The process of preparing and delivering our team’s presentation

Abstract In any organizational or institutional setting, teamwork is usually instrumental in meeting departmental or organizational objectives. Even with the benefits that are associated with groups or teamwork, there are several challenges that may hinder attainment of the set objectives. This paper presents the process that was involved in the preparation and delivery of our group presentation. It discusses the stages of development that the group went through, highlighting the exercises that were undertaken at each stage. With reference to group motivation theory, it addresses the approaches that were used during the group exercise to motivate members to contribute towards the exercise. It has also presented the competencies that group members developed in the course of the group exercise. Introduction This paper provides an overview of the processes involved in the preparation and delivery of our team presentation. It relates the group work process to theories and literature on organizational behavioural theory that can be used to explain dynamics in group and teamwork. The main concepts to be covered in this paper include group and team development, motivation and learning at work. Group development is defined as the stages that groups undergo, from creation of the group to accomplishment of the assigned task (Bonebright, 2010). Motivation, which is a vital determinant of productivity, refers to the approaches used to trigger a desire in an individual to be more dedicated to the accomplishment of their tasks (Sachau, 2007). Learning at work, or team learning, is the attainment of skills by individuals in the course of the group task (Zellmer-Bruhn & Gibson, 2006).Group and Team DevelopmentThis are the stages through which undergo from assembling team members to attainment of the set objective. There are different models that can be used to describe the process or group development. One of the widely used models is Bruce Tuckman’s four-stage model formulated in 1965, which divides the development process into four stages. These are forming, storming, norming and performing (Egolf & Chester, 2013). Whereas some teams undergo all these stages in group development, some end at the norming stage, which was also the case with our team. This section relates the development of our group with reference to Tuckman’s four-stage model. According to Bonebright (2010), the forming stage involves creating an understanding of one’s team members. It is also characterized by the desire of individual team members to be accepted as part of the larger group (Hill & Parsons, 2014). In our team, this stage of group development involved activities that could enable us to work together and be more productive. Team members spent time interacting and knowing abou t each other so as to eliminate the tension that could prevent them from effectively working together. This stage also involved the appointment of the group leader, setting of ground rules and agreeing upon the meeting schedules. Conflicts were minimal at this stage, which can be attributed to the fact that challenges associated with teamwork had not yet arisen. The second stage in group development is storming. This is the stage where different ideas or opinions are presented by group members for consideration (Garfield & Dennis, 2012). It is highly likely for group members to present conflicting opinions, which also triggers rivalry and tension within the group. Whereas conflicts might be considered as being adverse towards attainment of the team’s objectives, constructive conflicts provide a chance for group members to select the appropriate options to pursue in addressing the task at hand (Fleishman et al., 2008; De Wit et al., 2012). This is the most critical stage in gr oup development, and issues have to be resolved before moving to the next stage (Egolf & Chester, 2013). Referring to the process of delivering our team’s presentation, some of the conflicts that arose included the theories to incorporate in the presentation or the sources to be used. For instance, I questioned why the group leader insisted on using books as our main sources, yet peer reviewed journals that were readily available in the college library database could also be used to compliment books. Other group members also questioned why they could not use any source they come across on the internet. However, these conflicts were minor and short lived. The third stage is of group developing is referred to as norming (Egolf & Chester, 2013). After the conflicts have been resolved in the storming stage, the effectiveness of the team begins to increase, trust among team members grows and the individual differences are appreciated (Garfield & Dennis, 2012). This was the final s tage of development for our group. For the functionality of the team, some group members stopped persisting with their ideas for the sake of avoiding conflict. There was also an increased cohesion among members, and as opposed to conflicting opinions that characterized the storming stage, team members showed support for each other, and provided constructive feedback for each others’ contribution to the team. The fourth stage of group development is referred to as productivity. According to Egolf and Chester (2013), not all groups progress to this stage. Our group did not get to this stage based on the fact that the task that was to be accomplished was short-term. In summary, the developments that took place in our group, as well as the issues that characterized them, closely relate to Tuckman’s four stage model (forming, storming norming and performance). The fact that the group exercise was short-term meant that the group development did not progress to the performanc e stage, but the objective of the team was met. Group Motivation Motivation in teamwork incorporates all the efforts that are made by team members to increase the cohesion and levels of productivity of the entire team (Wright et al., 2012). With reference to Hertzberg’s dual factor theory of motivation, there is a set of factors that increases the productivity of individuals in accomplishing their tasks. There is also another separate set of factors that cause dissatisfaction and thus, limit individual productivity (Sachau, 2007). This section addresses the approaches that were used to motivate group members. In group work, one of the motivation approaches is through ensuring effective communication among all people within the group (Dunin-Keplicz & Verbrugge, 2011). In group work, responsibilities are divided into smaller tasks and assigned to members depending on their competence. Given that all these sub-tasks contribute towards the attainment of the overall team objective, it is necessary for all team members to communicate about the pr ogress of their respective tasks. This will avoid situations where some members unknowingly derail, or fail to complete their tasks within the agreed upon time limits (Lencioni, 2012). During the preparation and delivery of our group presentation, we ensured that communication between us was effective. This was done by requesting all group members to provide their phone numbers and email addresses. We also followed each other on social media platforms. This ensured that if there was a breakdown in one communication channel, there was always another viable objective. When handling group tasks, it is vital to schedule regular meetings in consideration of the responsibilities of all group members. This ensures that every group member is available during the meeting (Dunin-Keplicz & Verbrugge, 2011). Regular meetings also allow for close consultations between group members in case some group members hit a snag in completing the tasks that they have been assigned (Lencioni, 2012). Most o f the members in our team were dedicated and never skipped meetings. Whereas there were team members who easily handled the tasks that they had been allocated, there are some who found it quite challenging to accomplish their tasks. We understood the fact that there are some people who are quicker than others in accomplishing their assigned tasks than others is common. Thus, instead of reprimanding them, we took to the initiative to ensure that group members who had a challenge in completing their tasks were assisted to complete them. Motivation in teamwork also entails making everybody feel like they valuable members (Hill & Parsons, 2014). For instance, if a decision is to be made about a project, the opinions of all group members have to be considered. This encourages constructive debates, which are vital for rational decision making. The group members’ motivation to deliver may be adversely affected if major decisions are only made by a section of the team, which may also lead to groupthink. Groupthink is a common phenomenon in teamwork where the fear of conflicts, or desire for group conformity and harmony, causes other group members to agree with decisions made by others. This is regardless of whether they are suitable or not (De Wit et al., 2012). During our group work, all members were allowed to actively engage in discussions and every opinion presented was listened to. Even though it was not possible to implement incorporate all members’ opinions in decision making, reasons why some opinions were considered over others was also clearly explained to all group members. Our team was culturally diverse, and included people from both genders. Therefore, tasks were distributed in consideration of this diversity. Different approaches were used to motivate group members. However, even with the efforts that were made to optimize the productivity of every group member, there were some individuals who failed to attend group meetings without good r easons. Regardless of these drawbacks, the rest of the team worked diligently to the completion of the project. Learning at Work Learning at work refers to the skills and competencies that members of a team learn as they collectively accomplish a task (Zellmer-Bruhn & Gibson, 2006). Typically, the abilities of each individual in the team will vary, with each being more competent in some areas, less competent in others In this regard team members learn from each other through sharing knowledge so as to compliment one another’s skills (Dunin-Keplicz & Verbrugge, 2011). This section discusses the process of team learning within the group during the exercise. Team members have to ensure that they have created strong relationships and trust amongst themselves to facilitate team learning. Failure to create a team environment that allows members to learn from one another may undermine the attainment of the overall team objective (Lencioni, 2012). Learning at work or team leaning can be made possible through observations, dialogue and reflection (Hill & Parsons, 2014). Team members should be willing to enable t hose who are not as competent as they are in certain aspects that are vital to the accomplishment of the team’s objective to improve. Likewise, team members who lack some competencies ought to take the initiative to learn through observation or asking for assistance (Zellmer-Bruhn & Gibson, 2006). One of the models that can be used to understand team leaning is the action-learning cycle (Coghlan & Rigg, 2012). Action learning is a continuous learning process, where individuals from their own experiences and actions, as well as those of other members of their team. Through their own experience, people learn to avoid repeating mistakes they did and continue to improve their competencies in certain disciplines. The action-learning cycle was designed to enable individuals to draw lessons from their experiences by making analytical reflections of their actions (Pedler & ?Abbott, 2013). This means that lessons from past experiences can guide present actions, while lessons learnt fr om the current experience can be used to guide future actions. In the course of the preparation and delivery of our group presentation, team members learnt from each other in different ways. Based on the relationship that had been developed between team members, dialogue was one of the most used approaches for team learning. Group members were willing to share information with others to improve each other’s levels of competence. For instance, one two of our team members were competent in using different data analysis approaches so as to come up with relevant conclusions on the research topic. In addition to this, while most of us were comfortable with the basic function of Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint, one of the team members and I, were more competent with the more advanced options. Therefore, we spent some time during meetings learning from and teaching each other. Learning took different approaches, which included reflections and observations. Even though some of t he competencies that were learnt were not improved to the extent that perfection was attained, most of the group members had improved their skills in one aspect or other. I improved my confidence and public speaking skills through the mock presentations that were held by the group in preparation for the final presentation to a larger audience.. All team members also learnt several concepts that could enable them to be more productive members of teams in future. In summary, the group exercise was instrumental in developing some competencies that every group member lacked. As mentioned, different approaches were used in learning or teaching each other about different concepts that were challenging for different group members. Conclusion The capability of an individual to be a productive member of a team is one of the vital competencies that are required for success in any aspect of life. In the preparation and delivery of our group presentation, several characteristics of groups, which relate to organizational behavioural theory, were identified. This paper has presented an overview of the factors that characterized the team working process. One of these is the process through which the ram developed through the formation, storming and norming stages. Based on the fact that the group assignment was short-term, we did not get into the performance stage. The motivation factors that contributed towards the achievement of the overall team goal have also been presented in this paper. Ways in which different group members leant from each other to improve their competencies in several areas have also been addressed in this paper. Whereas the group task was successfully accomplished, some of the few drawbacks that affected the research have also been presented. References Bonebright, D.A., 2010. 40 years of storming: a historical review of Tuckman’s model of small group development. Human Resource Development International, 13(1), pp.111-20. Coghlan, D. & Rigg, C., 2012. Action learning as praxis in learning and changing. Research in Organizational Change and Development, 20, pp.59-89. De Wit, F.R.C., Greer, L.L. & Jehn, K.A., 2012. The Paradox of Intragroup Conflict. Journal of Applied Psychology, 97, pp.360-90. Dunin-Keplicz, B. & Verbrugge, R?., 2011. Teamwork in Multi-Agent Systems: A Formal Approach. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. Egolf, D. & Chester, S., 2013. Forming Storming Norming Performing. Bloomington: IUniverse. Fleishman, R., O’Leary, R?. & Gerard, ?C., 2008. Recent Developments in Conflict Resolution and Collaboration. London: Emerald Group Publishing. Garfield, M.J. & Dennis, A.R., 2012. Toward an Integrated Model of Group Development: Disruption of Routines by Technology-Induced Change. Journal of Management Information Systems, 29(3), pp.43-86. Hill, F. & Parsons, L?., 2014. Teamwork in the Management of Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties. New Jersey: Routledge. Lencioni, P., 2012. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: Intact Teams Participant Workbook. San Francisco: Pfeiffer. Miner, J.B., 2005. Organizational Behavior: Essential theories of motivation and leadership. New York: M.E. Sharpe. Pedler, M. & ?Abbott, C., 2013. Facilitating Action Learning: A Practitioner’S Guide. Berkshire: McGraw-Hill International. Sachau, D.A., 2007. Resurrecting the motivation-hygiene theory: Herzberg and the positive psychology movement. Human Resource Development Review, 6(4), pp.377-93. Wright, B.E., Moynihan, D.P. & Pandey, S.K., 2012. Pulling the Levers: Transformational Leadership, Public Service, Motivation, and Mission Valence. Public Administration Review, 72(2), p.206–215. Zellmer-Bruhn, M. & Gibson, C., 2006. Multinational organization context: Implications for team learning and performance. Academy of Management Journal, 49(3), pp.501-18.

