The Empire In Transition Essay Example for Free

The Empire In Transition Essay 1. How did the relationship between the king and Parliament change during the early 18th century? During the early eighteenth century, the British Parliament established a growing supremacy over the King. The two German kings, George I and George II, were not used to English ways, and the Prime minister and his cabinet ministers became the nation’s real executives. They did not hold their control by the king’s favor, but by their ability to control majority in Parliament. So during this time the king and parliament were still together in overseeing the colonies, but they had different roles in governing and controlling them. 2. How did British officials in the colonies carry out (or fail to carry out) their duties, and what was the effect of their activities? The British officials in the colonies failed to carry out their duties given to them. Some of these appointed officials wanted to raise their incomes with bribes. For example, customs collectors waived duties on goods when merchants paid them to do so. The activities carried out by the officials lead American society to corruption. 3. How was England’s hold on the colonies weakened between 1700 and 1775? England’s hold on the colonies weakened between 1700 and 1775 because the administration of colonial affairs remained decentralized and inefficient. There was no colonial office in London. There was a mere advisory body that had little role in any actual decisions. Real authority rested in the Privy Council, the admiralty, and the treasury, but these agencies were responsible for managing laws at home as well as overseas; no one could concentrate on colonial affairs alone. The character of the royal officials in America also weakened England’s hold on the colonies because most of these officeholders were not able and intelligent. Appointments generally came as results of bribery or favoritism, not as a reward for distinction. 4. What factors helped promote colonial divisions during this period? The factors that helped promote colonial divisions during this period were growth of the colonial population, and the fact that the colonies were so far apart from each other that communication was rare between the colonies. 5. What was the Albany Plan, and what did it reveal about colonial unity? The Albany Plan was proposed by Benjamin Franklin, and this plan said that parliament would set up in America â€Å"one general government† for all the colonies. Each colony could have its own constitution, but would grant to the new general government powers like the authority to govern all relations with the Indians. The central government would have a â€Å"president general† appointed and paid by the king and a legislature elected by colonial assemblies. The Struggle for the Continent (103-107) 6. How did the French attempt to secure their hold on the vast areas they claimed in North America? The French attempted to secure their vast areas by being the Indian allies. They told the Indians to attack the British. 7. What caused the Great War for empire, and why is called by that name? It was caused because the French and Indians were mad because the British got more land; therefore, the Indians and French wanted more land for them. It was called the great war of empire because the English had more land than the French and Indians. 8. How did the Great War for empire become a â€Å"truly international conflict†, and how did Britain carry out its part of the struggle? It became a truly international conflict because of the French and Great Britain having many fronts and having wars on many places it became an international conflict. 9. What were the terms of the Peace of Paris of 1763? The terms were that this treaty ended the seven years war, also known as the French and Indian war. the French also lost Canada, which was dominated by the British side. In order for Spain to recover Cuba they had to give up Florida. The French gave up most of the east of Mississippi except New Orleans. The New Imperialism (107-113) 10. What dilemma faced London policymakers at the end of the Great War for Empire? The dilemma that faced London policymakers was how to fund the British administration and how to defend the North American colonies in long term. 11. What arguments were raised for and against the post-1763 â€Å"territorial imperialism†? How did this change British attitudes towards the colonies? After the American and French Revolutions the British were rendered speechless. The empire on which the sun had never set had fallen and faltered. They were virtually thrown out of America . They realized that they were not omnipotent and they began ruling with more of an iron hand policy. This resulted in worse conditions in the remaining colonies. 12. What initial policy changes occurred when George III ascended the throne, and what were the motives? George wanted to be in control of everything so removed Whigs’ who had previously governed empire for long time and replaced them with his own coalition that was very unstable 13. What was it about post-1763 British policy that caused colonists in every section to see the Disadvantages rather than the advantages of being part of the British Empire? The Proclamation of 1763 caused colonists in every section to see the disadvantages rather than the advantages of being part of the British Empire because it limited the colonists from western expansion beyond the Appalachian Mountains. From there, British started implementing taxes on the colonists to which the colonists did not agree. Stirrings of Revolt (113-121) 14. Why did the Stamp Act antagonize the American colonists so much? The Colonists were angered by the Stamp Act because they did not want to pay more taxes for other stamps. While Great Britain still needed to pay off the rest of their debt from the French and Indian War (Seven Years War) the Colonists had their own problems and wanted to be an independent country, they wanted to fend for themselves and not pay a tax. Stamp act imposed tax  on printed documents and was taxation without representation that they weren’t willing to pay. 15. Who sounded the â€Å"trumpet of sedition† in Virginia over the Stamp Act? Were there reasons other than those in the proposed resolutions? The Virginia House of Burgesses sounded the â€Å"trumpet of sedition† over the Stamp Act. The reason was to challenge the power of tidewater planters who dominated Virginia politics. 16. What role did Samuel Adams play in the American protests? Were his motives different from others? Samuel Adams was the leading figure in fomenting public outrage over the Boston Massacre. He was the most effective radical in the colonies. John Adams’s motives were different from others because he viewed everything in stern moral terms, since he was a member of an earlier generation with strong ties to New England’s Puritan past. 17. Why was the Tea Act seen by many Americans as a direct threat to themselves and their institutions? The Tea Act was seen by many Americans as a direct threat to themselves and their institutions because it meant that parliament had control over them instead of their own government. What were the Coercive Acts? How did the Quebec Act help unite the colonies with Boston in opposition to these acts? The Coercive Acts (known as the Intolerable Acts) were a group of acts that were passed to punish the colonists for the Boston Tea Party. These acts closed the port of Boston, reduced colonial self-government, allowed royal officers to be tried in other colonies or in England when accused of crimes, and provided for the quartering troops in the colonists’ barns and empty houses. The Quebec Act helped unite the colonies with Boston in opposition to these acts because many people in the thirteen English colonies considered it a threat. The passage of the Quebec Act convinced some of the m that a plot was afoot in London to subject Americans to the tyranny of the pope. Cooperation and War (121-125) 19. What role was played by the committees of correspondence in the American protests? The Committees of Correspondence organized protests and performed additional political functions. 20. What were the five major decisions made at the First Continental Congress, and what was their significance? Five major decisions made by the first continental Congress where they rejected a plan for colonial union under British authority, endorsed a statement of grievances, they approved a series of resolutions, recommending that the colonists make military preparations for defense against possible attack by the British, they agreed to non importation, non exportation, and non-consumption as means of stopping all trade with Great Britain, and they formed a â€Å"Continental Association† to enforce the agreements, and they agreed to meet the next spring. These five major decisions indicated that the Continental Congress was considered a continuing organization. 21. What British leaders spoke out in support of the American cause, and what were their reasons for doing so? The Howe brothers supported the American cause. 22. What were the circumstances that led to the fighting at Lexington and Concord? Patterns of Popular Culture (120) The battle of Lexington and concord battle was caused by a set of riots led by the British. Their purpose was to take the weapons and powder in the communities surrounding Boston. 23. How and why did taverns become a central institution in colonial American social life? Taverns became a central institution in colonial American social life because taverns were the place where everyone (men) met to discuss any political issues. The taverns were also known as the â€Å"public houses†. 24. What circumstances and events helped make taverns central to political life as well? The revolutionary crisis made taverns and pubs become the central meeting places for discussions of the ideas that fueled resistance to British policies. There were also few other places where people could meet and talk openly in public. Almost all politicians found it necessary to visit taverns if they wanted any real contact with the public.

