Black Panther Party Origins and History

Black Panther Party Origins and History The Black Panther Party was founded in 1966 by Huey Newton and Boddy Seale in Oakland, California. It was initially organized to protect blacks from police brutality. They evolved into a Marxist revolutionary group that was labeled by the FBI as advocating the use of violence and guerilla tactics to overthrow the U.S. government. The party had thousands of members and chapters in several cities at its height in the late 1960s. Origins The Black Panthers emerged out of the nonviolent civil rights movement of the early 1960s. Leaders Newton and Seale both began their experience with organized groups as members of the Revolutionary Action  Movement, a socialist group with militant and non-violent political activities. Its roots may be also found in the Lowndes County Freedom Organization (LCFO)- an Alabama group dedicated to registering African-American voters. The group was also called the Black Panther Party. The name was later borrowed by Newton and Seale for their California-based Black Panther Party. Goal The Black Panther Party had a specific platform laid out in 10 points. It included goals such as: We want power to determine the destiny of our black and oppressed communities, and, We want land, bread, housing, education, clothing, justice, and peace. It also outlined their key beliefs, which centered around Black liberation, self-defense, and social change. In the long term, the group aimed rather vaguely at a revolutionary overthrow of the white-dominated status quo and black power. But they had no more concrete platform for governing. They took their inspiration from a combination of socialist intellectuals, combining their thoughts on the role of class struggle with the specific theories about black nationalism. The Role of Violence The Black Panthers committed to  projecting a violent image and to actual violence from their inception. Second Amendment rights were central to their platform and called out explicitly in their 10-point program:   We believe we can end police brutality in our Black community by organizing Black self-defense groups that are dedicated to defending our Black community from racist police oppression and brutality. The second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States gives us the right to bear arms. We therefore believe that all Black people should arm themselves for self-defense. The groups violent stance was by no means secret; in fact, it was central to the Black Panthers public identity. Author Albert Harry, writing in 1976, observed that the groups paramilitarism was clearly visible from the start, as Black Panthers strutted around in their black jackets, black berets, and tight-fitting black pants, their pockets bulging with side arms, their clenched fists high above their defiant heads. The group acted on its image. In some instances, members would appear en masse and simply threaten violence. In others, they took over buildings or engaged in shootouts with police or with other militant groups. Both Black Panther members and police officers  were killed in confrontations. Social and Political Programs The Black Panthers were not solely focused on violence. They also organized and sponsored social welfare programs, the most famous of which was their Free Breakfast for Children. In the 1968-1969 school year, the Black Panthers  fed as many as 20,000 children through this social program. Eldrige Cleaver ran for president on the Peace and Freedom Party ticket in 1968. Cleaver met with North Korean leader Kim Il-sung in 1970 and traveled to North Vietnam. He also met with Yasser Arafat and the Chinese ambassador to Algeria. He advocated a more revolutionary agenda and after being expelled from the Panthers led the Black Liberation Army splinter group. The Panthers worked on electing members with unsuccessful campaigns such as Elaine Brown for Oakland City Council. They supported the election of Lionel Wilson as the first black mayor of Oakland. Former Black Panther members have served in elected office, including U.S. Representative Bobby Rush. Notable Events   May 2, 1967: About 30 armed Black Panther members enter  the California legislature to protest consideration of outlawing the right of private citizens to bear arms. There was no violence, but the spectacle is well remembered and brought the group into public light. At that time, open carry of weapons was legal in California. The Black Panthers had exercised this right in being present at arrests and stationed at the legally-allowed distance while displaying their firearms.August 1967: The FBI includes the Black Panther Party in their counterintelligence program, COINTELPRO, aimed to discredit and neutralize subversive organizations. They conduct hundreds of actions to weaken the party.October 28, 1967: Party leader Huey P. Newton is arrested after Oakland police officer John Frey is shot and killed performing a traffic stop of Newton, in which another officer and Newton were also shot. This incident led to the rallying cry of Free Huey, which galvanized support for the party among other activists. Newton was later convicted of voluntary manslaughter, a conviction that was later overturned.   April 6, 1968: An armed confrontation erupts between Black Panthers and police led to a 90-minute confrontation at a building housing Panthers. Eventually, the Panthers surrender. Over the course of the day, at least four policemen are wounded and one killed. One Panther member, Bobby Hutton, is killed by the police and seven others are arrested. Huttons death becomes a rallying issue.1969: Gun battles take place between Black Panthers and rival organizations, including one in Campbell Hall on the UCLA campus in 1969. Panthers torture and kill a suspected informant, Alex Rackley, which leads to a trial of Bobby Seale alleging he ordered the killing. A hung jury resulted and there was no retrial.December 4, 1969: Another well-remembered instance of violence is instigated by the FBI, which provides the information needed to raid the Illinois Black Panther Party heads apartment. Two members of the Black Panthers were killed by gunfire. The event is remembered partly for the disproportio nate firing: evidence revealed later that the police fired up to 99 bullets, while the Panthers may have shot one. It is also remembered because the  information required for the break-in was obtained by an FBI infiltrator in a period when surveillance of the domestic group had been approved. The charges against the seven survivors of the raid were later dropped and Hamptons family won a $1.85 million wrongful death settlement from the city of Chicago. December 8, 1969: The LAPD conducts a SWAT attack on the Los Angeles Black Panther office, firing thousands of rounds and resulting in no deaths but a handful of injuries on both sides.1971: After a fall-out between Newton and Eldrige Cleaver, the party splits into factions and engage in assassinations of each others members, with four killed.1974: Nine Panthers, including Newton, are arrested for assault on police officers. Newton is also charged with murdering Kathleen Smith. He flees to Cuba. Panther bookkeeper Betty Van Patter goes missing and is found beaten to death, with Panther leadership suspected. In 1977, there was an attempt to assassinate Crystal Gray, a witness in the Smith murder.Elaine Brown was appointed Chairwoman of the Panthers in 1974 as Newton went into exile. Membership in the Panthers declined precipitously throughout the 1970s and was down to a couple dozen by 1980.

