Emotional Description Of Beethovens Ninth Symphony Essays - Symphony

Emotional Description Of Beethovens Ninth Symphony Essays - Symphony Emotional Description of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony It has been called the greatest audio entity one could ever listen to; a song which can pierce the soul of even the most dedicated music-hater: Beethoven?s Ninth Symphony. Not only has it been designated thus; also, as one of the few truly divinely inspired works, one which most men can only marvel at, as they wallow in their appropriate humility. These creations, however, are definitely not the only aspects of entities beyond the scopes of men; there are far more examples, which are seen every day, but often overlooked. I was walking outside, with this song echoing in the recesses of my mind, on a dismal, overcast day in the Autumnal quarter, a day when where the streets blended with the atmosphere, when one could hardly look up without feeling the singe of the wind against one?s face. To me, these days have always conjured up images of some distant, looming storm, some silent tempest which, if not otherwise distracted will soon wreak mayhem and disaster on my environs. This day had an intense air about it, as do others of its ilk. This is most likely the fault of the storm under which it is shadowed, as though it and its inhabitants are uneasy and harrowed about the imminent predator waiting overhead to pounce. As the sky overhead swam with deeper and deeper shades of gray and hopeless black, the song in my mind was reaching some vocal crescendo in the fourth movement, a better foreteller of the gale I could not imagine. While the winds bullied and tormented the defenseless neighborhood, I started for my house. Unexpectedly, as the crescendo was losing speed, a quiet, pacific violin entered the musical fray in my brain, and the entire mood of the symphony mellowed, the winds themselves pacified, seemingly under Ludwig?s fickle dominion. Thinking the storm had passed, I continued blissfully onward to the meadows which were my destination. Again I was assaulted, this time by a different part of the symphony; not too long after the first chorale. This was the startling and almost fearful, but still uplifting, part in which the female and male vocals collided like two huge tidal waves with the power to splinter a fleet of ships with the German Alle Menschen repeated several times. Upon this onslaught of euphony, I turned from whatever I might have been thinking before, and looked at some violently twisting and rising leaves and other debris, and gazed at the playful heavens, again ominous. Annoyed with Beethoven and the cruel elements, I stood there, unmoving; indecisive, not knowing whether to turn around or pursue my present course, I felt the excited chorale still striking some unknown and inexplicable fear within me, as though some divine creature were about to strike me down in some vehemence which lies well beyond the realms of verbal description. So, as the chorus continued repeating its faithful mantra, the winds again rose up stronger than before, as twigs began to snap and fall about me; I was still, yet deeply moved. Perplexed at the whimsy antics of nature, I was about to retreat to my home, when, in the remarkable symphony, a single male vocal broke through the complicated entanglement of godly voices, and I, despite the protests of my superego, decided to continue on with some alien, renewed vigor against the gusty weather, as though I were the bearer of news about the winner of a war or some other momentous aftermath. At this, as though impressed with my display of singular determination, the wind made itself placid, laying down before me. Violins were heard, along with the driving, male voice. Suddenly, completely without warning and all at once, what seemed like throngs of angelic, female voices sang as though sent on an appeal to God on the eve of apocalypse. They continued, soon joined by male voices, and other instruments, in the most spiritual and epiphytic reverberation I?ve ever had the pleasure of witnessing, and, seemingly, all in my favor, against cruel and remorseless nature, pleading to let me pass. I, however, felt like only a petty bystander in this competition between the symphony and the elements, completely unable to comprehend, let alone justify either