Four Eras of Writing Essay

History has evolved over the last two centuries. In the introduction to Interpretations of American History edited by Francis G. Couvares, et al., he states that the transition of the way history was interpreted has only â€Å"linked the past more strongly to the present† (Couvares 1). Before, historians –mostly white male- used to report only about â€Å"male† topics but since then, different issues have transformed the way history used to be. Over the last 400 years, the four different stages that have reshaped the writing of American history have been the providential, the rationalist, the nationalist, and the professional. Late- nineteenth-century historians, usually called â€Å"historicists† or â€Å"positivists† believed that history was like science and with practice it could be solved. According to Couvares, Croce believed that Positivists were faulty in their assumptions because history was perceived differently every time it was written down since no one thinks exactly alike. With so many different views, historians are usually adding more and more information to each other’s perceptions. Couvares says that â€Å"history is historiography, the study of history and its changing interpretations† (Couvares 3). When interpreting history, historians were influenced by their personal circumstances, beliefs, and environment. During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, all through the Civil War, historians wrote a form of â€Å"providential history† (Couvares 4). Puritans – usually ministers, magistrates, and women- wished to â€Å"justify the ways of God to man, and vice-versa† (Couvares 4) in their history. They interpreted what was happening at the time as a sign of God wanting them to move forward which led them to believe that the Revolution was a win for â€Å"reformed† Christianity. With the European Enlightenment, came more of an intellectual and natural way of thinking. Couvares notes how the â€Å"rationalist historians†, greatly influenced by Newton and Locke, prospered along with the people who had been at the top of the colonies before. During this stage, â€Å"the progress of reason† (Couvares 5), as they called it, was their new belief. Most historians during this time were wealthy and with a high position in society, hence the style of their writing. Because of the way they thought of themselves, their history explained how the â€Å"enlightened† world was a success because of men like them. According to Couvares, Jefferson’s Notes on the State of Virginia very much sums up the thought of the rationalists where they were the ones who achi eved greatness, it wasn’t God driven. However, the rationalists were not that far off from the providential it’s because their story â€Å"still pointed upward† (Couvares 6). As the nineteenth century went on, historians started to see â€Å"America as the triumph of Anglo-Saxon people over inferior races† (Couvares 6). They thought that because America had overcome other â€Å"inferior† races that they were better. Couvares explains how Bancroft organized America’s history around three themes: â€Å"progress, liberty, and Anglo-Saxon destiny† (Couvares 6). This is where the third stage comes in. Their idea that the Teutonic people were supposed to spread â€Å"freedom across the globe† was the start to their sense of pride, love, and nationalism. Not only were men, but also female historians hooked on this idea. Helen Hunt Jackson wrote about white-Indian relations, which at the time was a big obstacle to jump; while at the same time anthropologists beginning to study these relationships. Around the 1870s, though, Bancroft seemed like the past and the future possibilities were just around the corner. As universities started being built and education was more common among the middle class, history was becoming a profession. Practiced by the people who had access to advanced education, white men, they started concerning themselves with â€Å"specialized training, research methodology, and educational credentials† (Couvares 7). Adams and Turner both shared the belief of applying Darwin’s method to history. Adams argued that history was like physics and that it could be deciphered the same way. Even though Adams couldn’t accomplish his goal, Turner did while at the same time seeming connected to the nationalists is sharing a little bit of their beliefs. Throughout the first half of the twentieth century, another type of professionals emerged. These Progressive historians, unlike the Adams, saw history as politics and not as science. They believed that â€Å"science was needed to produce usable facts, and art to persuade people to act on them† (Couvares 9) but it was political action what they wanted to accomplish with it; which could be why Progressives could be classified as reformers. Basically, their point was that the function of history â€Å"was to uncover the economic basis of political ideas†¦and educate the citizenry† (Couvares 9). In the end, with the Great Depression going on and the Second World War, the question that was raised was whether or not if the history had prepared them. Nobody could have foreseen what was going to happen, and eventually history continues to be written everyday and like Couvares pointd out, â€Å"history is an act of interpretation† (Couvares 1).

Creating the Decision Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Creating the Decision Environment - Essay Example Groupthink occurs when the group is highly cohesive and when they are pressured to make better decisions .this occurs when pressure from the unanimity seem to be more influential. Additionally, the group pressure leads to carelessness and irrational thought since the groups experiencing the considerable group thinking fails to take the alternative as they seek to maintain unanimity. Most decisions that are shaped by group thinking have a lower probability of achieving successful results. Group thinking has become a consequential phenomenon that occurs because of the desired groups being in a consensus and therefore overriding the people’s common sense. The desire to represent the alternative and assessing critically the position, at the same time expressing the unpopular view of the group. The desires of the group that come into a common cohesion cause a very effective drive upon a good decision making strategy and an appropriate style to solve any arising problems. When pressures for unanimity seem overwhelming, members are less motivated to reasonably consider the alternative courses of action available to them.  These group pressures lead to carelessness and irrational thinking since groups experiencing groupthink fail to consider all alternatives and seek to maintain unanimity. In fact, groupthink is not commonly recognized in that Groupthink is a behavior that is found in some situations or even across several types of groups in the team settings. It is therefore important to look out for the key symptoms as group thinking involves the following symptoms: After a number of successes the group starts feeling like any decision that they make is the best and the most right one because of the common disagreement from any other source. The brainstorming technique has helped in allowing the ideas to flow freely with no disapproval. Peer pressure expresses itself in and opposing opinion of the team members and questions that are rationale behind their

