Something Strange Happens Every Day Essays - Bob Stookey, King

Something Strange Happens Every Day A man, Bob Johnson, leans on a cold, concrete pillar, silently waiting for the train to take him to work. He waits as he has waited for the past seven years of his monotonous, somewhat mechanical existence. He glances calmly at his wristwatch; thirty-seven minutes past eight o' clock in the morning. ?Damn,? he thinks to himself. ?Oh well, they'll have to let me off,? he mumbles to himself, ?it's the first time I've been late in the seven years I've worked there.? So, Bob slowly makes his way to the edge of the platform so as to get a good seat on the train. Around him, people mill around waiting for the same train Bob waits for. Directly behind him, a fat woman sits on a wooden bench holding her designer label bag in her lap, close to her chest. She is obviously very self-conscious and she glances around nervously. Nearby the fat lady, three African-American guys, aged around 20, dressed in ridiculously oversized clothing, listen to a rap song on a portable stereo. To his left, a businessman and his associate stand underneath a train schedule board discussing some important topic. Near him stands a group of Japanese tourists, looking at a half-folded map, trying to figure out the best route to arrive at their destination. Two of them are in a heated argument, speaking very quickly in Japanese. Bob then catches a glimpse of a crowd of school kids heading towards the platform with their chaperones; they are going on a day-trip to the Natural History Museum. While Bob is lost in his silent study of the Human-Being, the advance warning lights lined along the edge of the platform where there is a six foot drop to the train tracks, warning people that the train will arrive in just a few moments. Everybody hears the high-pitched squeal of metal wheels on metal rails, and a sudden rush of air against his face from the fast moving train brings Bob back to his senses. At this moment everyone waiting for the train; the fat lady, the ?homeboys,? the business associates, the tourists and the school group, in amongst a slew of other interesting people; begin crowding the platform where Bob calmly waits to go to work. In all the rushing, panic, and pushing of people, Bob Johnson, who was waiting calmly to get onto the train, somehow gets jostled by the wave of people and topples over. He falls straight into the middle of the tracks. Chaos. Somebody screams, everybody looks, everybody screams, everybody runs. Bedlam takes over; no one knows quite exactly what to do. Bob, after what seems like an eternity, pushes himself slightly off the ground and spits some blood to the gravel floor. Looking straight at the ground, still gathering his senses, he is abruptly hit with a state of shock and confusion. He hears the growing screeching noise of the trains breaks. He looks up and to his right and sees the train's lights and bulking mass, bearing down on him. At the moment just before impact, and Bob's almost-apparent death, some ones muscular hand grabs him by his arm and pulls him off the path of his surefire demise, leaving only Bob's briefcase to be torn apart by the quick-moving train. Every single last muscle in Bob Johnson's body aches and he can't stop himself from shaking. All he feels is adrenalin pumping through his mind, and his body. He finally gains his senses back, and sits up impulsively, and looks around. A feeling of relief floods through him where the adrenalin once did before. It was only a dream. He is now in the comfort of his own bed, he looks over on his bedside stand, at his alarm clock, it is five o' clock in the morning and the sounds of a city gearing up and preparing for a long day fill his head. He gets up and starts his morning routine. He takes a nice refreshing shower, and eats some almost-burnt toast and drinks a glass of orange juice, just as he has showered and eaten breakfast for the past seven years of his monotonous life. As he is getting dressed into

Response Paper to Walter Benjamins The Work of Art in the essays

Response Paper to Walter Benjamins The Work of Art in the essays Response Paper to Walter Benjamins The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction Walter Benjamin discusses the question how and to what extent art and artist and their role in society changed by the means of mechanical reproduction, particularly by the introduction of film and photography. He introduces the term aura , which he defines as a traditional feature of pieces of art as part of the cultural heritage and which he bases, in my opinion, on what he calls the cult value of art, opposed to the exhibition value. He claims that by replacing a unique existence by a plurality of copies the means of mechanical production destroyed a works uniqueness and thus its aura, which was the obverse of the crisis of his days and the renewal of mankind. He derives the cult value of art from ancient times when art was only a part of rituals first referred to as magic and then to as religious ones. In this respect art was mainly meant to be for the spirits or for God and did its service s imply by existing, no matter if it was shown to other men or not. But now the Age of Mechanical Reproduction emancipates the work of art from its dependence on ritual and puts its emphasis on the exhibition value with the significance of art depending on the peoples realization of it and provoking as much their response to it as demanding to be discussed, which goes together with a collective reception of a work of art by an increasing number of people at the same time. The same way as a formerly magic instrument was later recognized as a work of art, the artistic function of todays art with the emphasis on its value by being on view may later, as he suggests, be recognized as incidental , i.e. in favor of a social or political function. With the use of new media in the field of art he sees its work in a totally new context which introduces and even requires some more determining components such as captions giving p...

