Vegetarianism Could Save the Planet

A. Students' Declaration I hereby declare that this project report has been written by me and no part has been copied from any source other than the ones I have mentioned in the reference. Topic: Vegetarianism could save the planet. Discuss Name: Md. Reaz Uddin Yousuf ID# 504802 Class: EAP-3. 01 B. Acknowledgement One good reason to write a research report is to express publicly one's gratitude for those who has offered their help during the difficult process of gaining knowledge. I would like to express my gratitude to many people who have contributed to this research endeavor.First, I would like to thank my advisor, Kari & Vicki. Their trust, encouragement, support, and guidance provided an enjoyable atmosphere for me to pursue knowledge and grow intellectually. Without their initial enthusiasm this research would have been quite difficult to undertake. Their constructive criticisms motivated me to explore various aspects of the topic. I am extremely grateful to them as they gave m e the immense opportunities and exposure that one would require to complete this research.Next, I would also like to thank all of my friends and my near & dear ones who let me do my project with freedom, without putting any restrictions and always supporting and inspiring me until the end. Words alone cannot express what I owe them for their encouragement, patience and love which enabled me to complete this paper. The One without Whom my thanksgiving is incomplete is the Almighty ALLAH (GOD); I want to thank the Lord for His continual blessings in my life in addition to all the support He provided me with, through all the above mentioned aspects.I put my trust on Him, and He continues to make my paths straight. â€Å"Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet†-Albert Einstein Various ethical reasons have been recommended for choosing vegetarianism under various religious beliefs along with the con cept of animal rights. Vegetarianism influences the people for plant-based diets with the keeping out of meat (red meat, poultry, and seafood). The majority of people who are overweight or obese increase with age due to fat, which in most of the cases, come from animals’ fat (Foer, 2009).Maintained by seniors, yet often forced upon children, to maintain a healthy diet and reasonable weight vegetable and fruit are the most valuable food. People with the highest consumption of vegetables and fruits could save the planet by consumption of less animal products and keeping the land fertile by reduced soil erosion & water contamination. Well-planned vegetarian diets are suitable for all stages of the life succession, including pregnancy, childhood & for athletes.A 2010 study compared a group of vegetarian and non- vegetarian in which vegetarians scored less depression tests and had better mind profiles. A vegetarian diet excludes all animal products, including eggs, dairy, honey th at means all food which directly or indirectly comes from animals. Production of animal feed consumes about one-third of Earth’s total arable land. (Vegetarianism and environment, 2010)Removing vegetation exposes the ground to more intense solar radiation, which increases evaporation and the risk that plants not eaten by cattle will die from lack of water.When the vegetative cover is removed it’s easily saying that the fertility of soil is easily decreased. Because when farmers cultivate the land they use some chemical which helps the land become fertile. So, by not killing the animals which are needed for our environment as well as to keep our planet balanced by saving our land, vegetarian people save the planet. On the other hand, some people think that becoming a vegetarian is not necessary for many individuals & religion as it is also harmful to stop eating animals. It may be a reason for a lower number of vegetarian people live in the society.Animal produced for f ood can benefit the environment. They also think that, wastes are created by animal which are decomposed by land and the process of decomposing releases necessary minerals and nutrients, so that the next generation of plant life and other living organisms can be benefited from them. Though meat is good for health, according to the critics, when erosion on farmland is not check properly and timely manner, so much topsoil can fade away that, that’s why most of the farmland can no longer be used to grow crops.Most of the farmland around the world is becoming useless to cultivate any food & it also harmful for the farmers as well because they have no work in that period of time. And avoiding meat means ultimately we support the animal creature to live in this earth and keep our planet balanced. Cultivate additional land is another understandable way to supply food for an escalating population. For better fertilization and reduce soil erosion waterless lands with limited vegetatio n cover 40 percent of the earth’s land area which can help the soil. Saxena, 2011) Animals play a vital role in our wild environment but animal byproducts are creating very bad situation for the environment. According to Saxena, many harmful gases and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are formed when anaerobic bacteria decompose liquid manure held in the lagoons which are filled up by animal wastes. And, it becomes sources of harmful gases and many other hazardous particles mixed up with neighboring air when the lagoons are sprayed for decomposing on farmland. The far-away and neighborhood long-term effects of the emissions from this action include acid rain and global warming.For example, dissolved ammonia in the farmland filling of lagoons consisting of fertilizers and animal waste is serially broken down by microbes to form a variety of nitrogen gas, including nitrous oxide. This gas has harmful effects on the ozone layers of the atmosphere. Air also polluted by volatile o rganic compounds because these are gases that react with close air in the entire atmosphere. To support and increase living places for animal and for human as well many forests have been cut down, especially in tropical countries.Deforestation increase the carbon dioxide level in the atmosphere and obviously carbon dioxide is the major gas which can directly involve for greenhouse effect. (Saxena, 2011) As part of their digestive process, many animals such as goats, cattle, sheep and camels emit methane and methane gas also plays a very important role for greenhouse effect. Biodiversity creates a set of connections that maintains oxygen in air, enriches soil, purifies water, protects against flood and regulates climate.Not amazingly, the biodiversity of our planet is declining at an disturbing rate due to human behavior because human are mostly dependent on farm animals for food and there is a significant reduction of vegetarian people, that supports other animals. The era of vegeta rianism can improve the environmental growth of this planet and its sub-components have reached their zenith for the developed world. By avoiding all animal products vegetarians could save the planet because a grazing-based production can limit soil erosion.However, some people argue that vegetarianism alone won’t save the planet and animals. Each correspondent from vegetarian urges us to slash our greenhouse gas emissions, but each has a different perspective on where the knife should fall. Opposition include that, vegetarian must bear the burden of climate change by scaling their lavish lifestyle. Continuous degradation of land to produce more fruits and vegetables in same regions may lead to desertification, a process that is introduced by soil erosion, loss of groundwater etc.Desertification converts productive arid lands to wastelands. Studies show that people who consume a lot of vegetables and fruit, obviously, in most of the cases, avoid rich food, smoking habit & dri nking as well. So, conclusion is that without any hesitation vegetarian people are quite healthy and save the planet by cleaning the environment. In this case, avoiding animal is not the only issue, there is other issue as well which is avoid farming animal because their waste products are too much harmful for country’s environment.When the land is compacted by the hooves of cattle, rainwater cannot easily reach into the soil. Ideally, it is wise to obtain vitamins from vegetables, not from any meat. Vegetable provides vitamins in the most biologically available form, in the right amounts & combined with other complementary nutrients. People from different religion also are very happy about the concept of vegetarianism because they believe that only vegetarian people support them about saving animals which are necessary to keep the planet in a balance condition.Most of the earth’s plant and animal life has evolved during the last few centuries in a delicate balance wit h the cyclic temperature variation in each region. Vegetarians also help the planet by saving huge amount of wildlife those are very important to make this world a perfect living place. References: Foer J. , 2009, ‘Eating animals’, Penguin Group, Great Britain, London, pp: 4-18. Krien A. , 2012, ‘Us and them on the importance of animals’, Morry Schwartz, Collingwood VIC, Australia, pp: 6-15. Melle, 2012, ‘Mad cow, E. coli & other health hazards associated with beef’.Viewed 24 May 2012, Omniv, ‘Why Vegetarianism is Wrong’, Viewed 18 May 2012, Saxena M. , 2011, ‘The Vegetarian Imperative’, The Johns Hopkins University Press, United States, pp: 31-64. Shahan Z, Vegetarianism and environment, April 2, 2010, Viewed 18 May 2012, Tudge C. , 2002, ‘Food for the future’, Dorling Kindersley limited, London, pp: 14-21.

Blah, Blah, Blah

Writers block has always been an issue for not only authors but also for average Joes like me. It can be difficult to do any kind of writing when you are chained by your own mind. This is an immense issue because authors cannot develop ideas to put them into action on the page. Although there are many ways that writers do away with writers block, the best solution for is to take a pen to paper and just start letting ideas flow randomly onto the page so that your mind can break free. This solution is called free writing.Free writing is not only good for unblocking your mind, but also to keep your thoughts on the page so that you can keep your soul at peace. The idea behind free writing is that you must keep your pen to paper the whole duration of the writing session. Usually free write sessions are short, to get thoughts flowing before working on traditional piece. If you are not able to come up with a next word just write â€Å"blah, blah, blah† until something clicks. This ma kes it so that the writer must not pause to think of his next word, which keeps this form of writing completely free from thought interruption making it all from your heart.Traditional writing is when you have structure behind the piece of work and it must comply with standard grammar, spelling, and punctuation. This can impede with natural creativity by making a maze that you must find your way through in order to complete your piece of work. So many authors have trouble expressingtheir ideas and thoughts on a page when society tells them that they have to oblige by these rules. An example of the loops a writer has to jump through in order to complete their work is the assignment sheet of guidelines for this paper. This document goes over the â€Å"correct† way to write a problem-reducing essay.The grade you receive on this essay is determined by how well you can follow these guidelines. This is impeding on natural creative juices and contains them into a cage like a wild an imal at the zoo. You have to stretch these limitations as much as possible in order to show this animal a glimpse of sunlight. There are many ways in which writers try to free themselves of the â€Å"curse† of writers block. One way is to look for inspiration in others works and to take that into your own work. This method can be very helpful; however, it can also take away from true creativity and development of your own ideas.Another way to do away with writers block is to take a break from your work and come back at a later time when your mind is refreshed and collected. Taking a break can be very affective, but can also aid in losing thought processes. With free writing you can continue with your work and keep thoughts stirring in your mind at the same time. After the free writing session is completed you can go back and alter it into a more traditional style work. An example of a free write that I have composed is below: Thinking. Why do we live this way? Why are the peo ples of the earth filled with hate? Hate for others, hate for creation.Why do we feel the need to judge? Why do we ignore the dying world? Ignore the damage we have caused. Just living out our day-to-day lives. Driving our trucks, wasting energy, destroying the earth. The oceans will seize to exist as they are. Children die every day from starvation. Human trafficking is on the rise. Billions of people live in poverty. So what can be done to fix this? How can we start toward a better world? Where is the love? The truly great thing with free writing is that you can write in any style you choose, finding the best way to get thoughts stirring and on the page.As you can see in the work above, I have chosen poetry to get my thoughts on the page and this is the best way for me to express myself. Any one person can have a different way of expression in writing. The limitations brought by society can challenge this expression, but by free writing you can open up and do away with writers blo ck. Now some might believe free writing as a poor method of reducing writers block because it entails that you must write non-stop for a set period of time. This could be seen as a waist of valuable time. Some writers, such as newspaper reporters have a tight schedule of which to complete a work. Although could be true, a writer must explore all possibilities of breaking down mental walls.Works Cited Contrast, By. â€Å"A Critic at Large: Blocked. † The New Yorker. 17 Nov. 2010. Web. 17 Nov. 2010. . â€Å"Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg, An On Writing Reader's Treasury Review by Bobby Matherne. † Doyletics — A Memory Technique To Improve the Quality of Your Life. Web. 17 Nov. 2010. . â€Å"Writing Tips  « Writers Workshop: Writer Resources  « The Center for Writing Studies, Illinois. † The Center for Writing Studies, University of Illinois. Web. 17 Nov. 2010. .

The House of Mango Tree Sandra Cisneros Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The House of Mango Tree Sandra Cisneros - Essay Example Interpretations by different readers mainly depend on the cultures of different readers and obviously their preformed perception or mentality about particular subjects. This being a literature book,it cogently utilizes several literary features that readers have to comprehend to come up with substantial conclusion based on the book. Cisnero’s book has certain unavoidable appealing features that not only make it an interesting book to read but also a research tool on literature analysis. The author has poetic, keen insights and stream of consciousness that makes the book easily readable and memorable. The chapters are almost self-contained, lyrical and dense like poetry. In essence, the book has a poetic appeal in the way it uses imagery such as the small home. Despite her not liking the place, it remains the only place bringing the members of his family together. Her dream is about something that is common in anyone(Cisneros 23). She wants to own a good home and a better life in future. She dreams of hope as her name means. In one part of the story, the narrator informs the reader how she was reminded of different houses they had lived in. They included gray houses in Alaska, which were in dilapidated condition. She also talks of her current spacious condo in Austin. From a normal reader’s point of view, it is automatic from the several illustrations in the book that where we live in really shapes the kind of life we live later in life.