Poetry analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Poetry analysis - Essay Example ot return his affections, the early death of his mother and the death of a second person close to him leading to the development of â€Å"A Shropshire Lad†, â€Å"a collection of sixty-three poems addressing the themes of unrequited love, the oblivion of death, and idealized military life† that carefully navigated around any issues of homosexuality. In addition, he is surprisingly consistent in his writing, showing nearly identical themes, forms and language usage in â€Å"Last Poems† as were used in â€Å"A Shropshire Lad.† However, his â€Å"open investigations of the mysteries of death and the dual nature of humankind have earned him acknowledgment as a precursor to the development of modern poetry† (â€Å"A.E. Housman†, 2006). These attitudes about death can be most understood as they are expressed in the poems â€Å"To An Athlete Dying Young,† â€Å"When I Was One and Twenty,† â€Å"With Rue My Heart is Laden† and â €Å"Is My Team Ploughing?† In â€Å"To An Athlete Dying Young†, Housman demonstrates a sensitive honor for the man who dies in his prime, invoking a powerful sense of regretful comprehension regarding the wisdom of dying young. He begins the poem with a nostalgic look back at the happy crowd carrying the star athlete around on a chair, everyone celebrating and having a good time. This nostalgia is established by the wistful â€Å"The time you won† (1) that immediately invokes a fog of memory around the edges of the scene described. The hero’s way is carefully invoked in the lines â€Å"Man and boy stood cheering by, / And home we brought you shoulder-high† (3-4) to be carefully juxtaposed against the same phrase in the second stanza: â€Å"Shoulder-high we bring you home, / And set you at your threshold down† (6-7). With only this slight change in language, Housman makes it clear that this is no longer a cheering crowd, they are not celebrating and, by distinguishing his fri end as â€Å"Townsman of a stiller town† (8), he makes it obvious that this is a

Land Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Land Law - Essay Example Part of the agreement signed with the tenants reads that he is not intending to create a tenancy. However, Peter signs documents detailing his relationship with the new occupants of the flats. He then considers selling the townhouse, and gets a suitable buyer in Joan. For Joan to purchase the townhouse, matters of the relationship between Peter and the current occupiers of the house are vital and she must evaluate them conclusively, concurrently projecting patterns of actions in view of legal inhibitors and enablers. In this paper I have looked deeply into the relationship between Peter and the existing tenants of his property, in order to establish whether, indeed, there is no effective tenancy agreement between him and the â€Å"occupants† as the agreement detailing their relationship deemed. Further, details of the types of tenancy available to Peter at the time he signed the agreements with the tenants and the implications they have are discussed. The fact that the townhouse is a freehold puts to rest any matters about eligibility of the sale, especially considering that no details of mortgages/ loans, or joint ownership are provided. Such matters would likely complicate the sale process. To begin with, Joan needs to study and establish the legality of the agreements signed between Peter and the present occupiers of the house. But before she can recover any documents from the seller, she has substantial background to base her claim to either evict or not to evict the tenants. In this part, I have provided enlightening notes on the types of tenancy available to the present occupiers, and the implications of each to the buyer in her pursuit for their eviction. In the pursuit of her right to evict the tenants, Joan needs to understand the types of tenants that she will be dealing with, and how much protection they have under law. In establishing whether a tenancy really exists between a

Juvenile Gangs Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Juvenile Gangs - Research Paper Example Being raised in an economically depressed neighborhood can understandably lead youth persons to think that their lives are unimportant and thus want for a sense of identity. The social construction gangs offer provides juveniles with a sense of belonging, a particularly significant need for developing youths. In many neighborhoods, adolescents are actively recruited or are intimidated into becoming gang members and seemingly have little choice. â€Å"A few [teens] are virtually born into gangs as a result of neighborhood traditions and their parents’ earlier and perhaps continuing gang participation or involvement in criminal activity† (Moore, 1978). The gangs offer disenfranchised kids, who are undergoing feelings of isolation, a connection to a family-like atmosphere. Some of these youths are wavering between what they consider as their adopted and native cultures but feel a connection to neither. There are many reasons that youths join and remain loyal to gangs, all of which are complex and possibly incomprehensible to the general public. This discussion will briefly explain why juveniles join gangs then discuss gangs themselves, their motivations, general make-up, characteristics, and trends concerning street gang activity. There are numerous early factors that can lead juveniles to become gang members in addition to what might be the most obvious, living in abusive households. Poverty is another of the more significant factors. According to research conducted by the Children’s Defense Fund, nearly one fifth of all youths live below the poverty line in American cities. â€Å"Poor neighborhoods, especially ‘inner-city war zones’, generally have relatively high crime rates, unsatisfactory schools and unhealthy living conditions. They provide a child with few resources, negatively affect development and increase the chances a child will become violent† (â€Å"Rosado†, 2000, p. 15). Children who are subjected to t wo or more risk factors such as poverty and abuse, have a significantly higher risk factor of participating in criminal behavior and juvenile violence. Inner city ‘battle zones’, which have grown significantly in many of the country’s small to medium-sized towns in addition to the larger urban sections of major cities, are described as those areas in which most youths over 14 years old has attended the funeral of more than one friend, a very distinct definition, one that is difficult for most Americans to fully comprehend. (Garbarino, 1999, p. 40). Because youths living in disadvantaged neighborhoods are often ostracized from mainstream society due to their inability to afford similar material goods or the education that would afford them with the means to leave, many of these juveniles grow up under an umbrella of bitterness, anger and open contempt of the societal rules and government laws of the same society that rejected them. This circumstance makes it easie r for them to rationalize their own deviant behaviors because they are merely doing what they believe necessary so as to give themselves a chance at something beyond their present life condition, a chances they not offered elsewhere. Their perception of rejection by the society at large also instills an attitude of despair and hopelessness among youths who are already suffering from other unfavorable conditions, reinforcing the idea that life will likely always be this painful, empty

Literature review Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 2

Literature review - Coursework Example The question thus remains whether financial sector can be considered as a signification source of economic development. In general, financial development has a twofold effect on economic growth. For one, capital accumulation can be increased by the financial sector. Secondly, development of financial institutions leads to enhanced savings which means greater investments resulting in greater capital accumulation. With increasing investments, capital can be used to increase the level of gross production. Also, properly developed financial institutions means increased variety of financial instruments that facilitate lenders and borrowers thus having a positive impact on the overall economy. However, in the long run other factors like human and physical capital need to be considered as other sources of economic growth. This paper will conduct a literature review on the subject of the relationship between financial development and economic growth in the context of the Indian economy. Furt her, the literature findings will be related with theories from articles based on similar context. Although not all views support the role of financial development on economic growth, positive views can be seen in Levine’s (1997) article. According to Levine’s theory, well developed financial institutions helps in reducing costs attached to information and transaction. Such reduced costs encourage increased investments leading to capital accumulation. With greater level of capital, there can be more spending on research sector leading to technological development causing higher efficiency in production process which in turns means increased level of gross production. Moreover, Levine has taken a broader approach in stating that various functions of financial institutions facilitate capital accumulation, rate of savings and trading of goods. Thus, he has concluded that financial structure as a whole,

Managing Information 1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Managing Information 1 - Assignment Example It is important because in the absence of long term information and corporate strategies, it is not possible for the company to succeed (Faulkner, 2013). ALIGNMENT STRATEGIES Companies adopt different alignment strategies because there is no single structure for a business strategic plan that would fit with every company effectively. An effective information and corporate strategy must communicate effectively among all levels of employees whether they are management or are in the rank and file. Currently it is a recognized fact that knowledge is essential for managers for their organizations to survive and prosper. Information systems are also important for the effective implementation of corporate strategies because it controls organizational ability and enables competitive advantages to companies. A strategic plan is not the same as an operational plan because it is creative and perceptive and evaluates things in the long run (Aloufi & Kabir, 2013). Case Study The role of informati on management is to support corporate strategies. This case study is about â€Å"Tree Top Incorporated†. The company needed to improve the customer services to increase revenues and also to for greater margins for stock-holders. They decided that replacing their existing software would upgrade business processes because their current software was not adequate to meet customer demands. The management of Tree Top Inc also perceived this as an opportunity to move forward their corporate goals by aligning the new software with corporate strategies. Although they had decided to change their existing systems in phases, they had to make sure that the new systems would get the desired results in the shortest time possible. They also had to ensure that the new system would help measure their progress in the achievement of their goals. The management decided that â€Å"Intentia† Application Suite suited their requirements because it was designed specifically with aligning market ing information with corporate strategies (Thompson, 2006). Planning the Strategy To implement the new marketing software with corporate goals, a team of Tree Top and Intentia started the project. The team met separately for each business operation and met with respective management representatives for each operational activity. The first and most important aspect was to include Tree Top’s business strategies in software such as how many people were involved in monthly estimation of the amount of product to be created and sold. This included other data, such as product groups, markets, locations and monetary information. It was also recommended that customer service be calculated by â€Å"crucial functioning conditions†. Overeaters Anonymous (OA) recommended operational activities that had a direct bearing on â€Å"Key Performance Indicators† such as improving order entry/maintenance which would work very well with the order metric. This could probably mean that maintenance improvements the company’s return on equity. Other essential business activities such as sales, production would improve by selecting the appropriate personnel to implement the best practices which would in essence improve overall corporate strategies which numbered around thirty five best practices . It was practically not possible to implement all thirty five best practices, so it was decreased to the nine best practices w