Multinational Corporation Expansion Research Paper

Multinational Corporation Expansion - Research Paper Example After examining the international market most favorable for expansion, Abercrombie and Fitch should consider entering the Brazilian market as this chosen market maintains national economic policy and market conditions that will provide A&F with considerable opportunities for revenue growth. The first dimension of international finance favorable for Abercrombie & Fitch in Brazil is the movement of financial institutions across international borders, including securities firms, banks and various investment companies. Brazil currently maintains an annual GDP growth rate of five percent annually, influenced by growth in financial institutions both domestic and related to foreign direct investment. Brazil maintains membership with a variety of economic institutions including Mercosur, G20, the World Trade Organization and the Cairns Group, giving the market more exposure in Europe as a viable market for financial investment and institutional development. High volumes of financial lenders and a strong stock market provide economic sustainability that provides for commercial business development and support from governmental leadership. The only legitimate risk in this dimension is that the majority of investment institutions stem from foreign markets and are not being developed by domestic financial institutions that would not be reliant on significant exchange rate differences that impact pricing for exported products. Secondly, Brazil has positive movement of capital across its borders triggered by rising interest in foreign direct investment into Brazil. The International Monetary Fund identified billions of dollars of investment moving into Brazil, including derivatives and new corporate capital development projects. The growth in capital movements into Brazil provide for a more enhanced distribution and supply infrastructure that will benefit Abercrombie and Fitch in relation to marketing expenses and retail center distribution. The risk in this dimension of int ernational finance is that these improvements are private constructions not controlled by governmental regulators whereby a corporate pull-out of investment could limit the scope of infrastructure growth during a period where Brazil is working through a long-lasting economic recovery affecting domestic investment potential and opportunities. The third dimension of international finance relevant to Abercrombie is the regulatory system currently in place that guides economic policy. In the 1990s, Brazil was plagued with considerable inflation (approximately 15 percent annually) that caused a supplementary increase in utility costs, fuel and oil costs, and up to 25 percent interest on corporate and personal credit cards (Selva, 2010). The government has been more adept in recent years at changing index prices and employee wages as well as a variety of consumer price freezes to stimulate spending (Selva, 2010). Continuing governmental influence in economic policy and monetary stimulatio n tactics have reduced risks of ongoing inflation on the consumer price index that will provide A&F with a more stable consumer market where real wages are in-line with expectations for a consumer price index equalized with real GDP. The risk to this dimension of international finance is that not all efforts to curb inflation in certain supply sectors has been achieved, thus adding potential burden to supply budgets in a price-inflated value and supply chain. Brazil is currently the eighth largest economy

The Law of Enterprise Organization Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Law of Enterprise Organization - Assignment Example This is then followed by a discussion of the pros and cons for each investor and for the business as a whole with a focus on Limited Liability Company, Limited Liability Partnership, and â€Å"S" and "C† corporations. Discussion Sole proprietorship In Massachusetts there are no statutory requirements governing the creation of a sole proprietorship. Hence, a sole proprietor interest in the business is represented by the assets of the business, and he or she is not considered as a separate legal entity, in particular for federal income tax. Therefore, every income, loss, credit and profits are taxed under the owner marginal tax level. The other major reason why sole proprietorships cannot benefit this group is that they will each be completely liable for the responsibility of the business to the degree of his or her individual and business assets. Every personal assets committed to the enterprise can be seized to make payments. Even though homeowner insurance can help in excludi ng liabilities arising in the course of the business transaction, they will still need further riders and policies (Griffin 2). Given that the owner of any sole proprietorship is in complete and absolute command of the business such a structure would not work in a group like this due to dissimilar vested interests, ideas, and contributions. General Partnerships General Partnerships would not work very well for this group since the partners would be liable for the debts as well as obligations arising from any wrongful acts by another partner. Specifically when that partner performs during the commonplace itinerary of the business or otherwise acted with the say-so of other partners. This group comprises ambitious people who have their own idea on how to run the business with each seeking to be more active in the management. Hence, any business debt or liabilities due to one of them implies that they will be liable for the risk also as they are legally tied. Therefore, it is going to be difficult to create lasting trust (Miller and Jentz 530). Limited Partnerships Based on the stipulations of Chapter 109, section 2 of the Uniform Limited Partnership Act, a limited partnership would not work very well for this group since it would imply some members possessing minimal level of control and rather limited liability and the one who is active will be liable for any debt or obligation. For instance, to Charlie such a structure would imply him having minimal control of the business since he would not be active, even though he has contributed significant amount of capital and clientele and publicity. Furthermore, the fact that one general partner responsible for running the partnership implies that he or she will be responsible for debts plus liabilities beyond the sum of their contributions, and this would definitely make it hard for any of them to accept to be a general partner, as it will be a great risk on their part. For Leila this would entail placing her parentsà ¢â‚¬â„¢ retirement and property at risk and Andrew and Indira would lose a lot in terms of their contribution, in particular Indira who is willing to mortgage her house as part of her capital contribution (O'Neill and Warda 14). Limited Liability Partnerships Based on the Uniform Partnership Act Chapter 108A, Section 48 one of the key benefits of Limited liability partnerships is that, there is a

Safeguarding Young People Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Safeguarding Young People - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that the world is changing and so are the people living in it. Every day we are bombarded with news of new technology evolving, new cures for the ailing and progress and research in every field. Unfortunately, the changing world has also given us a reason to fear for our safety. Since the 9/11 attacks on the world trade center, terrorism has become the ‘it’ word and our times has seen quite a few examples of terrorism already. The US attacks on Afghanistan and Iraq has instilled fear of attack against all Muslim nations just because terrorism and Islam have time and again wrongly been used concurrently and many times interchangeably. However, the successes and concerns discussed above have all been on the Macro level. It is important that these successes and concerns be judged on an individual level too. At this microscopic level, we can find out lesser issues of life and the little reasons happiness. Scoring a good grade on a term paper might be the source of happiness for a student while family pressures may be a distressing factor. This paper aims to discuss these micro-level problems the youth face in that period from birth becoming young adults. â€Å"Today’s youth is tomorrow’s future†. This adage holds true since children of today will inevitably become important people in the future. Protecting and looking after them is not only a duty of the parents but also of the whole society. Sometime in the future parents will expect their children to look after them, and the society would want that the children take care of the society’s values and beliefs too. ‘Safeguarding’ is the term that is used to describe the caring and protection the youth need against the various harms and risks they unknowingly face each day. (Safeguarding, Page 257) The example in Activity 1 (page 257) helps us to discover the concept and meaning of ‘Safeguarding’. In the example, Carl is described as an outgoing person who hangs out with his friends. He is abused at home so he goes out with some street friends who are of the wrong type and so he gets involved into wrong activities as well resulting in his grades at school to drop. Evaluating this scenario we can say that everybody near him is at a risk of getting hurt. Hanging out with the wrong type of friends may harm the whole society. Being irregular at school and a source of getting bullied also poses risk to the school environment and other students. However a social worker would describe as Carl being at the highest risk. Domestic abuse, bullying, lighting a fire and abusive language are the risks that Carl faces in his life. He might be kicked out of school and since his parents don’t care about him, and end up with his hooligan street friends stealing to live his life and if he gets caught someday, he will end up in prison. This is how easily a person’s life can be destroyed if they are not safeguarded. Therefore it is our binding duty to protect such innocent children and show them the correct path to the future. Problems Faced Children usually perceive their problems to be connected with the broad domains of school, family and friends. These are usually the domains through which the children get to interact with others and learn. Problem such as domestic abuse may lead to pervasive and persistent damage to health. Family and social relationships will inevitably decrease and the child will become anti-social. Getting bullied in school may hamper the education capability of a person and can downgrade the emotional and behavioural development. The child then might just want to hide his social presence and not participate at all in collective activities that are prompted by the society. (Safeguarding, Page 258, 259) (Young People and Welfare, Page 1) It is observed that when young people are able to rid themselves from situations of harm, they make them vulnerable to a different sort of harm that is usually more dangerous. A child, who runs away from home since his father abuses and hits him, might adopt a more passive