International Econ Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

International Econ - Article Example I’m not going to use more than what is required and avoid wasting water altogether. I believe that we in the developed world have a duty not to pollute the atmosphere as well and hence I’m going to ensure that my car is up to date with the latest emission standards. This, I think is the least we owe to the developing world i.e., cutting down our carbon footprint. Apart from this, I plan to visit some of the areas affected by water shortage and try to learn first hand what the problems are and what I can do as an individual. I can petition my congressman and senator about the legislation that would bring about changes in the way aid money from the US is spent. For this, I need to have a clear understanding on what the goals and objectives are about. In conclusion, I believe that each of us has a duty to ensure that we live in accordance with the environment and we should remember that we have merely borrowed the earth from the future generations and hence we have to ensure that they have a chance at the good

Pollution in Utah Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Pollution in Utah - Essay Example Resources like water, wood, and organic fuels are widely exploited to enhance industrial development and thereby economic benefits. Admittedly, it is high time for the world to realize the adverse impact of compromising environmental concerns for money. In this context, it is relevant to point out some of the current environmental issues in Utah in order to emphasis the significance of the above statement. To begin with, in 2010, a trio of oil spills raised potential challenges to Utah’s environment. As Fahys reported in Salt Lake Tribune, two separate incidents of Chevron pipeline spills in the Salt Lake City less than six months apart led to the release of 1,300 barrels of oil. The first pipeline failure despoiled the Red Butte Creek and officials estimated that nearly 766 barrels spread into the riparian waterway. With the second failure of the pipeline, it is expected that full remediation would take years to complete. To worsen this issue, someone deposited 40 barrels of crude oil into the Strawberry River and reports indicate that the thick crude is spreading to the Duchesne River. Evidently oil spillovers have dreadful consequences on the environment in the long term. As reported in a technical information paper, the major environmental effect of oil spills is that it damages marshlands and fragile marine ecosystems; and, oil spills kill birds, fishes, and marine mammals as this environmental issue damages their habitats.... The recent Chevron pipeline spills and crude oil dumping in the river significantly contributed to the water pollution issues in the state of Utah. Evidences suggest that tons of concrete, scrap, litter, and other materials are being deposited in the rivers and these rubbish materials make the water contaminated. Some scientific studies indicate that the high levels of phosphorous in dishwashing detergent support the growth of algae blossoms, which in turn limit the level of oxygen available to fish (SERC). It is also observed that unwanted or unused medications are widely dumped in rivers and other water bodies because it is the easiest and most cost-effective way of waste disposal. It is evident that fresh water sources are being depleted rapidly, and hence people are challenged by the paucity of water. Drinking contaminated water can result in a variety of serious health problems including influenza and other epidemic diseases. In addition, water pollution can seriously affect the agricultural production and lead to the destruction of aquatic ecosystems. As Agarwal point out, water pollution has far reaching consequences such as poisoning, heating, sedimentation, disease transmission, objectionable odors, deoxygenation, and retarded photosynthesis; and also it leads to changes in water quality, which in turn make it unfit for domestic, agricultural, and industrial use (76). Therefore, it is the collective responsibility of the government and the public to ensure the long term sustainability of water resources in Utah. O’Donoghue reports that recently the US Department of Energy has removed nearly3 million tons of radioactive waste materials from the banks of the Colorado River in Utah. This radioactive waste removal process was accelerated because of the

International Production And Governance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

International Production And Governance - Essay Example As a result, a steady increase got registered in the output of world trade. The above situation presents a similar case to one of the pillar causes of the Financial Crisis of 2008: mortgage lending in the United States of America. According to Murphy (2010), the availability of credit with low rates of interest encouraged people to seek loans. The upward trend in prices of houses further prompted them to invest in houses and homes. This trend, coupled with standards of lending that seemed relaxed encouraged the exploits. As such, when the financial crisis hit, a lot of lending institutions suffered. The genesis of the crisis, as thus, lay in the marketing policies of the mortgage market. The freestyle and casual manner in which the mortgage financing options and paperwork got done exposed the financial markets to high levels of risk. The lowered standards of accessing and the use of the word of mouth in confirming ability to repay the mortgage led to many people buying houses they could not afford (Murphy 2010). As thus, when the financial crunch descended the financiers suffered. This affected the ways in which international governance and production got looked at, in matters financial. The handling of financial affairs got a wake-up call. All the procedures and paperwork got a thorough look up before issuance of not only mortgages and loans, but also other financial transactions. Tangible, and in some cases physical property, got attached as evidence of the ability to repay loans, Murphy (2010). According to Nayyar (2006), the last half of the past century underwent unprecedented expansion and growth in flows, in international trade. World exports experienced astronomical increases, from $61billion in the 1950s to $883billion (1975) and $6338 billion at the turn of the century. Through this epoch, more growth got observed in world trade than in output. This explains the trend that results when the conditions that favor economic

Europa Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Europa Report - Essay Example The Europa report film faces a lot of disastrous technical failures the lead to lack of communication between them and the earth mission control. Despite the series of very dangerous crises, the Europa crew continue with the mission of reaching Europa where they encounter a lot of scientific mysteries. On this mission, several scientific aspects were used which had different accuracies (National Research Council & Space Studies Board, 28). One of the scientific aspects used included the Radio Science Subsystem. A radio science subsystem is a subsystem that is placed on board of a spacecraft (Carroll & Michael, 76) .The RSS is placed on board for purposes of radio science. The radio Science Subsystem mainly uses signals to determine a medium like that of planetary atmosphere. The spacecraft transmit very high stable signals to the ground stations, receives signals from the ground stations or even both. The transmitted signals parameters are known to the receiver and so the propagation medium or the relative motion of the spacecraft is attributed to these parameters (National Research Council & Space Studies Board, 59). The Radio Science Subsystem was used in the Europa to determine the degree two-time dependent gravity field, to recover K2 amplitude at the Europa’s orbital frequency to 0.003 absolute accuracy, and the phase to 1 degree. The RSS functions include determination of the gas clouds that include the atmosphere and the aura of plasma which surrounds the sun also referred to as the corona. The RSS also characterize gravitational field which explains that there is a body that extends into space around itself. RSS estimates masses of celestial satellites and sizes of particle fields and also the density of ion fields (Carroll & Michael, 99). A magnetometer (MAG) is an instrument that measures vector magnetic field where the information is used to determine the boundaries that are between various plasma regions. The MAG also

The Purpose of the Corporation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Purpose of the Corporation - Essay Example The authors assert that although the diverse assumptions of each of the two groups tend to be "logically or intuitively connected to represent it coherent world view, favoring one [group] does not require that we exclude the other." A major purpose of stakeholder theory is to help corporate managers understand their stakeholder environments and manage more effectively within the nexus of relationships that exists for their companies. However, a larger purpose of stakeholder theory is to help corporate managers improve the value of the outcomes of their actions, and minimize the harms to stake-holders. The whole point of stakeholder theory, in fact, lies in what happens when corporations and stakeholders act out their relationships. To this end, we conclude this volume with our view of contributions that stakeholder theory can make to redefine the corporation through a focus on performance measurement. The criticism of stakeholder theory that it cannot define what or who is or is not a stakeholder, as well as the attempts to delimit stakeholders, is perhaps misplaced. In spite of the atomistic nature of early definitions, stakeholder theory embodies in its very nature it relational view of the firm which incorporates the reciprocal dynamics of community, and the theory's power lies in focusing management decision making on the multiplicity and diversity of the relationships within which the corporation has its being and the multipurpose nature of the corporation as a vehicle for enhancing these relationships in their various dimensions. Freeman holds that nothing less than a redefinition of the corporation is needed and, as seen earlier, he recognizes that a redefinition of the corporation requires a redefinition of the self. And, ultimately, such a reconstructed self requires a reconstructed philosophic context within which conceptually to locate its relational nature. Critical Analyses on Milton Friedman's Arguments on "The Social Responsibility of Business Is to Increase Its Profits" Friedman is therefore dismissive of any notion of corporate social responsibility: 'The doctrine of social responsibility is fundamentally subversive......there is one andonly one social responsibility of business- to use its resources and engage in activities designed to increase its profits so long as it engages in open and free competition without deception and fraud" (Friedman, 1970). Milton Friedman1, back in the early 1960s, argued that the one and only social responsibility of a company is to increase its profits He moreover equaled corporate donations with hypocritical window-dressing and tactics approaching fraud. According to his logic, social engineering is doomed to failure for several reasons: corporate managers do not have the necessary skills or expertise to arbitrate between competing claims of different sections of society - such competence is only given to an elected government; corporate managers are not elected and have therefore no political mandate to decide between competing claims for resources - again, such competence i

Cylyndrospermospis (CYN) Algae Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Cylyndrospermospis (CYN) Algae - Essay Example The paper analyses the risk of Cylindrospermopsin toxicity in human beings posed by consumption of seafood which are highly regarded s the toxin agents. The assessment covers the risk of exposure through seafood consumption by residents of Victoria, Australia, around the Gippsland Lakes, neglecting other kinds of exposure since the place where the field of study is other factors are either do not exist or are neglable. These other risk factors include: exposure due to recreational activities, which is highly advocated against in the area; and exposure through drinking water, which is ruled out since the water drunk the residents is not sourced at the Cyanobacteria infested Gippsland Lakes. Introduction Cylindrospermopsin is a toxin that occurs naturally, and is produced by specific strains of Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii among at least 4 other freshwater cyanobacterial species, counting Umezakia natans, Anabaena bergii, Raphidiopsis curvata and Aphanizomenon ovalisporum (Aldrich, 2 012, p. 3). Cylindrospermopsin chemical structure was not clarified until 1992. It comprises of a tri-cyclic guanidine moiety combined with hydroxyl-methyl-uracil. Its molecular formula is C15H21N5O7S and molecular weight is 415.43. It is zwitterionic (a di-polar ion with localized negative and positive charges). Deoxycylindro-spermopsin, a cylindrospermopsin analog in which the hydroxyl group in the uracil bridge has been removed, isolated from R. curvata and C. raciborskii (Aldrich, 2012, p. 3) . 7-epicylindrospermopsin is another structural variation of cylindrospermopsin which was isolated from A. ovalisporum. The Gippsland Lakes is a coastal lagoons system located at southeast of Victoria in Australia, approximately 200 kilometers east Melbourne and are key for commercial, tourist and recreational activities. The Lakes act as a source of commercial seafood, including fish, crustaceans and shellfish, as well as providing general recreational fishing. Considerable modifications h ave occurred on the Lakes catchments since European settlement with fisheries and agricultural development, including the establishment of a permanently open Bass Straight entrance in 1889. This environment, once freshwater lake, is currently a more saline and high nutrient expanse, and cyanobacterial (the blue-green algal) blooms are now becoming a normal occurrence. Ever since 1985, there have existed 7 non-cyanobacterial blooms noted in the Lakes (commonly dinoflagellates or diatoms), and 12 cyanobacterial blooms (Kaarina Sivonen, 1999, p. 4). Nodularia spumigenna is the most common cyanobacterium to bloom, with periodic Microcystis aeruginosa and Anabaena circinalis blooms (Anon., n.d., p. 169) So as to provide guidance and to delineate acceptable levels of Cylindrospermopsin in seafood in Victoria, the Victorian Health Department convened a scientific advisory professional to perform a risk assessment regarding recreational and commercial seafood safety in the Victoria Gippslan d Lakes (Kankaanpaa, 2005, p. 3). The seafood of concern was fish, mussels and prawns from these lakes. Cylindrospermopsin was among the toxins detected in the risk assessment, others being saxitoxins, microcystins, nodularin - all of which are found in Australian aquatic surroundings and are distributed global (Moreira, et al., 2012, p. 3). Cyanobacterial blooms largely depend on water temperature and nutrient availability,

Diabetes Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Diabetes Case Study - Essay Example The reduced wound healing time of the individual can be related to the production of granulocytes which require glucose as their source of energy and as glucose as is not entering the cells energy is not being provided to the cells for the uptake of amino acids. Because of this proteins cannot be synthesized in the cells. All these factors lead to reduced wound healing in the tissues. In polyuria the urinary output of a person is increased in diabetes, in polydipsia the person gets thirsty again and again and lastly polyphagia increases the appetite of the person (Lawal 2008 & Deshpande et al 2008). Diabetes mellitus is said to be working as a slow poison in the body and it can affect many processes in the body. It is noted that Diabetes Mellitus can further cause a huge damage to the different systems of the body. Neuropathy, nephropathy, retinopathy, cardiovascular stroke and peripheral vascular diseases are common diseases caused by the chronic processes of diabetes. In neuropathy the nerve cells of the body are damaged because of which the autonomic nervous system is affected usually. In retinopathy the macular retina of an individual is destroyed and this can lead to blindness. In nephropathy it can be seen that diabetes causes an alteration in the structure of the kidneys. And this may also lead to kidney failures in the long term if not treated properly. It is also seen that diabetes is related to the blood pressures as it is a major cause of hypertension nowadays. Because of hypertension the individuals also tend to develop ischemic heart diseases which further lead to hypoxia in the heart muscles and thus cardiac failure or cardiac stroke may occur. Peripheral Vascular Disease is another major disease caused by diabetes in the body. Diabetes can directly act on the blood vessels and narrow them. The most affected blood vessels by diabetes are the ones leading to the stomach, legs, arms and kidneys.

