect that the Four Seasons has earned. Policies and procedures in HRM and its evaluation The culture of Four Seasons is extremely strong and has a direct influence on the strategies of the HRM and has also dictates the policies and procedures of the department. Four Seasons always believes that the satisfaction of employees is more important than that of the customers. This can be seen in the benefits that the Four Seasons offer which is specifically created to motivate the employees to put in their best foot and this will be illustrated in the table below. Table : Benefits of working for Four Seasons (Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, 2010) Company-Wide Benefits Career Growth Opportunities Unique Deep Culture Best-In-Industry Training Luxury Environment Within Magnificent Locations Worldwide Profit Sharing/Incentive Bonus/Competitive Salaries Complimentary Stays At Four Seasons Properties With Discounted Meals Paid Holidays/Vacation Educational Assistance Dental And Medical Insurance/Disability/Life Retirement Benefits/Pension Employee Service Awards Annual Employee Party/Social And Sporting Events Complimentary Meals In Dedicated Employee Restaurants In addition to these benefits there are other benefits that are given to the employees depending on the local law and regulations. The benefits are very specific and takes care of all the needs of the employees in terms of the Maslows Hierarchy of Needs we could get a much clear picture. The Maslows Hierarchy of Needs identifies 5 various needs of a human being and that they strive to achieve it throughout their life and these 5 needs will be shown in the figure below. Figure : Maslows Hierarchy of Needs (Maslow, 2009) Maslows Hierarchy of Needs The Maslows Hierarchy of Needs states that there are five main needs that a person needs to satisfy to make him feel complete and these needs are Physiological Needs, Safety Needs, Social Needs, Esteem Needs and Self-Actualization Needs. Physiological needs are the need for basic things like air, food, drinks, shelter, clothing, etc. (Chapman, 2010). Safety needs is specific to laws and regulation and its impact on personal life or whether it is safe to live (Chapman, 2010). Social Needs on the other hand is more to do with having relationship with different groups of people mainly family and friends (Chapman, 2010). Esteem needs are more psychology based like feeling independent, having high status and prestige, personal achievements, etc (Chapman, 2010). The Self-Actualization needs are the most tough but the most vital for feeling complete and this can be achieved when a person feels self-fulfilled, achieves personal growth and reaches the peak of his experience (Chapman, 2010). T he Maslows Hierarchy of needs does not only affect the normal way of life but also has an influence on the motivation of the employees in an organisation especially the hospitality sector this sector tends to have the highest percent of turnover which mainly depends on the benefits that the company offers. To get a comprehensible prospective to this the writer will compare the two factor being the benefits of Four Seasons and the Maslows Hierarchy of needs to see which benefits affect what type of needs. Figure : Maslows Hierarchy of Needs to Four Seasons Employee Benefits  ·Ã‚  Career growth opportunities  ·Ã‚  Unique deep culture  ·Ã‚  Best-in-industry training  ·Ã‚  Luxury environment in magnificent locations worldwide  ·Ã‚  Dental and medical   / disability / life insurance  ·Ã‚  Paid holidays / vacation  ·Ã‚  Educational assistance  ·Ã‚  Retirement benefits / pension  ·Ã‚  Complimentary meals in dedicated employee restaurants  ·Ã‚  Profit sharing / incentive bonus / competitive salaries  ·Ã‚  Complimentary stays at Four Seasons properties with discounted meals  ·Ã‚  Employee service awards  ·Ã‚  Annual employee party / social and sporting events  ·Ã‚  Career growth opportunities  ·Ã‚  Unique deep culture  ·Ã‚  Best-in-industry training  ·Ã‚  Luxury environment in magnificent locations worldwide  ·Ã‚  Dental and medical   / disability / life insurance  ·Ã‚  Paid holidays / vacation  ·Ã‚  Educational assistance  ·Ã‚  Retirement benefits / pension  ·Ã‚  Complimentary meals in dedicated employee restaurants  ·Ã‚  Profit sharing / incentive bonus / competitive salaries  ·Ã‚  Complimentary stays at Four Seasons properties with discounted meals  ·Ã‚  Employee service awards  ·Ã‚  Annual employee party / social and sporting events  ·Ã‚  Career growth opportunities  ·Ã‚  Unique deep culture  ·Ã‚  Best-in-industry training  ·Ã‚  Luxury environment in magnificent locations worldwide  ·Ã‚  Dental and medical   / disability / life insurance  ·Ã‚  Paid holidays / vacation  ·Ã‚  Educational assistance  ·Ã‚  Retirement benefits / pension  ·Ã‚  Complimentary meals in dedicated employee restaurants  ·Ã‚  Profit sharing / incentive bonus / competitive salaries  ·Ã‚  Complimentary stays at Four Seasons properties with discounted meals  ·Ã‚  Employee service awards  ·Ã‚  Annual employee party / social and sporting events  ·Ã‚  Career growth opportunities  ·Ã‚  Unique deep culture  ·Ã‚  Best-in-industry training  ·Ã‚  Luxury environment in magnificent locations worldwide  ·Ã‚  Dental and medical   / disability / life insurance  ·Ã‚  Paid holidays / vacation  ·Ã‚  Educational assistance  ·Ã‚  Retirement benefits / pension  ·Ã‚  Complimentary meals in dedicated employee restaurants  ·Ã‚  Profit sharing / incentive bonus / competitive salaries  ·Ã‚  Complimentary stays at Four Seasons properties with discounted meals  ·Ã‚  Employee service awards  ·Ã‚  Annual employee party / social and sporting events  ·Ã‚  Career growth opportunities  ·Ã‚  Unique deep culture  ·Ã‚  Best-in-industry training  ·Ã‚  Luxury environment in magnificent locations worldwide  ·Ã‚  Dental and medical   / disability / life insurance  ·Ã‚  Paid holidays / vacation  ·Ã‚  Educational assistance  ·Ã‚  Retirement benefits / pension  ·Ã‚  Complimentary meals in dedicated employee restaurants  ·Ã‚  Profit sharing / incentive bonus / competitive salaries  ·Ã‚  Complimentary stays at Four Seasons properties with discounted meals  ·Ã‚  Employee service awards  ·Ã‚  Annual employee party / social and sporting events  ·Ã‚  Career growth opportunities  ·Ã‚  Unique deep culture  ·Ã‚  Best-in-industry training  ·Ã‚  Luxury environment in magnificent locations worldwide  ·Ã‚  Dental and medical   / disability / life insurance  ·Ã‚  Paid holidays / vacation  ·Ã‚  Educational assistance  ·Ã‚  Retirement benefits / pension  ·Ã‚  Complimentary meals in dedicated employee restaurants  ·Ã‚  Profit sharing / incentive bonus / competitive salaries  ·Ã‚  Complimentary stays at Four Seasons properties with discounted meals  ·Ã‚  Employee service awards  ·Ã‚  Annual employee party / social and sporting events  ·Ã‚  Profit sharing / incentive bonus / competitive salaries  ·Ã‚  Complimentary stays at Four Seasons properties with discounted meals  ·Ã‚  Employee service awards  ·Ã‚  Profit sharing / incentive bonus / competitive salaries  ·Ã‚  Complimentary stays at Four Seasons properties with discounted meals  ·Ã‚  Employee service awards  ·Ã‚  Career growth opportunities  ·Ã‚  Unique deep culture  ·Ã‚  Best-in-industry training  ·Ã‚  Luxury environment in magnificent locations worldwide In the above figure the writer has clearly divided each of the benefits to the various needs that it satisfies. This figure clearly identifies that the main reason why Four Seasons is in the top 100 companies to work for is because of they try hard to satisfy the needs of their employees and in addition to this they also offer empowerment to its employees which directly or indirectly satisfies the needs of Esteem and Self-Actualization. As Vice President of HRM moving Four Seasons forward in the next four years Four Seasons is an organisation with great potential for growth, this is mainly because of their organizational culture and the way they take care of the employees. Employees are one of the most important stakeholders that have a direct impact on the organisation and if the employees are not happy then the customers will not be happy and thus affecting the running of the organisation. There are several factors that can be taken into account for the development of the organisation but the most important factor would be to focus less focus on empowerment and more on diversity. The reason behind identifying it as a factor is that even although the company is managing to reduce their turnover by hiring employees that fit their culture, Four Seasons has not considered the external effects of perusing such an option and this has already started to take its toll on the company as people have started to notice that Four Seasons are bias to foreigners especially white skin candidate, this kind of controversies could seriously deteriorate the companys image and brand name, in addition it could in long term affect their employee turnover and even cause the company to lose their customers. This is only a miner effect compared to what could happen later as loosing the customers will effect various stakeholders to stop trusting the future of the organisation and this will cause a ripple effect where the stocks of the company will start falling, investors will start withdrawing their stocks and ultimately causing Four Seasons a final blow. This at the end would bring t he company to the verge of bankruptcy. This is farfetched and may not even happen exactly as mentioned but sooner or later people will start to notice the biasness and retaliate accordingly. The above elastration is the consequence of ignoring the issue but the real issue is what Four Seasons can do to avoid such a massive collapse. This may not be easy and could take a lot of time and money to reverse it. To begin with the company first needs to incorporate diversity to their culture as they need to stop judging that foreigners candidates are better at the use of empowerment than the local candidates and rather than hiring all the employees from outside resident country, they should divide the employee as 60% to 70% foreigners and 30% to 40% local should be included into their policies of HRM, this is simple terms means that Four Seasons needs to incorporate Talent Management in their strategy. Talent Management can be defined as A conscious, deliberate approach undertaken to attract, develop and retain people with the aptitude and abilities to meet current and future organizational needs. Talent management involves individual and organizational development in response to a changing and complex operating environment. It includes the creation and maintenance of a supportive, people oriented organisation culture (Derek Stockley Pty Ltd., 2005). Talent management incorporates the whole process of the HRM such as recruitment, development, performance management, retention, etc. and it does not end there as it also helps develop the culture of the organisation towards a more positive outlook. The purpose of identifying Talent Management as an option is due the effect it could have on the HRM and Four Seasons as it helps to identify critical areas that need to be changed, takes phased approach to implementing a strategy within the areas, creates ways to assessing the impact on the areas and conducts reviews on the varies areas so provide input for future implementation (TalentAlign, 2010). Figure : Talent Management Concept http://www.taleo.com/sites/default/files/article-talent-management.jpg (Taleo Corporation, 2010) Based on the above shown figure we can identify that there are two major factors influencing talent management which are business goals and business performance and these are more like a cause and effect of the company, the cause being the business goal and effect being business performance. The figure also identifies all the various segments that talent management influences by dividing it into 4 sections namely Align, Assess, Acquire and Develop. To explain it better Align and Assess are pre-recruiting stages or planning stage where the HRM can identify the purpose and outcome that they would like want to achieve. Acquire and Develop on the other hand is involved with more of the physical aspect of the HRM for instance recruiting, training, development, performance management, etc. Talent Management could in actual fact help Four Seasons to provide authority to the HRM department and thus restructuring the organisation to provide optimal workforce. This system is not bias thus chan ging the selection process and making the organisation more diverse. Craig Hickman a famous author of various books on business and management such as The Strategic Game, Mind of a Manager, Soul of a Leader, etc. identifies diversity to be an important component to the success of an organization and believes that organizations take it extremely lightly as they only tolerate it rather than embracing it and this is mainly due to the external influence such as government and local residence (Hickman, 2006). It is not just important for Four Seasons to incorporate diversity using talent management but also so embrace it with the optimism that it will improve their current position. The whole process of talent management should take around two to three years to accurately be integrated in the organisation but even after it integration Four Seasons needs to continue to develop it and follow up on the progress and identify the way to improve it. Another option for the company which may even be cheaper and less time consuming than talent management would be the use of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). In simple terms CSR is the involvement towards the economy, environment and social sustainability of the public with the assistance of various stakeholders (Baker, Corporate Social Responsibility What does it mean?). The purpose of identifying CSR as an option is because of cost effectiveness, media attractiveness, direct influence, no change in the organ

