Human Resourse Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Human Resourse Management - Essay Example Every organization must ensure that they tell the employees what they are interested in hearing rather than focuses all their energy on telling things that would fall on deaf ears. Communication is undoubtedly a two way process and both the employer and employee must participate in this two way process in order to ensure that the growth of their organization takes place. There are several important communication options available these days ranging from Emails to Faxes to Phone calls and a host of other ways. Several methods of communication have become an integral part in almost all the organizations. The most common way of communication is oral communication; this is carried out by almost every organization in the form of meetings. Conducting meetings is a very integral part of management; usually these meetings throw light upon the position of an organization and the steps required in enhancing the current position of an organization. Meetings provide an ideal platform for the emp loyees to discuss their difficulties with the organization; this promotes the theory of two way conversion within the organization. Telephone calls is another important way of communicating with the employees, both these methods come under oral communication. Planning is a very important factor in communication. It is very important to plan before making a phone call to an employee, a list of points should be made ready in order to put across important messages assertively. Most organizations prefer written communication over oral communication because written communication provides a record and employees tend to act much faster on written communication than oral commutation. There are several ways of written communication; the most popular of them include letters, faxes, emails etc. Letters play an instrumental role in putting across a message assertively. Letters must always be kept short and to the point, they must communicate what is meant to be communicated no less, no more. Th e brevity of a letter is its real strength and the same is often noticed in many cases. Fax is another option should a company choose written communication over oral communication. The use of fax has dwindled over the period of time, most organizations prefer sending emails to their employees than sending them fax messages. Email has perhaps become the most popular form of written communication these days and it I one of the fastest methods of communication and this is exactly why most organizations depend on this very heavily. Group projects can easily be handled under autocratic leadership, the use of technology and communication becomes inevitable when it comes to group work and autocratic leadership ensures that all employees adhere to the rules and regulation and complete their respective tasks. A person with Autocratic leadership ability must take over should an organization decide to make their employees work in a group, the communication process is ought to become complicate d but an autocratic leader is expected to handle the same with minimum fuss. The strategic pay literature is predominantly controlled by two perspectives namely, the best fit and the best practice. The best fit perspective highlights the importance of competitive advantage by bringing in align the firm’

Northern Ireland Essay Example for Free

Northern Ireland Essay Within the results many important factors have arisen. Looking at the map produced using my national competition and local competition I can see that the stores are nearly evenly spread across Northern Ireland. This tells me that there is a large enough market for computer games in the Northern Ireland area as these stores can be sustained. On the other hand this tells me that there is already a lot of established national competition, and the business I am opening is not entering a gap in the market. A large number of the stores (4) are situated in Belfast, which can be easily accessed by Lurgan through the m1. So I would need to treat these Belfast stores as a serious threat, and I would need to keep the local market from buying there games there and also by enticing some of there customer to shop at our Lurgan store. This would mean that I would have to give the customers something that is not offered in the Belfast stores. The local competition consists of three stores in the Craigavon area which, although not in the immediate area, still pose the most serious threat to my business. The stores are already established, and this means that there is a market, although there may not be enough room for another games store. But the advantage I have is that none of these three stores are based in Lurgan town centre, so that would mean there is an untapped market that I can enter into. My covert observation of game shows me a successful business in the Belfast area. I taught me that a computer games store is one in which a lot of people browse and not buy the first time that they are in the store. This would tell me that we would need to tempt customer into buying what they may be interested in. This would require me to hire skilful staff who would have a keen interest in computers and would have a wide scope of knowledge about the games and equipment that would be available. I would hope to be a manager that has a lot say over each aspect of the business I would be able to adopt a McGregor theory Y approach. I would do this, as I would like to delegate to my workers to effectively use their skills to the highest level. It would also help in improving organisation and motivation, and also help in the costs that may be meet in hiring extra managers or staff. However, as I want a lot of control over my business I may have some characteristics of a theory X manager as I would be on the floor as much as I could, and also would try and make all the main decisions to be taken in the business. Analysis of my questionnaire results provides me with various important numeric results. The first important result that I came across was that every one of my respondents owned a computer. This was very significant, as my potential market would have to be persons who already owned a computer, and would be interested in my goods, and so if they did not already own a computer these