Organizational Behaviour Case Study Essay Example for Free

Organizational Behaviour Case Study Essay Cases: Automation in the Book Store and The Night Owl Answering Service Part 1) The field of Organizational Behavior is one that is very important when it comes to managing people and to make them work effectively. This begins with training. In order to understand these cases it is important to look at both the structure and environment of the company. In the case of the Automation in the Book Store, the company is a medium sized bookstore. Because this company is a bookstore with very few employees there is not a high level of formalization, less specialization and less authority. Therefore, it has an organic structure. Employees dont have a lot procedures and rules that they must abide by while doing their jobs. In fact the initial company policy required employees to stay with the customer they were serving from the time they walked into the store until the sale was made. Also, there was not a great deal of standardization in that there was not a set procedure on how employees did their work, rather it was a freer organization because there were very few employees and this resulted in greater flexibility. Look more:Â  starbuck problem essay These facts all changed once the new computer system was implemented. This system presented employees with some degree of formalization and standardization in their jobs because now there were precise rules and procedures on how to deal with customers. This includes entering an ID number every time a sale was made and closing the store with the system. Also, because this bookstore was not use to high levels of formalization in the past, the implementation of the training program was affected. There were no instructions on how to close at the end of the day in training. The manager had to come in and prepare a hand-written set of instructions about this routine. This is a sign of bad design and implementation. Also, because the company is more centralized than decentralized, the management must follow head offices requests. This is the exact same thing with employees who must listen to the manager even though the employees were apprehensive, particularly the older staff, about new sys tem. Again, the design of the training program, which was quoted as pretty skimpy and patronizing, was another sign of poor design. However, because the structure of the company was somewhat centralized they had to the training according to the way head office and management wanted. The structure of The Night Owl Answering Services was that it was between mechanistic and organic. This call center was more mechanistic because it was more centralized and more specialization where each individual had a specific role. Bob was responsible for technology, sales and marketing. Mary was responsible for training. This type of structure affected the training because of specialization. Nobody else was responsible for training, so when Mary passed away, everyone else specialized in a different area which left training to be an open mess. Only Mary knew the system the best because she specialized in this. This left the company scrambling to recover and in turn designed a training program that proved to be ineffective and poorly implemented. There was only one lady responsible for training. In the case of Automation in the Boo k Store and The Night Owl Answering Service it is important to look at the organizations environment. In these two cases, the organizations both faced environmental uncertainty. Every organization has the potential for environmental uncertainty. This uncertainty created a poor design for training. This was one of the major similarities in both of these cases. This is when management or people of the organization cant really predict what is going to happen. The cases with Automation in the Book Store and The Night Owl Answering Services had faced environmental uncertainty that prove to be frustrating and challenging. However, because both of these companies had static environments, that is a company that remain fairly stable over time and had the least amount of uncertainty, they were sensitive to change. In The Night Owl Answering Service the head of training, Mary, passed away. This was an unpredictable event. It was clearly evident that there was no back up to Mary. Because this company was so used to certainty, it caught them off guard, particularly Bob. In the medium size booksto re the company had followed the same procedures to ring up sales until it introduced its new system. It took one month for the company to adapt. Again, both companies trained employees in such a way that proved to be ineffective. This means these two organizations ability to adapt to environmental change was poor. Its also important to discuss external environmental factors or outside factors that have a direct effect on the company, which in turn affected training. The answering services company had a good reputation for customer service but when the senior operators started leaving they hired new people and trained very quickly to get people on the phone and take calls. Therefore, the external factor here would be the customer. In The Night Owl Answering Services the customer was always the number one priority because they had a prestige reputation on customer service they wanted to continue providing services in a timely manner. This directly affected the training design and implementation because trainers wanted the trainees on the phone as soon as possible to serve the clients of the company because they were short staffed. As a result of this, the trainers wanted to get trainees on the phone quickly which resulted in an implementation and design that proved to be ineffective. Trainees were expected to learn through trial and error style of training. Senior operators were forced to take calls and train at the same time. This resulted in slower operators and higher errors and more complaints to the call center, which lead to clients (external factor) leaving the call center and find business elsewhere. This company was so focused on getting trainees on the phone, they ignored the fact they lacked the basic phone etiquette and computer skills. Senior Management was continuously on the phone, with out breaks. In The Automation in the Book Store the external environment component that should be discussed is technology. Like every other company, it must keep up with technology and accept current business practices. They were entering an era where technology was becoming widespread and they needed a system to calculate the GST. This is a reason why the bookstore decided to take on the new computer system. The organizations employees were reluctant to have it but didnt have a choice and had to keep up with external technological factors. The company was highly sensitive to this environmental change, which was external, but when the system was implemented, it became an internal factor. There was systematic turbulence in this organization. There ability to adapt to systematic change, the new computer system would be considered systematic turbulence. Systematic turbulence looks at how a company deals with a change in the environment change. This is evident is the case with Automation in the Bookstore. . Part 2) Motivational effects are very important aspects of an organization. People have to be motivated to join and remain in organizations. They also have to carry out their basic work reliability in terms of productivity, quality, and services, requirements and should always interact to accomplish their goal. These are some examples that if were missing in an organization, employees and members of the company began to lose interest and be less motivated. This was the case with these two organizations. One of the major similarities was that both companies faced poor training design and implementation. In Automation in the Bookstore the training was boring and ineffective, which had motivational effects. Lisa was an employee who worked in a medium sized bookstore and was completely dissatisfied with the design of the training. Unfortunately, the training was a mandatory requirement to understand the new system. The first two days started off by having to watch two half an hour videos which Lisa found to be boring and insulting. On the third day of training it went downhill. The computer system was not on training mode the way it was suppose to be. Also, there were no instructions on how close at the end of the day. The manager had to come in and prepare handwritten set of instructions. This caused a lot of problems and created frustration for all members of the organization including management and head office, who wanted to assign blame to someone. The operation of the system was not going according to plan and this got the trainees upset and confused about the policies of the system. Some parts of the training were vague and the continuous frustration had negative motivational effects. Similarly, The Night Owl Answering Services faced great training problems when Mary died, that evidently created negative motivational problems. Bob was forced to take over training without much knowledge o f how to do so, which was also a big problem. Senior operators were forced to work extra hard with no breaks, while at the same time train a new person. New operators were poorly trained and did not know how to handle calls. All these factors started showing in the office environment. These factors inevitably caused negative motivational effects. For example, intrinsic motivations were clearly not met in this organization. Intrinsic is defined as the direct relationship between the worker and the task. In the call center the task was frustrating and created anxiety. If these factors werent here there would be more interested in the position. However, because the training was so poorly done, the intrinsic motivation factor was not being met and created less motivation. It is also important to discuss the Maslows Need Theory and how it applies to these two cases. The needs theory states: NEEDS BEHAVIOR INCENTIVE AND GOALS. Both of these organizations both fit the physiological needs, which include the basic human needs. In safety needs it includes freedom from anxiety, and a structured ordered environment. The safety needs were not bei ng met. Both organizations faced stress and anxiety, particularly the call center, which effected motivation. Results of poor motivation create poor quality of work. The training was poor and it would reflect on the quality of work being performed because they are no longer motivated to work with all the stress factors. Hertrzberg theory should be looked at as well. The first factor is the hygene factor. This includes relationship with fellow employees, security and other various factors. In order for employees to not feel less motivated or dissatisfied is if all these factors are in place. If all these factors are in place you will not feel unsatisfied but that doesnt necessarily mean that you will be satisfied. It just means not being unsatisfied. Both companies didnt even get past the hygene factor of just not being unsatisfied. The second factor of Hertzbergs theory talks about is motivation. This is a sense of achievement and recognition, which would play different in each company. This doesnt have a great effect on the bookstore because their situation was short term in compared to the call center. If the company cant even properly trained there is no chance of being recognized or feel a sense of achievement. The cases state that the trainees felt like they were being under attack by the senior staff. That would have a negative affect and create decrease motivation. There is no room for job enrichment that in turn means no enhancement in intrinsic motivation. Overall the similarities with respect to the training and the two companies were that of implementation and design. The training program was poor due to various reasons as stated in the report. One of the major differences to note was that the call center issue was a more complex problem and more of a long-term problem. The bookstore training was more of short-term problem. The problem only lasted about a month. Also another difference to note is that the bookstore had a smaller number of employees, so controlling the problem was a bit easier. In the call center there were various problems that were even more difficult to control because they had to meet client needs. In these two organizations there was lack of leadership. Particularly transformational leadership. This is when a leader makes his/her representative look beyond the task, or in this case the training, by observing the bigger picture or goal. Not doing this would negatively effect motivation because the individual will then began to purse his or her own self-interest. In the case of the The Night Owl Answering Service, when Mary passed away, nobody was able to step up and show leadership. Because this particularity affected training, the person responsible for training should have demonstrated leadership ethics to make them feel more positively motivated. Nobody had the leadership to motivate people to put forth their best efforts. There were no directive and supportive people in these organizations. The coaching was ineffective and the trainees had no proper direction. Automation in the bookstore did not face a great deal of leadership problems because again, it only employed about 6-8 people.

Sexual Selection and Human Evolution Theories

Sexual Selection and Human Evolution Theories Miller, G.F. A review of sexual selection and human evolution: How mate choice shaped human nature Natural selection shapes species to adapt to their environments and arises from individual differences in survival ability- cannot favour ornamental traits that decrease survivorship. However, it is not sufficient to account for male traits such as peacocks tail that do not enhance survivorship but rather jeopardize it. Darwin argued that in species with sexual reproduction traits that improved ones chances in mate competition were selected for regardless of their negative effects for survival. Furthermore, Darwin emphasized the importance of female choice and male competition within the sexual selection because the former evokes the latter. However, Darwin does not investigate the origins of female preference (Ridley, M). Sexual selection was neglected for a long time because it implied the major evolutionary importance of female choice and it was not well accepted by the contemporaries of Darwin. Darwin: evolution is differential reproduction rather than differential reproduction. Novel concept. Hard to do mathematical analysis. Alfred Russell Wallace who wrote about natural selection at the same time with Darwin believed that exaggerated male ornaments and traits did not have an adaptive purpose and did not result from female choice but from good health and genes that allowed males to spend resources on display. He suggested that females are under stronger natural selection to have less ornamentation to avoid attention from predators because they spend lot of time near their offspring (Miller, 2000). Fisher (1930) believed that mate selection criteria were biological and thus, under natural selection. He suggested that male sexual ornaments served as indicators of high fitness and good genetic quality and would be selected by females (Miller, 2000). Furthermore, he coined the term runaway sexual selection, which suggests an evolutionary feedback mechanism where female preferences reinforce and perpetuate the traits selected for in males. In the case of runaway selection females choose to mate with males who display a certain trait, subsequently, it will be passed on to the offspring who will then have the trait that makes them more attractive mates. This ultimately leads to phenomenon such as peacocks tail. In Fishers model the male trait was not deleterious at the start but with females preferring a particular characteristic it passed its optimum cost-benefit ratio, and ultimately, costly traits arise as the outcome of runaway sexual selection (Ridley). Zahavi. Trivers (1972) was the first to explain the different intensity of sexual selection in males and females through unequal amount of parental investment. The production of gametes is more costly and time-consuming than that of sperm. Also, females invest more resources into offspring, therefore, they must be choosy and by mating with high-quality male they enhance the quality of their offspring. Since the number of available females limits male reproduction success males have to court and compete for the females. Trivers suggested that the level of competition among males is correlated with the imbalance of parental investment. For example, there is a great difference in body size between male and female elephant seals where one male can guard 40 females, resulting in strong male-male competition. (Le Boeuf, 1974). Trivers theory can be applied to bird species like pharalorpes and wading birds where it is the females who are bigger, more colourful and aggressive compete with each other for males and males take care of the offspring (Jenni, 1974). Importance of sexual selection theory: it was disregarded for the most part of 20th century and many science and humanities subjects were advanced without taking sexual selection into account, thus, many theories may need to be revised. Ridley, M., 1993, Evolution, Ch12 Adaptations in sexual reproduction Traits that reduce survivorship are deleterious and are mainly present in males as secondary sexual characteristics that are not actually necessary for reproduction; however, they may give an advantage in mate competition with other males. The most famous example of secondary sexual characteristics is peacocks tail but also colourful plumage of birds, big antlers in elks etc. Although these traits are costly they have not been eliminated by natural selection. Darwins sexual selection theory suggests that the disadvantages in having elaborate secondary sexual characteristics are evened out because they convey a benefit in gaining access to females and increasing reproductive success. Darwin distributes sexual selection into two categories: male competition and female choice. Darwin argued that secondary sexual characteristics would be more developed in polygamous species where typically one male mates with several females because the selection for male traits that enhance reproduction will be greater. He provided evidence for sexual selection by comparing polygamous and monogamous species and showed that in the former males tend to have brighter colouring, ornaments and larger bodies whereas in the latter males and females differ less. Another theory that tries to explain mate choice criteria is Zahavis handicap theory (Zahavi, 1975). According to this, only males with good genes can survive with a handicapping trait, such as peacocks tail and females will prefer to mate with them. Selection will favour males with handicap traits if their good genes outweigh the cost of the trait. The high cost of handicapping character makes it an honest indicator of males quality. In his model the preferred male trait was costly to begin with and the expense did not change as the trait became more desired in females. Archer,J, Lloyd, B, 2002, Sex and gender, Ch 3 Origins Sexual selection entails female choice and females should choose mates according to their ability to provide the female and her offspring with resources and protection. Buss (1989) studied human mate preferences in 37 cultures and concluded that there is a strong trend for females valuing mates with greater financial capacity, ambition and sense of entrepreneurship. Archer and Lloyd suggest that this is consistent with Triverss theory where females are interested in finding a partner who would be able to invest more parental care into offspring by providing resources. Males preferred physical attractiveness and youth, which are traits correlated with reproductive capacity (Buss, 1989). Miller, G.F., 2000, The mating mind: How sexual choice shaped the evolution of human nature Darwin became interested in different animal ornamentation that he encountered on his around-the-world-trip on the board of the Beagle. In 1871 he published The decent of man, and selection in relation to sex where amongst other topics he wrote about sexual selection. Sexual selection shapes each sex in relation to the other sex. Many of Darwins ideas were attacked but after a century it was rediscovered. Dawkins, R., 1989, The selfish gene, Battle of the sexes One of the main female strategies of reproduction is that instead of expecting help from the male to raise the offspring the female prefers good genes instead. If a female can detect good quality males by using visual cues than her offspring will receive on better genetic material. By doing so the likelihood of her genes to survive increases too. Emlen, S.T., Oring, L.W., 1977, Ecology, sexual selection and the evolution of mating systems Environmental factors affect the development of mating systems and ultimately the intensity of sexual selection. Fitness is a measure for individuals reproductive success in relation to that of other individuals. Male reproductive success is limited by the access to females, whereas female reproductive success is determined by the available resources. Subsequently, if females limit the reproduction of males then the competition and sexual selection will intensify in males. The ability of a male to protect territory or other resources attracts more females and causes differences in the mating success of other males. The presence of polygamous and monogamous mating systems depends on environmental factors such as the availability of receptive mates and the distribution of resources in time and space, which affects their defensibility. Polygamy is more common in species where one sex is does not invest parental care, and thus, can spend time and energy on defending resources and competi ng for mates. Emlen and Oring (1977) suggest that sexual selection is stronger in polygamous species than in monogamous species. They point out that the more one sex manages to monopolize resources the stronger becomes sexual selection and the more likely is the development of polygamous mating system. Moreover, the mating system can differ between populations of the same species due to variations in environmental setting, population structure and density, amount and distribution of resources that all change the potential of monopolization. Andersson, M., Iwasa, Y., 1996, Sexual selection Sexual selection occurs through competition over mates, which is also the underlying factor of different mechanisms of sexual selection. Andersson and Iwasa (1996) list these different mechanisms: firstly, female and male choice of mate that has been demonstrated in numerous studies acts to favour traits that attract mates from the opposite sex; secondly, contests that can take the form of direct fighting and favour traits such as large body size, physical stamina, weaponry and other characteristics that enhance fighting ability in the competing sex; thirdly, endurance rivalry that promotes traits to retain reproductive activeness for longer to increase the possibility of mating. Furthermore, they also suggest scramble competition that promotes traits that help in finding the mate before others, such as earlier maturation or better locomotion skills. In addition, other mechanisms are infanticide, coercion and sperm competition. As Andersson and Iwasa (1996) point out, the majority of research has concerned mate choice and mate competition, whereas other mechanisms of sexual selection remain poorly examined. Owens and Thompson (1994) suggest that optimal mate choice is a trade-off between the number of mates and their quality. They argue that both males and females can be picky; however, the selection will be greater in the sex with higher reproductive rate. Batemans gradient explains the differential intensity of sexual selection in males and females. In his studies with Drosophila, Bateman showed that sexual selection is typically stronger in males because the number of offspring fathered by a male increases proportionally with the number of males, whereas the number of offspring remains the same for the female regardless of the amount of males she mates. Male secondary sexual characteristics may become more pronounced if they increase their reproductive success, although if it reduces the overall viability. The costs of these characteristics include higher threat of predation; large bodies pose higher energetic demands and increase the likelihood of starvation during the growth period; competition may lead to injuries and death. Thus, the extent of secondary sexual characteristics is limited by their costliness and by sexual selection itself if one favoured trait starts to compromise another selected trait. Sexual selection affects the genetic make-up of the offspring and thus, is an important factor in evolution. It is currently very difficult to discriminate between the different mechanisms of sexual selection and their importance.