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[1],[2] Both clarify the importance of goo d provision to ensure that schools meet the needs of pupils with mental health difficulties. Schools’ lack of knowledge of the DfES guidance results from a missed opportunity to improve the quality of provision for pupils with mental health difficulties.The large number of schools visited for this survey who were not working towards meeting the NHSS is of serious concern. Only just over half of them were aware that such standards existed. Of these, only a very small minority of schools were working towards or had met the criteria for providing for pupils’ emotional health and well-being. One barrier was the low level of awareness of the importance of the issue. It is unsurprising, therefore, that training for staff on mental health difficulties was found to be needed in three quarters of the schools.Most training tended to focus on strategies for managing pupils’ behaviour rather than on promoting positive approaches to relationships and resolving conflicts. Des pite such a lack of awareness in schools of mental health issues, there was good practice in one third of the schools in the survey, including: †¢ an ethos which valued and respected individuals †¢ a serious approach to bullying and pupils’ difficulties with relationships, and swift resolution of problems †¢ good arrangements for listening carefully to pupils’ views †¢ the involvement of parents in identifying problems and making provision for their children.Good joint working between health services, social services and schools was at the heart of effective planning and provision for individual pupils. Although multi-agency working was becoming better established within local education authorities, it was unsatisfactory in a quarter of the schools. Schools, parents and pupils were not always aware of how they might gain access to services. The best arrangements included regular meetings attended by a range of professionals, where work was coordinat ed, referrals made and difficulties followed up.Health services, social services and schools used different terms to describe mental health difficulties. The lack of a common language added to difficulties in recognising and meeting pupils’ needs. Schools identified about one in twenty pupils with mental health problems, although the Department of Health suggests a figure nearer one in ten. Arrangements for pupils to refer themselves for support and help were popular with them, as well as effective. This was particularly so where a pupil was struggling emotionally but where the school had not noticed changes in the pupil’s behaviour.Mentoring and support from peers was also very effective at providing a listening ear and opportunities for positive friendships. The report concludes that schools should make the promotion of pupils’ emotional health and well-being a priority and ensure all staff are aware of the guidance available. Key findings were nearly all prim ary or special schools and pupil referral units (PRUs). Secondary schools found it most difficult to make arrangements for multi-agency working a priority and they rarely took the lead in improving this aspect of their work.The lack of common language between education, health and social services professionals contributed to the difficulties in establishing good partnership working. Recommendations Local authorities and other agencies should: †¢ ensure that services for pupils with mental health difficulties are co-ordinated effectively within their area and that access to services is clear to schools, parents, children, young people and other service users †¢ commission, where appropriate, the services of voluntary organisations. Schools and other settings should: use the DfES national guidance on mental health difficulties to develop clear procedures, that are known and used by all staff, for identifying and supporting pupils †¢ ensure that issues concerning mental health are tackled successfully, either through the National Healthy School Standard (NHSS) programme or the PSHE curriculum †¢ establish arrangements for preventing bullying and promoting positive relationships and monitor their effectiveness †¢ work together to ensure that the DfES guidance is disseminated to all staff.The role of schools in providing for pupils with mental health difficulties 1. Many services play an important role in promoting pupils’ emotional health and well-being, including health services, social services, voluntary organisations, early years provision and schools. However, the notion of mental health difficulties carried a considerable stigma for many pupils and their parents. This, together with the need to attend a clinic, created difficulties for Child and Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in working with young people and their parents.A few pupils in the survey said that they did not wish to attend clinics for their appointments and did no t want to be labelled as mentally ill. Schools, therefore, play an important role in supporting children and young people in this area. 2. Guidance provided by the DfES in 2001 aimed to help teachers and others, working alongside mental health professionals, to promote children’s mental health and to intervene effectively. [3] It provides a useful description of the nature of pupils with mental health difficulties and a thorough overview of the issues relating to joint working between health services, social ervices and education. It suggests helpful strategies for schools to use. Few schools, however, were aware of the guidance which should have provided a good opportunity to improve the quality of provision for pupils with mental health difficulties. 