Psychology paper writting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Psychology paper writting - Essay Example SN is recently arrived to America and is living with her sponsor family, an older couple from Nigeria who are attempting to help their former countrymen find a better life. This couple had children in Nigeria, but lost them to disease and starvation before they were able to secure their own passage to America. Having lived in this country for several years, they are now in a position to help others and have determined to do this by offering shelter and support for one child at a time. The ‘family’ lives in a two-bedroom apartment of which SN has one room entirely to herself. SN was provided with education and lessons in English prior to her arrival in America, so she is able to interact with her classmates and keep up with regular classes at the local high school. My interview with SN took place within the apartment she shared with her sponsors. We sat within a very comfortable sofa group in the living room with the television turned off and no other noise happening in the house. Her sponsors were both at work at the time and SN had just returned home from school for the afternoon. Before conducting the interview, I had received agreement from both SN and her sponsors to speak with her about her background and present life and had set up the appointment to be sure everyone knew when it was to take place. SNs sponsors were invited to be present and I was willing to make arrangements to conduct the interview at a time convenient to their schedules if they so desired, but they felt SN would be more open and comfortable if she were permitted to speak without their presence. In making these arrangements, I shared the basic elements of my assignment with them and some of the questions I planned to ask. During the interview, SN sat quietly on the co uch, calmly answering my questions and occasionally expressing strong emotion, particularly when she

Trend of Food Truck in University city of Philadelphia Research Paper

Trend of Food Truck in University city of Philadelphia - Research Paper Example result, communities across the country from Philadelphia to Los Angeles have become a crucial part of the ongoing movement of finding out better ways of managing and regulating mobile vending (Spelman, 2010). Lifestyle and policies are found to be the key elements that have led to the tremendous increase in the number of food trucks in the city. Most of the people in the city prefer fast foods especially considering the fact that the city has a consistently growing population of students because of the two major universities (Stadd, 2011). This can be supported by the fact that most of the food trucks in the city have been on campus stalwarts for many years though their numbers has dramatically increased in the recent past. This means that majority of the people eating in food trucks are youths and a persons who are below 40s who are usually casually dressed. Lack of clear policies regulating the business is also believed to be another key attribute of the immense boom of this business (Edge, 2012). Food trucks in the University City are more popular than the ordinary restaurants because of the variety of foods they offer at relatively lower prices. Most of them use large vehicles that are installed with high-tech cooking gadgets as well as sanitation devices that provide sophisticated and safe cuisine commonly prepared to order rather than being precooked. This gives food truck an upper hand in the food and service industry compared to ordinary restaurants. Therefore, local governments should introduce favorable policies that would regulate food trucks and that will incorporate food trucks into the fabric of the city (Ercolani,  2013). The proposed research study will be conducted using both quantitative and qualitative research methods, meaning that the researcher will use qualitative and quantitative research concepts. The targeted respondents in this case include 50 customers of the food trucks and 10 food truck companies. Using a hybrid of these two

What has been learned about the effectiveness, and limitations, of Essay

What has been learned about the effectiveness, and limitations, of parent training programmes for helping children with externalizing behavior problems What needs to be learned - Essay Example ith this behavioral problem with ample knowledge gained through three categories of Incredible Years Parent Training Programmes: (i)Babies and toddlers (0-3 years); BASIC Early Childhood (3-6 years) and ADVANCE (4-12 years) (Incredible Years, 2009). The goals of these programmes are to treat children aggressive behavior and ADHD and to build a robust parent-child interaction that would help in raising children that would be socially competent, emotionally strong and enjoy mental alacrity (Incredible Years, 2009). While there have been some improvements in the social behaviors of children in countries where Webster-Stratton Model has been applied, but it had also been discovered that not all of these programmes have been successful or effective: they face some unavoidable limitations due to the process of implementation that worth investigating and proposing better approaches that would be able to withstand both the internalizing and externalizing problems in children. There are some observable indications that the idea of parent training programmes for helping children with externalizing behaviour problems has been effective: surveys of trial or randomized group control evaluations indicate that there has been improvement in the way parents discipline their children, shunning harsh discipline or spanking that could have made grow into unruly adolescents (Incredible Years, 2009). This action has encouraged children to look up to their parents as problem-solvers, and by engaging them in fruitful communication, instead of resulting to violent outburst. Over the period of the training, the parents’ attitude to interaction with their children has improved, with parents using more positive words or praises to supply the needed encouragement for their children to act well in the society. Webster-Stratton and Hammond (1990) recognized that researchers have previously discovered that the state of parental mental health largely contributes to how th eir children’s social

