Personal statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Personal statement - Essay Example I feel as though I have always learned lots in school, but never had the grades to reflect my efforts. I also tend to keep to myself when it comes to studying, so I thought studying with others might help me improve my grades. Finally, in high school, I learned that my time management skills were not very good. This often caused stress that I didn’t need to experience. As I look back on these goals, I feel really great because I have accomplished all three. If all goes well, I will have a 3.0 GPA. It may actually be higher if I do well in my most difficult class. I met some great friends on the first week of school and we formed a study group that meets each week. I have never studied with other people and found this to be a great way to learn and to meet people. I hope that next semester will find many of us taking the same classes so we can study together again. I can say that I met my third goal because I did not freak out a single time this semester as a result of forgetti ng or putting off a project, paper or test. I did feel a lot of stress about my grades, but that was simply because I wanted to meet my goal of earning a 3.0 GPA. I would call it normal stress, as opposed to stress caused by wasting my time or procrastinating. Time Management and Study Skills are the topics that meant the most to me this first semester at ASU. I knew that this was a weakness of mine coming into college. My first reaction to the topic when it was introduced in class was something like, â€Å"Oh, yea, this is what I need.† I think that the skills we talked about in class were helpful, but more than anything else, I think I am maturing and realizing that reaching goals is directly connected to decisions I make about work and study habits. I know that for the first time in my life, I actually wrote down assignments in a planner and scheduled set study times. Establishing a study group was a big part of this success, but I actually went to the library on several o ccasions by myself to study for tests. This was not a typical behavior for me in the past. Managing my time this first semester made me feel in control. I was able to think about studying because I blocked time out for studying and stuck to my schedule. Sticking to a study schedule was difficult, but I was able to do it. If I had to point to any one thing that helped me this first semester, it would be scheduling time for studying. My first semester was great. I feel as though I have been successful in many ways. The single most enjoyable thing about this semester was my study group. Having fun people from my classes to meet with made me want to engage in studying more often. I never have experienced this before and I think that it is great. One concern that I have is that I will not be able to meet with the same people next semester. I guess I just need to trust that I’ll just meet more interesting, fun people. One of my biggest challenges this semester was meeting up with b eople that knew me before I came to ASU. I was not the best student and did not always have the healthiest lifestyle. These people were not supportive of my educational goals. All they wanted me to do was to hang out. It was difficult for me to tell these people that I just didn’t want to be that person anymore. It was hard to say to old friends that I had changed and I was moving in a new direction. What gave me the strength to do this was the new friends I met during this first semester. I am excited for the next semester and all of the

How to combat racism in schools and create positive learning Essay

How to combat racism in schools and create positive learning environments - Essay Example How to combat racism in schools and create positive learning environments A school is the best place to impart education on religious, cultural, gender and social equality; and to train young minds to look beyond all kinds of disparities, and to respect each other’s values and cultures. There are many ways a school can create an environment that can be positive, safe, and well suited to bring about a change in social racism. The learning environment in a school that has a safe and positive attitude would: A learning environment is a part of the strategic plan that is developed on key concepts, like the basic core curriculum and a quality framework. â€Å"It embraces the physical and the psycho-social environment and is meant to help stimulate the pupils and apprentices in their personal development and identity. The Strategic Plan is furthermore meant to contribute to the development of ethical, social and cultural competence and to the ability to understand and take part in democratic processes†. A positive learning environment will discourage all kind of racism, violence, vandalism, or even bullying, while taking care that each student is given equal attention, and all their problems taken care of. While developing this positive learning atmosphere within a school educational framework, the teacher forms the most important resource. However, it is not the duty of one individual teacher to create this positive environment; and there must be the active support of all his collea gues, the school authority, the community members, and even the school children.

