The Theories Of Howard Gardner And Urie Bronfenbrenner

The theories of Howard Gardner and Urie Bronfenbrenner are at the heart of my educational philosophy. I firmly believe in Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Theory, and his perspective that everyone has their own individual learning style. This is important to know, especially when working with children. Understanding how each child learns best and the way they process information provides teachers with a unique viewpoint into each student and allows for opportunities to teach in a way that fosters many benefits for everyone. Using Gardner’s theory as a basis for my teaching, allows me to plan meaningful, curriculum and create a classroom environment that encourages success for each child and their families. Following the ideals of Bronfenbrenner will allow me to see who the child is, and what his or her influences are. Knowing the traditions and culture the child comes from, will give me a better understanding of their life experiences and the belief system of their fami ly. As a teacher, I will work to fully provide opportunities for authentic learning, where every child feels valued, safe and included. My goal will be to find occasions every day to nurture independent learning, along with peer support that promotes a sense of personal growth and achievement. I recognize that every child has strengths and weaknesses, special talents, and specific needs, regardless of individual challenges. My objective will be to model appropriate behavior and show acceptance of everyoneShow MoreRelatedThe Theories Of Howard Gardner And Urie Bronfenbrenner1182 Words   |  5 Pages The Theories of Howard Gardner and Urie Bronfenbrenner are two theorists at the heart of my education philosophy. I firmly believe in Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Theory and his perspective that everyone has their own individual learning style. This is important to know, especially when working with children. Understanding how each child learns best and the way they process i nformation provides teachers with a unique viewpoint into each student and allows for opportunities to teach in a wayRead MoreThe Effects Of Discrimination On Students Learning1776 Words   |  8 Pagesto incorporate these cultures into the learning process and provide caring, fair, and equitable education. â€Æ' Students’ Social Ecology Theory Every child is unique and different. They have physical, emotional, and cultural differences due to the environment of their ecological system and their experiences with their socializing agents. According to Urie Bronfenbrenner the student’s ecological system consists of four basic structures that work together to influence children s development. The first

Jonathan Swift s Literary Canon Of Politically And...

Thesis Statement: Jonathan Swift’s literary canon of politically and comically-prolific satires, fantasies, and allegories was seasoned with his exposure to the follies of the economic, religious and governing institutions of the British Empire, and thus, he sought to lampoon and caricature the current events and social, cultural, religious, and political trends that were so omnipotent during his lifetime. Swift’s exposure to the monarchical mentality and rife factional conflicts pervading the political sector of England influenced a number of his literary works. A. In 1710, Swift, disgusted with their alliance with the Dissenters, withdrew from the Whigs, aligned himself with the Tories, and took up the position of editor of the Tory newspaper The Examiner (Cody). â€Å"But Swift did not thereby renounce his essentially Whiggish convictions regarding the nature of government. The old Tory theory of the divine right of kings had no claim upon him. The ultimate power, he insisted, derived from the people as a whole and, in the English constitution, had come to be exercised jointly by king, lords, and commons† (Quintana). Through his many articles and pamphlets that were written in defense of Tory policies, Swift became one of the most effective spokespersons of any British administration. With the death of Queen Anne in August 1714 and the accession of George I, the Tories were a ruined party, and Swift’s career in England was at an end. When Swift was writing Gulliver’s

Business Analytics for Concepts - Techniques and Applications

Questions: 1.Why does each step in the business analytics process have a past, present, and future dimension? 2.What is a competitive advantage, and how is it related to BA? 3.Why does having the ability to aid in decision-making make BA important? 4.How does BA help achieve sustainability? 5.What is digital analytics? Answers: Introduction The business analytics is one type of practice of the methodical exploration and eth iterative state of an organization's information that mainly focuses on the statistical analysis. The business analytics are used by the companies for taking the data-driven decision making within the organization. They are using the business informs and decisions to enhance the process of decision-making approaches more flexible and efficient in the organization (Hofmann Klinkenberg, 2013). The data-driven companies are treating the data as an important asset and consider it as the competitive advantage. The successful business analytics depends on the quality of the data, understand the technology in a better way and organize the decision in a much better way than the others in the organization. Their area has been divided into the two parts- the business intelligence and statistical analysis. 1. Based on the two types of the business analytics, Laursen Thorlund said that the business analytics is mainly involved in examining the historical data in order to get a sense of how the business, the team as well as the staffs perform on a particular period of time. This is one type of matured practice done in the organization which is quite fair and relevant (Laursen Thorlund, 2016). On the other hand, the statistical analysis involves the deeper knowledge of the predictive analysis which uses the algorithms. These algorithms can be applied to the historical data in order to predict the future performance of the product, services as well as the website design.1. The other analysis can also be used which are based on the advanced technologies known as cluster analysis. These two types of the business analytics provide the necessary dimension to the past, present and future perspective. Based on these two types, the analysis becomes easy and provides the exact result of the organization. As per Ragsdale, the descriptive analysis tracks the performance and understands the present state of the business (Ragsdale, 2014). The predictive approach analyzes the change in the trend of the data and helps to access those in the future. This approach also uses the past performance in order to generate the further recommendations that deal with the managing procedure in the near future. 2. Various companies make several plans to generate the successful outcomes in the market. When the plans are not effective, then the business starts to lose. Therefore, the planning is considered as the most part of the business. When the methods are applied in a correct manner then the results will be obtained as per the planned idea (Sharma, Mithas Kankanhalli, 2014). The business planning process has been divided into the sequence of strategy, then down to the tactical methods and finally the operational phase. Generally, the information is passed from the lower level, then processed in the middle phase and finally went to the higher level of authorities. These are the basic steps involved in the planning process of the business analytics. The first competitive advantage is the price leadership that deals with the marketing standpoints which offers the services and products to the customers at lower cost with huge profits. The business analyst helps to identify the main factors, the competitors, and monitors the report. They also help to maintain the price level at the lower level and measure its margin. The next advantage is related to the sustainability which ensures the resource usage and maintains a balance in the environment (Shmueli Lichtendahl Jr, 2017). The business analyst helps to identify the resource and reallocate the resource in order to prevent the damage. The operational efficiency is another type of advantage that improves the internal business operations as well as the activities of the competitors. According to Sharma, Mithas Kankanhalli, the business analysts identify the operation area where the correction is required and the modification even. Innovation is another important factor of the business which leads to reducing the complexities and results in better performance (Sharma, Mithas Kankanhalli, 2014). The business analysts obtain those ideas and use them in an effective way to enhance the productivity of the organization. The business analysts also get the desired opinion for the problem solving and fixing the things in a better way. 3. There are several potential applications for the decision-making process used by the business analysts. One of them is the increase customer profitability where the BA provides the detailed information about the current pricing methods and the competitors of the market. This information can be used further to put the business on a profitable scale which will properly balance the sales volumes as well as the increase rate of the prices. The risk reduction method used by the BA helps to get the required information which will avoid the issues in the field of the sales, budgets, and technology (Shmueli Lichtendahl Jr, 2017). The merchandise optimization strategy uses the predictive methods in a step-wise manner and determines the optimal results of the organization. The human resource management decision used by the BA helps to compute the productivity, revenue, and cost-estimation. Due to these abilities, the BA is the important element in the companies. 4. The BA helps to ensure the resources of the business that will balance the factors of the environment as well as the bottom of the firm's profitability. BA in the company identifies those resources and uses it in an efficient way. Whenever it is necessary of reallocating the resources, BA even does that keeping the profitability as the priority (Sharma, Mithas Kankanhalli, 2014). The best part of the BA is that they offer the effective methods and approaches to reallocate the resources, to use them in an optimal manner and to achieve the best results out of it. 5. The digital analytics is the combination of the collection, analysis, measurement, visualization and the interpretation of the digital data that usually illustrate the user behavior on the mobiles, websites as well as on the mobile sites (Laursen Thorlund, 2016). The most important part of the digital analytics is to understand how the sites and apps are formed and used. With the use of the analytics data, the organizations are optimizing the data based on the customer experience on the websites, mobile, and apps. Conclusion According to organization point of view, the BA is the most important members those who are responsible for bringing the change and competitive advantage into the organization. With the innovative efforts and approaches made by the BA, the profit scale of the company is always at the higher position in the marketplace. The introduction to the digital analytics helps to develop the market in a more appropriate way which will define the behavior of the user. The BA is very much essential for the investment as well as for the sudden changes in the organization. They are highly skilled with the change in the technology and help the firm in reallocating the resource as when required in the organization. They easily explore the ideas and methods that are relevant for the company. References Hofmann, M., Klinkenberg, R. (Eds.). (2013).RapidMiner: Data mining use cases and business analytics applications. CRC Press. Laursen, G. H., Thorlund, J. (2016).Business analytics for managers: Taking business intelligence beyond reporting. John Wiley Sons. Ragsdale, C. (2014).Spreadsheet Modeling and Decision Analysis: A Practical Introduction to Business Analytics. Nelson Education. Sharma, R., Mithas, S., Kankanhalli, A. (2014). Transforming decision-making processes: a research agenda for understanding the impact of business analytics on organisations.European Journal of Information Systems,23(4), 433-441. Shmueli, G., Lichtendahl Jr, K. C. (2017).Data Mining for Business Analytics: Concepts, Techniques, and Applications in R. John Wiley Sons.

Questions On The Origin Of Life And Of The Universe Must Have Challeng

Questions on the origin of life and of the universe must have challenged human curiosity and imagination as soon as early man had time for activities other than survival. In 1859, Charles Darwin published the Origin of Species, and since then, people have debated between the creationism and evolutionism theories. The theory of evolution has been supported only through various religious writings, particularly the Bible. Creationists believe in a divine creator, God. Creationism has a broad range of beliefs involving a reliance on God's miraculous work to explain the origin of the universe, of life, and of the different kinds of plants and animals on Earth. According to the creationist view, God willed everything into existence, and this is how humans came onto the Earth. Creationists say that the evolution theory is biased and incomplete. They believe that the fossil records fail to provide a link between diverse groups. To find out how old fossils are, scientists use a method called radioisotope dating, which measures the amount of uranium or lead lost over the years. Creationists deny evidence from this testing because they assume no uranium or lead has been lost over the years. The process of evolution, which all living things developed from unicellular organisms, over billions of years Exactly how evolution occurs is still debated but it is a scientific fact that it does occur. Most biologists believe that the modern theory of evolution arose from a history of mutations either physically or chemically and it is still occurring. All organisms can be traced back to a common ancestor from inanimate matter. The science of paleontology or the study of life provides the most direct proof of evolution in the past through fossil remains or impressions, usually in rock. Other evidence comes from comparative studies of living animals and plants, including their structure and geographical locations. "Mollusks and vascular plants account for more than 80 percent" (Futuyma 87) of the world's species, with about "1.4 to 1.8 million species" (Futuyma 87) in all. Changes occur in living organisms to help increase their adaptability, or potential for survival and reproduction, in the face of changing environments. Evolution apparently has no built-in direction or purpose. A given kind of organism may evolve only when it occurs in a variety of forms differing in hereditary characteristics, or traits, that are passed from parent to offspring. By chance, some varieties prove to be poorly adapted to their current environment and thus disappear, whereas others prove to be adaptive, and their numbers increase. The elimination of the unfit, or the "survival of the fittest," is known as natural selection because it is nature that discards or favors a particular variant. Basically, evolution takes place only when natural selection operates on a population of organisms containing diverse inheritable forms. Creationists have gone back to the basic laws of nature to see if evolution is physically possible given enough time and opportunity. The one major problem that they see is the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics. It states, "All natural systems degenerate when left to themselves". This is why everything falls apart and decays over time. Creationists point to death as being the ultimate manifestation of this law. This physics principle does not allow for something as complex as the human eye to originate from something simple. The eye must follow the tendency for complete degeneration. Creationists see a downward spiral for every living and non-living creation. Everything breaks down into simpler substances; they do not become more complex. Creationists say that, in the real world the long-term flow is downhill, not uphill. An experimental and physical observation appears to confirm that the law is indeed universal, affecting all natural processes in the long run. The evolutionists do not see the Second Law of Thermodynamics as a contradiction to evolutionary processes, because as it "specifically states that the entropy of a closed system cannot decrease. The law pertains to closed systems. The earth, and therefore evolution, is not a closed system" (Creation Science FAQ) As we know, there are no closed system on earth, "so in no way can any living system on Earth directly violate the second law" (Creation Science FAQ) Therefore, this argument is invalid. The age of the universe, perhaps billions of years

