At&T vs Skype Essay

This analysis provides an overview of the current and prospective opportunities for Skype, a Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) company. The report finds that Skype’s revenue has decreased dramatically in the last three years mainly due to the increase in competition. Josh Silverman, president of Skype, realizes some decisions must be made in order to remain an industry leader. The company’s current growth plan strategy includes three phases. Phase 1 though already completed, was to become operational on at least one platform, with one revenue system, and focus on one market with one primary service. Phase 2 consist of developing many platforms, diversified revenue streams, many conversation modes, many regions and market targets. Phase 3 encompasses multiple market segments, established products, regional ubiquity, and mature target markets. Though Skype is well developed there are still potential growth opportunities. These opportunities include expansion of existing calling plans and prices, incenting existing users to ‘sell’ Skype to new users and collaborating with cell phone providers. With the market growing rapidly the next phase taken by Skype is crucial in their development. By using the current opportunities Silverman can advance the company as well as attack other providers in the industry. SYNOPSIS OF CASE FACTS Skype is a software application that essentially allows users to use any telephone or videoconference services over any internet connection. This transmission is called VoIP (as shown in Appendix A) and because of the reasonable long-distance and local call packages this option has become an attractive economical alternative to landline or traditional cell phone plan. Josh Silverman, president of Skype, is faced with making the next strategic move that will put Skype in a better position to successfully compete in the telecommunications industry. In order for Silverman and his leadership team to proceed with the next steps it is recommended that they first assess the economic environment. It is important to understand the economic environment that it currently has, as well as the predictions for growth within the industry. Finally, Skype’s key success factors (KSF’s) include cost, building relationships with mobile operators, globalization and word of mouth promotion by existing users. If Skype can focus on one of these KSF’s and be uniquely different where it sets them apart from rivals then Skype will continue to see growth in users and revenue. In terms of market size and growth rate, The VoIP market increased 66% from 2005-2006 with a projected continual increase of growth for decade upwards of 150%. This growth was due to the inclusion of an expansion to other ways of utilizing VoIP services. From internet to cell phone usage, the forecasts called for VoIP applications to create $32.2 billion in profit with over 270 million users. As of 2009, Skype would not be considered a major competitor within the VoIP Market. Comcast Corporation, which held 31.5% of the market, was the leader by 15.3%. Time Warner was in second with 16.2%, and Cox Enterprises, Inc. at 9.6% was only 1.3% ahead of Vontage Holdings Corp. with 8.3%. The rest of the market, which was considered as â€Å"other†, encompassed 34.4% in which Skype captured a small share. All of the major competitors growth rates from 2005-2009 were declining rapidly. For Skype, this was good news because the projections in growth of U.S. and Europe users from 2005-2011 showed 17% increase in the U.S. and 37% increase in Europe. ​Although major players had a traditional stronghold on the telephone industry, Skype services created a substantial technological pull that provided a major shift in the macro environment for these majority companies. In addition, the transition from PTSN to VoIP technology also sparked regulatory and social conversations of change. And according to our textbook, â€Å"since macroeconomic factors affect different industries in different ways†¦it is important for managers to determine which these represent the most strategically relevant factors† (Thompson, Peterraf, Gamble, Strickland, 2012). For Skype, this environment was ripe with opportunities for growth, and the company decided to strategically chart their progressive growth into diversification through a phased plan incorporating the one to any platform functionalities. In addition, Skype would need to be concerned about new technology which provided potential new entrants an opportunity to gain market share . ​ The VoIP industry is in the growth stage of the lifecycle process in 2009. The landline telephone market is in decline due to f the attractive and less expensive option of VoIP technology, which can utilize the increasing amount of cheaper internet connectivity. Other markets such as the cell phone market are starting to introduce technology that based on current projections over half of the cell phone market will be VoIP based technologies by 2019. ​Skype’s virtual market encompasses a global strategy due to the unlimited potential and increasing deployment of fiber optic networks internationally. The barriers to entry are reasonable because they already have achieved substantial growth and success within one platform. Additionally, gaining access to technologies through innovation, acquisitions, and mergers are ways to go from their one to any platform in the future. The Company to work to establish itself in markets that are emerging, and where other players have not focused. STRATEGIC ISSUES AND KEY PROBLEMS SWOT analysis, see Appendix B was performed highlighting the positives and negatives within the company. Skype has succeeded in the market primarily due to aggressive pricing. However, the competitive pricing also puts Skype at a disadvantage. Although Skype’s growth numbers show a 47%, 72% and 61% increase in registered users, Skype minutes and Skype out minutes, respectively, in fourth quarter of 2008, Skype witnesses a decrease in revenue growth, 46% to 26% from Q308 to Q408, respectively. The company uses a broad differentiation strategy to appeal to buyers and offers competitive pricing, suggesting that buyers can reduce fees associated with long-distance and local calls that are incurred with their current telephone provider. A defined strength is word of mouth advertising which has ultimately kept down operating costs. Everyone loves Skype because it is largely free. The executive team at Skype is faced with crafting a strategy that will put Skype in a position to compete with heavy hitters in the market like Comcast (31.5% of the market share), Time Warner Cable, Cox Enterprises and Vonage Holdings. A key strategy for Comcast was the acquisition of AT&T’s cable operations. This move increased Comcast’s membership by expanding business geographically into 6 other states. Please refer to Appendix C for competitive matrix. DRIVING FACTORS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS Skype has several driving factors for the recommended solutions. One, the ‘fan base’ is instrumental in promoting the application. According to the executive outlook, ‘Skype becomes more valuable as more people use it, thereby creating an incentive for existing users to encourage new users to join’ (Thompson, Peterraf, Gamble, Strickland, 2012). Secondly, Skype offers competitive pricing and plans which has attracted many users but a slight modification of addendum to the plan would promote profitability. Finally, acquisitions of competitors have been successful for other rivals, yet it could be expensive and not something that Skype could afford to do now. An alternative would be to continue to collaborate with cell phone providers. RECOMMENDATIONS The leadership team at Skype should focus on modifying and building out the calling plan to boost revenues. Skype-to-Skype minutes has seen the greatest growth between Q307 and Q408, 72%, however this plan is free. The addition of a small fee to this service or offering a prepaid bundled package could dramatically increase revenue in this area. Another strategy is to continue collaborating with cell phone providers making it easier for users to access Skype from mobile devices, not just desktops or laptops. Market penetration with mobile devices could increase membership and revenue. Also, Skye could partner with major W-Fi hotspot providers to have a â€Å"Skype Here† promotion where places like Starbucks would partner with Skype to encourage people to Skype from their stores. This would increase the time that a customer could spend in the store, and refresh the idea of Skyping from with a pleasure activity like getting a cup of coffee. This could lead to promotions with Skype as well. For example, if a member spends 300 minutes Skyping at a certain Starbucks then they would get a coupon for a free coffee at that location. With IM, Facetime, and other Communications applications the struggle is to keep Skype in the consumers mind as the preferred method of making communication, as opposed to the other methods. Lastly, offer incentives to existing users to encourage new users to join Skype. The incentive payout would have to line-up with the price points of the calling plans. ​Another area that Skype should explore is the corporate or B2B communications, companies spend thousands each year using conference calls, or virtual meetings. Skype should design a simple method for business to offer a fixed price conference calling plan on a per employee basis. The corporate market is largely untapped and corporations typically have a robust IT infrastructure that lends itself well to Skype. ​