Properties of Plants in the Forest

Properties of Plants in the Forest Spectral properties of plants in the forest: (1st ch) Interaction of radiation with plant leaves is extremely complex. General features of this interaction have been studied but many spectral features are yet unexplained. Gates et al., (1965) are considered pioneers, who have studied spectral characteristics of leaf reflection, transmission and absorption. Optical properties of plants have been further studied to understand the mechanisms involved by Gausman and Allen (1973), Wooley (1971) and Allen et al., (1970). It is the synthesis of the parameters like reflection of plant parts, reflection of plant canopies, nature and state of plant canopies and Structure and texture of plant canopies, which will be required to fully understand the remote sensing data collected from space borne and aerial platforms. They have been attempted for crop canopies through the development of models but not yet fully achieved. It will be initially required to discuss the electromagnetic spectrum and its interaction with vegetation canopies. Subsequent factors affecting the spectral reflectance of plant canopies with its possible applications in remote sensing technology would be discussed. The vegetation reflectance is influenced by the reflectance characteristics of individual plant organs, canopy organization and type, growth stage of plants, structure and texture of the canopies. The synthesis of the above four aspects provides true reflectance characteristic. However, various authors without fully achieving models to determine vegetation reflectance characteristics have studied effect of individual parameters. Nature of the Plant: Numerous measurements have been performed to evaluate the spectral response of various categories of plants with a spectrophotometer (Fig. ***). For a plant in its normal state i.e., typical and healthy the spectral reflectance is specific of the group, the species and even of the variety at a given stage in its phenological evolution. The general aspects of spectral reflectance of healthy plant in the range from 0.4 to 2.6 Â µm is shown in figure ****. The very abrupt increase in reflectance near 0.7 Â µm and the fairly abrupt decrease near 1.5 Â µm are present for all mature, healthy green leaves. Very high; further in the far infrared >3.0 Â µm. Thus, the typical spectral curve of plant is divided into three prominent zones correlated with morphological characteristics of the leaves (Gates, 1971). Pigment Absorption Zone: The important pigments, viz. chlorophyll, xanthophylls and carotenoids absorb energy strongly in ultraviolet blue and red regions of the EMR. The reflectance and transmittance are weak. The absorbed energy of this part of this spectrum is utilized for the photosynthetic activity (Allen et al. 1970). Multidioptric Reflectance Zone: In this zone, the reflectance is high, while the absorbptance remains weak. All the unabsorbed energy (30 to 70% according to the type of plant) is transmitted. They reflectance is essentially due to the internal structure of the leaf and the radiation is able to penetrate. The reflectance from internal structure is of physical more than chemical nature. Apart front the contribution of the waxy cuticle, the magnitude of the reflectance depends primarily upon the amount of spongy mesophyll. Hydric Zone: Amount of water inside the leaf affect the pattern of spectral reflectance with water specific absorption bands at 1.45 Â µm, 1.95 Â µm and 2.6 Â µm. Liquid water in a leaf causes strong absorption throughout middle infrared region. Beyond 2.5 Â µm the reflectance becomes less than 5% due to atmospheric absorption and beyond 3 Â µm the vegetation starts acting as quasi blackbody (Gates et al., 1965). There are numerous factors either internal of the plant or external coming from the environmental conditions have an influence on the specific spectral reflectance. The above descriptions are true only for a normal, mature and healthy vegetation. The factors which affect the spectral reflectance of leaves are leaf structure, maturity, pigmentation, sun exposition, phyllotaxis, pubescene, turgidity (water content) nutritional status and, disease etc. Important factors are pigmentation, nutritional status, anatomy of leaves and water content. While, sun exposition and phyllotaxy affects the canopy reflectance, phenological state and disease are linked to the primary factors affecting the spectral reflectance (Wooley, 1971). Spectral vegetation indices: Radiant energy intercepted by a vegetative canopy is primarily scattered by leaves either away from the leaf surface or to the leaf interior. The scattered radiation is reflected, transmitted or absorbed by leaves. The partitioning of radiation a reflected, transmitted or absorbed energy depends on a number of factor including leaf cellular structures (Gates et al. 1965; Kfipling, 1970; Woolley, 1971), leaf pubescence and roughness (Gausman, 1977), leaf morphology and physiology (Gausman et al., 1969 a, b; Gausman and Allen, 1973; Gausman et al., 1971) and leaf surface characteristics (Breece and Hommes, 1971; Grant, 1985). Leaves are not perfectly diffuse reflectors but have diffuse and specular characteristics. Leaf transmittance tends to have a non Lambertian distribution, while leaf reflectance is dependent on illumination and view angles. Knowledge of soils radiation interaction with individual leaves is necessary for several reasons like special to interpret and process remotely sensed data. Typical reflectance and transmittance spectrum of a individual plant leaf indicate three distinct wavelength regions in interaction: visible (0.4-0.7 Â µm), near infrared (NIR) (0.7-1.35 Â µm) and mid infrared (mid IR) (1.35-2.7 Â µm). Thus the typical spectral curve of plant is divided into three prominent zones correlated with morphological/anatomical/physiological characteristics of the leaves and these are Pigment Absorption Zone, Multi-Dioptric Reflectance Zone and Hydric Zone, etc. The analysis of all remotely sensed data involves models of many processes wherein the EM radiation is transformed (the scene, atmosphere and sensor) and whereby inference is made about the scene from the image data. The most common strategy for relating remote sensing data to vegetation canopies has been via the correlation of vegetation indices with vegetation structure and functional variables. This simple empirical approach has yielded substantial understanding of the structure and dynamics of vegetation at all scales. These indices are capable of handling variation introduced in a scene due to atmosphere or sensor and vegetation background influence in low vegetation cover areas. The capacity to assess and monitor the structure of terrestrial vegetation using spectral properties recorded by remote sensing is important because structure can be related to functioning, that is to ecosystem processes that are ultimately aggregated up to the functioning of the local-regional-global level of ecosystem. The categorization of the various spectral indices in to approximately five types. Such as Ratio Indices, Vegetation Indices, Orthogonal based Indices, Perpendicular Vegetation Indices and Tasseled Cap Transformation, etc. Remote sensing of cropland, forest and grassland involves the measurement of reflected energy of component in the presence of each other. The development and usefulness of vegetation indices are dependent upon the degree to which the spectral contribution of non-vegetation component can be isolated from the measured canopy response. Although vegetation indices have been widely recognized a valuable tools in the measurement and interpretation of ‘vegetation condition’ several limitation have also been identified. They are related to soil brightness effect and secondary soil spectral deviations. The use of site specific soil lines reduces soil background influence. In this context SAVI, GRABS and PVI holds greater promise in low vegetated areas. The vegetation indices are simplified method to extract information about vegetation parameter from multispectral data however, their use in spectral modeling needs to be studied in context of spectral dynamics of earth surface components. Resume Forest cover is an important natural resource for the environment and socio-eco on the surface of the earth. It can bridge the gap between nature and human beings conflicts. Changes in the forest land increase the imbalance in the ecosystem, climatic conditions, temperature, land degradation, drought prone zones, soil erosion, depending manmade activities, etc. The living tribes in the mountain hill as well as foot hill area utilized forest material for their domestic usages. Therefore, the objectives of detection and delineation of the forest land by using ordinary classification methods have been outlined in the present study. The methodology has been outlined in this chapter. The Landsat-5 TM and Landsat-7 ETM+ dataset has been suggested as a source of information to achieve the objectives of the study. The basic knowledge regarding spectral properties of the forest and physiographic elements as well as spectral vegetation indices area has been proposed for the second chapter to m ake information base study for image analysis, classification and interpretation in the next chapters.