Using examples from the hospitality industry outline the triple bottom Essay

Using examples from the hospitality industry outline the triple bottom line concept of sustainable development and discuss the contradictions that are present in this model - Essay Example Sustainable development means growth and improvement in operations that last for longer periods without depreciating in value at a high rate. (flinkinghub.eselvier.com) From this, the benefits derived from the operations of the firm by the firm and societies are felt for a longer period. The economic and social developments gained open up the region for more trading opportunities through the externalities and multiplier effects. In the hospitality industry, resorts that have taken the 3Ps are such as the Sarova hotels in Kenya who sponsor sports events such as the Lewa marathon that has proceeds going to charity. Serena hotels in Kenya, sponsor youth art projects to promote the growth of young talent and reduce the level of youth unemployment in East Africa. The Mara resort employs local Maasai morans to act as tour guides and this reduces unemployment as well as increasing income for the community. Travel firms such as Kenya Airways sponsor sports activities. They have set aside 3 billion to cater for travel and sports gear and salaries for the Kenya 7s national rugby team. The airlines recruit and train their own employees from the local community. Every year, a team of 25 recruits is trained and offered fully paid aviation scholarships to South Africa. After the training, they are absorbed in Kenya Airways. In New Zealand, Air New Zealand offers discounted air fares and luxury class travel packages for t heir clients that fly frequently to certain tourism destinations. It is aimed at encouraging people to go on holidays. They have to save for their holidays. The more they travel, the better the service they get at Air New Zealand. In Arabella Western Cape Hotel, South Africa, they offer their clients chartered tours around the Cape. They encourage them to interact with the local and indulge in the rich South African culture. This is done to conserve and embrace the culture and traditions of the Africana and native South

Lego Case Study Essay Example for Free

Lego Case Study Essay In this case , LEGO needs a flexible and robust IT infrastructure with business intelligence capabilities that could help management perform better forecasting and planning. So they chose to implement SAPs Supply Chain Management (SCM) , Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), and Enterprise Resoures Planning (ERP) modules. In the ERP module includes the Human Capital Management (HCM) application for personnel administration and development. These features such as â€Å"Talent Manager† as well those for handling employee administration, reporting, and travel and time management. These advanced features allow LEGO’s HR personnel to select the best candidates, schedule their training, and create a stimulus plan to retain them. b. Discussion of why the issue/problem is important for Information Systems discipline? IT infrastructure combine with business intelligence capabilities that could help management perform better forecasting and planning. Depth integration of data mining and information systems, able to establish a new business intelligence system to increase profits and reduce costs. In this case , SAPs ERP-HCM module effectively help LEGO’s manager to select the best candidates. It is also possible to include performance measurements and get a real-time insight into HR trends. So LEGO’s manager able to track employee’s leadership potential, develop their careers, and forecast the recruiting of new employees with certain skills. In life, the data is ubiquitous, and how do we treat and use of data? Data analysis must incorporate with information, less of data analysis, probability of failure for decision-making will climbing. Data analysis is the basis of the Decision Sciences, data analysis tells just a trend, predict a phenomenon. These trends and phenomena will change over time, no one can grasp the long-lasting. Data analysis to grasp the trend, can tell you at different times with different variables can produce different views, and the mode how will correct. This reminds me of a movie, â€Å"Moneyball†, the film based on Michael Lewis’s excellent book about the business of baseball, the basic idea is: Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane turned the baseball industry on its head by using objectivity nd data to help pick a baseball team, instead of subjectivity and gut. It was controversial and not perfect, but he did a pretty good job at it. He broke the conventional method, using historical data and data mining method to build the evaluation model, using low cost to purchase those underrated players. Creating a team has the ability to against the famous New York Yankees. Rely on intuition to make decisions has passed, Now the most important thing is effectively to use data analysis, combining with other disciplines, especially with the combination of information systems. . Identification of who are the key stakeholders and how they are impacted by the issue/problem. LEGO’s CEO and head of HR personnel, they can do this by ERP-HCM to predict and pick the talent they need, and handling employee administration, reporting, and travel and time management. SAP’s business suite supports databases from different vendors, so that abroad managers enable to have direct access to the database system from the company’s various locations. d. What is required for the successful continuation of the new method? SAPsbusiness suite is based on a flexible three-tier client-server architecture. In the first tier, a client interface submits user’s requests. The application servers receive and process clients‘ requests. In turn, these application servers send the processed requests to the database system. Therefore, the link between each layer is necessary. Compatibility between the different databases is also an indispensable factor. Most importantly, data analysis must incorporate with information system. e. Can you think of any other alternatives? SAS Business Intelligence also offers an integrated, robust and flexible presentation layer for the full breadth of SAS Analytics capabilities, including statistics, predictive analytics, data and text mining, forecasting, and optimization – all integrated within the business context for better, faster decision making. OSI Consulting also provide infrastructure strategy and planning services evaluate and prioritize IT optimization options and define a road map of activities that can reduce costs and improve utilization using time-tested methods and best-practice analysis. 