American Popular Culture: Trends and How They Affect

American Popular Culture soc/105 August, 22, 2013 In late 19th century America made two tempting and attractive promises; freedom and land (The Johns Hopkins University, 2002). These promises brought many immigrants with the hope of seeing their dreams realized. America today is a multicultural country provides shelter to thousands of immigrants with different cultural background. The Oxford Dictionary define culture as â€Å"the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively: 20 century popular culture† (â€Å"Culture,† 2013).The paper American popular culture attempted to emonstrate what popular culture is, three major trends founds in American popular culture, and how it affects personal decisions. In an anthropological sense, popular culture definition given by the authors of Common Culture: Reading and Writing about American Popular Culture, is â€Å"the shared knowledge and practices of a specific group at a specific timeâ⠂¬  (Petracca & Sorapure, 2007, p. 4). Popular culture represents everyday elements. Popular culture is linking to a specific time and place.For that reason may be popular culture may be transient, subject to any changes and also can e an in initiator of change (Petracca & Sorapure, 2007). Today, the United States is the chief manufacturer of popular culture goods. For this reason American pop culture is spread around the world through a varieties ot systems as newspapers, television programs, movies, fast foods, fashion, music, and other trends . There are numerous of trends. Three trends that seem to be those of major influences in American style life today are advertising, television, and technology.Those trends sometimes worked in our favor, but many people argued that they have been armful to the human life, especially those subjects relates with themes of economic and human personal interactions. Following an illustration of how those trends influences person's life. Laura wa nts to have some fun, so she decided to enroll in a tennis team. Laura knew that probably she will need to have some expenses, so she designed a budget for what she thought will be her cost to play tennis. Exciting she meets the others team's members but what happens was not expected.Her intention of fun turned into a very competitive, stressful, and expensive experience. Her idea of he expenses needs to include too, her team's expenses goals. Team's principal focus was to looks impeccable. Laura's first plan was to wear any sport clothes with an accessible price, but wait a moment, for the team presence comes first even when that imply high expenses. Meeting the team's demands Laura needs to buy the best racquet. Second, was â€Å"necessary' that she makes sure to buy brand new tennis' outfit from the Nike store, especially that outfit that Monica Puig wore at the Wimbledon tournament.To wear that cloth meant a tremendous suffering for Laura who was esperate because of her five ex tra pounds. She wanted to look as skinny as Monica does. Feeling overwarming for her five extra pounds, she decides to continue with her mission. Another important matter was not to forget accessories like the polarized sunglasses, Oakley's last edition, tennis hat, tennis shoes, and the socks. It is not necessary to mention that the accessories should combine with the Nike's outfit tennis, they must be the same color and brand, because remember â€Å"first dead than simple. Laura knows that her budget was out of control, but it was too late. The most important thing for her was that she was part of that â€Å"fantastic team. † This demonstration was to shown how advertising and some â€Å"rules of beauty' affected a person's decision- making. Advertising continually provokes an excessive consumerism. Roy Fox an America Journalist mentioned that people consume more than they produce (Petracca & Sorapure, 2007, p. 58). The advertising is not the only trend influencing Americ an popular culture; other major trend is the television.People are crazy to get into their homes and to fall into that recline able sofa with the TV control in hands. They barely talked to their children or their couple. Probably before watch the TV they will have more knowledge. For sure they will be aware about what is happening around the world, but their family relation is affects by that intruder that live with them. The technology is a main contributor for improvements in Jobs, academic studies, cyber-communications, and much more. However, technology has brought to our society many difficult situations as well.Some of the results of the advance technology are violence, pornography, psychological problems specially, in children who are constantly expose to violence video games, and lack of privacy. Sullivan (2006) said â€Å"the 21st century equivalent of being caught naked† (par. , 5) Today nobody knows if someone is watching or monitoring us. As demonstrated earlier, American popular culture has grown tremendously and with it, diversity, technological advances, better ways to communicate at long distance, medical advances, and so much more.Humans nas been under the control ot various predominant trends especially, those promoted by big Industries in the commercial fields. Societies are so into the new things that they are not paying attention to the cost of that way of living. People are unconsciously spending in things that they do not need, living by ridiculous standards of â€Å"beauty' having as a result young teenagers and adults with a bad mental and physical conditions. People need to be conscious and to make good uses of the advantages than has been given in this times, but do not forget to have precaution and to be alert of possible dangers.

Chief Justice Earl Warren

In the Brown vs Board of Education, the United States Supreme Court ruled against segregation in public schools. According to a unanimous decision which was delivered by Chief Justice Earl Warren himself, the â€Å"separate but equal† principle which had been adopted in connection with Plessy v. Fergusson could not be applied to public education (Brown v. Board of Education). Immediately after the decision was handed down, people for and against the ruling reacted accordingly. Newspapers not only published articles which either hailed or supported the court decision but resorted to cartoons as well.The message of the first cartoon is very clear: the United States Supreme Court, the highest court of the land, declares to all and sundry that according to its interpretation of the constitution of the country, specifically the Fourteenth Amendment, there should be no segregation in education. This was reminiscent of the reaction published in the Times of New York on May 18, 1954 e ntitled â€Å"All God’s Chillun† which said that Jefferson and company, in declaring the independence proclaimed â€Å"that all men were, and ought to be, equal before the law.If men are equal, children are equal, too. There is an even greater necessity in the case of children, whose opportunities to advance themselves and to be useful to the community may be lost if they do not have the right to be educated† (Brown v. Board of Education). In the second cartoon, the slow reaction towards racial integration in the southern states is depicted. It was meant to show that after the decision on Brown v.Board of Education, desegregation in education was not being implemented in the south fast enough, the reason why a man garbed in a graduation gown and cap is offering the use of a race horse so that the plow could be pulled much faster, thereby desegregating public schools more rapidly. It should be remembered that the people in the south did not openly welcome the des egregation ruling of the Supreme Court. As pointed out by a May 18, 1954 article in the University of Virginia’s Cavalier Daily, â€Å"To many people this decision is contrary to a way of life and violates the way in which they have thought since 1619† (Brown v.Board of Education). The third cartoon shows the use of an anvil, hammer and chisel to cut the chain that had manacled public education to racial segregation. It was a sort of a euphoric celebration resulting from the Supreme Court decision. In a way, it showed the power of the Supreme Court in dealing with basic human rights issues such as the education segregation. â€Å"Equality Redefined,† a May 18, 1954 report published in the Boston Herald, hailed the ruling and stated that it was a healthy sign that the country’s Constitution was alive and serving its intended purpose, saying that desegregation was an expediency of the time (Brown v. Board of Education).Finally, the fourth and last cartoon p roclaimed that the Supreme Court decision desegregating the public schools proved to be a very potent weapon for democracy that dealt a crushing blow to racial segregation. The cartoon was a fitting illustration of a reaction printed in the May 18, 1954 issue of the Chicago Defender which said that â€Å"Neither the atom bomb nor the hydrogen bomb will ever be as meaningful to our democracy as the unanimous decision of the Supreme Court of the United States that racial segregation violates the spirit and letter of our Constitution† (Brown v. Board of Education).Cartoons are a powerful form of political commentary even today. While it is undeniably true that printed words, in the hands of a wordsmith, acquire an overpowering effect toppling even feared dictators, cartoons have proven even more effective than any printed matter. Cliches and poetry have been used to compare the two. While it has been said that the â€Å"pen is mightier than the sword,† was it not also wri tten that â€Å"a picture paints a thousand words? †The four cartoons described above were no doubt effective relative to the period after the Supreme Court decision re Brown v. Board of Education because of the powerful message that they conveyed. For instance, the cartoon showing an exploding bomb accurately brings home the message that the desegregation of public schools was an overwhelming event, more powerful in its effect than the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima several years earlier. Work Cited â€Å"Brown v. Board of Education. † Landmark Supreme Court Cases. 2002. 11 September 2007. http://www. landmarkcases. org/brown/opinion1. html

Management - Structure, Culture, Define, & Estimate Essay

Management - Structure, Culture, Define, & Estimate - Essay Example The main difference between projects and organizations lies in their size, as projects are smaller than organizations. In addition, organizations are permanent, while projects are temporary. Therefore, projects are a representation of the larger organizations, as they both exhibit similar processes and design principles. Both projects and organizations are unique as no project or organization can fully resemble another. In organizations and projects, a group of people, who ensure that the objectives of the project or organization are met, form a team that works together. Additionally, for organizations and projects to succeed, they require skills, techniques, knowledge, and tools, which are all provided by the employees in both cases, ensuring the attainment of objectives. Both elements also have a fixed budget, which helps in the sustenance of their operations. The resources of organizations and projects are limited, hence the need for them to ensure a reliable supply of resources, on exhaustion of the ones at hand. All projects have sponsors, who are responsible for guiding the processes of the project and ensuring achievement of the project’s objectives. Most organizations too have sponsors who perform similar roles (Harrington, 2006). There is a great extent of resemblance between the management of a project and organizational management. For the achievement of organization’s objectives, there must be processes and management systems for success of the organization. In organizational management, important pillars include planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. In both cases, there is a management team, which is responsible for controlling and overseeing operations involved. Finally, projects and organizations go through similar processes of planning, execution, and control (Harrington, 2006). In conclusion, it is agreeable that projects are a smaller version of the larger organization, because of the greater extent of

Photosynthesis,Chromosomes,DNA Structure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Photosynthesis,Chromosomes,DNA Structure - Essay Example Photosynthesis, Chromosomes, and DNA Structure: Photosynthesis is a process that primarily occurs in plants. As Postman (2010, p.200) describes, in this process, green plants make use of light energy and forms organic compounds. The solar energy is stored in the chrolophyll present in the chloroplasts of plants. Atmospheric carbon dioxide and water are combined with the stored energy from light resulting in formation of glucose. In the process, oxygen is released into the air. Although the process primarily occurs in plants, however there are certain other organisms and bacteria also that perform this function. Cummings in his studies discussed about the understanding of the structures of DNA and chromosomes, and the organization of DNA in chromosomes. Chromosomes were discovered as the components of a cell that carried genes. Studies were conducted to identify the nature of the genes that are carried by the chromosomes as well as the nucleus of the cell. Several studies over the yea rs identified and recognized that as far as bacteria are concerned, DNA proves to be the genetic material. The chemistry of DNA reflects that nucleotides are the subunits that form the nucleic acids, DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and RNA (ribonucleic acid). A base, a sugar and a group of phosphate comprise the structure of each nucleotide. Adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine are four base components of DNA. The sugar that is contained in the DNA is known as deoxyribose. Polynucleotides may be formed through linkages of nucleotides resulting in formation of chains. There are two such polynucleotide chains in DNA (Cummings, 2010, p.193). The two polynucleotide chains in DNA are placed in opposite direction. These chains are held with the help of hydrogen bonds located between corresponding bases in the converse strands. A right handed helix is formed as the two strands wind around each other. DNA goes through the process of replication where the strands of DNA are separated through proteins. The base sequence in the template strand is read by DNA polymerase while nucleotides are inserted in the complementary strands. As far as the organization of DNA in chromosomes is concerned, studies reveal that DNA is coiled around groups of histones resulting in formation of nucleosomes. Fibers are often formed as the nucleosomes gets supercoiled widening at right angles to the chromosomal axes. It has been obtained that the chromosomal structures are dynamic in nature such that it allows the uncoiling and recoiling in the different stages of cell cycle (Cummings, 2010, p.193). DNA is the hereditary material mostly in human beings and in other organisms. DNA has the ability to replicate and it can lead to formations of RNAs or proteins (Cells and DNA, 2012). Photosynthesis on the other hand is primarily a phenomenon associated with green plants. It is through the process of photosynthesis that green plants are capable of growing their roots, stems, leaves, flowers and fru its. It is due to this particular phenomenon that plants are considered as the producers and hence they are the basic food materials for every food chain and for every other living organism. While the functions of DNA and chromosomes are internal to a human body or body of an organism, the process of photosynthesis is also beneficial towards nature, ecology and the environment. It is because through

