Setting up a Balanced Scorecard (BSC) for Managing Your Firms Performance

Setting up a Balanced Scorecard (BSC) for Managing Your Firm’s Performance A Balanced Scorecard (BSC) may be defined as a management strategy that endeavors to complement drivers of previous performance (fiscal measures) with the drivers of future performance, such as development of intellectual and human capital, learning and customer satisfaction.Standard BSCs do not incorporate environmental considerations. The BSC management tool was developed by David Norton and Robert Kaplan.A recent global study on usage of management tools revealed the Balanced Scorecard to be the sixth most extensively utilized management tool across the world, and it was also associated with one of the top overall satisfaction ratings. © Shutterstock.com | Luna2631In this article, we discuss setting up a balanced scorecard for managing your firm’s performance. You’ll read about 1) steps to create a balanced scorecard, 2) common measurements, and 3) some pitfalls to avoid.STEPS TO CREATE A BALANCED SCORECARDBefore going into the steps, it is worth pointing out that the execution of a BSC should, at all times, be arranged as a separate project of management system development. It should be planned with the same detail as other organization projects, and the regular project management procedures must be followed. © Flickr | Jinho JungYou should also know that the Balanced Scorecard must be complemented with other less vertically merged tools that provide for greater stakeholder participation in fixing strategic aims, so that everyone feels like a participant and committed to the organization’s future. The capacity to respond to the dynamic business milieu, linked with the required internal alterations, is a challenge that requires particular attention, calling for a higher benefit in a performance management tool. Competitive factors connected to knowledge and innovation is another challenge in the present business climate. The frameworks that pay no heed to this reality could compromise the sustainable future of the businesses, and the Business Scorecard should take this into account.Step #1: AppraisalThe scorecard building process begins with an evaluation of the organization’s vision and mission, enablers, values and challenges. The first step also involves developing a change managem ent map for the organization, and carrying out a focused communications workshop to spot key messages, timing, messengers and media outlets.Step #2: StrategyAfter the first step, aspects of the organization’s strategy such as strategic themes, strategic results, and perspectives, are created by workshop participants to center attention on customer requirements and the organization’s value proposition.Step #3: AimsIn this step, the strategic aspects created in the first two steps are broken down into strategic aims, which are the fundamental building blocks of strategy and delineate the organization’s strategic aim. Aims are first started and categorized on the Strategic Theme Level, sorted by Perspective, connected in cause-effect linkages (or Strategy Maps) for each Strategic Theme. Following this, they are joined together to create one set of Strategic Aims for the whole organization.Step #4: Strategy MapAt this point, the cause and effect linkages between the enterprise-wid e Strategic Goals are made official in an enterprise-wide Strategy Map. The Strategy Maps constructed earlier are blended into a by-and-large enterprise-wide Strategy Map that delineates how the organization makes value for its stakeholders and customers.Step #5: Performance MeasuresIn this step, performance measures are created for each of the enterprise-wide strategic aims. Leading and lagging measures are spotted, expected targets and thresholds are decided on, and benchmarking and baseline data is created.Step #6: EndeavorsStrategic Initiatives are created that support the Strategic Aims. To develop accountability throughout the organization, ownership of Strategic Initiatives and Performance Measures is assigned to the pertinent staff and documented in data definition tables.Step #7: Performance AssessmentIn this step, the process of implementation starts by applying performance measurement software to provide the right performance data to the right people at the appropriate ti me. Automation lends form and discipline to executing the Balanced Scorecard system, assisting with changing disparate corporate data into knowledge and information, and with communicating performance information. To put it concisely, automation helps people with making better decisions owing to the fact that it lends speedy access to genuine performance data.There are more than a hundred performance management and balanced scorecard automation development companies. A number of choices are particularly meant for performance management and/or the balanced scorecard. Also included in this category are tools that are chiefly meant for data or analytics warehousing, business intelligence, but which have modules meant for performance management.Step #8: AlignmentHere, the enterprise-level scorecard is ‘cascaded’ down into support and business unit scorecards. This means that the organizational level scorecard (the first Tier) is converted into support unit or business unit scorecard s (the second Tier) and then later to individual and team scorecards (the third Tier). Cascading converts high-level tactics into lower-level aims, operational details, and measures. Cascading is the road to organizational alignment surrounding strategy. Individual and team scorecards connect day-to-day work with corporate vision and department aims. Performance measures are created for all aims at organizational levels. With the scorecard management system cascading down across the organization, aims become more tactical and organizational, as do the performance measures. Responsibility follows the measures and objectives, as ownership is delineated at each level. A stress on strategies required to produce outcomes is communicated all through the organization.Step #9: EvaluationHere, an assessment of the completed scorecard is carried out. In the course of this assessment, the organization endeavors to answer queries such as: ‘Are we measuring the right things?’ ‘Are we strat egically budgeting our money?’ ‘Are our strategies working?’ and ‘Did our environment change?’ COMMON MEASUREMENTSFinancial measurements are still essential and include things such as return on investment, sales, liquidity measures and profits. Measures that result in financial outcomes include efficiency measures (such as scrap, responsiveness and cycle time), customer satisfaction measures (such as new customers, complaints, survey results and referrals), quality measures (such as returns, accuracy, rework and warrantee costs), growth/innovation measures (such as sales from new products, RD expenditure and employee suggestions), and employee skills and satisfaction measures (such as certification, absenteeism, survey results, cross training, turnover and training hours). The balanced scorecard can be customized to suit the requirements of any organization.SOME PITFALLS TO AVOIDPoorly-defined strategyWhether a scorecard project succeeds or not depends on whether or not yo ur organization has worked through it well and properly delineated its strategy. Generally, a poorly-defined strategy creates a confusing and empty scorecard. You should either have introduced a strategy developing element at the beginning of the Balanced Scorecard project or toiled through the strategy process in the right manner. Failure to delineate and articulate a lucid strategy would result in a confused and ambiguous scorecard â€" and prominently one that is deficit in the thread of strategic constancy as the scorecard process is introduced across all functions and areas in the organization.There may be some high-level strategies that are too vague to convert well into a BSC. Experts advise translation in terms of customer value and aspirational brand positioning, markets and customer segments, and financial targets, all in the perspective of where the organization wishes to be in the next five to ten years.Ineffective data collection, reportingA key reason why companies put too much stress on fiscal metrics at the expense of other key operating variables is the plain and simple fact that systems already exist for gathering and reporting economic measures. Companies that intentionally tend to delineate the important few metrics and dedicate the resources to automate data collection and the reporting that follows are inclined to get good outcomes. Unfortunately, in the majority of organizations, if gathering metrics / data takes too much energy and time, they will not be gathered. Hence, it is essential to prioritize key performance indicators to be certain that your investment in metrics is expended on the information that would be most pertinent to enhancing organizational performance.Utilization of only lagging measuresA lot of managers are of the opinion that they would get the advantages of the Balanced Scorecard by utilizing a wide variety of non-fiscal measures. However, you should be careful to recognize not only lagging measures that delineate p ast performance, but also leading measures that may be utilized to prepare for future performance.Excluding stakeholdersAn example for this is not executing the concept solely in one or two Head Offices. To work, it is necessary to develop a hierarchy of scorecards, mirroring the structure of your organization and how it lends value to the customer. Bear in mind that more than a decade has gone before the scorecard concept was first created. Offshoring and outsourcing are now usual occurrences â€" make certain that these value generating operations are also incorporated.Utilizing only generic metricsIt typically is not adequate to only adopt the metrics utilized by other successful businesses. Each company should take the effort to recognize the measures that are suitable for its own plan and competitive position.No accountabilityAccountability and considerable visibility are required to assist with driving change. This means that each objective, measure, initiative and data source should have an owner. Without this degree of comprehensive execution, a perfectly built-up scorecard will not accomplish success, owing to the fact that nobody would be held liable for performance.Management style, centralized measures and staff not empoweredHere, you may wish to recall the Management by Objectives (MBO) process. MBO had to go to the recycle bin of unsuccessful management solutions, more than 25 years ago. The key reason for its failure was a problem of management style. Don’t forget that the Balanced Scorecard is not a means for imposing a strategy developed at the top of the organization, or an implement with which you can beat people. In reality, it is a tool to enable people to get involved in the strategy process as well as develop aims and measures that mirror their business area’s endeavors to support a wider corporate strategy. MBO was unsuccessfully owing to a very centralized top-down style.One of the key benefits of the Balanced Scorecard is that it a ssists staff with comprehending, creating and applying techniques within their business units. Hence, provide your staff with the freedom to create their aims and measures along with centrally delineated and common aims and measures, as well as ensure that all departments in your organization are incorporated.It is true that accountability could provide powerful motivation for enhancing performance. However, employees must additionally possess the responsibility, tools and authority required to affect pertinent measures. If not, they would resist ownership and involvement. Initiatives should be funded, and resources made available, to make success a reality.Difference between “strategy” and “KPI” scorecardChances are you don’t have a Balanced Scorecard but rather, a KPI scorecard, if you face problems such as the following:Appears that performance management isn’t working for your company.The Balanced Scorecard isn’t working the way different institutions are promoting it.Though the scorecard is helpful in monitoring KPIs, it helps only a bit with strategy implementation.While KPI is purely a measurement tool, the Balanced Scorecard is a management tool. A KPI scorecard can or cannot be aligned with suitable actions, and objectives. On the other hand, the Balanced Scorecard has to do with alignment among objectives, actions and measures. The solution to the problem is to move from measuring to managing. Ponder over how your organization’s strategic objectives are connected to specific aims. What do you intend to do to accomplish them (or what is your action plan?)