3. A survey referred to in the DfES guidance indicated that about 10% of pupils experience clinically defined mental health difficulties. The schools visited, however, identified only between 4% and 6% of pupils overall with so me form of mental health difficulty, indicating some under-identification.This might go some way to explaining why schools struggle to manage the behaviour and attendance of some pupils, if they are not correctly identifying their difficulties and providing for them. 4. The 1999 Mental Health Foundation publication Bright futures defined children who are mentally healthy as able to: †¢ develop psychologically, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually †¢ initiate, develop and sustain mutually satisfying personal relationships †¢ use and enjoy solitude †¢ become aware of others and empathise with them †¢ play and learn develop a sense of right and wrong †¢ resolve (face) problems and setbacks and learn from them. [4] 5. Health services, social services and schools all use different terms to describe pupils and their conditions. There are many definitions of the term ‘mental health difficulty’ ranging from the highly categorised, commonly u sed by many health services, to those based on more descriptive terms which are prevalent in schools and other educational settings. 6. ‘Mental health’ and ‘mental health difficulties’ are more commonly used terms within health and social care.Schools and local authorities are increasingly using the term ‘emotional health and well-being’ in relation to both the care they take of pupils and the curriculum they provide. 7. The lack of shared definitions and understanding of mental health problems, however, makes it difficult for schools to identify and discuss these pupils. In a small proportion of primary schools, boys were pinpointed as more likely to exhibit mental health difficulties, but most schools reported no pattern. Some secondary schools identified more girls who were depressed, self-harming or who had eating disorders.However, no real gender differences were apparent and boys and girls were equally likely to have mental health problem s which were evident in school. Whole-school approaches to promoting good mental health 8. The best schools promoted good emotional health and well-being by valuing and respecting every individual. In the schools visited, those which embodied a value system that embraced all children identified fewer children with mental health problems. These schools promoted many and varied opportunities for pupils to share their thoughts and feelings.They used the curriculum to develop pupils’ listening skills and an understanding of other people’s points of view: this culture permeated school life. Case study A primary school in a disadvantaged area had a caring and supportive ethos in which the personal development and emotional well-being of pupils was very effectively promoted. There was a strong emphasis on developing all pupils’ self-esteem and ensuring that they had the language and opportunities to express their feelings and emotional needs.The school council and staf f were concerned that some pupils did not have friends to play with at break time. Very good initiatives, including ‘Playground Buddies’ and a ‘Friendship Area’, were introduced in response to these concerns. The school worked very hard to build up and maintain supportive relationships with parents and guardians, who felt that the school was a very safe and caring place for the children. The whole staff, including teachers, teaching assistants, administrative staff, catering staff, the site manager and cleaning staff contributed to this whole-school thos. 9. Pupils interviewed for the survey identified a lack of friendships and bullying as reasons for emotional difficulties in school. In all the schools with good arrangements for promoting health and well-being, bullying was not tolerated at any level. Pupils were able to discuss any incidents where they felt bullied and matters were discussed sensitively and resolved speedily. In these schools the pupils s pecifically commented that they were happy at school because they could talk to an adult if they had problems and know that action would be taken. 10.All schools taught a programme of personal, social and health education (PSHE). Nearly all primary and special schools discussed some elements of anger management, conflict resolution, bullying and friendship difficulties through such programmes. The provision was always at least satisfactory, and was good in over half of all schools visited. 11. Very few of the schools, however, tackled mental health difficulties specifically. These were missed opportunities to promote pupils’ general emotional well-being, particularly so in secondary schools where there were generally fewer opportunities to explore such issues.Only a third of the secondary schools visited taught PSHE programmes which included topics such as bereavement, stress and bullying. 12. The Primary National Strategy has provided training and curriculum materials for sc hools which focus on the social and emotional aspects of learning. At the heart of the materials is the belief that positive behaviour requires an active, whole-school approach to developing children's social, emotional and behavioural skills within a community that promotes the emotional well-being of all its members.A few of the schools visited were involved in the pilot stage of this work to very good effect. These schools were teaching pupils how to understand their own feelings and those of others, persevere when things became difficult, resolve conflict and manage worries. Staff found the training helpful and were in a good position to ensure their pupils learned how to take responsibility for their relationships and their learning. Following successful piloting, the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) curriculum resource was made available to all primary schools in June 2005. [5]Case study A Year 5 class explored what it felt like to join a new group. Pupils talke d freely about their own experiences of joining clubs, moving to a new school and trying to make new friends. They used a good range of vocabulary to describe the feelings associated with newness and change, ranging from ‘scared’ and ‘excited’ to ‘apprehensive’ and ‘excluded’. Groups then planned what they would put in a welcome pack for a newcomer to their school. They gave careful thought to the kinds of information that would be helpful and to the ways in which they, as individuals, could be supportive. 