Social Topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Social Topic - Essay Example Of all of the diseases which are passed along socially, HIV and AIDS are the most feared and misunderstood. The purpose of this paper is to examine and research the social disease known as HIV and AIDS. When talking about any disease, even sexually transmitted diseases, it is important to know that diseases are not prejudice. Yes, there is genetically inherited diseases which take place with respect to an individual’s genotype and there are social diseases that result from certain cases of being exposed or from people’s behavior, like unsafe sex. Diseases however are a medical problem and are without human prejudice. Diseases, whether bacterial in nature or viral in nature, are opportunists and will take over and infect any available living thing that meets their needs. In other words, a viral infection does not simply take over in those with a type of orientation or religion. It happens when host is available. When the first reports of HIV and AIDS came into view in the 1980’s, a sexual revolution had ended and then it came a deadly STD where before that, only menacing STD’s were around. Because of the medical scare attached to HIV and AIDS, people responded as they have for millennia with a need to find blame. The 1980’s also brought in the beginning of a socially acceptable alternative to the strait life style. For many, this meant an easy scapegoat. The many gay men just gaining a sense of social acceptance were quickly labeled as carriers and/or spreaders of HIV and AIDS. The truth of the matter however, is that HIV is a virus which is spread through certain ways. This in actuality, has nothing to do with whether a person is gay or straight but rather whether the person has had unprotected sex or has been infected with HIV positive blood. To better understand how HIV is spread, it is important to mention that HIV is categorized as a ‘retro virus’. A r etro virus is a virus that can be contracted but can then lay inactive for a

Tort of Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Tort of Law - Essay Example c injury to liability will also turn on questions relative to the duty of care and the extent to which that duty can be extended to Peggy and her injury was reasonably foreseeable.4 Ian’s possible defence turns on whether or not he can legitimately claim contributory negligence or non volenti fit injuria on the part of the victim: Ben.5 To begin with, a duty of care exists in cases where injury of the kind suffered is reasonably foreseeable, there is proximity between the parties, and the imposition of a duty of care is fair.6 In determining whether or not a duty of care exists it is also necessary to ascertain if the defendant assumed the duty of care and if the plaintiff could have reasonably relied on the fact that the defendant assumed the duty of care.7 In assessing the duty of care in potential claims against WTW and Marcus it is necessary to examine the duty of care in respect of claims for pure economic loss: monetary award where no physical damages are claimed.8 In Hedley Bryne v Heller, it was established that liability for pure economic loss in cases of negligent misstatement arise where the plaintiff is relying on the advice or information of the defendant based upon trust that the defendant will exercise a degree of care and knew or ought to have known that the plaintiff was relying on that information and/or advice.9 In addition, the defendant is required to have represented that he had the unique skills and knowledge with respect to the advice and/or information requested by the plaintiff.10 Based on the facts of the case for discussion there is no doubt that WTC held itself out has having a specific skill and knowledge: investment expertise. Through its agent, WTC as an investment business held itself out as having special investment skills that it ought to know Ian relied on in seeking its services with respect to investing his profits. Based on the special skill and expertise that WTC held itself out to have, the company ought to have known

Servant leadership Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Servant leadership - Research Paper Example At the organizational level, leadership remains core. Depending on the nature and effectiveness of the leadership employed in an organization, the organization might succeed and experience increased productivity, or it might experience adverse effects. This is mainly because, in an organization, leadership has an impact on employees, and other vital functions that determine the productivity level of the organization. This paper discusses leadership in an organization, mainly basing on the model of servant leadership that was advanced by Greenleaf H., and special attention is drawn to the not for profits organizations. All organizations must have a form of leadership; however, leadership varies depending on the type of organization. Therefore, there is a difference in the way leadership is practised in not for profit organizations and those organizations in the public sector. According to Erickson (2007) research on leadership in not for profit organizations is scarce, as more research efforts are aimed at the organizations in the public sector. Therefore, by focusing more on leadership in not for profit organizations, this paper will make important contribution to the knowledge on this topic. According to Eisenhower Dwight, â€Å"Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it† (Hughes et al, 2006, p. 405). This shows that for one to be a leader, he or she must have some kind of an influence on the followers. It can also be concluded from this definition that in order for a leader to ensure the success of their organization, he or she must create commitment among the followers, who are employees, and also ensure that the employees are willing to work towards improvement in different aspects of the organization. The past decades have seen great change in the social, economic, and political aspects in

Human Resources Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Human Resources - Case Study Example Managers can use this form to review the performance level of accountants in creating a trust work environment. Cipolla (102) reveals that feedback can be demoralizing in case they are negative. Therefore, when completing the evaluation, human resource managers should create an employee development plan that will lead employees towards achieving developmental goals. Organization leaders in the company can use the 360-degree management tool in determining the behavior of accountants and their competency skills, work requirements and performance objectives. These among the essential issues addressed in a company because they are beneficial issues in the performance evaluation process. Organization management would use the 360-degree tool in evaluating the way accountants perceive their engineering work. They can also examine the competency skills such as project planning, object settings, and effective teamwork or leadership. This is crucial because it will enable the HR managers to im plement effective strategies for improving the overall performance level.

MGT 401 SLP 5 Leadership and Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

MGT 401 SLP 5 Leadership and Change - Essay Example On that light, a new manager had to be chosen to replace the former to ensure the operations of the organization runs smoothly without any bottlenecks and disruptions. The successor of the incumbent had to be person with profound knowledge in personnel management and thus the other senior managers in the department were considered for the position as well as the vacancy was made open to external candidates with the prerequisite skills to fill the position. The process of choosing the ideal person to fill the vacancy in the human resource department was based on a competitive exercise that involved a series of interviews through which the candidates were subjected to a knowledge and skill refinement process to select the best candidate that could take over the leadership of the department. After a rigorous process of selection, a senior employee in the department was promoted to the position since it became evident that he was the most qualified for the post based on both academic qualification and prior job experience (Beerel, 2009). The transition process of the department’s leadership between the two personalities was smooth since it was not characterized by any form of challenges because the former was contented with his achievements in the company and thus wanted a peaceful retirement send off. However, once the new leadership took over, significant changes occurred in the corporation that caused a lot of ripples among the employees. Therefore, despite the success that the former manager achieved for the business, the new manager was keen to raising the performance of the firm to new levels and thus he formulated a new organizational structure, which transformed the operations of the company with the aim of enhancing efficiency. The changes were, however, dire resulting in some employees losing their jobs due redundancy that resulted from the automation of the overall

Middle Range Theory Essay Example for Free

Middle Range Theory Essay Bank of America is the largest US bank founded in 1904, it has expanded through several acquisitions. By the end of 2009, Bank of America was the market leader serving 82% of the US population and over 53 million customers. They are positioned as number one in online and mobile banking. Their mobile banking services were launched in 2007 and have gained 4 million customers in less than three years. Acquisitions made by Bank of America prior to the financial crisis caused a very strong drop in their stock price. Customers: In 2009, 10 million customers used mobile banking and this is expected to grow to 37 million by 2014. Customers that use mobile banking are not the same as online customers. Customers that use mobile banking represent a different segment of the market that other banking customers. Security issues, a perceived low value and expense, were the primary reasons that customers did not switch to mobile banking. Potential customers were reluctant to try a new banking service that are represented an extra cost and they were also afraid of losing control of their finances. Debit cardholders were the most active users. It was convenient for them because they could check their account at any time. Customers that used this service changed their usual banking channels and as a result -the bank had a higher retention for these users of online services. Competition/Competitors: Bank of Americas main competitors were: Bank of New York Mellon, JP Morgan Chase ; Co. , Wells Fargo ; Co. , Citigroup, and PNC Financial Services. These competitors also used mobile banking to ensure good service for their customers. They used SMS, customized web browsers and apps, depending on the bank and the customers they served. Citibank and Wells Fargo had different applications customized for their target groups. General Context Considering that the banking industry is fragmented, with thousands of banks offering retail and wholesale banking services; ten of the largest banks hold 46. 4% of total deposits, Bank of America being the largest one. The mortgage crisis of 2009 led to a deep recession and spilled over into a financial crisis that affected the retail banking business. Banks started waving fees and offering additional benefits in order to capture and retain customers. Mobile banking was introduced in the US in 2007 which added costs to each transaction. However, these costs were lower than call centers and interactive voice response costs. Bank of America had three options: mobile messaging (mobile stream modification without any software installation), mobile Internet (wireless application protocol), and mobile applications. Mobile applications in particular were more sophisticated and costly. Smartphone use was estimated to grow to 46% by 2014. Development Dilemma: Bank of America has two options to handle the future of mobile banking: 1) Build new and various applications to target different customers a) Pros: i) Customers want customization in the products; this will increase retention and satisfaction. ii) Marketing strategies can be segmented into different types of clients. This increases efficiency and reduces costs. iii) Superior brand and innovation perception. a) Cons i) Cost of application creation will increase due to the different areas and type of customers at Bank of America ii) Any changes in the bank services will have to be applied to all apps. Some customers will have to download and use various apps at the same time 2) Refuse to add complexity to the current application a) Pros: i) No extra costs on building a new application ii) Customers that don? t like technology or doubt about security issues wont be affected b) Cons: i) Other banks offer better mobile apps and this will increase their competitive advantage ii) Customer satisfaction will suffer if the app is not updated and does not fulfill their needs. iii) Transactions will still be done through ATMs, Call centers and IVR, which are 4 to 11 times more costly. Opportunities: Since Bank of America is one of the largest financial institutions in United States that has millions of customers; online banking is an important feature that offers to ease transactions and provides access to billing statements. However, because of the multitude of services banks offer it is overly-complicated to provide all items in one bundle. Because of this complexity (to add all the banking features in one app for mobile banking) Bank of America should target tablet-users to provide all the banking features with different applications. For example Bank of America can provide tools like market reports for savvy investors or savings programs for households (where it is easier to keep track of expenses. ) Tablets are relatively easier to use than mobile phones. Targeting such a market at an early stage can broaden the spectrum in which Bank of America operates its mobile banking. This opportunity which targets future markets as computers are being replaced by tablets should not be forgone. Ease of access and use for customers with multiple Bank of America services, easier tracking of frauds or errors. ) Bank of America customers will be able to access a large array of services online. c) For some high-end apps a nominal fee may be charged to cover some of the technology budget. 2) Cons a) Customer information may be at risk as it is insecure to access sensitive information online for which Bank of America will have to maintain high privacy, increasing cost. b) Some of the features may still be complex and require customer support hotline. c) Customers may act on unintended transactions involving significant funds. Recommendations: Bank of America needs to improve the complexity to the current application. After analyzing the options and the opportunity, we think that Bank of America has to differentiate themselves from their competitors while offering a great service to their clients, we would recommend to increase the functionality of the mobile app. This change will bring extra benefits to the different type of clients in a single download. The company will also cut costs in the type of transactions made by the clients. The continuous growth of the mobile market especially the Smartphone use is another aspect of the recommendation. Having a mobile has become a commodity for the population. The new generation will get so accustomed to this technology that they will be able to deal with any app complexity without any problem. Bank of America has to think of its future customers, not only the current mobile technology adaptors. 1) Pros: a) Having a better application will differentiate the bank compared to their competitors b) Customers will have overall services in a single application. Mobile payment services would be added to the app and will attract and benefit many customers. d) Transaction costs will become lower as the % of Smartphone users grows (46% for year 2014). 2) Cons: a) Added complexity will discourage some customers to use the application b) Speed of the application may suffer if the customer has a bad connection or has too many applications downloaded in their mobile. c) The cost of developing a more complex application is larger and may require more expertise and training for employees and customers as well.