History of Ireland

In the years after 1000 AD the cultural and social landscape of Ireland changed a great deal. The influx of foreigners in Ireland had intentions to control, settle, and exploit the people and land and had a profound effect on the otherwise autonomous peoples who existed there. Most people assume the first people to inhabit Ireland were the Celtic speaking natives, who arrived between 700 and 500 BC. However, the island has been inhabited since as far back as 8000BC when nomads crossed the Irish Sea from continental Europe on ice bridges. Before the arrival of any other groups in Ireland the people of the island were very inward looking and not concerned with the events which took place in the rest of Europe. This paper will detail the effects that the newcomers had on the physical and social climate of Ireland and especially how and why the English were able to establish a control over the island which lasted for over 800 years. The primary unit of the Irish society was the family, each having its own lands. The source of power which gave rise to kingships and other forms of authority was cattle or other livestock given to families for use on their lands. In return for this families pledged their loyalty and services to their superior, such as in battle. As a result cattle became the measure of wealth and not lands as it was in the rest of Europe. 2 There was no single authority in Ireland to whom all answered; rather, historians noted any number of kingships on the island at any time. The kings were constantly fighting amongst themselves in an attempt to gain power and wealth. Perhaps even more divisive was the infighting amongst their own families; often, even brothers would fight each other dividing the established hierarchy. This created increased divisions between competing clans on the island and made any attempt to rule over it seemingly impossible as no Irishman was able to accomplish it. The Irish are naturally an open-minded and accepting people who have great respect for other cultures and traditions. The best example of this mentality is the spread of Christianity which St. Patrick introduced there beginning in 432AD. It must be noted that the spread of Christianity in Ireland was bloodless, unlike in many other parts of the world. By peacefully accepting the new faith, elements of openness and tolerance are evident in their natural character. The Irish people's actions were morally based on tradition and precedents set by their ancestors. They followed tradition very strictly when they warred with each other or had other disputes. Places such as monasteries were considered sacred, due to their strong belief in Christianity, and not to be interfered with when fighting took place. When a battle was won, the victor did not win the lands because tradition required that they stay in the possession of the family who tended them. Instead, loyalty and influence was won. This shows the respect land held in Irish society, it could be said that land was too sacred to become a pawn in the games of warring men. The first record of a strong foreign presence in Ireland came in 795 AD when Vikings arrived. It was reported that heathens had come ashore to loot and kill. 5 Throughout the forty years that followed sporadic raids were reported in all parts of Ireland as the Vikings sailed inland on the rivers and continued to attack coastal settlements. Similar raids were occurring at the same time in England and eventually it became evident to local populations on both islands that the goal of the raiders was shifting from bounty to settlement. 6 By the year 841 AD, the Vikings had established their own settlements on the island called Longphorts. These settlements were located on key waterways and used as a base from which to launch further attacks on the inland settlements of Ireland and on other areas of Europe, especially the island of England. Settlements included what are now major urban centers of Ireland such as Waterford and Dublin, which was founded in 852. These towns proved to be an important development as they would become forever sources of the wealth associated with trade. After establishing themselves permanently in Ireland the Vikings became much more vulnerable to counter attacks from native peoples and soon became part of the infighting which took place between all who inhabited Ireland. 7 Due to the changing condition of their homeland the Irish people had become more advanced and inline with the developing societies of Europe. They had been describe as â€Å"Tribal, rural, hierarchical and familiar† (In the sense of being family orientated) by one scholar but were quickly losing these traits. 8 Where it was once impossible to control lands or the kingdoms of other families, Irish leaders began to claim these kingdoms and lands in their name. Kings would capture Norse towns and hold them as their own; such acts were previously unheard of. 9 These actions occurred because the Norse had no knowledge of, or respect for the customs which were previously in place. Therefore, if the Irish wished to hold off the ever-expanding foreigners, their towns would have to have been overtaken and held. As a result of the importance of holding lands and towns a feudal system began to develop in parts of Ireland. . It is not reasonable to expect the Irish to show the traditional respect to an enemy who showed none in return. The effects of the Viking influence on Irish tradition can easily be seen in how the natives fought their wars after the arrival of the outsiders. No longer were certain things, such as monasteries, sacred and not to be interfered with. The Vikings upon first arrival were not Christian and so had no comprehension of the sanctity of monasteries, rather, they saw them as sources of great wealth and bounty. In order for the Irish to remain competitive in war they had to rebut in the same fashion. They did so by neglecting their traditions and attacking monasteries in Viking held positions. Viking kingdoms were established and were as active in the wars on the island as the clans who fought each other before their arrival. As intermarriage blurred the distinguish ability of Viking communities from native communities the people were divided less and less by race and more by kingdoms with none becoming dominant over the island as a whole. By the 1150s the Vikings had become much less a foreigner as a people who were establishing their own kingdoms on the island which the three predominate families of the island tried to rule over The most notable Norse Kingdom is that of Dublin where the Vikings traded with much of Europe. 10 It was during such a time that the English presence began in Ireland. In 1166 Dermot MacMorrough, a King of Leinster and Dublin, appealed to King Henry II of England to help him in his quest to regain his thrown and ultimately become king of all Ireland. The families he had ruled over did not whole-heartedly support him. As a result, when he stole the wife of another Irish king, O'Rourke of Breffni, the peoples who were to support him had an excuse not to. He was ousted in what had become a routine power shift like many which had occurred over the previous two centuries and was banished. In his mind he felt abandoned by his allies and so he looked to England for help in regaining his position. 11 He went to England because he had influential contacts there whom he met while they were trading in Dublin, as many people from all over Europe did at that time. 12 Henry II, who was fighting his own wars in France, agreed to help with his own motives in mind. He realized the value of the trade rich coastal cities such as Dublin and Waterford and realized Dermot would be in his debt should his attempt at restoration be successful. Henry himself was not able to help due to the battles he was involved with at the time. He drafted a letter addressed to all his subjects, who were many as he was the most powerful king in Europe at the time. In it he stated his approval for the cause of Dermot and encouraged all to aid him realizing that they went in his name. 13 Equipped with the letter of endorsement Dermot set out to recruit the force with which he would conquer Ireland. Using monies loaned to him by his wealthy friends and giving promises of lands and titles to those who helped him he was able to muster a small force. He was also able to assure promises of more men in the coming years from someone who would become a predominant figure in the years to come, Richard fitz Gilbert also called Strongbow. This man was eager to help because he was out of favor with Henry as he did not support him in the English Civil War. To Strongbow Dermot promised his daughter in marriage, making him the heir to whatever territories they gained. Using his new allies, Dermot returned in 1167 and reinstated himself in his old capital where for the next two years he waged small scale wars against his old enemies. As his enemies were still pre-occupied fighting each other he was able to regain most of his former lands and to live in peace as he awaited his next wave. 14 Having been the first Irishman to look to England for help in Ireland he was branded â€Å"Dermot of the foreigners† and is still considered the greatest traitor in Irish history as his invitation marked the beginning of the end of Irish sovereignty in the minds of many Irish. 