Profile of Serial Killer Richard Cottingham

Profile of Serial Killer Richard Cottingham Richard Cottingham was a serial rapist and killer that used the streets of New York and New Jersey as his hunting ground in the 1970s. Known for being particularly cruel, Cottingham earned the nickname The Torso Killer because he would sometimes mutilate the body of his victims, leaving just their torso intact. Early Life Relocating to a new school in the seventh grade proved to be socially challenging for Cottingham. He attended St. Andrews, a co-ed parochial school, and spent a lot of his after-school time friendless and at home with his mother and two siblings. It was not until he entered Pascack Valley High School, that he had friends. After graduating from high school, Cottingham went to work as a computer operator at his fathers insurance company, Metropolitan Life. He stayed there for two years and then moved to Blue Cross Blue Shield, also as a computer operator. First Kill and The Family Man Cottingham abducted Carr  from her apartment parking lot, took her to a hotel where he raped, tortured, and murdered her, and left her body at Ledgewood Terrace. In 1974, Cottingham, who was now the father of a baby boy, was arrested and charged with robbery, sodomy, and sexual assault in New York City, but the charges were dropped. Over the next three years, Janet gave birth to two more children- a boy and a girl. Soon after their last child was born, Cottingham began an extramarital affair with a woman named Barbara Lucas. The relationship lasted for two years, ending in 1980. Throughout their affair, Cottingham was raping, killing and mutilating women. Killing Spree March 22, 1978: New York City- Kidnapped, drugged and raped Karen Schilt, age 31.October 13, 1978: Hackensack, New Jersey- Drugged, tortured and raped prostitute Susan Geiger who was pregnant.December 2, 1979: New York City- Tortured and murdered Deedeh Goodarzi, 23, and â€Å"Jane Doe,† an unidentified woman in her 20s. The two women were found in a room at the Travel Inn Motel Hotel, bound together, raped, tortured and murdered. Cottingham mutilated their bodies, removed their hands and heads, then set fire to the hotel room.May 4, 1980: Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey- Valerie Ann Street, 19, was found at the Quality Inn Motel, naked, beaten, and with multiple cuts on one of her breasts.May 12, 1980: Teaneck, New Jersey- Drugged, beaten, and with several bite marks on her body, Pamela Weisenfeld was found in a parking lot.May 15, 1980: New York City- Jean Reyner, 25, was raped, stabbed, mutilated and strangled to death in a room at the Hotel Seville in New York City.May 22, 1980: Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey- Feeling invincible, Cottingham returned to the Quality Inn Motel with Leslie O’Dell, 18, where he raped, beat, tortured and tried to kill her, however, he was interrupted by hotel security. Finally Busted A search of a private room in Cottinghams home turned up various personal items linking him to his victims. The handwriting on hotel receipts was also matched to his handwriting. He was charged in New York City with a triple homicide (Mary Ann Jean Reyner, Deedeh Goodarzi and â€Å"Jane Doe†) and on 21 counts in New Jersey, plus additional charges for the murder of Maryann Carr. Courtroom Drama and Sentence During the New Jersey trial, Cottingham testified that since he was a child he was fascinated with bondage. But this monster who often demanded that his victims call him master showed no backbone when faced with the prospect of spending the rest of his life in prison. Three days after he was found guilty of the New Jersey murders he attempted suicide in his cell by drinking liquid antidepressants. Then a few days before the New York verdict he attempted suicide by cutting his left forearm with a razor in front of the jury. Ironically, this master of mutilation could not master his own suicide Cottingham is currently housed at the New Jersey State Prison in Trenton, New Jersey.

Practicum Management Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Practicum Management Assignment - Essay Example Nurses are able to focus their attention on fewer patients. They are able to concentrate on their patients’ needs, safety, and individual care. In a study submitted to the Alabama Nurse Journal, it was established that the mandated nurse patient ratio has managed to improve patient safety and has also improved the quality of care given to patients. There has also been a decrease in mortality rates, lesser medical errors, and decreased rates in pneumonia, thrombosis, urinary tract infection, gastrointestinal bleeding, shock, and pressure ulcers. Hospital stay was also shorter for patients. Many hospitals in America argue that the mandated nurse-patient ratio cuts into a large part of the hospital budget. They argue that increasing staffing costs will eventually reduce patient access to healthcare. According to them, this mandate does not take into account the individual needs of the patient or the skills and characteristics of the nurse or the hospital. They also argue that hospitals are very much committed to providing quality patient care while still utilizing safe staffing levels, however, they feel that legally imposing nurse-patient ratios does not ‘allow for fluctuations in the supply of nurses and does not account for new technology’ introduced into healthcare (Lewis, 2005). Hospitals declare that mandated nurse-patient ratios are inflexible impositions on healthcare. Hospitals are forced to finance the obligatory increase in nursing staff and in the end, they may not be able to afford this cost. Hospital closures may follow. Nurses’ associations have a mixed reaction to this mandate. Some associations support the mandate, declaring that their lives have greatly improved. They are less stressed due to the decrease in their caseloads. Some unions have declared that this mandate has helped improve patient safety and has increased the job satisfaction of nurses. Nurses are now able to take