Book Report On Not Without My Daughter English Literature Essay

Book Report On Not Without My Daughter English Literature Essay The main character of the book is Betty Mahmoody. She is a loving mother and is remarried with Moody. If they are going to Iran for a holiday, he refused to allow them to leave. She never thought Moody would take her there against her will, because he had sworn by the Koran that they will return to the USA after two weeks and she believed him. Betty is a strong woman who keeps having faith that she and her daughter will escape Iran and can go back to the USA some day. Moody Mahmoody: Moody is Bettys husband and he is born in Iran. In the beginning of the book he is a good husband and father, but when they are in Iran, he changed into a very bad person when he started to beat his wife and daughter. He wont let his wife and child go back to the USA and lied about it. Betty Mahmoody, a Michigan divorcee with two young sons, met and fell in love with a very nice, intellectual, Westernized doctor from Iran. He had studied and qualified in America. They were happy and eventually married, though she did not enjoy visits from his countrymen, who treated her as inferior. They had a little girl, Mahtob. After much persuasion, Betty agreed to visit Moodys family in Iran when Mahtob was four. Once there, Moody changes, becoming more domineering, Islamic and Iranian, expecting Betty to adopt the customs of his homeland. She and Mahtob become virtual prisoners wherever they live. Betty has to wear chador, completely covering herself. Some family member always spies, telling Moody her every move. She fears Moody and his family, realizing that he intends them all to stay in Iran. Little Mahtob must go to school, a dreadful place. But Betty receives help and kindness from one of the teachers who allows her to stay and help out. During these breaks from Moody, she risks all, seeking help from various strangers whom the teacher suggests. Betty grasps at anything. Even rumors that people-smugglers kill, rape and rob, then abandon their charges, do not deter her. The Swiss Embassy people have warned her; they are unable to help either. Someone gives her a lead, she connects with a woman, then a man who may help. He will not take children. Again, she must wait in fear, her hatred of Moody and what he is doing growing stronger. Finally she connects with Amahl. Betty trusts him implicitly, taking great comfort from their secret meetings. Time passes, Mahtob returns to school. For over a year they have been away from home and their loved ones. Betty is brought to pain and despair as her father is dying and she cannot go to him. Moody eventually agrees to let her go but not Mahtob. Betty refuses. He insists, his agenda being that she sell everything and bring back the money. He forces her to apply for an Iranian passport and books flights. Betty attends Islamic classes and ceremonies, trying to understand the culture she is captive in, earning trust from Moody, though he keeps the papers and passports locked in his briefcase. But the someone helping is working hard on her behalf. Through links with tribal leaders, he hopes to get Betty and Mahtob out via Pakistan. They must hurry, the flight to America looms. A tremendous snowfall in the mountains stops them a dreadful setback. Moody is more abusive and violent, the two are prisoners. Her passport awaits at the airport. Only two days remain. A chance to escape happens Moody is called to the hospital. Amahl hides them in a Tehran flat and they move the following night. There is a long drive to Tabriz, then up into the mountains, where Kurdish rebels and border patrols mean danger. They must cross into Turkey in a Red Cross Ambulance, to the city of Van in Eastern Turkey, passing from one smuggling team to another. Thus begins their journey, trusting many strangers, receiving kindness as they drive, walk, ride horseback and stumble through the rocks and snow, seeking freedom. It is an arduous flight, hampered by checkpoints, high mountains and viciously cold weather, but finally they reach Van. After 32 hours on a bus, they arrive in Ankara one full week since the journey began. Finding a hotel, they wait for morning and the final step the American Embassy. The passports are not in order, no visas or border stamps. The hotel clerk wants to report them to the police. Betty begs him to contact the Embassy at three a.m. A Marine on duty refuses to help, urging them to see the police. Betty persuades the clerk to call her mother, who contacts the State Department in Washington. When they reach the Embassy, matters are in hand, they are safe at last, on a plane home that same day! Sadly, Bettys father dies six months later. She knows nothing about her Iranian friends; contact is too dangerous for them. Borrowing money, she reimburses Amahl who helped her to freedom. He cannot escape. Mahtob has settled and does well at school. Both fear that Moody will try to snatch his daughter back. The State Department agreed that Betty should tell her story as a warning to others. There are many women and children trapped in Iran, as they were. Her powerful friends in America and Iran give her some hope of safety. She and Mahtob live under assumed names, somewhere in the U.S.A. [1] Personal evaluation. I have read this book with great pleasure. Its a sad story with a happy ending. I cant imagine that this story is true-happened. Its very exciting, because when you read the book you have no idea if they can escape or if they will die in Iran. Its unbelievable how a father can put his wife and child in such a position, how a father can beat his wife and how a family can have such a great influence on a grown-up man. The women in Iran are inferior to their husband: they have to cover their arms, legs and forehead, they must listen to their husbands and are treated like slaves. So the culture in Iran is different from our culture, it makes you aware of the problems in the world and the emancipation of women. [1] = http://www.shvoong.com/books/73262-daughter/

Star Wars :: essays papers

Star Wars Star Wars is a great example of excellent sound quality in a movie. There are dozens of different sound effects that make this movie a classic. The most commonly overlooked piece of audio in a movie is the character’s voices. The voices in Star Wars play a large part of the movie. Each character has a distinct voice and a distinct way that they speak. Darth Vader has an extremely deep voice and speakes in long draw out words, to help show how evil he is. Han Solo has a rugged sounding voice and is very direct when he talks. Han is considered to be a tough guy who likes to be a loner, yet he has a sidekick. Luke Skywalker has a soft, young sounding voice to show how inexperienced he is. CP-30 is a robot who has human qualities and has a crackly voice that shows how nervous he is and how much of a wimp he is. Other aliens in the movie in the movie make weird noices that have to be translated at the bottom of the screen. Another common sound effect used in the movie is lasers. Lasers are used in the fight scenes that take place with the space ships. The sound effects of the ships themselves are incredible and the sound when they get hit get hit by a laser really grabs the attention of the viewer. Other sound effects include the sound of the light sabers that Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader use. They make a vibrating sound, which is supposed to help its glowing visual effect. They also make a sound that is similar to the sound a bug zapper makes when a bug hits it. The light saber also makes a nosies when specific noise when it is swung and misses its target The score to the movie is also very important. The entire score is instrumental. It is all orchestral music. The music helps to intensify certain sences with loud interludes and then can be very soft in other parts to create a calm environment. Overall this is movie has excellent sound quality. Casino There are many specific sound effects used in the movie Casino. There is the sound of a crowded room and people gambling in the casino. There are sounds of machines hitting the winning combination and people celebrating the money they just won.

Reading :: essays research papers

For as long as I can remember, I've loved to read: short stories, fiction, nonfiction sometimes, even philosophy if nothing else were available. This term I've been given more reading assignments than I can ever remember having to deal with. This term has been extra special because we studied no less than three types of literature: short stories, poetry, and drama. While I was in high school, a short story was a book with less than three hundred pages. This term I learned that even though a short story may be only a few pages long, there are chapters of interpretation, ambiguity, and symbolism to understand. In "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson, I found a story teeming with so much symbolism that I had to read the story twice before I understood half of it. In "Araby" by James Joyce, I learned to look deeper than just the surface of the original wording to find new meanings to the story. Poetry, on the other hand, has been like a curse to me. I felt as if I were out of my depth when forced to read it. I could read the words, but comprehension was beyond me. Then, just last week I discovered poetry is indeed a foreign language. "I've always picked up languages easily," I thought. I then knew that all I had to do was translate the dead language of poetry into terms I could understand, then, with a blinding flash, comprehension dawned. E.E. Cummings is really just a dirty old man. Carlos Williams is a political activist, and Dylan Thomas is incredibly grief stricken about the loss of some loved one. The emotions of the poems were almost too overwhelming to deal with. Once I was told that as we evolve, so to does our language. I thought my teacher had been in the sun too long when she told me that. But when I started reading works by William Shakespear, I found just how right she was. The writings of Shakespear also have the added benefit of being like poetry. For me drama is tedious, boring, and too hard to keep track of.