Constantly Seeking To Improve Its Performance Management Essay

Constantly Seeking To Improve Its Performance Management Essay Any organisation needs to be constantly seeking to improve its performance, products, services and processes. It is part of the ongoing change process. Innovation and change are more than just words; they are critical challenges in todays workplace. It can make the difference between success and failure. Leaders and managers may experience some challenges when leading and managing innovative changes in multicultural and diverse organisations. One of these challenges may be that staff may not support the innovative idea. In an organisation in which staff are use to performing daily tasks in certain ways, there might be resistance when an innovative idea or change is introduce. Staff and others are afraid of change because of the increase in work demand and afraid of change in their daily routine in the workplace and the insecurity they may possibly have regarding innovation, it may cause increased level of stress, and such stress may affect the individual health of the staff. Because of the stress and feelings of insecurity that may come with an innovative idea, employees may find themselves against an innovation or change. Another challenge to managers are some staff may have difficulty in adapting to the new change may be because of their cultural backgrounds. Some staff may learn t he change faster than others; yet, consideration must be given to those who may be slow in understanding the new idea but such behaviour is natural human response. Managers and leaders must consider how employees will adapt to new changes. Managers and leaders need to involve staff in the innovative process to avoid certain challenges that may encounter from implementing new changes. If the staff is introduce to changes that may occur in the future, they more possible accept the changes because they have been informed. Participation in the innovation process may enable staff to understand the need for such innovation and change and also may provide information of how to introduce the innovative idea to their customers. This assignment will discuss the understanding and importance of innovation and change in the organisation. It also covers the propose innovative solutions to improve organisational performance and leading and managing change within the organisation. UNDERSTAND THE NEED FOR INNOVATION AND CHANGE MANAGEMENT WITHIN AN ORGANISATION. Explain the importance of innovation for own organisation. According to the economist innovation is the application of new ideas to the products, processes, or other aspects of the activities of a firm that lead to increased value. It focused on two main types: product and process. (The nature and importance of innovation, p 1, Princeton.edu).A product innovation is the act of bringing something new to the market place that improves the range and quality of products on offer, for example in the nursing home bringing the updated equipment such as hoist, lifting or mobility aids. A process innovation is a new way of making or delivering goods or services, for example the services provided by the organisation such as the activities and resources needed to accomplish the work. Innovation is different from creativity because innovation is adding something new to an existing product while creativity is a process that produces an original product, service or process. As an aspiring manager innovation in the organisation like in the nursing home is important as it is the primary way to differentiate services to competitor. Innovative ideas is needed to make the organisation stand out or improve to enhance quality of care for Clients/ Service Users, reduce staff turnover and stimulate/motivate staff with interest and challenge of working. Alexander Court ensures that equipments such as hoist, lifting and mobility aids, etc are updated; it attracts the customer because it is hard to compete if using obsolete one. They also ensure staff have the necessary knowledge, skills and competencies by attending continuous programme of personal and professional development such as training and further study to provide the highest standard of care to every Service Users. Service Users are also provided with available resources and access to independent advocacy services. There is also technology that available within the organisation like introduction of electronic information system such as electronic Clients/Service Users record. This technology aimed to increase quality of care, reduce healthcare costs or solve workforce problem. The benefits of innovation to the organisation are making the staff more effective to provide quality care, which improve productivity and efficiency of the organisation by gaining new customers and re ceive recognition of the value of services like by word of mouth from loyal Clients/ customers. Innovation also leads to improvements in the way organisation operates and improves financial profit. The most common barrier to innovation in organisation is inadequate fund, even though the manager has some innovative ideas but because of lack of support from the management due to financial constraints the new ideas cannot be implemented. Another barrier to innovation is the time and resources because staff are so busy doing their regular work due to shortage of staff, they have insufficient time to create new ideas and they used to the old tradition and routine activities. There are some more barrier innovation can face such as lack of leadership, lack of cooperation, lack of technology and poor communication. The most effective way to overcome barriers is to have a group discussion and find out how to be able to work through problems. Working together to solve problems is an effective way to establish essential networks. An organisation may attempt radical and incremental innovation in both its process and product. For example, the process of doing nursing care plan to the disabled Service User instead of giving him/her an ordinary cutlery, they will provide the Good Grips designed utensils for him/her to be easy to use; good grip utensils would be the incremental innovation because it does not change his activity. On the other hand, radical innovation is like when encoding clients information before we have to write on paper but because of advance technology we encode it on computer, so computer or the new technology is the radical innovation. Explain the importance of managing change within own organisation. Change Management is an organized, systematic application of the knowledge, tools and resources of change that provides organization with a key process to achieve their business strategy. Lamarsh Change management is not an easy way of making changes in the organisation, a consultant or expert within this area is needed. The consultant will select area that needs attention and certain models, methods, techniques and tools are used for making these changes necessary for the organisation. It also requires a broad set of skills like analytical skills, people skills, system skills and business skills. Managing change is important for any organisation because, without change, businesses would lose their competitive edge and fail to meet the needs and requirement of the customers. It is also important to allow staff to learn new skills, explore new opportunities and exercise their creativity in ways that organisation benefit through new ideas and increased commitment. However, organisation should consider the pros and cons and effectiveness of change. Change management strategy or planning process should put into place before, during and after the change. Before the change organisation should make a survey if managers are ready to lead change, staff confidence level in ability to adapt change and staff confidence level in ability to determine short and long term career plans. During and after the change organisation should provide support and development for managers to lead staff through the change, provide coaching for managers who still need help and evaluate if they achieved the ir goals and objectives. To effectively manage change the organisation should implement a process that includes leadership support, development, effective communication and success measure. Prepare staff to deal with these changes involves analysis of the tools and training required to help them learn new skills. In the nursing home there are some factors that drive change like increasing complaints from Clients and their family, staff performance, high managers turnover and high competition. Changing management style is necessary to be able to solve those problems. Leadership style and management procedures must shift and adapt, and ways of relating with customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders need refining. Technological advances and capabilities must be introduced, and preparation of the team to work with the new structure. Organisations benefit from change results in new ways of looking at customer needs, new ways of delivering customer service, new ways of strengthening customer interactions. BE ABLE TO PROPOSE INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS TO IMPROVE ORGANISATIONAL PERFORMANCE. Assess an opportunity for innovation and improvement in own organisation. Innovation and improvement approaches can be useful in the implementation of strategic planning goals and strategies. It is important that those in the organisation view improvement and innovation as approaches to move the organisation from where it is to where it wants to be. Alexander Court aim is to provide a high standard of individualised care to all its Service User in well invested facilities, seeking to be the home of choice in local community in which it operates. They provide opportunities for the staff to study and train for further personal and professional development and improvement. So to meet this goal the organisation strives for innovation and improvement because Care Quality Commission inspection rating is not good. As an aspiring manager, I assess the characteristics of the organisation by identifying their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT). I also examine the impact of the environment in which it functions such as political, economical, social, technological, environmental and legal (PESTEL). The SWOT and PESTEL analysis of the organisation are listed in the table. (See appendices 1and 2 on page 11- 12) Justify the improvement identified, in the context of organisational objectives. To successfully build a culture for continuous improvement and innovation initiatives, people in the organisation need to be engaged and part of the process. As I have identify in the SWOT analysis the weakness of the organisation is more on the people in the organisation such as shortage of staff, managers turnover, lack of motivation, and financial constraints. A year ago the company who owned the Care Home is under financial chaos so they were affected by the crisis. Managers turnover increase and they have different leadership style so there is no familiarisation. This problem cause shortage of staff and increase staff turnover due to pressure, confusion and fear of losing their jobs so they are not effective in performing their duties. There is lack of motivation in the sense that supervision and appraisal for staff improvement is not regularly follow, although the organisation provide opportunities for staff to study and train, for me it is not enough because evaluation of perf ormance and guidance is essential to be able to know if we do things right. If given a chance to be a manager of the organisation, one of my main focuses is how to manage staff, it is important to ensure that the team have three factors knowledge, skill and motivation to be the most efficient and the best that they can be for the organisation. Knowledge and skill is important to improve performance by conducting training for each member of staff with the competencies that they need to have and achieve. Keep them updated to the latest training courses and accreditations available if needed. Motivating staff is more difficult because everyone is motivated by different things. Some are motivated not only by personal gain but also by feeling part of the team and contributing to its goals. Communication is also essential to establish a friendly, collaborative work environment. Regular Staff appraisal and supervision is also important to talk about their performance and if there is improvement and guidance needed. By having a more efficient team, it is likely to have a more efficient output of the business as a whole. 