Academic and professional work experience goal statement

Academic and professional work experience goal statement ACADEMIC PROFESSIONAL GOAL STATEMENT Valuable work experience has helped me to develop strong qualitative architectural expertise along with good leadership and communication skills. This has helped me to tackle complex issues in my field of work and gives me the confidence to pursue post graduate studies. I am Sruthi Maria George, currently working in an architectural consultants firm as a Junior Architect. With a strong desire to create artistic, creative and imaginative building structures, I chose Bachelor of Architecture for my under graduate studies. After completing my bachelors, my next step was to get a job in a challenging and dynamic environment and so I did find one as soon as I returned to my parents residing in United Arab Emirates. Throughout my work tenure so far, I have been working on challenging design projects which emphasized on creating healthy and eco-friendly buildings and environment. One of the major requirements to be fulfilled while planning and designing of the projects was the attainment of a ‘PEARL 2 rating, a class of sustainable approach known as ‘ESTIDAMA which consists of sustainable planning strategies. This field influenced me to know more about the environmental aspects in order to widen my knowledge and career skills. With the rise of disasters occurring around the world, we as humans need to be aware of the factors that lead to these natural calamities. A few environmental issues identified would be as follows: Global warming Climate change being recently observed is the main result of this global warming. The ozone layer of the earth being depleted with the increased use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in refrigerants, propellants and solvents, emission of carbon dioxide from burning of fossil fuels (petrol, diesel, kerosene) and other greenhouse gases. This degradation of the ozone layer affects the ultraviolet filtration of the suns radiation, causing the earths temperature to rise and having negative impacts on the living beings on earth. Energy exhaustion Tremendous use of non renewable sources such as fossil fuels, natural gas and coals over the years are being depleting and adverse effects on air quality causing human and environmental problems. These needs to be replaced with renewable sources of energy such as solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, biomass energies etc. Landfill waste With the increase in population and their activities, waste disposal is taking place on a higher rate. The adverse effects of this landfill wastes are pollution of the environment, emission of methane gases which is a greenhouse gas leading to the depletion of the ozone layer and other hazardous impact on the livings things and   the environment. This needs to be reduced by incorporating waste reduction and recycling strategies. Threat to ecosystems and endangered species Biodiversity enhances the productivity of the ecosystems. Threat to biodiversity leads to the destruction of the ecosystem, thus affecting the ecological pyramid and the food web. A recent article which caught my eyes, a killing game of dolphins and whales which takes place in Denmark by the local teens to show that they adults. These creatures have become near to extinction due to this. Deforestation Due to the increase in human population and their activities, conversion of forests to non- forest areas for development purpose is on a rise. This contributes to the increase of carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere, loss of biodiversity and soil erosion leading to natural calamities. Pollution Air pollution resulting from the burning of fossil fuels from vehicles and industries, hence affecting the environment and the health of humans. Contaminating water bodies by disposal of wastes leads to degradation of the ecosystem and human health issues. A masters degree in environmental studies would help me to become personally aware of the existing and future environmental issues arising in todays world. It would help me to understand the issues on a broader aspect of view and to resolve them by creating environmental friendly designs contributing to the wellness of the social economy and for the beneficial use of the future generations. The main environmental specialization that I would like to do is the studies on sustainable development as this combines the social, economic and environmental aspects. As this field, is going global and is one of the major considerations in todays world, specializing in this field would be of international standards and quality. University of Illinois is one of the few and reputable institutions in the world to offer an innovative course which combines environmental studies and sustainable development as a joint online program without having me to compromise on my current working status. Hence I sought to pursue my higher education here. If given a chance to pursue my post graduate studies in University of Illinois for Masters of Environmental studies specializing in sustainable development and policy, I would prove myself to be an asset by my hard work and dedication to the department and the university. Thanking you. Sincerely, Sruthi Maria George

Sex Addicts Find Each Other Online :: Journalism Essays

Sex Addicts Find Each Other Online To her friends and family, Mary Smith* is a young, hard-working psychology student who never seems to have time for fun. What they don't know is that Mary is a sex addict. Recently, her boyfriend of three months discovered her secret. After they broke up, Mary took her addiction one step further and started experimenting with strangers and bondage, spanking and rape fantasies using the Internet. Mary uses the Internet as her tool to find sex partners. Mary spends most of her time on the Internet exploring erotic Web sites. The Internet changed the way in which she communicates. Late night, she wanders nearby neighborhoods -- dressed sometimes as a dominatrix concealed by her outer coat -- to have sex with men. An honors student, she is terrified of getting caught but can not stop herself. She had her first sexual encounter with a total stranger in the front seat of his car just blocks away from her college campus. She met this man on the Internet through a personal ad directed at college girls. Mary never had sex with strange men before the Internet. Now she spends morning, noon and night surfing adult chat rooms, pornography sites and alternate lifestyle Web sites. â€Å"It all started when a friend called me up one day and told me that she was dating a man that she found off of the Internet.† Smith said. â€Å"Hours later I was hooked.† Smith placed an ad of her own on an erotic Web site. In the ad, she included her picture, physical details and sexual fantasies. She changed her name to protect her identity. â€Å"I got so many responses from guys; it freaked me out at first,† Smith said. â€Å"I went back to the sites minutes later because I couldn’t stop thinking about the idea of having sex with different men.† The convenience of sexually oriented Web sites on the Internet gives the sex addict immediate access to potentially dangerous people. The seeker can become a victim of a sexually related crime. Sexual addiction is defined as any sexually-related, compulsive behavior which interferes with normal living and causes severe stress on family, friends and loved ones and one’s work environment. This behavior is often accompanied by other addictions such as drinking, drugs and eating disorders. The sex addict engages in sex to feel good. They became so consumed with this feeling that they soon avoid their school work and other responsibilities.

Urban Legend of Ghostly Dreams :: Urban Legends

Ghostly Dreams of Owners Passed The following ghost story was told to me by a friend when I had a small group of friends over to my house in Massachusetts during spring break. He is a 20-year-old white male. The story was told at night after we had finished watching the show Lost on television, so the atmosphere was a little bit tense. It did not simply come up in context; I prompted all of my friends to tell any ghost stories or urban legends that they knew. I wrote the story down a few hours later after my friends left. This is as close to the story he told as I could remember at that time: My friend’s house is wicked old. Built in the 1700s, there’s a lot of really old stuff there. It may have been involved in the Underground Railroad. It has secret passageways and windows for servants to look in and talk to their masters. They originally lived in Springfield, Mass. and he [his friend’s Dad] knew the two people in the house in Agawam, Massachusetts previously. When he found out it was going on the market he decided to go buy it. Before they managed to complete the sale one of the two ladies died. And the other lady either died or left. At least one of them died in a room in the house. So after that they still decided to take the house. There were a few times when he tried to find things. And one time in particular he was looking for a ladder. He looked everywhere around the house including inside, outside, and in the shed. That night he had a dream and the dead previous owner came to him in the dream and told him to look in the shed aga in. The next day when he looked in the shed, the ladder was sitting right directly in the middle of it just like she had said in his dream. There was no way he could have missed it the day before. This happened on a couple different occasions with other items as well. As he told the story he used small hand motions to emphasize main points of the story and he paused after important points to allow the information to sink in; he did not sound nervous while telling the story, but he did try to convey a spooky atmosphere in an attempt to scare the audience.

Essays --

Think of place you could call home. This was impossible before the Neolithic Revolution. During the Paleolithic Era, which lasts from the beginning of human life until about 10,000 BCE, people were nomads. They lived as a group and spent most of their time on hunting and gathering food. However, approximately 10,000 BCE, people began to cultivate crops and domesticate animals. This period is known as the Neolithic Revolution. The Neolithic Revolution would not have happened with the development of farming, which was followed by job specialization and the development of more sophisticated technology. First of all, human life totally changed by land cultivation. About 10,000 BCE humans began to grow crops and tame animals. This was a massive change from the old system of hunting and gathering. As a result, permanent settlements were established. This new method of growing food was so efficient that it produced a surplus of food. One of the most famous farming methods was slash and burn. Slash and burn technique is basically people burning a forest and used ash from a tree as a fer... Essays -- Think of place you could call home. This was impossible before the Neolithic Revolution. During the Paleolithic Era, which lasts from the beginning of human life until about 10,000 BCE, people were nomads. They lived as a group and spent most of their time on hunting and gathering food. However, approximately 10,000 BCE, people began to cultivate crops and domesticate animals. This period is known as the Neolithic Revolution. The Neolithic Revolution would not have happened with the development of farming, which was followed by job specialization and the development of more sophisticated technology. First of all, human life totally changed by land cultivation. About 10,000 BCE humans began to grow crops and tame animals. This was a massive change from the old system of hunting and gathering. As a result, permanent settlements were established. This new method of growing food was so efficient that it produced a surplus of food. One of the most famous farming methods was slash and burn. Slash and burn technique is basically people burning a forest and used ash from a tree as a fer...