3. No similar national programme was observed in secondary schools although one is currently being developed. Overall, secondary schools were less successful than primary and special schools at tackling issues of emotional health and well-being through whole-school initiatives. 14. In over half of the secondary schools visited, behaviour policies created stress or tensions for pupils. For example, in one school, exclusion was a c ommon response to difficult behaviour; as a result, the pupils felt under-valued.Schools made only very limited efforts to provide a suitable curriculum to meet these pupils’ emotional and learning needs. In one learning support centre within a school, pupils were taught by unskilled staff in poor surroundings which contributed to their low self-esteem. In a PRU, Year 11 pupils involved in a transition programme jointly run with the youth offending team reported that they were sent home on study leave two months before their official leaving date, even though they were not taking any formal examinations. They felt unwanted and this has had a negative effect on their self esteem, behaviour and attendance. 5. A significant minority of the secondary schools found ways to promote emotional well-being through their behaviour policies. For example, one large secondary school was developing ways to ensure that older pupils remained engaged with their school, even though they were so on to leave. A group of Year 11 pupils received two days’ training to develop skills of listening and helping pupils to find their own solutions to problems. The pupils subsequently provided a non-threatening opportunity for pupils who were experiencing difficulties to confide in someone and share their problems.The trained listeners received an external accreditation award for completing their training. 16. One barrier to improving provision for pupils’ emotional well-being was the low level of awareness amongst staff of its importance. Hardly any schools were aware of the comprehensive guidance issued by the DfES in 2001. [6] Even fewer schools had provided any staff training to raise awareness of the issues and the strategies described in the guidance. 17. Training for staff on mental health difficulties was unsatisfactory in just over a third of the schools visited and good in only just under a quarter.Most training tended to focus on managing pupils’ behavi our rather than on promoting a positive approach to relationships and resolving conflicts. However, a few secondary mainstream and special schools were developing an approach to conflict resolution based on ‘restorative justice’. This ensured that, where there were conflicts, all points of view were aired and discussed. The pupils valued this: they felt they could ‘have their say’ and that their views were respected. The training programme for staff was effective: teachers and support staff felt able to implement the programme successfully. 8. The National Healthy Schools Standard (NHSS) is at the core of the government’s healthy schools programme. [7] It was introduced in October 1999 to support the teaching of PSHE and citizenship in schools and to provide schools with practical ways to create a safe and productive learning environment and minimise potential health risks. One of its eight key areas of activity is emotional health and well-being (in cluding bullying). Of serious concern, however, was the large number of schools in the survey who were not working towards meeting the standard. Only just over a half were ware that the NHSS existed and, of these, only a very small minority were working towards or had met the criteria for emotional health and well-being in their school. 19. Small schools often had informal but effective arrangements for recording and discussing concerns about pupils’ well-being. Staff quickly perceived changes in pupils’ behaviour, demeanour or progress. An important feature of these effective schools was the quality of the communication between staff, for example between class teachers, teaching assistants and the special educational needs co-ordinator.Recognising and providing for individual needs Working in partnership with other agencies 20. All schools and LEAs recognised the importance of working well with professionals from the health and social services. Joint working with thes e other agencies was crucial in planning and providing for pupils’ individual needs. The challenge, however, for professionals from a range of disciplines was to achieve a common understanding of the problems of pupils with mental health difficulties. The following case study shows the benefits of effective joint working. Case studyA counsellor in a secondary school was working with a pupil who had referred herself for support. The pupil’s mother did not know this. A mental health worker from CAMHS, who worked in a local clinic, was also working with the pupil and approached the counsellor to see if they could work together with the pupil and parent. The counsellor discussed this with the pupil who gave permission for her mother to be contacted. Both professionals became engaged in supporting the parent and child. The consistent approach agreed between the adults ensured more straightforward discussions and properly agreed resolutions to problems. 1. Many of the local authorities visited were in a period of reorganisation as they set up Children’s Services to meet the requirements of the Children Act 2004. Practice is beginning to develop to establish the joint planning and working at the heart of this legislation. For example, one LEA was developing multi-agency patch teams and common referral procedures were being considered. Despite this, the survey showed that there was a long way to go to ensure that the legislative intentions result in better practice in schools. 22.Partnerships with external services were unsatisfactory in nearly a quarter of the schools visited and significant improvements were required in two thirds of them. Only a few of the secondary schools had good arrangements for multi-agency working. Relationships between schools and social services were particularly variable. 