2. Answer all the Questions at the end of the case correctly (50) f. Explain the role of the database in SAPsthree-tier system. The third tier database system, This tier keeps data neutral and independent from application servers or business logic. Giving data its own tier also improves scalability and performance. Database plays the role of the terminal server, can be used to store or access data. g. Explain why distributed architectures are flexible. The distributed architectures enables authorized personnel to have direct access to the database system from the company’s various locations. A distributed database is a database that is under the control of a central database management system in which storage devices are not all attached to a common CPU. It may be stored in multiple computers located in the same physical location, or may be dispersed over a network of interconnected computers. Collections of data can be distributed across multiple physical locations. A distributed database can reside on network servers on the Internet, on corporate intranets or extranets, or on other company networks. Replication and distribution of databases improve database performance at end-user worksites. . Identify some of the business intelligence features included in SAPsbusiness software suite. The SCM module includes essential features such as supply chain monitoring and analysis as well as forecasting, planning, and inventory optimization. The PLM module enables managers to optimize development processes and systems. The ERP module includes, among other applications, the Human Capital Management (HCM) application for personnel administration and development. These features such as â€Å"Talent Manager† as well those for handling employee administration, reporting, and travel and time management. These advanced features allow LEGO’s HR personnel to select the best candidates, schedule their training, and create a stimulus plan to retain them. It is also possible to include performance measurements and get a real-time insight into HR trends. LEGO’s manager able to track employee’s leadership potential, develop their careers, and forecast the recruiting of new employees with certain skills. i. What are the main advantages and disadvantages of having multiple databases in a distributed architecture? Explain. The primary advantage of distributed database systems is the ability to share and access data in a reliable and efficient manner. Advantages: Improved scalability Unlike a single-database system, in which the amount of data that can be stored depends on the limitations of one database, a distributed-database system is easily scalable and, therefore, set up for growth. As more sites or regions become part of the Teamcenter Enterprise network, you can expand the database topology to include new databases. With multiple databases, Teamcenter Enterprise data is divided into logical pieces, so that users usually work only with the data that is most applicable to them. Improved performance The majority of database inserts, queries, updates, and deletions are on user data; therefore, a distributed-database environment separates user data from centralized or shared data and stores it locally. Local user databases reduce network traffic and eliminate network bottlenecks on most transactions. Local user databases also distribute the user load in terms of system resources, such as memory. In addition, a distributed-database environment separates the user data from the data related to operational or background processing, which also reduces the amount of local system resources used. Increased availability Because user databases are independent, if one database is unavailable, other databases can continue to work. In a distributed-database environment, selected classes are replicated in other databases when they are created, deleted, or updated. This replication increases availability. By separating data, administrators have more flexibility in determining the frequency and types of backups needed for different types of data. This also increases availability. Disadvantages: Degradation of performance on a small network One user action can cause activity in several databases, some of which may be remote. The additional overhead of these transactions can be a performance penalty when the total amount of data in the network is small. Users also see slower performance when accessing user data that is not local. Increased use of database space The schema of all databases must be the same, that is, every table must exist in every database. Therefore, database space is used for tables that may never be accessed. When the number of tables is very large, the amount of space used this way can be significant. Administrators must use database storage parameters to size tables and reduce database space consumption.

The Whale Rider Movie Theology Religion Essay

The Whale Rider Movie Theology Religion Essay His leadership style is Authoritarian autocratic. This style is used when leaders advise their employees what they want completed and how they want it capable, without getting the advice of their followers (Lewin, 1939). Koro is driven by his vision of a patri-lineal leadership restoring the integrity of his people. He is determined that the male line be unbroken. Koro is a very stubborn, harsh, severe chief who dominates in everything that the people do. When he believes in something, he under no circumstances changes his decisions. He is definite and powerful in all that he says and does and he hardly ever appreciates others work and effort. Koro is defensive with his beliefs and opinions and is blind towards any proof that opposes his faith. His leadership style is not people-oriented at all as he is selfish, isnt sympathetic or sensitive and never considers other peoples feelings. However he is absolutely honest to his tikanga to his understanding of Maori culture and customs an d to the teachings of his ancestors. But with that honesty comes stubbornness and a pride and thats what trips him up. Pai Koros grand-daughter Paikea is a servant leader. According to Michael McKinney (2000) is an individual who maintain what is best for all individuals even if it may not be in their individual concern to do so. A custodial position must be approached as a short-term role, preserving something greater than the self-values of long-term and long-lasting value. This is a thought of mind that focus on the job at hand and not on what the leader may achieve from the situation. It implies a caring and concerned connection between leaders and followers; individuals enthused by their essential best interests.   