15 It is tragic that the Irish peoples continued to fight against one another even after knowing that Dermot had aligned himself with the most powerful King Europe. Should they have worked together to throw off the English the course of Irish history would have undoubtedly been different. They would have saved themselves from the centuries of horror and catastrophic neglect which were to follow. As promised, Dermot's new allies arrived in Ireland in 1170 numbering nearly 2000 men. These newcomers held a tremendous advantage over the natives in the form of their advanced weapons. They possessed archers which proved to be an essential part of their success in the conquests that followed. They soon gained control of strategic coastal cities where they established themselves and expanded from, mostly winning territories on the eastern half of Ireland and proceeding westward. 16 The Character of Dermot is one dominated by greed and selfishness but also fierce determination. In the city of Waterford Strongbow married Dermot's daughter and secured his place as heir. Having effectively given what had become the highest position in Ireland to a foreigner it is easy to see why Dermot is seen as a traitor. Another account tells of how Dermot abandoned his own son for power. As a condition for peace upon his arrival he gave his son to one of his enemies to be held as assurance that Dermot would not go on the offensive. 17 Knowing that his son would be killed he pressed on anyway. These actions show the greed and self-fulfilling character of Dermot, he wished to be King of the Irish at any cost. He cared only about his time and did not bother himself with what would become of his kingdom after his death when he could not personally benefit. Following Dermot's death in 1171 Strongbow assumed control, however it was not a smooth transition. Many natives did not recognize him as a legitimate king and rebelled against his authority. Strongbow was able to maintain control but it became increasingly difficult for him after Henry II, who was still unsure of his loyalty and motives, took measures to limit Strongbow's control and future successes. Henry cut off supplies and reinforcements fearing Strongbow would establish a powerful rival regime so close to England. As a result the new regime had difficulty fending off the Irish who resented his presence and authority and they spent more time fending off attackers than expanding their influence. 8 Henry was not confidant that Ireland was under his control or that it did not pose a future threat even after Strongbow reaffirmed his loyalty to him and submitted the conquered lands to him. Henry decided to travel there and ensure that his objectives were accomplished; he was surprised and encouraged by the accomplishments of his countrymen and was confident that the entire island could be brought under his control. There is evidence to suggest Henry anticipated battle as he brought with him the largest English army to date, 5000 men, and provisions to last them for months. 9 It is difficult to imagine the state of mind the Irish were in while anticipating the arrival of Henry, they would have undoubtedly realized the threat he posed to them and the power he possessed. The fear of what was to come would have weakened the resolve of the forces still trying to fend off the existing English. Henry finally arrived in Waterford in 1171 and became the first English king to set foot on Irish soil and immediately received the appropriate respect from the Irish. 0 The presence of his army was more useful than their skills or techniques as they did not have to fight a single battle. All leaders of Ireland, except one high-king in the north-west, submitted to Henry knowing that if a battle was fought, they would not win. Due simply to his superior army Henry was able to conquer almost the entire island without fighting a single battle. Upon leaving Ireland Henry made his son John Lord of Ireland under who the leaders who had submitted to Henry ruled. When John became King of England Ireland was incorporated into the English Kingdom. The implications of theses events would be felt throughout the rest of Ireland's history. 21 When Henry II departed Ireland with poise he left behind him a new form of Ireland. Some new concepts were simple such as new foods he had introduced in an attempt to impress the subjugated Irish kings at a lavish dinner. He also effectively pushed most Irish and Viking inhabitants out of Dublin22. Others were more fundamental to the Irish way of life. A more strict enforcement of the evolving Christian church form was to take place in Ireland where it had not been adopted. This was made possible because now the church could spread a uniform throughout a single Kingdom. The new form of the church was adopted by the Irish and has shaped the faith of the Irish ever since. Even later when the English reformed and become Protestant the Irish remained Catholic. 23 This fundamental divide has shaped relations between Ireland and her authority to the current time. It is seen in the bitter relationship between the Catholic Irish Republic and the Protestant Northern Ireland, which remains part of Great Britain even now. This difference was a focal point of the separation of the two in 1922 as many inhabitants Northern Ireland were of English backgrounds whose ancestors had settled there and been upper-class citizens. The concept of feudalism was spread after Henry departed, this would prove to be a source of discontent among the Irish for the remainder of their subjugation. Two English Lords were appointed by Henry, given lands which belonged to Irishmen. They established feudal regimes in their territories as the remaining Irish kings continued in their traditional fashion. 4 Eventually, despite strong political and physical opposition from the Irish, the concept was spread throughout the entire island and the plight of the Irish took full effect. The fact that the Irish, along with their customs and heritage, were thrown aside in order for the egos and greed of the Kings men to be satisfied is unsettling. The English portrayed the Irish as uncivil and barbaric, but to in reviewing the English beha vior treatment of the natives a paradox is seen. Henry also began a long and merciless neglect and exploitation of the Irish people and their land and crop rights. All Irish Kings and English Lords he had put in place had to pay a tax to him. The payment of this tax would become another focal point in English-Irish relations. The most evident example of this came in 1845-1847 when many Irish were forced to leave their homelands due to famine. The potato famine caused over one million people to leave from 1847-1851 and the deaths of tens of thousands due to starvation. 25 The Irish starved because they were forced to export their crops, such as corn, to England as a tax. In most years this left them with little more than potatoes to eat and when they did not grow the deprivation took its toll. If the taxes have been forgiven in these years the displacement and death of over a million Irish could have been prevented. The Irish world was self-concerned and to an extent underdeveloped before the arrival of any foreign people, when power was finally returned to the Irish people in 1922 the entire landscape had changed. The distressing point in this fact is that the Irish had very little to do with shaping their country for over 800 years, instead it was shaped by the prerogatives of outsiders. The foreigners to settle in Ireland did also leave some positive marks such as key cities, trade partnerships, and the development of Irish nationalism. The most apparent sign of English influence today is that they remain the highest authority in Northern Ireland. If any lessons are to be learned from how the Irish handled the arrival of the Vikings and the English it is that a country divided against itself will fall. If they have worked together the fate of the Irish people, and Europe, would have been much different.