Discuss The Communication Process And Its Elements English Language Essay

Discuss The Communication Process And Its Elements English Language Essay This essay will discuss the communication process and the elements it consists of. I will then critically applying these theories to my own case study, that will be discussed in more detail at a later stage, and relate it back to the various elements of the communication process. The Communication Process The word communication originated from the Latin verb communicare. The meaning of this words translation (which is to share or to make common) provides the first half of the meaning of the English word communication. The second half is related to information and meaning. (Coates, G.T. 2009. Notes on Communication: A few thoughts about the way we interact with the people we meet. Definitions of Communication. Free e-book from www.wanterfall.com. 13) So, ultimately, communication simply means to share or make ones meanings or information in ones possession common? Unfortunately it isnt that easy. Almost every author of a publication regarding the science of communication assigns a different definition to the concept of communication. In the following definitions its quite clear that information is more often incorporated into these definitions than meaning. Its also clear that an interaction that seems to be simple is actually quite complex when investigated. A few definitions include: Communication is the sharing, giving and receiving of information Communication is the transfer of information from one or more people to one or more people (Coates, G.T. 2009. Notes on Communication: A few thoughts about the way we interact with the people we meet. Definitions of Communication. Free e-book from www.wanterfall.com. 13) Communication is the symbolic process of sharing meanings (Galvin, K.M. Wilkinson, C.A. 2006. The Communication Process: Impersonal and Interpersonal. The Communication Process. Roxbury Publishing. 5) Communicationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦(is) the transmission of a message from a sender to a receiver in an understandable manner (Sanchez, N. Communication Process. And according to Dr Appalayya Meesala for the transfer of the information, a certain vehicle (medium) is assigned, which loads itself with the message and passes it on to the intended receiver(s). The way the mediums transport the information in such a way that the receiver understands it as its intended to, is the communication process (Meesala, Dr A. Understanding the Communication Process The Key to Organisational Success. Meaning Meanings greatest limitation is that even though it is present in ones mind at all times, it is never fully. The meaning received by the by the individual on the receiving end of the communication is hardly ever the same as the meaning intended by the sender. This is because of their uniqueness regarding their individuality, sensory organs and cognitive functions. Various factors can influence the accurate transfer of the intended meaning from the sender to the receiver. These include: Word or phrase usage, the register of language, the structure of sentences, the individual characteristics of each communicator, the non-verbal messages sent, the pre-existing knowledge each communicator possesses of the other, the relationship between the communicators, method used to deliver the message, the audience and the surrounding events or interference. These influential factors are also referred to as the context in which the message is transferred. It is thus easy to conclude that the accurate transferral of ones meaning to a receiver(s) is a science as well as an art. (Coates, G.T. 2009. Notes on Communication: A few thoughts about the way we interact with the people we meet. Definitions of Communication. Free e-book from www.wanterfall.com. 14-16) Even more, although the use of verbal and non-verbal codes allow us to transmit thoughts and emotions, the mediums used in a communicative interaction should be mutually understood by both communicating parties for meanings to be more accurately shared. Common meanings make it possible to communicate. And communication mishaps occur due to missed meanings (Galvin, K.M. Wilkinson, C.A. 2006. The Communication Process: Impersonal and Interpersonal. The Communication Process. Roxbury Publishing. 7). Sending and receiving Messages One would usually use the word channels to describe how messages are sent and received but so many experts assigned completely different meanings to this concept. Thus I will use Dr Gordon Coatess choice of words i.e. Instead, I will simply say that messages passed between two people need a way to get out of one person and a way to get in to another person. Therefore, I will talk about output and input (Coates, G.T. 2009. Notes on Communication: A few thoughts about the way we interact with the people we meet. Definitions of Communication. Free e-book from www.wanterfall.com. 18). By output I will refer to information going out from sender to receiver and, thus, input will refer to that information being received by the receiving party. The input system is sometimes wrongly confused to be a passive process and the output process is an active process. Regarding the human brain, taking in information is indeed an active process as well. Inputs are achieved by means of sensations and outputs by means of actions. With that said, when referring to sensations I mean signals received by ones sensory organs, then transferred to ones brains via nerve fibres and then processed. Organs that are particularly involved in this process are the eyes, ears and tactile sensory systems (their importance follow in that very order too.) (Coates, G.T. 2009. Notes on Communication: A few thoughts about the way we interact with the people we meet. Definitions of Communication. Free e-book from www.wanterfall.com. 18-19) Various people seem to use one of these three organs more effectively than the others. Although a preference towards using one doesnt exclude using the other, it does reduce the effectiveness to which the others are used. And when two