47 of the Best Training Resources to Hone Your Marketing Skills

47 of the Best Training Resources to Hone Your Marketing Skills Marketing teams are constantly busy. There’s barely enough time to get on top of your projects, much less take a couple hours out of the day to do some marketing training. But here’s a thought†¦ What if the training helped your team be more efficient at their jobs? Thus saving time in the long run. Not sure where to turn to find the right training opportunities for your marketing team? No stress. This post contains a comprehensive list of the best free and paid marketing courses to help your team hone their marketing skills. Check out this awesome list of the best free and paid marketing training resources.Help Your Team Develop Agile Marketing Skills Before we dive into all the marketing training opportunities, let’s talk about a much-needed marketing skill†¦ Project management. You know the feeling – The one where you’re drowning in work, chasing endless status updates and barely keeping a handle on all the things your team is working on. We’ve all been there. 😠¬ It doesn’t have to be this way. Check out how implementing an Agile approach to your marketing can change your (work) life. Table of Contents Content Marketing SEO Programming Analytics Social Media PPC Why Training is Important for Marketing Teams There is arguably no department at an organization that should prioritize training more than the marketing department. Hear me out on this one†¦ Can you think of anything within an organization that moves faster than marketing? Marketers are beholden to changing social media rules†¦ Search engine algorithm updates†¦ Email privacy regulations†¦ The list goes on. Marketers need consistant  training to stay in-the-know. Marketers are also often expected to wear multiple hats. How many times have you had to create a quick graphic for social media – even though you’re not a graphic designer? OR†¦ How many times have you had to jump into Google Analytics to check the health of your content marketing efforts, despite your limited analytics knowledge? Quite a few I bet. These are great examples of why marketers can (and should) take a course or two to brush up on skills outside of their expertise. Organizational Benefits of Training and Development Increasing employee motivation and decreasing turnover is something every company strives for. Turns out, a simple way to do this is to offer your employees a great training and development program. Here are all the statistics about the organizational benefits of training and development: Companies have a  218%  higher income per employee than those without formalized training. There’s a 24%  higher profit margin for companies that prioritize training than those who don’t. 40%  of employees who don’t receive training will leave their positions within the first year. 87%  of Millennials say that professional development is significant to them. 70%  of individuals say training and development opportunities influence their decision to stay at a company.

65 Compound Words Ending in Stone

65 Compound Words Ending in Stone 65 Compound Words Ending in Stone 65 Compound Words Ending in Stone By Mark Nichol Dozens of compound words, all but a few closed, end with the word stone, though some of the terms have figurative senses stemming from the original meaning and a few do not refer to actual types of rock at all. Here’s a list of most if not all compound words in which stone is the second element, with accompanying definitions. 1. birthstone: a gem symbolically associated with the month of one’s birth 2. bloodstone: a type of quartz with red spots that resemble drops of blood 3. bluestone: a bluish stone used in building 4. bondstone: a stone whose length is equal to the thickness of a wall that is placed in the wall to help strengthen it 5. brimstone: a traditional word for sulfur, chiefly used in the phrase â€Å"fire and brimstone,† referring to sermons in which churchgoers are dramatically warned about hell 6. brownstone: a building stone, and a type of house commonly clad with a layer of the stone 7. capstone: a slanted stone used on the top layer of a wall to allow water to drain off the top; also, figuratively refers to a high point in one’s experience or life 8. cherrystone: a type of clam 9. clingstone: a type of fruit with flesh connected to the stone, or pit 10. cobblestone: a round stone used to pave streets 11. copestone: see capstone 12. cornerstone: a stone placed on the corner of a building, including one traditionally inscribed with the date the building was constructed; also, figuratively refers to something of fundamental importance 13. coverstone: an aggregate of minerals used to cover treated pavement 14. curbstone: a stone, or concrete, used to form a curb 15. dripstone: a stone that projects over a door or window as an awning, or a stalactite or stalagmite made of calcium carbonate 16. drystone: in British English, an adjective describing a wall constructed of stone without mortar 17. fieldstone: a stone found in a field and used for some purpose without alteration 18. firestone: another word for flint (a type of quartz once used to start fires by sparking), or any stone impervious to high heat 19. flagstone: a flat, hard stone used to make paths 20. flintstone: pieces of flint used in construction 21. flowstone: a deposit of calcite formed by water running along or over a cave’s walls or floor 22. footstone: a stone placed at the foot of a grave 23. freestone: a stone able to be cut without splitting, or a stone, or pit, of a fruit not attached to the flesh or fruit with such a pit 24. gallstone: a hard object that forms in the gallbladder 25. gemstone: a stone of such quality that it can be used in jewelry 26. gladstone: a type of suitcase 27. goldstone: a type of glass to which particles of gold-colored material are applied 28. gravestone: a stone that marks the location of a grave and is often engraved with information about that person 29. greenstone: any of various greenish stones, such as a type of jade 30. grindstone: a turning stone wheel against which hard objects such as tools are smoothed or sharpened 31. hailstone: a piece of hail 32. headstone: see gravestone 33. hearthstone: a stone forming part of a hearth, or the floor or interior of a fireplace; also, figuratively, the home 34. holystone: a sandstone used to scrub a ship’s wooden decks 35. hornstone: a type of quartz resembling brittle flint 36. inkstone: a flat stone used as a palette in Chinese art and calligraphy 37. ironstone: a type of rock in which iron is found, or a type of pottery 38. keystone: a large stone at the apex of an arch used to hold the other stones in place; also, figuratively, something on which other things depend 39. lightstone: a grayish yellow 40. limestone: a white building stone 41. lodestone: a magnetic rock 42. merestone: a stone marking a boundary or serving as a landmark 43. milestone: a stone, inscribed with the distance to a specific place, located at the side of a road; also, figuratively, an important event or point of progress 44. millstone: one of two large, round, flat stones sandwiched together and rotated to grind grain; also, figuratively, a burdensome problem or responsibility 45. moonstone: feldspar used as a gem 46. mudstone: a shale formed from consolidated mud 47. oilstone: a whetstone for use with oil 48. philosopher’s stone: an imaginary substance supposedly able to transmute metals into gold 49. pipestone: a stone used for carving into objects (including pipes for smoking tobacco) 50. potstone: a mineral used by prehistoric humans to make cooking vessels 51. rhinestone: a stone resembling a diamond used in decoration and jewelry 52. rolling stone: a figurative term for an itinerant person 53. sandstone: a soft stone made of compacted sand 54. siltstone: a rock made of compacted silt 55. snakestone: any of several types of stones said to help heal a snakebite, a type of stone used in whetstones or for polishing, or a prehistoric shelled animal also known as an ammonite 56. soapstone: a soft stone formed mostly of talc 57. stepping stone: a large, flat stone in a shallow stream that one can step on to cross the water; also, figuratively, something that one can use to achieve a goal 58. toadstone: a stone, supposedly formed inside a toad, used as a charm or as an amulet against poison 59. tombstone: see gravestone 60. touchstone: originally, a small slab of dark stone on which a soft precious metal alloy would leave a trace when the alloy was rubbed against the stone, enabling assayers to evaluate the quality of the alloy; also, figuratively, something used as the basis for judging the quality of something else 61. turnstone: one of several types of birds 62. waterstone: a grindstone or millstone moistened with water instead of oil 63. whetstone: a stone used for sharpening blades 64. whinstone: basaltic rock or similar types of rocks 65. whitestone: an imitation gemstone such as a rhinestone Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:75 Contronyms (Words with Contradictory Meanings)5 Lessons for Mixing Past and Present TenseStarting a Business Letter with Dear Mr.

Emergencey management paramedic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Emergencey management paramedic - Essay Example American’s long held assumptions of security were shaken to the core, superseded by widespread feelings of person vulnerability and ushered in the era of homeland security. In New York City, the attack resulted in the collapse of the Twin Towers and killed 2756 civilians (Hirschkorn, 2003). These events have also had significant social and economic consequences, to include extensive property damage as well as serious and extensive financial disruption. 146,000 jobs were lost in New York City due to the attacks (Westfeldt, 2002). From the perspective of national healthcare, the events of September 11th generated public health, including mental health consequences of unparalleled proportions. Catastrophic events have far-reaching effects on social infrastructure. Disruption of life ways, vital resources, and services cause significant change in social system operations and behavior. Community disaster response may be organized and effective or disorganized and in some cases, nonexistent. Human resources are diverted from routine work functions to disaster relief operations. Disaster recovery, the long-term process of community restoration is a problem-solving process that includes not only planning for reconstruction and return to economic solvency, but also sustaining community health (Gad-el-Hak, 2008). Inequities in the distribution of social and material resources can adversely affect disaster recovery and community health. The 9-11 disaster posed unprecedented and unique challenges to the U.S. emergency management infrastructure. However, unlike less developed nations, the U.S. has the social and economic capital as well as the technology to build a defensive infrastructure for mitigation of disaster threats and provision for relief and recovery operations to its citizenry. The scope of involvement of American social institutions includes such activities as emergency preparedness, hazard mitigation,

Undertake a suitable critical environmental audit for a well known Essay - 2

Undertake a suitable critical environmental audit for a well known Western brand considering entering Saudi Arabia - Essay Example The macro environment refers to the factors in the nation within which the business seeks to operate. Henry (2008) states that macro environmental audit is mainly about the factors that affect entire population of the whole country within which the organisation operates. The main tool for this is PESTEL. Saudi Arabia is a monarchy ruled by a king. The current king, Abdullah bin Abdulaziz was enthroned in August 2005. Ever since he came into power, he has sought to make reforms to a nation that was mainly ran by the Royal family and the religious elite who ruled according to strict Islamic codes and systems (Ramady, 2010). There are reforms that are being made to enable people to take part in governance. Also, the reforms aim to cut down on government interference in the economy. However, due to the central and exemplary role that Saudi Arabia plays in the Arab and Muslim world, the reforms are being practiced at a very slow pace. Governance at all levels are controlled and affected by members of the Royal family (The House of Sauds) and their agents and representatives. Also, the religious elites are very powerful and they have a lot of say in the policies of the nation, which remains for strategic and international purposes, influenced mainly by Sharia. The Saudi economy is based on the export of crude oil. Saudi Arabia’s GDP stood at US$622.5 billion in 2010 (CIA World Factbook). The main authority in charge of the regulation of the financial sector is the Saudi Arabia Monetary Agency, which is the Central Bank. Taxes are collected by the Department of Zakat and Income Tax. Income tax is levied on non-Saudi individuals and entities. Saudi Arabian citizens and entities are normally exempt from taxation. Also, most non-Saudi individual salaries and employment benefits are tax-free (SaudiNet). It is only professional foreigners and foreign investment income that

