Describe at least five important aspects of Arabic language. Be Essay

Describe at least five important aspects of Arabic language. Be specific - Essay Example One of the complex and interesting aspects on Arabic language centers on the fact that spoken forms of the language vary in terms of grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary. The two forms of the language manifest side by side in which one is strictly a spoken form and the other is strictly a literary form. Standard Arabic is the well-defined entity and is uniform across the Arabic speaking world with only minimal variations in vocabulary (Wahba, Taha, and England 225). The grammar, syntax, and vocabulary have changed minimal since the Qur’an (in the 7th century). Arabic languages are fundamental Semitic languages most closely linked to Hebrew, Aramaic, and Phoenician. Semitic languages may be characterized by a limited and a rich consonant system. Semitic languages also typified by a rich inventory of guttural consonants that encompass laryngeals, pharyngeal, and the uvular fricatives. In the same way as other Semitic languages, Arabic language has intricate and unusual morphology. Arabic language possesses nonconcatenative â€Å"root and pattern† morphology (Wahba, Taha, and England 225). The standardized written Arabic is unique from and more conservative compared to all of the spoken varieties. Arabic language is a synthetic language, rather than an analytical one meaning that endings may be awarded to words to highlight the function of the words within a sentence. In English, word order mainly determines this function, while in Arabic; the ending of a word determines the function of the word. There are 28 letters within the Arabic alphabet comprising of consonants, symbols, and vowels. The characters employed within their words may be frequently connected; therefore, excluding some which may be linked to their predecessors. The pronunciation of vowels varies from one speaker to another and appears to mimic the pronunciation of the matching colloquial variety, whereby vowels and consonants can be either

Volcanic Eruptions versus Human Civilizations 2mya Essay

Volcanic Eruptions versus Human Civilizations 2mya - Essay Example Besides, it will also assess the connection between volcanic activity and population distribution in the modern world and the ancient world (Small and Naumann, 2001, p. 32). The structure of the ancient civilizations shall also be another element that this paper will address as it endeavors to unearth how different civilizations functioned. Case study of such civilizations shall come from China, Asia, Africa and India. Additionally, this paper will also analyze the evolution of hominid and their association with the selected civilizations that this paper shall analyze, evaluate and discuss (Sparks et al., 2005, p. 41). Introduction There are volcanic landscapes all over the world that one may observe that at one time in history has tremendous effects on human culture and civilization. Perhaps the most prominent eruption in the recent past was the Toba eruption (Machida and Sugiyama, 2002, p. 49). This was the last massive volcanic eruption in history for the last few hundred thousand years ago. That is as far as the Mediterranean basin is an item of analysis. Many historians assert that this eruption drew in large populations after the eruption, contrary to popular beliefs that populations would normally move away from disaster zones (Lowe, 2002, p. 47). That may have been a historic coincidence. This does not wash away other facts that volcanic eruptions may act to disperse populations (Rampino and Ambrose, 2000, p. 32). Other civilizations have also been victims of volcanic activity. In fact, some civilizations have even disappeared in the aftermath of immense volcanic activity. Some historic examples include empires that were hardest hit during the Cycladic and Minoan that suffered massive disasters during the 1628 B.C mammoth eruptions. To say generalize that volcanic activity has a negative effect on civilization would not suffice an informed assessment (Rampino, 2002, p. 33). Rather, at times in history, there were occasions when effects of volcanic activ ity were profound on civilizations. Sometimes civilizations fell or declined owing to volcanic activities (Torrence and Grattan, 2002, p. 14). Nevertheless, such is just like the rise and wane of kingdoms. It happens that sometimes there are factors that promote the growth of civilizations or sometimes factors may set in that disfavor growth of civilizations. There could be a probability of coincidences. As such, there may be close relationships between such success factors, volcanic activity and the emergence of a civilization (Sharma, 2004, p. 29). However, volcanic activity remains the overriding factor given that it has a record that one may relate closely with the emergence of civilizations. Some other factors about volcanic activities such as shaping the landscape have a connection with early civilizations. This is because landscapes influence human settlements and civilizations emerged out from organized settlements. Another aspect about volcanic landscape is that nature of e conomic life and cultures that arise have some complex similarities across the world. This is so intricate in such that one may conclude that there is something about volcanic landscapes and cultures. Probably one may explain the issue of related economic activities to the fact that the mountains presented modified climate that was a gift to economic life (Robock, 2000, p. 42). Most communities that inhabited such volcanic areas responded to the uniqueness of their surrounding by

Intertextual Relations Between Pride and Prejudice and Bridget Jones Diary Essay Example for Free

Intertextual Relations Between Pride and Prejudice and Bridget Jones Diary Essay Each text is not the effort of one person; theme and plot derived from existing texts are present in newer texts through repetition and similarity. Authors compile from pre-existing texts known as intertextuality, the use of prior texts in current texts. Julia Kristeva, a psychoanalyst is the first to introduce the term ‘intertextuality’. She redefines the theories established by Ferdinand de Saussure and Mikhail Bakhtin and suggests a text is not simply interpreted by its words, instead it is a study based on the works it has adapted (lecture). Kristeva mentions that although a writer usually talks to a specific audience, a text exists in time, and it is reprinted and translated with addressing the language of the current time period known as parole and langue. The novel Pride and Prejudice was first published in 1813, but another novel based on the same plot called Bridget Jones Diary, a modern version of Pride and Prejudice was published in 1996. Every text is the absorption and transformation of another, with similar themes and conditions considering the lifestyle in that time period, known as a mimetic orientation. Intertextuality, the relationship to other prior texts is present among Pride and Prejudice, Bridget Jones Diary, and A Dog’s Head through the overarching similarity of characters, value of class and synchronic language. The common element of character development is interacting between Pride and Prejudice, Bridget Jones Diary, and A Dog’s Head. During the 1800’s, the value of high culture and wealth was outstandingly important to the people of that decade. Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is a plot consisting of high culture, and is strongly referenced in connection to Helen Fielding’s Bridget Jones Diary. Fielding’s borrows the plot from Austen and also has some of the same characters and events in her novel. The character of Elizabeth Bennett and Bridget Jones is similarly constructed with the hardships and love crisis they suffer from. First of all, both protagonists fall in love with a man whose last name is Darcy. Both Mr. Darcy are respected and wealthy men. Furthermore, both protagonists share similar feelings, for example, at the ball event Elizabeth is hurt to hear that Mr. Darcy thinks of her to be â€Å"‘tolerable but not handsome enough to tempt’† him (Austen 13). Similarly, Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice hurts Bridget by saying she is ill mannered and does not know how to talk (45). At this time both the protagonists dislike both Mr. Darcy and have severe hatred for him. Secondly, Mr. Wickam in Pride and Prejudice is the same as Daniel Cleaver in Bridget Jones Diary. Both Mr. Wickam and Daniel Cleaver are despised by Mr. Darcy but admired by the heroine at first. Bridget’s mother is a bit like Mrs. Bennett, as they both insist their daughters get married to wealthy men. Bridget believes she is unattractive because she is fat. When things do not work out with Daniel Cleaver, she questions, â€Å"Why does nothing ever work out? It is because I am too fat† (Fielding 181). Bridget is unhappy about her appearance all the time, which is similar to the character of Edmond in A Dog’s Head. The novel A Dog’s Head introduces the unrealistic character of Edmond who is born with the head of a dog, a spaniel in particular. Ovid establishes the theory of metamorphosis emphasizing the transformation of a human to an animal feature in his poem â€Å"metamorphosis†. This theory is present in A Dog’s Head as Edmond is a human but has a dog’s head. Edmond is always troubled in life because people criticize him for having the head of a dog, and to add to that, â€Å"the head of the most ridiculous dog to be found (2). He has a series of unsuccessful relationships, for which he blames his appearance to be the reason, somewhat like Bridget who also blames her weight for her breakup with Daniel. Although the author does not provide a description of Bridget, we know a bit about her through the writings in her diary. Bridget’s negative image of herself results in a lower self-esteem, as well as Edmond who also has a low self-esteem when he remembers he has the head of a spaniel. At one point, losing his virginity to a prostitute becomes hard because no one wants to sleep with an animal (125). His personal relations with his parents are negative from the day he is born. His parents are happier to be alone so his dad gives him money, â€Å"Edmond stuffed the notes into his pocket, kissed his papa and mama and went away, never to return† (47). This further notifies us that although there are minor matches from Edmond’s personality with Elizabeth and Bridget, there is a similarity between the characters through physical appearance and their lives. The theme of class relates to reputation, the value of money being an ever-long requirement in society. People have been classified into hierarchical sectors according to their financial circumstances. In Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennett’s mother Mrs. Bennett is astonished at the fact that Mr. Bingley is a wealthy and handsome young man visiting their town. She immediately informs her husband and desires one of her daughters marry him. Mrs. Bennett is portrayed as a shallow and self-centered woman as she constantly persists her daughters marry the richest men. This is evident when Elizabeth announces her engagement to Mr. Darcy and Mrs. Bennett replies â€Å"Mr. Darcy! Who would have thought it†¦Oh! My sweetest Lizzy! How rich and great you will be! What pin-money, what jewels, what carriages you will have! † (Austen 357). Similarly, in Bridget Jones Diary, Bridget’s mother introduces her to a recently divorced, wealthy man. Bridget is certain on her mother’s motives and she claims, â€Å"I don’t know why she didn’t just come out with it and say ‘Darling, do shag Mark Darcy over the turkey curry, won’t you? He’s very rich. † (Fielding 12). Comparatively, Edmond from A Dog’s Head lives in a shallow society, where money can overpower anything, even a man with a dog’s head. Edmond invests some money in the stock market and realizes it is more valuable than anything. â€Å"Wealth brought Edmond great enjoyment. First, it canceled out his head. [ ] Oh, the sublime effect of bank notes! Overnight that hideous or ridiculous object became just anybodys head. † (85) He makes a lot of money and realizes that money has always been there and supported him more than anything else. A hierarchy of social classes has created the boundaries between families and people historically. The importance of class depicts a social value and worth in society. Lower class people are treated as inferiors while upper class people gain more respect and value. As evident in A Dog’s Head, Edmond is treated better when he has more money and class, and Mrs. Bennett and Mrs. Jones want their daughters to be married to rich men. The language and text of Pride and Prejudice is a lot different from Bridget Jones Diary and A Dog’s Head. In order to understand â€Å"one text as an intertextual representation of another† (Salber) the individual composition of values and attitudes needs to be understood in different contexts. With this said, Pride and Prejudice is a realist text composed in the nineteenth century. What is happening in the real world at the time the author writes the text is incorporated into the text, known as mimetic orientation. The author associates a mimetic version of the reality of everyday life set in the Regency period of England, a time when â€Å"power and marriage within one’s own class was essential† (Salber). The novel Pride and Prejudice also reveals â€Å"aspects of gender, class, identity and marriage as political institution† s a presentation of English history (Art). Language as it exists at any moment of time is referred to as the synchronic system of language (lecture 4). The power of language, synchronically applied suggests that the language in Pride and Prejudice slightly differs from the 20th century language used in Bridget Jones Diary. For example, the word ‘simpleton’ used in Austen’s novel indicates the life of a simple, unmarried girl, whereas in Fielding’s novel, the word ‘singleton’ is used to categorize the career oriented women in search for a perfect male companion. This supports Kristeva’s statement that â€Å"language is read as at least double†, and that the structures of language exist within a certain time period (Salber). As mentioned earlier, Bridget Jones Diary is a modification of Pride and Prejudice and is a more modern approach to the same story. The means of communication are different; for example, Daniel Cleaver and Bridget initiate romance through computer messaging, whereas in Pride and Prejudice communication took the form of letters. The langue, a language viewed as an abstract system used by