Reaction to Karen Pykes Article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reaction to Karen Pykes Article - Essay Example Within these three factors, what become apparent are the immigrants high regard for the culture which is dominant in the society. Their picture of what is "ideal" and "normal" family becomes synonymous with that of the North American family as seen in popular media and their American peers. On the other hand, the family ideology of the minority like Koreans and Vietnamese is seen as deficient. The study reveals the preference of the immigrants to have a more Americanized family than stick with their own family ideologies. It should be noted that almost all the interviewees express their predilection for more sensitive, open communication, flexibility, and forgiveness among family members. Their traditional family values like role prescriptions, family obligations, hierarchical relations, and lack of emotional expressiveness are seen are hindrances in attaining rapport among family members. Given a chance to change their families, Koreans and Vietnamese immigrants want their parents to be less strict and give them more freedom, more open-minded and less traditional, and more expressive. As mentioned above, it can be seen that this perception of the normal and ideal family stems from the hegemony of the American culture in the society where they belong. However, Pyke also notes that even though Koreans and Vietnamese immigr

Six Basic Strategy Essay Example for Free

Six Basic Strategy Essay A Broad Differentiation strategy maintains a presence in both segments of the market. Competitive advantage is gained by distinguishing products with an excellent design, high awareness, and easy accessibility. RD competency is developed that keeps designs fresh and exciting. Products keep pace with the market, offering improved size and performance. Prices are above average. Capacity is expanded as higher demand is generated. Mission Statement Premium products for the industry: our brands withstand the tests of time. Our primary stakeholders are customers, stockholders, management, and employees. Tactics †¢ Research Development: We will keep our existing product line, and introduce at least one more line, maintaining a presence in both segments. Our goal is to offer customers products that match their ideal criteria for positioning, age, and reliability. †¢ Marketing: Our company will spend aggressively in promotion and sales in both segments. We want every customer to know about our superb designs, and we want to make our products easy for customers to find. We will price at a premium. †¢ Production: We will grow capacity to meet the demand that we generate, avoiding second shift/overtime when possible. After our products are well positioned, we will investigate modest increases in automation levels to improve margins, but never at the expense of our ability to reposition products and keep up with segments as they move across the perceptual map. †¢ Finance: We will finance our investments primarily through stock issues and cash from operations, supplementing with bond offerings on an as needed basis. When our cash position allows, we will establish a dividend policy and begin to retire stock. We are somewhat adverse to debt, and prefer to avoid interest payments. We expect to keep assets/equity (leverage) between 1.5 and 2.0. We measure performance in terms of market share, market cap, ROA, and profits.

The Effect of Being an Only Child on the Childs Personality Essay

The Effect of Being an Only Child on the Child's Personality Literature Review: Before a child has friends they have their family. Everything that they know and love about the world mostly comes from what they see around in their house. Children usually find role models in their family most of the time it is the child’s sibling. Yet only children don’t have that experience of living with another child and begin to develop their personality and traits from what they see in their parents. An only child’s role model is usually their mom or dad. Most of their time is anyway spent with them. Looking up to an adult rather than a younger being can really change a lot about the child’s personality. Only child are mostly known to be responsible and develop good language skills because they are around their parents so much. They may see the responsibility that the parent has and learn how to be responsible from that. They don’t have any influences of seeing a child being lazy and not listening to their parent they just see the work of th e parent. Also because an only child’s main person to speak to is an adult they learn how to speak more properly and are able to talk better because they are learning from an expert of speaking that will not make mistakes at saying common words. This is a great advantage later in life for these only children. (Brophy, 1989)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Only children are also commonly known to become more mature faster then other children who grow up with siblings. Their maturity grows faster because again adults surround them most of the time. They copy what they see their parents do and they try to fit in and be like the parents. As other kids with siblings they would try to fit in with their siblings but only children have their parents to fit in with. (Koontz, 1989)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As these only children try to fit in with their parents they also try hard to fill up the expectations of their parents. Most parents put very high expectations on their only child since this is their only child and all their energy and attention is on them. They have high expectations because this is the only child that can make them proud. Knowing this, only children have a hard time trying to be the best. Only children have this pressure of being perfect for their parents because if they make a mistake they can’t say well at least I’m doing better than my brother or sister... ...y child. By giving out this survey to many children not just only children we can see the differences between only children and children with siblings. Statements 2-4 test whether or not the person likes school because most people who like school tend to do well at school. Statements 4-9 test whether the person is a hard-working student or not. Statements 10 and 11 test whether or not the person can have relationships with people because self-centered may not care too much about other people. Also in strong relationships you must think and care about other people this is hard for self-centered people. Statements 12,15,16,17 test whether or not the person has a high view of himself or herself because self-centered people have very high views of themselves. Statements 13 and 14 test whether or not the person cares about other people because self-centered people only care about themselves.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Works Cited Brophy, B. (March 6, 1989). It doesn't hurt to be alone. U.S. News and World Report, 106, 54-55 Koontz, K. (February 1989). Just me. Health, 21, 38-39 Sulloway, F. J. (September 1997). Birth order and personality. Harvard Mental Health Letter, 14, 5-7