interacting communicators dont share a mutual preference towards a certain input, communication mishaps may occur when it comes to understanding meaning. Outputs are achieved by means of specific actions like talking, writing or physical gestures. They are also named after the input used to receive them i.e. visual, auditory and tactile. For example, when a gesture is made, a visual output is employed. Other than inputs, the actions used to achieve outputs are performed by body parts and NOT by the sensory organs. Thus inputs and outputs use different parts of the body. (Coates, G.T. 2009. Notes on Communication: A few thoughts about the way we interact with the people we meet. Definitions of Communication. Free e-book from www.wanterfall.com. 22) Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication Verbal communication refers to written as well as spoken words used to communicate as it means using a language to share information. (Coates, G.T. 2009. Notes on Communication: A few thoughts about the way we interact with the people we meet. Definitions of Communication. Free e-book from www.wanterfall.com. 39) Non-Verbal communication gets most of the attention in most publications regarding communication science. Non-verbal communication refers to any communication that is achieved without solely relying on the use of words or symbols to transfer information. This type of communication may even provide more information than the spoken words used during interactions and provide all this additional information simultaneous to the spoken words. (Coates, G.T. 2009. Notes on Communication: A few thoughts about the way we interact with the people we meet. Definitions of Communication. Free e-book from www.wanterfall.com. 48) Aspects of non-verbal communication include: First Impressions, Distance, Orientation, Posture, Movements, Gestures, Facial expressions, Eye contact, Sound effects, Direct contact, Consent issues and Personal qualities. Components of the communication Process Case study To effectively explain the components, or elements, of the communication process I will apply them to a case study, thus a realistic experience. The interaction I have chosen is a conversation with a friend via the widely popular social network called MXit. I have chosen this case study because I think it represents each component in the communication process quite clearly and accurately. The elements I will discuss on the basis of this case study are: Communicators (sender and receiver), Message, Noise, Feedback and the Setting/Context. These elements are not mutually exclusive but they are indeed considerably interlaced/interdependent. During the communication process the sender and receiver (the communicators) switch in the roles they play, but everything else stays the same. Thus the direction of information changes but the process itself stays unchanged. The sender is also known as the source or the initiator of the communication process. (Nordquist, R. Communication Process. http://grammar.about.com/od/c/g/Communication-Process.htm?p=1. 2011. 1) He is faced with the first step which involves the encoding or translating of a cognitive idea or information onto understandable words and using the appropriate medium to transfer this message in such a way that the receiver will understand it. It is of immense importance that the sender uses mediums that are mutually familiar between him and the receiver. A good thing to keep in mind is the saying say what you mean and mean what you say. In my case study I was the sender who initiated the conversation by greeting my friend and thus sending the first message using a mutually understood language. The receiver is the other person involved in this interaction who decodes the message sent by the sender, thus my friend on the other end of the waves transferring our messages from and to each other. The receiver must be sufficiently accessible to receive the message (Coates, G.T. 2009. Notes on Communication: A few thoughts about the way we interact with the people we meet. Definitions of Communication. Free e-book from www.wanterfall.com. 152). In the case of my MXit conversation, for a fluent conversation to take place my friend must be in an area with sufficient signal. This communicator must also possess and employ both sensory capacity (good eye-sight to be able to read my messages coming through and that are displayed on his cell phones screen) and cognitive capacity (be bright and mentally clear in order to understand my sent messages and intended meanings). All the receivers interpretations of the senders message are influenced by his experiences, attitudes, knowledge, ski lls, perceptions and culture. The same aspects influence the senders encoding process (Sanchez, N. Communication Process. http://web.njit.edu/~lipuma/352comproc/comproc.htm. 2000. 2) The message is the encoded thoughts of the sender taking the form of the chosen code. It is the essential content of information to be passed in communication (Meesala, Dr A. Understanding the Communication Process The Key to Organisational Success. http://ezinearticles.com/?Understanding-the-Communication-ProcessThe-Key-to-Organisational-Successid=876670. 2007. 2). It can be written, verbal or non-verbal, pictures, diagrams or numbers and should be in the language mutually understood my both sender and receiver. Messages usually have hidden or clear meanings that the receiver has to unravel in order to understand the message the sender is trying to convey. Seeing as textual social networks mainly rely on eye-sight as means of input and output only, non-verbal messages accompanying the verbal messages cant be observed and so misunderstandings in the effect of the messages can occur. Thus my friend and I have to carefully choose the wording of our messages to avoid uncomfortable mishaps. Noise refers to any distraction or interference in the environment in which the communication is taking place and can be physical or psychological (Johns, T. 1995. Business Basics: Organisational behaviours. The Communication Process. BPP Publishing Limited. 