Investigation in Microtubule Dynamic Instability

Title: Investigation in microtubule dynamic instability Introduction Microtubules are important for maintaining cell structure, intracellular transport, formation of mitotic spindle, as well as other cellular processes. Investigation of dynamics of microtubule assembly and disassembly allow us to understand the malfunction of mitotic spindle formation or other cellular processes. This experiment is divided into two parts; we are going to find out the critical parameters for achieving greatest average length of microtubules in part one and achieving the greatest number of microtubules in part two.Principle In this experiment, we used a simulation programme to explore how various factors change the way microtubules grow out from centrosome, and the shrink back. Growth rate, shrink rate, catastrophe rate, rescue rate, release rate, minus end end depolymerization rate, nucleation rate and nucleation site are the factors we can adjust to see how them affects the average length and number of microtubules. The simulation time acceleration is set to 5x real time. Each time a parameter is varied and others are controlled factors.The record is taken when the simulation has reached steady state and graphs are plotted. Results Part1 – How to achieving greatest average length of microtubules Fixed parameter| Shrink rate| Catastrope| Rescue Release| MED| Nuc rate| Nuc sites| Variable Growth rate| 0. 263| 0. 042| 0. 064 0. 024| 0. 8| 0. 02| 180| Result| 1| 2| 3| 4| 5| Mean| 0. 14| 32. 9| 21. 12| 23. 93| 23. 95| 27. 54| 25. 888| 0. 16| 33. 19| 36. 82| 32. 5| 28. 83| 30. 15| 32. 298| 0. 18| 29. 79| 39. 11| 41. 19| 40. 8| 31. 54| 36. 486| 0. 2| 40. 77| 41. 19| 45. 94| 38. 28| 47. 66| 42. 768| 0. 22| 38. 6| 47. 49| 48. 53| 48. 55| 47. 96| 46. 238| 0. 24| 42. 25| 45. 31| 45. 25| 46. 81| 40. 95| 44. 114| Table1 Figure1 Fixed parameter| Growth rate| Shrink rate| Catastrop/ Release| MED| Nuc rate| Nuc cites| Variable Rescue| 0. 12| 0. 263| 0. 042 0. 024| 0. 8| 0. 02| 180| Resu lt| 1| 2| 3| 4| 5| mean| 0. 084| 23. 76| 22. 77| 26. 56| 30. 78| 25. 12| 25. 798| 0. 104| 18. 88| 19. 07| 17. 82| 20. 08| 17. 55| 18. 68| 0. 124| 19. 96| 16. 69| 17. 37| 19. 37| 22. 38| 19. 154| 0. 144| 21. 34| 19. 53| 20. 54| 21. 44| 21. 95| 20. 96| 0. 164| 20. 65| 18. 76| 21. 76| 16. 33| 19. 73| 19. 446|Table2 Figure 2 Discussion Each free tubulin dimer contains one tightly bound GTP molecule that is hydrolyzed to GDP after the subunit is added to a growing microtubules. When polymerization is proceeding rapidly, tubulin molecules add to the end of the microtubule faster that the GTP they carry is hydrolyzed, and the microtubule growth. [1] Varied the growth rate and kept other factors constant, the average length of microtubules should always increase. However, the average length of microtubules rises as growth rate increase from 0. 14 to 0. 22Â µm/sec and stop increasing at 0. 2Â µm/sec. It tends to level off rather than increase at 0. 22Â µm/sec. It means the growth rate is no longer the limiting factor. Some factors other than growth rate, may be the rescue rate, limited the increase of the average length. Rescue rate is the rate at which a shrinking microtubule switches to growing state. We assume the greatest rescue rate, the more the microtubules undergo polymerization. So that the proportion of growing microtubules would increase and the average length rise. Instead of increase, the average length of microtubules drops from 0. 084 to 0. 104Â µm/sec.Increase the rescue rate may trigger the mechanism that lowers the average length of microtubules. It remains at around 20Â µm from 0. 104 to 0. 164Â µm/sec means that that there is no correlation between rescue rate and the average length beyond a point among 0. 084 and 0. 104Â µm/sec. Part2 – How to achieve the greatest number of microtubules Fixed parameter| Growth rate| Catastrop| Rescue Release| MED| Nuc rate| Shrink rate| Variable #nuc site| 0. 12| 0. 042| 0. 064 0. 024| 0. 8| 0. 02| 0. 263| Result| 1| 2| 3| 4| 5| mean| 180| 47| 65| 42| 57| 68| 55. 8| 200| 70| 77| 66| 53| 68| 66. | 220| 71| 73| 86| 70| 68| 73. 6| 240| 82| 88| 85| 81| 84| 84| 260| 90| 93| 80| 81| 84| 85. 6| 280| 87| 107| 100| 97| 91| 96. 4| 300| 90| 101| 110| 92| 96| 97. 8| Figure3 Fixed parameter| Growth rate| Shrink rate| Catastrop| Rescue Release| MED| Nuc cites| Variable nuc rate| 0. 12| 0. 263| 0. 042| 0. 064 0. 024| 0. 8| 180| Result| 1| 2| 3| 4| 5| mean| 0. 02| 62| 57| 49| 54| 50| 54. 4| 0. 04| 95| 107| 85| 80| 86| 90. 6| 0. 06| 103| 110| 107| 113| 114| 109. 4| 0. 08| 120| 99| 112| 113| 115| 111. 8| 0. 1| 124| 134| 126| 116| 113| 122. 6| 0. 12| 120| 131| 130| 119| 136| 127. | 0. 14| 136| 128| 127| 130| 136| 131. 4| Table4 Figure4 Discussion Centrosomes contain ring-shaped structures formed from ? -tubulin, and each ? -tubulin ring serves as the starting point, the nucleation site, for the growth of one microtubule. The nucleation site acts as a preexisting microtubule structure for -tubulin dimers assembly. [1] We assume the more the nucleation site, the more the microtubules present. According to table3, the number of microtubules is always increasing with the number of nucleation site. There is no sign of level off or decline of the curve.It always is the limiting factor of the number of microtubules. The nucleation rate is the rate at which new microtubules are nucleated at the centrosome. The number of microtubules should be raised if the nucleation rate increase since new microtubules generated. Indeed, the number of microtubules is raised as the nucleation rate increased. From 0. 02 to 0. 06Â µm/sec, the increase of microtubules is sharp and starts to slow down afterward. The trend shows that the curve would level off at certain level eventually. It means there are some factors other than nucleation rate control the number of microtubules.The number of nucleation site may be the limiting factor as all nucleation sites are occupied by the microtubules, so that n o new microtubules generated. Limitations In actual cell, the number of tubulin dimer is limited. This factor is not shown in this simulation programme. The temperature and the pH may affect the configuration and polymerization of the microtubules. There are some microtubules not attached to the centrosome, but present in cilia and flagella. It is not clearly stated by the simulation programme whether these microtubules is counted. ConclusionsBesides the growth rate, there are other limiting factors controlling the average length of microtubules. We cannot achieve the greast average length of microtubules by consider growth rate is the only factor. We found that we should keep the rescue rate at 0. 084Â µm/sec or below. Also, more information about the rescue rate below 0. 084Â µm/sec should be obtained. Both nucleation site and nucleation rate are the factors controlling the number of microtubules. But the nucleation site is more critical than the nucleation site. The above show the nucleation rate is restricted by other factors but the nucleation sites does not.We should examine another set of data by varying the nucleation rate with more nucleation site. If the plateau of new obtain curve is above the original curve, nucleation site is limiting factor of the number of microtubules. Similar experiment should be established with different combination of parameters in order to obtain the best curve. In short, there is not enough information for us to draw conclusion for how to achieve the greatest average length and greatest number of microtubules unless we obtain more data. Reference 1. Alberts et al,. (2010) Essential Cell Biology, 3rd Garland Science, p. 579-580

Legal Reasoning

Introduction:This paper aims to draft what I believe to be the US Supreme Court opinion for the case of Brigham City, Utah V. Stuart including the concurring and dissenting opinions. Knowledge from of the Fourth Amendments will be used to draft the opinion or opinions and an identification of particular justices with each of the opinion will be made as much as possible.In as much that the Supreme Court has made the decision (May 22, 2006) on the matter, at the time of theis, this paper is now converted into a digest of the case but still following the structure of the original instruction that is to draft (now to analyze) the opinion (now the decision) of the Supreme Court with the concurring and dissenting opinions.2. Analysis:Facts:   The policemen were responding to a 3 a.m. call about a loud party by arriving at the house in question when the said policemen heard shouting inside said house. They then proceeded down the driveway, and saw two juveniles drinking beer in the backya rd. The police then entered the yard where they saw through a screen door and windows an altercation in the kitchen between four adults and a juvenile, who punched one of the adults, causing him to spit blood in a sink. (Cornell Law School, n.d.) (Paraphrasing made)An officer from the group of policemen opened the screen door and announced the officers’ presence. After having been ignored amid the commotion, the officer entered the kitchen and again cried out, whereupon the squabble gradually subsided. The officers made an arrest of the respondents and charged them with contributing to the delinquency of a minor and related offenses. The trial court granted private respondents’ motion to suppress all evidence obtained after the officers entered the home on the ground that the warrantless entry violated the Fourth Amendment, and the Utah Court of Appeals affirmed.The State Supreme Court affirmed further by holding that the injury caused by the juvenile’s punch wa s insufficient to trigger the â€Å"emergency aid doctrine† because it did not give rise to an objectively reasonable belief that an unconscious, semiconscious, or missing person feared injured or dead was in the home. In addition, the same Supreme Court suggested the doctrine was inapplicable because the officers had not sought to assist the injured adult but had acted exclusively in a law enforcement capacity. It further held that the entry did not fall within the exigent circumstances exception to the warrant requirement.   (Cornell Law School, n.d.) (Paraphrasing made)The issue in said case is whether or not the police may enter a home without a warrant under the given circumstances as described above.The US Federal Supreme Court held that the police may enter a home without a warrant when they have an objectively reasonable basis for believing that an occupant is seriously injured or imminently threatened with such injury. The Supreme Court said:Because the Fourth Amen dment’s ultimate touchstone is â€Å"reasonableness,† the warrant requirement is subject to certain exceptions. For example, one exigency obviating the requirement is the need to render emergency assistance to occupants of private property who are seriously injured or threatened with such injury. Mincey v. Arizona, 437 U.S. 385. This Court has repeatedly rejected respondents’ contention that, in assessing the reasonableness of an entry, consideration should be given to the subjective motivations of individual officers. Because the officers’ subjective motivation is irrelevant, Bond v. United States, 529 U. S. 334, n. 2, it does not matter here whether they entered the kitchen to arrest respondents and gather evidence or to assist the injured and prevent further violence. Indianapolis v. Edmond, 531 U. S. 32, and Florida v. Wells, 495 U. S. 1, distinguished.Relying on this Court’s holding in Welsh v. Wisconsin, 466 U. S. 740, that â€Å"an importan t factor to be considered when determining whether any exigency exists is the gravity of the underlying offense for which the arrest is being made,† respondents further contend that their conduct was not serious enough to justify the officers’ intrusion into the home. This contention is misplaced. In Welsh, the â€Å"only potential emergency† confronting the officers was the need to preserve evidence of the suspect’s blood-alcohol level, an exigency the Court held insufficient under the circumstances to justify a warrantless entry into the suspect’s home. Ibid. Here, the officers were confronted with ongoing violence occurring within the home, a situation Welsh did not address. (Cornell Law School, n.d.)The Supreme Court further added that the officers’ entry here was plainly reasonable under the circumstances. It said that given the tumult at the house when they arrived, it was obvious that knocking on the front door would have been futile a nd that moreover, in light of the fracas they observed in the kitchen, the officers had an objectively reasonable basis for believing both that the injured adult might need help and that the violence was just beginning.The court explained that nothing in the Fourth Amendment required them to wait until another blow rendered someone unconscious, semiconscious, or worse before entering. It further said: â€Å"The manner of their entry was also reasonable, since nobody heard the first announcement of their presence, and it was only after the announcing officer stepped into the kitchen and announced himself again that the tumult subsided. That announcement was at least equivalent to a knock on the screen door and, under the circumstances; there was no violation of the Fourth Amendment’s knock-and-announce rule. Furthermore, once the announcement was made, the officers were free to enter; it would serve no purpose to make them stand dumbly at the door awaiting a response, while t hose within brawled on, oblivious to their presence.† (Cornell Law School, n.d.) (Paraphrasing made)The Supreme Court reversed and remanded the UTAH Supreme Court’s decision via a unanimous decision, hence there, is no dissenting opinion.   Chief Justice ROBERTS delivered the opinion for a unanimous Court while Justice STEVENS filed a concurring opinion.3. Conclusion:The case was unique in the sense that a state court namely the UTAH Supreme Court, which has decided unanimously, was reversed by the US Federal Supreme Court also unanimously. The case involves the interpretation of the Fourth Amendment where there the policemen were upheld in effecting the arrest in the absence of the warrant since the case is case falling under justified exceptions.Bibliography:Bond v. United States, 529 U. S.Cornell Law School, (n.d.), BRIGHAM CITY v. STUART (No. 05-502) , 2005 UT 13, 122 P. 3d 506, reversed and remanded, {www document}   URL   http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/htm l/05-502.ZS.html, Accessed June 10,2006. Florida v. Wells, 495 U. S. 1Fourth Amendment , United States Constitution Indianapolis v. Edmond, 531 U. S. 32Mincey v. Arizona, 437 U. S. 385 Welsh v. Wisconsin, 466 U. S. 740

Catholic Religion Against Birth Control Essay

Religion Against Birth Control The Catholic Church has had a ban on birth control from the earliest days of the Bible. The catholics believe that birth control is absolutely wrong, and a grave sin. Birth control has been around at least since the times of the ancient Greeks and Romans . During these days birth control came in the form of animal skin condoms and various poisons to be used as spermicides (â€Å"Catholic Church Birth Control. â€Å"). Catholic believers were told to receive every new born life as a gift from God. The first ever mentioning on banning birth control is in the book of Genesis 8:8-10. The next mention on birth control being wrong is located in the book of Deuteronomy 23:1 (â€Å"Catholic Church Birth Control. â€Å"). Catholic families were told then to actively seek in having as many children as they possibly can. The more children that Catholic families have, the more Catholics there are to spread that way of life and to pay the church’s tithes. The barrier methods of birth control, such as the condom, the cervical cap, the birth control pill and Depo Provera are thought to interfere with the act of conception (â€Å"Epigee HOME. â€Å"). Preventing the egg from being fertilized by a sperm may hinder a womans pregnancy and stop the beginning of the pregnancy stage. Purposely stopping the joining of an egg and sperm is thought to be a sin, therefore these forms of birth control are not accepted. Since then Catholic leaders have become very furious about the Obama healthcare law which is forcing Catholic schools, hospitals, and charities to buy birth control pills, abortion-producing drugs, and sterilization coverage for their employees (Obama vs. Catholics: The War on Religious Freedom. ) Barack Obama and Kathleen Sebelius think that the church is wrong, and that it should grant women access to contraception (avoid pregnancy) despite their moral opposition. The battle between the Catholic Church and the Obama administration has landed in headlines today. As the church begins a fight against Obamas January 20th Health and Human Services mandate that Catholic employers and insurance agencies should provide contraception, sterilization, and abortifacients to employees and clients (Obama vs. Catholics: The War n Religious Freedom. â€Å") In ruling, the Administration has cast aside the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, denying Catholics the Nation’s first and most fundamental freedom, that of religious liberty. As a result, unless the rule is overturned, Catholics will be force to either violate their consciences, or to drop health coverage for their employees. There is no war on religious freedom; there is, however, a war on women and a combined effort to deny us our rights to fair and equal treatment, under the disguise of eligious freedom. Even if we try to force the Catholic Church to provide a service that srikes on its doctrine because it’s a service we want, then we forfeit a sacred freedom. If we are willing to resign freedom for accomodation, then we have lost sight of the real purpose for which this country was founded. Works Cited â€Å"Catholic Church Birth Control. † Lisa Shea. Web. 18 Apr. 2012. .