A Study on the AIDS Epidemic

A Study on the AIDS Epidemic Afraid to Know the Truth AIDS is an extraordinary kind of crisis that is both an emergency and a long-term development issue. Despite increased funding, political commitment and progress in expanding treatment, the AIDS epidemic continues to outpace the global response. No region of the world has been spared. The epidemic remains extremely dynamic, growing and changing in character as the virus exploits new opportunities for transmission. The UNAIDS/WHO global overview of the AIDS/HIV epidemic has reported in the year 2003, almost five million people became newly infected with HIV, the greatest number in any one year since the beginning of the epidemic. At the global level, the number of people living with HIV continues to grow. In the year 2001 the number increased from 35 million to 38 million in 2003. In the same year almost 3 million people have died of AIDS; over 20 million have died since the first cases of AIDS were identified in 1981 (5).According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 850,000 to 950,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS in the United States one quarter of which are unaware of their infection (par.6).Based on these statistics it is an obvious fact that this is a growing problem which continues to get worse year after year. The AIDS epidemic has been established as not only a national problem, but just as well as an international problem. In 2003, young people (15-24) accounted for nearly half of all new infections of HIV worldwide; more than 6,000 became infected everyday (par.3). I become very dismayed to find out that the majority of people that are infected with this terminal disease are at the ages where many at this age go out in the world to make a life for themselves. But, because of lack of responsible actions they must live with this disease for the remainder of their lives. Even though there are many types of treatment for those infected with this disease and with treatment AIDS/HIV patients can live a lot longer than 20 years ago when the first cases of AIDS were identified, the fact still remains it is an incurable disease. The most vital factor that will have to come into play to make a significant difference in slowing down or possibly stopping this epidemic is prevention. But, despite the seriousness of this problem there are many factors that come into play that discourage steps in prevention.In my opinion, the two main barriers that get in the way of preventing further infections, adequate care and support and treatment to lessen the impact of HIV/AIDS are shame and apprehensive thoughts of being discriminated against. These two barriers can be set off by many factors. Many of which include the lack of understanding the disease, myths about how the disease is spread, prejudice and social fears. Thoughts of mortification and becoming filled with fear of being discriminated against can discourage many people from getting tested, contribute to them infecting others and prevent people who are infected from getting adequate treatment and care. Peoples positions in society could have a tendency of fueling shame, discrimination, and risky behavior. It seems that it is many times thought that members of a community who are viewed as living proper lives can not become infected with HIV/AIDS. Only those who do not have any morals and are promiscuous are the ones who go out and become infected. When the thought of only being viewed as living a proper life is set into an individuals head, it easily becomes linked together with apprehensive thoughts of being discriminated against. Individuals who become infected with HIV/AIDS may become fearful of how people will react to the news and may become afraid that they will look at them differently now. Because of this it makes people afraid to find out whether are not they have this disease mainly fear of others reactions. According to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll found that one-third of Americans were concerned that people would think less of them if they found out they had b een tested for HIV (par.7).Another main factor that may lessen the impact of possible prevention of HIV/AIDS is that many think they are not at risk of contracting this disease. For example, people who come from a small community might see that a majority of people who contract this disease are in more urban populations. Because of these thoughts they may think the HIV/AIDS epidemic does not relate to them or their community. According to a new national survey 8 of 10 (80%) heterosexual adults say the number one reason why they do not get tested is that they do not consider themselves at risk of being infected with HIV, an indication that more HIV/AIDS prevention education is needed for heterosexuals (par.4). One possible solution to these many factors that get in way of prevention of this epidemic could be wider access to VCT (voluntary counseling and testing) it could lead to openness about HIV/AIDS and lessen fears of stigma and discrimination. If people could actually see individuals who have HIV/AIDS speak out about their infection it could then encourage others to come forward to get tested. If people who have been tested and have found out they had HIV/AIDS speak out before they become seriously ill, this could change the image of HIV/AIDS illness from suffering and death to living positively with the disease. HIV positive individuals involvement in activities that contribute to the reduction of the two main barriers of prevention; shame and fear of discrimination could be vital. People speaking out about living with HIV and how they are learning to cope could be one of the many steps that need to be taken to tackle these barriers. This can make people realize that HIV is part of their community and is not just omeone elses problem. A HIV negative individuals role in their community should not be undervalued. Friends and family who show support for an HIV positive individual could have an immense influence on others to show wider support for those who are infected.Just one action can not be taken to overcome these many barriers linked to the prevention of this epidemic. But, there are many things that could be done to overcome them. The fear of prejudice that lies at the core of HIV discrimination needs to be tackled at both community and national levels. A more compliant community needs to be established so there can be an increase of acceptance of HIV positive individuals and can be viewed as a normal part of society. Some may disagree with this; others may suggest that if HIV positive individuals are viewed as a normal part of society it could lead people to think it is acceptable to have HIV/AIDS and further precautions in protecting themselves from it may not be taken. I would suggest that every individual desires acceptance, but it depends on the situation that the person is in that would result in the amount of acceptance that could easily be given. In other words, it is hard to become accepted in society when acceptance is hard as it is to come by, and there is obvious discrimination that is linked to having this disease. Fear of being discriminated against is one of the main reasons why a person is afraid to find out whether or not they are a carrier of this disease. It is obvious that many people believe that contracting this disease is very unacceptable, and would not view it as being okay of contracting it.In conclusion, many people are afraid to know the truth in fear of how people will react and are worried that they will be looked at differently. Many are just afraid to find out the truth, because they may not be able to accept and deal with the reality of the truth appropriately. A CDC( center of disease control and prevention) study interviewed 2370 HIV-negative or untested people, 25% of those who were tested and 23% of those who delayed testing said the fear of a positive result was the main reason why they delayed t esting (par.2). The biggest step in stopping this epidemic before it continues to have an even bigger impact on the world is obviously prevention. People need to become more aware of the risks and must become more responsible in protecting themselves. A crucial factor that would help the prevention of this epidemic even more is getting tested. I must quote the infamous lines that are said in getting tested commercials that are frequently aired on MTV and VH1, Å“Knowing is Beautiful.