Impact of Management and Leadership styles

Impact of Management and Leadership styles Managers are who  do things right  and leaders are who  do the right thing The general concept according to my understanding from various literature reviews are that Leaders leads people and managers manage all things in organization, furthermore to my concepts the important point is that leaders are the people who bring changes in organizations and managers may be considered as people who sustain the day to day organisational activities. The main point in this task 1, to explain the link between Leadership and management of an organisation, here I am elaborating leadership and management of Martin McColl, this organisation having approximately 1,000 outlets and 50,000 employees across United Kingdom, the main focus of the company is on Books, Cards, Magazines, Confectionary, Toys and Drinks etc. Link between strategic management and leadership: Orders which are passed down from leader and the managers role is to pass orders down the chain of command A leader is described as someone who has the capacity to create a vision, and to translate it into action and sustain it (Bennis, 1989), this statement can also be justified as there are differences between management and leadership, although functionally they can be combined in the same individual (John Kotter, 1990). Leadership without Easy Answers by Ronald A. Heifetz, According to In business, we see an evolution of the concept of leadership. For decades, the term leadership referred to the people who hold top management positions and the functions they serve. In our common usage, it still does. Recently, however, business people have drawn a distinction between leadership and management, and exercising leadership has also come to mean providing a vision and influencing others to realize it through non-coercive means. Roosevelt says about link between leaders and managers that People ask the difference between a leader and a boss, the leader works in the open, and the boss in secret. The leader leads and the boss drive. This report review explains the relationship between leaders and managers that they perform on their position within the organization, they work together to achieve the goals of organization. Leaders think about goals and are active instead of reactive in shaping ideas. Managers act to limit choices. Leaders develop fresh approaches to long-standing problems and open issues to new options. A manager is a problem solver- what problems have to be solved and what are the best ways to achieve results? Link between leaders and management has strong impact in organization. Managers Managers administer. Follow the established course. Ensure that people do things. Ensure that people do things better. Leadership Leaders innovate. Establish the course that managers follow. Ensure that people want to do things. Ensure that people do the right things. Ensure that people do better things. Source: international business-society management by Tulder, Zwart. Example in McColl: As I explained the literature review above, I am evaluating these literatures with the help of Martin McColl example. Martin McColl under the Steve Leadership management is very successful. There is a strong link between leader and management. Leader and managers keeps link through video conferences, mails and telephone. Meetings for internal discussions are kept to a set of guidelines intended to maximize productivity, and minimize cost, to achieve a result. Focus is on external parameters, particularly the customer and the image of the company. Priority in Martin is given always to activity that enhances the customer experience, improves efficiency or increases revenue and profitability. There is an enormous level of mutual respect built between the leadership group and the teams. People are appropriately motivated, and rewarded for their performance based upon their motivational modality. It is important to remember here, that not everyone is motivated by a monetary reward, or a standard trophy. A Truly Great Leader understands this, and uses to their advantage. On 28 Nov 2010 major snow fall hits Scotland. There were problems with many routes. Managers must come on time thats managers responsibility. On the day of snow martin McColl managers came on time in all branches while travel was very difficult due to the heavy snow but all managers reached on time and have done their work because it was not easy for anyone to come out house. So that was a great achievement under the best leadership. Managers are also leaders. Link between leaders and management has strong impact in decision making in organization and this impact effect in every place and every area in McColl such as finance, marketing, policies. Impact of management and leadership style on Strategic Decision: Decisions are at the heart of leader success, and at times there are critical moments when they can be difficult Organizations all over the world are deeply concerned with understanding, searching and developing leadership. Regardless of the type of organization, leadership is discerned to play a vital role in establishing high performing teams. Leaders are facing greater challenges than ever before due to the increased environmental complexity and the changing nature of the organization. The current era not only demands having a competitive edge and sustained profitability but also the maintenance of ethical standards, complying with civic commitments and establishing a safe and equitable work environment. Leadership is one of the critical elements in enhancing organizational performance. Being responsible for the development and execution of strategic organizational decisions, leaders have to acquire, develop and deploy organizational resources optimally in order to bring out the best products and services in the best interest of stakeholders. In short, effective leadership is the main cause of competitive advantage for any kind of organization (Zhu et al., 2005; Avolio, 1999; Lado et al., 1992; Rowe, 2001) Decentralised structure: In Martin McColl autocratic leadership style portrays that manager retains as much power and decision making authority as possible. These leadership styles utilize different sources of power and impact differently on the levels and extent to which staff consider them as making a contribution to organizational decision making. Both the quality and extent of staff participation in decision-making tends to wane. Each store of  McColl  has a store manager who can make certain decisions concerning their store. The store manager is responsible to a regional manager senior managers have time to concentrate on the most important decisions. Collaboration with group members: Martin McColl leader makes decisions in collaboration with group members, often using majority rules or similar social decision schemes, whereas a consultative leader makes decisions, after talking with group members about their opinions. Empowerment: McColl managers tend to be more focused on productivity targets and achievement of objectives. Their power is based on their ability to achieve targets, often as a result of quick decisions. Decision making is a form of empowerment. In McColl stores Empowerment is increase motivation and therefore means that staff output increases. Knowledge skills: People lower down the chain have a greater understanding of the environment they work in and the people (customers and colleagues) that they interact with.   This knowledge skills and experience may enable them to make more effective decisions than senior managers. Faster Changes: Participative styles in McColl enabling departments and their employees to respond faster to changes and new challenges. Whereas it may take senior managers longer to appreciate that business needs have changed. 1.2 Example in Martin McColl: Martin McColl is UK based corporate company. Martin McColl has a democratic leadership where subordinates involve in decision-making. Company has a board of directors and Steve is a head of directors.   It is seen that Martin has authoritarian systems in which their people work as directed. Merger and acquisition continued in martin McColl. In 1998 Forbuoys acquired Martin Retail Group which was before RS McColl. In 1999 company launch new convenience concept McColls. In 2004 the company acquired Dillon stores. In 2005 company changed its name to Martin McColl Retail Group and now martin is the UKs leading neighbour retailing group. These changes allow leaders and managers to makes good decisions which give the strength to business. These changes brought many changes such as economic condition been changed, development changed, competition increased this changes brought new markets like stationery stores, specialist card shops. Furthermore supermarkets like Tesco and Sainsburys were selling everything that Martin did. So there was a big competition. Knowledge sharing and strong communication always been there so the strategy of Martin was focus on its core activities and increase, improving buying power sell higher margin items and makes their with sales of newer lines. Company have a wide variety of roles at two head offices in Scotland and Brentwood. Here company centralise core business divisions including Central Retail Operations, Trading, Marketing, Finance, Supply Chain, Business System etc. In all these above cases, management and leaders realized that changes were occurred and react actively. And in all these cases, they responded only when the competition forced them to do so. Conclusion: In making decision, consider the fit between leadership style and the characteristics of organization. Even more important, remember that things change. Look for flexibility. The very best leaders are those who have learned how to shift from one leadership style to another as circumstances demand. If one candidate shows evidence of being able to move smoothly among several of these styles, that may tip the balance. 