5 cold war Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

5 cold war - Assignment Example The disintegration of the communism in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union was the most unexpected and rapid major economic and social transformation that occurred in the 20th century. Although the demise of communism in Eastern Europe was largely peaceful, it had extremely destabilizing repercussions in the Soviet Union. This was due to the fact that communism was founded on two defining economic features which were characterized by a centralized command economy in which prices as well as output targets were administratively fixed. It is worth noting that the key premise behind communism was that the cause of human suffering was capitalism and its subsequent lack of the distribution of wealth. The heaviest price that was paid by the relatively disorganized manner in which communism ended was the financial/ monetary costs that the European countries had to face, and the subsequent debt the states would have to the West for the economic assistance offered to help in the building of market economies in the East. There was an unexpected high cost to reunification and reconstruction in the East which consequently caused tension which spilled over the country’s borders. Additionally, there was a quick growth in the number of Eastern European immigrants which in turn spurred powerful racists and rightist political movements which ultimately culminated in anti-immigrant riots. Unfortunately, as a result, there was a great increase in unemployment caused by the chaos on the currency markets in Europe and the fragmenting of the European monetary system. There was a lingering recession characterized by unemployment and hyperinflation where people’s savings were exhausted. Unfortunately, European governments were preoccupied with striving to lower their budget deficits as well as the national inflation and had little room to deal with the issue of unemployment or any other social issues that arose from the collapse of communism. Therefore, due to the mentioned

Divorce Bill Essay Example for Free

Divorce Bill Essay Marriage is regarded as a sacred union between man and a woman, and the family founded on marriage is recognized as a fount of love, protection and care; therefore it must be cherished and must last forever. Nonetheless, when everything is broken, and many tears were shed, all ends into divorce. Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties (unlike annulment, which declares the marriage null and void). Divorce laws vary considerably around the world, but in most countries it requires the sanction of a court or other authority in a legal process. The reason that gave me urge to pursue this topic is my sympathy to the children that will get left behind. This survey showcases the different views of some people towards this topic. â€Å"Divorce is a declaration of independence with only two signers. – Gerard Lieberman The question I am contending goes like this: â€Å"Pipirma ka ba?† People have different views and opinions concerning this topic. There are those who are in favor of divorce and those who are not in favor of divorce. The third will be those who are neutral. I asked several students about their stand on divorce. The following are the comments of some anti-divorce people: According to Jerome Canonizado, 1st year student of Mapua Institute of Technology, why would people bother themselves for a marriage if they will just give themselves pester and hassle in dealing with divorce papers? Canonizado is implying that he is implying that he isn’t in favor with divorce. Another comment from Sorell Angeles, a freshman student in Ateneo de Manila University, said no for he believes that marriage is a lifetime   decision that’s why choosing the right partner should be taken seriously. He as well added that with divorce, the sanctity and holiness of marriage will be easily broken by those who will not be serious for this manner. Other respondents like Julius Rodriguez of Mapua, and John De Asis of Ateneo, stressed out the vows and promises renounced by the couple during the marriage. They are saying that after all these vows and promises, why would a couple end up filing divorce papers with each other? They are implicitly saying that their stand for this subject is against divorce. In addition with these anti-divorce people above, another anti-divorce person in the name of Bernadette Senado, a cell group mentor and a teacher gave her opinion as regards to divorce. She said that in this day and age, most relationships are results of people’s emotional impulses. Because of these, people were blinded and were not able to make right decisions and choices, and choose the right partner. All in all, in any angle, according to her, there’s no beauty in divorce. Now, the following are the comments of the pro-divorce people: Arnold Justin Mejia Rull, a resident of Marikina city, commented that he is a pro-divorce. His answer was based on a certain situation in a relationship. According to him, he would definitely file a divorce case once gets battered. Another pro-divorce person would be Alec Baluyot, a 1st year student of Mapua. For him, when the time comes where the intimacy and spark between a couple no longer exists, he will file a divorce. This would prevent more damages caused by the quarrels and fights of the couple, which would greatly give an impact to their children. At this time, the following are the scrutinizations made by the people whose stand on this matter is neutral. For John Roel Yerro, a freshman student of Ateneo de Manila University, his decision for this subject depends on the situation undergone by a couple. What is more important for him is the proper and efficient management of a relationship between couples. Another student from Ateneo, in the person of Benro Balaoing, stated his stand for this issue. According to him, nowadays, we’re in a situation where in what is needed are the security of life and the preservation of the honor and dignity of each individual in our country. The children are the ones greatly affected by this issue. In addition to that, he said that instead of condemning a couple for making a wrong decision, he said that what is more important is the options we can provide for them to be freed out of such atrocious situations. As shown in this paper, people have different stands on divorce. In the end, though, the surefire way to avoid this tragic ending is awareness: awareness of yourself, awareness of your relationship, and awareness of the welfare of the children. As for me, I don’t have my own firm stand right now. With that I’m neither saying that I’m totally opposing divorce nor approbating with it. Actually, I’m somewhat in favor with the passing of the bill. Divorce would be auspicious for me when done in a complete and systematic way. With systematic and complete, I mean, all papers are reviewed well, the side of the both parties are well heard, in short, everything is analyzed stupendously. On the other hand, I would like, as much as possible, to prevent the filing of divorce cases. I honor the sanctity and holiness of marriage, and believe its lifetime prominence to a couple, that’s why it should be preserved, maintained, and kept until the last breath of the c ouple. Prior to our knowledge, the Philippines had been colonized by the Spaniards for approximately 300 years. For this reason, Catholicism, brought by these colonizers in our country, has a great influence to the state. The Filipino identity which is mostly explicit in this matter is their complete and pious devotion to the Roman Catholic Church and its beliefs since Filipinos, as stated earlier, were greatly influenced by the religion brought by Spaniards. In view of the fact that the Catholic Church believes that marriage is a lifetime partnership and commitment between couples, it can be said that the church does not concur with the concept of divorce. This may be proved by the absence of divorce here in the Philippines. Only annulment is passed out in our country. The statements that I like the most are: The responses that I dislike are: I like his statement because we have the same stand and it doesn’t show any bias. I also favor this response because this answer is very eye catching plus it’s composition structure is superb. I dislike this for responses are irrelevant. Only God holds and knows our future. Marriage couldn’t be dash with that reason and there is a bigger chance that the children could be more affected when their parents are separated. I also dislike this because we, humans must know what is right and wrong.