Pai was a strong willed girl who was born to be a leader even though koro didnt see that straight away. Persistence is a key factor of a leader. Pai was a great leader and showed many leadership qualities such as loyalty, strength and confidence. Her grandfather koro was always trying to block out all the leadership skills she portrayed as he wanted the new chief to be a male as it was part of their tradition. Pai faces many challenges caused by herself, Koro and her culture which she handles them with maturity and determination. She never gives up and is never disheartened by the fact that she is a girl and is over looked by her grandfather. Pai falls in extraversion personality of leadership as she displays throughout the movies the traits of warmth, seeking novelty and excitement, assertive, cheerful, and talkative and action oriented. Critique of effectiveness as a leader: Koro was a very effective leader as he took charge over his people and the old traditions were very important to him and he wanted everyone else to feel the same way. Koro could see the people get more distant and realised his leadership is not working so he started to search for a leader. Koro spent his life looking for a new leader he could not see that Pai was right in front of him. Koro refuses to acknowledge Pai as leader despite her constantly showing herself to be more competent than any of the boys. In the film when Koro screams, You dont mess around with sacred things, you can feel the strength of his belief but Pai is equally determined, and so the battle is joined. However in the end he accepts Pai as a leader. Paikea was a strong willed girl who was born to be a leader even though koro didnt see that straight away. Persistence is a key factor of a leader.Throughout the movie, Pai has to not only fulfill the tribes expectations; she has to go beyond them. Not only does she carry out her role brilliantly, she realizes that there is a need for the whale rider and steps up to fulfill her role. For example, at her first school concert, when all her peers were misbehaving, Pai continues to sing, keeping her focus, determined to prove that she is serious about the tribes culture and her ambitions to become the whale rider. This event proved to the community that Pai cared more for the tribe than most of the other boys. Pai tried many ways to change this fact and expectation and prejudice. For example, she overcomes this challenge by learning the ways of the tribe, including chants, the art of the taiaha and actively participating in community life. Pai worked very hard to impress Koro and hence she is a very effective leader. The type of power held: Koro hold legitimate power. It refers to different types of professional positions. Koro has high expectations for the local community and is deeply disappointed when he realises that there will be no son and heir to continue as Chief. Even though he loves Pai, he will not allow himself to see her potential as a leader because she is a girl. The struggle to find an appropriate leader and how leadership is needed to sustain a successful community was present in Koros leadership style. Pai holds referent power that is gained by organization. Pai is very strong willed, powerful and brave. Her qualities and skills are noticed by all of the people around her, as her bravery carried her through such difficult times where she felt neglected and Koro said that everything went wrong after she was born. When Pai knew she had the qualities to be the next chief and Koro didnt register, she persisted through his rudeness and eventually became the next chief in training. This is the type of power she had. How they used this power: Koro, the leader of a community that was once dominated by ancient rules and laws passed down many generations, struggles to find a suitable leader who can improve the way of life and bring back the traditions and laws that were once obeyed by the people. Koro is blind to this though because he believes that the next leader has to be a boy hence Koro did not use his power to his maximum. Throughout the movie, Paikea shows resilience, persistence and dignity all good qualities of a leader. She never gives up and is never disheartened by the fact that she is a girl and is over looked by her grandfather. We see her testing the old ways, and undertaking the difficult demands of traditional soldier practice. It is she who goes into the sea to bring back Koros prize possession. She used her power to the betterment of the community. Throughout the movie, Paikea battles her way so that Koro sees that she is good enough to become the leader hence she used her power well. Discussion / evaluation to leadership theory Using the trait theory, with Pai, she is adaptable to situations, is assertive, co-operative, energetic, persistent, self- confident and is willing to assume responsibility and is diplomatic and tactful. Several elements of Pais leadership is displayed, example her comments about smoking and health, fixing the rope, learning about her culture, participating in the life of the community. As Paikea exerts herself to Koro, she shows skills of a leader. For example, she shows confidence in standing up for what she thinks is right. When Koro yelled or got angry at Paikea she did not hold a grudge or shut everyone out, she kept fighting! In one scene in the film, Pai invites Koro to a concert where she is to perform a speech in her native language (Te Reo). She tells him that he is her guest of honour. The scene opens with teacups laid out and people bringing food. Pai requests that a chair is left for her grandfather, but he doesnt turn up. She makes her speech despite her huge disappointment that Koro is not there to see her. She is announced the winner of the speech competition. Using Great Man theory with Koro, he has a lot of rules he has to live by. He is the boss. The question is why does Pai support Koro even though he is so harsh to her? She understands some of his concerns about being a leader. Type of organisation, level of seniority and its effects On the East coast of New Zealand, the Whangara citizens consider their existence there dates reverse a thousand years or more to a single ancestor, Paikea, who fugitive death when his canoe turn over by riding to coast on the backside of a whale. From then on, Whangara chiefs always the first-born is male who have been considered Paikeas descendants. Pai a 12-year-old girl in a patriarchal New Zealand