Communication in Distributed Agile Development: A Case Study :: Technology, Software Development

Distributed software development (DSD)1 is becoming a common practice in modern software industry [e.g. 1], where the level of distribution can range from team members being located in the same city to those on different continents [2]. The significance of DSD has accelerated because of factors such as improving timetomarket through constant development across different timezones, quick formation of virtual teams and the benefits of business market advantages. These needs have driven the software development efforts further towards a multisite globally distributed environment. [1] Simultaneously, several studies have concluded that distributed enterprises are risky [e.g. 35]. For example, communication and coordination, software quality, schedule overruns and exceeded costs are some of the problems troubling both singlesite and distributed software projects. However, the extent of the problem in the case of DSD seems to be so complex that a thorough understanding of it has not yet been defined. [3, 4] Several studies agree that communication is a particularly important issue in distributed agile development, [e.g. 57]. Agile methods rely on volatile requirements that are managed through efficient verbal communication [8] and thus agile software development methods pose their own challenges to the field of DSD. In order to tackle the problems of DSD, several different techniques have been proposed. These techniques range from using different tools, such as instant messaging [9], videoconferencing [10] and whiteboard software [5] to a set of more general recommendations [5]. We conducted two different case studies with different levels of distribution ranging from the customer being in the same city, to one with a geographical distribution of 600 kilometers within the same country. Therefore, cultural differences were not an issue in these cases. We compared our findings against the recommendations of Layman et al. [5] and provide more insight on their application based on our empirical findings and the existing literature. Even though we were able to evaluate only three recommendations out of the existing four, our contribution provides valuable insight into conducting distributed agile projects. Our results further emphasize the critical role of effective communication, indicating that inefficient and irregular communication in conjunction with volatile requirements can cause severe problems even in very smallscale agile projects. However, it seems that effective communication is not the key. Our cases suggest that having a welldefined customer2 is the key recommendation affecting to recommendations about having a Development Manager [5] and using asynchronous communication channels. As ineffective customer collaboration may render the other recommendations redundant, effective customer collaboration seems to be a key factor for successful distributed agile development. In addition, we complement the existing recommendations by introducing an additional recommendation: i.e. enable and support direct communication between the developers. Unexpectedly, the teams in the second case were not allowed to communicate directly with each other. To compensate, a managementled communication channel was established to balance the communication flow,

Diego Run

MY ESSAY It could be argued that some of the issues explored in Diego, run are not specific to the Bolivian population, but to all people in all circumstances. Discuss the relevance of the issues explored in Diego, Run! To people in Australia today. The novel Diego, Run! By Debora Ellis’ explores what life in a third world country is like and how it could be anywhere in the world. She shows us what poverty, child labour and the drug trade can be like; she also shows how all three of these major themes can be influenced by each other.Throughout the novel we are taken on a journey to the Bolivian country that shoes us what life can be really like when you are effected by the major themes in the book, no matter where you are or who you are you could be affected. Child labour is a downside in the novel Diego, Run! Child labour is an issue that is also a high problem in our first world country today. In third world countries, sometimes there may be no choice and child labour is the only option but it is still highly wrong.Child labour is when a child is legally too young to be in the work force, they should be out getting and education and having fun but are being forced to work for the poorness of their families. Throughout Diego, run! Diego who is 12 years of age is forced to do taxi jobs throughout the prison every day. He has no choice but to run errands as a taxi so he can support his mother and baby sister to be able to sleep inside the crowded cell, if he didn’t support his mother in paying rent they would be forced to sleep outside of the prison.Child labour is always going to be played out throughout our society no matter how hard we try to ride it out, In Bolivia or in Australia, if you can see signs of poverty no doubt there will be Child Labour. Poverty is an overriding theme in the novel Diego, Run! and is the major cause of Child Labour. Everyone you look in today’s society you will be able to see a family or country living in pove rty which includes; lacking food, clothing and a place to live, this is a major problem in the Bolivian country, any third world country or any first world country. Evidence of poverty in Diego, Run!Are that Diego and his family have to rent out a cell in a prison just so they don’t have to sleep outside in the prison, this makes readers stunned and make them react to just how bad poverty can be. If there is poverty, parents will do as much as they can to support their family or force their child into child to make them help support the family. Poverty can make anyone want to earn money so they can make a living and attempt to live a better life for themselves and their family if they have one, if this means going into the drug trade then that’s what will happen no matter of the consequences.In the novel Diego, run! The dominate theme of the drug trade shows us how someone living in poverty relies on the drug trade to make a living. In Bolivia the police force is poor, so it would be easy for someone in poverty to start the making of drugs in the country and make a living. Anywhere you go you will discover some form of drug trade, from the young to the old. Bolivia is a third world country and people are living in poverty and this is the reason Diego goes into the drug trade in the first place, to help is family out.Diego was peer pressured into entering the drug trade by another boy in the prison; this is similar to our society as we don’t start smoking or taking drugs until our peers or parents encourage us to do so. Mando virtually brain washes Diego into going away into the drug world to make a living for his mum, he thinks he has no other option so he decides to go with him. First he has to earn some boliviano to have with him in his pocket and then write a note to lie to his mother about going to stay with his father for a while.Ultimately as long as you have poverty you will have child labour and a drug trade. Family’s going through a tough time will take their child out of education to force them into child labour to earn a living for their family. No matter where you go, or where you come from, a first world county or a third world country you will soon stumble across signs of poverty, child labour and the drug trade. Deborah Ellis has written a very inspiring novel, Diego, Run! To inform us about what things are really like in today’s society.

CV: software professional Essay

To achieve excellence in working as a software professional offering solutions to business using the best available technology where my analytical abilities , programming quest are used to maximum for growth of the organisation and to grow with the organisation. Professional Qualification: Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from Regional Engg. College, Durgapur, India(1992-96). Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Applications from MCA APEL,India (1996-97). Professional Summary: A Web applications developer with over 5 years experience in software development, primarily using Java related technologies. Have been involved in requirement gathering, system analysis, design and development phases of software development life cycle. Technical strengths include distributed application architecture design, object-oriented analysis and coding (Java), database design and coding, and general dynamic web programming(EJB, Servlets, JSP, XML) I am a good team player possessing Excellent Communication and Inter-personal skills, and a quick learner. Developed an Order Entry System for providing our customers an online application to search and order more 22,000 products offered. Multi-tier architecture was implemented for developing this enterprise level application to guarantee reliable and secure service. WebLogic was used as the application server and Oracle as our database. EJB2. 0 was the middle tier between the front end and the backend Oracle database. 4. Project Title : eOrgMan Environment : JAVA, JSP, Oracle, JavaScript, HTML Role : Coding, design and testing. Description : Java based web-enabled Organizational Management software to facilitate easy day-to-day maintenance of any organization of any size. Some of its features include Time-Management of employees, Leave Management, Salary Calculator, Query based employee information, Sales Tracking system etc. Any specialized function of an organization can be customized for tracking, supports for Product/Project Management, and Bug Tracking system for Software organizations. 5. Project Title : Business Transaction Maintenance and & Report Mailing System Environment : JAVA, JSP, Oracle Role : Design and coding. Description : The project keeps track of all the business transactions of PolyCab Cables such as Introduction letter, Enquiry, Quotation, Orders, Bills and Payments. Daily each representative reports the status of the proposed projects,pending quotations, orders and payments to the branch office and the branch office in turn sends this consolidated weekly report to head office through mail. Reports are generated to estimate the total sales of a cable representative wise, dealer wise, cable wise and about the payments receivable. 6. Project Title : Time Reporting and Tracking System Environment : JAVA, JSP, Oracle Role : Coding. Description : The Time Report and Tracking System Project is WEB-based to allow flexible reporting and data extraction .

Marriage vs Living Together Essay

Marriage vs Living Together Marriage is the legal union of a man and woman as husband and wife. It is also defined as the union between two people that are recognized by cultural or religious tradition. Older generations would feel that living together was disgraceful. The only way that living together was seen as acceptable was to be married. There are several differences between being married and living together such as the status in the government, status in the religious community, and status in each others eyes and each others families eyes. Television writers and producers are slowly making pop culture more diverse, but that does not mean every non-white character on television represents a step forward. Some programs seem not to do anything but pump racial stereotypes into the public eye. From geeky and pathetic Asian characters to a biracial genie who is literally an object in a white lady’s house. Another example would be from the show called , â€Å"Rob Schneider†, This new comedy is about Rob Schneider’s character attempting to connect with his wife’s large Mexican family, most of whom do not like him. It seems as though he’s supposed to be a sort of Archie Bunker character who makes awful stereotypical jokes and then is promptly dismissed by, you know, reality, but in this world the stereotypes seem to be true – the members of Maggie’s family are almost entirely defined by their Mexican-ness, right down to the mute, diminutive grandmother with a shrine to Jesus in her bedroom. We’re all for more Latino characters in primetime, but this is a pretty horrifying way to do It. (Victoria Mcnally, mar. , 2012) Children movies, television shows, and commercials are not immune to the typical racial stereotyping. In our increasingly ever-changing society, children are deeply drawn into television viewing and their consumption of television programming varies by ethnicity. Ethnic portrayal in children’s advertising is an important public policy and self-regulatory topic that may influence children’s self-perception and brand perception. Another show that promotes stereotypical behavior in television programing would be the Glee Club, that s essentially a show about the performing arts and the arts have always had an association (earned or perceived) as being gay friendly. If a guy tells someone that they are a dancer, they will assume he is gay. Glee stereotypically has gay characters. In conclusion, even commercials such as tide have shown racial stereotypical antidotes in them for example have you seen the latest Tide commercial where a â€Å"sassy black woman† is sitting on a bench getting very annoyed with being told she cannot wear white jeans after Labor Day. She actually gets up, starts with the neck swivel and the hand, and says she will do whatever she wants because Tide will keep her jeans white, â€Å"Not white-ish, not eggshell, and not ecru, whatever that is. † But pure white. Just another way of showing that no matter what genre of television programming, stereotyping is a part of it. Mostly due to television trying to appeal to different types of audiences to include ethnicity, sex and age.