goods would be useless to the consumers. Briefly this means that this question give me an estimate of how large my potential customers is. However these potential customer may not be interested in games and owning a computer may not mean that they could be persuaded to attend my store. Knowing now if the person owned a computer or not I then needed to find out what type of computer they may own. I found that the majority of respondents owned a PC or a Playstation. This was significant in that the second most popular was the Playstation which is a pure gaming machine, and this would suggest that there is a large number of persons living in the Lurgan area who enjoy computer games and may be interested in my store. Knowing who owns a computer games console I was then interested in knowing how frequently the respondents would buy computer games, to know how often customers would use my store. Over half of the respondents would buy their games over six months apart. This is a negative result as it tell me that there may be spells when the business may not have much custom and periods when it does, making balancing the books an up hill task. I was interested in knowing where my respondents would buy their games to know where most of my competition comes from (locally or nationally), and whether the Lurgan market would attract any of their custom. The results showed me that the majority of the respondents would not buy their games from the Lurgan area and so my national competition would pose a bigger threat than first expected. Lastly I was curious to whether the respondents would use a specialist store if it were available. The majority said that they would mean that a lot of the respondents who do not buy their games in Lurgan might if they had a better quality of service. My second questionnaire done to gain further information showed me a very significant result. Most of the first questionnaire respondents did not purchase games in the Lurgan area, and so I needed to look at where they would then purchase. I found that 3 respondents purchase games in Belfast, 1 in Lisburn and 3 in Portadown. But what was most significant is that the store in Belfast and Lisburn (part of the national market) were specialist store such as the one that I was planning. This could suggest that these specialist stores attract my local market away because of something that only a specialist store offers. When looking at the property values in the Lurgan area I came across various properties, which could be potentially busy locations, where I could attract a wide and large scope of my potential customers. I needed a retail property large enough to accommodate all of my products and their layout, including enough space that would be needed to present each part in a manner that is organised and invite the customer to look at our products. I also needed a property that was not going to push up my fixed costs so high that I could not possibly meet them, and would have problems in the long term in making a profit or be able to break-even. The first property that I had looked at was the most promising of all the properties in the Lurgan area. It was located at 35 William Street Lurgan. At 75000, this was the cheapest property that was currently available in the Lurgan area, and cost is an important factor, as I would wish to keep my possible costs to a minimum. I could attain a mortgage on the property meaning that I would not have to pay out such a large sum on start and not run into financial difficulties from the start. Also banks are always interested in investing in franchises as they are seen as less risky than most other business start-ups. The property is also a size that is feasible enough to hold everything that I require and also leave enough floor space for me to work with. I could use the top floors for offices for myself or to rent out to other firms. However these floors need some additional work done. The property is also located just 100-200 yards from the town centre and is adjacent from a car park meaning that this is a very accessible property. I found very few properties in the Lurgan area, with Century 21 stating most retail properties are sold before a brochure can be made. The other properties that I had found in the Lurgan area where either too small, expensive, or located too far from the town centre.

The Chrysalides Essay Example for Free

The Chrysalides Essay During the course of the novel The Chrysalids we learned and traveled into the minds of some of the characters. All of the characters had their strengths (as well as weaknesses) but one character in particular seemed to keep her cool and lead her group of friends with a power known as ESP (extra sensory perception) away from a place known as Waknuk where they would be hunted and killed werent it for the fact that they all looked like regular human beings. The name of the girl I speak of is Rosalind. She plays a very big part in the story even though most people dont pay much attention to the things she does, she in essence keeps the group together and keeps them alive because she is a determined, resourceful and self-reliant young woman. To start lets look at some of the characteristics that make Rosalind who she is. A large part of her personality revolves around her determination in everything she does in life. (this includes her love life, her motherly attitude, the safety of the group etc. ) Lets start with her love life. In the early stages after David and Sophie are separated because her deviation is discovered we find out that Rosalind and David start to like each other, we find this out more through David then Rosalind as David is mainly the one speaking in the novel and we know that they like each other because things like She was handsome, with a face you could not help watching; she was attractive, too, in the way she moved and carried herself, (93) and I loved the bronze-gold hair that felt like heavy silk in ones hand(p. 149) It is also stated in the book that they would ometimes go into the fields to meet with each other and keep a romantic relationship but they could not do so as often as they would have wanted to because their fathers did not quite like each other The feud between our families which had first come into the open over the matter of the great-horses had now been established for years. (98). In