Discuss and Compare two Care Philosophers Essay

Discuss and Compare two Care Philosophers - Essay Example It is thus prudent to take the level of affectedness and vulnerability of other interest before responding to a situation. Carol Gilligan and Joan Tronto are among the notable feminists who have contributed to the development of this theory. Joan Tronto borrows a lot from Carol Gilligan theory who he says is mentor. This paper discusses and compares the contribution of these two philosophers (Jagger et al, 42). The first part of the essay will discuss Carol Gilligan theory of different voices and the second portion will look at Joan Tronto rewriting of the ethic care theory into a postmodern theory. Carol Gilligan was a student of Kohlberg. However, she did not agree with the Kohlberg theories on moral development in humans. He saw Kohlberg theory as being gender biased since it showed that girls’ moral development was lower compared to that of boys and this was reflected in adult men and women. She asserted that this theory was biased in the sense that it only presented a mal e oriented perspective. This could also be contributed by the fact that Kohlberg subject were dominated by boys. She developed a theory that incorporated a female perspective on the subject. She said that men and women respond to moral dilemma differently (Held, 26). Women have to prioritize compassion and empathy over the moral scale that is provided by Kohlberg theory. This does not mean that they have weaker developed. She developed a new perspective of looking at the moral development called â€Å"The different voice† which was developed through unbiased empirical observation of the reaction of both men and women to ethical dilemma. Gilligan vies are contained in her book a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women’s Development written in 1982. This book has been seen to influence feminist not only in the field of psychology but also in other disciplines such as gender studies, political psychoanalysis and political studies. Being a feminist philosopher Gill igan aimed to deconstruct the classical masculine biased moral psychology by investigate the previously unheard female voice on the issues of ethics. She blamed the psychological theorist such as Kohlberg and Piaget for only using boys and the male perspective to construct the various moral theories in psychology. It is important to note that by asserting that gender differences results in differences in moral sensibility does not mean that Gilligan attacked Piaget and Kohlberg gender neutral theories. She claimed that it was wrong to conclude from Kantian theory that women are not fully developed morally since they are not able to be completely autonomous. She said that women actually do have a different voice than that of men which she now termed as the theory o f women moral sensibility popularly known as the care ethics. In order to understand Gilligan care ethics, it is important to look at Kohlberg theory of moral development. According to Kohlberg, moral development can be di vided into six stages which are divided into three main stages, convention, preconvention and post convention morality. The final stage which is the post convention morality is the point where a person is believed to have arrived at full moral development and has been labeled as the universal ethical principle orientation. He later realized not all human beings get to reach this stage with Mahatma Gandhi being an exceptional

Memorable Childhood Experience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Memorable Childhood Experience - Essay Example While legendary quarterback Joe Montana was gone, Steve Young had emerged as a serious force. Not knowing much about the intricacies of the game I grew to love watching Young play because he could scramble and make sensational things happen. For the last few years, the team had gone deep into the playoffs but had always been beaten by the Dallas Cowboys. I hated the Cowboys. But this year was different; they had brought on sensational cornerback Deion Sanders and were easily the most exciting team in football. As such it that year it became a childhood tradition of watching the games on Sunday. When my parents told me that in December we would be visiting San Francisco to celebrate the birth of my cousin and get to go to a game, my mind immediately shot to the team. Not that I didn’t appreciate having a new cousin, or visiting California, but after all this was the 49ers. Looking back on the experience I laugh at my singular focus on the team. We would fly into the Bay Area and my parents and I toured the city. I witnessed Alcatraz in the background, went up and down the famous hills, and over the Golden Gate Bridge. Today these are the important experiences, but back then they were only roadblocks between me, Candlestick Park, and the 49ers taking on the Denver Broncos. As we entered the stadium I remember being awestruck. I had seen replays on television of famous games that had been played here – dramatic comebacks orchestrated by Montana to send the team to the Super Bowl. I don’t remember much about the actual game. I remember focusing on the players and being mesmerized at being able to see them in person. The game itself was a blowout, with the 49ers destroying the Broncos. Lopsided victories were sort of a 49ers tradition.  

Incidents in the life of a slave girl Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Incidents in the life of a slave girl - Essay Example Rock, she never loses her self esteem or her yearning to have an ordinary home and gang. She is dedicated to her kids and eager to persist extraordinary languishing over their purpose. As an adolescent slave young lady of fifteen years, Linda is compelled to pick between the ideals imparted by her abundantly regarded Grandmother and her have to declare herself sexually to stay away from further oppression. While Linda succeeds in staying away from large portions of Dr. Stones developments, she is given a last final offer when he guarantees to fabricate a cabin for her. As opposed to permitting Dr. Stone to "succeed finally in stomping his victimized person under his feet" (Jacobs 53), Linda revolts and offers herself to Mr. Sands. This activity defiles the blamelessness and righteousness ingrained by her family and Linda must battle with "the distress I was bringing on my grandma." (Jacobs 56). Yet this distress is not stronger than Lindas longing to triumph over her ace. At the point when Linda at long last revels in her minute of triumph, it is shadowed by the information that her family will take in of her shrouded undertaking and lost guiltlessness (Jacobs 56) . Emulating her admission, Lindas grandma uncovers that she might rather see her granddaughter dead than in her current state, pregnant and unwed (Jacobs 56). This brutal feeling must be tempered by the verifiable connection. Under the law of bondage, a slave ladys kids must take after their mother into servitude. Moreover, both slaves and whites set incredible essentialness upon the establishment of marriage. Hence, when Linda entreats her grandma for absolution and relates her battles with Dr. Flint, she must settle for the old ladys compassion (Jacobs 57). For Linda, her subversive triumph has a go at a heavy cost – her grandmas appreciation. This compassion for the fallen granddaughter differentiates the pardoning the grandma gives to her child,

How did Ptolemy I come to adopt the title of king after Alexander the Essay

How did Ptolemy I come to adopt the title of king after Alexander the Great's death How did he come to adopt the title of 'Soter' meaning Saviour What controversial evidence surrounds these events - Essay Example Though Ptolemy became known to history initially as the â€Å"friend, confidant, and later general of Alexander† and later as his predecessor, there was no indication from any historical accounts that Alexander wanted Ptolemy to be his successor (Bingen and Bagnall, 2007, 15). But it has been clear from historical documents that Ptolemy was close to Alexander (Worthington, 2003, p.137). It was by the year, 330 that Ptolemy â€Å"succeeded Demetrius† and became the aide-in-hand of Ptolemy as he was already a senior leader in the â€Å"Macedonian army† (Ellis, 1994, p.10). Green (1990) has observed, â€Å"Ptolemy was one of the few to realize that limiting his ambition would actually get him farther in the long run† (p.9). But once Alexander died, he was not sitting idle as well. After taking over the responsibility of governance of Egypt, the first thing he did was to attack and conquer â€Å"the rich North African State of Cyrenaica† without attaining any permission from Perdiccas (Green, 1990, p.13). On the political front, Ptolemy is known for the first ever application in history â€Å"of a philosophy of monarchic power† once he succeeded Alexander as the king (15). But later historians (eg:- Bosworth, 1976) have also pointed out that Ptolemy manipulated the facts in his history of Alexander, a text from which supposedly the most authentic historian of Alexander, Arrian, drew his facts to retell the story (117). It has been observed that Ptolemy exaggerated his own achievements and downplayed his rivals’ ones in this text (Bosworth, 1976, 117). And the result was that whatever history that exists about Alexander, incorporates within it, the exaggerated self of Ptolemy also. Ptolemy himself had told the story of Alexander but this book is now lost somewhere in the quagmire of history (Ellis, 1994, 7). Hence, it is through the work of Arrian (1907), that now we know the story of Alexander, of course as told