Effective Leadership Styles of School Principles

Effective Leadership Styles of School Principles In order to be effective, schools require skilled leaders. The role of the principal is the key to a schools ability to meet the needs of the teacher it serves. However, the impact and the influence a principal has on teacher commitment is not a simple relationship. Principals in todays schools require the person in the position to carry out a countless number of functions as well act in a variety of different roles. As DeLucca, et al. (1997) found, the literature on educational leadership clearly emphasizes that the principal is a highly complex and demanding role (p. 105). Fullan (1991) described the changing role of the principals over the past two decades as becoming dramatically more complex (p. 144). The study of transformational leadership in the context of principals school leadership is relatively new. Building upon the work of Burns (1978), Bass (1985), and Bass and Avolio (1994), Leithwood (1994) developed a transformational model of school leadership. Leithwood states that transformational leadership skills are necessary skills for principals if they are to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Recent studies completed by various scholars in the field have indicated that administrators who demonstrate a transformational leadership style have teaching staff with increased job satisfaction, a greater sense of teaching efficacy, demonstrate higher levels of organizational commitment, and have less staff turnover (Griffith, 2004; Yu, et al., 2002; Ross Gray, 2006). However, strategic leadership is the main role of the principal while pedagogical leadership is the responsibility of the teachers (Crowther et al., 2000 and, 2002; Smylie-Hart, 1999). Their relationships have been described by Crowther et al. (2000) as parallel leadership. Teacher leaders and administrator leaders work in parallel and develop new roles and relationships within the school. Strategic leadership theory suggested that strategic leaders are individuals who have the ability to think strategically by envisioning, anticipating, innovating, maintaining flexibility, and mobilizing others to adopt changes which provide the organization with a competitive advantage (Elenkov, et al, 2005; Ireland Hitt, 2005). Strategic leaders enable organizational staff to exploit diverse opportunities to adapt and respond to environmental uncertainty. According to Ireland and Hitt, strategic leadership theory advocates that, companies are a reflection of their top managers, and, in particular , of the chief executive officers (p. 65). Hence, Davies (2004) had identified nine factors associated with the strategic leadership styles of school heads. In his terms, Davies classified these nine factors into two parts: firstly, the ability of a school head to undertake organizational activity (strategic competence, strategic orientation, strategic translation, strategic alignment, and strategic interaction), and secondly, his or her individual characteristics (restless, absorptive, adaptive, wise). Teacher commitment is crucial to effective schools, teacher satisfaction and retention. There has been increasing interest among scholars in the concept of commitment and the study of the commitment of several professionals such as students (Staw, 1976; Meyer Allen, 1987). Educational researchers have focused on commitment to the organization in this case, teachers (Firestone, 1990; Tyree, 1996; Nais, 1981). They call this phenomenon teacher commitment, denoting commitment to the school (Ryes, 1989). Commitment is part of a teachers affective or emotional reaction to their experience in a school setting (Ebmeire Nicklaus, 1999). According to the related literature, in these circumstances employees can develop affective commitment: in a more decentralized organizational structure (Robbins, 1997), in an organizational structure having an open and honest communication network (Zangaro, 2001), in an organizational culture encouraging participation (Parnell Crandall, 2003), when they h ave the opportunity to participate in decision-making (Somech Bogler, 2002), especially in strategically important decisions (Lines, 2004; Celep, 2000), and when they are affected by the outcomes of these decisions (Torka, 2004), when they have the opportunity to participate in the strategic planning process (Oswald et al., 1994), when they are provided with autonomy (Firestone Pennell, 1993), when they have the opportunity to acquire knowledge and other resources in the organization (McDermott et al., 1996), when strategic objectives (Enriquez et al., 2001), expectations (OCreevy et al., 1997) and the vision (Oswald et al., 1994) of the organization are communicated to them, when they are treated fairly and justly (Martin Bennett, 1996; Naumann et al., 1998), when they have adequate payment (Abdulla Shaw, 1999), when there is a congruence of ethical values between employee and organization (and/or manager or supervisor) (Schwepker, 1999; Peterson, 2003; Janssen, 2004), when the y have a supportive, facilitative and hearty leader (Kidd Smewing, 2001; Hui et al., 2004) and when they find their leader (or supervisor) trustworthy (Perry, 2004). STATEMENT OF PROBLEM Many researchers have pointed out that in order to be effective in the current context of school improvement, principals need to conform to the role as transformational leaders who have the potential for building high levels of commitment to the complex and uncertain nature of the restructuring agenda (Caldwell, 1992;, Hallinger, 1992;, Leithwood Jantzi, 1997;, Murphy Hallinger, 1992). There are differences in what these roles might include, that is, what the dimensions of principal leadership style are. Building the dimensional measure of principal leadership style, thus, motivated the researcher to conduct this study in the hope that it will contribute to our understanding of the principals transformational leadership style which is considered a foundation of school effectiveness. Another important issue that has not been adequately examined by previous research is the underlying model of the strategic leadership styles of principals. Waldman and Javidan (2002) indicated that little research exists on strategic leadership and its influence on organizational performance. The general problem is that contextual factors influence leadership behaviors across all levels of the organization, thus constraining leaders to adopt behaviors driven by external and internal demands. (Antonakis House, 2002;, Carroll, 2002;, Waldman, et al, 2001;, Waldman Javidan, 2002). It has been widely recognized that many discouraged school behaviours are, to an important extent, due to the low commitment of teachers. Teachers who experience this deficiency would engage in a variety of work behaviours that only reinforce their task failure (Rosenholtz, 1989). In an effort to overcome this, teacher commitment becomes necessary. Leithwood et al. (1994) suggest that committed teachers are less likely to leave the organization and have a desire to improve practices in an effort to realize the schools mission. Therefore, teacher commitment should be examined because it leads to greater job effort and involvement. (Porter, et al, 1974;, Rosenholtz, 1989). Since there is no specific style that is best for all situations, developing skills in selection of appropriate transformational and strategic leadership styles need to be emphasized because if these skills are poor, the consequence can be quite negative. Ubben and Hughes (1992) postulate that effective leadership depends on understanding the condition of a problem situation and assessing correctly how much participation is required to be successful and the form that this participation should take. An incorrect response to the demand of a situation may have a negative impact on-teachers personal satisfaction and may consequently affect their enthusiasm and commitment. Many times staff or teachers are dissatisfied with principals, not because of the nature of their decision, but because of the leadership style used (Leadership Management Development Center, 1997). Moreover, the Ministry of Education in Thailand enforces school principals to obtain quality assurance certification once every five years, where the schools need to ensure the system is developed in accordance with the standards, criteria, principles and guidelines as stipulated in the educational Act. In recent years, the average points obtained in the national test shows that, Islamic private schools in three provinces of southern Thailand ranked bottom compared to other schools in national ranking as far as academic achievement is concerned. (Secretary Board of Educational Office, 2007). In addition, Sermsak and his colleagues (2004) noted, the Islamic private secondary school principals lack of skills especially in educational management. As a member of an educational organization, the researcher considers that it is important to conduct this study. In this study, the researcher focuses on the principals in Islamic private secondary schools in southern Thailand. As mentioned abo ve, principals are educational leaders and teachers are practical instruments in achieving the schools goals. Conducting a study to identify which is the most effective principal leadership style (transformational leadership or strategic leadership) and its effect on teacher commitment is believed to be a worthwhile study. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK The theory that this study has tried to build was based on the foundations of several existing theories in the literature. Firstly, the study reviewed various dimensions of leadership styles from previous studies by Barnett et al. (2001), Chui et al. (1996), Janzi and Leithwood, (1996), and Leithwood et al. (1996) considering-the present school context in southern Thailand. Five relevant dimensions of leadership styles are specifically proposed to be used in this study (Liethwood, 1996). The five dimensions of transformational leadership styles are visionary leadership, individual orientation, structural leadership, empowering leadership and role modelling Secondly, the study reviewed the strategic leadership styles (Davies, 2004; Davies Davies, 2004). There are nine categories of strategic leadership characteristics. In his terms, Davies classified these nine factors into two categories; individual characteristics (restlessness, absorption, adaptiveness/adaptibility and wisdom) and organizational capability (strategic competence, strategic orientation, strategic translation, strategic alignment and strategic interaction. Thirdly, the study reviewed a theory from perspective of the affective approach on commitment. Commitment is defined as the relative strength of a persons identification with and involvement in an organization (Mowday et al., 1982). According to Buchanan (1974), commitment is a partisan or affective attachment to the aims and values of an organization, to ones role in relation with these aims and values and to an organization for its own sake, Further, according to the cost-benefit approach, commitment is a result of the perception of benefit associated with staying in and the perception of cost associated with leaving from an organization (Kanter, 1968). From the normative approach, commitment is the aggregate internalized normative pressures to conduct in a manner which meets organizational objectives and interests (Wiener, 1982). It extensively examines the influences of transformational leadership and strategic leadership on teacher identification, involvement, and loyalty to the commitment (Abdulhakam, 2005). The three factors of teacher commitment are identification, involvement and loyalty. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES Based on the statement of research problem and the theoretical model as seen in Figure 1, the objectives of the study are as follows: To examine the factors underlying the transformational leadership styles of school principals in Islamic private secondary schools in Southern Thailand. To examine the factors underlying the strategic leadership styles of school principals in Islamic private secondary schools in Southern Thailand. To examine the factors underlying the teacher commitment of school teachers in Islamic private secondary schools in Southern Thailand. To examine the effect of transformational leadership style of school principals in Islamic private secondary schools in Southern Thailand. To examine the effect of strategic leadership style of school principals in Islamic private secondary schools in Southern Thailand. To examine the effect of transformational leadership of school principals on teacher commitment through strategic leadership style in Islamic private secondary schools in Southern Thailand. To examine the effect of strategic leadership style of school principals on teacher commitment through transformational leadership style in Islamic private secondary schools in Southern Thailand. RESEARCH HYPOTHESES As stated earlier, the objectives of the study are to examine the factors underlying the transformational leadership and strategic leadership styles on teacher-commitment and to examine which leadership style which is dominant among the Islamic private secondary school principals. Thus, the hypotheses of the study are as follows: H1: Transformational leadership styles of school principals are represented by visionary, individual orientation, structural leadership, empowering leadership, and role modelling. H2: Strategic leadership styles of school principals are represented by restlessness, absorption, adaptiveness/adaptability, wisdom, strategic competence, strategic orientation, strategic translation, and strategic alignment. H3: Teacher commitment factors are represented by identification, involvement, and  loyalty. H4: The transformational leadership style of school principals directly and significantly affects teacher commitment. H5: The strategic leadership style of school principals directly and significantly affects teacher commitment. H6: The transformational leadership style of school principals positively and significantly affects teacher commitment through strategic leadership style. H7: The strategic leadership style of school principals positively and significantly affects teacher commitment through transformational leadership style. RESEARCH DESIGN This research adopted a quantitative approach as described by Creswell (2003), by emphasizing the utilization of quantitative surveys to determine if the effects existed between the variables, strategic leadership and transformational leadership styles, and teacher commitment as perceived by Islamic private secondary school teachers in three provinces in Southern Thailand. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) is used to determine to what extent the model of hypothesized effects is supported, and how well a hypothesized conceptual model fits the associated data. The Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) is preferred because many previous studies supported the employment of SEM in this kind of research (see e.g. Clegg et al. 1997, Neilson 1997). SEM is also selected because of its ability to define and test a comprehensive System Contingency Approach (Hiltz, 1994) type of theoretical models. For instance Chin (1998, vii) has mentioned that, when applied correctly, SEM-based procedures have substantial advantages over first-generation techniques such as principal component analysis, factors analysis, discriminant analysis, or multiple regression because of the greater flexibility that researcher has for the interplay between theory and data. Compared to these first generation techniques often used in these types of analysis, some of the advantages of the SEM include the ability to: (1) estimate the direct, indirect, and total effects of variables; (2) define and investigate relationships among latent constructs; (3) estimate the variance accounte d for in each latent construct by other variables in the model; and (4) estimate error terms associated with each observed and latent variable (Heck and Wolcott 1997; Li, Harmer Duncan, Acock and Boles 1998). Research methods of the study consist of two steps; firstly, a hypothesized model will be developed by reviewing related literatures. The model will be assessed by educational experts. Secondly, the developed learning process reform model will be validated using the SEM to analyze the data collected from the Islamic private secondary school teachers in three provinces in Southern Thailand (Narathiwat, Yala, and Pattani,) Instrumentation In addition, at the end of the questionnaire there is an open space, where respondents have the opportunity to write about their experiences on commitment or comment on the questionnaire or the study in general. The Thai language questionnaire is filled out anonymously and it took about 20 minutes to complete. Validity and Reliability Content validity The validity of the measurement-items will be assessed in order to determine if a measure adequately reflects the real meaning of the construct under consideration. Two types of validity checks were performed in the initial stages of scale development: (1) Content Validity and (2) Construct Validity (Hair et al., 2006). Construct validity Construct validity or factorial validity, describes the logic of items which comprise measures of social concepts; this refers to the extent to which the empirical definition of the construct corresponds to the conceptual definition of the construct (Hair et al., 2006). Two types of validity were used to assess Construct Validity: (i) Convergent Validity and (ii) Discriminant Validity. Reliability The Cronbachs Alpha value is used to assess the reliability parameters. It provides a summary of the intercorrelations that exist among the set of items. Any suspect measurement-items will be removed. For this research study, the expected Cronbachs Alpha value is above than 0.7 as suggested by Hair et al. (2006), implying a statistically acceptable internal consistency reliability. Population and Sample The population in this study is Islamic private secondary school teachers in three provinces in Southern Thailand who teach in the school that are generally based on the Western Educational model. A simple random sampling is used to select the participants. The expected margin of error (accuracy) should  ± 4 % and confidence interval of 95% (Ferguson, 1981; Vockell Asher, 1995). All survey instrument will mailed to and administered by the Principal and Manager for administration for the respective schools. All completed survey instruments will return to researcher using enclosed envelopes. Data analysis method and Statistical technique This study will employed Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) techniques to determine the extent to which the model of the hypothesized effects is supported. All the statistical procedures are performed using SPSS 11.5 and AMOS 16.0. SEM evaluates how well a hypothesized conceptual model fits the associated data. Sometimes SEM is called a latent variable causal modeling because it is used to test causal models and theories, and because it involves the measurement of latent variables. The SEM is usually viewed as a confirmatory rather than as an exploratory procedure. It can also be seen as a family of statistical techniques which incorporates and integrates path analysis and factor analysis. The model consists of two parts, the measurement model and the structural model. The measurement model specifies how latent variables or hypothetical constructs depend upon or are indicated by the observed variables. It describes the measurement properties (reliabilities and validities) of the observed variables. The structural model instead specifies the causal relationships among the latent variables. By causal what is meant is the assumption that, everything else being constant, a change in the variable at the tail of the arrow will result in a change in the variable at the head of the arrow (Loehlin,1987, p.4). SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY Result of this study are pictured to provide empirical data on factors of effective leadership styles among Islamic private secondary school principals in Southern Thailand that have not been fully studied. Therefore, this study will fill this research need. Thus, the results of this study are expected to help in the understanding of teachers and principals which is in accordance with effective leadership styles. The findings are extremely important to understand or determine the effect or failure of factors affecting the implementation of principal leadership styles both in terms of on transformational leadership and strategic leadership styles as perceived by the teachers. Such information can help to improve the strategy in order to accomplish school success. Finally, this study will aid teacher educators, administrators, professional development coordinators, and government officials to adequately prepare, train, and support principals so they may become effective Islamic principals in line with the current educational reform endeavour as intended by the Ministry of Education in Thailand. These considerations make this study worthwhile. DEFINITION OF TERMS Principal Leadership Behaviour The behaviour on the part of principals that transforms change in their followers through visionary leadership, individual orientation, structural leadership, empowering leadership, and role modelling. Strategic Leadership It is defined as educational executives who adopt a new way of thinking and acting. More than ever before, strategic educational leadership depends upon a restlessness, absorption, adaption, wisdom, strategic competence, strategic orientation, strategic translation, strategic alignment, and strategic interaction Teacher commitment It is defined as the relative strength of teachers identification with, involvement with, and loyalty in a school organization. In this study, teacher commitment is measured primarily by the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire (OCQ) developed by Mowday and his colleagues (1979) and also by selected items from other scale developers (e.g., Allen Meyer, 1990; Buchanan, 1974; Blau, 1985; Cook Wall, 1980). Islamic Private School (IPS) The schools, which are established by private individuals, offering both religion and secular subjects are fully subsidized or partly subsidized, or not subsidized at all. Those schools that are not subsidized enjoy a certain degree of freedom in educational operation and organizing educational activities (e.g. manpower, finance, and material resources). The present study deals with the first category of schools (fully subsidized) whose educational activities are under the governments supervision.