terms of her determination towards her motherly duties at the time (taking care of Petra) she was always making sure she was safe even if it meant taking her away from David emotionally. It also served as a relief to her having another female other than David that she could vent to. She was also determined to keep Petra calm when she was scared of what would happen to the group and try to get information out of her calmly when she contacted the people of Sealand. for example when she says Did you ask her the name of the place, darling? Rosalind inquired. and But it is, darling. You get them from her, then you show them to us only gently, so that we can read them. (136) She would say words like darling and keep calm and say things in an upbeat tone so that she would cooperate and tell them what they wanted to know. To finish off this topic of discussion I look toward the fact that Rosalind was always determined and ready to help the group when they needed it. She did various things throughout the book to show her determination to the group. These actions were very beneficial and helpful but may have gone unnoticed because she was always the one pulling the group together so we forget about the smaller things she did and usually just recall the big things. For example, some very important things she did that could have gone unnoticed during the course of the book include the fact that before David and Petra had to leave home because the group had been discovered, they had not packed very much for the journey as opposed to Rosalind who had everything set up and ready to go at a moments notice. This small detail in the plot could have made the difference between life and death for the 3 of them. I say this because if Rosalind did not have everything set up the way she did it might have taken too long to get the horses or they might have run out of food on the way and starved making them incapable of finishing their journey. In essence we can already see that Rosalind is a true leader and we can also see by the last example that she is a very resourceful young lady. She demonstrates this in many parts of the novel and every time she shows this trait it not only helps the group proceed in their journey but also advances the plot. To start if we look back to the novel we can see that in every case where a plan needed to be made or a task executed she would be at the front lines getting everything ready to ensure that everything went smoothly. This included events such as the escape from Waknuk which I have already mentioned AND also the route for the journey they would take to get into the Fringes. She would also make contact to Michael whenever she could to get a status report on the soldiers position Whats happening? I asked Michael. Was that your lot shooting? No. That was the other party. Theyre trying to draw the Fringes men across their way so that we can come in from the opposite side and take them in the rear. (173) During their travels the group would also meet up with some people they didnt particularly want to see. Rosalind being the resourceful quick thinker she is would quickly take care of them with whatever and however she could. Perhaps I was sleeping lightly, or it may have been just coincidence that I woke up to catch an anguished thought from Rosalind. Ive killed him, Michael. Hes quite dead . . . Then she slid off into a panicky, chaotic thought-shape. (103) This just goes to show that her resourcefulness and committed attitude strengthens her overall personality and she will go to great lengths and use as well as do whatever she has to do to keep the group safe, which truly displays her personality and the type determined resourceful kind of person she is. To conclude there is one more point that must be addressed that brings her personality all together. Rosalind never had anyone at home or in her family she could talk to. For the most part she had to grow and learn for herself. This is what gives her, her protective shield and bring her together as one of the strongest (if not the strongest) member of the group. In every aspect of her life that we know of in the novel she relied on herself and got things done for her well being as well as the well being of those she cared about, because she was incredibly self-reliant. She always took things into her own hands and would even scold or get away from people if things were being done wrong Do you mean to say thats all youve brought? she said disapprovingly. ( ) She also took an active role in being a parental figure for Petra even though she had no parenting experience. She would simply rely on what she knew from what she had learned from what she had done through her mistakes and accomplishments and apply it to her real world scenarios. And in doing so would also give her the capacity to apply a game plan to other scenarios in her life such as how to keep everyone quiet about the groups powers and how to avoid and escape dangerous situations. It could even be said that being alone helped her develop her mind faster and that her armour would keep her in her thoughts long enough to be able to make non-rash decisions which could have ultimately led to the groups overall victory in the end. In conclusion the aspects of Rosalinds personality let her strive in a community where she would not have been accepted.  Knowing this Rosalind trained herself in the 3 key personality traits I have discussed which allowed her to be able to carry herself and the group to a triumphant victory over the people of Waknuk and allowed her to finally be able to take off her armour She turned her head. The under-Rosalind was in her face, smiling, shiny-eyed. The armour was gone. She let me look beneath it. It was like a flower opening. (208)which was probably Rosalinds biggest accomplishment.

The Effects of Peer Leadership