Ethical Dilemmas Essay

There are three situations presented in the simulation which poses different ethical dilemmas on the part of the decision-maker. The symptoms of the respective dilemmas and their root causes shall be discussed individually because â€Å"analysis would be proper if they are able to locate the root cause of the conflict† (Lee). The Indiscreet Relationship The first situation presented was an indiscreet relationship between a boss and his secretary. The boss took the secretary along with him during business trips at the expense of the company. He even promoted the secretary to junior account executive. This problem created a stir within the company and corridor talks went around saying that the way to make it through the ladder of success in the company was through less than ethical means. This has caused an unrest among the employees of the organization that an ethical stand should be taken. However, the decision-maker had an ethical dilemma in making his decision. The boss, Patrick, is his former friend and colleague who was the one instrumental in landing him his job. Patrick also helped him during his early days with the company in getting hold of the ropes of the business of the company. On the other hand, company morale is going down because the employees think he is an unethical leader for allowing Patrick have his way in maintaining an indiscreet relations with his subordinate and in spending company resources in the process. This is what defines the ethical dilemma here. Sniffdog The second situation presented by the simulation which involved an ethical dilemma is the decision to represent SilverPill and their Sniffdog account. Sniffdog is a computer program which could sneak into the user’s hardware and retrieve many confidential data without the user’s knowledge. The ethical dilemma comes in when taking the account means allowance of the intrusion of privacy while not taking the account will make the company lose a lot of money by losing the account. The fact that compounds these all is that SilverPill informed the company that they will give all their accounts to McKinley should they choose to endorse Sniffdog. The ethics rulebook of McKinley states that the employees will maintain impeachable integrity in all its business dealings. Allowing Sniffdog to push through will not reflect well of this ethical rule. On its face, the business being dealt with here is plainly business and nothing will be objectionable about it. McKinley will just seek to endorse the Sniffdog program. However, when the program has capabilities of sneaking into private information, an ethical issue arises for McKinley will be signing itself to be part of such intrusion. Although SilverPill promised not to use any information that may be gathered for any illegal or extralegal use nor to sell it to a third party, the fact alone that there will be intrusion into the private lives of the users of the program will already present a grave ethical issue. Thus, the root cause of the problem here is whether or not to be a part of a project which can intrude into the private lives of clients by collecting confidential information from them without their knowledge. Think Eddie  And the third situation with an ethical dilemma presented by the simulation is whether or not to reveal certain information about the program Sniffdog to Think Eddie which is a competitor of SilverPill. At this point, SilverPill is no longer associated with McKinley and has moved on to another PR company. Think Eddie has entered the picture and wants McKinley to represent them for a computer program which has the same features as that of SilverPill’s Sniffdog. Think Eddie is a big client. And now it wants information about the Sniffdog program without, however, threats of any sanctions given to McKinley in case of non-compliance. The ethical dilemma here is whether to reveal the requested information to Think Eddie or not. Though Think Eddie did not give any threats for non-disclosure, surely there was an unwritten statement accompanying the request that non-disclosure might strain the relationship between the two companies. On the other hand, the ethics rule book of McKinley prescribes them not to hold conflicting interests. SilverPill, though a former client, still has the right that every information given by it to McKinley be kept confidential by the latter. Because of the mentioned rule, McKinley is duty-bound not to divulge confidential client information, especially in this case where the revelation will be made to a competitor. The root cause of the problem, therefore, is whether or not to reveal information obtained from a former engagement in order to establish a better business relationship with a new engagement even though the two have conflicting interests and the former engagement has already been severed. In all, the ethical dilemmas arise not because of the ethics rule books established by company but mostly because of moral grounds. â€Å"If doing what is right produces something bad, or if doing what is wrong produces something good, the force of moral obligation may seem balanced by the reality of the good end. We can have the satisfaction of being right, regardless of the damage done; or we can aim for what seems to be the best outcome, regardless of what wrongs must be committed† (Ross, 2007). Thus, the root of these dilemmas is simply because there are moral standards to which, companies as well as persons, must adhere.