Leadership Case Study

Leadership in General The study of leadership has an extremely long history, and presently is one of the most popular areas of management study and publishing. Yet, despite this long history of interest in the subject of leadership much is still unknown and unresolved about the idea of leadership. Today, there are many different conceptions about what constitutes leadership and effective leaders. Notice that most people talk about leadership as if they clearly understand what constitutes leadership. They also assume that other people share that unspoken understanding.Yet, both of these assumptions are probably false most of the time. Leadership in General For example, try to clearly and concisely define what you mean by â€Å"leadership. † Then ask someone else for their definition of leadership. Can either of you define it well? Do your definitions agree? Are your definitions so broad that they could describe activities that you do not think constitute leadership? Conversely, are your definitions so narrow that they cannot describe leadership in a variety of different situations? Now define â€Å"management. Is your definition of â€Å"management† different than your definition of â€Å"leadership? † Should â€Å"management† and â€Å"leadership† be defined differently, or are they in reality the same concept? The questions could go on, but you get the point. Leadership is difficult to define and differentiate from other concepts. Now think about what constitutes â€Å"effective† leadership? Hundreds, if not thousands, of books on leadership have been published over the past two or three decades. Each book propounds a somewhat unique theory of what constitutes â€Å"effective† leadership; each supporting its claims with anecdotes and testimonials.Similarly, magazine articles, television shows, and books constantly herald the newest effective leader. Often, a few years later, either the company fails or the lead er acts in a manner that calls into question whether that person ever possessed the leadership qualities and behaviors attributed to him or her. Think about the rise and fall of some chief executive officers over the past few years. But, does defrauding people, ending up in jail, or bankrupting a company necessarily mean that the person was never an effective leader?  Also you can read about  History of the Culinary Arts.Some might argue the final results determine the effectiveness of leadership; others might argue that it is the process of leading, not the outcome, that defines effective leadership. Despite all this uncertainty, people are so fascinated by the idea of â€Å"leaders† that they continue to believe that â€Å"leadership† exists and matters. This course cannot possibly reconcile all the competing leadership theories, nor can it do much to explain why some apparently effective leaders fail miserably later, or fail as leaders in some other aspect of th eir life. Moreover, few of us want to read about every leadership theory ever espoused by someone.Rather, the primary objective of this course (and the textbook) is to introduce you to a variety of different leadership theories that have some research support and have stood the test of time (to varying degrees). When people make conflicting claims about leadership, the scientific model proposes that research should be conducted to determine which of the competing theories has more factual support. Without research, there would be no way to determine which plausible theory better reflects reality, or whether any theory actually reflects reality.Chapter 1- The Nature and Importance of Leadership There are many different definitions of leadership, and the textbook outlines several definitions. However, most definitions have the common theme that leadership is about influencing people to achieve goals that are accepted by the group members, or followers. Notice that this theme doesn't l imit leadership to formal leadership positions, nor does it say that there can only be one leader at a time, or that leadership only flows from the â€Å"top-down. † The other common theme in many definitions is that leadership is a process, not a role.Thus, many people can be leaders at the same time because all are involved in the leadership process. One person may be more effective than the other people. But all of the people could be acting as â€Å"leaders† in the process sense of leadership. In this light, leadership is a broad construct that encompasses many different types of influence from many different types of people in many different types of contexts. While this is a broad definition, maybe more of a description, some people question whether there is any great value in trying to more narrowly define leadership.The study of what determines the effectiveness of different influence techniques in organizations doesn't necessarily require agreement on the defi nition of the overarching construct, or what is called leadership. On the other hand, the argument can be made that a better definition of leadership helps ensure that everyone is discussing the same concept. There is no clear answer to this debate, but for the purposes of this course leadership refers to the processes that people use to influence other people to achieve accepted goals. The leader is simply the person or persons who are making that influence effort.Another critical point of the chapter is that leadership outcomes result from the reciprocal interactions of the â€Å"leader,† followers (or â€Å"group members†), and the situation. Although we often think of leadership as a one-way influence, the leadership process necessarily includes the context in which the influence attempt occurs (i. e. , the situation) and the object of the influence attempt (i. e. , the followers). Thus, followers shape the leader's behaviors and attitudes just like leaders shape t he followers' attitudes and behaviors.In the extreme case of â€Å"servant leadership† and â€Å"stewardship† models of leadership, the general thrust is that effective leaders focus on aiding or facilitating the followers. This in turn helps the leader accomplish organizational goals. This general framework shapes the organization of the book (see Figure 1-2). The distinction between â€Å"leaders† and â€Å"manager† is discussed in this chapter (see Table 1-1 Leaders versus Managers). Leader| Manager| Visionary| Rational| Passionate| Businesslike| Creative| Persisitent| Inspiring| Tough-Minded| Innovative| Analytical| Imaginative| Deliberative| Experimental| Authoritative|Warm and Radiant| Cool and reserved| Initiator| Implementer| Acts as a coach, consultant, teacher| Acts as a boss| Does the right things| Does things right| Inspires through great ideas| Commands through position| Knows results are achieved through people| Focuses on results| Focuses o n uplifting ideas| Focuses on plumbing| The distinction is largely unproductive because the extent to which a person performs managerial versus leadership roles is largely a question of degree, as the book points out. Managers' jobs are difficult enough without considering them to be second-class citizens incapable of leadership.In fact, effective leaders need to be good managers, and vice versa. This is highlighted in the textbook's discussion of leadership roles because many of them could also be characterized as â€Å"managerial† roles. Moreover, according to a common framework proposed by Henry Mintzberg, leadership is only one of many managerial roles. (See Mintzberg, H. (1980). The Nature of Managerial Work. Prentice Hall. ) A major concern relating to the first chapter is the issue of whether leadership makes a difference in reality. While this question could have been put off until the end of the course it is useful to at least think about it now.Then, you can see if your opinions change during the course. Moreover, before devoting time to studying leadership one should know whether the time will be well-spent. The general conclusion is that leadership makes a difference in many cases, but not in all situations. When there are factors that substitute for leadership (or even neutralize leadership attempts), leaders may not be able to make much difference. The book outlines a number of factors that substitute for leadership, but there are many more factors that have been researched with mixed results.In reality, there is no evidence that leadership substitutes always exist, or that they necessarily undercut attempts at leadership. Therefore, people should be careful about attributing success or failures solely to leadership. Leaders can only do so much given the constraints they face. The existence of constraints is the basis for Pfeffer's â€Å"leader irrelevance† theory. Similarly, â€Å"complexity† theory holds that leaders have l ittle influence in complex organizational systems. For example, look at coaches and managers in profession sports.Often they are fired after poor seasons, yet no new manager or coach can succeed either because their players simply aren't as good as the other players and teams in the league. Usually they have little control over which players are hired, which makes it even more irrational to attribute the success or failure of the coach to his or her leadership ability. Another common example is organizational success in good economic times and organizational downturns in poor economic times. Obviously, the economy is out of any individual's control, so good times and bad times cannot be attributed to the leader.On the next page, you will read an excerpt from an article that suggests that leadership does make a difference. Leadership Makes a Difference Below you can read a short excerpt from an article about Commander D. Michael Abrashoff and what he calls â€Å"Grassroots Leadershi p. † This article suggests that leadership does make a difference. But what makes this a particularlyinteresting leadership anecdote is that it appears that the best explanation for the dramatic improvement on the ship is probably the change in commanders. The reason is that all Navy ships operate under substantially similar rules with basically similar crews.Therefore, when a change occurs on one ship that doesn't occur on other ships, then the change is quite likely due to whatever changed in the situation, in this case the change in leadership. Whether you find the article persuasive or not, the other point is that by the end of the course you should be able to characterize Commander Abrashoff's leadership style in terms of the theories you will be studying in this course. Enlightened Leadership in the U. S. Navy by Jonette Crowley Commander D. Michael Abrashoff had a mission. Through what he calls â€Å"Grassroots Leadership,† he turned around the operations of the USS Benfold, one of the U.S. Navy's most modern warships. His methods aren't complex, yet the results are astounding. * Under Mike Abrashoff's 20-month command, the Benfold operated on 75% of its allocated budget, returning $1. 4 million to the Navy coffers. * During that time, the ship's combat readiness indicators were the highest ever in the history of the Pacific Fleet. * The promotion rate of his people was 2-1/2 times the Navy average. * The pre-deployment training cycle, which usually takes a total of 52 days, was completed by the Benfold crew in just 19 days. During a 12-month period under the previous command, there were 28 disciplinary actions for which 23 sailors were discharged. During Abrashoff's tenure there were five disciplinary cases and no discharges. * Under his predecessor 31 people were detached from the ship for limited duty, usually for complaints of â€Å"bad backs. † He had only two crew members leave for health reasons. * A third of all recruits don' t make it through their first term of enlistment, and only 54% of sailors stay in the Navy after their second duty tour. Commander Abrashoff had 100% of the Benfold's career sailors signing on for another tour.It is estimated that this retention alone saved the Navy $1. 6 million in 1998. What did he do to stage such a turnaround in less than 20 months? He asked questions, he listened, he acted on what he heard. Almost immediately upon taking command, he had a 15 to 20 minute personal interview with each of his staff of 300. He asked these questions: * â€Å"What do you like best about this ship? † * â€Å"What do you like least? † * â€Å"What would you change if you could? † He made it a point to â€Å"see the ship from the eyes of each crew member. † Abrashoff acted as quickly as he could to institute the ideas that came from these interviews.He focused on what was important: morale and combat readiness. â€Å"I didn't put an emphasis on paperwork,â⠂¬  says Abrashoff. He encouraged his middle managers (junior officers) to delegate the paperwork that had always swamped them and focus instead on the training that enabled them to run the weapons and the ship. â€Å"That inspires confidence in the officers for our combat readiness, and the lower level people loved the responsibility for the paperwork stuff that the officers used to do,† the commander reports. Abrashoff analyzed the processes, always assuming that there has got to be a better way.Simply following SOP (Standard Operating Procedures), or doing things the way they've always been done, didn't hold water. The rules were changed or bent, always with the vision in mind of doing what was best for the crew. â€Å"Saving money wasn't the focus, it was a by-product of efficiency. We did things right the first time. † He set the vision and trusted his crew. He helped people take pride in their work. â€Å"I gave my officers my trust and free rein. They didn't w ant to lose that trust. † Abrashoff said, â€Å"I focused on doing right by the crew, not by the admirals.I didn't even care if I ever got promoted again. That gave me the freedom to do what made sense. † One of the biggest complaints was the food, so he sent five of the Benfold's cooks to culinary school. The ship is now known as having some of the best food in the Navy, making it a showcase for VIPs. By focusing on the needs and ideas of his people, by relaxing the rules, by giving control over to his officers, a ship's culture has been changed, and with it the lives and confidence of scores of young sailors. A â€Å"virtuous cycle† has been set up that is continuing to inspire the crew to do even better.Even after Mike Abrashoff has taken up other duties at his home base in San Diego, the USS Benfold continues to have the highest combat readiness indicators ever seen in the entire Pacific Fleet.  © 1999 Enlightened Leadership Int'l, Inc. Enlightened Leadersh ip International Transforming Organizations Through People www. enleadership. com [email  protected] com 800-798-9881 or 303-729-0540 Chapter 2 – Traits, Motives and Characteristics of Leaders Trait-based theories of leadership are among the oldest leadership theories, and they are still considered somewhat important today.The earliest theories were â€Å"universal† theories that tried to find the leader's personal qualities that differentiated effective from ineffective leaders in all situations. Although these personal characteristics and qualities are usually called traits, they are not limited to personality traits (inner qualities). For example, the textbook refers to many different personal characteristics, including personality traits, in Chapter 2. Unfortunately, the trait approach does not tell us which traits are most important, in which situations or how much of a trait is required.The biggest problem was that people who possessed the traits deemed critica l were not always leaders, i. e. , the traits were necessary, but not sufficient for leadership. Moreover, trait-based theories cannot explain why people are not always successful leaders in all situations. History is full of military leaders who were effective in war, but not in peace. The converse is also true. On the other hand, recent research has found that some traits are important in a wide-variety of situations, but not all situations. In addition, in specific situations there are likely to be specific traits that are important.The â€Å"trait-based† theories do not limit themselves to personality traits, so do not be fooled into limiting the scope of the personal qualities to personality dimensions. The theories include any characteristic on which individuals differ, such as intelligence, physical characteristics, attitudes, values, and personality traits, to name a few. At some point, the distinction between a trait and a behavior is blurred, but in general the dist inction is between â€Å"who you are† versus â€Å"what you do. † The textbook lists a wide-range of traits found to be important, and categorizes them into: * Personality Traits Motives and Drives * Power Motive * Tenacity * Strong Work Ethic * Drive and Achievement Motive * Cognitive Factors * Analytical Intelligence * Knowledge of the business * Creativity * Insight into people and situations * Farsightedness and conceptual thinking While you don't need to memorize every possible leadership trait, it is worthwhile reading the lists. You should be able to recognize the most important traits. Perhaps more importantly, you should be able to reject some traits as unrelated to effective leadership, such as gender and race.In conclusion, research suggests that effective leaders possess different personal characteristics than ineffective leaders or non-leaders. Knowing which traits are associated with leadership effectiveness helps in the selection of leaders. To the exten t you can train people to develop a trait, knowing the importance of different traits helps organizations to design leadership development programs. For example, some aspects of emotional intelligence, which is a collection of traits and behaviors, can be taught and practiced. The trait-based approach to leadership is less valuable ecause present research cannot definitively specify which traits, and how much of those traits, are most useful in a specific situation. General Comments about Assignments Write your answers and comments concisely, answering the question(s) as directly as possible. Remember, you must answer the questions about cases using the facts of the case and the concepts introduced in the textbook and any additional readings. The general format for all your case answers is to relate the concepts and principles from the textbook or other readings to the facts in the case.Reporting all sorts of background information is unnecessary. However, you do need to refer back to the facts in the case that support your statements and conclusions. Your answer will be graded on the quality of your analysis and its clarity. It is difficult to describe the length of and amount of detail that should be in good answers. Obviously, this is a judgment call that varies case by case, and question by question. However, usually you can write good answers in 500-700 words per case, although obviously this varies according to the number of questions you are asked to answer.You may exceed the word limits without penalty when necessary to adequately answer the questions. Review the Syllabus for more information on answering case assignment questions, but in general good tests of the quality of your analysis is to ask yourself â€Å"Does this answer show that I read and understood the material in the text? † and â€Å"Could I have written this answer without reading the book? † As for the self-assessment exercises in this course, if there is more than one se lf-assessment exercise assigned during the week, then you must submit all of your scores and comments in one assignment submission.When more than one self-assessment exercise is assigned in a week, clearly identify the separate exercises. Don't forget to discuss whether you think the score is an accurate reflection of you or the person being evaluated. Other reflections are also valuable. Refer to the Syllabus for more detailed comments about answering questions and the grading standards. The Syllabus controls in the event of some accidental inconsistency between the Weekly Schedule and the Syllabus. General Instructions for Submitting Assignments What follows is a brief review of how to submit assignments. For details, efer to the Welcome page. Submit your answers to the assignments by locating the assignment within each weekly module. You can also find the list of assignments by going to the Assignments tool over in the toolbar on the left. But if you only use the toolbar, you may miss important information that is contained within each weekly module. Make certain you choose the correct assignment and submit the correct answer for that assignment. This week you will be submitting†1. 1 – Week 1 Case Assignment† for your answer to the case assignment and â€Å"1. 2 – Week 1 Self-Assessment Exercise† for your self-assessment answers.Next week and in the following weeks, the set-up will always be the same. You will NOT be attaching a document to submit. I suggest you compose your answer in a Word document so that you can edit and spell check but for submission, copy and paste your answer into the text box under the word â€Å"submission† in the assignment tool. If you submit the answer to the wrong link, your answer will not be graded. You can be penalized for late submissions, as outlined in the Syllabus. Required Readings The following items are required reading for this week: DuBrin, A. (2013) Leadership: Research Findi ngs, Practices, and Skills (7th ed).Mason, OH: South-Western * Chapter 1: The Nature and Importance of Leadership * Chapter 2: Traits, Motives and Characteristics of Leaders Copies of these two chapters are included in the â€Å"Textbook eReserves† folder on the Course Homepage for your convenience. If you have not yet purchased your textbook, you should do so immediately. Please go to MBS Direct to find the appropriate textbooks for this course. Discussions After reading the course materials and required readings, you should be prepared to participate in our weekly discussion. * Week 1 Discussion – Effective LeadersIdentify a person you interact with and regard as an effective leader. * What traits described by DuBrin in Chapter 2 apply to this person? * What traits do not apply? * Do these affect his or her overall performance? If so, how Once you post your answer please respond to at least one other students' post. A link to the discussion can be found on the follow ing page. Assignments Please complete the following assignments and submit via the Assignments tool. You will find a link to each of these assignments within this module. Directions for completing the assignments can be found in the syllabus.Remember to use the text box for your submission – Do not attach a document. * Case Study * Ch. 1 Leadership Case Problem A – Mike Todman Makes a Splash at Whirlpool. Pgs. 30-31 * Questions 1, 2, and 3. * Self Assessments * Ch. 1 Quiz 1-1 Readiness of the Leadership Role. Pgs. 11 – 12 * Ch. 2 Quiz 2-2 Behaviors and Attitudes of a Trustworthy Leader. Pg. 42 This week you will continue studying leader traits in the context of charismatic leaders and transformational leaders. Charisma is clearly a trait the some people possess, which suggests it may be difficult to teach, i. e. the â€Å"right stuff† of leadership. However, there is some evidence that if a person exhibits behaviors that followers associate with charismat ic people, the person will be seen as charismatic. Thus, perhaps charisma can be taught, or, at least, faked. When a leader's charisma is oriented towards transforming an organization, it becomes one factor in transformational leadership. However, transformational leadership encompasses more than charismatic leaders. Transformational leaders focus on developing the followers and getting them to direct their efforts towards changing the status quo.This contrasts with the idea of â€Å"transactional† leaders who primarily focus on exchanges with the followers that result in the maintenance of the status quo. Thus, transformational leadership relates to organization development and change; therefore, this aspect of leadership is taught in most organizational behavior courses. Then we completely shift the focus away from â€Å"trait-based† theories of leadership to â€Å"behavior-based† or â€Å"behavioral† leadership theories. Behavioral theories suggest tha t â€Å"leaders can be made† by teaching would-be leaders the behaviors used by effective leaders.As you will see, leader's traits are not part of this group of leadership theories, although they may predispose people to behave certain ways. Basically, the simplest model divides leader behaviors into relationship-oriented and task- or performance-oriented behaviors. There are many variations on this dichotomy, which is the main point of the chapter. Several â€Å"universal† models of leadership emerged from the research on leader behaviors, but like the universal â€Å"trait† models studied last week, the models do not explain why the same leader behaviors are effective in one situation and not in another.However, pay attention to these behavioral models because they form the bases for many of the contingency theories you will see later in the course. Leadership studies conducted at Ohio State University identified the importance of two broadly defined categorie s of leadership, â€Å"consideration† and â€Å"initiating structure†. Consideration is the degree to which leaders interact with others in a friendly and supportive manner. Initiating structure, the second factor, represents how the leader structures his or her subordinate's roles to accomplish common objectives.The Ohio State studies were accompanied by a comprehensive research program at the University of Michigan. The focus of the research at Michigan was on relationships related to leader behavior, group processes and group performance. The principle types of leader behavior identified in the Michigan studies were â€Å"job centered† which is similar to consideration and â€Å"employee centered† which is similar to initiating structure. Required Readings The following items are required reading for this week: DuBrin, A. (2013) Leadership: Research Findings, Practices, and Skills (7th ed).Mason, OH: South-Western * Chapter 3: Charisma and Transformati onal Leadership * Chapter 4: Leadership Behaviors, Attitudes and Styles Additional Readings * Review the article on leadership and emotional intelligence: Goleman, D. , Boyatzis, R. , & McKee, A. (2001). Primal Leadership: The Hidden Driver of Great Performance. Harvard Business Review, 79(11), 42-51. This and other articles are available from the library website. Click on the Library link in the Course Menu to get direct access to the Webster University library. Be sure to read the material before doing the assignments and discussions.Hover your mouse here: Directions for accessing the Library to see the steps for accessing a database in the Webster University Library. 1. The Library link under the Course Menu on the left side of your course page will take you directly to the Library Resources for Walker School of Business and Technology. 2. In the area â€Å"Find other database content by subject: Choose Business and Financials 3. On the right side of the page, under More Informa tion, choose Journal/magazine/newspaper list. 4. In Find the Journal title, type Harvard Business Review and click Search. 5. The journal will be identified on the next page.Click on Look up Article. 6. In the box that says â€Å"Article Title† type â€Å"Primal Leadership† and in the Date box type â€Å"2001† then click Search. 7. The next page lets you know the article is available. Click Article. 8. On the Journal/Magazine/Newspaper List page, at the middle of the page where it indicates â€Å"Find a journal title†, enter Harvard Business Review and click on Search 9. You will be required to enter your last name, your student number, and EWL at the end of your student number to gain access to the library databases. Chapter 3 – Charismatic and Transformational LeadershipCharismatic Leadership The oldest line of leadership research appears to be the search for the defining traits of leaders. One line of this research was the attempt to explain cha rismatic leaders. Charismatic leaders are so exciting, stimulating, magnetic, and visionary that followers willingly accept their leadership. This clearly roots the idea of charismatic leadership in the realm of trait-based leadership models. As you might expect, the original theorizing about charismatic leaders was not in the organizational context, but around religion and social movements.There are several theories of charismatic leadership, and according to most, charismatic leaders have the following attributes: Charismatic Leadership Attributes| They have compelling visions. | They have masterful communication skills. | They have the ability to inspire trust. | They are able to make group members feel capable. | They have energy and an action orientation. | They have emotional expressiveness and warmth. | They romanticize and take personal risks. | They use unconventional strategies. | They have a self-promoting personality. | They challenge followers. | They are dramatic and u nique. |There are a variety of charismatic leaders, but the most important distinctions are between leaders with personalized power motives versus leaders with socialized power motives. A socialized charismatic leader uses power to benefit the followers and the group, whereas the personalized charismatic leader uses power to serve his or her own interests. This may or may not help the group attain its goals, but attaining those goals is not the focus of the personalized charismatic leader. Research suggests that a person can increase his or her charisma by copying the behaviors of charismatic leaders. These behaviors include the following: 1.Articulate compelling visions for the future 2. Be enthusiastic, optimistic, and energetic (perhaps these are traits, but you can act like you are enthusiastic, optimistic, and energetic) 3. Persist in the face of adversity 4. Personalize your interactions with people, such as remembering their names 5. Maintain your physical appearance 6. Appea r to be candid 7. Reject the status quo or be defiant. Transformational Leadership Transformational leadership is related to charismatic leadership, but this newer group of theories focuses not on the leader's traits, but on the transformation of the organization.Perhaps being charismatic helps, but it is not enough to transform an organization. The transformational leader helps bring about major, positive changes in the organization. Four factors are seen as elements of transformational leadership are : * charisma * inspirational leadership * intellectual stimulation * individualized consideration According to one transformational leadership theory, the transformational leaders can be contrasted with a transactional leader. The transactional leader focuses on routine, day-to-day exchanges (or transactions) with the followers.The transactional leader rewards