tribe, believe she is meant to be the new chief. However her grandfather Koro is restricted by custom to pick a male leader. Pai loves Koro more than any person in the world, but she must fight him and a thousand years of custom to fulfil her destiny. Koro is the chief of the village and has the most seniority as he is the head of the traditional tribe. The people in the village took pride in their tradition and culture which enabled him to be listened and obeyed. Individual culture and its effect(s) In the film Maori tradition and culture has been displayed and this formed the beliefs between the two characters, Koro and Pai. Both of them cared for their village and dedicated themselves into the Maori culture and tradition for have a successful outcome. The film shows that culture is important and that working together makes everything better. Other leadership concepts and ideologies identified The film shows that no matter who the person may be, with the qualities of a leader, one can bring unity to the tribe. The film also shows how resilience is a significant aspect of being a leader. Pai had spirit, every time Koro shot her down she would get back up and keep trying. It also has an implication of womens rights and equality between men and women. In the film Pai had all the qualities of a leader, still she was dominated because according to the culture women cannot be leaders. The film especially highlights the fact that leaders have to respect the other members of the community as well as having the right characteristics of leadership. I also learnt good and bad trait in a leader from the roles of Pai and Koro. The community scenes on the Marae, working together to help the whales, paddling in unison in the waka at the end shows the togetherness of the community. IN GOOD COMPANY In Good Company is a comedy. Drama, romance movie that was released in 2004.This movie commences with Waterman Publishing and its flagship magazine Sports America being acquired by Globecom International in a corporate takeover. The two main leaders which have been chosen for this assignment are Dan Foreman (Dennis Quaid) and Carter Duryea (Topher Grace). Dan Foreman is a 51 year old head of advertising sales for a major sports magazine that has 20 years of experience as well. He is happily married with two daughters and who is also expecting a new child. Dan faces a life changing event when he was demoted to second in order of advertising and was replaced by Carter Duryea. Carter is 26 year old, newlywed of 7months and was dumped by his wife just as he gets the promotion. He talks a good game about sales but he doesnt have any experience from the field. Robbins and Judge (2007) defined leadership as ability to control a group toward the success of a vision or set of goals. Leadership styles The leadership style showed by Dan Foreman was charismatic leadership. The Charismatic Leader gathers group through dint of behaviour and charisma, rather than any form of exterior power. It is attractive to watch a Charismatic Leader working the region as they move from person to person. They pay much consideration to the individual they are chatting to at any one instant, making that person think like they are, for that time, the most significant person in the world. Charismatic Leaders pay a great deal of concern in scanning and reading their surroundings, and are good at picking up the mood and concerns of both individuals and big audience. They then will sharpen up their actions and words to suit the situation. In the film, when the employees were fired from their job, Dan took responsibility to inform them because he was concerned about their feelings, and that he would be able to comfort them rather than Carter as he has been working with them for many years. Musser (1987) notes that charismatic leaders seek to inspire both commitment to ideological goal and also commitment to themselves. The extent to which either of these two goals is leading depends on the underlying motivation and needs of the leader vary anything. Despite their charm and perceptible concern, the Charismatic Leader may well be rather more concerned with themselves than anybody else. The leadership style showed by Carter Duryea was Transactional leadership. The transactional leader works through creating clear arrangement whereby it is clear what is necessary of their subordinates, and the rewards that they get for following instructions. When the Transactional Leader assigns work to a subordinate, they are measured to be fully liable for it, whether or not they have the ability to carry it out. Transactional leadership is based in possibility in that prize or penalty is conditional upon presentation. Carter is been appointed as the head of marketing for the Sports America magazine to increase the sales for the company. According to Ohio state studies (1940) transactional leader is considered as task oriented. Effectiveness of a leader Dan is a effective leader. Dan motivates his employee and is very loyal to them. He is outspoken person and takes stand for his employees. Every employee respects him and trusts him. Carter wasnt effective leader. He doesnt have experience in the job which was given to him but he was very good in his job. He was outspoken and very convincing since the first day at work. Type of power(s) Dan has charisma power- person who has charisma will have optimistic influence on workers and create the chance for interpersonal pressure. Dan is very effective and when he speaks, people listen to him. In the film when he question to Teddy K everyone listen to him carefully. He also has Referent power: comes from being trusted and respected. The new boss (Carter) respects and trusts him. Carter Duryea holds legitimate power. The power describe leader has position of power on his team. In the film Carter is head of marketing company, he is very good in decision making and convinces people. He is very active and intelligent in his work. Carter uses his power in very effective way. He uses his power to motive others and clearly identify common goal of company. But some time he abuses his position power by firing employee. Scene from movie A scene from the movie that shows the leadership analyses for two leaders is the when Dan asked question to Teddy K when he was talking about to put one section about computers in sports America magazine. Then Dan stopped him and asked I dont understood what you are trying to say. It shows how effective he is while asking question to Teddy k and everyone is listening to him. Even Mr Teddy K impressed by him and said Dan Foreman Sports America, you ask some