? How do you plan to measure the process and outcomes (KPIs)?No methodology for process improvementThe worth of the Balanced Scorecard system depends on the belief that once performance issues are recognized, there is an effective and efficient technique for diagnosing and looking into root causes. After this, solutions can be created, and performance gaps closed. If the organization i s without toolkits and standard methodologies for addressing process problems, the degree of effort needed to obtain a problem fixing strategy for each fresh performance gap could ultimately spoil the performance improvement program as it would be considered to use up too many resources from regular operations. When this occurs, performance will continue to get worse and there would be no adaptation. Utilizing time-tested process enhancement methodologies, probably along with problem-solving strategies (such as Six Sigma) would greatly reduce this problem.It is true that there are some expenses associated with introducing the balanced scorecard, though these expenses differ among organizations depending on the quantity of data the business is already capturing. Businesses that capture practically no data may have an additional expense in putting together the infrastructure required to capture key data points. What’s more, owing to the nature of a BSC project, it is difficult to ma ke accurate cost and time estimates for the whole project in advance. The required effort depends to a large extent on how far the organization has progressed in its BSC thinking in addition to the complexity and quantity of scorecards executed. The usual expenses for a standard Balanced Scorecard project comprise: time utilized by customer’s own resources (35 percent), outside implementation consultancy (30 percent), outside process consultancy (20 percent), and software licenses (15 percent).In spite of the costs associated with the Balanced Scorecard, the expense outlay is usually surpassed by the benefits of the measurements and the information they provide to the organizations’ leaders.

Foreign Aid Essay - 275 Words

Foreign Aid (Essay Sample) Content: EssayCourse no.DateForeign AidThe effectiveness of foreign aid on the target countries hugely depends on the donor and the recipient. Sometimes the relationship is symbiotic although the balance is heavily tilted to favor the donor country. The united States being the biggest donor country in the world by aggregate measures, usually uses its foreign aid as a leverage for other aspects such as Human rights and military purposes making the target of the aid a political game.The worst part of the aid comes when we speak of the recipient countries. Most of the poor countries have the largest wealth of natural resources but they are havens of corruption, wastefulness, inefficiency and violence. For example, CAR (Central African Republic), one of the largest recipients of foreign direct aid is in the midst of a violent crisis and the country has had just a single elected leader since independence. Apart from that, there are reasonable grounds to believe that foreign aid is ineffective in its intention or the motives behind the aid are not really realistic....

Education Is A Important Life Goal - 985 Words

Education is a very important life goal to many people, I do not people believe that a lot of individuals would disagree with this statement. As one goes through school they may face several obstacles to overcome. It is vital that parents, educators, and other caregivers that play a significant role in a child’s life. A child needs of these people to help them in their educational goals from birth to adulthood. Early childhood inclusion means the standards, policies, and implements that provision the accuracy of infants and young children families, regardless of skills, to take part in a wide-ranging actions and settings as full participants of people, groups, and culture. (DEC/NAEYC, 2009). I believe that if everyone works together following these guidelines all children will have a successful education. We as educators have to find strategies to use in the classroom for the meet the diversity of all children. For example, disability, foreign, minorities and any othe r child. In this paper, I will discuss strategies, suggestions and adjustments that is a part of the early childhood inclusion. I believe that all children should be able to be engaged into the same classroom settings. If a child has a disability I feel that there are assistive devices to help accommodate them to need their needs in the classroom. For example, Assistive devices are products and tools that can make individuals lives easier. There is a lot of equipment to help the student out in theShow MoreRelatedHealth Education And Health Care863 Words   |  4 PagesHealth education encompasses a team of many different providers in a variety of settings. It has a diverse and ever changing role in health care, communities, and schools (Glanz, 2008, p. 13). The health care team works to provide education for patients and also their families. Physician Assistants play a major role in the prevention and detection of disease. With the encouragement to live a healthy lifestyle and the patient/provider discussions about decision making to improve overall health,Read MoreHumanistic and Social Development1288 W ords   |  6 Pages There are many types of Physical Education, but the one I am going to talk about today is Humanistic and Social Development, and how it relates to Physical Education. First off, the primary objective of early physical education programs was a person’s physical health. Humanistic and social development emphasizes self-awareness and choice as a basis for personal growth. With a humanistic approach, there is a connection between physical education and a person’s social and emotion well-being. ThereRead MoreWhy College Education Is Important to Me869 Words   |  4 PagesThe Importance of Education (SAMPLE) Our quest for knowledge is something we should never complete; it is a desire that we should never resist. Education should empower us to answer such questions as how and why are as important as what, when and where; ask more questions, and then start over again. With an advanced education you have more choices in your life and more chances to make a difference for your community. Higher education pays you back: graduates of higher education programs earn moreRead MoreEssay about Axia College Survival Guide1316 Words   |  6 PagesContinuing your education can be a difficult journey when a person decides to explore opportunities by furthering their education. Attending traditional classes or distance education classes provides stability and growth, which furthers individual qualities in our society. Students attending college should have access to all necessary tools, guidelines and materials to achieve the best education. The purpose of this paper is to provide college student w ith a Survival Guide