2.3 Use a range of techniques to generate innovative options to deliver the improvement identified. Feasibility study is an analysis of the ability to complete a project successfully, taking into account legal, economic, technological, scheduling and other factors. It also allows project managers to investigate the possible negative and positive outcomes of a project before investing too much time and money. Therefore, feasibility study is an effective way to safeguard against wastage of further investment or resources. FEASIBILITY STUDY Alexander Court considers its management team and staff to be the key ingredient in the delivery of a quality service and believe the future success of the organisation is dependent upon its skilled and educated workforce. While ACs number of Service Users gone down and lose potential Clients due to some problem that the organisation encountered such as complaints from service users and their family, increase managers turnover and shortage of staff. Even though the company continue to provide opportunities for staff to study and train for further career enhancement but still, it is not capable of solving the problem because managers are not staying for a longer period of time. Managers have the important role in managing staff in the organisation. They should take on more of a coaching role with their staff. Significant relationships exist between the effective provision of coaching and guidance by the manager and levels of employee satisfaction, commitment and motivation. As an aspi ring manager, I make a Feasibility study as a possible solution to solve the stated problem of the organisation. (Feasibility Study see appendix 3 on page 13-15) 2.4 Evaluate options for generating the proposed improvement to determine feasibility and viability. Management experts agree that the most important factor for success in any business is the management team that makes the decisions; yet it is the factor most often overlooked in determining the feasibility of the idea. A feasibility study is usually conducted after discussing a series of business ideas. This helps to frame and fresh out specific business options so they can be studied in depth. During the feasibility process you may investigate a variety of ways of organising the business and positioning the product or service. If the study indicates negative feedback it does not mean that the proposal can be abandon we need to look for alternatives to meet the goal. We have to explore things to ensure it appeals to the customer. The need for primary and secondary sources of information is important to determine feasibility of the proposed improvement. Secondary information is information that has already been collected and available to the organisation from internal or external sources. Examples include information published in websites, newspapers, magazines, trade journals and information about customer details that has been collected. Primary is information that gathered specifically for a project; the most familiar primary research methods are focus groups, surveys like telephone, questionnaires and feedback from stakeholders. This information is essential to evaluate the pros and cons in making decision. BE ABLE TO LEAD AND MANAGE CHANGE WITHIN AN ORGANISATION. Change management is the process, tools and techniques to manage the people aspects of change processes, to achieve the required outcomes and to realise the change effectively within individuals, teams, and organisations. (What is change management, project laneways.com/au) To effectively lead change, a project manager must ensure that change is accepted and implemented by a confident workforce. This means that staff must be aware of the change and the reasons behind it as well as fully informed and trained on what the change means to them. The project manager also has to be aware of the different ways stakeholders in the organisation prefer to deal with change. When expectations of the stakeholders are managed, the change gets higher chances of success. It is important to ensure stakeholders are engaged with the change and they are aware of the status of the change and they are provided with support level and the change can be implemented as expected. It is also important to generate action plans when conflicts are arise. 3.1 Create a change management plan that is designed to meet stakeholders expectations. Stakeholders are the people that are directly involved in and affected by the change project. They need to understand the reasons why the change is happening and its benefits. It is important that both internal and external stakeholders are kept informed and provided with messages and information that allow them to feel engaged, thus paving the way for involvement and adoption. Communication is the key way that stakeholders are engaged in the change. Stakeholders in the organisation should be aware of change because each stakeholder has different ideas about the change and its importance. The key stakeholders in the nursing home for example are the Service Users and their family, Staff, management, and professional staff. The Service Users and their family expectations are for quality service and satisfaction and low cost. The staffs (nurses, healthcare worker, chef, domestic, etc) expectations are primarily related to high quality and adequate support services and equipment. The expectations of management (owner, manager, deputy manager) cost containment, profitability and institutional leadership. The primary concern of professional staffs such as GPs, occupational therapist, dietician are also quality and availability of services and facilities. To successfully implement change, organisations need to support the performance of the staff with the change. To reinforce and sustain change, organisation must develop staff with skills that align with the change goals and to determine staff skills deficits that require development and strengthening. Organisation also need to implement on the job training, mentoring and classroom or computer based training strategies to improve competencies, and encourage professional development by setting aside budget for training. 3.2 Implement the change management plan, monitoring progress against agreed targets. Change originates within the organisation itself. Much of this change is part of natural process for example, as material resources such as buildings, equipment or machinery deteriorate or lose efficiency, or as human resources such as skills and abilities become outdated. Some of this change, can be managed through careful planning for example, regular repairs and maintenance, choice of introducing new technology or methods of work, effective human resource planning to prevent a large number of staff living at the same time, and management succession planning training and staff development. However, the main pressure of change is from external forces. The organisation must be properly prepared to face the demands of a changing environment. It must give attention to its future development and success and this includes public sector organisations. Every organisation concedes the importance of transforming their culture in order to survive in a competitive environment. Time, energy and money are invested to redirect the organisation through new systems and structures. The solution is to have a process to be follow when in need to make change. A process that will ensure you plan, test and incorporate feedback before committing implementation. A popular tool is the Plan-Do-Study-Act Cycle. This is often referred to as the Deming Cycle. It describes the activities a company needs to perform in order to incorporate continuous improvement in its operation. The circular nature of this cycle shows that continuous improvement is a never ending process. (The cycle chart see appendix 4 on page 15) PLAN Planning is a vital part of the process. Managers put more time and consideration into this stage. They assess current situation and make plans based on any problem they find. They need to collect data, identify problems and document all current procedures like the impact and potential problem of the change may encounter and identify methods to measure the outcome. DO In this stage the managers try out the change on the agreed sample and measure the impact. If the change is having a positive effect, they will implement the change, however if things are not doing well like resistance from other staff because they quite satisfied with the status quo. In this case, this will be valuable to consider the next steps. STUDY During the study phase of the cycle, managers need to evaluate the data collected from the previous phase, to see whether they have achieved the desired outcome establish in the plan phase. ACT The last phase of the cycle is to act on the basis of the results to other members in the organisation and then implement the new procedure if it has been successful. Note that it is a cycle; the next step is to plan again. After we have acted we need to continue evaluating the process planning and repeating the cycle again. To overcome the barriers and other problems in implementing change, strong communication strategy together will help avoid misunderstanding that can hinder the best-laid plans. Planned organisational change will not be effectively implemented unless it is communicated to an organisations staff in such a way that resistance is overcome, fears are prevented, confusion is minimised, and buy-in by all affected individuals is secured. Communication about change aids in the unfreezing of old behaviours, the transition during which new behaviours are adopted, and the refreezing of the new behaviour into habit. In fact, Ford and Ford (1995) claim that change does not occur except in that it is mediated by communication; in other words, communication is the context within which change occurs. CONCLUSION Leaders and staff are vital in moving the organisations forward. Without them, the foundations of organisation would be unbalance. Leaders influence followers, but followers also have some influence. They are both lead success to the organisation. As an aspiring manager, to be able to lead innovation and change I will ensure team members are aware of the changes and they receive training before implementing change. Explain that there is learning curve and