speech community, is different for every person. In Pride and Prejudice the vocabulary Austen uses is archaic and demonstrates the time period in which it was written. For example, a conversation between Elizabeth and Mrs. Gardiner,â€Å"It was first broken by Mrs. Annesley, a genteel, agreeable looking woman† (Austen 226). The word ‘genteel’ may not be used in today’s novels and speech and represents its time period. Likewise, the words ‘singleton’, ‘smug marrieds† and ‘emotional fuckwittage’ became a part of the British popular culture when used in Bridget Jones Diary. The plot of Pride and Prejudice is the same as Bridget Jones Diary since Bridget Jones Diary is a modification of Pride and Prejudice and is a more modern approach to the same story. The female protagonists both worry about the relationships in their lives. The plot begins with the life of the female protagonists, and continues to their developing lives as the plot moves on. Both Pride and Prejudice and Bridget Jones Diary are the same story, where the first event, the ball in Pride and Prejudice is held with the attempt to find a suitor for Mr.  Bingley who is a young and wealthy man, and similarly a Christmas party is held by Bridget’s mother to introduce Bridget to Mr. Darcy. The events that occur further on in the texts lead to the same conclusion in both novels. The value of class and reputation is an overarching theme similarly applied in the three novels proving money has the value to make anyone happy. Lastly, the use of language and difference in word choice is what makes the novels acceptable in their time periods. These intertextual relations combine the three novels with many similarities.

The Impact Of Leadership On Innovation Management Essay

The Impact Of Leadership On Innovation Management Essay This paper details the nature and roles of leadership in the field of management innovation. Leadership broadens the organizational levels and initiates the innovation activity through motivating the employees and defining an effective structure for the proper functioning. Use of the concept could be done in a wide range of markets and at the degree of the novelty required. The innovation to make it happen within an organization, a link between the leadership systems and innovation strategies has been introduced. The policy implications recognizes the need for the different stages of the innovation process at different levels of the organizational structure , from which a stepping stone at every level can be achieved which will be followed by the Organizational implication which identifies a proper leader for different hierarchy levels and allows to perform according to the stages of innovation process. In total it clearly gives an idea about the ongoing activities in any organizatio n where an innovative activity occurs with the quality leadership in it and the levels of performance in any sector. Table of Contents 1. INNOVATION 8 1.1. Innovation Vs. Improvement 8 1.2. Innovation Vs. Invention 9 2. Elements for innovation: 10 3. Changing nature of the innovation process 11 3.1. Types of innovation 13 3.2. Innovation implementing methodology 14 4. Degree of Novelty in Innovation 16 5. Leadership Quantities for Innovation 17 6. Definition and Explanation of Leadership Skills 18 6.1. Communication 18 6.2. Integrity 20 6.3. Visions and Goal Statements 21 6.4. Teamwork 22 6.5. Relationships 23 6.6. Persuasion 24 6.7. Adaptability and Flexibility 25 6.8. Coaching and Development 26 6.9. Decision Making 27 6.10. 8.10. Planning 28 6.11. 8.11. Taking Risks 28 6.12. 8.12. Optimism and Motivation 29 7. Innovative Leadership Style and its Impact 31 8. Charismatic Leadership Style 32 8.1. Impact of Charismatic leadership style 32 8.1.1. Communicating with vision:- 32 8.1.2. Accelerating Innovation process:- 33 8.1.3. Leaders can become addicted to charisma:- 33 8.1.4. Organizations can become addicted to the charismatic leader:- 33 8.1.5. Charisma grows for its own sake and forgets its purpose:- 33 8.2. Case Study 34 9. Instrumental Leadership Style 36 9.1. Impact of Instrumental leadership style 36 9.1.1. Structures a innovation process:- 36 9.1.2. Controls a process:- 37 9.1.3. Rewards the innovators:- 37 9.1.4. Constrain to maintain high motive level:- 37 10. STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP STYLE: 38 10.1. STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP PRESUMES: 38 10.2. The strategic leader use different hierarchical position to create innovation structures and processes in the organization such as, 39 10.3. FUNCTIONS OF STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP IN INNOVATION. 40 10.4. A CASE STUDY OF THE IMPACT OF STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP IN A HIGH-WAY ROAD PROJECT. 40 11. INTERACTIVE INNOVATION LEADERSHIP : 42 11.1. THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY TO EXERCISE INTERACTIVE LEADERSHIP TOWARDS ACCELERATING CHANGE AND INNOVATION IS TO: 42 11.2. THE INTERACTIVE LEADER CO-INNOVATES WITH OTHER MANAGERS, EMPLOYEES AND SUBORDINATES BY, 42 11.3. Interactive leadership pathway: 43 11.4.   Effective leaders usually practice the following techniques: 43 11.4.1. Sell the Vision of the organization 43 11.4.2. Walk the Talk with the employees. 43 11.4.3. Empower and Delegate 44 11.4.4. Create Urgency in the process 44 11.4.5. Openly Communicating with everyone in the organization. 44 11.4.6. Removing Obstacles/barriers. 44 11.4.7. Celebrate the Little Successes 44 11.5. THE IMPACT OF INTERACTIVE LEADERSHIP IN AN INNOVATIVE PROJECT 45 List of Figures: INNOVATION Innovation is a key word probably being used more than ever by any type of individuals, groups or organizations; from scientist to artists, from engineers to craftsmen. Whether it is the business surroundings or non-profit organizations, political or educational associations, whether it is a developed or a developing market, whether a product or service offering, with high technology or mass production;  the word of innovation is word being recognized as one of the most credible one and term of being innovative sounds as the ultimate path to success in any changing environments especially in terms of globalization. In order to use the terms of innovation one should understand what really innovation is, in order to understand what is in the core of innovation and the description of it one should most likely distinguish the term innovation from the terms and definitions that are considered as synonyms or to have very similar meanings and practices. Although these terms could be inter -related or connected to Innovation in somehow in some phases, they cannot be considered as Innovation itself. These misunderstood terms are Invention, Improvement, Being Innovative is also a term most of the time described as being creative, entrepreneur or just able to handle complexity, therefore after distinguishing the term of innovation, the term of being innovative should be described considering these influencing characteristics. Finally Innovation is a important dimension of the change process therefore the importance of innovation in change process should be identified in order lead reasonable descriptions and definitions of Innovation. After this we can discuss the generation of innovation, types of innovation, methodology of it and finally carry on