9) Noise can also refer to a problem in the chosen medium or encoding or decoding of the message in some stage of the process that can lead to misunderstandings (Meesala, Dr A. Understanding the Communication Process The Key to Organisational Success. http://ezinearticles.com/?Understanding-the-Communication-ProcessThe-Key-to-Organisational-Successid=876670. 2007. 2) In my case study the MXit service was unstable and either me or my friends phone will occasionally disconnect from the service temporarily and so messages will get lost and wont be received by the intended receiver. This caused frustration as the receiver will keep waiting ignorant to the fact that the message got lost in a bad connection and will start thinking the sender is ignoring him. This just creates an uncomfortable atmosphere that can influence the fluid continuation of the conversation. Feedback is the final step in the communication process. This is when the role of the sender and receiver swaps and its the receivers turn to send a message which will be a response to the senders message he decoded. This is of immense importance as this is an evaluation of the senders communication abilities. The efficiency of the senders ability to communicate will be determined by the receivers reaction which will determine whether the senders meaning was effectively transferred or not. In my case study feedback will be any response to any message sent between my friend and I. These responses determined whether we have the same meaning assigned to some of the slang and abbreviations we used and enable us to apply changes in our encoding where needed. Context in the communication process refers to the idea that there is a suitable time and place for every message that needs to be conveyed. There is physical context (the environments one chooses to communicate in), social context (the occasion during which one chooses to communicate in) and cultural context that involves an even bigger set of rules in certain societies which will restrict the way you communicate (Dimbleby, R. Burton, G. 1998. More Than Words: An Introduction to Communication, 3rd ed. Routledge) In my MXit conversation the context refers to the context of each individual communicator. For instance, it would be rude to chat on MXt while one is sitting at the dinner table or having a personal conversation with another person. To converse in a MXit conversation one has to be at ease and alone in the comfort of ones privacy and not be interacting with other people. Conclusion Thus I just proved Dr Gordon Coatess statement correct. Through investigating and discussing the components and elements of the communication process in more depth and then applying the theory to reality, it is clear that although it seemsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ that the process by which communication occurs is very simple in concept, (it) can become extremely complex if it is inspected closely. Biograghy Johns, Dr Ted. 1995. Business Basics: Organisational behaviours. BPP Publishing Limited Meesala, Dr Appalayya. Understanding the Communication Process The Key to Organisational Success. http://ezinearticles.com/?Understanding-the-Communication-ProcessThe-Key-to-Organisational-Successid=876670. 2007 Sanchez, Nick. Communication Process. http://web.njit.edu/~lipuma/352comproc/comproc.htm. 2000 Galvin, Kathleen M. Wilkinson, Charles A. 2006. The Communication Process: Impersonal and Interpersonal. Roxbury Publishing Coates, Gordon T. 2009. Notes on Communication: A few thoughts about the way we interact with the people we meet. Free e-book from www.wanterfall.com Dimbleby, Richard. Burton, G. 1998. More Than Words: An Introduction to Communication, 3rd ed. Routledge Nordquist, Richard. Communication Process. http://grammar.about.com/od/c/g/Communication-Process.htm?p=1. 2011 Steinberg, Sheila. 2007. An Introduction to Communication studies. 1st ed. Juta Co.

The Weaker Sex in Macbeth :: GCSE Coursework Macbeth Essays

The Weaker Sex in Macbeth      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth exhibits a minimum of women among its dramatis personae. And of the two involved in the drama, only one is worthy of consideration - Lady Macbeth. The witches are questionable humans, but will be treated briefly.    In "Macbeth as the Imitation of an Action" Francis Fergusson enlightens the reader concerning the fears weakening Lady Macbeth:      I do not need to remind you of the great scenes preceding the murder, in which Macbeth and his Lady pull themselves together for their desperate effort. If you think over these scenes, you will notice that the Macbeths understand the action which begins here as a competition and a stunt, against reason and against nature. Lady Macbeth fears her husband's human nature, as well as her own female nature, and therefore she fears the light of reason and the common daylight world. (108)       Clark and Wright in their Introduction to The Complete Works of William Shakespeare contradict the impression that the female protagonist is all strength:    Lady Macbeth is of a finer and more delicate nature. Having fixed her eye upon the end - the attainment for her husband of Duncan's crown - she accepts the inevitable means; she nerves herself for the terrible night's work by artificial stimulants; yet she cannot strike the sleeping king who resembles her father. Having sustained her weaker husband, her own strength gives way; and in sleep, when her will cannot control her thoughts, she is piteously afflicted by the memory of one stain of blood upon her little hand.   (792)    In "Memoranda: Remarks on the Character of Lady Macbeth," Sarah Siddons comments on how the feminine role of the leading lady is not a typical one as regards attitude:    [Macbeth] announces the King's approach; and she, insensible it should seem to all the perils which he has encountered in battle, and to all the happiness of his safe return to her, -- for not one kind word of greeting or congratulations does she offer, -- is so entirely swallowed up by the horrible design, which has probably been suggested to her by his letters, as to have forgotten both the one and the other. It is very remarkable that Macbeth is frequent in expressions of tenderness to his wife, while she never betrays one symptom of affection towards him, till, in the fiery furnace of affliction, her iron heart is melted down to softness.