they will be given full support during the process to avoid resistance. Effective communication with staff regarding change is essential to the success of implementing change. Managers also must be firm, yet fair in their approach because staff must see confidence. Confidence in teams ability to implement change and confidence in time scale set. REFERENCES Change management change management training from mindtools.com (2012) (online) Available at: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_87.htm Change management principles, process, tips and change theory and models (2012) (online) Available at: http://www.businessballs.com/changemanagement.htm (Accessed 28/06/2012) Change management theory (2012) (online) Available at: http://www.teamtechnology.co.uk/changemanagement.html (Accessed 29/06/20120 Definition of change management (2012) (online) Available at: http://www.change-management-coach.com/definition-of-change-management.html (27/06/2012) Feasibility Study Template (2012) (online) Available at: http://.www.projectmangementdocs.com/template/feasibility-study-template.html (Accessed 05/07/2012) Innovation benefits (2012) (online) Available at: http://www.referenceforbusinees.com/encyclopedia/Inc-Int/Innovation.html (accessed 29/06/2012) Leading innovation and change, ILM level 5 Qualification in Management Workbook (2008) Kent Learning Resources Management and Organizational behaviour 8th edition P 734 (2007) by Laurie J Mullins Market feasibility and Competitive Intelligence Market Research Analysis by Market Street Research (2004) (online) Available at: http://www.marketstreetresearch.com/capabilities/solution-feasibility.htm Accessed 10/07/2012) Managing Stakeholders Expectation (2012) (online) Available at: http://www.managingmanagementguide.com/guidelines.com (Accessed 19/07/2012) Overcoming the Barriers to change in healthcare system (2012) (online) Available at: http://www.isixsigma.com/implementation/change-management-implementation/overcoming-barriers-change-healthcare-system/htm Accessed 13/07/2012) The nature and importance of innovation (18/4/2012) (Online) Available at: http://press.princeton.edu/chapters/s9221.pdf (Accessed 21/6/2012) What is Innovation? (2012) (online) Available at: http://toolkit.smallbiz.nsw.gov.au/part14/69290 (Accessed 21/06/2012) Why is change important in an organization? (2012) (online) Available at: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/change-important-organization-728.html (Accessed 02/07/2012) Why is change management important? (2012) (online) Available at: http://www.maventraining.co.uk/media/26/1126-quick-guide-why-is-change-management-important.pdf (Accessed 03/07/2012) Why is innovation important? (December 2010) (Online) Available at: http://www.innovationforgrowth.co.uk/whyinnovationimportant.pdf (Accessed 22/06/12) Writing a Feasibility Study, Chapter 4, (2012) (online) Available at: http://nfsmi.org/documentlibraryfiles/PDF/20080212032917.pdf. (Accessed 06/07/12) APPENDICES APPENDIX 1 SWOT ANALYSIS STRENGHTS S Updated equipment Well-trained staff Resources Good customer care WEAKNESSES W Shortage of Staff Lack of motivation Increase Managers turnover Financial constraints OPPORTUNITIES O Quality improvement High aging population Use of technology to improve service Training and development THREATS T Economic / financial crisis Increase staff turnover / loss of key staff Competition Changes in policies, regulations, procedures and legislations APPENDIX 2 PESTEL ANALYSIS POLITICAL Government policies Stability and change Following regulations and legislations ECONOMIC Budget/ Financial Labour cost Tax increase Inflation and growth SOCIOLOGICAL Customer attitudes and opinions Ethnic / religious factors Population size / structure TECHNOLOGICAL Availability of technology Communication services Advances in equipments Increase automation ENVIRONMENTAL Proper disposal of waste Use recycled items Proper storage of chemicals Use of eco-friendly resources Global climate change LEGAL Documentation Policies and procedures Health and safety quality standard APPENDIX 3 FEASIBILITY STUDY Alexander Court aim is to provide high standard quality of care to all Service Users. They are committed to provide Service Users with a safe, comfortable and caring environment which addresses their needs and preserves their individuality, choice, rights, dignity, privacy and independence. Feasibility study is facilitating to meet this goal and improve quality service. Purpose / Description of the idea Staff management is the most important job that managers do in the organisation. Manager need to understand and perform the staff practices that keep them motivated, inspired, develop and attain goals with their guidance. Manager should controls the key environmental factors necessary to motivate staff. The most important factor manager control is his or her relationship with each staff. The second most significant factor is manager should create a work environment and organisational culture that foster staff motivation and engagement. Inspire and reward staff by training, appraisals, promotion and career progression to encourage staff to meet and exceed performance. Involve staff in decision making and try to create an open and mutual working environment. The organisation culture foundation is on trust, teamwork, and communication and shared goals. Advantages and Disadvantages of the propose system/services/idea For a business to be successful, it has to not only offer products and /or services that meet customers needs and wants, but also have staff that is loyal and committed. The advantages of leading and motivating staff helps the organisation bring about higher staff retention, higher levels of productivity, more innovation and creativity, higher profits and better reputation both among potential employees and customers. However, increase dependency of staff on to the manager lead to more supervision required and dissatisfaction in staff if bad decisions are made are the disadvantage Staffing Staff is required to attend training sessions organised during working hours to enhance quality of work and training skills. To ensure the safety and well-being of the Service Users and to comply with statutory obligations, staff must attend any relevant statutory training sessions. Failure to comply may lead to disciplinary action, including dismissal. To meet the legal requirement care staff must be trained to at least NVQ 2 or 3. Staff supervision and appraisal must be done regularly to assist, guide and motivate staff as part of home performance improvement plan. Competitive Advantage Investing in advanced education and training for employees benefits employers in many ways such as having competent staff and have impact on staff retention and satisfaction. Well-educated and highly trained staff/employees can be an incredible asset and are likely to bring new ideas and increased creativity into the workplace, which can be a positive impact on different aspect of any business. Business Model Employee continuing education can have direct, beneficial impact on the bottom line of any organisation in several ways. For example, staff who have a high degree of job satisfaction and loyal toward their employers are likely to have a high degree of productivity, which contribute to improved financial performance for the organisation and reduce turnover costs. Marketing Strategy Market strategy apart from promoting thru networking site, referral sources is important, word of mouth is powerful so make sure environment is attractive and then hold an extravagant open house for the resources. Train staff on proper communication to the referral sources like doctors, family and friends of the client, hospitals, etc. When doctors come in and visit your home, roll out the red carpet. That way they will send more clients

Biography of Frank Lloyd Wright Essays -- Architecture Architects Buil

Biography of Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright was arguably one of the best architects of the 19th and 20th centuries. His works ranged from traditional buildings typical to the late 1800’s to ultramodern designs (Official Site 1). He had a great knowledge of the land and his buildings were practical in terms of their surroundings. Wright’s appreciation and love for nature was a key characteristic, and a strong influence in his architecture. Frank Lloyd Wright was born in 1867 in Richland Center, Wisconsin (Hunt 180). He was brought up by his mother, Anna, and his aunts and uncles on farmland near Spring Green, Wisconsin. His father had abandoned the family in 1885 (Encarta 1). He studied engineering briefly at the University of Wisconsin, and he showed a good ability to draw. He then moved to Chicago in 1887 and worked as an assistant at the Chicago architectural firm of Adler and Sullivan. There he learned many of the trades of architecture and embarked on an independent path of his own in 1893 (Encarta 1). Wright avoided anything that might be called a personal style (Encarta 1), but he defined his architecture as â€Å"organic,† which he saw as a principle of order, structure, and form relating in the process of nature (Burns 8). This meant that every building should relate harmoniously to it’s natural surroundings, and the building should not be a static boxlike enclosure but a dynamic structure with open flowing interior spaces. He once said, â€Å"No house should ever be on a hill or anything. It should be of the hill, belonging to it. Hill and house should live together each the happier for the other (Official Site 1).† He achieved this design using geometric shapes that would form a pattern. His first models were mostly squares and he later used diamonds, hexagons, circles, and other geometric units for which he would lay the floor plan (Encarta 1). Wright also used long projections, often balconies or rooftops that were supported at only one end to cr eate this effect. These geometric designs and jutting projections made Wright’s designs the opposite of the boxes with openings that he was trying to avoid. Wright also had an extreme appreciation for nature. Throughout his life Wright spoke of the influence of nature on his work and attributed his love of nature to those early years spent in the rural Wisconsin countryside... ...d, who has done as much to realize his vision of what a perfect architecture might be†¦ (PBS Online 1).† Wright died in 1959, and he left behind a great legacy. His works are still considered modern today, even thought it is almost 50 years after his death. So, as Simon and Garfunkel sing, â€Å"Architects may come, and architects may go†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , but there will never be another architect like Frank Lloyd Wright. Works Cited Burns, Robert. â€Å"Frank Lloyd Wright in the Twenty-first Century.† National Forum. Summer 2000. 8-10. 2 Mar 2001. Frank Lloyd Wright. 10 Mar 2001. Harper, Hillard. â€Å"Show Explores the Wright Frame of Mind.† The Los Angeles Times. 5 Mar 1988. 3 Mar 2001. Hunt, William Dudley Jr. â€Å"Wright, Frank Lloyd.† Encyclopedia Americana. 180. Official Site of Frank Lloyd Wright. 1996-2001. 10 Mar 2001. PBS Online. 1995-2001. 10 Mar 2001. Taschen, Benedikt. Frank Lloyd Wright. Germany: Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. 1991. Weishan, Michael. â€Å"A Work of Genius.† Country Living. Nov 2000. 26-30. 9 Mar 2001. Williams Students Online. 3 Mar 2001. â€Å"Wright, Frank Lloyd.† Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2001. CD-ROM. 1993-2000 Ed.