Causes of Ww1 Essay Example for Free

Causes of Ww1 Essay * WW1 is known as the great war * There were preexisting tensions between France and Germany * 1 of the main causes of WW1 Nationalism, Nationalism is defined as the desire of people with similar cultures to have their own independent countries it is identified by intense devotion to one’s culture or nation. Do not confuse nationalism with patriotism. * Militarism, Militarism means the development of armed forces and using them as a tool of diplomacy * 1914 protest broke out in bosnia archduke franz Ferdinand was shot and killed * Alliances were another cause of WW1. Serbia went to Russia Austria went to Germany Russia ran to france then france went to Britain and the U.S was neutral * Germany used unrestricted submarine warfare the Lusitania was sunk by submarine over 1000 was killed, 128 americans were killed and the U.S became involved in WW1. * Germany tried to stop the U.S by sending a letter to Mexico to have a war with the U.S * April 2 1917 Congress declared war on Germany * 2 million American men lept on the continent confident fresh and ready to attack the german army November 11 1918 a cease fire was signed * Versailles treaty said nine new nations were established in Europe including Poland Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia * Germany was not aloud to have an army * Germany had to give Alsace and Lorraine back to france and pay them a huge amount of reperations money paid to repair war damage * The war guilt clause forced Germany to admit that WW1 was their fault and only their fault humiliating and angering the german people. * 22 million people were killed * The war cost the nations involed and estimated 338 billion * An entire generation of europian young men were dead or destroyed * An angry and humiliated Germany would start WW2 about 20 years later * The league of nations was started as a world police force it failed * With men gone woman took factory jobs In return for their contribution they would receive the right to vote in 1920 * America became the dominant industrial power of the world * Contributed to the movement of African Americans in the North the great migration * Intrnsified anti immigrant and anti communist sentiments among some americans * Newtechnology * Machine guns * Tanks * Gas warfare * Poison gas

Gcse English Poetry: Auden compared with Calrke Essay example -- Engli

Gcse English Poetry: Auden compared with Calrke GCSE ENGLISH POETRY The two poems that I will be analysing are ‘Stop all the Clocks’ by W.H. Auden and ‘The Vet’ by Gillian Clarke. My discussion will be based on the theme of the poems and look at how the poets used form and language to help his readers understand and make meaning out of the poem. STOP ALL THE CLOCKS THEME The theme of this poem is about grief. The poet takes his readers through a simple but complex journey that explains the different stages of grief that a person feels when a loved one dies. The poem reveals the emotional upheaval that death can cause. The grief felt is carefully illustrated by the poet in the form and language he uses throughout the poem which has a strict rhyming scheme of AABB throughout the 4 stanzas. FORM AND LANGUAGE The form and language that was used by the poet to describe the feeling and mood of the bereaved was spread throughout. The first stanza simply showed the first stage of grief and that the bereaved is coming to terms with the death of a loved one. For example, he said ‘stop all the clocks’ which signified that he wanted to focus on what had just happened and does not want to forget his love as people do over a period of time. Again he said, ‘cut off the telephone’ meaning he wanted to be alone without communicating to anyone. This is because she wanted to concentrate and grieve on the death of his loved one without people offering their condolences. Then the last line of the stanza, he said, ‘bring out the coffin†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ which suggests that he wanted to start making funeral plans. In the second stanza he wanted to let everyone know that his loved one has died and he mentioned in the fir... ...tcher by saying â€Å"no inter-uterine butchery† because he uses scalpel just as the butcher uses sharp blades to cut open animals when performing on them. The poet compares the Vet to a butcher in the verse because just as the butcher, the Vet uses a scalpel to cut open the cow and bring out the calf and the child basically cannot differentiate between a Vet and a Butcher The last verse is all about the birth of the calf. At this stage the Vet finally brings out the calf from its mother’s womb. The poet describes the cow as a ‘brimming mother’ in the last line of the stanza comparing the female cow to a human mother. This is because when the calf is born the mother cow shows the calf a lot of love and emotion just as the human mother when they give birth to a child. This makes this particular birth more to a human birth and the calf appear more to a child.