Objectives of Wpm

Objectives: According to Gosep, workers’ participation may be viewed as: o An instrument for increasing the efficiency of enterprises and establishing harmonious relations; o A device for developing social education for promoting solidarity among workers and for tapping human talents; o A means for achieving industrial peace and harmony which leads to higher productivity and increased production; o A humanitarian act, elevating the status of a worker in the society; o An ideological way of developing self-management and promoting industrial democracy. Other objectives of WPM can be cited as: To improve the quality of working life (QWL) by allowing the workers greater influence and involvement in work and satisfaction obtained from work; and o To secure the mutual co-operation of employees and employers in achieving industrial peace; greater efficiency and productivity in the interest of the enterprise, the workers, the consumers and the nation. The main implications of workers ’ participation in management as summarized by ILO: o Workers have ideas which can be useful; o Workers may work more intelligently if they are informed about the reasons for and the intention of decisions that are taken in a participative atmosphere.Introduction: Three groups of managerial decisions affect the workers of any industrial establishment and hence the workers must have a say in it. o Economic decisions – methods of manufacturing, automation, shutdown, lay-offs, mergers. o Personnel decisions – recruitment and selection, promotions, demotions, transfers, grievance settlement, work distribution. o Social decisions – hours of work, welfare measures, questions affecting work rules and conduct of individual worker’s safety, health, sanitation and noise control.Participation basically means sharing the decision-making power with the lower ranks of the organization in an appropriate manner. Definitions: The concept of WPM is a broad and compl ex one. Depending on the socio-political environment and cultural conditions, the scope and contents of participation change. International Institute of Labour Studies: WPM is the participation resulting from the practices which increase the scope for employees’ share of influence in decision-making at different tiers of organizational hierarch with concomitant assumption of responsibility.ILO: Workers’ participation, may broadly be taken to cover all terms of association of workers and their representatives with the decision-making process, ranging from exchange of information, consultations, decisions and negotiations, to more institutionalized forms such as the presence of workers’ member on management or supervisory boards or even management by workers themselves as practiced in Yugoslavia. Objectives:According to Gosep, workers’ participation may be viewed as: o An instrument for increasing the efficiency of enterprises and establishing harmonious re lations; o A device for developing social education for promoting solidarity among workers and for tapping human talents; o A means for achieving industrial peace and harmony which leads to higher productivity and increased production; o A humanitarian act, elevating the status of a worker in the society; o An ideological way of developing self-management and promoting industrial democracy. Other objectives of WPM can be cited as: To improve the quality of working life (QWL) by allowing the workers greater influence and involvement in work and satisfaction obtained from work; and o To secure the mutual co-operation of employees and employers in achieving industrial peace; greater efficiency and productivity in the interest of the enterprise, the workers, the consumers and the nation. The main implications of workers’ participation in management as summarized by ILO: o Workers have ideas which can be useful; o Workers may work more intelligently if they are informed about the reasons for and the intention of decisions that are taken in a participative atmosphere.Importance: Unique motivational power and a great psychological value. Peace and harmony between workers and management. Workers get to see how their actions would contribute to the overall growth of the company. They tend to view the decisions as `their own’ and are more enthusiastic in their implementation. Participation makes them more responsible. o They become more willing to take initiative and come out with cost-saving suggestions and growth-oriented ideas. Scope and ways of participation: One view is that workers or the trade unions should, as equal partners, sit with the management and make joint managerial decisions.The other view is that workers should only be given an opportunity, through their representatives, to influence managerial decisions at various levels. In practice, the participation of workers can take place by one or all the methods listed below: o Board level parti cipation o Ownership participation o Complete control o Staff or work councils o Joint councils and committees o Collective Bargaining o Job enlargement and enrichment o Suggestion schemes o Quality circles o Empowered teams o TQM o Financial participation Participation at the Board level: This would be the highest form of industrial democracy.The workers’ representative on the Board can play a useful role in safeguarding the interests of workers. He or she can serve as a guide and a control element. o He or she can prevail upon top management not to take measures that would be unpopular with the employees. o He or she can guide the Board members on matters of investment in employee benefit schemes like housing, and so forth. The Government of India took the initiative and appointed workers’ representatives on the Board of Hindustan Antibiotics (Pune), HMT (Bangalore), and even nationalized banks.The Tatas, DCM, and a few others have adopted this practice. Problems ass ociated with this method: o Focus of workers’ representatives is different from the focus of the remaining members of the Board. o Communication and subsequently relations between the workers’ representative and the workers suffers after the former assumes directorship. He or she tends to become alienated from the workers. o As a result, he or she may be less effective with the other members of the Board in dealing with employee matters. Because of the differences in the cultural and educational backgrounds, and differences in behaviour and manners, such an employees’ representative may feel inferior to the other members, and he or she may feel suffocated. Hence, his or her role as a director may not be satisfying for either the workers or the management. o Such representatives of workers’ on the Board, places them in a minority. And the decisions of