to the impact of leadership on Innovation (Mintzberg 2003) Innovation Vs. Improvement Although Continuous improvement may end up with an innovation most of the time, defining innovation with a series of incremental changes as a result of continuous improvements would be an insufficient explanation of innovation. The reason is that incremental changes depends on the lessons learnt and follows a horizontal path throughout the idea processing and knowledge creation, in the case of an innovative idea, a leap in the idea processing is observed, a vertical step in time where the track of previous improvement cant be followed or even found irrelevant to the idea discovered. As it can be understood from the term itself improvements follow a continuous path, but innovations are better described as in continuous breakthroughs from the formal horizontal path. The underlying principle with the innovation is that it deserves not only certain amount of time which can be illustrated by the continuous improvements accomplished through lessons learnt and analysiss but also depends upo n certain amount of space which can be explained by the occurrence of some events and situations that triggers this leap in the understanding and level of cognition. To enable a qualified process to overcome sophisticated needs of innovation, continuously improvement is necessary but not sufficient. (Mintzberg 2003) Innovation Vs. Invention Invention is another term being considered with Innovation most of time. What leads to an invention is the orientation of both horizontal and vertical changes, in other words continuous improvements harmonized with innovations. Several Innovations turn into an invention which deserves relatively more time and effort. Some descriptions distinguish innovation as a integrating activity of different disciplines, technologies, approaches, understandings or perspectives whereas claiming invention as of a specific level of change made on a certain study field for long periods. Actually what differs invention from innovation is that invention includes several innovations which lead to a more horizontal and vertical change that makes it even harder to track the continues and integrated improve (Eversheim 2009) Elements for innovation: 1.Basic needs for innovation (Park 2005) Changing nature of the innovation process The change of innovation is completely based on the generations and its requirements. Till now there is five generation of innovations First generation (1950-1960): (Research push) Science and technology Market Research Manufacture Development Marketing Sales Figure:2 First generation innovation process (Dodgson et al. 2008) Second generation (1965-1975): (Demand pull) Science and technology Market Manufacture Sales Research development Market and demand Figure 2: Second generation innovation process (Dodgson et al. 2008) Third generation (1980-1986): Research , Development, Design, Prototyping, Testing, Operations, Marketing, Sales, Service. (Coupling) Science and technology Market Market Communication and feedback loops Figure 3: Third generation innovation process (Dodgson et al. 2008) Fourth generation (1986-2000): (Collaborative) Suppliers Cross functional teams, process based organization Research, Development, Design, Prototyping, Testing, Operations, Marketing, Sales, Service Horizontal research Alliance Science and technology Market Customers Figure 4: Fourth generation innovation process (Dodgson et al. 2008) Fifth generation (2005-2010): Process driven by: Innovative strategy High level organizational and technological integration (Strategic and integrated) Strategic and technological integration with customers, Suppliers, Innovation communities and networks Figure 5: Fifth generation innovation process (Dodgson et al. 2008) Types of innovation The six focus areas for innovation are: Product What we produce and sell Process Continuous improvement of how we do that Marketing Exceeding customer expectations Organization Business strategies, systems and structures Open Working beyond boundaries and collaborating globally Value Creating unique value that eliminates the cost to compete Among these six major four types of innovation in practice are as follows:- Product innovation: Product innovations can be based on new uses or combinations of existing knowledge or technologies. The term product is used to cover both goods and services are referred as product innovation.(Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development 2005) Process innovations : Production methods involve the techniques, equipment and software used to produce goods or services are referred as process innovation.(Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development 2005) Marketing innovation: Marketing innovations includes changes in product design that are part of a new marketing concept. Product design changes refer in product form and appearance that do not alter the products or characteristics. They also include changes in the packaging of products, where packaging is the main determinant of the products appearance. Innovations in product design can also include the introduction of significant changes in the form, appearance or taste of food or beverage products, such as the introduction of new flavors for a food product in order to target a new customer segment.(Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development 2005) Organizational innovation This kind of innovation can be intended to increase a firms performance by reducing administrative costs, transaction costs, improving workplace satisfaction or cost for supplies.(Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development 2005) Innovation implementing methodology The planning phases of the Innovation Roadmap methodology are as follows Goal setting Future analysis Idea generation Idea evaluation Idea detailing Concept evaluation Implementation planning Controlling.(Eversheim 2009) The below figure illustrates the common innovative and Triz methodological thinking for a new innovation. Figure 6: Innovation methodology (Gao Changqing 2005) Degree of Novelty in Innovation Three concepts for the novelty of innovations are discussed below: new to the firm, new to the market, and new to the world. New to the firm: A product, process, marketing method or organizational method may already have been implemented by other firms, but if it is new to the firm then it is an innovation for that firm. New to the market: Innovations are new to the market when the firm is the first to introduce the innovation on its market. The market is simply defined as the firm and its competitors and it can include a geographic region or product line. New to the world: Innovations are new to the world when the firm is the first to introduce the Innovation for all markets and industries, domestic and international. New to the world therefore implies a qualitatively greater degree of novelty than new to the market(Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development 2005) Leadership Quantities for Innovation This text is based on à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾Concepts of Leadership by Donald Clark. http://management.