Negotiation Skills

Effective negotiation skills are becoming increasingly important for today’s global business. A lot of time is spent negotiating in a global setting as companies and individuals conduct business. This paper will attempt to critically assess the significance of cross cultural negotiation skills for the success of international mergers and alliances. To begin with let the definition of negotiation be deduced. Daniels, Radebaugh and Sullivan (2004) identify negotiation as a sequence of actions in which two or more parties address demands, initiate, conduct or terminate operations in a foreign country. Gulbro and Herbig (1995) define it as the process by which at least two parties try to reach an agreement on matters of mutual interest. In order to be successful in such a diverse and complex business environment, negotiators must be globally aware and have a frame of reference that goes beyond a country or region and encompasses the world (Fowler, 2005). International executives attempt to negotiate for an optimal solution minimizing conflicts and maximizing gains. According to Martin et al. 1999) a clear negotiation strategy is the most important factor for successful international business relationships. Cross cultural negotiation skills are vital in today’s business. It is not just about closing deals but it also involves looking at all factors that can influence the proceedings. Cross cultural negotiation skills not only shows the people involved how to start from a strong position and find common ground with others, but also provides practical techniques for to use when talking and bargaining during business ( Kozicki, 2005). People from other countries and cultures do things differently. For alliances and mergers to succeed, these cultural differences must be taken into account when negotiating to reach a deal that will last and bring benefits to both sides. Therefore as these people play an essential role for the success of merging companies, it is crucial to have an understanding of different national and organisational cultures. Cross culture is an integral art of the overall corporate culture of the firm, which is applicable for all international alliance and merging partners (Luo,1999). Negotiation skills bring added challenges that help the international negotiator to understand how partners from other cultures view negotiation and how they think it should be handled (Michal, 2005). Although there may be much commonality between members of both sides it should not be assumed that people have the same benefits, values or priorities as each other. Nowadays, businesses of all sizes search for internat ional partnership. The increasingly global business environment requires the approach to the negotiation process from the global business person’s point of view as the process can be complex and difficult but will create huge opportunities to develop and increase success in avoiding barriers and failures in international mergers and alliances. As one partner better understands that the other partner may see things differently, they will be less likely to make negative assumptions and more likely to make progress when negotiating. Nations tend to lead a national character that influences the type of goals and process the society pursues in negotiations and this is why specifying and understanding cultural differences is vital in order to perform successfully in inter-cultural communication (Copeland, 1996). In addition, for international mergers and alliances to succeed, it is important for both sides to agree that no one approach is better than another. Lack of cross- cultural skills can cause difference in problem-solving and decision making and this can easily lead to misunderstanding. Therefore it is important for everyone involved in the proceedings to be able to use a range of decision making and problem solving techniques. Nonetheless, companies from other countries run into problems which stem from cultural differences and this leads to difficulties between negotiating parties. Negotiators from cultures that place a high importance on punctuality and schedules are more prone to set deadlines and then make concessions at the last minute to meet the schedules than are negotiators from cultures that place less importance on punctuality and schedules. They may underestimate the importance their counterparts place on the negotiations if their counterpart arrives late and do not adhere to schedules due to lack of cultural awareness (Daniels et al, 2004). Furthermore, one counterpart may understand and be adaptive to the other’s culture. Therefore it is important for both parties to have some cross-cultural knowledge as this will determine at the start whether they will follow some form of adjustment. The choice of response should be highly dependent on how well both sides understand each other’s culture. Cross-cultural negotiation skills provide people with increased knowledge which means people have the opportunity to progress at international level. For alliances and mergers to work, there must be collaboration between the two parties for the betterment of both. Kanter, (1998) argues that communication is important to achieving synergy between partners. It is harder to derive the benefits of cooperation and easier for rivalries to escalate when there is no relationship history to draw upon. Stereotypes are a pitfall when attempting to create an international merger or alliance. National stereotypes prejudice groups in the absence of evidence and should be avoided at all times. An entire culture cannot be relegated to one or two commonly held attributes. Culture is a very complex issue encompassing a plethora of subjects. A group’s customs, belief systems, values and behaviour must be understood in order to fully realise a successful partnership in a business context. A key component of successful international negotiation is effective ross-cultural communication. This requires that negotiators understand not only the written and oral language of their counterparts, but also other components of culturally different communication styles (Cullen and Parboteeah, 2005). In essence, it requires an understanding of the more subtle, nonverbal aspects of communication as they play a vital role in understanding the communication process. Cross-cultural communication proble ms can arise in any given situation, even huge co-operations can fall into this problem. For example, when the U. S. car manufacturer Chrysler merged with the German Daimler – Benz Company in 1998, problems arose out of their different decision-making processes. Chrysler was accustomed to making quick, high–profile decisions while Daimler – Benz, with their hierarchical system, were used to a slow, cautious business model with little need for public pronouncements. Cultural difficulties occurred between the more easy-going and more flexible style of Chrysler and the well structured and bureaucratic style of Daimler-Benz. All of this was as a result of the different working styles, decision making and communication processes within the company (Shelton, 2003). The incompatibility of the two different cultural aspects was realised too late and became very difficult to be overcome. In the end it was no merger of equals but one company dominating over the other. This case shows the different aspects of the need for cross- cultural awareness as its importance must be considered in cross-border alliance and merger processes in order to become global players. Negotiation involves clear communication which involves important skills such as understanding, speaking and listening. It is not possible to have one skill without the others. Negotiation is most effective when people are able to clearly identify and discuss their source of disagreement and misunderstanding. Very different cultural attributes were evident when the French Pharmaceutical company Rhone- Poulenc merged with the U. S. Company Rouer. Not only did the Americans take issue with the French people’s lax attitude owards time-keeping and punctuality, they also had to deal with their propensity to express their emotions. Emotional outbursts such as crying or shouting were commonplace in the French company as they are not considered shameful; on the contrary, the French idiom ‘soupe au lait’, used to describe such outbursts, is believed to aliviate stress, allow them to vent anger and present them from bearing grudges (Dornberg, 1999). Perhaps the best example where cross-cultural negotiation skills were used effectively is in the case of Colgate Toothpaste Company. In 1985, the U. S. Colgate Palmolive Cooperation bought Hong Kong based Hawley & Hazel Chemical Company. Hawley & Hazel’s Toothpaste, ‘Darkie’ had a 70% market share in Asia and it featured a smiley man in ‘black face’ and a top hat resembling a minstrel or Al Jolson. This image presented no protests in Asia since the association with the image was with brilliant smiles. However, Colgate knew the connotations of the name and image of the toothpaste would be offensive to many U. S. minority groups and therefore had to enter into lengthy negotiations with the Hong Kong Company with a view to changing the name and image of the toothpaste. In order to give customers in Asia time to get accustomed to the new name and image, changes were brought in generally over a year long time frame. Eventually the product was called ‘Darlie’ and the image replaced by a racially-ambiguous smiling character in a tuxedo and top hat (Morrison and Conaway, 2004). In all these examples, the negotiation skills in a cross-cultural context were successful as the negotiators took into account cultural differences, while allowing for compromise to take place. Negotiators were undoubtedly familiar with Hofstede’s models of value systems and used his suggested five fundamental dimensions to national culture: Hierarchy, ambiguity, individualism, achievement- orientation and long-term orientation to their advantage. Negotiation skills are essential in determining the terms under which a company may enter and operate in a foreign country. International negotiations occur largely between parties whose cultures, educational backgrounds, and expectations differ, it may be difficult for negotiators to understand each other’s sentiments and present convincing arguments. Negotiation skills offer negotiators a means of anticipating responses and planning an approach to the actual bargaining (Daniels, et al 2004). The key to effective alliances and mergers is skillful management of relations from the initial handshake onward. In cross-cultural alliances and mergers there is great challenge because each party brings different cultural schemata to the table through which they interpret events. For example, the French dislike being rushed into discussions, they prefer to examine various options in decisions and negotiations are likely to be in French unless they occur outside France. Punctuality is expected and they tend to be formal in their negotiations and do not move quickly to expressions of goodwill until the relationship has existed for some time. Negotiation skills call for creative thinking that goes beyond the poorly thought out compromise such as those arrived at when there is a rush to solve before an effort is made to comprehend. A deep understanding of the true and often manifested nature of the underlying challenge is required if a long term solution is sought. Many conflicts that on the surface seem to be purely about resources, often have significant components related to issues of participation, face saving and relationships. For negotiation to work in international mergers and alliances, people need to be able to share their needs and fears with each other. Negotiation skills include being well prepared, showing patience, maintaining integrity, avoiding the presumption of evil, controlling emotions, understanding the role of time pressures, breaking down bigger issues into smaller ones, avoiding threats and manipulation tactics, focusing first on the problem rather than on the solution, seeking for interest-based decisions and rejecting weak solutions (Richard, 1999). All of these help one way or another when thinking through challenging or difficult business situations and also play a huge role in successful negotiation. The skills help negotiators to learn about other people’s preferences and also make their own clear. As logic is not the only thing that prevails in bargaining efforts it gives people time to work out essential problems especially when dealing with someone of a dissimilar culture and additional time may be needed to work out an agreement (Brett, 1998). In some cases emotional outbursts tend to escalate rather than solve a conflict. This can be extremely difficult for some people to hide their emotions and this can permit negative emotions which can take control of some negotiators due to lack of skill. Business partners negotiate through life and while there may be no easy answers that will fit every negotiation need, there are many important skills that will help to become more effective. Without the relevant skills negotiation will not prosper in the absence of cooperative decision-making as it will suffer absence of commitment and participation from the individual’s part. Limited knowledge of either the alliance or merger partners’ languages or cultures puts them at a disadvantage. They may hold power by maintaining a percentage of shares of the venture, but in reality many lose power through ignorance. Skilled negotiators spend twice as much time asking questions as opposed to average negotiators. They probe to clarify issues and understand underlying drivers and reasons for the stance a given party has taken. Talented negotiators also try to understand what the other side wants so they can develop a solution that satisfies all parties. Skilled negotiators also make many more positive comments than average ones (Hayman, 2007). This emphasises and builds on the good in the negotiation to make it easier to deal with other issues. Without any knowledge of the other party’s culture they may not have any idea of what the other side wants and therefore, it is vital to explore more options to test limits. These skills help to think about how the partner should be approached, what can be given away, and what must remain non-negotiable and all is due to tolerance for differences in culture and outlook. No matter how many companies want to merge or become an alliance, success rests upon skillful management from the beginning and without this relationship between the business partners will suffer from poor initial planning, mismatched expectations, poor communications, inequitable power distribution and inadequate negotiation potential and decline can be quite rapid. Success rests in accepting the other partner despite differences in values, beliefs, educational experiences, ethnic backgrounds or perspectives. The skills involved permit partners to examine a problem from all sides, and to promote understanding and interest in the other without necessarily agreeing to one party’s viewpoint. Genuine interest in contributions help to build trust and this provides a foundation for continuing relationship and also eases future efforts to solve problems ( Herbig and Kramer,1991). The negotiation skills allow everyone involved in the business to make suggestions openly without fear of criticism and is accepted. All negotiations are completed by consensus and a negotiated solution is reached when every partner has given up something to gain common benefits. A hypothetical example of a skilled negotiator dealing with another in a foreign country could be that they both have identical proposals and packages. If one has no knowledge of cross-culture believing the proposal will speak for itself and the other party has the knowledge which involves the culture, beliefs, values, etiquette and approaches to business, meetings and negotiations the latter will most likely succeed over the rival. This is so because it is likely they would have endeared themselves more to the host negotiation team and would be able to tailor their approach to the negotiations in a way that maximises the potential of a positive outcome. It is very important to know the commonest basic components of our counterparty’s culture. It is assign of respect and a way to build trust and credibility as well as advantage that can help us to choose the right strategies and tactics during the negotiation. It is not possible to learn another culture in detail but when something is learnt especially at short notice the best that can be done is to try to identify principal influences that the foreign culture may have on making the deal (Salacuse, 1991). Apart from adopting the other side’s culture to adjust to the business environment, difficulty in finding common ground, focusing on common professional cultures may be the initiation of business relations. The skills needed to approach negotiation differs across cultures, for instance the Japanese will negotiate in teams and decisions will be based upon consensual agreement while in Asia decisions are usually made by the most senior figure and in Germany, decisions can take a long time due to the need to analyse information and statistics in great depth. Clearly there are factors that need to be considered when approaching cross-cultural negotiation. Through having the skills, business personnel are given the appropriate knowledge that can help them prepare them effectively and this will help succeed in maximising their potential. CONCLUSION In an increasing global business environment, cultural misunderstandings may sabotage even the simplest negotiation therefore, cross-cultural negotiation skills are an essential, highly accessible resource for navigating boundaries for the success of international mergers and alliances (Brett, 2001). It helps to understand how people from different countries behave and conduct business, also to close deals that create value, resolve disputes to preserve relationships, and make decisions that get implemented around the world. Cultural negotiating skills are necessary for managing in multinational network organisations. Managers heading abroad to negotiate a deal, businessmen relocating to foreign countries, multicultural teams within large organisations and individuals involved in international merger and alliance activities are those who will benefit having the skills to negotiate and acquire knowledge and development that are indispensable in today’s global business world. If there is no knowledge of cross-cultural negotiations involved, a great deal of difficulty in understanding the findings of cross-cultural experiments concerning co-operation and conflict will arise because the partner or partner’s identity is not clear to the subjects in the business (Smith and Bond, 1993). Negotiation is a specific type of interaction that should be known to partners and professionals. For mergers and alliances to succeed those involved must also recognise that cultural differences can lead to different behaviours and assumptions at work and that these can sometimes cause misunderstandings or delay. Despite their risks, mergers and acquisitions are becoming increasingly common events as a result of rapid globalization and it is important for those involved to aim to develop levels of cultural awareness and understanding within organisations so that their clients can operate more effectively and profitably within the global market place. Negotiation helps to put things in context, gives a broader perspective, and increases the likelihood that an agreement that comports well with the interests of constituents will be reached. In addition, careful attention should be paid to the interests of other parties in the negotiation process. This can help to craft a solution that makes for a successful negotiation (Cohen, 2002). Finally, everyone must do their best to learn about the cultures of their negotiating partners as this drives decisions and the more they comprehend in their strategy and tactics, the greater the likelihood that the agreement they reach will provide their negotiation partner something to bring back to whomever they consider the powers that be. Negotiators need to be well prepared for the beginning, collecting information from possible sources, clarifying their objectives, and setting their limits. During the negotiation, the relationship orientation is most important. An appropriate emphasis on time should be considered. At the end of the negotiation, consensus is the most important consideration. The success of international business relationships depends on effective business negotiation. If negotiators are well prepared, understanding how to achieve international business negotiation outcomes and the factors relevant to the process will allow negotiators to be more successful. Word count 3,185