excellent questions. Another situation in the movie shows Carter leadership when Carter is discussing about sacking with Dan. He explained to Dan he have to cut off same salary by sacking people from sales department. Carter is transactional leader and always follows his company procedure and standard. Dan wants to save his old employee and said to Carter my salary is bigger than them why dont you sack me instead of them. But Carter convinces him because he has to follow his bosss orders. Type of organisation, level of seniority and its effects Sports America magazine owned by Globecom, it is a national sports magazine and Dan spent 20 year of his life as head of advertising sales department. After that multimedia company buy it and assign Carter as new boss. Carter is on the most senior position in multimedia company. He is responsible for company sales and managing staff. He is assigned leader and power to reward and punish anyone in the organisation. Individual culture and its effect(s) Culture and tradition plays very important role both Dan carter lives. Dan is 51 year old man has loving family. He has two daughters Alex (18 year old) and Jana (16 year old). He has been very happy from his family and doing very well in his professional life. Carter is 26 year old young man and very successful in his professional life. His wife left him in the beginning of the film. He is executive officer in the organisation. He fell in love with Alex (Dans daughter) which creates uncomfortable situation between them. Leadership theories Contingency theory is illustrate to large extend in this film. According to this leadership theory leader effectiveness in group is depends on two factors: leader task or relation motivation and changes in situations. The scale least preferred co-worker is use to identify leader is task oriented or relation oriented. Leader who gets high marks on scale is people oriented and who got less mark on scale is task oriented. In the film Dan got high mark in least preferred co-worker because he is always concern about his employee. Even he is ready to leave his job to save employee work. On the other hand carter got less mark on scale because he is only concern about his task. He follows the orders given to him by the boss and never thinks about employee. He fired some employees from organisation as well. The Lord of the Rings The Fellowship of the Ring is an epic fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson. This story is set in the world of Tolkiens establishment, known as Middle Earth. It is based on the first of three volumes of the epic novel The Lord of the Rings (1954-1955) created by JRR Tolkien. It was followed by The Two Towers (2002) and The Return of the King (2003). It is filmed in various locations in New Zealand in 2001. In the story of a hobbit called Bilbo Baggins  has stolen the ring from a hideous creature called  Gollum. Somehow, this ring ends up with  Frodo Baggins, Bilbos nephew and all of a sudden, Frodo is at the centre of this epic play involving the ring that he knows very little about. The Fellowship of the ring is established; including nine individuals in which are Gandalf, Legolas the elf, Gimli the Dwarf, Aragorn, Boromir and his three Hobbit friends Merry, Pippin and Samwise. They went through mountains, snow, darkness, forests, rivers and plains, facing evil and danger of every corner to destroy Fellowship of the Ring. Introduction The two leaders which have been chosen for my assignment are Gandalf much like Aragorn as Strider. Gandalf is a Wizard of surpassing power and intelligence. He has awe-inspiring and the touchingly human qualities. Aragon hides an extraordinary amount of power, greatness, and knowledge under a humble exterior. Leadership Styles Gandalf is the transformational leader-leader who puts enthusiasm and power into all. They care about you and want you to success. Transformational Leaders are always observable and will rise up to be counted rather than conceal behind their troops. They show by their attitudes and performance how everybody should behave. They also make continuous hard work to inspire and rally their followers, always doing the rounds, listening, comforting and enthusing. It is their reliable pledge as much as something else that keeps people going mainly through the darker period when some may query whether the dream can ever be achieved. Overall, they balance their mind between act that creates development and the psychological state of their supporters. Perhaps they are people-oriented and consider that victory comes first and last through deep and continuous commitment. According to Stephen Warrilow (2013) transformational leadership is all about values and meaning, and a purpose that transcends short-term goals and focuses on higher order needs. Gandalf was the leader of The Fellowship of the Ring: getting the ring into Mordor to destroy was his goal but he was proved that that he capable of doing more and more. He was an adviser to Frodo and Aragorn and uninspired them both to grow to be better people and attain knowledge plus self actualisation (the higher order of needs). He clearly knew his vision and uninspired his followers to accomplish it. Bernard M Bass (1985) says transformational leader is a type of  leadership style  that measures the influence of followers first. The followers of such a leader feel trust, admiration, loyalty and respect for the leader. In movie Gandalf motivates Frodo to be brave and tells him if he doesnt takes the ring to destroy, and then no one will destroy it and it wont ever be destroyed. He inspired Frodo and he didnt hesitate to continue but pleased Gandalf. Aragorn is a charismatic leader. Charismatic leaders are often thought of as heros that are able to use their personal fascination to lead others. But that charismatic allure can be both an approval and a nuisance on society. Thats because charisma can be used for the good of a company for honourable reasons. Conger Kanungo (1998) describe five behavioural attributes of Charismatic Leaders that indicate a more transformational perspective image and expression, warmth to the environment, consideration to member needs, individual risk taking, performing unconventional behaviour. Aragorn was a brave man: he saved the hobbits lives in Bree by fighting with the Uruk-hai and showed good leadership by saving the lives of the team members and also by making wise decisions. The Charismatic Leader gathers supporters through dint of behaviour and charisma, rather than any form of external power. It is interesting to watch a Charismatic Leader running the area as they