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJzTi=1sdn=managementcdn=moneytm=6f=00tt=14bt=0bts=0zu=http%3A//www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leader.html An organization needs to remain competitive a vision. That vision can be reflected in for example new products, services or a reorganization of the organizations structure. The assignment of the leading staff is, to accomplish those visions by leading the employees. Leading in that case means to influence the employees to accomplish the goals and objectives. Leadership is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾The activity of leading a group of people or an organisation, or the ability to do this. http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/leadership.html To lead other people, for a leader it is necessary to be familiar with important leadership knowledge and leadership skills. Leader`s attributes or traits like beliefs, values, ethics and character will influence directly the leadership skills and the leadership style. Additional to some of the leadership skills, which will be short presented and explained during the next pages, there are some principles of leadership which help to become a better leader. Know yourself and seek self-improvement Be technically proficient Seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions Make sound and timely decisions Set the example Know your people and look out for their well-being Keep your workers informed Develop a sense of responsibility in your workers Ensure that tasks are understood, supervised, and accomplished Train as a team Use the full capabilities of your organization Definition and Explanation of Leadership Skills Communication Definition: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾ Two- way process of reaching mutual understanding, in which participants not only exchange (encode-decode) information but also create and share meaning. http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/communication.html This text is based on à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾Communication and Leadership by Donald Clark. http://management.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJzTi=1sdn=managementcdn=moneytm=4f=00tt=14bt=0bts=0zu=http%3A//www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leader.html Most problems and failed projects in an organization are the results of a wrong communication process or lower communication skills. A failed communication occurs, if the receiver does not understand exactly the information, order or idea which the sender tried to transmit. To prevent confusions and misunderstandings during a communication, a good leader has to know the basics of an effective communication and has to train his communication skills. To get an idea how a communication process is constructed, the communication process can divide into three steps: Thought The message which can be an idea, a concept, informations or feelings will be formed in the mind of the sender. Encording The message, which is formed in the mind of the sender, will be send verbal, nonverbal or with symbols. Decording To understand the meaning of the message, the receiver translates the information with procedures he understands. During a communication the message of the sender will include two elements. These two elements are related to each other. The right interpretation of the elements on both sides (sender and receiver) is very important for an effective communication. The first element is the content. The content includes the verbal information. Verbal informations like spoken words or symbols can be combined to phrases, which then make sense. The verbal content in a message is around 38%. The sender has to be sure that the receiver understands the verbal informations in the right way, otherwise there will be a possibility for misunderstandings and confusions on the receiver side. Many words have different meanings and also the interpretation of the meanings of words can be different. A big possibility for misunderstandings and confusion could also be the circumstance, if one of the participants does not speak the same language or is not a native speaker. The language content in a message is around 7%. A good leader has to train his verbal skills to deliver his message correct to the employees. The second element of a message is the context. The context describes the nonverbal elements. Nonverbal elements include all elements which describe the way how the message was delivered. The nonverbal communication is very important in the communication style. The nonverbal content of a message is around 55%. It delivers feelings to the receiver. The possibility for misunderstandings and confusions on the receiver s side is extremely high, if the nonverbal elements do not fit to the verbal elements. Examples for nonverbal elements are: The body language Examples are the body posture, eye contact and movements. Hand gestures Hand gestures are used to underline words or phrases. The state of emotion States of anger, fear or uncertainty are mostly negative emotions. Elements in speech The tone of the voice. A good leader has to train, in addition to his verbal skills, also his nonverbal skills to deliver his message correct to the employees. Behaviors like eye contact, facial expressions, gestures, posture and body orientation, proximity and vocal techniques shall be a part of the communication. A second important case of communication is the listening part. It can be distinguished between active listening and passive listening. Passive listening means, if the receiver just listens to the senders message. Much informations get lost, because the receiver does not listen carefully. Active listening is the opposite of passive listening. The receiver spends attention to the senders speech to understand the words and feelings. For a good leader it is important to spend more time on active listening than on talking in meetings and other conversations. A possibility to be sure that the receiver understood the message in the right way is the feedback. In a feedback, the receiver tells the sender in his own words, how he understood the message verbal and nonverbal. An advantage is that the sender has the chance to explain the message with other words directly, if the receiver understood the message in a wrong way. Fails or problems can be prevented. Also there is the chance to get into a discussion which could affect the message and communication in a positive way. A feedback is absolutely a benefit for an effective communication. A leader should be familiar with presentation techniques and tools. They are very helpful for highlighting messages, informations, facts and data and make sure for a better understanding. Also it is easier to reach more people in a shorter time. Integrity Definition: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾Strict adherence to a moral code, reflected in transparent honesty and complete harmony in that one thinks, says, and does. http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/integrity.html This text is based on à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾The importance of integrity to leadership by Siti Ibrahim. http://www.helium.com/items/1495580-the-importance-of-integrity-to-leadership Integrity has a big influence on the organization`s structure, the staff and the organization`s publicity. Integrity includes honesty, reliability and trustability and is a part of a