1.3: Leadership style adaptation to different situation: Leadership style is the typical approach of a particular person used to lead people. Management theorists try to discover one best leadership style for all situations. Researchers say that there are internal and external environments that have significant impact on leader effectiveness. For example in limited external opportunities leaders are constrained by competition, legislation, technology, changing markets and limited resources when making strategic decisions. Fiedler (1967), who conducted extensive research on the situational aspects of leadership effectiveness, identified factors that determine what style of leader performed best. He examined correlations between test scores of leaders and their performance related to situational factors. The relations-motivated leader performs best where the leader position is not strong. Task-motivated leaders perform best when the leader-member relations are good and the leader power position is strong. The latter category represents poor member relations and a weak leader who is attempting to deal with a poor situation. B ecause that situation is unfavourable, Fiedlers model would require a task-oriented leader to keep the situation from falling apart. An obvious alternative would be to replace the leader.   To deal with the issue of matching style to the situation, Vroom and Yetton (1973) developed an approach that deals with leader-subordinate interaction. He recognized that an effective style depended on situational variables including the leaders expertise, the task structure, and the employees willingness to accept a solution. They found that the key elements in sharing of leader power are the maximization of technical effectiveness and subordinate motivation or acceptance. If technical effectiveness is not crucial and motivation and acceptance are not important, the decisions are made by the leader alone. On the other hand, if the technical difficulties are important but motivation is low, the leader attempts to obtain more information. When technical effectiveness is unimportant but motivation and acceptance are high, delegation becomes a useful approach. Finally, if the problem is high on the technical level and there is a need for acceptance, then the decision is shared with the group. The situational determinants of leadership show that there is frequently, but not necessarily optimally, a consistency in the behaviour of a leader when he or she performs in different situations. As the organization grows, team building and the exchange of ideas become more important. Involvement tactics are used more frequently. Now the organizational units are formed and the biggest question is how the work should be divided. This requires negotiation. Once the company is into production, tasks are more routine, but time is critical. This calls for more direction. Throughout, indirection, enlistment, redirection, and repudiation may be used. The tactics and when to use them are summarized in Table 2. According to Daniel Goleman six styles of leading have different effects on the emotions of the target followers and each style appropriately as the circumstances. Which are: Visionary leader, Coaching leader, Democratic leader, Affiliative leader, Pace-setting leader, Commanding leader. As Goleman provides a good framework of leadership styles so I can say that its absolutely true that no leader always leads in a particular style but adapts to situations. Few styles are there including Goleman styles, these styles are generally the most effective. Attached table 1. There are five basis of power Coercive power, Reward power, Expert power, legitimate power, and Referent power. These five bases of power introduced by French and Raven in 1959. Among the five bases of power there are three bases in which the Steve leadership is founded. These are legitimate power, expert power and referent power. Through his position he is able to lead the companys people. His experience in the company makes him very knowledgeable of the company and its customers. He motivates people and constantly empowers them. He is also charismatic. Example of Martin McColl: Employee Relationship: As a participating leadership in the past few years Martin performance and profitability have been transformed by employee engagement; which show a clear improving engagement and improving performance of employee. Martin engaged employees indicate they have a good understanding of how to meet customer needs. Individual employees in companies with strong engagement strategies described to us how their working lives have been transformed for the better. Customer focused strategy: Martin leaders have vision thats why they set objectives of company and have customer retention strategy for this they having promotional sale and delivering newspaper. Martin McColl customers are familiar with what newspapers and magazines in their local store and know the prices they normally paid. As a result, Martin delivering ordered newspapers at their home. Early experiments in began and, by the end of 2008, Martin was making 200 deliveries a week in an area a very small beginning. Ethical behaviour: McColl leadership thinking ethically and behaving ethically in UK thats why they are taking responsible decisions. They reduced to use of plastic bags. Martin corporate social responsibility is concerned with the ways in which an organization exceeds the minimum obligations to stakeholders specified through regulation and corporate governance. Martin negotiating better promotional prices from suppliers that small individual chains are unable to match. The product and service development processes of the martin have been substantially re-engineered, to facilitate better management of product lifecycles and more efficient delivery of wide ranges of products to customers. Product activity has focused on enhancing core ranges and introducing quality products. Martins innovative ways of improving the customer shopping experience, as well as its efforts to branch out into finance and insurance have also capitalized on strong brand reputation Financial Environment: Under great leadership a strong financial performance has been shown by the company over the years, which underlines its strategic capabilities.   According to Data monitor (2010), Martin is a  £ 30billion turnover company recording an increase of 14.9% when compared to 2008. The foremost strategy that has been adopted by the company is the product and services customization in accordance with the market demands.   The efficiency in performance of the company over the last decade can be summarised with the help of growth in following key indicators (Fame, 2010) Diversity: In the past, Martin approach to emerging markets has tended to be almost exclusively from their own perspective, seeing them simply as markets, with little real empathy for the new customers needs and desires. One of the big problems is that the vast majority of senior managers in corporations come from the home county but Martin Company and their leaders always ready to cope with such diversity at top executive level. Environmental factors: In environmentally as Martin entered into more and more partnerships or joint ventures many of which are formed with companies from different cultures. So leaders who are able to create and sustain such relationships give their company a valuable collaborative advantage. In my view, this relationship approach to business represents a major challenge to Martin. By senior executives Martin establishing good personal relationships in which trust and mutual understanding can develop. Corporate culture Founding Vision Company ways of doing things Values system LEADERSHIP STYLES Different Situations Employees relationship Customer focused Production Financial Environment Diversity Environmental factors A good understanding of situation trains leaders to change their style, like a driver changes gear in a car. Martins success had come, despite many siren voices, from persevering with its original model, and Bradley, the companys chief operating ofà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ cer, puts that down to the personal backing of Windsor, Martins low-key chief executive. One solidly based on experience, trust, and judgment. Conclusion Dynamic changing situations require different leader behaviours. These behaviours can take the form of patterns of behaviours termed leadership style, or leadership tactics. Selecting leaders with different leadership styles is inefficient. It is far more effective to select flexible leaders who have the capability of using different tactics under different conditions. While the leaders may occasionally learn to change their styles to suit the circumstances, leadership styles are likely to remain fairly stable overall. Therefore, a certain style affects the leaders/managers managerial decisions over extended periods, with a particular style being more effective under a specific set of circumstance. 