Evolution of Leadership Models

What is leadership? And how has the theory on leadership developed? Greenwood (1993) paints an interesting if somewhat surprising picture as he reviews the development of leadership theory from the turn of the twentieth century onward. Greenwood (1993) describes how in the early 1900s the Father of Scientific Management, Frederick Taylor while not directly writing about leadership in his description of the role of the supervisor introduced the matter of traits and its link to situation.He did so as he described the ideal traits to be found in an effective foreman even while acknowledging that no one person would have all those characteristics and so there was the need for by dividing the work into specialized areas. Further, from the nineteenth century Thomas Carlyle examined the characteristics of great men â€Å"positing that the rise to power is rooted in a heroic set of personal talents, skills or physical characteristics† (Heifetz, 1998:16).At the start of the twentieth c entury, other scholars (Bird, 1940, Tead and Metcalf, 1920, Barnard, 1938), also affirmed that successful managers have certain traits. However, in 1948 Stogdill’s seminal work highlighted the inconsistencies in the trait theory studies significantly dismantled the theory noting that: The evidence suggests that leadership is a relation that exists between persons in a social situation, and that persons who are leaders in one situation may not necessarily be leaders in other situations†¦. Stogdill, 1974 cited in Greenwood, 1993:7Interestingly, Davis (1934) referring to traits noted there was no checklist for success but stated that leadership characteristic â€Å"they are necessarily a function of the characteristics and requirements of the leader and the particular situation, as well as the innate capacities of the executive himself† (Davis, 1937 cited in Greenwood, 1993:8). By 1955 Koontz and O’Donnell building on his work posited that the trait theory was of little promise noting that leadership involved the power of persuasion upon followers and that the quality of leadership was impacted by certain nvironmental factors. Leadership theory was also influenced by human relation considerations, which emerged around about the same time. These thinkers made the link with leadership as it relates to the leader’s ability to connect with people, to empathise, develop teams and to delegate and emphasized that the follower was central and leadership focused on the needs of the follower. So while the movement did not develop a leadership theory it introduced the linkage between individual needs, observations and group dynamics and appropriate styles of leadership behavior.Blake and Mouton challenged Davis’s theory of behavior stating that â€Å"the dimensions needed for an effective description of operational conduct are attitudinal variables, not behavior variables† (cited in Greenwood, 1993:13). Using the managerial gri d and attitudinal variables the writers posited that there was one best way to lead but differing tactics depending on the situation. This premise is not supported by the situational theory, which focuses on many leadership styles which depends on the situation.In many ways situational theory is a convergence of many schools of thought; although the path to its development has been ‘messy’ and sometimes circuitous. The theory is based on â€Å"leadership effectiveness †¦ strongly tied to a leader being demanding and simultaneously sensitive to the needs of the followers† (Greenwood, 1993:14). It predicts leadership performance based on interaction between leadership personality and the leaders control of the situation. In this regard, the theory is a variance with Blake and Mouton’s view of one best style.Tannenbaum and Schmidt’s (1973 ) classical work supports the contingency theory and described seven leadership styles, which were employed de pending on interrelatedness of three key issues: forces in the manger, the subordinate and the situation. As noted by the writers. the successful manager of men can be primarily characterized neither as a strong leader nor as a permissive one. Rather, he is one who maintains a high batting average in accurately assessing the forces that determine what his most appropriate behavior at any given time. Tannenbaum and Schmidt (1973:180) Situational Model versus LMXThe situational approach has evolved into a situational leadership model, which combines the four styles of leadership linked with the nature of the task and the performance readiness of the individuals to determine the most appropriate leadership style. Performance readiness is based on two principal issues ability and willingness. By combining the leadership styles with performance readiness continuum matrix one is able to match performance readiness with leadership style. So for instance a low performance readiness (R1) wou ld require a telling style (S1) (Hersey, Blanchard & Johnson, 2008).The work of Armenakis, Harris & Mossholder (1993) writing on creating readiness for organisational change provide a framework of readiness and urgency, which is related to the Situational Model and supports the premise that readiness is linked to leadership style. On the other hand, the LMX theory (Graen & Uhl-Bien, 1995) is a more recent theory, which examines the three domains of leadership; that is leader, follower and relationship in order to increase predictability of leadership practices. It incorporates operations and relationship in the leadership process.However, Stage 3 Leadership Making