Db4 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Db4 - Research Paper Example Employees like receiving feedback regularly hence it is very crucial for the manager to constantly provide feedbacks to the employees. Feedbacks help to solve problems before they become too complex (McKirchy 2008, 92). Managers must engage the employees during evaluation of their performance. Managers must regularly talk to the employees throughout the year during the evaluation process. The engagement must be mutual aimed at reinforcing employees’ development. Improvement of performance appraisal also entails using employees’ self-appraisal before the performance appraisal. This makes performance discussion easier since both the employee and the manager have ideas of the forthcoming discussions. According to Attorney (2007, 122), effective performance appraisal must trust the employees to perform the correct thing. Performance goals are critical in performance appraisal but the most important factor is how to set the goals. The manager must set goals in a way that trusts and reinforces employee’s ability to accomplish the set goals. Performance appraisal must support empowerment of employees and their ability to accomplish the necessary steps of accomplishing the set goals. The manager should implement the above five steps in order to improve the value of performance

Leadership in nursing practice Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Leadership in nursing practice - Assignment Example The leadership theory chosen by an individual will depend on the personality of the individual, as well as the individual’s beliefs towards leadership. Leadership in nursing is supported by theories that include motivational theories, interactive theories, and transformational leadership theories (Chambers, 2011, pg. 30). Abraham Maslow hatched motivational theory of leadership. Maslow broke down motivation using his hierarchy of needs, which outlines the motivation required at each level. Motivational approaches are hinged on the belief that team members must be continually and gradually be furnished with an impetus to stay on track with organizational goals. The impetus provided can be in terms of material or appraisals. Interactive theories emphasize the Japanese style of management - theory Z. These theories are hinged on democratic principles. The fundamental principles underlying these methods are harmonious decision-making, fitting employees to their tasks, and career refuge.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The theory lays emphasis on the importance of developing teams to achieve the goals and vision  set by the organization. Teams are developed through training and hand-holding sessions that are planned by the management.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Every institution has a style of leadership espoused by its leaders. Styles of leadership also vary according to the individual who take up leadership positions. There are several styles of leadership, which include servant, transformational, autocratic, laissez-faire, and democratic. A leader who animates servant leadership influences and motivates members of his/her teams by building their skills, as well as by building relationships. Besides, the input of each member of the team is brought into account whenever decisions are made in the organization. A leader practicing servant

Media Portrayal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Media Portrayal - Essay Example This essay discusse the connections between modern information, communication and the individuals with disabilities issue. Today, people can get information from various sources, that is mostly may be accessed with the help of mass media. Mass media is a term used to denote, as a class, that section of the media specifically conceived and designed to reach a very large audience. It was coined in the 1920s with the advent of nationwide radio networks and of mass-circulation newspapers and magazines. Unfortunately individuals with disabilities to a great extend are limited by not being able to make use of such opportunities. Access to communications and information can be available through many sources such as: newspapers, magazines, television programs, and movies, Internet etc. Depending on the type of disability i.e. deafness, blindness, and so on the individuals with disabilities are limited having no access to appropriate source of the information. This essay raises the question o f vital importance for the international community today, that is to create and promote approaches and technologies that will allow everyone including individuals with disabilities to get, to utilize, to exchange and to create information and knowledge. The researcher focuses on introducing the topic and analyzes in details many examples of mass-media articles, movies and tv-shows related to the individuals with disabilities issue. Some examples that were mentioned in the essay: Touch the Sound, Zatoichi, Be with me movies, etc.