The Effects of Peer Leadership Theory Leadership, by definition, is the process of guiding and directing the behavior of people in the work environment (Nelson/Quick, 2011). The leader influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal, usually set by the organization. Leadership and management are not interchangeable; they deal with very separate things in the work place. In general, management involves tasks that are necessary for the business, such as staffing, budgeting, and problem solving, whereas leaders focus on the people within the organization and their needs, such as motivation, goal setting, and camaraderie. Currently in the workforce, there are three different generations of leaders: the Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964), Generation X (1961-1981), and Generation Y (1974- 1994) (Robbins, 2008). Stereotypically speaking, there are differences in leadership styles and work ethics between these generations. Baby Boomers resist change and are unwilling to understand the new age. Those in Generation X are seen as unmotivated and selfish, though they generally have strong communication skills and are technologically savvy. Individuals born in the Generation Y do not have the same, strong work ethic as previous generations and do not understand the meaning of hard work, but are viewed as energetic, able to multitask, and very technologically savvy. Because of the differences between the generations, this could make leading groups or teams difficult. However, according to Robbins, all leaders  ¿Ã‚ ½must learn to dismiss stereotypes and gain an understanding of all generations ¿Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ (Robbins, 2008). Today ¿Ã‚ ½s leaders face many challenges. From diversity and generational differences to globalization and technological progression, it is how leaders face these challenges that set apart effective leaders from unsuccessful ones. The most important implications for leaders are that they need to be good diagnosticians. Leaders must be flexible enough to vary their own behavior in relation to the needs of individuals in particular situations in an appropriate way. Peer leadership is great for situational leadership. Successful peer leading in university settings is the result of relationships among students, mentors and instructors (Ashman, 2010, pg. 121). Teaching also occurs between and among students as they work together and at times mentor each other in and outside the classroom. Though instructors may wish otherwise, this sort of peer teaching may have an even greater impact on students than teaching in the classroom (Goodlad, 1998). They suggest that academic involvement and interaction with faculty and fellow students increases the time and physical and psychological energy that students devote to the academic experience. Two of the most common situations that involve students helping other students are peer mentoring and peer leading, such as residential life settings (Ashman, 2010, pg. 122) .Peer leading focuses on more experienced students helping less experienced students improve overall academic performance, encourages mentors ¿  ½ personal growth (Falchikov, 2001; Kram, 1985), and provides advice, support and knowledge to the mentee (University of South Australia, 2003). Using peer tutors requires a whole system of training and support concerning the socialization of students, teachers and instructors. Peer leaders are a great help to the student body. It is because of the similarity in age that students can better relate with the peer group they are leading. They are the connecting link. In other words, they help other students inside and outside of class get involved with their campus and education (Sanft Jensen McMurray, 2008). Also, because peer leaders are less authoritative, students feel more comfortable at times approaching them making them more effective leaders. It ¿Ã‚ ½s really important for students to have leaders ¿Ã‚ ½ knowledge of resources and events on campus. Students are the  ¿Ã‚ ½go-to ¿Ã‚ ½ people when it comes to learning information about things relevant to their age group. Peer leadership guides and motivates other students (Ashman, 2010, pg. 125). Peer leaders encourage their students to get involved on campus, study more efficiently and improve academically.  ¿Ã‚ ½They ¿Ã‚ ½re not just leaders to the students [in their class], they ¿Ã‚ ½re leaders to all students ¿Ã‚ ½ they ¿Ã‚ ½re an example to all students. ¿Ã‚ ½ (Interview 40) In the role of learning coach, peer leaders teach students important academic and life skills (9 of 29). Almost every proponent of peer approaches indicates some sort of benefit to both sides of a peer mentor relationship (Ashman, 2010, pg. 127). In the past two decades, much new research on inspirational leadership theories has emerged. Transformational leadership, charismatic leadership, and authentic leadership are all important developments in inspirational leadership. As the Residential Life program assists in the development of life skills, such as respect, accountability, mindfulness, responsibility, and patience, transformational leadership is demonstrated through staff forming emotional bonds with residents and  ¿Ã‚ ½arousing enthusiasm for a common vision ¿Ã‚ ½ (Kearney 1). Instead of using their official position to manage residents, Residential Life staff members rely on their personal attributes to inspire and excite. As role models, Residential Life staff members are charismatic, provide inspirational motivation and intellectual stimulation, and show individualized consideration, all sub-dimensions of transformational leadership (Kearney 1). According to Nelson and Quick (2011), individualized consideration refers to how much attention leaders place on individual needs, and inspirational motivation is how well a leader is able to  ¿Ã‚ ½articulate a vision that is appealing to its followers ¿Ã‚ ½ (Nelson/Quick 197). Studies have shown that transformational leadership increases firm performance (Nelson/Quick 197). According to Judge and Piccolo (2004), it is positively related to a number or important outcomes, including the satisfaction, motivation, and performance of followers. Transformational leadership is effective because leaders encourage followers to set goals that are equal to their own personal interests and values (Nelson/Quick 197). This results in followers valuing their work more because their ultimate goals match up with who they are. The Residential Life program consists of staff members ranging in age. With student RAs in every residential hall, there is little age difference between leaders and followers. This small age gap could conceivably influence the relationship between transformational leadership and team performance. Eric Kearney sought to examine the question of whether transformational