23. Unsatisfactory relationships between schools and other agencies were typified by: †¢ the unavailability of social workers, even for urgent c ases †¢ schools’ inflexibilities in approaching the planning of programmes to meet the needs of some of their pupils †¢ frequent staff changes long waiting lists for referrals †¢ reliance on personal informal contacts rather than agreed systems †¢ issues relating to geographical boundaries which remain unresolved. In the third of schools where multi-agency work was good, all the agencies had found ways of resolving such difficulties. 24. The most effective strategies which promoted good joint working included regular, frequent meetings attended by all agencies. Pupils’ needs were discussed and plans agreed and recorded. Case study A Vulnerable Students’ Panel effectively identified students xperiencing emotional health difficulties and provided appropriate multi-agency support for them. The panel met monthly and included representatives from a range of agencies. It was chaired by a deputy headteacher and a psychiatric nurse who was the manage r of the school support centre. All school staff were informed confidentially about the students who had been discussed and this dissemination aided further identification. Decisions made by the panel ensured that agencies were deployed to work most effectively in their areas of greatest competence and avoided unnecessary duplication of effort.Importantly, the school and agency representatives were charged with taking action and reporting back on its success at the next meeting. In this way each organisation was accountable to the panel. 25. Identifying one person to be responsible for co-ordinating and liaising with health and social services helped communication and ensured important information about pupils was disseminated effectively. 26. In a few LEAs, networks of professionals working in the same area met regularly to share effective strategies.They learnt about each other’s working practices and this promoted a shared understanding of issues. There was good practice i n schools where a wide range of professionals including counsellors, therapists, social workers and psychologists were employed by the school. Case study A primary school had formal procedures for logging concerns about a child’s academic, personal, social or emotional development. A nurture group also provided a way of identifying pupils who might have mental health difficulties. The school used short-term charitable funding to employ a family officer.She maintained close links with families identified as being in crisis and was therefore easily able to identify pupils at risk of developing difficulties in their emotional health and well-being. This approach encouraged partnership working so that parents referred their child to the family officer, headteacher or special educational needs coordinator if they had concerns. 27. Regular visits by other professionals helped schools to identify pupils who might be experiencing mental health difficulties. Case study The headteacher attended the school’s breakfast club every day and a mental health worker attended once a week.The club provided an effective method of identification through direct observation of children and regular communication with parents. 28. Sometimes other agencies initiated the joint working and the schools grasped the opportunity to participate. Case study A consultant paediatrician at a local hospital initiated collaboration amongst different schools to promote emotional literacy amongst pupils. The initiative was inspired by an attempt to deal with bullying, cited as a problem by many children who attended the hospital.The project, now in its fourth year, involved pupils from a primary school, special school, high school and the local tuition service. The project’s activities were based on posters which depicted problems faced by pupils. They were encouraged to develop listening skills, understand the perspective of others and to negotiate and compromise. Hospital staff encouraged the use of a common language by colleagues and the project fostered strong links between the health and education services. The result was fewer individual referrals to the hospital. Pupils who experienced bullying were usually referred directly to the project for support. 9. The pupils who were least mentally well were those who were withdrawn or depressed and who were underachieving as a result. Schools commonly identified pupils whose attendance was unsatisfactory and who did not participate fully in school life. Typically, these pupils had few or no friends and were isolated in the play ground. However, they presented few challenges to teachers and, too often, their problems were not followed up. Few schools saw non-attendance, lateness or falling behind in course work and homework as indicative of deeper problems. 30.Schools relied too much on informal methods to identify vulnerable pupils. Primary schools, particularly, insisted that they were able to identify such pupils easily because they knew their pupils very well. 31. Only a minority of the secondary schools used information from pupils’ previous schools to help recognise those who might experience mental health difficulties. Relationships with parents 32. A key to effective identification and provision lay in schools’ relationships with parents. Links with parents and other agencies were closest in the early years.Home visits, where parents could talk openly about their concerns and their children’s behaviour, and initiatives such as parenting classes, supported the identification of any problems or difficulties. As pupils grew older, schools found it harder to sustain such relationships, although there were examples of very good practice in primary, secondary and special schools. The main characteristics of good practice were: †¢ home visits by teachers and other support staff †¢ training for parents in developing healthy minds †¢ parental support gr oups †¢ regular meetings and telephone contact co-ordination with other agencies so that parents had to attend only one meeting. 33. Parental support groups were particularly common in the schools visited. In the following case study, the support groups were run by a local CAMHS team based in the school. The workers were able to talk to teachers while they were in the school and to ensure that information about individual pupils was discussed with them when appropriate. Case study A group of six parents met for ten two-hour sessions. The aim of the group was to help parents enjoy rather than simply manage their children.Parents learned how to play games and stimulate their children, thus strengthening their relationship. They particularly appreciated the opportunity to share their concerns with other parents who understood the problems. One parent reported, ‘You realise you’re not on your own; you don’t feel so bad’. The project was in its infancy, bu t there were signs that it was helping parents to develop confidence and to help each other do better. 