Law and Slave Identity in Dred and Puddnhead Wilson Essays -- African

Law and Slave Identity in Dred and Pudd'nhead Wilson What is a slave? A slave, according to many of the laws in the individual slave states during the 19th century, was an article of property, a thing, and an object not human. However, according to another, the 3/5 Compromise of 1787, a slave was worth 3/5 of a white man. The population of the Southern states was heavily African, and this compromise enabled them to count those slaves as 3/5 of a citizen in order to get more representation in Congress. What does that mean for interpretations of the law? Can a `thing' be tried for murder, or is a slave a man who has committed only 3/5 of the crime? Unfortunately, laws often have an ambiguity that allows them to be misinterpreted. In the case of American slave laws, the ambiguity was such that the identity of the slave could be misinterpreted or even manipulated to serve unjust social practices. Furthermore, one of the interpretations of the slave's identity is as a child under the guardianship of the slave master. If this translation were correct, however, the slave should have the right of protection under the law. But as said before, state law claims that a slave is a thing and therefore warrants no protection. The laws of slavery in the 19th century were ambiguous to the point that no one legal definition of a slave or a slave's rights could be made according to the law. Both Harriet Beecher Stowe and Mark Twain experimented with this ambiguity of identity and the laws surrounding it in their novels Dred and Pudd'nhead Wilson. The lawyers in Dred and Pudd'nhead Wilson are Edward Clayton and David (Pudd'nhead) Wilson. Both of these lawyers are given the opportunity to interpret the identity of the slave during trial... ...ecting themselves from the bite. "If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man. – Pudd'nhead Wilson's Calendar." (Twain 99) Works Cited Carton, Evan. "Pudd'nhead Wilson and the Fiction of Law and Custom." Ed. Eric J. Sundquist. American Realism: New Essays. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1982. Crane, Gregg. "Stowe and the Law." Cindy Weinstein. The Cambridge Companion to Harriet Beecher Stowe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004. "Slavery and Indentured Servants." Law Library of Congress. 9 Dec. 2004 < http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/awhhtml/awlaw3/slavery.html>. Stowe, Harriet Beecher. Dred: A Tale of the Great Dismal Swamp. Ed. Robert S. Levine. New York: Penguin Books, 2000. Twain, Mark. Pudd'nhead Wilson. New York: Bantum Books, 1981. Law and Slave Identity in Dred and Pudd'nhead Wilson Essays -- African Law and Slave Identity in Dred and Pudd'nhead Wilson What is a slave? A slave, according to many of the laws in the individual slave states during the 19th century, was an article of property, a thing, and an object not human. However, according to another, the 3/5 Compromise of 1787, a slave was worth 3/5 of a white man. The population of the Southern states was heavily African, and this compromise enabled them to count those slaves as 3/5 of a citizen in order to get more representation in Congress. What does that mean for interpretations of the law? Can a `thing' be tried for murder, or is a slave a man who has committed only 3/5 of the crime? Unfortunately, laws often have an ambiguity that allows them to be misinterpreted. In the case of American slave laws, the ambiguity was such that the identity of the slave could be misinterpreted or even manipulated to serve unjust social practices. Furthermore, one of the interpretations of the slave's identity is as a child under the guardianship of the slave master. If this translation were correct, however, the slave should have the right of protection under the law. But as said before, state law claims that a slave is a thing and therefore warrants no protection. The laws of slavery in the 19th century were ambiguous to the point that no one legal definition of a slave or a slave's rights could be made according to the law. Both Harriet Beecher Stowe and Mark Twain experimented with this ambiguity of identity and the laws surrounding it in their novels Dred and Pudd'nhead Wilson. The lawyers in Dred and Pudd'nhead Wilson are Edward Clayton and David (Pudd'nhead) Wilson. Both of these lawyers are given the opportunity to interpret the identity of the slave during trial... ...ecting themselves from the bite. "If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man. – Pudd'nhead Wilson's Calendar." (Twain 99) Works Cited Carton, Evan. "Pudd'nhead Wilson and the Fiction of Law and Custom." Ed. Eric J. Sundquist. American Realism: New Essays. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1982. Crane, Gregg. "Stowe and the Law." Cindy Weinstein. The Cambridge Companion to Harriet Beecher Stowe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004. "Slavery and Indentured Servants." Law Library of Congress. 9 Dec. 2004 < http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/awhhtml/awlaw3/slavery.html>. Stowe, Harriet Beecher. Dred: A Tale of the Great Dismal Swamp. Ed. Robert S. Levine. New York: Penguin Books, 2000. Twain, Mark. Pudd'nhead Wilson. New York: Bantum Books, 1981.