2.1 Impact of Theories on organizational strategy: When we think about management and leadership, the image comes in our mind that these are powerful dynamic individual who commands people. Yesterday principles and theories are contemporary and sophisticated. Some overlap and gaps occurs. Current theories fill these gaps and after to study that people are dealing to current situation. There are many theories of management and leadership, these are defined as: Behavioural theory, Contingency theory, Functional theory, Great man theory, Situational theory, Trait theory, Transactional theory, Transformational theory. Major models and approaches are: Adaptive leadership and appreciative leadership Many leaders and managers have his or her own style. Some common styles are: Autocratic, Bureaucratic, Democratic, and Laissez-faire. There is a difference between theories and leadership models that leadership theory is an explanation of some aspect of leadership, these are used to better understand and control successful leadership and leadership model is an example for use in a given situation. Each one has strengths and weaknesses, and each one has its appropriate uses. Here I am selected two current management and leadership theories which are Transactional leadership and Transformational Leadership. Transactional and transformational leadership has been of great interest to many researchers in the current era. Adopting either transformational and transactional leadership behaviour helps in the success of the organization (Laohavichien et al., 2009). This might be the reason that different authors of the recent past considered transactional and transformational leadership as predicating variables and investigated their relatedness with other criterion variables. Both transformational leadership and transactional leadership help in predicting subordinates satisfaction with their leaders (Bennett, 2009) Transformational Leadership: Transformational leadership theory has captured the interest of many researchers in the field of organizational leadership over the past three decades. This theory was developed by Burns (1978) and later enhanced by Bass (1985, 1998) and others (Avolio Bass, 1988; Bass Avolio, 1994; Bennis Nanus, 1985; Tichy Devanna, 1986). The major premise of the transformational leadership theory is the leaders ability to motivate the follower to accomplish more than what the follower planned to accomplish (Krishnan, 2005). Transformational leadership has four components: idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration (Bass, 1985). Burns postulated that transformational leaders inspire followers to accomplish more by concentrating on the followers values and helping the follower align these values with the values of the organization. Research has also shown that transformational leadership impacts employee commitment to organizational change (Yu, Leithwood, Jantzi, 2002) and organizational conditions (Lam, Wei, Pan, Chan, 2002). Due to its impact on organizational outcomes, transformational leadership is needed in all organizations (Tucker Russell, 2004). Transformational leadership identifying and developing core values and unifying purpose, developing leadership and effective followership, utilizing interaction-focused organizational design, and building interconnectedness (Hickman, 1997, p. 2). Transformational leaders work to bring about human and economic transformation. Within the organization they generate visions, missions, goals, and a culture that contributes to the ability of individuals, groups, and the organization to practice its values and serve its purpose (Hickman, 1997, p. 9). These leaders are reliable leaders who generate commitment from followers which results in a sense of shared purpose (Waddock Post, 1991). The leaders ability to inspire, motivate, and foster commitment to a shared pur pose is crucial (Bass, Waldman et al., 1987). According to Bass and Avolio, transformational leaders display behaviours associated with five transformational styles wich are attached in table 4. Organizational culture: According to Schein (1985, 1995), the leaders beliefs, values, and assumptions shape the culture of the organization and these beliefs, values, and assumptions are then taught to other members of the organization. Schein also stated that leaders have the power to embed organizational culture through various methods such as mentoring, role modeling, and teaching. Bass and Avolio (1993). Organizational Vision Transformational leadership has four components: idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration (Bass, 1985) which involves motivating people, establishing a foundation for leadership authority and integrity, and inspiring a shared vision of the future (Tracey Hinkin, 1998). Idealized influence and inspirational motivation are connected with the leaders ability to formulate and articulate a shared vision (Dionne, Yammarino, Atwater, Spangler, 2004). Transformational leadership creates a desire for people to work as a team, in an enjoyable and non-threatening culture, yet always with an expectation of excellence. It creates a How To approach to problem solving and development of new concepts, it allows for early warnings of imminent threats and weaknesses in the organization and strongly encourages celebration of strengths and aggressive pursuit of suitably qualified opportunities. Transformational Leadership is demonstrated from the highest level in the organization, and rewarded all the way through the management layers. It is charismatic, passionate and inspirational and attracts the very best candidates for available roles. Everyone in the organization clearly understands the culture, goals and expectations of the organization. Transactional Leadership: Transactional leadership is cantered on leader follower exchanges. Followers perform according to the will and direction of the leaders and leaders positively reward the efforts. The baseline is reward which can be negative like punitive action, if followers fail to comply with or it can be positive like praise and recognition, if subordinates comply with the intent and direction settled by a leader and achieve the given objectives. Four core facets of transactional leadership as described by Schermerhorn et al., (2000) are contingent rewards, active management by exception, and passive management by exception. Example of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs Leadership Styles: Bill Gates is a businessman, and chairman of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen. Gates is one of the best known entrepreneurs of personal computer revolution. Steve jobs business magnate and inventor. He is well-known for being the co-founder and chief executive officer of Apple. Both have Transformational leadership style but both transformation styles have different impact on business in same industry. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs Leadership style: Bill Gates leadership is participative style because he involves his subordinate in decision making. He is a flexible person and he recognized his role was to be visionary of the company. Whenever needed he bring professional manager for managing and well structure of the organization? Gates is a strong and energizing person his enthusiasm, hardworking  nature, judgment skills reflect his personality. His motivating power and involving his friends to working with him became the success of Microsoft. On the other hand, Steve Jobs leadership is autocratic style, because he centralizes the authority, he never given a chance to subordinate to involving decision making. He thinks that whatever he do is right. His  relation with employees not good, he fails to motivate his employees in many times. Sometimes he acts as anti-Gates, and sometimes request Microsoft to develop software for his computer.  His cocky attitude and lack of management skills became a threat of APPLES succe ss. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs both gave their heart souls to developing their vision to develop personal computer,  but the way they choose was different from other. Bill gates develop computer language new Altair 8080 pc which became the foundation of Microsoft. Bill continuously develops two other computer languages. When IBM develops their first pc and which need operating system to run the computer,  Microsoft develops MS-DOS for IBM. Gates adopting the changes very fast that are his enthusiasm vision and hardworking give him the success. Gates always recognized him as a visionary he always recognize professional management, he decentralize authority to make organization structure better. On the other hand Steve Jobs started apple computer which is hard ware making company. His vision to develop computer with affordable cost and easy to use. When Bill offer the basic to jobs then he rejected jobs proposal and try to develop their own basic without knowledge of programming, he fail and accept license with Microsoft basic. Jobs play duel personality sometimes he oppose Microsoft sometimes request Microsoft to develop software for their operating system. Jobs force people to choose between Microsoft-IBM operating system and his MAC-operating system. Lack of proper management skills and relation  with employees became a barrier of APPLEs growth. Impact of Management and leadership theories on organizational strategy. With the success of windows, Office Application and Internet explorer Microsoft became a house hold name and Bill gates became as business genius. Bill Gates adopting the changes very fast his innovative mind all time busy to developing products. Recent Microsoft develops a number of products like smartphone with loaded Microsoft window.   On the other hand APPLE goes wrong direction in 1990s. Because Steve Jobs is very slow to adopting changes thats the main reason falling the market share. When Jobs realize changes is the only way to survive the market then apple develops innovative iMac which is internet friendly stylist computer.  After sometime Apple gains market. With the iPhone, Apple TV,  and name charges job co are setting a new course for the outfit  once knows only for its computer. The new name and device represent APPLEs strategic shift away from its  origins as a personal computing company that has at point struggled both survive and to set the computing worlds agenda. 2.2 Leadership strategy that supports organizational direction: Transformational leaders also help in the acceptance of organizational change (Bommer et al., 2004) Transactional leadership style provides high satisfaction and organizational identification. (Wu, 2009; Epitropaki and Martin, 2005). Transformational and transactional leadership strategy support organizational direction in term of efficiency, reliability, innovation and adaptation, turnaround leadership etc. Efficiency: In apple company Transformational leadership more effective at creating and sharing knowledge at the individual and group levels, while transactional leadership is more effective at exploiting knowledge at the organizational level. Reliability: Computers are an important investment and in todays economy, more than ever, its important for consumers to know the reliability of the product they are purchasing. Apple  reliability  report, Rescuecom revealed that Apple scored the highest with 700 points, with Panasonic following in on its footsteps with a score of 489. In a descending manner, Lenovo, Toshiba, and HP were listed with scores cumulating 393, 299, and 184 points, respectively. Innovation:

Awakenings :: Essays Papers

Awakenings Many people experience events that will alter their lives forever. These events may be for the better, or perhaps for the worst. Either way, life will most likely never be the same. It is, however, the way one responds to these events that is most significant. The stories of Alice Sebold and Edna Pontellier differ greatly from one another. Both women, nevertheless, find themselves entering into a new chapter of their lives. While their stories are different, the issues that they face are similar. Alice and Edna both experience awakenings throughout the course of their stories. Lucky, by Alice Sebold, is a memoir of her rape during her freshmen year of college at Syracuse University. It is a detailed, and sometimes painful, story of her struggle to deal with and eventually rise above this traumatic event. Throughout the book, Alice experiences things, people, and events that lead and even push her to her awakening. The novella, â€Å"The Awakening†, by Kate Chopin, is written about a woman in the 1800’s, named Edna Pontellier. Although the book is written about a very different time period, the issues that come up are timeless. Edna struggles with finding her happiness in a society that places restraints and limits on what is acceptable from a woman. Both women resolved to make the best of their situations. Alice pursued legal actions against her rapist, and was victorious. She worked hard to emotionally, mentally, and physically overcome her rape. Alice remarked, â€Å"You save yourself, or you remain unsaved† Sebold, pg 61. Edna too found strength within herself to change her situation. She began to change her life despite of what was considered socially acceptable at the time. She opened the doors of intellectual and sexual deviances. One common factor in both Edna and Alice’s story was that they did not feel like they fit in with their friends and family from the beginning.