positive trait. An integrity based leadership is an interaction between the leader and the employees which benefits the trust, acceptance and respect for each other. Also the communication will have a benefit of integrating an integrity based leadership style. The staff will be more open to accept mistakes, critics and will not be afraid of receiving any negative feedback. This will decrease stress and anxiety. The behavior of the leaders will influence the employees. If an organization has many integrity leaders and employees, individuals with a flawed character will not last long in the organization. Integrity prevents negative actions like corruption or mobbing. From the economical point of view, it is for an organization very important to have many integrity leaders, because the prestige in public will increase. Visions and Goal Statements Definition: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾ An aspirational description of what an organization would like to achieve or accomplish in the mid-term or long-term future. It is intended to serves as a clear guide for choosing current and future courses of action. http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/vision-statement.html This text is based on à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾Leading and Leadership by Donald Clark. http://management.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJzTi=1sdn=managementcdn=moneytm=5f=00tt=14bt=1bts=1zu=http%3A//www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leader.html A leader needs a strong vision where to go to. Employees want a vision for what they are working for. The leaders assignment is to give the employees a vision. The factors which let employees follow are clearly defined goals and trust. The leader has to set goals to realize the visions. These goals should be: Realistic Attainable Improve the organization All employees should be involved in the goal setting process A program should be developed to achieve the goals Inspiration helps to induce employees to do something, because the task will get a purpose. Also motivation has a big influence to the implementation of a task.(Gao Changqing 2005) Teamwork Definition: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾ The process of working collaboratively with a group of people in order to achieve a goal. http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/teamwork.html In addition to be able to work as a leader in a team, it is for a leader even more important to be able to form a team and stick it together. This ability is based on the knowledge of: The employees To know the strengths and weaknesses in the technical- , social- and creative-abilities of each employee. Group dynamics To know the coherent of behaviors and psychological processes in a group. Psychology To appreciate charakters of individuals correctly. Team communication To know the rules of communication and to be able to communicate with more people simultaneous. The leader has to get also into the role as a moderator. A usual mistake of leaders is that they form their team out of employees which are too similar. A better output of teamwork will be achieved the more diverse the team members are. The diversity resultates out of: Opinions Backgrounds Capabilities Relationships Definition: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾A connection between variables, such as a correlation, or between people, such as a marriage. http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/relationship.html Relationships are for an organization very important. It helps to increase the loyalty of the employees to the organization, products and participants. There can also be relationships to suppliers, customers and other organizations or departments. Some benefits for the organization are: Loyal customers, suppliers, employees It will increase sales and market share Exchange of information Increasing the communication in a positive way Increasing the motivation Decreasing the sickness absence rate Increasing the workflow because of better connections Relationship is based on respect, trust, acceptance, support, understanding, share and celebrating and freedom. For a leader it is important to care for the employees and the organization. A leader should be able for building relationships and networks with and between employees and other contacts. (Dodgson et al. 2008) Persuasion Definition: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾ Process aimed at changing a persons (or a groups) attitude or behavior toward some event, idea, object, or other person(s), by using written or spoken words to convey information, feelings, or reasoning, or a combination of them. http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/persuasion.html This text is based on à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾Leadership by Persuasion Four Steps to Success by Patsi Krakoff,Psy.D..http://ezinearticles.com/?Leadership-by-PersuasionFour-Steps-to-Successid=118428 One of the most important leadership skills which a leader should have is the ability to persuade. Persuasion is related to trust, relationship and communication. By persuasion, people can be influenced to do something voluntary. The benefit is that the people act without coercion, because they are convinced to do something which makes sense in their minds.The leader must only give a reasonable reason. The success of a leader to realize the visions and goals depends on the persuasion skill. The four steps to a successful persuasion are: Establish credibility Expertise and relationships are the sources which develop credibility.Necessary is active listening to other peoples suggestions. Their opinions should be valued. Data and informations should be collected to support the own arguments. Understand the audience Identify benefits to which the audience relates. Identify the interests of important people in the group like decision makers or stakeholders. Reinforce position Arguments should be logical and have consistent facs and experience, should be addressed to audiences interests and neutralize alternatives. Connect Emotionally The communication to the audience should be a mix of intellectual and emotional commitment.(Mintzberg 2003) Adaptability and Flexibility Definition: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾Ability of an entity or organism to alter itself or its responses to the changed circumstances or environment. Adaptability shows the ability to learn from experience, and improves the fitness of the learner as a competitor. http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/adaptability.html Flexibility and adaptability are necessary for innovations. Without flexibility and adaptability an organization will become inflexible and will not be able to react on intern or extern changes. The business of a leader is to realize the visions and goals with the help of the staff. Problems have to be solved. Solution orientated working will be more effective, if a leader is flexible and adaptable in mind. The ability on changing strategy, plans or programs to unforeseen events will be easier and more successful, because the motivation to change old practices will be higher. With a flexible and adaptable thinking, a leader will be able to find more solutions for a problem and the chance to project