A Comparison of Love in The Knights Tale, Wife of Baths Tale, and Fra

Love in The Knight's Tale, Wife of Bath's Tale, and Franklin's Tale    The Canterbury Tales, written by Geoffrey Chaucer around 1386, is a collection of tales told by pilgrims on a religious pilgrimage. Three of these tales; "The Knight's Tale", "The Wife of Bath's Tale", and "The Franklin's Tale", involve different kinds of love and different love relationships. Some of the loves are based on nobility, some are forced and some are   based on mutual respect for each partner. My idea of love is one that combines aspects from each of the tales told in The Canterbury Tales.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In "The Knights Tale", the love between the two knights and Emily is intensely powerful. The love that Palomon and Arcite feel towards Emily is so strong that the two knights feel that it is worth more than life. At one point Palomon says to Arcite, " Though I have no weapon here . . . either you shall die or you shall not love Emily." The love that Palomon feels for Emily is so overwhelming that he is willing to take on an armed man, in mortal combat, just for the love of a woman. Perhaps he feels that without her he will surely die, so why not die trying to win her.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The ironic fact about the relationship between the two knights and Emily is that Emily does not wish to marry either of the knights. she expresses this in a prayer to Diana, the goddess of chaste, " Well you know that I desire to be a maiden all my life; I never want to be either a beloved or a wife." This is so ironic because Arcite and Palomon are about to kill each other for her love and she doesn't want to beloved by either of them. She enjoys the thrills of maiden ho... ... Wife of Bath's Tale" the knight is forced into a love relationship, which I feel could only lead to an unfulfilling relationship. Also in " The Knight's Tale ", Arcite and Palomon are in love with a woman to whom they have never even spoken to. This is hardly the basis for a strong and lasting relationship.    Works Cited    Bowden, Muriel.   A Reader's Guide to Geoffrey Chaucer.   New York:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1964.    Howard, Edwin J. Geoffrey Chaucer.   New York: Twayne Publishers,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In., 1964.    Justman, Stewart. "Love in The Canterbury Tales."   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Modern Critical Views on Geoffrey Chaucer.   Ed. Harold   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Bloom.   New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1995.    Patterson, Lee.   Chaucer and the Subject of History.   Wisconsin:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The University of Wisconsin Press, 1991

Capital Punishment Essay -- Death Penalty

Capital Punishment The definition of capital punishment is the legal punishment of death for violating criminal law. The person who gets capital punishment is the ones who committed serious crimes. Methods of capital punishment throughout the world are by stoning, beheading, hanging, electrocution, lethal injection and shooting. The two most common methods capital punishment use in the United States are lethal injection and electrocution. The lethal injection is the most used form of capital punishment. It’s an intravenous shot that kills the criminal quick and painless. When capital punishment is done by electrocution the criminal is strapped to a chair that a volts of electricity is pass through. In America if all people agree with capital punishment there will be less crimes. Capital punishment is different in each state, so depending on what state a crime is committed there’s different punishments for committing serious crime. To deter and reduce serious crimes all states need to have the same laws. Crimes can only be reduced or deterred by making people frightened of being arrested, convicted, and punish for crimes the commit. When a person commits a serious crime, which causes another life to be lost, they should have their right to live taken. If there was a standard law in which capital punishment was permitted in all fifty states, serious crimes will be reduce. When people already know that if they will be executed for taking another life, people will think...

And Then There Were None :: essays research papers

Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, published by Washington Square Press, is regarded by most critics to be her masterpiece. After publishing almost eighty books, this was the one she was truly most proud of. Why? Mainly, because critics have quoted it to have sold more copies than Shakespeare and the Bible. However, Christie has so much more to be proud of in this novel. With an outstanding mystery/murder plot, combined with a dark, cryptic setting involving many deranged guests; one can see she has accomplished a lot in this novel.Ten guests are invited to a mysterious island called "Indian Island". Each guest was sent invitations that were signed by people they had met before. Once the visitors arrived at the island and were aquatinted with each other, they found out that their host, U.N. Owen, (Unknown) had not arrived yet. At dinner, a strange voice was heard, accusing each of them of a murder, and which they were all guilty of. This is the rising action of the story. One by one each guest is killed off by the anonymous murderer according to a famous nursery rhyme. As more people are killed off, one by one, the group narrows the suspect list down. Hence defining the classic "Who Done It?" mystery novel.The Characters in And Then There Were None are the ones who make the book come to life. Because this novel follows the "Who Done It" theme, there are the few obvious characters. 1) The inspector, always trying to get an accusation across as to who the murderer is(of course never correct). 2) The doctor, Devon Island's answer to the question nobody ever asked. 3) The old married couple (Mr. + Mrs. Rogers), always passionate to others, until a guest discovers an eerie secret. 4) The murderer (Justice Wargrave), finally the one guest that is portrait as the most obvious, until he dies (then comes back to life). This person always remains discrete until the last moment where he reveals that he is a rampaging, psychopathic, cold blooded killer. 5) The innocent victims, of course, what story is complete without the sad tales of innocent live being slaughtered. One or two of these characters are always the ones who you first expect, and are always at the scene of the crime...how convenient.And Then There Were None is indeed one of the best books I have read.