Academic development Essay

Continuing education is always a means of empowering oneself towards being able to offer more as a professional and as an individual sincere in making a difference in this world. In this era of technology and modernization many young people become immediately satisfied with the monetary benefits of a college or a master’s degree and only few see the value in aiming for a doctor’s degree. Personally, I believe that many of these young people are correct in saying that even with a college and master’s degree economic benefits can already tide one over the laps of luxury because the world is in need of technology experts and specialists. However, I also consider pursuing a doctor’s degree in the spirit of paying it forward. While I already have a masters degree and can easily enrich myself economically, I am at the point in my life where I am more concerned with what I can give to society and the world, and not with what I can take from it. I am a dynamic and detail-oriented young professional aiming for more opportunities to be able to change and make the world a better place for all of us. I used to work at the Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Humanitarian City where I was recognized by the management as a professional and dedicated employee. See more:  Manifest Destiny essay I earned my bachelor’s degree in Computer and Information Sciences from the King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 2007 after which I immediately proceeded to earn my Masters Degree in the Science in Management Information Systems from the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom. This particular master’s degree had special focus on Business Process Management based on the SAP System, Strategic Information Management, Information Systems Development, and Financial Management. My dedication and diligence in my academics paid off as I graduated from my master’s degree with Merit. Now, I seek to proceed and earn my doctors degree to finally seal my educational journey and become more capable of making significant contributions to the field of information technology. My experience in the field is varied. I personally handled and conducted demonstrations on a new ERP project for automating HR processes in a 400-bed rehabilitation hospital & medical center. This particular project helped the beneficiaries of the project a lot and it made me feel contented with being able to extend my technical knowledge in the service of others. In terms of knowledge transference, I was also involved in presentations on Tesco electronic channels as well as electronic commerce and ERP systems. I always feel like I am doing something important when I am able to share knowledge with other people and enable beneficiaries to appreciate the importance of technology. I am also an advocate of improved government systems as well as the enhancement of basic services. In the past years, I have completed a dissertation on E-Government, titled, â€Å"Evaluating User Acceptance of Electronic Government in Saudi Arabia†. In keeping with my advocacies, I have also written critical analyses on business comparisons for Dell and EasyJet Airlines and BMW’s recession strategy. To add to these, I have composed reports on the use of SAP in the ERP system of Porsche as well as on artificial intelligence and operating system security. All these I did in the spirit of making basic services more efficient and more user-friendly. I have also collected requirements during strategic meetings with HR and finance senior managers, built plans to improve business processes with automation, facilitated re-engineering business processes for a new ERP system implementation for finance and human resources, and created an education institute website with a team; wrote an evaluation report. On the outset, I do not consider what I have done as academic, professional, or personal achievements because I am more concerned with the changes that I am able to effect. In all these things, I had in tow my acquired excellent communication and human relations skills which I found very useful especially in explaining technological innovations to my clients and beneficiaries in very simple and understandable terms. Apart from being diligent in trying to improve myself my true passion is in seeing the changes that I effect significantly influence the organizations that I have worked for and with. My doctor’s degree will therefore help me do more of what I had already been doing and build my capacities more in my advocacy of seeing better governments and improved basic services. The ultimate beneficiaries of all these are of course the public at large who are at the end of the receiving chain. So, while pursuing a doctor’s degree is in fact a means of academic development, I view it as an opportunity for each of us to improve ourselves with the focus of improving the lives of others. At a time when technology is almost everywhere and when technology seems to be the basis for many of our daily activities, it is very important that each individual acquire a deeper and richer appreciation for technological innovations and advancements which are instrumental not only in making our lives convenient but also in raising the standard of living for society. It would be my great pride to be part of the wave of technology that is currently sweeping all over the globe. I am confident that with a doctor’s degree I would be able to leave behind a legacy of difference with all the people who have benefitted from my tutelage as well as with all those who enjoy the conveniences of technology in areas where technology was previously unheard of. My desire to pursue my doctor’s degree is done in the sincere dedication to the welfare of all and to the advancement of technology in the service of man.