similar situations from the past to current situations to find solutions or strategies will increase. A flexible and adaptable leader sees innovations and changes as an opportunity for improvement. Coaching and Development A leader has to be able to coach and develop employees. It is very important to have the focus on coaching and developing young and upcoming employees. These employees often do not have much experience but if they have just finished the university they have a current status of know-how. The benefits are that these employees are motivated and learn in a correct way the skills they really need for the job. Also they bring new influences into the team and gain greater competence. Coaching helps to overcome barriers and to improve job performance. Decision Making Definition: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾The thought process of selecting a logical choice from the available options. http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/decision-making.html This text is based on à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾Decision Making Skills by mindtools. http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTED_00.htm Every day a leader has to make decisions. Those decisions have to be timely and well considered, otherwise projects can fail or problems will occur. Decisions can be separate to long term decisions like program activities in two years and short decisions like program activities in the next week. Typically involved issues in long term or short term decision are still the same. Unknowing facts, many interrelated factors, high risk consequences, alternatives and interpersonal issues will make to find the best decision for a leader even harder. To be able to make better decisions, a leader should use a logical, organized and systematic decision making process. It helps to find critical elements and important factors. A decision making process can base on six steps: Creating a constructive environment By establishing the obje

Dark Images and Imagery in Shakespeares Macbeth Essay -- GCSE Coursew

Dark Imagery in Macbeth Shakespeare uses a lot of imagery of night and darkness in Macbeth. This imagery is used to portray an image of a desolate, deranged place, full of tumult and disorder. Darkness and night imagery is also used to create an atmosphere of malevolence and misleading obscurity. Images of night and darkness are often used at times in the play when a death has occurred, or some other tragic event. Shakespeare also uses imagery of night and darkness in scenes with the witches, to make them seem evil and unruly. When someone is doing or thinking of something evil, there is often imagery of night and darkness, which helps to causes it to appear more evil and deranged. The images of night and darkness make the play more entertaining and captivating, which maintains the audience’s attention. Darkness is often used at times in the play when a tragic event has occurred. The morning after Macbeth killed Duncan remained in darkness, because the sun did not rise. "Is ‘t the night’s predominance or the day’s shame that darkness does the face of the earth entomb when living light should kiss it?" (2:4, 10-12) Ross said these words referring to the unusual darkness of the day. He wondered if the night had become stronger than the day, and overcome it, so that the sun could no longer shine. He mused that it seemed as though the earth was shrouded with the darkness, when the light of the sun that brings life should have ensconced it. In this quote, darkness symbolizes death and light symbolizes life. It suggests that the whole country is as good as dead since their king has been killed, because the natural order has been disturbed. The disturbance to the natural order caused all of nature is disturbed, d... ...ne to know that it was her husband, with the plan that she had devised, who had killed Duncan, including God. She thought that she could hide in the darkness from the judgment that she and Macbeth deserved, and that it would conceal her wrongdoings from the eyes of God. The images of darkness in Lady Macbeth’s soliloquy help to create a frightful image of her malevolent plan. Imagery of night and darkness is used quite frequently in the play to portray an image of a desolate, deranged place, brimming with tumult, disorder and transgression. Night and darkness are often used to symbolize death, tragedy and corrupt deeds, and to paint a deranged, haphazard picture of characters, their wrongdoings or their malevolent thoughts. Shakespeare has used this imagery to enhance the play by creating the exact atmosphere of pandemonium and devastation that he wanted. Dark Images and Imagery in Shakespeare's Macbeth Essay -- GCSE Coursew Dark Imagery in Macbeth Shakespeare uses a lot of imagery of night and darkness in Macbeth. This imagery is used to portray an image of a desolate, deranged place, full of tumult and disorder. Darkness and night imagery is also used to create an atmosphere of malevolence and misleading obscurity. Images of night and darkness are often used at times in the play when a death has occurred, or some other tragic event. Shakespeare also uses imagery of night and darkness in scenes with the witches, to make them seem evil and unruly. When someone is doing or thinking of something evil, there is often imagery of night and darkness, which helps to causes it to appear more evil and deranged. The images of night and darkness make the play more entertaining and captivating, which maintains the audience’s attention. Darkness is often used at times in the play when a tragic event has occurred. The morning after Macbeth killed Duncan remained in darkness, because the sun did not rise. "Is ‘t the night’s predominance or the day’s shame that darkness does the face of the earth entomb when living light should kiss it?" (2:4, 10-12) Ross said these words referring to the unusual darkness of the day. He wondered if the night had become stronger than the day, and overcome it, so that the sun could no longer shine. He mused that it seemed as though the earth was shrouded with the darkness, when the light of the sun that brings life should have ensconced it. In this quote, darkness symbolizes death and light symbolizes life. It suggests that the whole country is as good as dead since their king has been killed, because the natural order has been disturbed. The disturbance to the natural order caused all of nature is disturbed, d... ...ne to know that it was her husband, with the plan that she had devised, who had killed Duncan, including God. She thought that she could hide in the darkness from the judgment that she and Macbeth deserved, and that it would conceal her wrongdoings from the eyes of God. The images of darkness in Lady Macbeth’s soliloquy help to create a frightful image of her malevolent plan. Imagery of night and darkness is used quite frequently in the play to portray an image of a desolate, deranged place, brimming with tumult, disorder and transgression. Night and darkness are often used to symbolize death, tragedy and corrupt deeds, and to paint a deranged, haphazard picture of characters, their wrongdoings or their malevolent thoughts. Shakespeare has used this imagery to enhance the play by creating the exact atmosphere of pandemonium and devastation that he wanted.