No Se

Chapter 12 Basic Approaches to Leadership MULTIPLE CHOICE What Is Leadership? 1. John Kotter’s view argues that management focuses on coping with complexity, whereas leadership focuses on coping with _____. a. conflict b. success c. defeat d. morale e. change (e; Moderate; Management and Leadership; p. 385) 2. Which of the following roles focuses on bringing about order and consistency by drawing up formal plans? a. leadership b. management c. task structure d. initiating structure e. none of the above (b; Easy; Management; p. 385) 3. Leadership is best defined as _____. a. he ability to influence a group in goal achievement b. keeping order and consistency in the midst of change c. implementing the vision and strategy provided by management d. coordinating and staffing the organization and handling day-to-day problems e. not a relevant variable in modern organizations (a; Moderate; Leadership; p. 385) 4. Which of the following statements regarding leadership is true? a. All l eaders are managers. b. Formal rights enable managers to lead effectively. c. All managers are leaders. d. All leaders are hierarchically superior to followers. . Nonsanctioned leadership is as important as or more important than formal influence. (e; Challenging; Leadership; p. 386) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} Trait Theories 5. Which theory differentiates leaders from nonleaders by focusing on personal qualities and characteristics? a. Fiedler’s perspective b. characteristic theory c. LPC d. contingency theory e. trait theory (e; Easy; Trait Theories; p. 386) 6. According to a comprehensive review of the leadership literature, what is the most important trait of effective leaders? a. conscientiousness b. openness c. extraversion d. greeableness e. emotional stability (c; Easy; Big Five and Trait Theories; p. 386) 7. Recent studies indicate that ________ may indicate effective leadership. a. an endless supply of terrific ideas b. a compelling vision c. a highly analytical mind d . outstanding training e. emotional intelligence (e; Easy; Emotional Intelligence and Trait Theories; p. 387) 8. Emotional intelligence is so critical to effective leadership because one of its core components is ________. a. conscientiousness b. empathy c. openness d. extraversion e. agreeableness (b; Easy; Trait Theories; p. 387) 9.There is fairly strong evidence that traits can predict _____ more accurately than leadership effectiveness. a. leadership emergence b. extraversion in leaders c. leadership awareness d. leadership competence e. the conscientiousness of leaders (a; Moderate; Trait Theories; p. 388) Behavioral Theories 10. Trait research suggests that we focus on _____, whereas behavioral studies imply that we can effectively _____. a. teaching people certain traits; teach people certain behaviors b. selecting the right person for a job; train leaders c. changing jobs to suit people; change people to suit jobs d. raining new employees; dispense with training e. identifyi ng certain traits in leaders; ignore leaders’ traits (b; Moderate; Trait Theories versus Behavioral Theories; p. 389) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 11. If trait theories of leadership are valid, then leaders are _____. a. trained b. born c. authoritarian d. educated e. grown (b; Moderate; Trait Theories; p. 389) 12. If behavioral leadership theories are correct, then _____. a. leadership behaviors are consistent b. leaders are born with leadership behaviors c. leaders’ behavior should be altered d. leadership can be taught e. omen generally make better leaders than men (d; Moderate; Behavioral Theories; p. 389) 13. Which of the following is not a behavioral theory of leadership? a. Ohio State studies b. Fiedler model c. University of Michigan studies d. managerial grid e. All of the above are behavior theories of leadership. (b; Moderate; Behavioral Theories; pp. 389-390) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 14. The two dimensions of leadership behavior explained in the Ohio State stud ies are _____. a. coercion and motivation b. concern for people and concern for production c. employee-oriented and production-oriented d. nitiating structure and consideration e. operant conditioning and classical conditioning (d; Moderate; Ohio State Studies; p. 389) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 15. According to the Ohio State studies, the extent to which a leader’s behavior is directed toward getting the job done is called _____. a. consideration b. maximization c. relationship-oriented d. path-goal e. initiating structure (e; Moderate; Initiating Structure; p. 389) 16. A leader high in initiating structure would do which of the following? a. seek consensus b. exhibit laissez-faire type of leadership c. maximize leader-member relations d. ssign group members to particular tasks e. empower employees to make their own decisions (d; Moderate; Initiating Structure; p. 389) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 17. According to the Ohio State studies, the extent to which a leader is likely to h ave job relationships characterized by mutual trust and respect for his/her employees is _____. a. consideration b. matrix c. consensus-building d. LPC e. maximization (a; Moderate; Consideration; p. 389) 18. The two dimensions of leadership behavior identified in the University of Michigan studies are _____. a. coercion and motivation b. emotional and rational c. mployee-oriented and production-oriented d. initiating structure and consideration e. initiation and completion (c; Moderate; University of Michigan Studies; p. 390) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 19. The University of Michigan studies define a(n) _____ leader as one who takes personal interest in the needs of his/her subordinates. a. LMX b. contextual c. employee-oriented d. consensus-building e. consummate (c; Moderate; Employee-Oriented Leaders; p. 390) 20. If a leader’s main concern is accomplishing his/her group’s tasks, the University of Michigan studies label this leader _____. a. consideration-oriented . ma nagerial c. ineffective d. high achieving e. production-oriented (e; Moderate; Production-Oriented Leaders; p. 390) 21. According to University of Michigan researchers, which type of leaders is associated with higher group productivity and higher job satisfaction? a. situational b. employee-oriented c. production-oriented d. initiating structure-oriented e. heliocentric (b; Moderate; Employee-Oriented Leaders; p. 390) 22. The graphic portrayal of a two-dimensional view of leadership style by Blake and Mouton is known as the _____. a. least preferred co-worker scale b. leader-participation model c. utocratic-democratic continuum d. managerial grid e. matrix of discretion (d; Easy; Managerial Grid; p. 390) 23. According to the Managerial Grid, managers perform best using which of the following styles? a. 9,9 b. consideration c. contingency d. development-oriented e. rigid (a; Moderate; Managerial Grid; p. 390) 24. According to Blake and Mouton, a leader with a 9,1 style can best be de scribed as a(n) ____ type of leader. a. visionary b. laissez-faire c. authority d. effusive e. contrasting (c; Moderate; Managerial Grid; p. 390) Contingency Theories: Fiedler Model and Situational Leadership Theory 5. All contingency theories are based on the idea that effective leadership performance depends on _____. a. the proper match between the leader’s style and the control the situation gives the leader b. selecting the right leadership style based on the level of the followers’ readiness c. using a leadership style that is appropriate to the situational conditions d. making use of the best path for the goal that is identified e. none of the above (c; Challenging; Contingency Models; p. 392) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 26. Who proposed a contingency theory? a. Fiedler b. Surber c. Grey . Deickman e. Swartz (a; Easy; Fiedler Contingency Model; p. 392) 27. The first comprehensive contingency model for leadership was developed by _____. a. Hersey and Blanchard b. Bl ake and Mouton c. Fred Fiedler d. John Kotter e. Douglas Surber (c; Moderate; Fiedler Contingency Model; p. 392) 28. Which model represents the theory that effective group performance depends on the proper match between a leader’s style and the degree to which the situation gives control to the leader? a. Leader-Member Exchange Model b. Fiedler’s Contingency Model c. Hersey and Blanchard’s Situational Leadership Model d.Vroom and Yetton’s Leader-Participation Model e. none of the above (b; Moderate; Fiedler Contingency Model; p. 392) 29. Who developed the LPC (least preferred co-worker) questionnaire? a. Wachner b. Fiedler c. House d. Blake and Mouton e. Surber (b; Moderate; Least Preferred Coworker; p. 392) 30. In Fiedler’s model, if a respondent describes his or her least preferred co-worker in relatively positive terms, then the respondent is considered to be _____. a. relationship-oriented b. people-oriented c. consensus-building d. considerati on-focused e. unrealistic (a; Challenging; Least Preferred Coworker; p. 92) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 31. If a survey respondent sees his or her least preferred co-worker in unfavorable terms, Fiedler would categorize the respondent as _____. a. overly critical b. task-oriented c. emotionally deficient d. insightful e. laissez-faire (b; Moderate; Least Preferred Coworker; p. 392) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 32. Fiedler’s contingency model assumes that an individual’s leadership style is _____. a. changeable b. contingent c. situational d. fixed e. intangible (d; Moderate; Fiedler Contingency Model; p. 392) 33. Three situational criteria identified in the Fiedler model are _____. . job requirements, position power, and leadership ability b. charisma, influence, and leader-member relations c. leader-member relations, task structure, and position power d. task structure, leadership ability, and group conflict e. emotional intelligence, group orientation, and employee status ( c; Moderate; Fiedler’s Key Situational Factors; p. 393) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 34. Fiedler labels the degree of confidence, trust, and respect that subordinates have in their leader as _____. a. leader-member relations b. relationship orientation c. positional power d. employee-orientation . none of the above (a; Easy; Leader-Member Relations; p. 393) 35. The degree to which job assignments are procedurized is classified in the Fiedler model as _____. a. leader-member relations b. task orientation c. task structure d. initiating structure e. productivity oriented (c; Moderate; Task Structures; p. 393) 36. Fiedler’s theory predicts that an individual who is considered task oriented will be most effective when the situation is _____. a. moderately to highly favorable b. moderately favorable c. moderately to highly unfavorable d. very favorable or very unfavorable e. highly favorable d; Challenging; Matching Leaders and Situations; pp. 393-394) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 37. Based on the contingency theory, if the leadership style does not match the situation, you should _____. a. change the leader to fit the situation b. change the situation to fit the leader c. accept this circumstance as unchangeable d. either a or b e. retrain the leader in a more appropriate style (d; Moderate; Matching Leaders and Situations; p. 394) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 38. The reconceptualization of the contingency model by Garcia and Fiedler is called _____ theory. a. situational b. cognitive resource . evaluative d. leadership recognition e. cognitive dissonance (b; Moderate; Cognitive Resource Theory; p. 395) 39. Cognitive resource theory focuses on the role of ____ as a form of situational unfavorableness and how a leader’s intelligence and experience influence his or her reaction. a. stress b. task structure c. position power d. conflict e. resolution (a; Moderate; Cognitive Resource Theory; p. 395) 40. All of the following are findings of the cognitive resou rce theory except _____. a. low stress situations show a positive relationship between intellectual abilities and performance b. ow stress situations show a positive relationship between job experience and performance c. high stress situations show a negative relationship between intellectual abilities and performance d. high stress situations show a positive relationship between job experience and performance e. None of the above are findings of the theory. (b; Moderate; Cognitive Resource Theory; p. 395) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 41. Hersey and Blanchard developed which of the following? a. situational leadership theory b. cognitive resource theory c. managerial grid model d. path-goal theory . cognitive orientation model (a; Moderate; Situational Leadership Theory; p. 395) 42. Hersey and Blanchard’s leadership theory differs from other leadership theories primarily because it _____. a. explores the role of the expectations of the leader for the follower b. focuses on the fo llowers c. holds that leadership style should be dependent on the situation d. is normative e. deals strictly and exclusively with contingencies (b; Challenging; Situational Leadership Theory; p. 395) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 43. According to Hersey and Blanchard, readiness encompasses the _____. a. egree of confidence, trust, and respect members have in their leader b. amount of influence a leader has over variables such as hiring, firing, and salaries c. level of morale and satisfaction of the employees d. ability and willingness of the followers to accomplish a task e. all of the above (d; Moderate; Readiness; p. 396) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 44. Hersey and Blanchard say that the laissez-faire leadership style should be used when employees are ____ to accomplish a task. a. unable and willing b. able and unwilling c. unable and unwilling d. able and willing e. none of the above d; Moderate; Situational Leadership Theory; p. 396) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 45. What theory was develop ed by Robert House? a. cognitive resource model b. decision theory c. leader-member exchange theory d. path-goal theory e. situational leadership theory (d; Moderate; Path-Goal Theory; p. 396) 46. The leadership model that integrates the expectancy theory of motivation with the Ohio State leadership research is _____. a. path-goal b. contingency c. leader-participation d. leader-member exchange e. cognitive arousal (a; Challenging; Path-Goal Theory; p. 396) 47. What is the essence of the path-goal theory? . Successful leadership is achieved by selecting the right leadership style. b. Stress is a form of situational unfavorableness and a leader’s reaction to it depends on his or her intelligence and experience. c. Effective group performance depends on the proper match between the leader’s style and the degree to which the situation gives control to the leader. d. Leaders establish a special relationship with a small group of their followers because of time pressures. e . The leader is responsible for providing followers with the information, support, or other resources necessary for them to do their jobs. e; Moderate; Path-Goal Theory; p. 397) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 48. The leadership behaviors identified by the path-goal theory are _____. a. supportive, employee-oriented, laissez-faire, and participative b. achievement-oriented, supportive, humanistic, and directive c. participative, achievement-oriented, directive, and supportive d. directive, participative, supportive, and laissez-faire e. affective, cognitive, and behavioral (c; Challenging; Path-Goal Theory; p. 397) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 49. Which path-goal leadership style leads to greater satisfaction when tasks are ambiguous or stressful? . directive b. supportive c. participative d. mixed e. reactive (a; Moderate; Path-Goal Theory; p. 397) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 50. According to House, what leader is friendly and shows concern for the needs of followers? a. the achievement-oriented leader b. the directive leader c. the laissez-faire leader d. the participative leader e. the supportive leader (e; Easy; Path-Goal Theory; p. 397) 51. Which of the following is not an example of a prediction based on path-goal theory? a. Subordinates with an internal locus of control will be more satisfied with a directive style. b.Directive leadership leads to greater satisfaction when tasks are ambiguous or stressful. c. Supportive leadership results in high employee performance when performing structured tasks. d. Directive leadership is likely to be perceived as redundant by employees with a lot of experience. e. All of the above are examples of predictions based on path-goal theory. (a; Challenging; Path-Goal Theory Predictions; p. 398) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) Theory 52. Which of the following theories argues that because of time pressures, leaders establish a special relationship with a small group of their subordinates? . managerial grid b. lea der-member exchange c. path-goal d. expectancy e. contingency (b; Easy; Leader-Member Exchange Theory; p. 398) 53. According to LMX theory, which of the following is not true of those individuals who fall into the out-group? a. They receive a disproportionate amount of the leader’s attention. b. They have leader-follower relations based on formal authority interaction. c. They are less trusted. d. They receive fewer of the preferred rewards that the leader controls. e. All of the above statements are true. (a; Easy; Leader-Member Exchange Theory; p. 99) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 54. According to LMX theory, a leader implicitly categorizes followers as â€Å"in† or â€Å"out† _____. a. after careful analysis b. on a temporary basis c. early in the interaction d. because of political pressure e. based on job requirements (c; Easy; Leader-Member Exchange Theory; p. 399) Decision Theory; Vroom and Yetton’s Leader-Participation Model 55. The leader-participatio n model was developed by _____. a. Hersey and Blanchard b. Fred Fiedler c. Blake and Mouton d. Vroom and Yetton e. Douglas and Surber (d; Moderate; Leadership-Participation Model; p. 400) 56.Vroom and Yetton’s leadership theory could also be described as a _____ theory. a. contingency b. decision c. behavioral d. trait e. cognitive dissonance (b; Moderate; Leadership-Participation Model; p. 400) 57. Criticism of Vroom and Yetton’s leader-participation model focus on ________. a. the model’s overall complexity b. the lack of research testing of the model c. the abstract nature of the model d. the model’s emphasis on follower commitment e. the model’s emphasis on time restrictions related to decision-making (a; Challenging; Criticism of Leadership-Participation Model; p. 400) TRUE/FALSEWhat Is Leadership? 