Child development Essay Example for Free

Child development Essay The following essay will examine factors that affect a child’s learning and development. All children are distinctive individuals and differ in pattern and timing of maturation, as well as individual personality, learning style, cultural and family background. Each child has its own varying strengths, weaknesses, specific needs and skills. The age of a child is an effective indicator to the sequence of stages of development; however, it is only an estimation of maturation, as the mentioned independent factors will differ from child to child. The stages of development in children aged one to five years include the prenatal period, infancy, toddler stage, and early childhood and cover a plethora of progress in all areas of development. Expected changes in growth take place in all areas of development, particularly in the early years, and these include physical, intellectual, language, emotional, and social development. The first five years of life are crucial for expanding the foundations for learning and development. Research has shown that the developing child is learning to discover, communicate, and extend ideas about how things work. Read more: Factors that influence child development essay The successful progress of these abilities and skills depend largely on a child’s early environment. Parents, teachers, and care providers promote development and learning when they provide experiences that build on and extend the child’s capabilities. However, it is clear from evidence on both sides of the argument that development and learning result from a contribution of both biological factors and environmental factors. Empiricists believe environmental influences shape learning and development, while nativists emphasise inborn, genetic characteristics influence development (Bee, 2006b). Development could be described as an interactive relationship between the inherited qualities of an individual and the external environment. A child’s emotional and social development is shaped by internal influences, for example, a child may be inherently shy or outgoing, however the environment will also influence the child’s social and emotional development, such as successful first relationships, cultural values and how family and peers interact with the child, i. e. the child’s immediate social environment. Cognitive development could be influenced by internal factors. Research has shown that teratogens (legal or illegal drugs), smoking, alcohol consumption can have adverse affects on cognitive development (Bee, 2006 a). A study by Monuteaux, (2006) shows the negative effects of smoking on the development of a child, and there is speculative study that maternal diet and smoking could be causal factors of ADHD (Bakker, 2003). Scarr (1983) summarises the internal and external influences on children’s development, â€Å"Both genes and environments are constituents in the developmental system, but they have different roles. Genes direct the course of human experience, but experiential opportunities are also necessary for development to occur† (Scarr, 1983, pp. 433). It is interesting to consider cognitive development in children and the subsequent affect on learning and behaviour. Piaget was an influential Swiss psychologist who researched cognitive development. Piaget believes cognitive development transpires through a combination of direct experience from one’s environment and an instinctive structure of biological maturation. Piaget suggested individuals are born with intellect to serve as a basic function that assists adaptation to their environment (Shaffer, 1989). His theory proposes that development proceeds through a set of four stages from infancy to adulthood. Piaget believed that the first stage of cognitive development is the sensorimotor stage; this occurs in the first two years of a child’s life and involves infants using motor skills and all the senses, sight, smell, touch etc to explore and gain an understanding of the environment. Preoperational stage progresses from the sensorimotor stage and includes the use of language to understand the environment, images and symbols are also used to represent the environment; this is from two to seven years of age. Piaget believed language is egocentric at this stage. The next stage is termed concrete operations and children begin to use logical thought processes to further their understanding and occurs from ages seven to eleven. Formal Operation is the last stage Piaget believes takes place in cognitive development and it involves the ability to use abstract thought processes. This is from eleven onwards (Shaffer, 1989). The central idea of Piaget’s cognitive theory is the attainment of schemas, and further assimilation and accommodation of these schemas constantly return the child to a state of equilibrium. A schema is any thought or object that one may have experienced and is then organised to aid coherence. Assimilation is the process of adding new information to enhance the understanding of an existing schema, and thus producing a new schema. Accommodation is the adjustment of an existing schema in order to include new information. Equilibration is the term Piaget uses to describe the balance a child reaches when it satisfied with a schema, new information places the child in a state of disequilibrium or imbalance, until, assimilation and accommodation allow equilibration to take place. As with all theories, Piaget was criticised for placing too much emphasis on environment and not considering social interaction as an impacting force (Cohen, 1993). It has also been suggested that children appear to have existing understanding of basic principles, e. g. a study by Gibson and Walk, used a ‘visual cliff’ where a checkerboard pattern continued several feet below a glass table. The test showed that infants as young as 5 months were able to perceive depth, and would not proceed when they reached the end of the ‘cliff’ (Bee, 2006b). This shows that many foundations of cognitive ability are already present and further learning will increase cognitive development. Vygotsky is another central figure in the domain of constructivist theory; however, he differs from Piaget in that Vygotsky places more emphasis on social learning and its effect on cognitive development. His theory focuses on a term he called ‘zone of proximal development’ and defined it as â€Å"the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance, or in collaboration with more capable peers† (Vygotsky, 1978, p. 86). Vygotsky believed that learning takes place in this zone. The idea of ZPD suggests that cognitive development is established by social learning with capable peers or adults and cooperative analytical skills. In contrast to Piaget, Vygotsky stated that development was an intricate lifelong process that could not be defined into stages, but instead is to be examined as a means of development rather than an end. Vygotsky’s theory reflects correlation between learning and development. Newborn children are constantly learning from their experiences and they form understanding from theses experiences, Vygotsky, believes this learning is directly linked to sociocultural perspective. As they grow older, infants readily learn from observation and cooperative learning with peers and adults (Moyles, Miller) The psychodynamic approach addresses children’s learning by focusing on internal mechanisms, such as instincts, conflicts and unconscious forces. A familiar idea of this theory is that unconscious as well as conscious forces regulate behaviour. Freud suggested three intuitive drives for survival, the sexual drive to reproduce the human race, hunger and pain trigger the instinct to preserve one’s life and aggressive drives are the third force. Freud’s theory is criticised on many accounts, mostly that he suggests the main underlying cause of problems are sexually related, and secondly it is scientifically difficult to measure the hidden unconscious of a being. Freud’s theory implies that children learn behaviour through the progress of three stages. The newborn and infant are driven by what he termed the id; this is an inborn instinct, which demands instant gratification. As the child grows older, it learns that it cannot achieve instant gratification all the time, and the ego develops as an intermediary pacifier, which takes social contexts into consideration and delays gratification. The superego is the higher form of moral reasoning and is often considered as a parental restrictor, this last stage develops much later in development (Bee, 2006b). It can be seen how Freud’s theory affects social and emotional development and behaviour in the first five years, as most children at this age are controlled by the id and the developing ego. Erikson’s theory is often viewed as an extension of Freud’s psychosexual theory of Development. Erikson suggests that development progresses over a lifespan and he portrays this in his theory of the eight stages of psychosocial development. His theory proposes that each stage has a conflict within it that must be resolved before proceeding to the next stage; each stage presents the opportunity for success or failure. The first three stages are relevant in the first five years of a child’s life and include emotional, social and cognitive development on behaviour acquisition. The first stage is trust versus mistrust and takes place in the period of the first two years of infancy; this stage propounds an emotional crisis in which the child must successfully develop trust and security and emotional well-being. If the care provider does not reciprocate emotional care positively the child becomes mistrustful. Once the child has learned trust, it advances to the next stage of autonomy versus shame, and approximately takes place in early childhood. This stage concentrates on the child’s ability to develop confidence and a sense of independence. Children at this age (approximately two to four years) begin to manage small parts of their lives, and Erikson suggests toilet training is a huge feat in establishing independence in a child. It also consists of decision-making and choice over things like food, clothes etc, if a child is unsuccessful in this stage then it leads to shame and a feeling of inadequacy. The third stage occurs from about three to five years of age, and incorporates the child’s ability to play and develop social skills of leadership or subordination, power and a sense of self. If the child cannot overcome the crisis then inhibition, fear and a prolonged development are the result. The successful child proceeds to the next stage and so forth (Brain 2005) The humanistic perspective argues that behaviour is subjective as individuals determine and control their own thoughts and actions. Maslow hypothesised a hierarchy of need, in which each level of the hierarchy had to be satisfied before the human need moved on to the next level. For example, according to Maslow’s hierarchy it is not perceived that an individual would desire the comfort of a spouse or children, if basic physiological needs such as food and water were