34. Difficulties in working with parents stemmed from: †¢ late diagnosis of a pupil’s problems †¢ uncoordinated support from a range of agencies poor information provided for parents about whom to contact †¢ inadequate account taken of parents’ childcare arrangements, so that they sometimes had difficulties in attending meetings †¢ negative feedback to parents about their children †¢ parents’ perceptions that the school had ‘given up’ on their child. One parent observed, ‘Nobody ever said what was available; you had to find out for yourself or hear it from someone else’. 35. Most, but not all, of the pupils identified with mental health difficulties also had emotional, social and behavioural difficulties (EBSD).Some had more than one such difficulty. Ofsted has reported recently on the provision for these pupil s and its effectiveness. [8] This report focuses on the provision required for pupils who do not necessarily have special educational needs but who require additional emotional support to succeed at school. Informal arrangements 36. Half the schools in the survey operated self-referral or drop-in schemes run by peer counsellors, youth and community workers, school nurses, in-school counsellors and those from voluntary organisations.These arrangements enabled the pupils to identify themselves and seek the help they wanted and needed. Case study A secondary school appointed a health practitioner who dealt with a wide range of issues: developing self-esteem, anger management, relaxation and stress management. Pupils were able to make their own appointments and the work was completely confidential. She also did some teaching. This made her more accessible and reduced the stigma for pupils of ‘knocking at the door’. 37. A very small minority of primary schools offered pupils opportunities for self-referral to staff.In these schools, pupils could draw or write about themselves in a ‘reflections book’ or a ‘feelings book’, make use of a ‘bullying box’, and write or talk directly to the headteacher or the PSHE co-ordinator. Pupils who had such opportunities reported that this was supportive and gave them confidence. A Year 6 pupil said of her ‘reflections book’: ‘It helps me to have a confidential conversation with my teacher about things that are worrying me. ’ 38. A programme of education about values also helped pupils to talk freely and openly about their feelings.Each pupil was given a book in which they could write or draw a picture about the things that had made them happy or sad. Teachers monitored the books regularly to ensure that a pupil’s personal difficulties were identified early; they were powerful additions in a school where the ethos was already strongly supportive of pupils’ emotional well-being. 39. Clubs and after-school activities also enabled schools to support vulnerable pupils in a way which reduced the stigma of referrals. 40. In one primary school, 50 pupils regularly attended the ‘happy/sad’ club, where they talked about positive or negative experiences that concerned them.Clear ground rules had been established, which were understood by pupils, such as respecting what had been discussed and not gossiping. Pupils could put a photograph in a scrapbook of people that were special to them. The teacher usually led a short, directed session based on an appropriate text and provided an opportunity for meditation and reflection. The high number attending reduced the possibility of negative labelling and pupils had good opportunities to share their thoughts and feelings openly with their peers. 1. Pupils often commented that they particularly valued opportunities to talk and be listened to. The extent to which pupils with m ental health difficulties have problems in making and sustaining friendships may explain, to some extent, the success of peer support schemes. 42. Nearly half the primary schools visited had effective initiatives which were based on pupils helping each other to resolve difficulties. One school focused on socially isolated pupils by appointing ‘playground angels’.The ‘angels’ had weekly meetings with a teacher and were also represented on the school council. Pupils involved in these activities felt that they helped them to show responsibility towards younger children and to develop into mature and sensible people. 43. Others schools focused on the difficult point of transition between primary and secondary school. Pupils who struggled to make friends were considered by a few primary schools to be particularly at risk of experiencing problems. These schools developed a range of peer support programmes, as in the following example: Case studyA group of Year 4 pupils were considered to be at risk of difficulties on transition and the school decided to make provision in collaboration with the local secondary school. Year 8 pupils were invited to apply for posts of pupil mentors. They were interviewed and successful applicants were trained. Over two years, the primary pupils visited the secondary school at least once each half term for lessons, lunchtimes and social activities. On each occasion they were met by their individual mentor and had time to discuss issues with them. Primary pupils really enjoyed the programme.They were very clear how the transitional programme had helped them to prepare for secondary education. 44. Two thirds of the secondary schools visited had good peer counselling, support and mediation systems. Peer mentors who had themselves experienced difficulties in the past commented on how much they valued helping younger pupils who were also experiencing problems. The most successful schemes provided thorough training f or the pupils offering the support, as well as careful monitoring from the teachers responsible for it. Provision through professional referral 45. Referral systems differed widely.In one area, the consultant psychiatrists responded to requests for information about pupils; the service accepted referrals from any involved professional. More commonly, however, panels of professionals considered referrals. The latter arrangement had some advantages in that there was discussion and agreement on the type of intervention which was most likely to succeed. However, this arrangement also tended to create delays in responding to pupils’ needs. 