58. Leadership and management are two terms that are often confused. (True; Easy; Management and Leadership; p. 385) 59. According to Kotter, manag ement focuses on coping with change; leadership focuses on coping with complexity. (False; Moderate; Management and Leadership; p. 385) 60. Leadership can be defined as the ability to influence a group towards the achievement of cohesiveness. (False; Moderate; Leadership; p. 385) 61. Holding a management position is an important step towards becoming a leader in an organization. (False; Moderate; Management and Leadership; p. 385) 62.Strong leadership is the primary element needed for optimum organizational effectiveness. (False; Moderate; Leadership; p. 385) Trait Theories 63. By the 1990s, numerous studies indicated that leaders differed from nonleaders only in ambition and self-confidence. (False; Challenging; Leadership; p. 386) 64. Research efforts at isolating leadership traits achieved a breakthrough, of sorts, when researchers began organizing traits around the Big Five personality framework. (True; Moderate; Big Five and Trait Theories; p. 386) 65. The Big Five personality framework revealed that traits are most useful as predictors of leadership emergence. True; Moderate; Big Five and Trait Theories; p. 386) Behavioral Theories 66. Trait research would provide a basis for selecting the â€Å"right† persons to assume formal positions requiring leadership. (True; Easy; Trait Theories; p. 389) 67. One assumption of the trait view of leadership is that leaders cannot be trained. (True; Moderate; Trait Theories; p. 389) 68. If behavioral theories of leadership are valid, selection of leaders should focus on length of experience an individual has obtained in the right situations. (False; Easy; Behavioral Theories; p. 389) 69.If behavioral theories of leadership are valid, we could have an infinite supply of effective leaders. (True; Challenging; Behavioral Theories; p. 389) 70. The most comprehensive and replicated of the behavioral theories resulted from research begun by Fred Fiedler. (False; Moderate; Ohio State Studies; p. 389) 71. The Ohio Stat e Studies involved research on only two dimensions – initiating structure and consideration. (True; Moderate; Ohio State Studies; p. 389) 72. A leader designated as high on initiating structure would be likely to clearly define the roles of his or her subordinates. (True; Easy; Initiating Structure; p. 389) 3. According to the University of Michigan studies, production-oriented leadership is defined as the extent to which a leader tends to emphasize the technical or task aspects of the job. (False; Moderate; University of Michigan Studies; p. 390) 74. The University of Michigan studies found that production-oriented leaders were associated with higher group productivity than employee-oriented leaders. (False; Challenging; University of Michigan Studies; p. 390) 75. The managerial grid model of leadership uses a grid containing nine possible positions on each axis, representing 81 different positions in which a leader’s style may fall. True; Moderate; Managerial Grid; p . 390) 76. The managerial grid model holds that managers tend to perform best under a 9,9 management style. (True; Moderate; Managerial Grid; p. 390) 77. The managerial grid was developed by a team of researchers known as the Scandinavian Studies group. (False; Easy; Managerial Grid; p. 390) 78. The managerial grid helped promote the progress of leadership research by identifying the productivity results produced by each of 81 different leadership styles. (False; Challenging; Managerial Grid; p. 390) Contingency Theories: Fiedler Model and Situational Leadership Theory 79.The Fiedler contingency model proposes that effective group performance depends upon the proper match between a leader’s style and the degree to which a situation gives control to the leader. (True; Moderate; Fiedler Contingency Model; p. 392) 80. Fiedler’s contingency model is considered to be the first comprehensive contingency model for leadership. (True; Moderate; Fiedler Contingency Model; p. 392 ) 81. Contingency models of leadership suggest that there is no one best style of leadership. (True; Easy; Contingency Models; p. 392) 82. Fiedler believes that a key factor in leadership success is the follower’s preferences for co-worker types. False; Easy; Fiedler Contingency Model; p. 392) 83. Fiedler’s findings focused on results obtained from his pioneering use of the most preferred co-worker (MPC) questionnaire. (False; Easy; Least Preferred Coworker; p. 392) 84. In Fiedler’s approach, if a respondent uses unfavorable terms to describe the co-worker in question, the respondent can be said to be primarily task-oriented. (True; Moderate; Least Preferred Coworker; p. 392) 85. Fiedler’s theory is based on the assumption that leaders can’t change their styles to fit changing situations. (True; Moderate; Fiedler Contingency Model; p. 392) 86.Fiedler’s theory suggests that training is an effective tool to improve leader effectiveness. (False ; Moderate; Fiedler Contingency Model; p. 392) 87. Fiedler’s three situational factors include: leader-member relations, task structure, and stress. (False; Moderate; Fiedler’s Key Situational Factors; p. 393) 88. According to Fiedler, task structure is the degree to which the job assignments are procedurized. (True; Moderate; Task Structures; p. 393) 89. According to Fiedler, leader-member relations concern the degree to which a leader takes a personal interest in the needs of his or her employees and accepts individual differences among them. False; Challenging; Position Power; p. 393) 90. According to Fiedler’s contingency model, task-oriented leaders are most effective in situations of high or low control. (True; Moderate; Matching Leaders and Situations; pp. 393-394) 91. Fiedler assumes that we should concentrate on changing situations to suit the leaders or changing the leaders to fit the situation. (True; Moderate; Matching Leaders and Situations; p. 394) 92. Taken as a whole, tests of the overall validity of the Fiedler model tend to support substantial parts of the model. (True; Moderate; Fiedler Contingency Model; p. 394) 93.One criticism of the Fiedler model concerns the fact that the logic underlying the model’s questionnaire is not well understood. (True; Moderate; Problems with Fiedler Contingency Model; p. 395) 94. Studies regarding the Fiedler model have shown that respondents’ questionnaire scores tend to be relatively stable. (False; Moderate; Problems with Fiedler Contingency Model; p. 395) 95. One advantage of the Fiedler model is that its contingency variables are simple and easy to assess. (False; Moderate; Problems with Fiedler Contingency Model; p. 395) 96. The essence of cognitive resource theory is that stress is the enemy of rationality. True; Moderate; Cognitive Resource Theory; p. 395) 97. Cognitive resource theory predicts that in low-stress situations, bright individuals perform better in the le adership role than their less intelligent counterparts. (True; Moderate; Cognitive Resource Theory; p. 395) 98. Cognitive resource theory predicts that in high-stress situations, more experienced individuals perform better than do less experienced people. (True; Moderate; Cognitive Resource Theory; p. 395) 99. Under the cognitive resource theory, experience is generally a strong predictor of leadership effectiveness. False; Easy; Cognitive Resource Theory; p. 395) 100. Hersey and Blanchard argue that the correct leadership style is contingent on the level of the follower’s readiness. (True; Easy; Situational Leadership Theory; p. 395) 101. Situational leadership theory essentially views the leader-follower relationship as analogous to that between a parent and child. (True; Easy; Situational Leadership Theory; p. 396) 102. Situational leadership theory has been well validated by research but not well received by practitioners because there are so many factors to examine. (Fal se; Moderate; Situational Leadership Theory; p. 96) 103. SLT is an example of a trait theory. (False; Easy; Situational Leadership Theory; pp. 395-396) 104. The path-goal model of leadership integrates the expectancy model of motivation with key elements of the Ohio State Studies. (True; Moderate; Path-Goal Theory; p. 396) 105. Path-goal theory assumes leaders are flexible and can display different leadership behavior depending on the situation. (True; Moderate; Path-Goal Theory; p. 397) 106. A hypothesis that has evolved out of path-goal theory is that directive leadership leads to greater satisfaction when tasks are ambiguous or stressful. True; Moderate; Path-Goal Theory Predictions; p. 398) Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) Theory 107. In the leader-member exchange theory, leaders don’t treat all of their subordinates alike. (True; Moderate; Leader-Member Exchange Theory; p. 397) 108. According to LMX theory, out-group members get more of the leader’s time, but in a neg ative manner. (False; Moderate; Leader-Member Exchange Theory; p. 397) 109. In the leader-member exchange theory, leaders establish a special relationship with a small group of employees called the â€Å"supportive followers. † (False; Moderate; Leader-Member Exchange Theory; p. 397) 110.Research testing of LMX theory has been generally supportive. (True, Moderate, Evaluation of Leader-Member Exchange Theory; p. 398) Decision Theory; Vroom and Yetton’s Leader-Participation Model 111. The leader-participation model provides a set of rules that leaders can use to determine the appropriate leadership behavior for a given task structure. (True; Moderate; Leadership-Participation Model; p. 400) 112. The complexity of the leadership-participation model enables leaders to apply it realistically when they are assessing decision-making situations. (False; Challenging; Criticism of Leadership-Participation Model; p. 00) SCENARIO-BASED QUESTIONS Application of Trait Theories Your company’s HR director is a believer in trait theories of leadership. He believes that he can differentiate leaders from non-leaders by focusing on personal qualities and characteristics. The HR director plans to promote Lawrence, a highly extroverted manager with a great deal of ambition and energy. Furthermore, the president of the company is preparing to retire, and the HR director is searching for her replacement. He asks for your expertise in helping him to apply trait theory to leadership selection within your company. 13. You explain that research efforts at isolating leadership traits have ________. a. identified six leadership traits that predict leadership b. been supportive of the Big Five leadership traits predicting leadership c. shown that conscientiousness does not help much in predicting leadership d. identified emotional stability as the most strongly related trait to leader emergence e. been more focused on developing contingency theories and replacing trait theories (b; Easy; Big Five and Trait Theories; p. 386) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 114.When selecting individuals for leadership positions, trait theory suggests that which of the following is least helpful for identifying leaders? a. extraversion b. conscientiousness c. openness to experience d. agreeableness e. ambition (d; Moderate; Big Five and Trait Theories; p. 387) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 115. You advise the director to prioritize which of the following when looking for appropriate candidates for the president’s replacement? a. goal-orientation b. analytical capacity c. emotional intelligence d. emotional stability e. training (c; Moderate; Emotional Intelligence and Trait Theories; p. 387) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 16. The director believes that because of these innate characteristics, Lawrence will be highly effective at helping the company achieve its production goals. You advise the director against this decision because ________. a. research has identified emotiona l stability as the strongest predictor of leadership effectiveness b. studies have found that the Big Five traits are difficult to identify in leaders c. studies have shown that traits are poor predictors of leadership effectiveness d. research has found that conscientiousness is a better predictor of effectiveness than extraversion e. esearch has shown that effective managers are often unlikely to become effective leaders (c; Moderate; Trait Theories; p. 388) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} Application of Trait and Behavioral Theories You are the CEO of an engineering design firm that has several departments, each specializing in the design of different products. You have noticed a great deal of difference between the styles of the various department directors. You also see a big difference in the morale, employee satisfaction levels, and effectiveness (productivity) levels of the departments.One of your goals as CEO is to maximize productivity across all departments. 117. As you look at the difference between the department directors, you notice that some are more charismatic and enthusiastic than others. In identifying this difference, you are looking at the directors’ _____. a. behaviors b. traits c. personalities d. attitudes e. all of the above (b; Easy; Traits; p. 386) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 118. Some of the departmental directors spend more time training and helping their employees, while other spend more time on the technical issues that arise in the development process.According to the categories used in the University of Michigan studies, the directors can be described as ________. a. oriented toward initiating structure vs. oriented toward consideration b. employee-oriented vs. production-oriented c. training-oriented vs. development-oriented d. assistance-oriented vs. growth-oriented e. authority-type leaders vs. laissez faire-type leaders (b; Moderate; University of Michigan Studies; p. 390) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 119. Based on the results of the University of Michigan studies, which directors most likely have departments with higher productivity and job satisfaction? . the employee-oriented leaders b. the production-oriented leaders c. the consideration-oriented leaders d. the development-oriented leaders e. the task-oriented leaders (a; Moderate; Employee-Oriented Leaders; p. 390) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 120. Of all the departments, Gerard’s department has the greatest production output. His employees seem most satisfied with his leadership as well. You categorize the behavioral styles of each department director using the managerial grid. According to the work of Blake and Mouton, who developed the grid, which of the following is most likely to reflect Gerard’s score on he grid? a. 8,8 b. 5,5 c. 1,7 d. 7,1 e. 1,1 (a; Moderate; Managerial Grid; p. 390) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 121. It can be inferred that the poorest performing director is most likely to receive which of the following scores on the mana gerial grid? a. 9,9 b. 1,9 c. 9,1 d. 5,5 e. 1,1 (e; Challenging; Managerial Grid; p. 390) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} Application of Fiedler’s Contingency Theory You have decided to use Fiedler’s LPC questionnaire to help your employees learn more about their leadership styles. Each of your employees has filled out and scored the instrument.It is your job to try to explain to them how to use the survey information. 122. According to Fiedler’s approach, your employees should assume which of the following about the leadership styles determined through using the survey? a. Each person’s style is essentially fixed. b. Each person can use the information to change his/her style to a more productive style. c. Task-oriented leaders will not perform as well as relationship-oriented leaders in situations that are very unfavorable. d. Task-oriented leaders will perform better than relationship-oriented leaders in moderately favorable situations. . Each person’s style will change in accordance with the situation at hand. (a; Moderate; Fiedler Contingency Model; p. 392) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 123. Fran completes the LPC questionnaire and finds that she described her least preferred co-worker in relatively positive terms. She is surprised by this finding because she recalls being particularly annoyed by this difficult co-worker. Based on your understanding of Fiedler’s model, you explain to Fran that her LPC score makes sense within the model because ________. a. Fran tends to become very dominating when given ambiguous tasks b.Fran is usually much more focused on productivity than on developing relationships c. Fran tends in general to focus on building good relationships with the other employees at your company d. Fran has a spotty work history and has tended to switch jobs every couple of years e. Fran is usually chosen for positions of high responsibility within your organization (c; Challenging; Least Preferred Coworker; p. 392 ) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 124. In utilizing Fiedler’s contingency model, which of the following contingency dimensions should your employees pay attention to? a. leader-member relations b. ask structure c. position power d. All of the above are important dimensions in this model. e. None of the above are important dimensions in this model. (d; Moderate; Fiedler’s Key Situational Factors; p. 393) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 125. The Fiedler model proposes ________. a. changing the leader b. changing the situation c. matching leaders and situations d. changing the employees e. training the leader to match each situation (c; Easy; Matching Leaders and Situations; p. 394) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} Application of Various Theories Your boss has been reading several books on leadership. You notice that every ew months he is spouting a different approach and philosophy. You have been trying to keep up with him and figure out which â€Å"leadership theory of the month† he i s studying. 