while attending AxiaRead MoreDomains of School Counselor Essay1196 Words   |  5 Pagesher highest potential. It is vital for the student to attain an outlook, comprehension and abilities that render valuable education in school and also throughout life. In order for this to take place the student must improve academic self-concept, acquire skills for improving learning and achieving school success. School counselors can speak to classes and match education levels to different careers. The school counselors at the school I teach at have students use a Workkeys program that correlatesRead MoreMy Higher Education901 Words   |  4 Pages Receiving a higher education has been a lifelong goal for me. All my life I wanted a job saving animals, as I got older I knew being a veterinarian is my all-time life objective. Although, I am currently a veterinary technician I need to achieve a higher educational background to completely reach my goal in life. Having a college degree gives me the nostalgia that I long for; being able to say that I’m in college achieving my goals as becoming a vete rinarian is gratifying to me. Being a role modelRead MorePersonal Goals Assignment713 Words   |  3 Pages and Personal Goals Assignment Goal setting has always been an important factor in my life, because of that I have accomplished things that I am very proud of. Without goals it would make it very hard to succeed in life because there is nothing to work hard for. Goal setting is a constant reminder of the things that are important to you. It gives me the motivation to work hard every day so that I can achieve my goals. Goals are what keeps each of us different. Throughout my life, I hope to continueRead More Statement of Educational Goals and Philosophy Essay1159 Words   |  5 PagesStatement of Educational Goals and Philosophy As children we have many goals and dreams. Eventually, the time comes when we have to make a career decision based on our interests and goals. The choices that we make now will have a lasting effect on our lives. Like most college students I have explored many career options, but I am always lead back to the education field. Teachers have a very difficult job because they have the power to shape and inspire our future nation. AlthoughRead MorePurpose of Education Essay669 Words   |  3 PagesThe Purpose of Education Everyday we go to school to receive our education, but what is the purpose of education? Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech, â€Å"The Purpose of Education† and Frank O’Connor’s short story, â€Å"Christmas Morning,† both discuss what is the purpose of education. The purpose of education is to acknowledge not only one’s intelligence, but also one’s character, provide one with the ability to make decisions and achieve their goals. One of the purposes of education is to acknowledgeRead MoreEducation And Morality On Their Lives1118 Words   |  5 PagesPeople have goals and these will be achieving when they put together sometimes education and morality on their lives. Success is the way where people reach their goals toward something specific that they desire in their lives. I choose Freire and Nietsche because they talk about Education and Morality as anti-Nature and they fit on my idea of success. I consider education as an important part on my way to success in this world. Education gives me knowledge that I require to overcome the problems

Overcoming College Student Homesickness

You may have spent so much time preparing for college that you may not have considered how much youd miss being back home. While homesickness is common for the majority of college students, it can be difficult to overcome. The key to handling it is understanding where its coming from and knowing what you can realistically do about it. Dont Be Too Harsh on Yourself Being homesick is often a sign that you have happy, healthy relationships with people back at home. You may miss your family, your friends, your boyfriend or girlfriend, or just your old routines and familiarity. Even though many students wont talk about it, a very large number of first-year and transfer students experience homesickness during their first few months at school. So, even if no one you know is talking about it, rest assured that many of your classmates are going through the same thing. Dont be too harsh on yourself for experiencing something that is completely normal and part of many students college experience. Let Yourself Be Sad... For a Little While Trying to fight your way through homesickness can often be futile. But letting yourself process through your emotions can be a great way of dealing with them. Trying to be stoic might end up backfiring on you, and since homesickness is a part of many peoples college experience, its important to let it process itself out. So give yourself a day here or there to be sad about all that you left behind. But make sure to pick yourself up and not be too sad the ​next day. A pity day here or there is alright, but if you find yourself having many in a row or feeling overwhelmingly sad, you may want to think about talking to someone in the campus counseling center. You definitely wont need to worry about being the first student in there who misses home! Be Patient With Yourself If youre a first-year student, youve probably made more major changes in your life than you ever have before, and if youre a transfer, you may be used to being in school, but not this school. Consider what youve done: youve started at an entirely new institution, where you probably dont know anyone at all. You might be in a new city, state, or even country. You have a new lifestyle to manage, where every hour of your day is unlike how you spent your time even 4 or 6 weeks ago. You have new responsibilities that are pretty heavy, from managing finances to learning a new academic system and culture. You may also be living on your own for the first time and learning all kinds of things that you hadnt even thought to ask about before you left. Any one of those changes would be enough to throw someone for a loop. Wouldnt it be a little surprising if someone didnt experience homesickness from everything? So be patient with yourself, just like you would be with a friend. You probably wouldnt judge a friend for being homesick after making such major changes in his or her life, so dont judge yourself unfairly. Let yourself be a little sad, take a deep breath, and do what you can to make your new school your new home. After all, wont it feel fantastic when you realize that, next summer when youre back home, youre homesick for school to start again?