Mutilation Of Women :: essays research papers

The number of mutilated woman and girls in Africa and the Middle East is increasing due to population growth, according to Win News. But internationally financed population, health and safe motherhood programs ignore Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and have failed to implement effective preventive education. Education should be provided to the woman and men in the participating countries so the risks of this mutilation can be understood fully. FGM is painful, dangerous, and disrespectful to the woman/child and her body and I belive evry woman has the right to education to help make this critical decision. The mutilation most often performed is Clitoridectomy or Excision- cutting off without anesthetic, the clitoris and most of the external genitalia. This is practiced in a broad area from the Red Sea to the Atlantic Coast. The most dangerous operation, Infibulation is customary in Sudan, Somalia, N.Kenya,, W. Africa and all along the Red Sea coast. After the clitoris is excised and all external genitalia are carved away, the bleeding raw edges of the libia majora are held together by thorns or other fasting devices, until a scar forms to close the entrance to the vagina. The legs of the little girl are tied together for several weeks until the wound heals; a tiny opening is created by inserting a splinter of wood to allow urination. Thus virginity, which is considered especially important by Moslem men, can be proven. These dangerous operations result in permanent damage: hemorrhage and shock, which may be fatal; many infections including tetanus, scaring which obstructs normal childbirth and may result in the death of both mother and child; infertility due to infection. And that's not all, FGM causes urinary and menstrual problems, frigidity, painful intercourse, and many, many needless deaths. The highest childbirth mortality is recorded in areas where FGM is practiced. Some may argue that this is their culture, we cannot judge, or interfere, and I agree. I do not feel that these are bad people, and I do not think we should outlaw this practice.

Morality and Utilitarianism Essay

Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that holds that an action is right if it produces, or if it tends to produce, the greatest amount of good for the greatest number of people affected by the action. Otherwise the action is wrong.  This cost-benefit analysis is a form of utility calculation. People in business theory use utility curves to plot the results of various actions, choosing those that maximize whatever it is that they wish to achieve. This utility approach is not foreign to most people. It is widely used in many forms of general decision making and can be applied to moral issues as well as to strictly business issues. A defense of utilitarianism as an ethical theory is that it describes what rational people actually do in making moral decisions. It explicitly formulates for them the procedures they intuitively and spontaneously use in moral reasoning. The theory renders explicit what is implicit in the ordinary moral reasoning and argumentation that we ourselves use Utilitarianism adopts a teleological approach to ethics and claims that actions are to be judged by their consequences. According to this view, actions are not good or bad in themselves. Actions take on moral value only when considered in conjunction with the effects that follow upon them. Act utilitarianism holds that each individual action, in all its concreteness and in all its detail, is what should be subjected to the utilitarian test. Rule utilitarians hold that utility applies appropriately to classes of actions rather than to given individual actions. Thus, by looking at the general consequences of breaking contracts in the past, we can determine that breaking contracts is immoral. One objection claims that utilitarianism is ungodly because it proposes utility, rather than the Bible or God, as a basis for moral judgments. A second objection frequently brought against utilitarianism is that no one has the time to calculate all the consequences of an action beforehand. A third objection to utilitarianism is that we cannot know the full results of any action, nor can we accurately weigh the different kinds of good and evil that result. The calculation is artificial and not practical. 1.Accurately state the action to be evaluated. 2.Identify all those who are directly and indirectly affected by the action. 3.Consider whether there is some dominant, obvious consideration that carries such importance as to outweigh other considerations. 4.Specify all the pertinent good and bad consequences of the action for those directly affected, as far into the future as appears appropriate, and imaginatively consider various possible outcomes and the likelihood of their occurring. 5.Weigh the total good results against the total bad results, considering quantity, duration, propinquity or remoteness, fecundity, and purity for each value (kind of good and kind of bad), and the relative importance of these values. 6.Carry out a similar analysis, if necessary, for those indirectly affected, as well as for society as a whole. 7.Sum up all the good and bad consequences. If the action produces more good than bad, the action is morally right; if it produces more bad than good, it is morally wrong. 8.Consider, imaginatively, whether there are various alternatives other than simply doing or not doing the action, and carry out a similar analysis for each of the other alternative actions. 9.Compare the results of the various actions. The action that produces the most good (or the least bad, if none produces more good than bad) among those available is the morally proper action to perform Bribery in business is an interesting kind of action to examine from a utilitarian point of view, because those who engage in bribery frequently justify their actions based on something similar to utilitarian grounds. Utilitarianism, far from being a self-serving approach to moral issues, demands careful, objective, and impartial evaluation of consequences. It is a widely used—but often misused—approach to moral evaluation. A powerful tool of moral reasoning, it is a technique well worth mastering. An Airplane Manufacturing Case An airplane manufacturer has spent a great deal of money developing a new airplane. The company badly needs cash because it is financially overextended. If it does not get some large orders soon, it will have to close down part of its operation. Doing that will put several thousand workers out of jobs. The president of the company bribes a foreign minister to insure the purchase of the planes, arguing that the good done overall justifies the use of bribery.