followers who meet existing standards of performance. While the concept of transactional leadership highlights the distinction between maintaining versus transforming an organization, the concept is not used much. Instead, the research focus has been on the more specific theories that you will learn later in the course, such as behavioral or contingency theories of leadership. Chapter 4 – Leadership Behaviors, Attitudes, and Styles This chapter introduces students to research on leadership behaviors, sometimes called leadership styles.When the research on leader traits and other characteristics was relatively unsuccessful in explaining leadership, the research changed orientation from â€Å"what a leader is like† to â€Å"what a leader does. † The focus was on leaders' behaviors, not on their underlying traits. This was a somewhat optimistic shift as well because this line of research indicated that leaders could be trained. This is in contrast to the â€Å"leaders are born† orientation of the trait-based leadership research. There are relatively few important behavior-based uni versal models, and most have been superseded by newer contingency models (discussed in Chapter 5).Knowing these early behavior-based models are important for a couple reasons. First, knowing them help students appreciate how leadership models evolve. Second, they are important because contingency theories (discussed in Chapter 5) attempt to incorporate these behaviors into their frameworks. Behavior-based Leadership Models Researchers at Ohio State University and the University of Michigan were among the first to study what behaviors were used by effective managers or leaders. The research found that effective leadership behaviors can be categorized as focusing on: 1. Relationships with followers (i. . , addressing their social and emotional needs) or 2. The tasks that need to be performed to increase productivity. There are many different terms or phrases describing effective leaders' behaviors. Task-oriented behaviors are called a variety of names, such as: * Work-oriented * Task- oriented * Production-oriented * Concern for production * Initiating structure * Directive behaviors With respect to the social and emotional focus, the labels or names include: people-oriented, worker-oriented, relationship-oriented, social, consideration, concern for people, and concern for relationship. Note: There are subtle differences among the different concepts, but you do not need to know them for this course. ) Some theories assumed that leaders could be either task-oriented (Concern for Results) or relationship-oriented (Concern for People), but not both. However, researchers at Ohio State assumed that leaders could demonstrate high or low amount of each type of behavior. In other words, task-oriented and relationship-oriented behaviors were not mutually inconsistent and a leader could be high on both dimensions, low on both dimensions, or high on one and low on the other dimension.This last view became the foundation for contingency theories and more modern universal mod els, such as the â€Å"Leadership Grid† (see Figure 4-3 pages 126 and 127). The descriptions of the positions on the chart are as follows: * 9,1 Controlling * 1,9 Accommodating * 5,5 Status Quo * 1,1 Indifferent * Paternalistic (1,9 and 9,1) * Opportunistic (all green quadrants) * 9,9 Sound Although behavior-based leadership theories are usually considered to be universal leadership models, the textbook's discussion of â€Å"adaptability† suggests more of a contingency approach. Undoubtedly, the behavioral research can be modified to accommodate ontingencies, but they were originally universal in nature. Other dimensions have also been investigated since the original research, but the importance of behavior-based theories rests primarily in the recognition of two broad dimensions of leader behaviors. You will see this more clearly when you study contingency leadership theories. Participative Leadership The chapter then briefly addresses â€Å"participative leadership. † Despite the relatively little coverage of this topic in the text, a key decision managers and leaders must make is how much to â€Å"empower† the followers.Tannenbaum and Schmidt developed an early model that had a continuum of leadership decision making behaviors that ranged from â€Å"boss-centered† to â€Å"employee-centered† behaviors. This theory focused on allocating decision making authority to employees, ranging from autocratic (â€Å"boss-centered†) to more or less participative (â€Å"employee-centered†) decision making. These two leader decision making behaviors were at opposite ends of a continuum. Therefore, in theory, a leader cannot be autocratic and participative at the same time. However, towards the center of the continuum the two styles blur together somewhat, with moderate levels of each style.The textbook addresses this topic in terms of a subsequent model that divides this continuum into autocratic and participative s tyles. The participative style is subdivided into consultative, consensus, and democratic styles. Issues The text next discusses two issues related to leadership. First, the book describes entrepreneurial leaders' traits and behaviors as if there was one way to be an entrepreneur (i. e. , a universal approach to entrepreneurship). However, this may be misleading because the best entrepreneurial style may depend on the followers and entrepreneurial idea.In other words, quite possibly there are no universally effective entrepreneurial styles. Perhaps future research will shed more light on this issue. Next, the textbook discusses whether men and women have fundamentally different leadership styles that are relatively consistent across situations. If so, in essence these differences would be universal styles for each gender. Past research on gender differences in leadership has been hampered by many factors, such as there being relatively few female leaders of large organizations. In d dition, the observed gender differences may be due to the followers' expectations based on their stereotypes about each gender's typical leadership styles and relatively inflexible social norms that shaped both gender's behaviors. You can draw your own conclusions about the chapter's comments on gender differences in leadership styles. However, it may be useful to reflect on a couple points. First, if you reject the importance of universal models of leadership, then any difference in male and female leadership styles becomes relatively unimportant. If contingency theories are correct, there is no one best way to lead.Thus, neither gender can corner the market on leadership, even if there are relatively stable differences in male and female leaders' preferred leadership styles. Second, there is so much individual variation in preferred leadership styles within each gender that discovering a â€Å"typical† or average style is unlikely to adequately describe the leadership style of any specific person. Many men are relationship-oriented, and many women are task-oriented, contrary to the typical stereotypes. The text concludes this chapter by stating that there is no one best leadership style. This idea sets the stage for the next chapter on contingency theories.Self-Assessment Quizzes I want to make a couple comments about the self-assessment quizzes. My hope is that by answering the questions in the self-assessments you will get a better sense of what the concepts mean and that hopefully you will gain some insight into your traits, styles, and preferences. However, the scores should be taken with a grain of salt because no inventory, and especially short inventories like those you are completing in this class, can accurately assess all your nuances. If you think the total score doesn't reflect you, or that certain questions do not measure you accurately, that is fine.Reflection upon the self-assessment inventories is valuable. Whether you agree with that assessment is of lesser importance. Analysis Paper One of the requirements of this course is for you to complete an Analysis Paper which will be due the last week of the course. For this assignment, you are to read one of the four books listed below. You are to identify the author's purpose for the book, its major themes, principles and concepts, and describe how those themes, principles, and concepts relate to the themes, principles and concepts presented by DuBrin in the text.In other words, I want to see at minimum four (4) concepts from your â€Å"chosen author† and how they to compare to DuBrin: where they agree, where they don't or if they don't. This is not a book review but rather it is an analysis of an outside reading, and the documentation of that reading's relatedness to the material you have been studying throughout this class. Technical Requirements: * The paper should be submitted as a Word document attached to the assignment. * APA citation style is required * Length: 6-10 pages – no more, no less * Double- spaced, 12 point font Must include, at a minimum: * an Abstract * an Introduction Section * a Discussion Section * a Conclusion Section * a Reference page * Both your name and page number must be included on each page of the paper (in a header is preferred). * Be certain you have carefully reviewed the paper for the requirements, misspellings, syntax errors and page numbers. The book you select will need to be obtained from a local library, Webster's library, a bookstore, an online book service such as Amazon. com (linked below), or some other book source.I would encourage you to actually purchase the book so you can retain it for future purposes. The books from which you must choose are: * Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell ( 2011) * It's All politics: Winning in a World Where Hard Work and Talent Aren't Enough by Kathleen Kelley Reardon ( 2006) * Tribal leadership: Leveraging Natural Groups to Build a Thriving Organization by Dave Logan, John King and Halee Fischer-Wright (2011) * The Zen leader: 10 Ways to Go From Barely Managing to Leading Fearlessly by Ginny Whitelaw (Apr 22, 2012) If, because f special circumstances (i. e. you are out of the country), you are unable to obtain one of the books listed above, and would like to review and report on an alternative, you must send me, no later than the beginning of Week 5, the title of the book you are requesting to use, the date of its copyright, and a valid rationale for using the alternative. An appropriate rationale could be, for example, that none of the books are available to you because you are on military deployment, and book resources at your location are limited.Just wanting to review a book that is: 1) more easily available, 2) one you are currently using in another course, 3) one you have read previously for another class or 4) one you would like to review for personal reasons, is not an adequate reason and will not be approved. Once you have decided on your book, go to the Course Home Page and click on the link entitled â€Å"Analysis Paper Book Sign Up. † Click â€Å"Sign Up† next to the book that you are choosing so that I know which book you will be using. You should choose your book for analysis, and indicate your choice on the sign up sheet, by the end of Week 5.Please be aware: 1. This assignment is due on Wednesday of Week 9 2. Late submissions will NOT be accepted unless arrangements have been made with me personally no later than the beginning of Week 7. 3. You will be required to submit your paper to Turnitin prior to submitting it in the Assignments tool. The Turnitin assignment will be found on the course homepage. Make a copy of the Turnitin originality report to include with the assignment submission. Should you have any questions or concerns, please let me know. Week 2 Activities Required Readings The following items are required reading for this week: . DuBrin, A. (2013) Lead ership: Research Findings, Practices, and Skills (7th ed). Mason, OH: South-Western * Chapter 3: Charisma and Transformational Leadership * Chapter 4: Leadership Behaviors, Attitudes and Styles Copies of these two chapters are included in the â€Å"Textbook eReserves† folder on the Course Homepage for your convenience. 1. Also, review the article on leadership and emotional intelligence: Goleman, D. , Boyatzis, R. , & McKee, A. (2001). Primal Leadership: The Hidden Driver of Great Performance. Harvard Business Review, 79(11), 42-51. DiscussionsAfter reading the course materials and required readings, you should be prepared to participate in our weekly discussion. * Week 2 Discussion – Charasmatic Leadership In Chapter 3 of the text, DuBrin suggests it might be artificial to separate charismatic from transformational leadership. In fact, on page 93 of the text, DuBrin clearly states that charismatic leadership is a component of transformational leadership. Respond to al l 3 questions using concrete examples to support your answer and then respond to at least 1 other student’s posting whose answer you relate to. 1.Have you experienced charismatic leaders who were unable to be transformational? 2. Have you experienced transformational leaders who were not charismatic? 3. What were the circumstances surrounding the situation(s) you have experienced? Once you post your answer please respond to at least one other students' post. Assignments Please complete the following assignments and submit via the Assignments tool. You will find a link to each of these assignments within this module. Remember to use the text box for your submission – Do not attach a document. Directions for completing the assignments can be found in the syllabus. Case Study * Ch. 3 Leadership Case Problem B – Time to Rebound at Willow Pond. Pgs. 101- 102 * Questions 1, 2, and 3. * Self Assessments * Ch. 3 Quiz 3-1 The Emotional Expressiveness Scale. Pgs. 79 †“ 80 * Ch. 4 Quiz 4-2 What Style of Leader Are you or Would You Be? Pgs. 125-126 Analysis Paper The list of available books from which you will choose one will be provided this week. By the end of Week 5, please use the â€Å"Analysis Paper Book Sign Up† link on the Course Homepage to indicate which book you will be reading. You are responsible for obtaining this book on your own. Ch. Quiz 3-1 â€Å"The Emotional Expressiveness Scale†: My composite score for the Chapter 3 Quiz was 72. This score places me in the level that defines my emotionality as â€Å"about right for a charismatic individual† and that I am â€Å"emotionally expressive†. I believe this is fair assessment. On numerous occasions in my past jobs, my employees and co-workers have commented on their trust in my abilities to get the job done and that I will not â€Å"throw them under the bus† for my own gain or as a result of a decision I have made. Also, my last supervisor commente d to me on my vision in leading my division. Ch. Quiz 4-2 â€Å"What Style Leadership Are You or Would You Be? †: I scored 14 on this assessment. The scale defined in the text is that a score of 15 and higher indicates a Participative style and a score of 5 or below indicates an Authoritarian style. There is no description for the scores (like mine) that do not fall in either range. I submit that the leadership style required will depend on the situation and environment you are in at the moment. There are times where you have to be the authoritarian and other times where you have to be more democratic in your approach. The trick is to know when. ) There are several reasons while this case pertains to this chapter on charismatic and transformational leadership. As indicated in the issues Heather and the owners see as most pressing, Willow Pond as an organization that must transform itself from a low performer to a higher level to survive. Considering the task at hand, Heather will have to demonstrate many of the traits of a charismatic leader to be successful. This case demonstrates the need for both utilized in unison to achieve success. 