Channels of Distribution available to a Financial Service Organization Assignment

Essays on Channels of Distribution available to a Financial Service Organization Assignment ï » ¿ The Financial Service Organizations like Banks generate a lot of financial products and services which in turn are beneficial to a large number of customers. The banks in order to create enhanced customer satisfaction and loyalty must focus on maintaining a strong and efficient distribution system through which the banking products and services can be effectively distributed. The two main channels of distribution available to the banks for effective distribution of goods and services are ‘personal selling’ and ‘electronic and telecommunication’ networks. Out of these the channel of distribution based on ‘personal selling’ works on a conventional note while ‘electronic and telecommunication’ on a modern note. The process of ‘personal selling’ conducted by banks is executed through the activities of banking and financial executives working within the bank. Thus, banks in order to reach to a wide range of customers must l ocate their offices in accessible regions so that the process of personal selling gets executed on a happy note. Proximity to the customers helps the banks to render convenience to customers and thus gains a loyal base of potential customers on which the bank can easily depend for profitable business. The second set of distribution channels based on modern approaches is found to go beyond the existing nature of banking operations depending on an office. Modern channels of distribution of banking services and products depend on a wider array of ‘electronic and telecommunication’ networks which can help the customers to avail such services in a lightning speed. Host of electronic and telecommunication devices, products and processes like telephones, Automated Teller Machines, Internet and Plastic Money have transformed the face of the banking industry and made it stand the test of times. (Pezzullo American Bankers Association, 1998, p. 196, 201) Challenges faced by a Bank in distributing financial products through Personal Selling The banks distribute the host of financial products through the process of Personal Selling, which is made possible through the set up of banks in the vicinity of localities. Banks and other commercial institutions in order to occupy a place for setting up of branches and thus catering to business expansion have to depend on the laws of the land. However, in later periods the government of different countries has allowed banks to set up branches in different states, which have helped them to enter newer and different localities quite easily. The realm of distributing banking products through the process of personal selling excites many competitors in the banking cycle. Thus, banks in order to enhance their market base to counter growing competition must go on expanding their branches to acquire newer areas and thereby newer customers. Personal Selling channels are also made lucrative to draw customers from competitive banks. Moreover, the growth of the urban sphere also demands the growth of banking units. Thus, banks in order to set up newer branches must first endeavor to evaluate the general features of the zone and secondly must divulge to conduct a more refined analysis of the particular site concerned where the branch would be located. The banks need to procure first hand information about the income scenario of the several household groups present in the area. Further, the banks must also endeavor to assess the number of owned and rented property in the newer zones and also the employment status of the different household groups. The above assessment helps a bank to rightly estimate the deposit potential of the different householders in the particular region. It would also help to understand the amount of loan on an approximate basis that would be demanded by the households to build residences. In addition, to the above facts the banking institutions must also take into consideration the range of activities carried out by the commercial and industrial z ones in the area and revenue generated thereof to understand the level of current deposits and loans. Specific consideration would also include the right assessment of property costs in the region to conduct a feasible analysis. The bank should also be properly visible and accessible to the people in that zone. (Pezzullo American Bankers Association, 1998. pp. 197-198). Challenges faced by a Bank in distributing financial products through Electronic and Telecommunication The effectiveness of the banking system in distributing financial products through electronic and telecommunication modes depends on various factors, which imply to be the challenges in such activities. Firstly, the bank must identify all possible banking services that can be rendered through the modern channels. Secondly, the technology in use must be reliable enough to carry the load of different activities. Thirdly, the human factor related to the distribution channels, the Customer Service Representatives must be adequately trained to impart trust and efficiency to the customers. Fourthly, the banks must set a proper feedback system to rightly acquire effective feedbacks, which can help modernize their service delivery systems. Fifthly, banks must cater to generate provisions, which would help them to address regulatory changes in such telecommunication modes. (S.C.N. Education B.V., 2001, p. 94) In addition to the stated challenges the banks need to identify the potential servi ce provider, which would render uninterrupted service in Internet communications. The banks must also focus in rightly training their staffs to cater effectively to customer queries and problems while conducting service via Internet. Further, the banks must also lend an eye to the training of customers to rightly adapt to the changing banking service systems. Customers must be made acquainted by the banks about the facilities of Internet and mobile banking so as to eliminate fear from their minds. This would henceforth increase the level of interaction with the banks. However, in the modern Internet age the banks must also focus in creating a safer Internet environment where the customers can easily function. Banks need to be alert about hacking activities, which would continually endeavor to derive passwords and other essential information of the customers. Finally, banks need to be open to understand the level of operations of potential competitors and their way of countering problems. This would help the bank to make their services more effective. (Milutinovic Patricelli, 2002. pp. 104-107). References 1. Milutinovic, V. F.Patricelli. (2002). E-business and e-challenges. IOS Press. 2. Pezzullo, M. American Bankers Association. (1998). Marketing financial services. Kogan Page Publishers. 3. SCN. Education B.V. (2001). Electronic banking:  the ultimate guide to business and technology of online banking. Birkhà ¤user.