the Board are arrived at on the basis of the majority vote. Participation through ownership: This involves making the workers’ shareholders of the company by inducing them to buy equity shares. In many cases, advances and financial assistance in the form of easy repayment options are extended to enable employees to buy equity shares. Examples of this method are available in the manufacturing as well as the service sector. Advantage: o Makes the workers committed to the job and to the organization. Drawback: o Effect on participation is limited because ownership and management are two different things. Participation through complete control: Workers acquire complete control of the management through elected boards. The system of self-management in Yugoslavia is based on this concept.Self-management gives complete control to workers to manage directly all aspects of industries through their representatives. Advantages: o Ensures identification of the workers with their organization. o Industrial disputes disappear when workers develop loyalty to the organization. o Trade unions wel come this type of participation. Conclusion: Complete control by workers is not an answer to the problem of participation because the workers do not evince interest in management decisions. Participation through Staff and Works Councils: Staff councils or works councils are bodies on which the representation is entirely of the employees.There may be one council for the entire organization or a hierarchy of councils. The employees of the respective sections elect the members of the councils. Such councils play a varied role. o Their role ranges from seeking information on the management’s intentions to a full share in decision-making. Such councils have not enjoyed too much of success because trade union leaders fear the erosion of their power and prestige if such workers’ bodies were to prevail. Participation through Joint Councils and Committees: Joint councils are bodies comprising representatives of employers and employees. This method sees a very loose form of part icipation, as these councils are mostly consultative bodies. Work committees are a legal requirement in industrial establishments employing 100 or more workers. o Such committees discuss a wide range of topics connected to labour welfare. o Examples of such committees are welfare committee, safety committee, etc. o Such committees have not proven to be too effective in promoting industrial democracy, increasing productivity and reducing labour unrest. Participation through Collective Bargaining: Through the process of CB, management and workers may reach collective greement regarding rules for the formulation and termination of the contract of employment, as well as conditions of service in an establishment. Even though these agreements are not legally binding, they do have some force. For CB to work, the workers’ and the employers’ representatives need to bargain in the right spirit. But in practice, while bargaining, each party tries to take advantage of the other. T his process of CB cannot be called WPM in its strongest sense as in reality; CB is based on the crude concept of exercising power for the benefit of one party. WPM, on the other hand, brings both the parties together and develops appropriate mutual understanding and brings about a mature responsible relationship. Participation through Job Enlargement and Job Enrichment: Excessive job specialization that is seen as a by-product of mass production in industries, leads to boredom and associated problems in employees. Two methods of job designing – job enlargement and job enrichment– are seen as methods of addressing the problems. o Job enlargement means expanding the job content – adding task elements horizontally. Job enrichment means adding `motivators’ to the job to make it more rewarding. This is WPM in that it offers freedom and scope to the workers to use their judgment. But this form of participation is very basic as it provides only limited freedom t o a worker concerning the method of performing his/her job. The worker has no say in other vital issues of concern to him – issues such as job and income security, welfare schemes and other policy decisions. Participation through Suggestion Schemes: Employees’ views are invited and reward is given for the best suggestion.With this scheme, the employees’ interest in the problems of the organization is aroused and maintained. Progressive managements increasingly use the suggestion schemes. Suggestions can come from various levels. The ideas could range from changes in inspection procedures to design changes, process simplification, paper-work reduction and the like. o Out of various suggestions, those accepted could provide marginal to substantial benefits to the company. The rewards given to the employees are in line with the benefits derived from the suggestions. Participation through Quality Circles:Concept originated in Japan in the early 1960s and has now spr ead all over the world. A QC consists of seven to ten people from the same work area who meet regularly to define, analyze, and solve quality and related problems in their area. Training in problem-solving techniques is provided to the members. QCs are said to provide quick, concrete, and impressive results when correctly implemented. Advantages: o Employees become involved in decision-making, acquire communication and analytical skills and improve efficiency of the work place. o Organization gets to enjoy higher savings-to-cost ratios. Chances of QC members to get promotions are enhanced. The Indian Scenario: o Tried by BHEL, Mahindra and Mahindra, Godrej and Boyce among others. o Experienced mixed results: M&M (jeep division) with 76 QCs has experienced favourable results. †¢ Technical problems got solved. †¢ Workers got to get out of their daily routine and do something challenging. Trade unions look at it as: †¢ A way of overburdening workers, and †¢ An attem pt to undermine their role. These circles require a lot of time and commitment on the part of members for regular meetings, analysis, brainstorming, etc.Most QCs have a definite life cycle – one to three years. o Few circles survive beyond this limit either because they loose steam or they face simple problems. QCs can be an excellent bridge between participative and non-participative approaches. For QCs to succeed in the long run, the management needs to show its commitment by implementing some of the suggestions of the groups and providing feedback on the disposition of all suggestions. Empowered Teams: Empowerment occurs when authority and responsibility are passed on to the employees who then experience a sense of ownership and control over their obs. Employees may