2) There are several key leadership areas where Heather can focus to transform Willow Pond.I will present the three areas that I believe to be the highest priority. First, Willow Pond has been losing money for the past three years. She must concentrate resources where most needed. Especially in the areas that could impact passing the state inspections which could close them down. If this were to occur, not only would the residence by impacted but also the employees. Also, there are services (i. e. wireless internet/fresh paint/improved food quality) that could be put into place that would improve the physical appearance of the facility and the quality of life for the residence.Second, she must work to help the staff understand the need for change. Not only from the possible loose of income but in that the focus of their organization is to take care of people. Mistreating the residents when they make simple requests is an unacceptable behavior. This not only impacts the morale of the residents but can generate a reputation that can cause others not to choose Willow Pond as their assisted living choice. Lastly, I believe she needs to build trust not only in the management and employees but also with the residents that all parties have a vested interest in success.If the residents trust that the staff will take care of them and the employees trust that she is doing all she can to support them, the cumulative effect will be success. 3) Heather can utilize many charismatic aspects of her personality to aid in the transformation of Willow Pond. She will have to employ her â€Å"masterful communication skills† to get her vision on how great Willow Pond can become with everyone’s support. She must be very tactful in her communication to ensure she keeps folks on board with her plans.This is very important considering that Willow Pond has lost money for the last three years and the possibility of the facility being closed if it does not turn around. Additionally, she will need to set the example for others with her energy and her actions by going the extra mile to ensure success. 1. Have you experienced charismatic leaders who were unable to be transformational? 2. Have you experienced transformational leaders who were not charismatic? 3. What were the circumstances surrounding the situation(s) you have experienced 1) Yes. Dubin implies for a leader to be transformational he/she must be charismatic.However, charisma on its own does not make one a transformational leader. If the charismatic leader cannot provide the vision and focus required to change the culture and/or subculture of the organization, he/she will not be effective. 2) Honestly, I cannot say that I have worked for a transformational leader that was not charismatic at some level. 3) What I have experienced are transformational leaders that have several difference levels of charisma. What drove the success of these leaders was their type of charisma match to organization required for transformation.For example, one of my past supervisors was a more reserved personality but was very personable, good at promoting individual growth and setting goals. These traits proved to be valuable in merging two product offices and building a project office organization. He would be a â€Å"Hedgehog† utilizing Jim Collins definitions in the book â€Å"Good to Great†. The flip side, I have had one supervisor who was very charismatic but was not effective in leading transformation. He could not focus the organizations energy on a common goal. Jim Collins would classify him as a â€Å"Fox†.It sounds like he may have been successful in some aspects, but at what cost. This type of work environment not only drives a lot of good people away it has a tendency to taint those who stay. The long term impacts on the organization and personnel may be more harmful than any perceived short-term success. V/R, JS Week 3 Activities Required Readings The following items are required reading for this week: DuBrin, A. (2013) Leadership: Research Findings, Practices, and Skills (7th ed). Mason, OH: South-Western * Chapter 5: Contingency and Situational Leadership * Chapter 6: Leadership Ethics and Social ResponsibilityWeek 3 Overview Overview The contingency model discussed in Chapter 5 assumes that the most effective leadership style or behavior depends on the situation or the followers. The leader's   behaviors are similar to those discussed before, but in this case the appropriate behavior depends on the situation, i. e. , is contingent upon some other factors. The theories differ in terms of what types of contingent factors are important and how leaders should behave in light of those contingent factors. You will need to become familiar with the key contingency variables th at differentiate the various contingency theories.Chapter 6 introduces the concepts of ethical and moral leadership as well as social responsibility. While these topics have always been important, recent events involving arguably unethical leader behaviors makes these ideas more relevant today. Required Readings The following items are required reading for this week: DuBrin, A. (2013) Leadership: Research Findings, Practices, and Skills (7th ed). Mason, OH: South-Western * Chapter 5:   Contingency and Situational Leadership * Chapter 6: Leadership Ethics and Social Responsibility Week 3 Instructor NotesChapter 5 – Contingency and Situational Leadership This chapter introduces the concept of contingency leadership, or what has also been called situational leadership ( Hershey and Blanchard). . The theories collected in this general category extend the behavior-based leadership research by recognizing that specific leader behaviors are more effective in some situations than o ther situations. In other words, the most effective leadership behavior is contingent upon the situation, which can be broadly defined to encompass anything in the leader's environment.For example, one contingency factor that is found in almost every contingency theory focuses on the follower's personal characteristics. Other common contingency variables include: the nature of the task, the nature of the work group, the organization's culture, and the amount of power the leader possesses. Each theory incorporates specific factors based on what factors the researcher felt were most important. There are many different contingency theories, but the textbook introduces the most important theories. Fiedler's Contingency TheoryThe first contingency theory introduced in the textbook ( pages 144-146) is Fiedler's Contingency Theory, or what is sometimes called â€Å"leader match† or â€Å"LPC theory. † In this theory, the contingent factors are 1) the leader's relationship wit h the group or follower, 2) how clearly defined or structured the task is that the person or group must perform, and 3) the amount of position power possessed by the leader. Dichotomizing these three variables results in eight possible combinations that range from little leader control to high leader control.The theory matches the leader's preferred style, either high task or high relationship, with one of the possible combinations. When the leader's style matches the existing situation, this should result in effective leadership. Fiedler's model is important because it was one of the first theories to highlight the contingent nature of leadership. While the research support is mixed for his theories, nevertheless Fiedler's theories were important in the development of leadership research. Another contingency theory developed by Fred Fiedler and his colleague Joseph Garcia is called the Cognitive Resource Theory.This theory describes how stress plays a key role in determining how a leader’s intelligence is related to group performance. These are the three points made by Cognitive Resource Theory. 1. Those leaders with greater experience but lower intelligence are like to have higher-performing groups under high-stress conditions. Or under low stress conditions – the leader’s experience e is less relevant. 2. Leaders with high intelligence are more valuable than an experienced leader when innovation is needed and stress levels are low. 3.The intellectual abilities of a leader who is experience stress will be diverted from the task at hand. As a result, measures of leader intelligence and competence do not correlate with group preference when the leader is stressed (New Approaches to effective Leadership: Cognitive Resources and Organizational Performance, 1987). Path – Goal Theory The next major contingency theory introduced in the textbook is path–goal theory, which is usually associated with Robert House's theories. While th ere are several variations of this theory, the book presents the most common version.Although the theory is relatively complex, it focuses on the followers and the situation, just like Fiedler's LPC theory. However, the important characteristics of the followers and the situation are different than in Fiedler's LPC theory. The contingency variables in path-goal theory are based on expectancy theory, one of the more powerful motivation theories. Because effective leaders must motivate followers, it makes sense to integrate a motivation theory with a leadership theory. Unlike many other contingency theories that focus on only two leader behaviors or styles, path-goal theory attempts to explain in which situations each of four ifferent leadership styles are most effective: directive, supportive, participative, and achievement oriented leadership styles. A newer version of the theory adds transformational leadership behaviors, but this is not covered in the book and you do not need to k now it for this course. Blanchard Situational Leadership Model The next leadership model, the Situational Leadership II model, is one of the most popular leadership models. Many companies train managers in this theory. The Situational Leadership model was specifically developed to simplify the complexity of most contingency theories (see Figure 5-4).As leadership theories become more complex, they also become more difficult for managers to use on a day-to-day basis. Accordingly ,Blanchard developed a simplified theory focuses only on the followers' characteristics. They concluded that the follower's readiness to perform a task is the most important contingency factor, even though there are many other relevant factors. Followers' â€Å"readiness† levels are comprised of their abilities and willingness to do a specific task. In this model, the leaders' behaviors are either task oriented or relationship oriented, which makes it similar to the Leadership Grid and Fiedler's LPC mo del.Although the logic of Situational Leadership's prescriptions is somewhat questionable, and the research support is somewhat weak, nevertheless this theory has had a big impact on management and leadership training. Blanchard subsequently developed a modified version of this Situational Leadership model that shares the same name, which can create confusion. Normative Decision Model The next contingency model introduced in the textbook is the Normative Decision Model proposed by Vroom and Yetton, and later modified by Vroom and Jago.As the name indicates, this theory attempts to prescribe the best type of decision-making in a given situation: autocratic, consultative, or group-based decision making. This is a contingency theory because the critical decision nodes or points in the theory reflect either a concern with the situation or with the followers. When diagrammed, the decision nodes or points in this model create a decision tree. Thus, this model is also referred to as the â €Å"decision tree model. † Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) Theory Another perspective under the contingency approach is the Leader – Member Exchange (we will see this model again in Chapter 9).The textbook finishes with a short description of how top executives actually lead and a discussion of leading during a crisis. These two topic areas are descriptive, and lack the kind of theoretical reasoning found in other theories and they have very limited research support. According to the text, top executives perform multiple leadership styles, the choice of which depends on the situation (a contingency approach). All of the styles reflect some combination of strategic leadership and change leadership, with relatively little emphasis on motivating individual followers.In a sense, these styles are variations on the transformational leadership style discussed earlier in the textbook. Week 3 Instructor Notes Chapter 6 – Leadership, Ethics, and Social Responsibility This ch apter introduces the concepts of ethical and moral leadership behaviors. Whether you can prevent unethical or immoral behaviors by teaching ethics and morality is not clear. However, being aware of ethical and moral issues is valuable, if for no other reason to have students reflect on their own ethics and morality. The text has a multifaceted approach to ethics. To be ethical, you should: * Be honest and trustworthy (have integrity) Pay attention to all relevant stakeholders * Find compatible goals for all stakeholders (â€Å"build community†) * Respect individuals by treating them fairly and honestly * Demonstrate modesty and restraint in accomplishing moral victories (â€Å"accomplish silent victories†) Leaders, of course, differ in their morality and ethical nature. One of the more interesting ideas is that leaders' level of moral development varies (from pre-conventional, to conventional, to post-conventional levels). However, the situation can also have a large i mpact on the leader's behavior.Certain corporate cultures seem to ignore ethical issues, while others have extremely strong ethical values. There is a table outlining leaders who have questionable ethics, which will no doubt become longer over the near future. Whether leaders recently have become less ethical, or they are simply being detected and publicized more is an unanswered question. Corporate social responsibility is the next concept in the chapter. This refers to the idea that organizations, and thus their leaders, have an obligation to society beyond simply following laws and making money for owners and shareholders.This idea reflects an ethic, but goes beyond any simple ethical principle (see Figure 6-1 Initiatives for Achieving a Socially Responsible and Ethical Organization). As the book notes, the topic cannot be covered well in the space allotted, but being sensitive and responsive to the community and the employees is the key idea. Whether an organization should lose money to help the community and employees is the key issue. If the concept of a â€Å"virtuous circle† is correct, then there is no trade-off between profits and social responsibility because social and financial performance reinforce each others.Week 3 Discussion Description (click to collapse) Week 3 Discussion| Refer to the leadership styles shown on page 153 of the text (Figure 5-4 Situational Leadership II ). * What is your present style of leadership in most situations (directing, coaching, supporting and/or delegating)? * Is this leade