and Stage 4 – Team Making two important elements of the leadership process are still evolving. In my opinion, while the concepts are of interest it has not yet matured sufficient to be a useful tool when compared to the Situational Model. In summary, the situational model while not the end all and be all of leadersh ip theory provides a useful tool for practitioners to apply in their professional practice. Concluding remarks I am amazed at the state of leadership theory despite the many years of intense study. Such is the complexity of the issue.In my own professional practice I often adopt a leadership style that is in line with the contingency theory. With my team the style based on the model tends to be S2 while with some of the pilots countries where there is a concern with preparedness ranging between R1 and R2 I tend to adopt a telling or selling leadership style. Additionally, given the time limitation on the project readiness of the stakeholders can generally be described as low readiness/high urgency. I am not in apposition to replace staff so I will have to rethink my communication strategy ( Armenakis, Harris & Mossholder, 1993).I start where I began what is leadership? In a sense I know more about what leadership is not. It is not about traits or personalities nor is it leader focus ed. Leadership in many ways is still an art, it is relational, reflexive, intuitive and is a state within, which the leader and follower are inextricably linked. Denise Forrest Bibliography Armenakis, A. A. , Harris, S. G. & Mossholder, K. W. (1993) ‘Creating readiness for organizational change’, Human Relations, 46 (6), pp. 681-703. Graen, G. B. , & Uhl-Bien, M. 1995) ‘Relationship-based approach to leadership: development of leader-member exchange (LMX) theory of leadership over 25 years: applying a multi-level multi-domain perspective’, The Leadership Quarterly, 6 (2), pp. 219-247. Greenwood, R. G. (1993) ‘Leadership theory: a historical look at its evolution’,Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 1 (1), pp. 4-19, Heifetz, R. A. (1998) ‘Values in leadership’. In: Leadership without easy answers. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, pp. 13-27. Hersey, P. , Blanchard, K. H. & Johnson, D. E. (2008) ‘S ituational leadership ®Ã¢â‚¬â„¢: In: Management of organizational behavior: leading human resources. 9th ed. New York: Pearson International, pp. 132-157. Leana, C. R. (1986) ‘Predictors and consequences of delegation’, Academy of Management Journal, 29 (4), pp. 754-774. Raelin, J. A. (2003) Creating leaderful organizations: how to bring outleadership in everyone. San Francisco, California: Berrett-Koehler. Tannenbaum, R. & Schmidt, W. H. (1973) ‘How to choose a leadership pattern’, Harvard Business Review, 51 (3), pp. 162-180. Evolution of Leadership Models What is leadership? And how has the theory on leadership developed? Greenwood (1993) paints an interesting if somewhat surprising picture as he reviews the development of leadership theory from the turn of the twentieth century onward. Greenwood (1993) describes how in the early 1900s the Father of Scientific Management, Frederick Taylor while not directly writing about leadership in his description of the role of the supervisor introduced the matter of traits and its link to situation.He did so as he described the ideal traits to be found in an effective foreman even while acknowledging that no one person would have all those characteristics and so there was the need for by dividing the work into specialized areas. Further, from the nineteenth century Thomas Carlyle examined the characteristics of great men â€Å"positing that the rise to power is rooted in a heroic set of personal talents, skills or physical characteristics† (Heifetz, 1998:16).At the start of the twentieth c entury, other scholars (Bird, 1940, Tead and Metcalf, 1920, Barnard, 1938), also affirmed that successful managers have certain traits. However, in 1948 Stogdill’s seminal work highlighted the inconsistencies in the trait theory studies significantly dismantled the theory noting that: The evidence suggests that leadership is a relation that exists between persons in a social situation, and that persons who are leaders in one situation may not necessarily be leaders in other situations†¦. Stogdill, 1974 cited in Greenwood, 1993:7Interestingly, Davis (1934) referring to traits noted there was no checklist for success but stated that leadership characteristic â€Å"they are necessarily a function of the characteristics and requirements of the leader and the particular situation, as well as the innate capacities of the executive himself† (Davis, 1937 cited in Greenwood, 1993:8). By 1955 Koontz and O’Donnell building on his work posited that the trait theory was of little promise noting that leadership involved the power of persuasion upon followers and that the quality of leadership was impacted by certain nvironmental factors. Leadership theory was also influenced by human relation considerations, which emerged around about the same time. These thinkers made the link with leadership as it relates to the leader’s ability to connect with people, to empathise, develop teams and to delegate and emphasized that the follower was central and leadership focused on the needs of the follower. So while the movement did not develop a leadership theory it introduced the linkage between individual needs, observations and group dynamics and appropriate styles of leadership behavior.Blake and Mouton challenged Davis’s theory of behavior stating that â€Å"the dimensions