move from individual to individual. They pay much consideration to the individuals they are talking to at any one instant, making that individual feel like they are, for that point in time, the most significant individual in the world. Charismatic Leaders pay attention in scanning and analysing their surroundings, and are good at picking up the moods and concerns of both individuals and big audiences. They then will sharpen their actions and expression to suit the circumstances. Charismatic Leaders use a wide variety of methods to supervise their picture and if they are not naturally charismatic, may practice attentively at developing their skills. They may prompt trust through observable selflessness and taking own risks in the name of their values. They show great self-confidence in their followers. They are very convincing and make very useful use of body words as well as oral language. The Charismatic Leader will typically connect themselves strongly to the personality of the group, such that to join the group is to become one with the leader. The Fellowship of the Ring Aragorn was sometimes unsure of his ability to lead others but when it came to his team members he did his level best to motivate them. When qu estioned about why he does not immediately offer proof of his identity to the hobbits in Bree, one of his answers is simply that he wishes the hobbits would count him as a friend without knowledge of his lineage indeed; he is tired of being constantly asked. Musser (1987) notes that charismatic leaders seek to inspire both dedication to ideological goals and also commitment to themselves. The level to which either of these two goals is leading depends on the fundamental motivations and requirements of the leader amend anything. Despite their charm and perceptible concern, the Charismatic Leader may well be somewhat more anxious with themselves than anybody else. A typical experience with them is that whilst you are talking with them, it is like being immersed in a warm and pleasant shine, in which they are very persuasive. . In the film when Frodo decides to break the fellowship Aragorn obeys his decision by telling the hobbits that if I had the chance to go I would have gone with you to the end, into the very fires of Mordor and then motivates others. Effectiveness of a leader: Gandalf is intelligent and relatively capable while people listen to him. Gandalf had high values; he appreciated everyone and wasnt using his powers to arrange others but only to direct others. Aragon was thoughtful, trustworthy and open leader. The both leaders had clear idea and common aim to destroy ring and were very effective leaders. Type of power Gandalf have legitimate power. Legitimate power is the power that a leader gets by evasion due to his position in an organisation; a leader basically is distinguished from a follower due to the greater rights and responsibility he has than others i.e. additional rights that legitimate power bestows and distinguishes him from followers. He has some supernatural powers and a lot of knowledge about middle-earth. He also has referent power .This is at times thought of as charisma, charm, admiration, or appeal. Referent power comes from one person love and respecting another, and powerfully identifying with that person in some way. Celebrities have referent power, which is why they can manipulate everything from what individuals buy to whom they choose to office. In a workplace, a person with charm often makes everyone feel good, so he or she tends to have a lot of influence. Gandalf is 2nd wizard and he used his power to save fellowship of ring and fight with fire dragon which lead him t o death. Gandalf used his power very fairly and he sacrificed his life to save his group. Aragorn has charisma power: Charisma has been seen as politically dubious characteristics of individuals in the society and it has been searched the psychological mechanisms which lead to the emergence of charismatic leaders and their attraction to the people that follow them which describes a special person qualities making him capable inspire large number of people. Aragorn is a very effective leader and when he speaks, everyone listens and follows him. In the film when Gandalf is dead, Aragon starts leading the group; everyone follows him without any questions. Aragorn also used his power to motivate others and lead them in correct path. He has the qualities of encouraging people and making them believe him. Type of organisation, level of seniority and its effect(s) The fellowship of the ring was destroyed in Rivendell fictional second age of middle-earth. The Fellowship involved nine members who joined the journey to Mordor to destroy ring in Mount Doom fires. The mission included four hobbits Frodo Baggins and his three friends Merry, Pippin and Samwise, with travelling companions Gandalf a wizard, Aragorn a human ranger, two man from Gondor, Gimli a dwarf warrior and Legolas an Elven prince. Gandalf was leader of the group and also Aragorn was assigned as the leader when Gandalf was killed. Gandalf was chosen as leader of the fellowship of the ring. The group approved him as a leader because he was the eldest and valued person He was a very effectual leader; every one respects him and obeys and follows his decisions. Aragorn was the only king in companionship but he never used his power as a king, but he inspired and motivated people by using his leadership qualities. According to Great man theory one having inherit capacity of leadership great leaders are born with traits that make them natural leaders. Aragorn took responsibilities of the situations and came up with solutions to solve them. Individual culture and its effect(s) Culture and ritual played very important part of both leaders life. Gandalf was 2nd wizard who fought with Saruman 1st wizard who abused his powers to destroy the mankind. Aragorn was king of the Gondor. No one knew that he was living in Rivendell as ranger after his father loss. Both Gandalf and Aragorn have done the best to keep mankind safe in middle-earth by leading Frodo in destroying the ring. Leadership theories The film illustrates Ohio State studies (1940s) which states two dimensions of leader behaviour. First is Consideration where a leader exhibits concern for the welfare of the members of the group such as it is people oriented. Second is Initiating structure is where a leader defines how the tasks are to be accomplished by the group such as it is task oriented. In the film Gandalf is concerned of their followers emotion and opinions, but he was also in charge for mission which should be finished.