46. Not all professionals were clear about how referrals should be made, and who ought to make them, for particular types of provision.This lack of clarity meant that pupils who might have benefited from services were not given access to them since the school was unaware that it could make such a referral. 47. Schools and pupil referral units (P RUs) did not always receive an equitable service from other agencies, especially where education, social services and health services had not agreed how resources should be allocated and work prioritised. It was common to find that a CAMHS worker was based in a school in one part of a local authority, while, in the same authority, another school had to make referrals to a panel.The schools were unaware of why these differences existed. 48. The most common types of provision were: †¢ counselling †¢ family work †¢ mentoring and support workers who visited the pupils regularly and provided advocacy and support through discussion and activities †¢ a modified curriculum and timetable †¢ nurture groups and sanctuary space. 49. This provision was largely effective when it was matched well to the assessment of the pupils’ needs. However not all schools were able to attract the additional resources required to provide these types of opportunities.Larger school s had more funding to be able to establish support centres specifically for pupils with mental health problems. 50. Local and national voluntary organisations played an important role in working with schools and local authorities to provide services for children and young people with mental health difficulties, and they were often represented on local CAMHS strategy groups. In some local authorities, partnerships with voluntary organisations provided helpful services for schools and parents, such as counselling and family therapy.Voluntary groups were often better at monitoring and evaluating the impact of their work since they depended on such evidence to attract further funding. Case study In one local authority a charity had been working in some schools for five years. For an annual fee, the school received a large amount of support from the charity which provided an art therapist and a dance instructor who worked with pupils identified by the school and provided counsellors, sup ervised by team leaders, from the charity. NotesThis survey is based on the findings of a survey of 72 settings in eight local authorities. The settings and almost all the authorities were selected randomly to represent a mixture of shire and unitary authorities. One authority was chosen because of known good work in the area of mental health. Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) visited early years settings, primary and secondary schools, pupil referral units, hospital schools and settings, maintained and independent schools for pupils with EBSD and learning difficulties, and specialist provision for pupils who had been bullied.HMI observed lessons and other activities, scrutinised policies and records and held discussions with 269 pupils and 115 parents. Discussions were also held with a range of local authority staff, headteachers and senior managers, teachers, teaching assistants, learning mentors, and representatives of voluntary organisations. They also met CAMHS regional dev elopment workers. Further information Publications Promoting children’s mental health within early years and school settings, (DfEE 0121/2001), DfEE, 2001. SEN and disability: towards inclusive schools (HMI 2276), Ofsted, 2004.Managing challenging behaviour (HMI 2363), Ofsted, 2005. Mental Health and Social Exclusion, Social Exclusion Unit Report, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, 2004. http://www. socialexclusionunit. gov. uk/downloaddoc. asp? id=134 Promoting social, emotional and behavioural skills in primary schools, Primary National Strategy, DfES, 2004. Developing emotional health and well-being: a whole-school approach to improving behaviour and attendance, Key Stage 3 National Strategy, DfES, 2004. Behaviour and attendance toolkits, Key Stage 3 National Strategy, DfES, 2005. http://www. standards. fes. gov. uk/keystage3/respub/ba_toolu Promoting emotional health and well-being through the national healthy school standard (NHSS), NHS Health Development Agency, 2004. http://www. hda-online. org. uk/Documents/promoting_health_wellbeing. pdf Guidance on new ways of working for psychiatrists in a multi-disciplinary and multi-agency context: national steering group interim report, NIMHE, CWP, Royal College of Psychiatrists and Department of Health, 2004. http://www. dh. gov. uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidanceArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4087352=01RXVr Effective joint working between child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) and schools, Research report no. 412, Bridget Pettitt, Mental Health Foundation, DfES, 2003. Websites www. dfes. gov. uk/mentalhealth DfES Mental Health www. rcpsych. ac. uk Royal College of Psychiatrists www. socialexclusionunit. gov. uk Mental health and social exclusion www. standards. dfes. gov. uk/primary DfES guidance on developing children’s social, emotional and behavioural skills www. teachernet. gov. uk/management/atoz/n/nhss/ National Heal thy Schools Standard ———————– 1] Promoting children’s mental health within early years and school settings (DfES 0121/2001), DfES, 2001. [2]Promoting emotional health and well-being through the national healthy school standard (NHSS), NHS Health Development Agency, 2004. [3] Promoting children’s health within early years and school settings, DfES, 2001. [4] Bright futures: promoting children and young people’s mental health, Mental Health Foundation, 1999. [5] The SEAL resource box can be ordered from Prolog, Tel. 0845 602 2260, [email  protected] uk. com (ref: DFES 0110 – 2005 KIT), or viewed and ordered from the Teachernet website: www. eachernet. gov. uk/seal. [6] Promoting children’s mental health within the early years and school settings, DfES, 2001. [7] The NHSS is funded jointly by the DfES and the Department of Health, hosted by the Health Development Agency (HDA). It forms part of the government’s drive to reduce health inequalities, promote social inclusion and raise educational standards through school improvement. [8] Managing challenging behaviour (HMI 2363), Ofsted, 2005. ———————– Primary and SecondaryJuly 2005 HMI 2457 ———————–