126. Suddenly your boss begins sending people to training to help them develop more effective leadership styles. It is clear that he is reading an author who supports _____. a. trait theories b. behavioral theories c. Fiedler’s contingency model d. the reflection effect e. none of the above (b; Easy; Behavioral Theories; p. 389) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 127. You have noticed that your boss is often asking you what types of peers you least like to work with.You suspect that he is trying to covertly determine your leadership style according to _____. a. Hersey and Blanchard b. Vroom and Yetton c. Fiedler d. Sondak e. none of the above (c; Easy; Fiedler Contingency Model; p. 392) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 128. This month your boss seems less concerned about his leaders than he is about the people who work for them and whether these employees are willing and able to perform particular tasks. Your boss is most likely reading _____. a. Hersey and Blanchard b. Vroom and Y etton c. Fiedler d. Christos e. Fiedler and Garcia (a; Easy, Situational Leadership Theory; p. 95) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 129. Now your boss seems to be trying to analyze each leader according to which employees they interact with most and least, and which employees they rate highest and lowest. You suspect that he is reading about which of the following models? a. SLT b. LMX c. LPC d. PGT e. SNFU (b; Moderate; Leader-Member Exchange Theory; p. 398) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} Application of Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) Theory As you have observed your department manager and her interactions with the department’s employees, you have come to believe in LMX theory.Sarah and Joe get less of the manager’s time. Sally gets fewer of the preferred rewards that the manager controls and John has a relationship with the manager based on formal authority interactions. Rebecca is trusted. Jennifer gets a disproportionate amount of the manager’s attention and is more likely t o receive special privileges. 130. According to LMX theory, the in-group is likely to be comprised of _____. a. Rebecca and Jennifer only b. Jennifer only c. Rebecca only d. John, Rebecca, and Jennifer only e. Sarah, Joe, Sally, and John only (a; Moderate; In-Group; pp. 398-399) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 31. According to LMX theory, which of the following employees is likely to be included in the out-group? a. Rebecca only b. Jennifer only c. Sarah and Jennifer only d. Sarah and Joe only e. Sarah, Joe, Sally, and John only (c; Easy; Out-Group; p. 399) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 132. When you look at this department’s performance evaluations, you expect to find that _____. a. Rebecca and Jennifer have high ratings b. Rebecca, John, and Jennifer have high ratings c. Rebecca and Jennifer have high ratings, John has moderate ratings, and the rest of the employees have low ratings d.John has received more promotions than any of the other employees e. Rebecca and John compete with eac h other for the highest ratings (a; Moderate; In-Group; p. 399) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 133. The manager of this particular department is very goal-oriented in his leadership style. Which of the following employees is also likely to be very goal-oriented? a. Sarah b. Jennifer c. Joe d. Sally e. John (b; Moderate; In-Group; p. 399) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} SHORT DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 134. What is the difference between leadership and management? Leadership is defined as the ability to influence a group toward the achievement of goals.Leadership is about coping with change, management is about coping with complexity. Good management brings about order and consistency by drawing up formal plans, designing rigid organization structures, and monitoring results against plans. Management consists of implementing the vision and strategy provided by leaders, coordinating and staffing the organization, and handling day-to-day problems. (Easy; Management and Leadership; p. 385) {AACSB: Analyti c Skills} 135. What â€Å"breakthrough† resulted in consistent and strong support for traits as predictors of leadership?When researchers began organizing traits around the Big Five personality framework, it became clear that most of the dozens of traits that emerged in various leadership reviews could be subsumed under one of the Big Five. This approach resulted in consistent and strong support for traits as predictors of leadership emergence. (Easy; Leadership; p. 385) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 136. What are the implications of the behavioral theories of leadership? If trait research had been successful, it would have provided a basis for selecting the â€Å"right† persons to assume formal positions in groups and organizations requiring leadership.In contrast, if behavioral studies were to turn up critical behavioral determinants of leadership, we could train people to be leaders. The difference between trait and behavioral theories, in terms of application, lies in t heir underlying assumptions. If trait theories were valid, then leaders are born rather than made. On the other hand, if there were specific behaviors that identified leaders, then we could teach leadership – we could design programs that implanted these behavioral patterns in individuals who desired to be effective leaders. Moderate; Implications of Behavioral Theories; p. 389) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 137. Identify and explain the two dimensions of leadership described in the Ohio State studies. The Ohio State studies proposed that two categories accounted for most of the leadership behavior described by employees. They called these two dimensions initiating structure and consideration. a) Initiating structure refers to the extent to which a leader is likely to define and structure his or her role and those of employees in the search for goal attainment. ) Consideration is described as the extent to which a person is likely to have job relationships that are characterized b y mutual trust, respect for employees’ ideas, and regard for their feelings. (Easy; Ohio State Studies; p. 389) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 138. Explain the components of Blake and Mouton’s managerial grid. Blake and Mouton proposed a managerial grid based on the styles of concern for people and concern for production. This grid shows the dominating factors in a leader’s thinking in regard to getting results. Managers were found to perform best under a 9,9 style.The dimensions represent the Ohio State dimensions of consideration and initiating structure and the Michigan dimensions of employee oriented and production oriented. (Easy; Managerial Grid; p. 390) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 139. How was cognitive resource theory developed, and what are its main findings? Fiedler and Joe Garcia re-conceptualized Fiedler’s contingency model. They focused on the role of stress as a form of situational unfavorableness and how a leader’s intelligence and experience influence his or her reaction to stress. The essence of the theory is that stress is the enemy of rationality.Fiedler and Garcia found that a leader’s intellectual abilities correlate positively with performance under low stress but negatively under high stress. According to the theory, it’s the level of stress in the situation that determines whether an individual’s intelligence and experience will contribute to leadership performance. (Moderate; Cognitive Resource Theory; p. 395) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 140. Describe LMX theory and identify its main beliefs. This theory argues that because of time pressures, leaders establish a special relationship with a small group of their followers.These individuals make up the in-group – they are trusted, get a disproportionate amount of the leader’s attention, and are more likely to receive special privileges. Other followers fall into the out-group. They get less of the leader’s time, fewer of the preferred rewards that the leader controls, and have leader-follower relations based on formal authority interactions. The leader implicitly categorizes the follower as an â€Å"in† or â€Å"out† and that relationship is relatively stable over time. (Moderate; Leader-Member Exchange Theory; pp. 398-399) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 141. Describe the leader-participation model.Victor Vroom and Phillip Yetton developed a model that related leadership behavior and participation in decision making. Recognizing that task structures have varying demands for routine and non-routine activities, these researchers argued that leader behavior must adjust to reflect the task structure. The model was normative – it provided a sequential set of rules that should be followed in determining the form and amount of participation in decision making, as determined by different types of situations. The model was a decision tree incorporating seven contingencies and five alternative lea dership styles. Easy; Leadership-Participation Model; p. 400) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} MEDIUM LENGTH DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 142. Explain the principles of Hersey and Blanchard’s situational leadership theory. Situational leadership is a contingency theory that focuses on the followers. Successful leadership is achieved by selecting the right leadership style, which they argue is contingent on the level of the followers’ readiness. The emphasis on the followers in leadership effectiveness reflects the reality that it is the followers who accept or reject the leaders.Readiness refers to the extent to which people have the ability and willingness to accomplish a specific task. SLT says if a follower is unable and unwilling to do a task, the leader needs to give clear and specific directions; if followers are unable and willing, the leader needs to display high task orientation to compensate for the followers’ lack of ability and high relationship orientation to get t he follower to â€Å"buy into† the leader’s desires; if followers are able and unwilling, the leader needs to use a supportive and participative style; and if the employee is both able and willing, the leader doesn’t need to do much. Moderate; Situational Leadership Theory; pp. 395-396) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 143. What are the predictions of path-goal theory? Path-goal theory made several predictions: a) Directive leadership leads to greater satisfaction when tasks are ambiguous or stressful than when they are highly structured and well laid out. b) Supportive leadership results in high employee performance and satisfaction when employees are performing structured tasks. c) Directive leadership is likely to be perceived as redundant among employees with high perceived ability or with considerable experience. ) Employees with an internal locus of control will be more satisfied with a participative style. e) Achievement-oriented leadership will increase employee s’ expectancies that effort will lead to high performance when tasks are ambiguously structured. (Moderate; Path-Goal Theory Predictions; p. 398) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 144. Summarize the leader-member exchange theory. The leader-member exchange (LMX) theory argues that because of time pressures, leaders establish a special relationship with a small group of their followers.These individuals make up the in-group—they are trusted, get a disproportionate amount of the leader’s attention, and are more likely to receive special privileges. Other followers fall into the out-group. They get less of the leader’s time, fewer of the preferred rewards that the leader controls, and have leader-follower relations based on formal authority interactions. The theory proposes that early in the history of the interaction between a leader and a given follower, the leader implicitly categorizes the follower as an â€Å"in† or an â€Å"out† and that relations hip is relatively stable over time.The theory and research surrounding it provide substantive evidence that leaders do differentiate among followers; that these disparities are far from random; and that followers with in-group status will have higher performance ratings, lower turnover intentions, greater satisfaction with their superior, and higher overall satisfaction than will the out-group. These positive findings for in-group members are consistent with our knowledge of the self-fulfilling prophesy. (Moderate; Leader-Member Exchange Theory; pp. 98-399) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} COMPREHENSIVE ESSAYS 145. Explain Fiedler’s contingency model. In your discussion, describe the role of the LPC (least preferred coworker) questionnaire and identify the key situational factors that determine leadership effectiveness, according to this model. Fred Fiedler developed the first comprehensive contingency model for leadership. This model proposes that effective group performance depends upon the proper match between the leader’s style and the degree to which the situation gives control to the leader.The least preferred co-worker (LPC) questionnaire is used to determine what the leader’s basic style is. Sixteen contrasting adjectives are used to ask respondents to describe their least-preferred co-worker. If the least preferred co-worker is described in relatively positive terms (a high LPC score), then the respondent is primarily interested in good personal relations with this co-worker. This person is considered relationship oriented. If the least preferred co-worker is primarily interested in productivity, they would be labeled task oriented.Fiedler assumes that an individual’s leadership style is fixed. Fiedler identified three contingency dimensions that define the key situational factors that determine leadership effectiveness. a) Leader-member relations are the degree of confidence, trust, and respect members have in their leader. b) Tas k structure is the degree to which the job assignments are procedurized. c) Position power is the degree of influence a leader has over power variables such as hiring, firing, discipline, promotions, and salary increases.The better the leader-member relations, the more highly structured the job, and the stronger the position power, the more control the leader has. With knowledge of an individual’s LPC and an assessment of the three contingency variables, Fiedler proposes matching them up to achieve maximum leadership effectiveness. Task-oriented leaders tend to perform better in situations that were very favorable to them and in situations that were very unfavorable. Relationship oriented leaders perform better in moderately favorable situations.Fiedler has suggested recently that task-oriented leaders perform best in situations of high and low control, while relationship-oriented leaders perform best in moderate control situations. There are two ways to improve leader effect iveness. You can change the leader to fit the situation. The second alternative would be to change the situation to fit the leader. This could be done by restructuring tasks or increasing or decreasing the power that the leader has to control factors such as salary increases, promotions, and disciplinary actions. (Challenging; Fiedler Contingency Model; pp. 92- 394) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 146. Compare and contrast Hersey and Blanchard’s situational leadership theory with House’s path-goal theory. Hersey and Blanchard’s situation leadership theory is a contingency theory that focuses on the followers. Successful leadership is achieved by selecting the right leadership style, which Hersey and Blanchard argue is contingent on the level of the followers’ readiness. The emphasis on the followers in leadership effectiveness reflects the reality that it is the followers who accept or reject the leaders.The term readiness refers to the extent to which people ha ve the ability and willingness to accomplish a specific task. SLT says if a follower is unable and unwilling to do a task, the leader needs to give clear and specific directions; if followers are unable and willing, the leader needs to display high task orientation to compensate for the followers’ lack of ability and high relationship orientation to get the follower to â€Å"buy into† the leader’s desires; if followers are able and unwilling, the leader needs to use a supportive and articipative style; and if the employee is both able and willing, the leader doesn’t need to do much. Path-goal theory was developed by Robert House. The essence of the theory is that it’s the leader’s job to assist followers in attaining their goals and to provide the necessary direction and/or support to ensure that their goals are compatible with the overall objectives of the group or organization.The term path-goal is derived from the belief that effective le aders clarify the path to help their followers get from where they are to the achievement of their work goals and make the journey along the path easier by reducing roadblocks. House identified four leadership behaviors. The directive leader lets followers know what is expected of them, schedules work to be done, and gives specific guidance as to how to accomplish tasks. The supportive leader is friendly and shows concern for the needs of followers.The participative leader consults with followers and uses their suggestions before making a decision. The achievement-oriented leader sets challenging goals and expects followers to perform at their highest level. House assumes that leaders are flexible and that the same leader can display any or all of these behaviors depending on the situation. (Challenging; Situational Leadership Theory and Path-Goal Theory; pp. 395-396) {AACSB: Analytic Skills}