How Lennie Is Portrayed in the First Chapter Essay

To begin with, Steinbeck describes Lennie’s physical features to be very animal-like. He states that he walked â€Å"the way a bear drags his paws†. The use of animal imagery in this quote illustrates an image of a huge man heavily dragging himself, not only suggesting his size but also suggesting his immense strength. Due to his physicality, he is unable to carry out tasks normal people would be able to do. He is unable to control himself, specifically his strength—thus easily breaking things. Steinbeck emphasizes this as he brings up incidents of Lennie having killed mice and other small, fragile animals, while petting them. Lennie is also described to have an animal’s mental state, leaning towards animal instincts rather than human instincts. Steinbeck states he’d â€Å"drink out of a gutter if [he] was thirsty†, displaying Lennie’s rash behaviour. His urge to satisfy his immediate desire would overpower the need to be cautious and aware of his surroundings. Many people think before they act. In Lennie’s case however, he doesn’t think at all as George does it for him. Lennie was â€Å"snorting into the water like a horse† which also proves his uncivilized manner. Furthermore, Lennie’s animal instincts prevent him from being able to learn. Like wild animals, he is uncontrollable and unpredictable; though he may be trained and taught not to do some things, they are bound to commit the same mistakes over and over again. Steinbeck states that George had â€Å"hopelessly† warned Lennie about the water he was drinking, proving that George’s warnings will not affect Lennie in any way as he is bound to forget—he will never learn. Not only is Lennie’s mental behaviour similar to an animal, but it is also similar to a child. Lennie is described to be â€Å"puzzled† and thathe â€Å"giggled happily† at some parts of their conversation, showing that he is unaware and immature. He constantly forgets everything very easily and doesn’t sense the seriousness in some of their conversations—showing that his maturity is like of a 6 year-old, who needs constant reminding and explaining of almost every matter discussed. Steinbeck states that after Lennie created ripples in the water with his fingers, he said â€Å"Look George, look what I done. He is easily impressed at the ripples he made and notifies George of his work to make him proud. Lennie’s child-like character also depicts a father/son relationship between Lennie and George. Earlier in the book, it is stated that â€Å"Lennie’s closed hand slowly obeyed† after George had commanded Lennie to hand over a dead mouse. The adverb â€Å"slowly† shows that though Lennie was reluctant to follow George’s orders, he had no choice but to obey him. Like an obedient son who must follow his father, Lennie fears George—the paternal figure—conveying George’s authority over Lennie. Supporting this, Lennie’s timid behaviour towards George is constantly portrayed as he is described to be speaking â€Å"slowly† and â€Å"cautiously† to George—indicating Lennie’s high level of respect for George. As a son would look up to his father, Lennie also sees George as his role model and a leader. Steinbeck portrays Lennie as submissive—giving him the role of the follower between the two main characters. Lennie is said to have â€Å"imitated George exactly† proving that he sees George as a role model. He â€Å"imitates† George, depicting his respect for him. Lennie also prioritizes him and whatever he says. This is seen when he tries to recall a memory from the past saying, â€Å"and you says†¦you says†. It is conveyed through this quote that he is dependent on George as he values George’s opinions more than his opinions. Supporting the fact that Lennie is dependent on George, George says, â€Å"think I’d let you carry your own work card? † This proves that George is much more responsible than Lennie, who constantly forgets things. Steinbeck also states in the beginning of the book that they walked in a â€Å"single file†, conveying that one is the leader and the other is the follower. Their relationship evidently highlights George’s authority over Lennie.

Analysis of “the Use of Force” by William Carlos Williams

Justin Thomas Mrs. J Clark English 1 honors 2nd block 10 April 2013 Analysis of â€Å"The Use of Force† by William Carlos Williams In the book there is a doctor who wants to do well for others. He understands what the family is going through because in the story it says, â€Å"But I’ve seen two children lying dead the week of diphtheria because of neglect, I was not about to let that happen so it was diagnosed now or never. † There is also a girl who is sick. She has a sore throat and she won’t talk or open her mouth to anyone.The girl is very stubborn but she is terrified of the doctor as it says, â€Å"don’t call me a nice man. I’m here to look at her throat on the chance that she might have diphtheria and possibly die of it, but that’s nothing, she terrified of me. † Another character would be the father. He acts as if any father should only wanting the best for his daughter in the passage, â€Å"she’s had a fever for a few days and we don’t know where it comes from. † The mother is very frantic in this situation when she says, â€Å"If you don’t do what the doctor says you will have to go to the hospital. The conflict in the story is that this girl has been sick for a few days. Her parents call in a doctor to their house to check her out. You can tell in the story what atmosphere when the father says,† my wife has given her the things you know they do but don’t do no good. † You can tell that this is taken place in an either uneducated place or where that lingo is part of the culture. The girl in the story is so frightened and struck with fear that the excessive use of force just escalates the situation more.The doctor only wants to help the little girl. He clearly states that by saying,† But I’ve seen two children lying dead the week of diphtheria because of neglect, I was not about to let that happen so it was diagnosed now or never. † The girl is just scared to death by all of the commotion and sure that is why she is so resentful to comply. The mother and father both have the same intentions for their daughter but I believe that the mother is more sympathetic and the father just wants to get things over with.The methods of persuasion and how they got the girl to comply are simply trying to coax with words but unfortunately led to physical aggression. In the story the mom gently says, â€Å"come on, please do what his tells you, he won’t hurt you. † Then later on into the story it leads to the father having to hold down the daughter while the doctor tried to pry open the girls mouth a spoon. The conflict that soon arises out of story is the daughter is that she is unwilling to comply with the doctor.She won’t open her mouth for anything and no matter the coaxing the doctor or her parents and she just won’t listen. Eventually it leads to the girl getting hurt in the story it says,â₠¬  the child’s mouth was already was already bleeding. Her tongue was cut and she was screaming hysterically. † In the end the doctor had to overpower the child and pry her mouth open with a metal spoon. It was rough but it might have been rough but it saved the girls life.