Los Angeles in the movies

Los Angeles in the Movies: Banham ‘s or Davis' vision of the metropolis?Los Angeles has ever been represented by the media in really opposite ways, from the propaganda images in the 1920s advertisement Los Angeles as a Eden, to the noir novels of the 1940s, seeking to shatter that portraiture. Urban Planners and historiographers besides portion this split position. Reyner Banham ‘s The Architecture of Four Ecologies ( 1971 ) is like a court to the metropolis, researching everything that makes Los Angeles the manner it is ; from the expressway right down to surfboard design, Banham has an undeniable love for the metropolis. Mike Davis, in contrast pigments a really black portrayal of the metropolis in City of Quartz ( 1990 ) , concentrating on the corruptness, development and organized crime demographics that have made Los Angeles what it is today. In The Ecology of Fear ( 1998 ) , he concludes that the metropolis should ne'er hold been built due to the frequence and inevi tableness of natural catastrophes. These contrasting positions of Los Angeles have been represented infinite times through Hollywood films. The bulk of the clip, when a movie is set in Los Angeles, it is either important to the narrative, or at least has some function to play. One of the grounds why the metropolis is so popular with managers and film writers is because of this love-hate relationship. Which side of Los Angeles the manager depicts depends mostly on the narrative itself. In this essay I will look at an array of movies, analysing whether they portray Banham ‘s optimistic Los Angeles, or Davis ‘s black reading. I will concentrate on three movies in item ; L.A. Story, Volcano and ( 500 ) Days of Summer. Los Angeles has been a subject of argument throughout its life-time. Different parties have repeatedly tried to picture their version of Los Angeles, either for personal addition, or to merely state a good narrative. As Michael Sorkin comments, ‘L.A. Is likely the most mediated town in America, about unviewable save through the assumed scrim of its mythologizers ‘ . ( 1 ) Morrow Mayo describes Los Angeles since 1988 as a ‘commodity ; something to be advertised and sold to the people of the United States ‘ . This image created by authors, antiquaries, and publicizers which Davis refers to as the ‘Arroyo Set ‘ at the bend of the 20th century ‘created a comprehensive fiction of Southern California ‘ . ‘Their imagination, motives, values and fables were in bend infinitely reproduced by Hollywood, while go oning to be incorporated into the substitute landscape of suburban Southern California ‘ . As the Depression hit, it shattered the dream-addicted Los Angeles and created a settlement of authors intent on exposing the rough worlds of L.A. life. ‘These Depression-crazed center categories of Southern California became, in one manner or another, the original supporters of that great anti-myth normally known as noir†¦ .a sequence of through-the-glass-darkly novels†¦ repainted the image of Los Angeles as a deracinated urban snake pit ‘ Davis calls Banham ‘s ‘The Architecture of Four Ecolgies ‘ ‘the first serious jubilation of the metropolis since the supporter yearss of the 1920s ‘ . Banham went against traditional critics and declared ‘I love the topographic point with a passion that goes beyond sense or ground ‘ , he found virtuousness in about everything, including the car, hillside places and even surfboards. The Architecture of Four Ecologies became a ‘turning point in the rating of the metropolis by the international clerisy ‘ . Since so it has become acceptable and platitude to portray Los Angeles favorably, without seeking to sell it as a trade name. Mike Davis, amongst many others, does non portion Banham ‘s position. In City of Quartz and The Ecology of Fear he uses historical grounds to foreground the the societal dysfunction, economic disparity and menace from natural catastrophe, painitng an about tragic image of Los Angeles. This contrast has resulted in legion movies about Los Angeles being produced, each one with a clear message portraying the metropolis as either Banham ‘s glorious reading, or Davis ‘ black calamity.L.A Story ( 1991 )L.A. Story is a romantic comedy about a weather forecaster who finds love with the assistance of a speaking freeway mark. It is described as a ‘celebration of life and L.A Culture ‘ , and would decidedly be considered to be portraying Banham ‘s L.A. The rubric sequence shows many facets of Los Angeles in a positive and entertaining manor, such as a street of people all roll uping their newspapers in unison or a pool full of people beckoning at a winging hot dog publicity. Similarly to Banham, the movie does n't shy away from demoing the negative facets of Los Angles, instead it foreground them in a amusing manner. One illustration would be the chief character avoiding the gridlock traffic by driving on the pavement and through Parkss, or the humourous manner in which a minor temblor effects a eating house. Banham sees the ‘automobile as a work of art and the expressway as a suited gallery in which to expose it ‘ . During the title sequence of L.A. Story we are shown many illustrations of customized autos. There is besides an aged twosome sauntering along with walking AIDSs, who so acquire into a Ferrari and speed off, reminiscent of Banham ‘s mention to ‘Aunt Nabby ‘ driving her ‘chrome xanthous Volkswagen with reversed wheels and a voom-voom fumes. ‘ For Banham, the expressway system is ‘one of the greater plants of adult male ‘ , he sees it as an built-in portion of Los Angeles, non merely in the manner it transports its occupants but besides in the manner it makes us read Los Angeles, through ‘movement, non monument ‘ . He describes the Santa Monica/San Diego intersection as ‘a work or art, both as a form on the map, as a memorial against the sky, and as a kinetic experience as one sweeps through it ‘ . Davis, contrary to Banham, sees the expressway system merely as the devastation of the natural landscape. ‘The car besides devoured extortionate measures of premier land. By 1970 more than 1/3 of the surface country of the Los Angeles part was dedicated to the auto. What coevalss of tourers and migrators had one time admired as a existent life garden of Eden was now buried under an estimated 3 billion dozenss of concrete. ‘ Many films have depicted the expressway system in a positive manor, and L.A. Story is no exclusion, with it ‘s beautiful dark clip shootings of the busy expresswaies, or by following a individual auto down a coastal route, L.A. Story goes beyond that of many other movies by giving the expressway system ( and arguably Los Angeles itself ) a personality. A freeway mark starts pass oning with the chief character, stating ‘Los Angeles wants to assist you ‘ . The fact that a expressway mark was chosen as the method of communicating with the chief character shows what an of import function the expressway system plays in this film, and besides within Los Angeles itself. If Banham had to give Los Angles a method of communicating with a occupant, I think it would be the expressway ‘For the expressway, rather every bit much as the beach, is where the Angeleno is most himself, most integrally identified with his great metropolis ‘ . L.A. Story besides picks up on the thought that fledglings to the metropolis are a batch more likely to fall for its appeal and temptingness than people raised at that place. The British journalist acknowledges this when she compares her position to that of Rolland ‘s ; a Born and bred Angeleno. ‘Rolland thinks L.A. Is a topographic point for the brain-dead, he says if you turn off the sprinklers the topographic point would turn into a desert but I think, I do n't cognize, I think it ‘s a topographic point where they ‘ve taken a desert and turned it into their dreams. ‘ This is an thought that is really relevant in the instance of Davis and Banham. Davis was born and raised in a suburb of Los Angeles, and so has a really in deepness cognition of the workings of the metropolis and uses this to an advantage in his book. Banham on the contrary, moved to Los Angeles in the 1970s and instantly fell in love with the topographic point. As Davis quotes in the first page of City of Quartz, ‘The superficial incentive, the alien, the picturesque has an consequence merely on the alien†¦ ‘ Walter Benjamin.Volcano ( 1997 )The gap scenes to Volcano look to be that of peaceable expectancy for the twenty-four hours in front, porters can be seen puting out fresh towels around pools, store forepart are being polished, Canis familiariss are being walked. Radio snippings are played over the top of the images to make an feeling of what an mundane forenoon in Los Angeles consists of. ‘It ‘s 9am, temperature is 72 grades†¦ a backup on the 10 westbound on Hoover due to patrol activity on the offramp, seemingly there was a driveby hiting†¦ eyelid surgery, organic structure surgery, citric acid Peels, whatever it takes to make a whole new you†¦ a male child of 15 is sentenced to 10 old ages for armed robbery†¦ trial thrust a mercedes from your local trader†¦ ‘ At first glimpse it seems as though the movie is seeking to portray the sunny, Eden that is used to pull foreigners though coupled with what you are hearing on the wireless you realize that this Los Angleles is one of disenchantment. The manager is subtly foregrounding the metropolis ‘s jobs, such as the offense, the traffic jobs, the shallow decorative nature, whilst demoing occupants traveling about their day-to-day lives in their created Eden without concern for these factors. To foreground this point farther, the camera keeps cutting off to the volcanic activity beneath the metropolis, whilst the occupants are blissfully incognizant of the at hand catastrophe. The mode in which the series of images flicks through ‘all thing L.A ‘ is similar to that of Banham and the subjects discussed in his book, such as far-out commercial architecture, the Angeleo and his active life style, publicizing on measure boards every bit good as portion of edifices. Even so, the message here is clearly that of Davis ‘s position. That this superficial Eden has come at an tremendous cost and those that can non see it, are merely taking non to see it. Volcano plays on the fact that Los Angeles is built on top of mistake lines, whilst traveling beyond the usual temblor scenario. There is nil new about the secret plan of the movie, the thought that Los Angleles suffers a natural catastrophe and is destroyed ( or about destroyed ) has been a frequent Hollywood happening, with no less than 183 films about the devastation of the metropolis. Volcano sees the Office of Emergency Management ( O.E.M ) conflict an belowground volcanic eruption, that showers the metropolis in deathly fire bombs and an eternal tide of lava from the Brea Tar cavities, down Wiltshire Boulevard and through the tube ruddy line. In The Ecology of Fear Mike Davis begins by naming the legion everyday catastrophes L.A. experiences, from temblors, inundations and wildfire to hurricanes, cyclones and snowstorms. He talks about how Angeleos have become ‘genuinely panicky of their environment ‘ . â€Å" The destructive February 1992, January 1993, and January 1995 inundations ( $ 500 million in harm ) were mere brackets around the April 1992 rebellion ( $ 1 billion ) , the October-November 1993 firestorms ( $ 1 billion ) and the January 1994 temblor ( $ 42 billion ) . † He looks in great item at the catastrophes that have effected Los Angeles from the early 1900 ‘s to the late 1990 ‘s and utilizing informations of the country right back to the mediaeval period, concludes that L.A. was really built during a ‘mild ‘ period and in fact ‘nature may merely be waking up after a long sleep ‘ . Therefore the catastrophe films created are non rather every bit fictional as they seem, harmonizing to Davis ‘ research. Davis uses legion illustrations to do his instance a really strong one. ‘Market-driven urbanisation has transgressed environmental common sense. Historic wildfire corridors have been turned into view-lot suburbs, wetland liquefaction zones into marinas, and floodplains into industrial territories and lodging piece of lands ‘ . His position is that Los Angeles has been ‘putting itself in injuries manner for coevalss ‘ , Volcano portions this position that the catastrophes abundant in L.A. are at least in portion, caused by over development. The first minor eruption of the vent was caused by the building of a subway extension. The geologist who first suspects a vent comments ‘This metropolis is eventually paying for its haughtiness, constructing a metro on a metropolis that ‘s seismically active ‘ to which the caput of the O.E.M answers ‘it was a foolish adult male that built his house upon the sand, Matthew 7.26 ‘ . Volcano depicts Davis ‘s version of Los Angeles wholly, from the whole thought of this immense graduated table natural catastrophe, to the manner it was represented on screen. It even has a clear message about the racism nowadays in Los Angeles. The crew manage finally to deviate the lava to the sea, therefore avoiding the devastation of 1000s of places, even so, the vent caused one million millions of harm and killed 100s. A message comes up on screen at the terminal calling the vent as ‘Mount Whilshire – position: ACTIVE ‘ screening that this minor triumph is non a lasting one and Los Angles occupants are still under menace.( 500 ) Days of Summer ( 2009 )( 500 ) Days of Summer has been described as ‘some kind of love missive to Downtown Los Angeles ( and Ikea ) ‘ . It is the narrative of how Tom meets Summer, their relationship, and eventual break-up, presented in a non-chronological format, each scene being introduced by which of the 500 yearss it is. Initially this may look rather difficult to put as neither Banham nor Davis spoke favorably of Downtown. Davis ‘s description of business district is improbably black, a blunt contrast to the Downtown depicted in the movie. ‘Downtown is normally shrouded in pungent xanthous smog while heat moving ridges billow down Wilshire Boulevard. Amid 100s of estates of liquefied asphalt and concrete there is barely a weed, much less a lawn or tree. ‘ Banham does non needfully knock Downtown, but states that it is non peculiarly relevant in a metropolis such as Los Angeles, who has no demand for a conventional ‘centre ‘ . Downtown is given a note ‘because that is all downtown Los Angeles deserves ‘ . He explains that because the metropolis has had no regular centrifugal growing, ‘other countries in the fields, foothills and seashore had begun to develop before the Pueblo could mutate convincingly into an important business district ‘ . With its glamour shootings of old business district edifice outsides and landmarks like the Bradbury edifice, ( 500 ) Days of Summer clearly is n't Banham ‘s Downtown, although it is Banham ‘s Los Angeles. Tom see ‘s Downtown in a manner which most people do n't, he see ‘s the beauty in the metropolis and Teachs Summer to see it excessively. Similarly to how Banham see ‘s the beauty in Los Angeles along with her ugliness. Whilst indicating out the edifices along the L.A. Skyline, Tom explains to Summer ‘that ‘s a parking batch†¦ that ‘s besides a parking batch†¦ there ‘s a batch of beautiful material here excessively though, I wish people would detect it more ‘ . The manner Tom see ‘s Downtown is represented by his religion in love. There ‘s a polar scene in which Tom goes to a party at Summer ‘s flat anticipating to hold a romantic reunion but in world she is now with person else. The scene is split into two screens ; world and outlook. As he leaves, sad and dejected, the street and the downtown skyline turns into Tom ‘s hand-sketched version of the same position, so acquire ‘s erased. As Tom ‘s dream miss disappears, so does his dream metropolis. The morale of the narrative is non one of desperation though, by the terminal of the movie, both Summer and Tom believe in his thought of love, and see the metropolis for it ‘s beauty, merely as Banham saw Los Angeles ‘ beauty when other intellectuals were speedy to knock it. Originally the secret plan was to be set in San Fransico but that did n't accommodate the thought of Tom seeing the beauty in things a batch of other people miss. In an interview about the movie, the two authors discuss the pick of metropolis. Scott Neustadter: [ Tom ] romanticizes everything ; we had non seen L.A. as a romanticized metropolis in the manner that you see Rome in a Fellini film or New York in a Woody Allen†¦ Michael Weber: Or San Francisco, excessively. It likely worked out better because we know San Francisco is beautiful. For me being a New Yorker, I did n't cognize. I ‘d ne'er seen that side of L.A. Although the topic of Downtown is non as Banham would hold described, it is deserving observing that Banham was looking at a 1970s Downtown and could non hold forseen it ‘s present twenty-four hours transmutation. Even so, ( 500 ) Days of Summer remains a Banham-esque expression at Los Angeles non because of the peculiar part depicted but because of the manor in which they both make the audience expression past the normally held negative position to happen something beautiful. By and large, a blithe movie, such as a comedy normally portrays Banham ‘s version of Los Angeles whereas a more serious, tense movie, perchance a thriller, would utilize Davis ‘ theoretical account. Film noir ( including modern twenty-four hours versions ) and catastrophe films are two genres that entirely depict Davis ‘ woebegone reading. Chinatown ( 1974 ) , along with many other private oculus movies, explores the corruptness, confederacy and misrepresentation nowadays in Los Angeles. The movie unravels an intricate dirt affecting L.A ‘s fresh H2O supply, where husbandmans are being forced to sell their land because of drouth, after which a new dike would airt H2O at that place greatly increasing the real-estate value. The movie was based on a existent dirt that took topographic point at the beginning of the century. Davis goes into item about the procedure in which developers took control of the land through corruptness and as a consequence, land which should hold been a legal impossibleness to construct on was approved. Both Chinatown and Davis ‘ books remind us of how the selfish uses of rich and powerful business communities has left the land waste and abused. The many movies about the baleful side of Hollywood basically represent Davis ‘ Los Angeles. Sunset Boulevard ( 1950 ) trades with what becomes of yesterdays stars when they are cast aside. Norma Desmond refuses to believe that her stardom has passed and becomes more and more crazed as she lives out her fantasy universe in the privacy of her deteriorating sign of the zodiac. The manner in which the house is described as ‘like the adult female in great outlook, Mrs Haversham, decomposing in her nuptials frock ‘ creates a tragic image of L.A ‘s private life every bit good as the architecture. As Davis quotes from John Rechy ; ‘You can decompose here without experiencing it ‘ . The Italian Job ( 2003 ) would be an illustration of Banham ‘s L.A. Although they deliberately produce the worst traffic jam in Los Anegeles ‘ history, they whole thing is done with a sense of hyperbole and sleekness reminiscent of Los Angeles itself. The concrete river defence that Davis hated so much, is used as a agency to playfully prove out the auto ‘s public presentation during a chase scene. Banham describes some of the edifices in Los Angeles as ‘lovably pathetic ‘ , which would be a perfect manner to sum up The Italian occupation. The same can be said for Pulp Fiction ( 1994 ) , although there is a big sum of force within the movie, the frequent Pop-references create a Los Angeles that would non experience out of topographic point within Banham ‘s ‘Architecture antic ‘ chapter. The scenes in ‘Jack Rabbit Slims ‘ eating house every bit good as Jules and Vincent ‘s celebrated ‘Royale with cheese ‘ du ologue would be illustrations of this. In decision, Los Angeles is a favorite subject among managers and film writers and has been the set of infinite movies. The huge bulk of these representations of Los Angeles can suit neatly into opposite corners of the spectrum ; Banham ‘s glorious metropolis, where even the ugliness is portion of a larger beauty, or Davis ‘s clip bomb metropolis that should ne'er hold been built in the first topographic point. I believe that the ground why so many movies feature Los Angeles as a outstanding function is because of these contrasting attitudes. Few metropoliss can tout such utmost representations of the same subject. Most movies are out to either glorify something, or reprobate it, and Los Angeles provides the perfect background for that undertaking. ‘Los Angeles seems infinitely held between these extremes: of visible radiation and dark – of surface and deepness. Of the promise, in brief, of a significance ever vibrating on the border of significance ‘ Grahame Clarke