I Think We All Have Empathy - 905 Words

5 Barriers to Empathy â€Å"I think we all have empathy. We may not have enough courage to display it.† Maya Angelou Now that we ve talked about what empathy is and why its important, it can be easy to wonder why more people don t practice it more often. As with most human characteristics and behaviors, there is more to the story than meets the eye. Empathy has to be developed. It is taught and practiced. We learn through words, actions and the experiences we have with important caretakers in our life. As we have pointed out before, when our teachers are less than adequate, we don t progress as far as we could. Blocks can and will develop that greatly hamper or prevent our ability to be empathic. The seeds of empathy begin at birth. Babies in a hospital nursery will begin to cry as they hear others crying. Experts believe this is one of the first empathic responses. It develops further through a secure attachment with the baby’s mother or main caretaker. Babies who are treated tenderly when they cry or are scared or injured will begin to develop an internal environment that will foster the feeling of empathy. If they are treated with indifference or negativity when they have needs, they will begin to build walls inside to protect themselves from their feelings of hurt, pain and anger. This is the beginning of the building of barriers or blocks that get in the way of being able to express empathy. The role you play in your family also contributes to your capacityShow MoreRelatedWhy It Pays to Get Inside the Head of Your Opponent1297 Words   |  6 PagesDifferential Effects of Perspective Taking and Empathy in Negotiations July 16, 2007 Revision Accepted November 27, 2007 Volume 19 Number 4 Pages 378 -384 The article â€Å"Why It Pays to Get Inside the Head of Your Opponent† looks at the effects of two social competencies in negotiations. 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African Kingdoms and Empires Free Essays

African Kingdoms and Empires During 400 AD, West Africa witnessed the rise and fall of the indigenous medieval empires of ancient Ghana, medieval Mali, and Songhai. Many other states and kingdoms arose during this time but Ghana, Mali and Songhai achieved the status of fully-fledged, functioning and long-living conquest states and expansionist empires. These empires regulated the Trans-Saharan trade by offering protection for trade caravans as well as taxing slaves, gold, firearms, textiles and salt. We will write a custom essay sample on African Kingdoms and Empires or any similar topic only for you Order Now Ghana reached its height by 1200 AD and was ruled by the Serahule people which eventually broke apart by in the 13th century. The Mali Empire was a Mandinka territory but also took on Ghana’s territory and extended into the 13th century. At the peak of the empire, Mali covered an area over 24,000 sq. km. Songhai succeeded Mali in the 14th century and grew to be the largest land empire in tropical Africa. Throughout the presentation I will cover each Empire in grave detail. Ghana may have existed as early as the 5th century, however, by the 8th century it was known as â€Å"The Land of Gold. † In 1068 Ghana was the largest, wealthiest, and most powerful state in West Africa. The empire was situated in the vast Savannah area between the Senegal and Niger Rivers with its authority extending from the frontiers of Futa Toro to the Western banks of the Niger, and from the Mandinka area in the south to beyond the fringes of the desert in the north. Ghanaweb) The Serahule were the founding people of â€Å"The Land of Gold,† who established their capital at Kumbi Saleh, which at that time was the leading trading centre of the Western Sudan and the focus of all trade with a systematic form of taxation. The Serahule formed themselves into a strong trading state which spread its power over many neighboring people and in the process became an empire. With the introduction of the camel during the Trans-Saharan trade, Ghana derived power and wealth from gold and increased the quality of goods transported. As stated earlier, the Soninke people also sold slaves, salt and copper in exchange for textiles, beads and finished goods. (Ghanaweb) According to Ghanaweb, â€Å"The wealth of ancient Ghana is mythically explained in the tale of bids, the black snake. This snake demanded an annual sacrifice in return for guaranteeing prosperity in the Kingdom, therefore each year a virgin was offered up for sacrifice, until one year, the fiance’ (Mamadou Sarolle) of the intended victim rescued her. Feeling cheated of his sacrifice, Bida took his revenge on the region, a terrible drought took a hold of Ghana and gold mining began to decline. There is evidence found by archaeologists that confirms elements of the story, showing that until the 12th century, sheep cows and even goats were abundant in the region. † Traders took the route from Maghreb to Ghana starting in Tahert, North Africa through Sjilmasa, Southern Morocco. The trail led south running parallel with the coast, then south-east through Awsaghust and ending in Kumbi Saleh. Through their travels the traders brought the Islamic community to Kumbi Saleh but the Islam’s managed to remain a separate community a distance away from the King’s palace. Ghanaweb) McKay wrote, â€Å"The city of Ghana consists of two towns lying on a plain, one of which is inhabited