needed for an effective description of operational conduct are attitudinal variables, not behavior variables† (cited in Greenwood, 1993:13). Using the managerial gri d and attitudinal variables the writers posited that there was one best way to lead but differing tactics depending on the situation. This premise is not supported by the situational theory, which focuses on many leadership styles which depends on the situation.In many ways situational theory is a convergence of many schools of thought; although the path to its development has been ‘messy’ and sometimes circuitous. The theory is based on â€Å"leadership effectiveness †¦ strongly tied to a leader being demanding and simultaneously sensitive to the needs of the followers† (Greenwood, 1993:14). It predicts leadership performance based on interaction between leadership personality and the leaders control of the situation. In this regard, the theory is a variance with Blake and Mouton’s view of one best style.Tannenbaum and Schmidt’s (1973 ) classical work supports the contingency theory and described seven leadership styles, which were employed de pending on interrelatedness of three key issues: forces in the manger, the subordinate and the situation. As noted by the writers. the successful manager of men can be primarily characterized neither as a strong leader nor as a permissive one. Rather, he is one who maintains a high batting average in accurately assessing the forces that determine what his most appropriate behavior at any given time. Tannenbaum and Schmidt (1973:180) Situational Model versus LMXThe situational approach has evolved into a situational leadership model, which combines the four styles of leadership linked with the nature of the task and the performance readiness of the individuals to determine the most appropriate leadership style. Performance readiness is based on two principal issues ability and willingness. By combining the leadership styles with performance readiness continuum matrix one is able to match performance readiness with leadership style. So for instance a low performance readiness (R1) wou ld require a telling style (S1) (Hersey, Blanchard & Johnson, 2008).The work of Armenakis, Harris & Mossholder (1993) writing on creating readiness for organisational change provide a framework of readiness and urgency, which is related to the Situational Model and supports the premise that readiness is linked to leadership style. On the other hand, the LMX theory (Graen & Uhl-Bien, 1995) is a more recent theory, which examines the three domains of leadership; that is leader, follower and relationship in order to increase predictability of leadership practices. It incorporates operations and relationship in the leadership process.However, Stage 3 Leadership Making and Stage 4 – Team Making two important elements of the leadership process are still evolving. In my opinion, while the concepts are of interest it has not yet matured sufficient to be a useful tool when compared to the Situational Model. In summary, the situational model while not the end all and be all of leadersh ip theory provides a useful tool for practitioners to apply in their professional practice. Concluding remarks I am amazed at the state of leadership theory despite the many years of intense study. Such is the complexity of the issue.In my own professional practice I often adopt a leadership style that is in line with the contingency theory. With my team the style based on the model tends to be S2 while with some of the pilots countries where there is a concern with preparedness ranging between R1 and R2 I tend to adopt a telling or selling leadership style. Additionally, given the time limitation on the project readiness of the stakeholders can generally be described as low readiness/high urgency. I am not in apposition to replace staff so I will have to rethink my communication strategy ( Armenakis, Harris & Mossholder, 1993).I start where I began what is leadership? In a sense I know more about what leadership is not. It is not about traits or personalities nor is it leader focus ed. Leadership in many ways is still an art, it is relational, reflexive, intuitive and is a state within, which the leader and follower are inextricably linked. Denise Forrest Bibliography Armenakis, A. A. , Harris, S. G. & Mossholder, K. W. (1993) ‘Creating readiness for organizational change’, Human Relations, 46 (6), pp. 681-703. Graen, G. B. , & Uhl-Bien, M. 1995) ‘Relationship-based approach to leadership: development of leader-member exchange (LMX) theory of leadership over 25 years: applying a multi-level multi-domain perspective’, The Leadership Quarterly, 6 (2), pp. 219-247. Greenwood, R. G. (1993) ‘Leadership theory: a historical look at its evolution’,Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 1 (1), pp. 4-19, Heifetz, R. A. (1998) ‘Values in leadership’. In: Leadership without easy answers. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, pp. 13-27. Hersey, P. , Blanchard, K. H. & Johnson, D. E. (2008) ‘S ituational leadership ®Ã¢â‚¬â„¢: In: Management of organizational behavior: leading human resources. 9th ed. New York: Pearson International, pp. 132-157. Leana, C. R. (1986) ‘Predictors and consequences of delegation’, Academy of Management Journal, 29 (4), pp. 754-774. Raelin, J. A. (2003) Creating leaderful organizations: how to bring outleadership in everyone. San Francisco, California: Berrett-Koehler. Tannenbaum, R. & Schmidt, W. H. (1973) ‘How to choose a leadership pattern’, Harvard Business Review, 51 (3), pp. 162-180.