leadership is more effective when it is provided by team leaders who are older than the other team members. According to Bass and Riggio (2006), personal identification and respect for a leader, as well as the internalization of the leader ¿Ã‚ ½s values, are all key mediating processes through which transformational leadership exerts its effects. Kearney proposes that as well as being perceived as  ¿Ã‚ ½competent and extraordinary (i.e. transformational), ¿Ã‚ ½ leaders must also be considered deserving of a special status. He then refers to Festinger ¿Ã‚ ½s (1954) social comparison theory that states that people have a natural tendency to evaluate themselves and their abilities (Kearney 2). In teams consisting of members of similar levels of education and qualifications, members will search for legitimate reasons why one among them has been selected to lead. As RAs enforce rules and regulations in residential halls, residents of the same age may question the RAs authority. If students do not fully accept the legitimacy of the status and power of the RAs, it greatly reduces the potential positive impact of the RA. Through studying 49 Research and Development teams in a multinational pharmaceutical company, Kearney hypothesized that  ¿Ã‚ ½the age difference between a team leader and his or her followers moderates the relationship between transformational leadership and team performance such that this relationship is stronger with increasing leader age relative to the team. ¿Ã‚ ½ He examined teams consisting of researchers and technicians who interacted often and worked interdependently toward common team goals. The average mean age of the 49 teams was 38.78 and the mean age of the team leaders was 42.98. After 6 months, the direct supervisor of each team rated team performance. Kearney ¿Ã‚ ½s results indicate that it makes a difference whether transformational leadership is provided by a leader who is older than or close to the same age as the followers. When the leader was older than the other team members, there was a positive relationship between transformational leadership and team performance. He interprets his findings based on the social comparison theory. Kearney states that leaders who are about the same age as the other team members are more likely to be viewed by similarly qualified team members of lacking the  ¿Ã‚ ½legitimacy to occupy a privileged position ¿Ã‚ ½ (Kearney 7). This in turn may make the team identify less with the leader and resist the internalization of the leader ¿Ã‚ ½s visions and values. Kearney does note however, that the non-significant correlations between leader age and both transformational leadership and team performance show that older leaders themselves are neither perceived as more transformational nor are they more effective as leaders than younger leaders. Thus, leaders who are of a similar age as the other team members can be successful as leaders who are older than their followers. Kearney ¿Ã‚ ½s findings do suggest that leaders of a similar age as the followers are less likely to positively affect team performance through transformational behaviors. Application At Skidmore College, students are used to help lead the student body in the residential halls. Students are hired to work as  ¿Ã‚ ½Resident Assistants ¿Ã‚ ½ to help foster a healthy and happy living environment for the students. Resident Assistants generally employ one of three potential leadership styles. These styles are laissez-faire, autocratic and democratic. 1) Laissez-faire: The laissez-faire leadership style has an unusual approach. Rather than actively directing a team to perform a task, the laissez-faire style gives little to no direction. Known as  ¿Ã‚ ½hands off, ¿Ã‚ ½ the laissez-faire system provides freedom an individual team. Although the laissez-faire leadership style in many situations can prove to be controversial and negatively affect the outcome of a group ¿Ã‚ ½s performance, it is not completely useless. Often if people are intrinsically motivated in a particular area the role of an active leader is not prevalent to encourage. The laissez-faire style can also be important and works very well for a team of experienced and trustworthy individuals. For example, consider a construction site with an architect and a five of his workers. The five workers have been building homes for ten years and understand construction very well. In this scenario the architect designed the home laying out the details and materials needed to get the job don e safe and efficiently. Although the architect is the leader, his expertise consists of imagining the home but not necessarily the process of how it is to be built. Based on the architects original plan, the works build the house without any additional guidance from the architect, unless necessary. To clarify further, the architect knows where to put the window, but is not quite as sure how to put it there subsequently trusting his workers to build it. The  ¿Ã‚ ½hands off ¿Ã‚ ½ approach allows the workers to utilize their personalized techniques and work with each other in order to complete the task. The laissez-faire leadership style also applies to residential life at Skidmore College. The jobs of residential assistant aren ¿Ã‚ ½t solely to boss students around and keep order, but also to make student feel comfortable. As new students arrive at school they are filled with an array of emotions including anxiety, excitement, and fear that can make any individual uncomfortable. It is the job of a residential assistant to make the transition easier by creating a welcoming feel and sense of community within the dorm. That does not mean that an RA is responsible for a particular student ¿Ã‚ ½s friend making process, or work balancing skills. In order to expose a new student to the rest of their dormitory without  ¿Ã‚ ½holding ones hand, ¿Ã‚ ½ a laissez-faire approach is an intelligent direction to go in. Fun icebreakers that involve the young adults and allow students to meet each other work significantly well. The RA is initiates the interaction and explains the rules for th e ice-breaker, then steps aside as students take control of the outcome of the game. If the RA gets too involved it can take away from the experience. For returning students, the laissez-faire style is also necessary as these students are experienced and have already gone through the process. Therefore, the returning students do not need much guidance and are fine on their own. In the concept of the laissez- faire behavioral theory, leaders believe that their followers will perform to their greatest ability if they let them  ¿Ã‚ ½respond to their responsibilities and obligations in their own ways ¿Ã‚ ½ (Web Finance. 