Doric Columns - All You Need to Know

Doric Columns - All You Need to Know The Doric column is an architectural element from ancient Greece and represents one of the five orders of classical architecture. Today this simple column can be found supporting many front porches across America. In public and commercial architecture, notably the public architecture in Washington, DC, the Doric column is a defining feature of Neoclassical style buildings. A Doric column has a very plain, straightforward design, much more simple than the later Ionic and Corinthian column styles. A Doric column is also thicker and heavier than an Ionic or Corinthian column. For this reason, the Doric column is sometimes associated with strength and masculinity. Believing that Doric columns could bear the most weight, ancient builders often used them for the lowest level of multi-story buildings, reserving the more slender Ionic and Corinthian columns for the upper levels. Ancient builders developed several Orders, or rules, for the design and proportion of buildings, including the columns. Doric is one of the earliest and most simple of the Classical Orders set down in ancient Greece. An Order includes the vertical column and the horizontal entablature. Doric designs developed in the western Dorian region of Greece in about the 6th century BC. They were used in Greece until about 100 BC. Romans adapted the Greek Doric column but also developed their own simple column, which they called Tuscan. Characteristics of the Doric Column Greek Doric columns share these features: a shaft that is fluted or grooveda shaft that is wider at the bottom than the topno base or pedestal at the bottom, so it is placed directly on the floor or ground levelan  echinus or a smooth, round capital-like flare at the top of the shafta square abacus on top of the round echinus, which disperses and evens the loada lack of ornamentation or carvings of any kind, although sometimes a stone ring called an astragal marks the transition of the shaft to the echinus Doric columns come in two varieties, Greek and Roman. A Roman Doric column is similar to Greek, with two exceptions: Roman Doric columns often have a base on the bottom of the shaft.Roman Doric columns are usually taller than their Greek counterparts, even if the shaft diameters are the same. Architecture Built With Doric Columns Since the Doric column was invented in ancient Greece, it can be found in the ruins of what we call Classical architecture, the buildings of early Greece and Rome. Many buildings in a Classical Greek city would have been constructed with Doric columns. Symmetrical rows of columns were placed with mathematical precision in iconic structures like the Parthenon Temple at the Acropolis in Athens. Constructed between 447 BC and 438 BC., the Parthenon in Greece has become an international symbol of Greek civilization and an iconic example of the Doric column style. Another landmark example of Doric design, with columns surrounding the entire building, is the Temple of Hephaestus in Athens. Likewise, the Temple of the Delians, a small, quiet space overlooking a harbor, also reflects the Doric column design. On a walking tour of Olympia, youll find a solitary Doric column at the Temple of Zeus still standing amid the ruins of fallen columns. Column styles evolved over several centuries. The massive Colosseum in Rome has Doric columns on the first level, Ionic columns on the second level, and Corinthian columns on the third level. When Classicism was reborn during the Renaissance, architects such as Andrea Palladio gave the Basilica in Vicenza a 16th-century facelift by combining column types on different levels- Doric columns on the first level, Ionic columns above. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Neoclassical buildings were inspired by the architecture of early Greece and Rome. Neoclassical columns imitate the Classical styles at the 1842 Federal Hall Museum and Memorial at 26 Wall Street in New York City. The 19th-century architects used Doric columns to recreate the grandeur of the site where the first President of the United States was sworn in. Of less grandeur is the World War I Memorial shown on this page. Built in 1931 in Washington, DC, it is a small, circular monument inspired by the architecture of the Doric temple in ancient Greece. A more dominant example of Doric column use in Washington, DC is the creation of architect Henry Bacon, who gave the neoclassical Lincoln Memorial imposing Doric columns, suggesting order and unity. The Lincoln Memorial was built between 1914 and 1922. Finally,  in the years leading up to Americas Civil War, many of the large, elegant antebellum plantations were built in the Neoclassical style with classically-inspired columns. These simple but grand column types are found throughout the world, wherever classic grandeur is required in local architecture. Sources Doric column illustration  © Roman Shcherbakov/iStockPhoto; Parthenon detail photo by Adam Crowley/Photodisc/Getty Images; Lincoln Memorial photo by Allan Baxter/Getty Images; and photo of Federal Hall by Raymond Boyd/Getty Images.

Tips for Writing 5 Types of Sports Stories

Tips for Writing 5 Types of Sports Stories Getting a handle on sportswriting can be daunting because there are so many different kinds of stories that can be done. For the aspiring sportswriter, these are some of the main types. The Straight-Lede Game Story The straight-lede game story is the most basic story in all of sportswriting. Its just what it sounds like: an article about a game that uses a straight-news type of lede. The lede summarizes the main points- who won, who lost, the score, and what the star player did. Heres an example of this kind of lede: Quarterback Pete Faust threw three touchdown passes to lead the Jefferson High School Eagles to a 21-7 victory over crosstown rival McKinley High. The rest of the story follows from there, with an account of the big plays and playmakers, and after-game quotes from coaches and players. Because they often focus on high school and small-college teams, straight-lede game stories tend to be fairly tightly written. Straight-lede game stories are still used for coverage of high school and some college sports. But theyre used less nowadays for pro sports. Why? Because pro sports are seen on TV and most fans of a particular team know the score of a game long before they read about it. The Feature-Lede Game Story Feature-lede game stories are common for pro sports. Readers usually already know the score of pro games as soon as theyre done, so when they pick up a sports section they want stories that offer a different angle on what happened and why. Heres an example of a game story feature lede: It had rained all that day in the city of brotherly love, so when the Philadelphia Eagles took the field the ground was already a soggy mess- much like the game that would follow. So it was somehow fitting that the Eagles would lose 31-7 to the Dallas Cowboys in a contest that was one of the worst of quarterback Donovan McNabbs career. McNabb threw two interceptions and fumbled the ball three times. The story starts out with some description and doesnt get to the final score until the second paragraph. Again, thats fine: readers will already know the score. Its the writers job to give them something more. Delayed-lede game stories tend to be a bit more in-depth that straight-lede stories, and as a result are often longer. Profiles The sports world is full of colorful characters, so its no surprise that personality profiles are a staple of sportswriting. Whether its a charismatic coach or a young athlete on the rise, some of the best profiles anywhere are found in sports sections. Heres an example of a profile lede: Norman Dale surveys the court as his players practice layups. A pained look crosses the face of the coach of the McKinley High School basketball team as one player after another misses the basket. Again! he shouts. Again! You dont stop! You dont quit! You work till you get it right! And so they continue until they start to get it right. Coach Dale wouldnt have it any other way. Season Preview and Wrap-Up Stories Season previews and wrap-ups are fixtures of the sportswriters repertoire. These are done any time a team and a coach are preparing for the coming season, or when the season has just ended, either in glory or infamy. Obviously, the focus here isnt a specific game or even individual, but a broad look at the season- how the coach and players expect things to go, or how they feel once that season is done. Heres an example of a lede for this kind of story: Coach Jenna Johnson has high hopes for the Pennwood High School womens basketball team this year. After all, the Lions were city champions last year, led by the play of Juanita Ramirez, who returns to the team this year as a senior. We expect great things from her, Coach Johnson says. Columns A column is where the sportswriter gets to vent his or her opinions, and the best sports columnists do just that, fearlessly. Often that means being very tough on coaches, players or teams who dont meet expectations, particularly at the pro level, where all concerned are being paid huge salaries to do just one thing- win. But sports columnists also focus on those they admire, whether its an inspirational coach who leads a team of underdogs to a great season, or a mostly unheralded player who may be short on natural talent but makes up for it with hard work and unselfish play. Heres an example of how a sports column might begin: Lamont Wilson certainly isnt the tallest player on the McKinley High School basketball team. At 5-foot-9, hes hard to spot in the sea of mid 6-footers on the court. But Wilson is the model of an unselfish team player, the kind of athlete who makes those around him shine. I just do whatever I can to help the team, the ever-modest Wilson says.