Control and college students Essay

Locus of control refers to an individual’s perception about the underlying main causes of events in his or her life either in general or in specific are such as health or academics. This basically implies our thoughts control our actions, when this executive function of thinking is realized it positively affects our beliefs, motivation and academic performance. It can be internal where a person believes that they control themselves or external that they are controlled by their environment, some higher power or other people control them. If a person has an internal locus of control, that person attributes his success to his efforts and abilities. The development of locus of control stems from family, culture and the past experiences that leads to rewards. Most internals come from families that focused on efforts, education and responsibility. On the other hand eternal come from families of low social economic status where there is a lack of life control. Developing an external locus of control is an adaptive response to living in prolonged circumstances without control. Research has shown that people are likely to develop internal locus of control if they life in family environments characterized by warmth, protection and nurturance. It may not a surprise that people who have faced trauma or are living with right now have external locus of control. Locus of control influences the life of an individual in all aspects academically, socially and also financially. These are the determinants of the quality of life. Locus of control and college students Academically, a person who expects to pass will be motivated to learn; will seek in formation and likely to have good study habits and a positive academic attitude. A person with an external locus of control attributes his success to luck or fate and makes less effort to learn. He will experience anxiety because he believes he is not in control of his life. The students with an internal locus of control have better adjustments to college in term of academic achievement and social adjustment. This is caused by a strong inner being and the understanding that he has an upper hand in his life. They are able to live with people from all walks of life because they know what can affect them is the decisions they themselves make. They are not subject to the ideas of the multitudes they are able to put a clear distinction between what they want in life and what the society dictates to them (Njus & Brockway, 1999). A study found that college students with a high internal locus of control did well in distance learning. They enjoy learning situations that require a certain amount of independence from the learner. They are able to put effort in their studies because they believe they can make it no matter the situations they face. This inner drive and self confidence in these students motivates them to do even better though they have to work extra hard (Dille & Mezack, 1991). For students with an internal locus of control, they must attribute their success to their efforts. They have to develop an individualized learning plan that includes their goals and how to achieve them. It also contains a time frame and the outcome they expect. On the other hand students with an external locus control, they were likely to withdraw from their courses. They are also correlated with failure though it may not be very significant. These students need a lot of encouragement and guidance from the tutors. This makes their success a matter of combined efforts with the reluctance of the tutor these students face difficulties in finding success which is highly affected and threatened (Pugliese, 1994). Female college students are more inclined to take responsibility for failure. Male students tend to attribute their failure to external or unstable causes while the female attributes their failure to internal causes which appears to be an over simplification. Female students are fond of blaming themselves on issues of failure more compared to male students. This has been known to cause stress during exams and a lot of tension which affects their performance negatively. Male students have been found to associate their failure to lack of efforts more as compared to female students. Locus of control is highly associated with stress levels, emotional resilience and need for achievement. Locus of control cannot be separated from the ability to be embarrassed. Differences in embarrassment are highly determined by the locus of control. Embarrassment is a form of social anxiety that occurs when a person’s public identity in a particular situation is threatened. The individuals possessing an internal locus of control have a higher embarassability than those with an external locus. The individuals with internal locus of control take everything that happens to them upon themselves hence their failures are points of much embarrassments (Robinson 1991). Deeming control over events in ones life may not led to a superior lifestyle. When an individual tries to change a situation that is unchangeable it causes frustration, disappointment, and depression. When the forces from outside takes the control of behavior consequences, the most realistic and healthy approach is an external orientation (Hock, 2001). In the light of this matter people with an internal locus of control will feel they control the events that occur in their live. It is possible that the responsibility of controlling what happens will turn to guilt when undesirable situations arise. This will cause this individuals play there games cool and also be very careful with the decisions they make for the fear of being embarrassed (Hock, 2001). The students with an internal locus of control have high levels of personal responsibilities and are likely to experience many changes of interest. This will be due to fear of failure because mostly they never come in to terms with failure. As long as these individuals are internally motivated and convinced that whatever they want to engage in will make their ego or self esteem increase they will go for it. Out of a research it was found that internal locus of control positively relates to confidence, behavior intent and actual behavior concerning weight loss. If these individuals believe that smoking would their weight prohibiting weight gain, appetite change, and reduced weight they would opt to go for it (Holt, Clark, and Kreutzer, 2001). The internal focus of control and the family structure it also appears to be reasonable to believe that career goals and reasonable behavior are signs of adjustment. There is a reasoning that students who become leaders might aspire to more prestigious careers that might further testify to their psychological and social adjustment. The purpose of the study was also to address the question of the variables that are related to the leadership behavior which seems to clearly signify the adjustment. There was an assessment of independent and combined esteem of self esteem of focus control carrier goals leadership behavior and family structure. Those students who were identified being high in leadership potential seemed to be higher in self esteem. Had internal focus of control and would have more carrier aspirations and would have two biological parent family compared to those who had an external focus of control (Haworth & Iso-Ahola, 1997). Almost every college or university claims that their campus has a drinking problem. More police may be released during the evening hours so as to discourage drinking among students. Programs are implemented trying to teach students about safe ways to drink alcohol and to recognize alcohol related problems. In all these situations the campus and the students try to reduce the behavior of drinking. When discussing norms one should differentiate between descriptive norms and the inductive norms. The descriptive norms describe actual behavior e. g. the behavior of drinking alcoholic beverages. An inductive norm would represent approval of the drinking behavior. In 2003 Borsari and Bosari had conducted meta-analysis concerning the effects of inductive norms along with the normative norms in relation to drinking behaviors in college and any other discrepancies, which involves the differences in beliefs between self and judgments of others (Haworth & Iso-Ahola, 1997). Someone with an internal locus of control will most likely believe in working to be a good person so that they can reach a higher spiritual state. It has been seen that college students with high level of religiosity also have high academic achievements and are mostly those with in internal locus of control. Believing in the faith influences everyday life and perception of being a good student which has great implications to locus of control. External locus of control has been described as individuals attributing life events to luck, fate or external forces. In deed external locus of control has been found to correlate with belief in superstitious phenomena. Locus of control, optimism and self esteem are good indicators of well being. People with high internal locus of control tend to be happier and able to deal with life difficulties in a healthier way. People with low self esteem will tend to explain any success they have by attributing it to luck rather than their own abilities. While those with high self esteem will associate it to qualities within themselves. It can be attributed with the fact that they make decisions and they are ready to pay the cost for the consequences. The students with an internal locus of control are able to adjust to changes and can modify their way of life to suit the current environment to prevent the environment from dictating the outcome of their efforts. People with internal locus of control spend much time focusing in the positive things and can take risk to self disclosure. They will always appear confident and persuasive; they are very out spoken and have a lot of influence to the rest of the students. Their ideal seems always superior and they will force them into actions. They are more innovative in efforts to attain more fame out of their achievements. They are risk takers in all fields that can make them acquire fame and priority. They are focused and mostly have a very liberal way of life. They plan ahead mostly they appear stress free but they are highly affected by things fame and excellence but not other aspects of life (Haworth. John & Iso-Ahola. S (1997). Students with an external locus of control, because of locating their control outside themselves, those students with external locus control feel that they have less control over their fate. These college students tend to be more stressed and are prone to clinical depression. With internals they exhibit two essential characteristics which are the high achievement motivation and low-directedness. This basis of the locus of control was proposed by Rotter in 1966 (Baum, 1997). Rotter’s undimensionality has been challenged by Levension who argued that different dimensions of locus of control like the belief that events in ones life are self-determined are chance based and organized by others. Locus of control has impact upon smoking behavior among college students. A study indicated that, smokers who tend to resume smoking after are among college students who have external locus of control. Those students who persistently avoid cigarettes believe that they have a great power of control over their lives compared to those who resume smoking (Baum, 1997). Disability among the students can be associated to development of external locus of control. This is accelerated by impairment, where it affects individual’s ability to cope with daily activities. This implies those able to handle their daily activities can develop internal locus of control. Acknowledgement of their conditions and contentment with what the can achieve in their conditions builds an internal locus of control. This increases with appreciation and encouragement from the entire society. Locus of control has a lot of influences on sexual behaviors of college students. Individuals with external locus of control are more likely to involve themselves sin more risky sexual practices. Conclusion Academically, a person who expects to pass will be motivated to learn; will seek in formation and likely to have good study habits and a positive academic attitude. A person with an external locus of control attributes his success to luck or fate and makes less effort to learn. He will experience anxiety because he believes he is not in control of his life. The students with an internal locus of control have better adjustments to college in term of academic achievement and social adjustment. This is cause by a strong inner being and the understanding that he has an upper hand in his life. They are able to live with people from all walks of life because they know what can affect them is the decisions they themselves make (Viorst, 1999). Reference: Baum Andrew (1997): Cambridge Handbook of Psychology, Health and Medicine; ISBN 0521436869, Cambridge University Press. Dille, B. & Mezack, M. (1991): Identifying predictors of high risk among community college telecourse students. American Journal of Distance Education 5 (1), 24-35. Haworth. John & Iso-Ahola. S (1997): Work, Leisure and Well-being; ISBN 0415017033, Routledge. Hock, H. R. (2001): Forty Studies that Changed Psychology (4th ed). New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Holt, C. L. , Clark, E. M. , & Kreuter, M. W. (2001): Weight locus of control and weightrelated attitudes and behaviors in an overweight population. Addictive Behaviors, 26, 329-340. Njus, D. M. & Brockway, J. H. (1999): Perceptions of competence and locus of control for positive and negative outcomes. Personality and Individual Differences 26, 531-548. Pugliese, R. R. (1994): Telecourse persistence and psychological variables. American Journal of Distance Education, 8 [3], 22-39. Robinson, J. P. (1991): Measure of Personality and Social Psychological Attitudes. San Diego: Academic Press Viorst Judith (1999): Imperfect Control: Our Lifelong Struggles with Power and Surrender; ISBN 0684848147, Simon & Schuster.