2010). This principle allows their followers to excel at their own expense and allows them to be accountable for their decision making. This concept gives followers more freedom to work at their own pace and allows them to feel as if they are in charge of themselves. Although this shows that the leader is respecting that there may be different work needs among their workers, this type of leadership method does not always work. Within this laissez-faire concept, the leader may be seen as trying to relinquish his or her tasks that they were originally apportioned (Skogstad et al. 2007, pg. 81). This style of leadership can cause uncertainties within one ¿Ã‚ ½s position and it can  ¿Ã‚ ½cause interpersonal conflict at work ¿Ã‚ ½ because t here is a poor communication between what the leader wants and what the followers do (Nelson Quick, 2011, pg. 189). Take the role of a resident assistant in a resident at a university. When a resident assistant has his or her first floor meeting with their floor there is usually a discussion about what the rules and expectations of the resident hall. If this resident assistant decides not to set any ground rules or give any direction many conflicts would arise. There would not be a clear and concise framework for this situation which would leave the question,  ¿Ã‚ ½Who exactly is the leader and what does their position really entail? ¿Ã‚ ½ Many of residents would not have any guidance to know how to act when sharing a living space with different people and this could create tension among one another which would later cause disagreements and confusion. To further discuss this point, there was a study that wanted to prove that laissez-faire leadership behavior was considered to be a damaging management behavior within the workplace (Skogstad et al. 2007, pg. 80). According to the experimenters, some problems this concept caused in the work setting were conflicts and misperceptions about role positions, disagreements among employees, harassment, and  ¿Ã‚ ½ psychological distress ¿Ã‚ ½ (Skogstad et al. 2007, pg. 80). With these variables, the researchers came up with these five hypotheses to correlate these problems with laissez-faire leadership:  ¿Ã‚ ½Hypothesis 1: Experiencing laissez-faire leadership by one ¿Ã‚ ½s immediate superior is associated with high levels of role conflict and role ambiguity ¿Ã‚ ½. (Skogstad et al. 2007, pg.81)  ¿Ã‚ ½Hypothesis 2: Experiencing laissez-faire leadership by one ¿Ã‚ ½s immediate superior is associated with high conflict levels with coworkers ¿Ã‚ ½ (Skogstad et al. 2007, pg. 82)  ¿Ã‚ ½Hypothesis 3: Role stressors and conflicts with coworkers mediated the relationship between superiors ¿Ã‚ ½ laissez-faire leadership and subordinates experienced exposure to bullying at work ¿Ã‚ ½ (Skogstad et al. 2007, pg. 82)  ¿Ã‚ ½Hypothesis 4: Superiors ¿Ã‚ ½ laissez-faire leadership is directly associated with subordinates ¿Ã‚ ½ exposure to bullying at work. ¿Ã‚ ½ (Skogstad et al. 2007, pg. 84)  ¿Ã‚ ½Hypothesis 5: Role stressors, conflicts with coworkers, and bullying mediate the relationship between superiors ¿Ã‚ ½ laissez-faire leadership and psychological distress among the subordinates ¿Ã‚ ½ (Skogstad et al. 2007, pg.84). With these hypotheses in mind, the experimenters mailed surveys to 2,273 Norwegian workers to assess whether or not they were exposed to this type of leadership behavior (Skogstad et al. 2007, pg. 84). The mean age of this sample was 43.4 years and half of the test subjects were women (Skogstad et al. 2007, pg. 84). Skogstad et al. (2007) used a number of testing measures to evaluate the responses of the workers such as one from  ¿Ã‚ ½the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire ¿Ã‚ ½ to gain insight on the subjects contact with this leadership style (p. 84). In a portion of the survey, the researchers also used  ¿Ã‚ ½the Bergen Conflict Inventory ¿Ã‚ ½ to find out what types of conflicts the subjects experienced whether it was job-oriented or personal differences among coworkers (Skogstad et al. 2007, pg. 84). Within the results, the experimenters discovered that more than half of the workers  ¿Ã‚ ½experienced a low level of laissez-faire leadership, but that out of all the ot her effects of this concept, there was a sound relationship linked to harassment as well as the other office stressors mentioned before. (Skogstad et al. 2007, pg. 84-85). The reasoning behind this conclusion was when a leader does not meet up to their followers ¿Ã‚ ½ anticipations or show that they are apparent within the workplace, mannerisms such as role conflicts are initiated (Skogstad et al. 2007, pg.86). This study shows how, at times, laissez-faire leadership can be a hindrance in certain organizations and business. 2) Autocratic Leadership: Autocratic leadership is considered to be an outdated, classical style of leadership. Fundamentally, autocratic control places all power into the hands of the leader. In autocratic leadership managers seek to make as many decisions as possible, have the most authority and control in decision making, retain responsibility rather than utilize complete delegation, consult with other colleagues in minimally and prefer to work on the task at hand (Gastil, 1994, pg. 386). The reason autocratic leadership survives, is because it is intuitive, has many short-term benefits and comes naturally to many leaders (Gastil, 1994, pg. 387). Despite having critics, autocratic leadership offers many rewards to managers who emply it. For instance, stress is reduced due to increased control (Gastil, 1994, pg. 387). Also, group productivity often increases under increased surveillance (Gastil, 1994, pg. 388). The oversight that an autocratic manager exerts over a team improves their efficiancy and makes them less likely to be negligent. This is good for under-motivated employees who have little concern or interest in the quality of work and the speed with which that task is accomplished. Also, logistics of