Free Essays on Effects of Television Violence on Children

The Effects of Television Violence on Children What is wrong with our world these days? It seems like everywhere someone looks, violence tend to exist. We see it in streets, alleys, schools and even at home. The one that exist at home is the major source of violence. In many people’s homes there is an instrument for violence that often goes unnoticed. It is the television, and children who view it are often dragged into a world filled with bloodshed. Television violence causes children to be violent and the affects can be life long. Research shows that television is definitely a major source of violent behavior in children. Some are fighting this problem, others are just ignoring it and hoping it will go away. Violent television viewing does affect children; and this information can’t be ignored. There are many number of cases to prove the effects of television violence destroying children’s minds. Not only does television violence affect the child’s youth, but it also affects his/her future. Many believe that exposure to these sort of violence might unnaturally sped up the child’s impact of the adult world. This can force the child into a premature maturity. The effects of television violence can be long lasting. Television violence can disrupt a child’s learning and thinking ability, which will cause long lasting problems. If a child cannot do well in school because of television, his/her whole future will be in jeopardy. Why do children like the violence that they see on television? I believe it is because the violence on television is more exciting and thrilling than the ones we encounter in real life. The television violence can cause actual violence in number of ways. One way would be; after viewing television violence the real world becomes weak and boring in comparison. Therefore the child will create violence to keep him/herself satisfied. The other reason why the enjoy television violence is that they f... Free Essays on Effects of Television Violence on Children Free Essays on Effects of Television Violence on Children The Effects of Television Violence on Children What is wrong with our world these days? It seems like everywhere someone looks, violence tend to exist. We see it in streets, alleys, schools and even at home. The one that exist at home is the major source of violence. In many people’s homes there is an instrument for violence that often goes unnoticed. It is the television, and children who view it are often dragged into a world filled with bloodshed. Television violence causes children to be violent and the affects can be life long. Research shows that television is definitely a major source of violent behavior in children. Some are fighting this problem, others are just ignoring it and hoping it will go away. Violent television viewing does affect children; and this information can’t be ignored. There are many number of cases to prove the effects of television violence destroying children’s minds. Not only does television violence affect the child’s youth, but it also affects his/her future. Many believe that exposure to these sort of violence might unnaturally sped up the child’s impact of the adult world. This can force the child into a premature maturity. The effects of television violence can be long lasting. Television violence can disrupt a child’s learning and thinking ability, which will cause long lasting problems. If a child cannot do well in school because of television, his/her whole future will be in jeopardy. Why do children like the violence that they see on television? I believe it is because the violence on television is more exciting and thrilling than the ones we encounter in real life. The television violence can cause actual violence in number of ways. One way would be; after viewing television violence the real world becomes weak and boring in comparison. Therefore the child will create violence to keep him/herself satisfied. The other reason why the enjoy television violence is that they f...

5 Questions to Always Ask at an Internship Interview

5 Questions to Always Ask at an Internship Interview You’re all prepped and ready, and you’ve sailed through your internship interview. You’re all dressed up and feeling like a power adult and then: WOMP. The interviewer asks you a question you will probably come to dread in your job-searching life, but aren’t quite prepared for now: â€Å"What questions do you have for us?† Even seasoned pros can get tripped up at this point in an interview. But you can dazzle your interviewer by not skipping a beat and asking the following five questions in your internship interview. Plus, you’ll get necessary information you probably didn’t realize you needed.1. How would you describe the work culture here?Getting a feel for the atmosphere, the pace, the camaraderie or lack thereof, is really important in determining whether you’d be a good fit. Ask the recruiter to sketch out what happens in a typical day. Whether there is an established routine, and how exact it is.2. What is your favorite as pect of working for this company?They probably won’t be expecting this one, so it’s your chance to turn the tables a bit. Push for a real answer. (Though you probably won’t have to; remember the interview process is also about the hiring manager selling you on the job. Give them the chance to sweeten it up for you!)3. What have interns done before me that really made them stand out?This does double duty. It shows you’re hungry to impress them and excel, and it also gives you a great leg up, if you were to land the position, on how to hit the ground running. Listen very carefully, and take good notes.4. Is there anything I can clarify for you?And the follow-up: â€Å"Or any hesitations about my qualifications?† It’s bold and assertive without being too pushy and shows that you’re eager to prove your worth to them while being sensitive to their precise needs for the position.5. What will the next step in this process be?You know youâ₠¬â„¢re going to go home and sweat this out. But you probably don’t realize you’re allowed to ask for a ballpark timeline of what to expect and when. It’s also a great way to bring an interview to a close. If they say they’re still interviewing for another 4-6 weeks, then you’ll know not to sit at home by your phone for the next month.Note any important dates in your calendar, and make sure to leave a friendly and positive impression as you leave the office. Eventually, this process will get easier!

Child marriage in Tanzania Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Child marriage in Tanzania - Essay Example Early marriage is a deadly practice that exposes a girl to numerous health challenges. One among them is the psychological trauma of being exposed to adulthood responsibilities before the child is fully mature. Most of the girls are married off to men that are much older than them, and even fit to be called their fathers. In the marriage, the man they are married to and his relatives expose them to physical abuse and assault. Early marriage also denies the child a chance to grow and enjoy her childhood. She is forced to behave like a woman as she takes upon the responsibilities that are too big for her. The girl is also denied the chance to attend school and achieve her dreams as she is looked at as property rather than a person with an independent mind. Most of the girls become pregnant at very tender ages before their reproductive systems are fully mature. Early marriage is a mentality that is deep rooted in the Maasai communities in Tanzania. A woman has no say in any matters that pertain to her life. The mentality implies that the men are the overall decision makers and the women have to agree to them, whether they think it is right or not. From the film, we realize that the mothers of the girls have no power to stop their husbands from marrying off their daughters at a tender age. Circumcision, commonly known as female genital mutilation is a cultural practice that binds women regarding making decisions. The women cannot say no to the practice, which is usually a sign that they are ready for marriage.

Health Care Reform Explained Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Health Care Reform Explained - Coursework Example This way, the government foresees the rise of insurance companies a feature that will enhance competition in the industry thereby improving the quality of the overages and the number of insured Americans. Exchange programs will enable citizens to change their insurance services providers in case they change location throughout the country. Furthermore, the law will discourage insurance companies from failing to insure children with preexisting medical conditions such as asthma among others (United States, 2011). Among the groups of people the act will affect are medical practitioners, employers and the government (Barr, 2011). Medical practitioners are likely to experience an increase in the number of patients. As such, the law promises to better their working condition and improve their pay thereby motivating them to work harder. Employers will have to insure their employees. Insurance is always a costly affair and most employers prefer it when their employees insure themselves. With the new law, the government will provide incentives and grants to insurance service providers and tax incentives to employers thereby ensuring that they benefit when they insure their employees. The federal government on the other hand will have to increase its expenditure in order to ensure the success of the law. United States. (2011).  The consequences of Obamacare: Impact on Medicaid and state health care reform : hearing before the Committee on Energy and Commerce, House of Representatives, One Hundred Twelfth Congress, first session, March 1, 2011. Washington: U.S.