Multiculturalism in Mother Tongue, Memorial Day and Multiculturalism, a

Multiculturalism in Mother Tongue, Memorial Day and Multiculturalism, and College Writing      Ã‚  Ã‚   As an American it is very important to understand the different concepts of assimilation and multiculturalism. It is these terms that differ one person from everybody else in some kind of way. Multiculturalism is a term that is just what it sounds like. It is including several cultures. According to the American Heritage dictionary, multiculturalism is " a social or educational theory or program that encourages interest in many cultures within a society rather than in only one mainstream culture. " Assimilation is the exact opposite of what multiculturalism is. Assimilation is described to be where " a minority group gradually adopts the customs and attitudes of the prevailing culture. " So how does one decide whether to believe in assimilation or multiculturalism? Well the truth to that question is that there really is no direct correct belief. It all depends on the person. On how their past was like, who their parents are and where they came from. Some of the greater issues that come up when talking about assimilation versus multiculturalism are language, literacy, power, and difference in American culture. Amy Tan's reading titled " Mother Tongue ", Thomas Bray's " Memorial Day and multiculturalism ", and Maxine Hairston's " College Writing " readings are amongst one of the most appropriate in addressing the issues of multiculturalism and assimilation. One of the greatest differences in American culture right now is language. This is because people come from all sorts of different countries into America and only know how to speak their own native language. Many people come over to America to work here... ...most people in American have come together to form a part of assimilation; however not to it's fullest. Although people are proud to keep their American culture and initiate with it as much as possible, I feel that people must not forget their own personal heritage from where they were born. The Idea of assimilation for me is just as important as multiculturalism. I will be just as proud to learn and follow in the English language, as I will be to remember all that I have been taught about my Russian culture.    Works Cited: Bray Thomas. " Memorial Day and Multiculturalism, " Detroit News 24 May 1998 Tan Amy. " Mother Tongue. " Border text: cultural reading for contemporary writers Ed. Randal Bass. Boston: Houghton- Mifflin, 1999 Hairston Maxine. " College Writing ." College Composition and Communication 43.2. University of Texas, 1992  

Philosophies & Democracy Essay

Democracy and capitalism gave way to concentration of wealth amongst a small group of people. Private entrepreneurship got a boost due to capitalism. Given this scenario, many private entrepreneurs rose to build their industrial empires. There are many examples, where, the starting point of a given business was zero, and it rose to become a leading international business house. Increase in business, resulted in exaggerated accumulation of wealth in the hands of a few, and that was the time, when these new class of rich entrepreneurs, gave a thought to the society, in which they have been operating, and which has supported their enterprise in its rise. Carnegie Melon, at the beginning of industrial revolution, and Bill Gates, at the end of the twentieth century, are two solid examples of business rise from zero to international giants. Both of them, spent their full life, in amassing wealth, and as they grew, they started framing corporate philosophies, which put society at the focus of their activities. While they applied the rule of ‘everything is fair in business’, they turned towards society at the fag end of their lives. Corporate philosophies, by and large have nothing new to say, except that they work for the society, and they care for their customers. All corporate philosophies are concentrated around these central themes, in different words and sentences. Often, it is proved that corporate philosophies are not as sweet as they sound. When it comes to business, these philosophies are sacrificed, partially or fully. Was only genuine software skill responsible for the stupendous rise of Bill Gates and Microsoft? Of course no. There is in fact, considerable shrewdness going into the rise of Microsoft. In fact, corporate houses, as they grow, turn their attention towards betterment of society, in one or the other way. There are numerous examples to prove this, in the time gap between Carnegie Melon and Bill Gates. However, they are targeted at multiplication of business. An average American fully understands the implications of these corporate philosophies, and their implied meanings. For example, when cyber attacks started assuming alarming proportions, Bill Gates ordered a change in their corporate philosophy. It implied change in the approach of all software development. Now, instead of adding new features to the software, the focus was to be laid on protection of the software, because, Bill Gates argued, â€Å"In the past, we’ve made our software and services more compelling for users by adding new features and functionality, and by making our platform richly extensible . . . but all those great features won’t matter unless customers trust our software,† wrote Gates. â€Å"So now, when we face a choice between adding features and resolving security issues, we need to choose security. † ( Trustworthy computing, para 2) â€Å"Some of Microsoft’s perennial critics claim the initiative is long overdue, and question whether or not Microsoft will follow through on its promises, as the company could be forced to bear a reduction in the number of new features in its programs and significant new product delays. Some go further in arguing that such a massive security initiative cannot be undertaken without subjecting the Windows operating system source code to public domain — something the company has fought hard to avoid†. Writes an observer, in his opinion. ( Trustworthy computing, Para 4) What is true of Microsoft , is perhaps true of other companies also. An average American is well aware of the status of the company, and its capacity to deliver the promised goods, and is also right in judging the ethical behavior of a company. Conclusively it can be said that despite the tall claims made by the corporate philosophies, the average American of the ins and outs of that firm. References: 1) Trustworthy computing, Security and privacy deemed Microsoft’s top priorities, retrieved on 5 May 2009 from :