operations are improved (Gastil, 1994, pg. 390). Having one leader with in charge of everything makes it more likely that problems are foreseen and deadlines are met. This makes autocratic leadership best for complex projects where efficient cooperation is imperative to success. Faster decision making is another benefit (Gastil, 1994, pg. 392). When only one person makes decisions, choices are made faster. Unfortunately, in most instances, autocratic leadership only leads to short-term improvement and carries grave long-term effects (Gastil, 1994, pg. 393). Even though leading autocratically can cause faster decisions making, the manager is actually hindering his or her workforce from progressing. This is a result of depriving employees of the opportunity to gain experience and learn from their mistakes, which leads to poorer decisions and productivity in the long run (Gastil, 1994, pg. 394). Managers with poor leadership skills with often revert to this leadership style (Gastil, 1994, pg. 394). By assuming all responsibility an autocratic leader naturally works at his or her full capacity. This hyper-focus on work comes at the expense of good leadership development (Gastil, 1994, pg. 396). While autocratic leadership has virtues in certain instances, autocratic leadership is not appreciated by employees. People dislike being ordered around (Gastil, 1994, pg. 396). As a result, the autocratic leadership style can create in a non-motivated workforce. Although autocratic leadership is a good solution for non-motivated workers, it is the leadership style alone that often demotivates employees (Gastil, 1994, pg. 397). After becoming accustomed to receiving orders with little return on cooperation, workers lose the confidence to make their own decisions. Accordingly, workers become ineffective functioning on their own. 3) Democratic Leadership: Democratic Leadership encourages the distribution of responsibility, the use of delegation and continual group input (Woods, 2004, pg. 4). Democratic leadership is characterized by managers seeking assistance on decisions, delegating tasks, welcoming feedback and encouraging others to become leaders (Woods, 2004, pg. 4). The result of this very involved leadership style is a more positive work environment (Woods, 2004, pg. 7). An environment where employees are given responsibility are challenged results in an organization where employees are more inspired to work. Similarly, the process of receiving feedback corresponds with better decision making and effective operations (Woods, 2004, pg. 8). In other words, democratic leaders ¿Ã‚ ½ engagement with employees results in their knowing when something is going wrong, while employees under autocratic rule are discouraged from informing the leader. Another benefit is that democracy breeds creative thinking (Woods, 2004, pg. 10). Unrestricted flow of ideas and positivity is the unsurpassed vehicle for creativity. Reduction of friction and office politics is another reward of democratic leadership. By allowing employees to think freely, managers reduce the amount of tension employees are subject to (Woods, 2004, pg. 11). When autocratic leaders refuse to listen to their workers they are effectively asking to be undermined. Unfortunately, democratic leadership can be in danger of pseudo participation (Woods, 2004, pg. 19). If managers simply pretend to employ democratic leadership to seem friendlier, employees will realize this when their ideas are not actually valued. Accordingly, the manager-employee relationship will be subject to further misfortune.

Cinematic Interpretation of Stepping Razor Red X: the Peter Tosh Story :: essays papers

Cinematic Interpretation of "Stepping Razor Red X": the Peter Tosh Story Films are designed for numerous purposes, some entertain, frighten, enlighten, educate, inspire, and most make us think about the world we live in. This paper will be focused on the cinematic interpretation of the film "Stepping Razor Red X", the Peter Tosh Story. The makers of a film from the writer, director, cinematographer and the art director, design, and conceptualize what they want the viewer to see. Movie makers have agendas. They get their ideas across by using cinematic techniques and styles which make us view a certain subject in the light that they put it in. I will discuss the differing techniques used by the makers of "Stepping Razor" and describe what the overall impression of the movie has on the viewer, and what the agenda of the director is. Genre "Genre: A group of films having recognizably similar plots, character types, settings, filmic techniques, and themes." (Konigsberg:165) The Genre of this film is difficult to define because it is not composed of a single agenda. The director makes a point of talking about Tosh’s life, but because of the cinematic themes and the film’s style it is not solely a documentary. This film is also a multimedia film because elements of music and concert footage are added to the essential plot. This film is avant-garde in it’s nature. "Avant-garde [refers to films that] deny the traditional narrative structure and techniques of commercial films by seeking to explore new modes of visual and emotional experience." (Konigsberg:25) It could be considered an anthology film, because of the various concert footage that is woven throughout the movie. "An Anthology film is a full length film made up of excerpts from other films which are related by some theme [or] the appearance of the same performer." (Konigsberg:16) "Stepping Razor" also has elements of Cinema Verite. "Cinema Verite†¦applies to a series of documentary films which strive for immediacy, spontaneity, and authenticity through the use of portable and unobtrusive equipment and the avoidance of and preconceived narrative line or concepts concerning the material." (Konigsberg:57) "Stepping Razor" may also be put under the category of art film. "Art film [is] a type of film with serious artistic intentions as distinct from the commercial films made in Hollywood."(Konigsberg:20) This film also has elements of a propaganda film. "Propaganda films [are] made with the intention of persuading the audience to a particular point of view concerning the subject†¦relying on the apparently real and factual nature of the images on the screen and often using an authoritative voice-over to sway.