Cultural Groups and Equal Payment Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Cultural Groups and Equal Payment - Term Paper Example Money itself is the most vibrant form of incentive for increasing the productivity of employees. This is why organizations use the various methods to evaluate employees. Employees who work properly do not have the fear factor of supervisors. This is because they are scaled according to the amount of work they have done which has been seen in material form. These employees do not have to wait on supervisors to accept the amount of work they have done and they are compensated by the amount of work they have physically completed. This essay would analyze the situation of the cultural groups with regard to the difference in their payment scales. The performance-rated payment system is frowned upon in some societies. This example could be seen where employees who work at call centers are paid a specific sum regardless of the amount of work that has been done. In countries such as India, call center employees are paid a fixed wage rate of Rs. 15,000 (USD 300) per month. They are not even c ompensated by the amount of work they have done whereas for employees working in call centers in USA are paid roughly USD 2000 per month and after reaching a specific target they are compensated with overtime premium amounts and bonuses. This shows how the wage rates in other countries determine how the employees are used and not equally compensated. Performance based work rates are appreciated in these types of countries as it increases the quality of work and gives the employees reasons to improve themselves. Equal payment for equal work is a concept which itself focuses on the title. Employers might not be paying equal wages to workers for a certain task and might be using some kind of medium to keep it that way. Some restaurants and stores hire illegal immigrants on lower wage rates than that of a legal citizen. They use this to their benefit and utilize the pay difference to boost the store profits. The equal pay for equal work context also works in the context of sexual discri mination. Women across the globe are not treated with the same respect that male employees are offered and their benefits are also not properly compensated for. Free market supporters believe that the rules and legislations that are passed are not properly kept in light and it does not protect the people that it has aimed to protect. Where an employer has to hire someone, that employer would prefer hiring a male worker instead of a female because of the workload that the male can take on. Most female employees have this in mind when applying for a job. The employer now has the benefit of hiring a worker who is skilled and will be working for less compensation for work. Employees try to work against the system by formulating labor unions to help them get the rightly deserved compensation that they are asking for. The USA has a law which focuses on equal pay/compensation for work that has been done. The law revolves around mainly focusing on gender inequalities for employees working i n a work place. All forms of pay are covered in this law including bonuses and benefits that the employee would get are covered in this law. (Commission). The government also introduced the Equal Pay Act (EPA) which would require employers to pay men and women equally for any work that they do which is similar. This law was passed in 1963 where the crux of the labor related problems were seen. This law itself covers every state, federal government and mostly all private employers. (All). This law

Sunny Cottage Holidays (SCH) Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Sunny Cottage Holidays (SCH) - Assignment Example Cottage owners on the other hand advertise with SCH based on the brand image of the agent, trust and comfort levels they enjoy with the company. The agency requires that marketing and communication strategies be employed keeping the following criteria in view. Short term communication objectives †¢The target segment of SCH is in various stages of hierarchical responses. Communication strategy must be employed to first create and increase awareness about cottage holidays rather than general holidays and brand awareness on the SCH package. This must be done through attractive advertising strategy, good media planning and promotional exercises. Differentiation between SCH and its competitors must be clearly specified. †¢Next the agency must focus on providing more information on SCH to the customer. The ‘comprehension’ phase should allow development of website, direct mailers etc that provides information about the holiday packages. †¢Endorsements by experts or feedback photos and comments from satisfied SCH customers are other tools that the agency can explore to convince customers. Conviction must be the third important stage of the exercise. †¢Desire to purchase must be generated through a strong promotional mix that includes good publicity and irresistible offers for the target segment. †¢Finally the campaign must motivate customers into action which can be measured by number of phone calls/ emails querying about the packages. Feedback forms and lucky coupons are other options. The market and competition The market for independent family holidays in cottages is fast growing, as many prefer 'their space' rather than being part of a group. A growing 58% people prefer the getaway to the countryside for relaxing weekends and planned vacations. The competition can be classified as, Local specialists: Most cottage agents are local specialists who focus on tourists coming to specific parts of UK. For example, the Wales cottage holidays agency in Wales has a comprehensive listing of holiday cottages in all parts of Wales. Its website and brochure are its main advertising arsenal. Other such area specific cottage agents include Cumbria cottages (the Lake district), Classic Cottages (for Devon and Cornwall), Mann's Holidays (North West Wales), Nefyn Holidays (Lleyn Peninsula and Snowdonia National Park), Marsdens Cottage Holidays (North Devon) and Holiday Homes & Cottages (South West). Their main medium is a coloured brochure which is often mailed to customers. General specialists: A small segment of general specialists offer holidays across UK. For example, Recommended cottage holidays agency offers a range of cottages across UK. It has a colored brochure that lists the various cottages and a website that allows customers to check availability and make reservations. Its main target market is large families and focuses on family/corporate reunions. It promotes itself as an economical holiday provider that offers a good range. Other UK cottage holiday providers include names of Hoseasons Holidays (well established and offers a great range) and Sykes cottages. The target market: customers Instead of opting for mass marketing, the company must undertake target marketing and must form one or more market segments relevant to buying behaviour. The sub groups or niche markets within its identified target segments can be identified as under. Geographic and Demographic segmentation: Customers are usually couples aged 25 onwards

Act Violations in Afghanistan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Act Violations in Afghanistan - Assignment Example I also found it interesting that despite USA’s great investment in establishing peace in former war-torn Sudan (Sudan and South Sudan), there has never been any penalty as a result of Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations in that country. Last but not least, the ability of the interactive map to provide information about FCPA violations penalties in both numerical and visual item such as color and boxes was quite captivating and fun to me. I was very surprised by the magnitude of fines associated with FCPA violations in the Consulting sector. This figure was the largest among all the sectors which recorder payment of the penalties. I was also amazed that the Health & Pharmacy sector highly contributed to bribery in South America which is a continent adversely affected by poor health systems and status. Bribes increase the cost of operations and thus, bribery costs must have increased cost of health care in South America. This is quite a surprising and a saddening statistic. I agree with Linda about fictitious revenues. They are simply revenues reported that never occurred. This means that they could be inflated revenues or just fakes revenues. To add on her exhaustive post, I would like to add on the ways in which these fictitious revenues can be identified. One of the major red flags is an unusual increase in assets aimed at concealing these non-existent revenues. Contact details of customers such as physical addresses and phone numbers also become unavailable. Lastly, fictitious revenues can be detected by drastic changes in ratio patterns due to fictitious revenues. On the other hand, I disagree with Adrienne’s post.