Adverse Leadership Model

SOU 4: Adverse Leadership Model Jeff Mais Texas A & M University – Commerce Introduction During this semester we have looked at several positive leadership theories, from the most elementary to the more complex. Leadership takes on many different roles and responsibilities of both the leader and follower. Some leaders have the inherent ability to lead their followers successfully, however others cannot. Destructive leadership (Padilla et al, 2007) is such a theory that has been introduced with devastating follower outcomes. This could be viewed in several ways; a good leader with bad followers or bad leader with good followers.Bad or adverse leadership can affect the follower outcomes and ultimately create a terrible work environment for the followers. Poor leaders can have a negative impact on employees and might even damage the company’s bottom line (Leviticus, 2010). In this paper we will further examine the adverse leadership model in figure 1 and explain this model from the leader, follower, environment and outcomes. Adverse Leadership Model The Adverse Leadership Model (ALM) is a model that focuses primarily around bad leaders and subservient followers.Looking at Figure 1, we will start with explaining the various characteristics of the bad leader; poor communicator, micromanager, sets unclear expectations, uses intimidation, and poor people skills. These 5 characteristics define the bad leader and help create the poor environmental conditions examined further. * Poor Communication – Poor leaders don’t value communication with their employees. A poor leader might spend long periods of time away from his desk or office or might ignore staff emails and telephone messages.Listening to others is a low priority, and poor leaders disregard input from staff and might not seem to care about staff opinions (Leviticus, 2010). * Micromanager – Micromanagers are very involved in the smallest details of the follower’s jobs and /or projects. This type of leader behavior can make followers feel inadequate at their jobs and it typically due to insecurities of the leader. * Sets Unclear Expectations – Failing to set clear expectations by the leader can frustrate followers and hinder their ability to be successful.A leader who doesn’t set clear expectations might not give all of the details related to a project or suddenly move the due date creating a moving target for followers. * Uses Intimidation – Leaders might intimidate or bully their followers. Workplace bullying has been an ongoing discussion within the realm of leadership. This type of behavior can decrease worker morale and ultimately could increase turnover. * Poor People Skills – People skills are vital to becoming a great leader, however leaders can be negative people who don’t know how to motivate others.In addition, leaders with poor people skills cannot consider any other opinions but their own. Looking at the characteristics described above, they are all contradictory to the transformational leadership theory putting value into the followers’ opinions and helping employees complete their tasks. Often times the followers have characteristics that enable the leader to remain in an adverse leadership role. However, these followers might not understand how to recognize a good leader from a bad leader. Some of the characteristics include; Low self-esteem, Unambitious, Low maturity, little or no core values, and disengaged. Low self-esteem – Followers with low self-esteem might not have the skills necessary to confront a bullying leader or one that uses intimidation. * Unambitious – These followers have little drive and consider their current situation to be the best they will ever do. Having a follower that isn’t ambitious would be easy for the transformational leader to motivate, due to their ability to engage them and make them part of something larger. * Low ma turity – Often times a follower with a bad leader can be young and immature, lacking both self-esteem and confidence.This makes it easier for the bad leader to intimidate and control the follower. * Little or no core values – The follower must have some kind of core values in order to be a successful leader. If they do not, then the leader can often times take advantage of this and exploit the followers weakness in order to remain in control. * Disengaged – The disengaged follower treats their current position as a job. They are also known as clock punchers, only there to collect a paycheck and are not worried about the company in any way.Although these characteristics are not desirable in a traditional leadership example, they make it easier for the adverse leader to thrive creating a chaotic environment for the workplace. As we further examine figure 1, we can see a direct line between the leader and follower, but no line back from the follower to the leader. This is because in the adverse leadership model, the leader is primarily a dictator and doesn’t allow for a healthy leader-member exchange. This could be due to insecurities by the leader and fear of being out performed.Moving outside of the leader and follower characteristics, we can examine the environment created by this type of leadership. High stress, alienation, and segregation are all felt by the follower due to the dyadic relationship between the leader and follower. High stress can lead to disruption of productivity amongst the team members and other health related issues. Creating a negative atmosphere can backfire because fear can cause stress, and in extreme situations, reductions in performance and efficiency (Riggio, 2009).Alienation and segregation by the leader can also create a feeling of betrayal within followers; this can also allow the members to form sub-groups that become further alienated from the remaining followers. Segregation amongst other team memb ers removes the cohesive bond that should be cultivated by the leader. Further studies by Liu et al. (2012), have revealed a direct correlation between bad leadership and follower creativity. The final portion of the adverse leadership model has to do with follower outcomes, depression and worthlessness.These outcomes are detrimental to the company’s success, due to health related issues from depression alone. Approximately 18. 8 million American adults, or about 9. 5 percent of the U. S. population age 18 and older in a given year, have a depressive disorder (depressionperception. com). This doesn’t include the other health related issues that could be a direct result of working in a stressful environment. In addition to being depressed, followers might feel worthless due to intimidating behavior by the leader. This could also come from bullying by other co-workers who choose to emulate the leader’s social cues.In conclusion, bad leaders can only breed more bad leaders and the only way to stop it is to file complaints with HR or stand up to the bad leader, identifying issues the followers would like to change to be productive and work in a stress free environment. References Leviticus, J. (2010), The top signs of poor leadership. Retrieved from: http://smallbusiness. chron. com/top-signs-poor-leadership-31537. html Liu, D. , Liao, H. , and Loi, R. (2012). The dark side of leadership: A three-level investigation of the cascading effect of abusive supervision on employee creativity.Academy of Management Journal, 55(5), 1187-1212. Padilla, A. , Hogan, R. and Kaiser, R. B. : 2007, The toxic triangle: destructive leaders, susceptible followers, and conducive environments, The Leadership Quarterly, 18, 176–194. Riggio, R. (2009), How to spot a bad leader. Retrieved from: http://www. psychologytoday. com/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/200905/how-spot-bad-leader Adverse Leadership Model Figure 1: Adverse Leadership Model Figure 1: Adverse Le adership Model Environment: * High Stress * Alienation * Segregation Environment: * High Stress * Alienation * Segregation Follower Outcomes: . Depression 2. Worthlessness Follower Outcomes: 3. Depression 4. Worthlessness Follower Characteristics: 1. Low Self-Esteem 2. Unambitious 3. Low Maturity 4. Little or No Core Values 5. Disengaged Follower Characteristics: 6. Low Self-Esteem 7. Unambitious 8. Low Maturity 9. Little or No Core Values 10. Disengaged Leader Characteristics: 1. Poor Communicator 2. Micromanager 3. Sets Unclear Expectations 4. Uses Intimidation 5. Poor People Skills Leader Characteristics: 6. Poor Communicator 7. Micromanager 8. Sets Unclear Expectations 9. Uses Intimidation 10. Poor People Skills