Psychological Conflicts In Literature(2) :: essays research papers

Every story has a conflict. A conflict is a disagreement, which usually provides the plot for a story. The conflict is the basis for everything else included in the work of literature. Usually a person reads the story to see how a conflict is developed and then resolved. This essay, as already states, will be about psychological conflicts. In the epic tale, The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien, there are many psychological conflicts involved that all weave together. The conflict I want to focus on, though, is the conflict between the character Boromir and his inner desire to use the Ring for the greater good of his kingdom, namely himself. At first glance, he seems a harmless man. But as the story progresses, so does his infatuation with the Ring. â€Å"†¦And Sam saw that while the others restrained themselves and did not stare at him, the eyes of Boromir followed Frodo intently, until he passed out of sight in the trees at the foot of Amon Hen.† Boromir was fighting his mind, deciding right then and there to seize the ring from Frodo. He followed Frodo and at the top of Amon Hen began to talk to him, taking on the guise of a friend. But suddenly he snatched for the Ring, failed in his attempt, and ultimately died valiantly defending Merry and Pippin, two other hobbits, from orcs. He redeemed himself a t the end, but the harm was already done. He had lost the battle with his conscious, and in doing so made the rest of the journey so much more difficult for the rest of the Fellowship. Another great example of a psychological conflict is in the story â€Å"Leiningen Versus the Ants† by Carl Stephenson. Leiningen’s Brazilian plantation was being attacked by a huge host of army ants. At first glance, the major conflict seems to be an environmental type, man pitted against his environment. But if you look deeper, you will find that the main conflict is between Leiningen and his pride-filled mind. He knew he was a smart man, and he thought that by using his intellect he would be able to keep the ants away. This quote is a good illustration of Leiningen’s pride, his ‘enormous intellect’. â€Å"Even here in this Brazilian wilderness, his brain had triumphed over every difficulty and danger it had so far encountered. First he had vanquished primal forces by cunning and organization, then he had enlisted the resources of modern science to increase miraculously the yield of his plantation.

The Welcome Ceremony: A Role :: essays research papers fc

The Welcome Ceremony is performed when visitors entering a village where they are expected usually find the ali'i and faipule waiting for them either outside or within a house. If the occasion is a very formal one, the whole village may have assembled in its various groups, matai, Pastors of different denominations, Women's Committee in distinctive uniforms, schools and young men and women. In this case, a arch of welcome will probably also have been constructed. The meeting house (fale fono) and other houses set aside for the adjustment of the party, are almost certain to have been carefully and beautifully decorated with leaves and flowers. In search of our topic, â€Å"The Welcome Ceremony,† also known in Samoan,†Usuga,† we put together the three categories that were given to us. We, as a group wanted our topic to relate to the theme, so we elaborated on our topic,† The Welcome Ceremony: A Role In Communication Between Different Villages, Environments and Agriculture.† Our topic if shortened,† The Welcome Ceremony,† is a ceremony performed to welcome visitors, its performed with hospitality, honor and respect. Most visitors find this ceremony pleasing and delightful. They admire the customs used, for instance: the sitting positions, the cultural greetings with High Rank Samoan Chiefs and Pastors(Faifeau) of different denomination and then manners taken place during the ceremony. We carried out our research by gathering sources from primary and secondary sources. We planned and gathered our sources with patience. Source of research were of interviews, internet access and brief readings. The category chosen to carry out our topic is, a Group Performance. Why a group performance? We want people to know and see in their own visual aid how the ceremony is performed. We also want to state for a fact that our generation knows what the ceremony is and the process of the performance. The topic being brought to life by the performers tells or sends the audience a message, telling them that we, the presenters, are interested in our topic. It also sends a message to the newcomers that our generation is bringing back the true meaning of our culture. We are reviving our Samoan culture. By doing so, we picked the performance category to show what we understand about our topic. The welcome ceremony: a role of communication between different villages, environments and agricultures; to us, it has a great relationship to this years theme. The Welcome ceremony has a lot of communicating actions and reactions.