Intel vs Amd essays

Intel vs Amd essays Choosing a processor can be a very difficult decision. Should I get the AMD Athlon? Is the Intel Celeron a good choice? Is the Pentium III the processor that I should get? Well each of those are valid questions. But which Processor is best for you? Well that is a question that only you can answer. Coming to a determination for yourself is not so simple. So what questions do you need to ask yourself? Well here is what I use to determine which Processor that I will put into my PC each time I build a new machine. First what is the primary use of this machine? For the gamers the Intel celeron is the best processor. This is due to the lack of level 2 cache. Video and video ram is most important to the gamer. If you are using strictly using business applications then the AMD Athlon is an excellent choice. The more ram the better with these machines and Win NT is a great OS for business applications. If your doing some games and business applications a decent amount of graphics and an excellent server processor then I like the Pentium III processor. The more ram the better and also the more video ram the better here too. This processor like the drafting programs and other processor intensive programs. Although all of the above processor will work in each other place they each function better in different roles. The Intel Celeron processor is the least expensive of the Intel line of processors. a Celeron can be obtained for about $100 plus depending upon the speed. The AMD Athlon is a well priced Processor. The AMD processor family starts at under $100 and then goes up from there depending on the speed to upwards of over $600. The Intel Pentium III is a bit pricier processor starting around $250 to over $800 depending upon processor speed. Price although an important consideration is not that last consideration that I use for a final decision. ...

The Most Disastrous Job Interviews [Video]

The Most Disastrous Job Interviews [Video] Maybe you’ve just come from what you consider the worst job interview of your life. First of all, relax, it (hopefully!) didn’t go as badly as you think. Second, realize that we’re all human, and everyone understands how nerve-wracking job interviews are. It’s okay not to be perfect- really. Have a laugh (or a cry?) a mashup of the most disastrous job interviews put to film. You’ll surely look like a superstar in comparison.You’ll get ’em next time, we promise!

Behavioural Finance Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Behavioural Finance - Research Paper Example Montier’s articles and assess them one by one by providing supportive argument. Under this topic, Mr. Montier examined the QWERY keyboards and gave reasons as to why they are still in use today (Shiller 51). It is evident that QWERTY keyboard was established in 1874 by Christopher Sholes who saw the need to reduce the typing speed because the type writer that was in use during those times was jamming of plates in the mechanical arms due to the ease of typing that made people type faster (Thaler 8). Therefore, Mr. Montier clearly explained why the QWERTY keyboard was developed and why it is in use today. He also touched on the concept of Dvorak keyboard which is an alternative keyboard to the QWERTY but it was not adopted because it is efficient than Dvorak and certain studies suggest that the difference in their speed is very low and insignificant. However, Montier’s problem is that with adaptation of QWERTY keyboard up to date clearly implies that the benchmark policy that was used to develop this keyboard limits technological advancement and that, pers onally, he cannot come up with a policy benchmark (Thaler 3). How is technology involved? His reason for not coming up with a policy benchmark is the fact that such policies restrict technological advancements and confine them to one place for a long time (Dopfel 78). The reason as to why I support his argument of rejecting policy portfolios is the fact that they do not interpret investment risks correctly. This is because they concentrate too much on profit making than on the risks involved and the best way to deal with them. Therefore, Mr. Montier’s argument about of typewriters and benchmarks is correct. According to Montier, the notion of investment that was used in earlier times was better than the modernized idea and depiction of investment (Shiller 52). He clearly imply that the main aim of investment in early days was to look for value through purchasing what was