by Muslims and is large, possessing twelve mosques- one of which is congregational mosque for Friday prayer; each has its imam, its muezzin and paid reciters of the Quran. The town possesses a large number of jurisconsults and learned me,† (McKay, pg 279) Ghana was originally known as Wagadou (Ouagadou, Aoukar) by its rulers, but was changed into the general use, â€Å"Ghana† because one of the king’s titles â€Å"Ghana† meant war chief. Each succeeding king kept the title Ghana but went by their own name. The kings were in charge of organizing the trade and keeping good relations with the Saharan traders, as well as acting as senior religious leader and representative on earth of the founding ancestors of the Serahule people. To increase the wealth of Ghana, the kings were able to make lesser kings or chiefs obey their laws and pay them taxes. This in turn gave the kings of Ghana more power and could command the services of many descent lines. They were able to raise big armies and employ larger numbers of messengers and other servants. (Ghanaweb) The International trade was causing the empire continuous growth so the Serahule were inventing new methods of governing themselves by raising money to pay for a government and producing wealth. They decided the central authority would need to be a king that would rule over many lesser authorities or governments. Since Serahule had already occupied the lands to the north of the upper waters of Niger, their towns and trading settlements became the middlemen between the Berber and Arab traders of the north and the gold and ivory producers of the south. This position made Ghana strong and prosperous and gave its rulers glory and power. Accessgambia) The empire included many arrears of people who were not Serahule and therefore had different religious loyalties to their Gods other than the king. In order to ensure the continued allegiance of the conquered states, the kings of Ghana insisted on the son of each vassal king being sent to their court. Both provincial governors of Serahule ar eas and tributary rulers of the conquered peoples had the duties of loyalty to the king, provisions of annual tribute, and the contribution of bands of warriors to the imperial army when they were required for active service. In return for their loyalty, the king provided protection against external enemies. However, by 1240 Ghana was no more. There are many reasons for Ghana’s decline and fall, starting with the royal treasury placing a monopoly on the export of gold. The gold industry was the fame of what Ghana rested on because it was the king’s largest source of income. Secondly, the way the empire was organized. At its peak, Ghana was made up of many states and people and lacked political and cultural unity which the kings failed to achieve. The different ethnic groups such as the Soninke, Susu, Serer, Berber and Tuclor each had its own language and cultures owed allegiance to the king. Conquered states such as Futa Toro, Silla and Diara were only expected to pay annual tribute contingents to the kings in times of war but were left to operate under their own traditional rules. Lastly, during the second half of the Eleventh century, the military became weakened and broke up into component parts. Later, there was an invasion by the Berber Almoravid dynasty that conquered Ghana and forced its rulers and people to convert to Islam. McKay stated that â€Å"while Almoravid and Islamic pressures certainly disrupted the empire, weakening it enough for its incorporation into the rising Mali empire, there was no Almoravid military invasion and subsequent forced conversion to Islam. † (McKay, pg 280) The kingdom of Ghana split into several small kingdoms that feuded among themselves. The Mandinka, from the kingdom of Kangaba had been part of the Ghanaian empire and soon dominated the feuding kingdoms. Building on the Ghanaian foundations, Kangaba formed the core of the new empire of Mali and developed into a better organized state than Ghana. There were two rulers for the Mali Empire, Sundiata and Mansa Musa which combined, had military success and creative personalities. Mali had a large agricultural and commercial base that provided for a large population and enormous wealth. (McKay, pg 280) McKay also noted that dating to the early eleventh century, the Mandinka were extremely successful at agriculture. Consistently large harvests throughout the twelfth and thirteenth centuries provided a supply of food, which helped steady the population growth. The Mandinka also acted as middlemen in the gold and salt traffic that flowed north and south during the Ghanaian hegemony. In the thirteenth century, Mandinka traders formed companies and gradually became a major force in the entire West African trade. Sundiata, the founder of Mali, set up his capital at Niani and transformed the city into an important financial and trading center. McKay stated, â€Å"through a series of military victories, Sundiata and his successors absorbed into Mali’s other territories of the former kingdom of Ghana and established hegemony over the trading cities of Gao, Jenne, and Walata. Into the fourteenth century, these expansionist policies were continued by Sundiata’s descendant Mansa Musa. † (McKay pg 280) In the language of the Mandinke, Mansa means â€Å"emperor. † Musa consolidated the foundations laid down by Sundiata and ruled the empire at its greatest