Online Education vs Traditional Education Essay

Nowadays, with the technology furtherance and the increased use of the internet, online education has gained significant acceptance and popularity all over the world. Not too long ago, online education offered no competition to traditional education . Today, with more choices being offered online, traditional education is now facing a number of challenges in every level. This has as a result, the competition between those two educational programs, having to compare the advantages and disadvantages of both methods of study, being measured since those methods are means for us to expand our opportunities and advance our careers. In the following paragraphs, I will expand the differences and similarities between online education and traditional education and compare their characteristics. Online education is defined as the creation and proliferation of the personal computer, the globalization of ideas and other human acts, and the use of technology in exchanging ideas and providing access to more people. Audio, video, computer, and networking technologies are often combined to create a multifaceted instructional delivery system. The fundamental method to unite the distance learning instructor with the distance learner is the network. Networks suitable for distance learning implementations include satellite, cable modem, digital subscriber lines (DSL), and wireless cable, (Collins, 2002). According to an article, students need to monitor their progress to the technology evolution and adjust their strategies for learning based on their development. Plus they need to control a time management schedule in order to complete online learning activities in the proper timeframes, (Orellana, 2009, p. 470). Online education requires time management skills and requires self-discipline. It takes patience, time and energy to be able to do that with success. The online student must be able to balance school, work, and a family. However, proper management must be maintained in order to balance all of the responsibilities and be successful in all areas. Online education gives you the opportunity to pursue quality and affordable education without interrupting your personal or professional life. It allows more flexibility and you are able to manage your study schedule according to your comfort and availability of time. So, you can program your personal life respectively with your studies thanks to the online education’s special mode of learning. This gives to the students the comfort to study from their homes, workplaces or anywhere they are in the world. What’s more is that, many distance programs allow to their student to complete the coursework any time during the day, while still adhering to overall deadlines. Online education has lower cost. It is considered more affordable than traditional because there are no transportations costs, no need to buy textbooks and you do not need to rent a place to live close to the university. Also, online education programs offer scholarships, financial aid packages, including loans and grants, exactly as the traditional education institutions. Another characteristic that cannot be ignored is communication. In online education programs you can communicate with your tutors anytime you want, anywhere, with any way you prefer to communicate (with the technology you have available). Online educational techniques are not only flexible and interactive, but at the same time interesting as. Besides, the fact that the student has straight access to an assigned professor or lecturer, allows each student to learn with the methods that work best for them. Another feature of online education is that if you are not a social person, an online school may be the right choice for you. You do not have to deal with meeting up new people. Moreover, a big part of people choose to follow the online education route for the quantity of material they are able to find, or because the tutors are more obtainable via internet than they would be in a normal classroom setting. At the same time, there are some similarities which can be seen in an online and traditional system of education. First of all, assignments are a part of learning, whether you choose to attend classes online or in a traditional system, you will be assigned homework to complete. The assignments are expected to be done about the course you are enrolled in and delivered them to your personal tutor between the deadlines. A second similarity between online and traditional system is that the reference material – text books are common for both systems. Even though a course may be taken online, text books are still central to learning relevant information and many of the students are using the electronic books. In traditional education, students have to buy the books because they study from them in the class and home. Thirdly, tests and exams are used to test your understanding and retention of a particular topic/subject. It is usually given to students during the academic semesters including midterms. Even though you may study in an online course, you have to expect to be required for course exams. Exams may be given online, or you may be required to visit the institution’s campus to complete the exam. In both education systems, students have common information to study thus they have common exams. Last but not least, academic instructors make themselves available to students to help them learn the required material. Whether you are attending school online or on campus, professors are likely to have office hours, where you can get clarification on an issue or otherwise communicate with your professor. In both the types of classes, teachers will be available to help the students in any matter. Alternatives ways to contact them would be email. Traditional education, also known as back-to-basics, conventional education or customary education, refers to long-established customs found in schools that society has traditionally deemed appropriate. Some forms of education reform promote the adoption of progressive education practices, a more holistic approach which focuses on individual students’ needs and self-expression. In the eyes of reformers, traditional teacher-centered methods focused on rote learning and memorization must be abandoned in favor of student-centered and task-based approaches to learning. However, many parents and conservative citizens are concerned with the maintenance of objective educational standards based on testing, which favors a more traditional approach. (Wikipedia,2011) First of all, school is a main place which you can meet up people from different places in your community. Friendship is too important, no-one can live without having a friend around. School is the most important place for humanity to learn. It is very important for everyone because is a place that people can build up strong relationships with each other and also is a place to learn a lot of information. In addition, communication is easy because everyone is on the same building the same hours. So, it is easier for students to study together and help each other. You can ask questions whenever you deal with difficulties either to your teacher either to your classmates because you are all in each other lives. Lastly, study at school is easy for the teacher to take care of the students, help them and get to know how he/she should behave according to the student. Whenever a student has questions or difficulties, he or she can ask teacher right away, also students don’t need to wait for a long time just for a question. Now, comparing the traditional education with online education system there are and some differences too. Starting with online education, firstly, students do not have the opportunity to socialize with friends and do not communicate with other people. Also, students are spending too many hours in front of one screen and that can causes back pain and eye problems. Moreover, if you have limited access to internet (connections are slow) and you do not know how to use technology then you probably fail to your lessons. Continuing with the traditional education, enables students to have more creativity and be more sociable thus they can cooperate and collaborate with each other and the teachers. It is easier to communicate because you have face-to-face contact. Furthermore, teachers can provide instant feedbacks to the students and motivate them to succeed and teach them about discipline. In my opinion, REFERENCES: * Collins, (2002), Definition of online education * Schutte, J. G. , (1996),â€Å"Virtual Teaching in Higher Education: The new intellectual superhighway or just another traffic jam? †, California State University, Northridge. * http://www. acadenia. com/education-articles/Online-education-traditional. asp * http://www. dagorret. net/difference-between-online-education-vs-traditional-education/ * http://lyzreblin. blogspot. com/2012/02/online-education-vs-traditional. html – The challenges of online education * Jeni Johnson, (2012), Online Education Vs. Traditional Education, April 4 * Wikipedia, (2011), Traditional education, May, * (Orellana, Hudgins, & Simonson, 2009, p. 470). * Elise Wile, Advantages and Disadvantages of Traditional Education, eHow Contributor * Similarities Between Online & Traditional Classes,eHow. com In conclusion, although online education have some beneficial impacts for students, but traditional education provide better place for students to study and socialize with friends. As well as some people limitations to access technology can occurs students can not have education. An online education program can be a very rewarding experience for those individuals wanting to earn a degree in a non-traditional education environment. Studies have shown that students who are mature, self-motivated and organized are extremely successful in their online learning pursuits. By allowing students to control where and when they study, online programs are best-suited to those individuals who possess strong time management skills and are independent learners. Online learning also offers prospective students who are employed or have children and other family commitments the opportunity to earn a degree without sacrificing other important areas of their lives. Younger students, such as elementary or secondary school age, and students who are dependent learners, may find it difficult to assume the responsibilities required by an online program. Ultimately, you make the final decision as to which education program is right for you.

Edgar Degas

Edgar Degas Edgar Degas was born in France; being the oldest out of five children. His family was quite wealthy working as bankers. At a young age, he showed his talent and wanted to become an artist. Being in a wealthy family, he was able to go to good schooling growing up. His father wanted him to go to law school, so he attended Faculty of Law in the University of Paris. He didn't do well in his studies. So he then attended an art school, School of Fine Arts.He used a lot of his free time at an art museum in Paris ladled â€Å"Louvre,† Later, he went to Italy and stayed with his aunt Baron Bluebell to study about Michelangelo and Leonardo dad Vinci. While staying in with his aunt, he painted a famous family picture called The Bluebell Family. He wanted to be a famous artist, so he moved back to Paris in 1859. Degas mainly painted portraits and historical scenes. He turned in his artwork to the Salon for the first time in 1865. The Salon is the official art exhibition in Fra nce.They accepted his artwork of the Scene of War in the Middle Ages. Being enlisted as a national guard during the Franco-Prussian War, this meant little time for painting. He began to stay in Louisiana after the war with his family. During his stay, he mostly painted his family members. He got some attention in France when he painted The Cotton Exchange that was purchased by a museum. Edgar was forced to sell his house when he returned back to France because his brother, Rene, owned a lot of debt. He helped his brother pay the debt by selling his artwork.When the salon started feeling disappointed about his nettings, Degas and a few other artists started organizing their own â€Å"society. † They were called The Impressionists. Edgar took lead in the in organizing the exhibitions. Ingress, Delicacies, and Dandier were the three artists he idealized. Later around the late sass he began to have a passion for photography. He took pictures of his friends, nudes, and dancers. He believed artists should live alone, so he was never married. He spent the rest of his life wandering around Paris, nearly blind. He died 1917.Edgar Degas was known as an Impressionist. Meaning using bright colors, using the effects of light. Degas once said, â€Å"No art was ever less spontaneous as mine, what I do is the result of reflection and of the study of the great masters; of inspiration, spontaneity, temperament, I know nothing. † Collecting Japanese prints influenced his work. He was famous for painting horses, and dancers, although he started off his career painting historical events. Degas changed from painting historical events to modern art. He began to paint people at work, for example, milliners and laundresses.Ever since he started painting modern life, he urged other artists to do the same as well, instead of painting mythological and historical paintings. He changed his brush work, palette, and composition. With his eye troubles of nearly being blind, he n ever really â€Å"finishes† his paintings. In the sass, he mastered oil on a canvas and pastel. Edgar began to draw and paint women in a towel, drying their hair, combing their hair, and taking a bath. He simplified the backgrounds, not too dramatic. He always painted in doors in his studio.Around 860 Degas had a lot of paintings accepted by the Salon. When Edgar Joined the Impressionists, and giving strict rules and Judgment, the Salon rejected the Impressionists. When he submitted the paintings of the nudes, it produced â€Å"the most concentrated body of critical writing on the artist during his lifetime. The overall reaction was positive and laudatory. † Since he was a leader for the Impressionists, Degas was known to be â€Å"one of the founders of impressionism. † Being in the Impressionist movement, he was one of the greatest early artists.

Murder and manslaughter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Murder and manslaughter - Essay Example or in the event that the offender causes death in the process of carrying out an illegal act.2 According to Sir Edward Coke, murder is applied where a person of sound memory and age unlawfully kills in any country another human being under King’s peace with malice, which is premeditated as expressed by the party or implied by the law such that the wounded person dies within an year and a day out of the same. 3 To conclude that the person should be held under actus reus, there first of all has to be unlawful killing and the act of the offender must have been the established cause of death of the victim.4 The killing must be of another human being and under queen’s peace which means stipulates that killing of an enemy in war is not murder. However, the death after an year and day was removed in the law reform act of 1996.5 Under this, there is the malice afterthought. In R v Moloney (1985), the House of Lords concluded that nothing less than the intention to kill or cause bodily harm would be seen as malice afterthought. Just foreseeing the death of a victim as probable was not sufficient. There are two things to be considered under Mens Rea, first the intention to kill where murder is identified as a crime of specific intent.6 The intent in this case could be direct or oblique. In direct intent, the offender desired the death. In oblique, the death is foreseen by the offender as virtually certain, however, not desired for its own sake. Secondly, the intention to cause grievous bodily harm which was accepted under as sufficient mens rea for murder since if the offender was willing to inflict serious body harm, then he had no way of knowing certainly knowing the victim will not die. Intentional body harm is evidence that a victim could die. 7 In the case of Anthony the political activist who set up bombs in order to get attention for what he was lobbying against, genetically modified crops, a couple of considerations can be identified in this case. First, in