Leadership Essay A Good Leader

Leadership Essay A Good Leader The Qualities Of A Good Leader Introduction Leaders have an important role within an organisation related to its success, productivity and the performance of the employees. The fundamental task of a leader is to build and maintain a high performing team (Furnham, 2005, p.566). However, Yukl (2013, p.18) argues that there are numerous and diverse definitions concerning the concept of a leader as well as the term leadership, although a general consensus appears to suggest it involves a process of influencing and guiding relationships within an organisation . Guirdham (2002, p.15) emphasises the importance of leaders having good interpersonal and communication skills, which as Yukl suggest involves the ability to persuade others. Yukl (2013, p.18) further states there are additional factors that contribute to good leadership such as the situational context and the use of power. Another issue regarding the characteristics of leaders is that many theories and models have been based on Western perspectives (House and Aditya, 1997, p.409) and typically based on research with white males (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, CIPD, 2008, p.7). There is some cultural crossover in servant leadership, which according to Northouse (2013, p.219), was originally proposed by Greenleaf in the 1970s, and also has origins in ancient Eastern and Western philosophies; for example, it is deeply embedded in Arab-Islamic culture (Sarayrah, 2004, p.59). A further concern is raised by Mullins (2008, p.265) who states that determining who is a good leader is a subjective judgement and cannot be based, for example, on financial performance alone. The aim of the following essay is to investigate whether certain characteristics are related to good leadership and which can be identified in theories and models of leadership such as trait theory, transformational and charismatic leadership as well as authentic and servant leadership. Finally, there will be a brief discussion regarding interpersonal characteristics such as emotional intelligence and communication skills. Theories and Models of Leadership Trait Theories Trait theories of leadership proposed that successful leaders possessed distinctive traits or characteristics that differentiated them from unsuccessful leaders and subordinates. As Northouse (2013, p.7) mentions there are common phrases in use in society such as he was born to be a leader or she is a natural leader which suggest that people tend to think good leaders are born and not trained. The concept of leaders having certain characteristics dominated research prior to the Second World War. It was thought that individuals could be selected for leadership positions if they showed the appropriate characteristics or alternatively that traits could be taught to leaders (Furnham, 2005, p.571). Popular books, such as Stephen Coveys book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, propose that certain traits or characteristics can be learned. Covey (2004, p.46) states that our character, basically, is a composite of our habits. Covey continues saying that habits are consistent, can be learned or unlearned and express an individuals character and how effective or ineffective they are (Covey, 2004, p.46). Covey suggests that effective people are proactive, have a clarity regarding their life-goals, manage themselves, value and respect other people, are empathic and encourage positive teamwork (Covey, 2004, p.65). The seventh habit involves taking time to sharpen the saw which Covey translates as meaning time to refresh physical, spiritual, psychological and socio-emotional dimensions of a persons character (Covey, 2004, pp.287-288). A number of characteristics and traits related to good leaders have been identified; for example, Smith and Foti (1998, p.147) undertook a study investigating the characteristics of emergent leaders and found that the traits of dominance, intelligence and self-efficacy were significantly higher in emergent leaders than other individuals who were not classified as emergent leaders. According to Furnham (2005, p.572), good leaders usually possess characteristics such as persistence, innovation and a willingness to take responsibility for their actions. Yukl (2013, p.146) similarly identifies certain characteristics related to good leaders which include a high tolerance of stress, emotional maturity, personal integrity, motivation and self-confidence. However, Furnham (2005, p.574) suggests that although there are numerous traits, there appears to be little agreement regarding which characteristics contribute to a leader being effective. According to Zaccaro, (2007, p.6) trait theories are not able to explain how leaders characteristics adapt to different situations and contexts and thus a major criticism of trait theories is that they do not consider the wider context of culture, society or the interactions with the characteristics of subordinates (Zaccaro, 2007, p.7). Examining the characteristics of good leaders implies that leaders innately possess certain personality traits although it could be suggested that some good leaders can learn through experience (Bryman, Collinson, Grint, Jackson and Uhl-Bien, 2011, p.78). The notion that good leaders can learn skills through a dynamic learning experience is supported by other researchers; for example, Rodd (2006, p.13) proposes that practitioners within the Early Years profession can become leaders through demonstrating increasing competence and by developing the personal skills necessary to become a leader. Daly and Byers (2004, p.7) suggest that good leaders will also ensure that employees have the opportunity for training and professional development which in turn may help them to become good leaders. Kolb (1984, p.25) similarly supports the idea of learning leadership skills through experience and suggests that learning involves a constant change of ideas, perspectives and opinions which are not fixed and thoughts are formed and reformed through experience and continually modified by experience. The importance of having a flexible approach is emphasised by Daly and Byers (2004, p.187) ensuring that the leader is adaptable and can implement new ideas or procedures when necessary. Even early theorists such as Taylor (1911, p.7) argued that good leaders are not born and required systematic training instead of being reliant on some unusual or extraordinary man. It is further argued by Zaccaro (2007, p.10) that because being a good leader is complex there is probably an interaction of the leaders characteristics as well as an interaction with the variables present in different situations and contexts. Theories such as Fiedlers contingency theory (Fiedler 1967, cited in Northouse, 2013, pp.123-125) were developed primarily with leaders in the military and focused on how compatible the characteristics and style of the leader were with a specific situation. Thus, effective leadership is contingent on matching a leaders style to the right setting (Northouse, 2013, p.123). A problem with both trait theories and contingency theories is that they appear to focus on the characteristics of the leader and do not consider the characteristics of, the interactions with, or the role of, subordinates. Contingency theory does not explain why some leaders are better in certain situations than other leaders and also how organisations deal with a mismatch between leaders and certain situations (Northouse, 2013, p.129). Transactional and Transformational Leaders Furnham (2005, p.588) suggests that transactional leadership can be defined as a contract between the leader and a worker where the leader achieves what they want by offering some sort of reward which is desired by the employee. There is typically a limited relationship between the leader as in certain situations (for example in the military) transactional leadership is necessary as certain actions need to be undertaken without subordinates questioning or debating issues (Bass and Bass, 2008, p.41; Bryman et al. 2011, p.55). Transactional leadership does not appear to be concerned with the characteristics of leaders and is more concerned with creating structures and systems which allow the sharing of information (Bryman et al. 2011, p.61). Transactional leadership depends on contingency reinforcement which means the subordinate understands that a reward will be received when performance goals are achieved (Bass and Riggio, 2006, p.8). Transformational leadership developed from the foundations of transactional leadership with four further characteristics namely; charisma and idealised influence which indicates that the leader is admired, respected, and trusted; inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and consideration towards individual workers (Bass, Avolio, Jung and Berson, 2003, p.208; McKenna, 2005, p.411). By showing an interest in the personal development of followers there can be a subsequent increase in performance and productivity as well as creativity and innovation subordinates can often be creative which can then have an impact on the competitive advantage of the company (Bass, et al 2003,p.208). Bass and Bass (2006, p.41) also suggest that transformational leaders usually believe and support the goals of the organisation and are able to articulate the goals to subordinates and engage their support and commitment. Other characteristics identified in transformational leaders is that they show consistent behaviour and tend to have a strong focus on integrity, ethical principles and values together with being flexible and able to adapt to change (Judge and Piccolo, 2004, p.755). McKenna (2005, p.408) states that transformational leaders have characteristics such as vision and are able to motivate and inspire subordinates to share their vision. As Sir John Harvey-Jones, MBE, who was the chairman of Imperial Chemical Industries from 1982 to 1987 and has recently helped failing business shown in a BBC television programme called Troubleshooter states:- The vision is absolutely key to getting your troops together. It has to be qualitative, daring and grab the imagination. The test of it should be how quickly people will latch on to where you are going†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ (cited in Mullins, 2008, p.261). The characteristics of transformational leaders are important in an organisation because they are viewed as a more effective leadership style than transactional leadership for example. Bass and Riggio (2008, p.10) suggest that many subordinates are very loyal to transformational leaders and are committed to the organisation so productivity increases and improves which Bass and Riggio (2008, p.10) suggest is one way of demonstrating the efficiency of the leader. The characteristics of transactional and transformational leaders are not mutually exclusive and there may be occasions when a leader has to show transactional characteristics as well as transformational characteristics. An example is cited by Bass and Bass (2008, p.51) which states that famous leaders such as John F. Kennedy and Abraham Lincoln displayed characteristics of both transactional and transformational leaders. Transactional leadership, for example, has been found to be more effective in a well-ordered, stable environment whereas transformational leadership is suitable in organisations that are changing rapidly such as in times of financial upheaval (McKenna, 2006, p.418). Characteristics of Charismatic Leaders As discussed previously, one characteristic of transformational leaders is charisma (Bass, et al. 2003, p.216) although there are some leaders who are characterised as being so charismatic that they are referred to as charismatic leaders. Chio (2006, p.24) defines charismatic leaders as having three additional, core characteristics which are an ability to predict future trends and be visionary; being a creative thinker, and showing empathy and empowering colleagues. According to House, 1977, (cited in McKenna, 2006, p.411) charismatic leaders can motivate subordinates to perform effectively without having to invoke their position of power; they have a vision and the ability to convince subordinates to support that vision. Further characteristics include determination, energy, self-confidence and ability; in addition they are not afraid to be unconventional (McKenna, 2006, p.411). Although charismatic leaders are unusual and exceptional in the business world, Hellriegel and Slocum (2007, p.240) use as an example Richard Branson who demonstrates the characteristic of both a transformational and a charismatic leader. Branson is characterised as someone who is prepared to follow his instincts and take risks, venturing into new territories (Boje and Smith, 2010, p.308). Branson has a flair for being slightly eccentric and is not afraid of being unconventional which Choi, as discussed previously, describes as a characteristic of charismatic leadership. Branson makes a clear statement about his company, Virgin, as being different, colourful, iconoclastic and fun-loving (Crainer and Dearlove, 2008, p.43). Bransons character appears to reflect the character of his company; for example, he appeared dressed as a Virgin bride and also abseiled down a skyscraper to promote his company (Business Pundit, 2011, n/p). The CIPD (2008, p.8) report that there is some dislike for the celebrity-like focus on so-called charismatic leaders. In the US a study investigated fifty-nine CEOs of Fortune 500 companies and investigated the link between charisma and performance over a ten year period and found there was no relationship (Tosi et al. 2004, cited in CIPD, 2008 p.8). A criticism made by Alvesson and Spicer (2010, p.9) claims that by endowing leaders with characteristics such as charisma, gives them a heroic and unselfish quality which enables them to persuade followers to pursue goals almost unquestioningly. Furthermore, Alvesson and Spicer (2010, p.64) maintain that some transformational leaders can be perceived as saint-like. Chio (2006, p.37) claims that frequently the positive aspects of charismatic leadership are emphasised and dysfunctional characteristics, such as the abuse of power, are often minimised. Chio (2006, p.36) reports that there can be very strong emotional bonds between a charismatic leader and their subordinates and in certain situations individuals may sacrifice themselves for the sake of the group to maintain harmonious relationships with others (Triandis, 1995, cited in Chio, 2006, p.36). Thus charismatic leaders can use their influence malignantly; for example, there have been reports of charismatic leaders of religious sects who are able to persuade followers to commit mass suicide. The CIPD (2008, p.8) also report on the dark-side of charisma and suggest that although some leaders may superficially appear charismatic they hide undesirable characteristics such as dishonesty and greed. By the time such characteristics are discovered the organisation and employees may have suffered irreparable harm. Research undertaken by Collins (2001, cited in CIPD, 2008, p.8) investigated common characteristics in US companies quoted on the Stock Exchange whose performance was outstanding. The findings indicated that common characteristics included an unshakable belief in their company and also a deep personal humility. These CEOs were not at all charismatic and appeared to be quite unassuming. Collins also noted that failing companies had a CEO with a gargantuan ego causing the company to fail (Collins 2001, cited in CIPD, 2008, p.8). Interpersonal Characteristics of Leaders. Characteristics of Authentic Leaders As discussed in the previous sections there have been concerns regarding unscrupulous leaders; for example, although they may appear to be charismatic they may in fact have exploitative motives (Bass and Riggio, 2008, p.5). Consequently there is a desire for leaders who are genuine and authentic (Bass and Riggio, 2008, p.xii). There appears to be some parallels between authentic leaders and servant leaders although currently there is limited research in this area according to Northouse (2013, p.235). Servant leadership focuses on the empathic characteristics of a leader towards subordinates and nurturing each employees talents and potential which is beneficial for the organisation (Northouse, 2013, p.233). Servant leadership proposes that leaders want to serve others and emphasises the altruistic characteristics of leaders who are focused on the needs of their subordinates (Greenleaf, 1977, cited in Northouse, 2013, p.219). The characteristic of the servant leader are numerous and the underlying principles involve the way in which the leader treats subordinates in terms of honesty and treating them fairly. A successful relationship between the servant leader and followers is a two-way process and followers must be accepting of the principles of empowerment and the opportunity to grow. A characteristic of leaders which seems to be related to good leadership is emotional intelligence. Goleman (1998, p.317) defines emotional intelligence as the capacity for recognising our own feelings and those of others, for motivating ourselves and for managing emotions in ourselves and in our relationships. Emotional intelligence involves five key factors; self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills (Goleman, 1998, p.9). It is argued that emotional intelligence is of benefit to leaders as it contributes to an awareness of their own emotions and how to regulate them as well as recognising emotions in others and having the social skills necessary to deal with other peoples emotions (Goleman, Boyatzis and McKee, 2001, n/p). Guirdham (2002, p.545) suggests that there are certain qualities that followers look for in leaders and that a leader does not automatically gain the respect from subordinates. However, such qualities vary with different situations and the type of subordinates who are expected to follow. Gaining acceptance as a leader is also more difficult where there is prejudice concerning gender, race and ethnic group, and disability. Guirdham (2002, p.545) states that in general to be accepted by subordinates the characteristics of the leader need to include knowledge, competence, status, identification with the group, motivation, being proactive in promoting the groups goals and good communication skills. As Sir John Harvey says:- You only get a company going where you want it to by leadership by example and by honest and endless communication (cited in Mullins 2008, p.261). Communication appears to be a very important characteristic of a good leader together with interpersonal relationships which is also related to emotional intelligence as discussed previously. It has been found that directive, coherent and positive communication is an effective style for leaders (Guirdham, 2002, p.550). However, other characteristics are also necessary such as trust, the way in which leaders try to persuade or influence followers and the way in which subordinates are encouraged to participate in decision making. Conclusion It can be seen from the evidence presented that identifying the characteristics of a good manager is a complex task as there are many different traits or personality characteristics involved. Additionally characteristics cannot be identified in isolation and the situation or context must also be considered. Early research, for example trait theories, focused on the leader and did not consider the role or characteristics of the subordinates. This would appear to be relevant in contemporary society as employees are more empowered than they were in the past and are therefore less likely to blindly follow a leader. Transformational and charismatic theories of leadership identify many positive qualities in leaders; however, there is the issue identified by many researchers of deceitful leaders who can cause a company to collapse as in the case of Enron and other similar examples. 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