height. Musa’s influence extended northward to several Berber cities in the Sahara, eastward to the trading cities of Timbuktu and Gao and westward as far as the Atlantic Ocean. He maintained a strict empire and it grew twice the size of the Ghanaian kingdom and contained roughly eight million people which brought Musa Fabulous wealth. (McKay, pg 281) It was the Musa’s pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324 that put the empire on the map. He travelled with thousands of porters and servants that carried six-pound staffs of gold and one hundred elephants each bearing one hundred pounds of gold. On his ay to Mecca, Musa stayed in Egypt and spent and gave away so much gold that there was a devaluation of the local currency and it sparked an inflationary crisis in Egypt as well as depressing world prices of the commodity. Twelve years later, al-Omari, one of the sultan’s officials, recounted. â€Å"This man Mansa Musa spread upon Cairo the flood of his generosity: there was no person, officer of the court, or holder of any office of the Sultanate who did not receive a sum of gold from him. The people of Cairo earned incalculable sums from him, whether by buying and selling or by gifts. So much gold was current in Cairo that it ruined the value of money. † (McKay, pg 281) As a result of Musa’s display of wealth, his fame spread as far as Europ,e where the Catalan map by Abraham Cresques of about 1375 shows Musa seated on a gold throne wearing a gold crown while holding a gold nugget, describing him as â€Å"the riches and most noble king in all the land. † Mansa Musa extended his borders of Mali and set up an effective system of government that had a justice administration that was relatively impartial. The field of diplomacy was able to establish friendly relationships with other African states such as Morocco and Egypt. To help the king in his work, he had judges, scribes, and civil servants that helped to strengthen the administrative machinery of the empire. There were fourteen provinces in Mali that were ruled by governors who were typically famous generals. The others such as the Berber province were governed by their own Sheikhs. All of the provinces administrators were responsible to the Mansa and they were all said to be well paid. Under Musa, Timbuktu began as a campsite for desert nomads and grew into a thriving trading post or entrepot, attracting merchants and traders from North Africa and all parts of the Mediterranean world. In the fourteenth century, Timbuktu developed into a center for scholarships and learning for Architects, Astronomers, Poets, Lawyers, Mathematicians, and Theologians. The tradition and reputation for African scholarships lasted until the eighteenth century. (McKay, pg 282) The rise of the Mali Empires was swift but its decline was gradual. In the fifteenth century, Mali lost its ability to dominate the affairs of the Western Sudan because it became a tiny principality of kangaba. It wasn’t until the seventeenth century that Mali completely lost its political identity as it had broken up into a number of small independent chiefdoms. Between 1337 to 1341 Musa’s son, Maghan I, ruled the Empire. During this period, the Mossi of present day Burkina Faso raided across Manding and devastated Timbuktu. Then the Tuareg of the Sahara conquered the Northern part of the Mali Empire. During the periods of 1360 to 1400 there were as many as six kings and a series of civil wars. During the fifteenth century, the Songhai, under their leader Sunni Ali, conquered Jenne and Timbuktu and replaced Songhai as the most important power in the Western Sudan. Songhai succeeded Mali and became the third great West African empire. (Accessgambia) The Songhai Empire originated in the nineth century as a medieval civilization that was a small principality in West Africa on the banks of the Niger River called Al-kaw kaw. The kingdom had a very fertile area suitable for livestock rearing, agriculture, and fishing. As early as 800 AD, the kingdom made full use of their resources and divided into two specialized professional groups; the Gabibi who were agriculturists and the Sorko who were fishermen. The Songhai borders extended from the central area of present Nigeria to the Atlantic coast and included parts of what is now Gambia, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Guinea and Mauritania. The areasof the land being rich and fertile allowed the people of Songhai to attract traders to their kingdom and become very astute traders and merchants themselves. As early at the tenth century the leaders of Al-kaw kaw moved their capital from Kukia to Gao. Gao became the last stop for three major trade routes. The routes included the trans-Saharan route from Egypt into Fezzan, Ghat and Agedez, the Tripoli and Tunis from Ghat and the route from Algeria and Morocco. During this time is when the Arab traders brought the Islamic influences which contributed to shaping the direction of the empire. In the thirteenth century Gao was part of the Mali Empire and in 1275 Gao managed to break away from Mali. It wasn’t until 1464 when the small kingdom of Gao was transformed into the Songhai Empire and signaled the start of a new royal dynasty. Sources McKay, pgs 280-280 http://www. accessgambia. com/information/african-empires. html http://www. ghanaweb. com/GhanaHomePage/history/ How to cite African Kingdoms and Empires, Essay examples