feel more responsible, may take initiative in their work, may get more work done, and may enjoy the work more. For empowerment to occur, the following approach needs to be followed as compared to the traditiona l approach: Element Traditional Org. Empowered Teams Organizational structure Layered, individual Flat, team Job design Narrow, single task Whole process, multiple tasks Management role Direct, control Coach, facilitate Leadership Top-down Shared with the team Information flow Controlled, limited Open, sharedRewards Individual, seniority Team-based, skill-based Job process Managers plan, control, improve Teams plan, control, improve Features of empowered or self-directed teams: o Empowered to share various management and leadership functions. o Plan, control and improve their work. o Often create their schedules and review their performance as a group. o May prepare their own budgets and co-ordinate their work with other departments. o Usually order materials, keep inventories and deal with suppliers. o Frequently responsible for acquiring any new training they might need. May hire their own replacement to assume responsibility for the quality of their products or services. Titan, R eliance, ABB, GE Plastics (India), Wipro Corporation and Wipro InfoTech are empowering employees – both frontline as well as production staff, and are enjoying positive results. Total Quality Management: TQM refers to the deep commitment, almost obsession, of an organization to quality. Every step in company’s processes is subjected to intense and regular scrutiny for ways to improve it. Some traditional beliefs are discarded. o High quality costs more. Quality can be improved by inspection. o Defects cannot be completely eliminated. o Quality in the job of the QC personnel. New principles of TQM are: o Meet the customer’s requirement on time, the first time, and 100% of the time. o Strive to do error-free work. o Manage by prevention, not correction. o Measure the cost of quality. TQM is called participative because it is a formal programme involving every employee in the organization; making each one responsible for improving quality everyday. Financial Partic ipation: This method involves less consultations or even joint decisions.Performance of the organization is linked to the performance of the employee. The logic behind this is that if an employee has a financial stake in the organization, he/she is likely to be more positively motivated and involved. Some schemes of financial participation: o Profit-linked pay o Profit sharing and Employees’ Stock Option schemes. o Pension-fund participation. Pre-requisites for successful participation: Management and operatives/employees should not work at cross-purposes i. e. they must have clearly defined and complementary objectives.Free flow of communication and information. Participation of outside trade union leaders to be avoided. Strong and effective trade unionism. Workers’ education and training. Trade unions and government needs to work in this area. Trust between both the parties. Workers should be associated at all levels of decision-making. Employees cannot spend all the ir time in participation to the exclusion of all other work. Limitations of participation: Technology and organizations today are so complex that specialized work-roles are required. o This means employees will not be able to articipate effectively in matters beyond their particular environment. Everybody need not want participation. The role of trade unions in promoting participative management has been far from satisfactory. Employers are unwilling to share power with the workers’ representatives. Managers consider participative management a fraud. Evolution of participative management in India: The beginning towards WPM was made with the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, which made Works Committees mandatory in industrial establishments employing 100 or more workers.The Industrial Policy Resolution adopted by the government in 1956 stated that there should be some joint consultation to ensure industrial peace, and improve employer-employee relations. The functions of both the se joint bodies were to be consultative and were not binding on the management. The response to these schemes was encouraging to begin with, but gradually waned. o A study team was appointed in 1962 to report on the working of joint councils and committees. The team identified some reasons for their failure.No concrete steps were taken to remove the difficulties, or change the pattern of participative management. During the emergency of 1975-77, the interest in these schemes was revived by the then Prime Minister by including Workers’ Participation in industry in the government’s 20-point programme. o The government started persuading large enterprises to set up joint consultative committees and councils at different levels. The Janata Government who came to power in 1977 carried on this initiative. In was again emphasized by the Congress government who came back n 1979.This continued in a â€Å"non-statutory vein† till the late 1980s, and the response from the employers and employees stayed luke-warm. o Then, the 42nd Amendment to the Constitution was made. Now, Article 43-A reads: The State shall take steps, by suitable legislation, or in any other way, to secure the participation of workers in the management of undertakings, establishments or other organizations engaged in any industry. Thus, participative management is a constitutional commitment in India. o And then, on May 30,1990; the government introduced the Participation of Workers in Management Bill in the Rajya Sabha.The bill requires every industrial enterprise to constitute one or more `Shop-Floor Councils’ at the shop floor level, and`Establishment Council’ at the establishment level. These councils will have equal representation of employers and employees. Shop-Floor councils enjoy powers over a wide range of functions from production, wastage control to safety hazards. The Establishment Council enjoys similar powers. The bill provides for the constitution of a Board of Management of every corporate body owning an industrial establishment.The bill also provides for penalties on individuals who contravene any provision of the bill. In spite of all these efforts, only the government and the academicians have been interested in participative management. But participative management is staging a comeback. o The compulsions of emerging competitive environment have made employee involvement more relevant than ever before. o Managers and the managed are forced to forget their known stands, break barriers, and work in unison. Managers and workers are partners in the progress of business.