not satisfied (Bee 2006a). Children develop and learn most productively in the environment of a community where they are safe and valued, and their emotional and physiological needs fulfilled. If physical nourishment is transpiring then Maslow’s theory depicts emotional well-being as an important factor, certainly all aspects of development are influenced by successfully accomplishing positive first relationships. This provides the constructive foundation for effective social and emotional development, which will inadvertently affect cognitive development as well. Skinner constructed a theory he termed operant conditioning, and based it on the notion that learning is a means of behaviour modification. His experiments show how he conditioned rats to pull a lever to release food, the incentive for the rats was the food and the required behaviour was pulling the lever. The theory illustrates that changes in behaviour are the consequences of an individual’s reaction to incentives that occur in any given environment; subsequently the reaction will produce an outcome. When a specific response is reinforced, behaviour is conditioned, and the individual will respond to a stimulus to achieve its incentive; the result will be consistent each time. The crucial aspect of Skinner’s model is reinforcement, a particular behaviour can be acquired through reward, and certain behaviours prevented through punishment (Brain, 2005). Skinner’s theory belongs to the Behaviourist approach and is effective in explaining some of the causes and modifications of behaviour; it is often used in schools to elicit particular behaviours from children (usually in the form of sweets or stickers). Social learning theory clarifies behaviour in terms of consistent equal correlation between cognitive, behavioural, and environmental influences. Social learning theory has four main components, attention, retention, motor reproduction and motivation, which cover physical, cognitive and behavioural development. Attention requires concentration so that the events are observed accurately. Retention includes the intellectual organization of information in order to store it effectively in the memory and remember the correct processes of events. Motor reproduction includes the physical ability to imitate the behaviour, for example, a human is not physically able to fly like superman. Motivation involves the child to be willing and motivated to imitate the behaviour. The observed consequences of a particular behaviour (whether punished or rewarded) may influence a child’s decision to imitate or not, Bandura called this modeling (Brain 205) One of the famous experiments conducted by Albert Bandura, known as the ‘Bobo doll’ experiment revealed that children imitated aggressive physical and verbal behaviour towards the dolls, exactly as they had observed, whereas the children who observed non-aggressive behaviour displayed practically no aggressive behaviour (Shaffer, 1989). Bandura suggests that social behaviour is learned primarily by observing and imitating the actions of others. Children are often observed imitating adults in role-play. Punishment and reward are also influences on behavioural development as mentioned in Skinner’s theory, for example, a child may observe a peer being rewarded with a sticker for tidying up and then learn that to obtain a sticker s/he must also tidy up. This theory facilitates an understanding of how behaviour is acquired and how it may be modified. John Bowlby developed attachment theory and he suggested that first relationships are the basis for young childrens development, predominantly their social and emotional development. Bowlby (1979: 129) states â€Å" attachment behaviour is held to characterize human beings from the cradle to the grave†; much of Bowlby’s work was on the maternal bond that develops with a child. He believed that the connection between mother and child, or caregiver and child has a basic gentle and evolutionary basis, in order for the child to receive appropriate care, protection and nourishment; it has a tendency to maintain nearness to the main caregiver. Bowlby maintained that a child displays attachment behaviour when separated from the main care provider, first as protest, then despair and finally as detachment. First relationships can be summarised as â€Å"a deeply rooted motivational system that ensures close contact between babies and adult caregivers who can protect, nurture, and guide their development† (Shonkoff, 2000, p 230). Bowlby expanded and utilised various research to support his theory, one of his early works included research on delinquent adolescents and discovered maternal deprivation to be a recurring matter. Michael Rutter (1981) criticized Bowlby’s theory, and suggested that early experiences cannot be held as direct underlying causes for later emotional distress, Rutter believed it is more significant how children are looked after in the period of severance not the actual severance itself (Cowie, 2002). Bowlby introduced three stages of attachment, during the first pre-attachment phase (0-2 months) babies do not develop a particular attachment, and are content to be cared for by anyone. In the second phase (2-7 months) babies show a firm attachment to the main caregiver and cling to this figure when in the presence of a stranger, Bowlby termed this ‘stranger fear’. The last phase is around two years of age and is labelled separation anxiety, the infant is confident to move away from the main caregiver provided they remain physically present for the child to return to Brain (2005). Bowlby suggested that constant loving care and nurturing was essential during the crucial phase between approximately 6 months and 3 years of age, maternal deprivation or separation from the primary caregiver would result in considerable detrimental effects on social and emotional development of the child (Cowie, 2002). Harlow and Harlow’s famous experiment on Rhesus monkeys provided support to Bowlby’s theory (Bowlby, 1973). In these experiments, young monkeys were separated from their mother shortly after birth. Two wire monkeys were substituted as artificial surrogate mothers. The first monkey was made of wire mesh and provided food; however, the second monkey was covered with foam and cloth and only provided comfort. The young monkeys nursed at the wire monkey but sought contact with the cloth monkey. The experiment showed that infants need a mother’s love and comfort, and it proved that infants prefer proximity and comfort from a mother, rather than just using the mother for nourishment. The young monkeys clutched to the soft cloth doll and explored more when in the presence of the soft cloth doll, and the doll seemed to provide them with a sense of security. Infants reared without normal social interaction with other monkeys, displayed either fearful or aggressive behaviour and the effects were apparent from two years of age, well into adulthood (Brain 2005). The experiment portrayed the importance of warmth, love and comfort that a nurturing mother or primary carer provides is essential for intellectual, social and emotional development. Mary Ainsworth’s research was based on an experiment to observe attachment behaviour between a child and the primary caregiver (usually the mother) the experiment is known as the strange situation. The procedure involves a child playing in a room, meanwhile the caregiver and stranger alternately enter and leave the room, the child’s play behaviour and responses to caregiver and stranger are observed. The experiment placed children in four categories of attachment, secure, insecure-avoidant, insecure-resistant and disorganized. Attachment theorists are realizing that children differ from birth, but individual personalities and development are influenced by social experience, environment, and the attachment relationship is affected by the characteristics of both child and caregiver (Parkes, 1993) Cultural differences in child-rearing practices have various implications and meanings across cultures. Culture defines a set of beliefs and patterns of behaviour; this can be in a social, religious, societal or ethnic context. Culture clearly has an influence on the development of children, Edwards and Gandini (1989) point out that culture organises and translates children’s behaviour and development (Hinde, 1993). â€Å"To understand development we must come to terms with the ways in which individuals, in developing their own self-concepts and participating in social relationships, both shape and are shaped by their social and cultural environment† (Hinde, 1993). In a research paper Reebye, (2006) found various studies on cultural differences in child rearing and the impact this had on child development. Chen et al. (1998) studied reticent behaviour in Chinese and Canadian children and the child-rearing attitudes of the relative mothers. The results showed that Chinese babies were significantly more withdrawn and shy than their Canadian counterparts, and the underlying cause of this behaviour difference lay in parental styles and attitudes. Taciturn behaviour was positively associated with the Chinese mother’s approval, whereas the Canadian mothers negatively received it, which implies a variation of the connotation of behaviour inhibition across both cultures (Reebye, 2006). Another example Reebye (2006) presents is a study conducted by Marcovitchet al (1997) which assessed the development, attachment and behavioural problems in adopted Romanian orphans between three to five years of age. The study revealed that children who had spent less time I institutional car displayed better development outcomes and more securely attached compared to the group of children who had spent more than six months in institutional care. The latter group were insecurely attached and scored less on development outcomes. The disadvantage of cross-cultural studies is the limitations of the range of studies in measuring attitudes, beliefs, cultural practices etc. Reebye (2006) continues to describe the importance of relationship development and its effects on affective, cognitive, social development and moral and ethical attitudes. Child-rearing practices and attachment directly influence these developmental factors, and it is important to remember that parenting practices are in turn influenced by social and cultural traditions. †The factors such as parental intuition, parental attitudes, attributions and beliefs, learned parenting skills, accepted cultural and societal parenting norms, family factors, and environmental factors such as extended family support, poverty or unemployment are the most influential ones. Each of these or all collectively, can be considered from a cross-cultural perspective. † (Reebye 2006). In today’s modern and often changing world, many cultures also change and adapt, from generation to generation. Changes in societal norms, immigration and such alike affect child-rearing practice considerably, such single parenting is a common family structure, yet in the Victorian times was extremely rare and frowned upon, other changes include inter-racial adoptions, parenting by same sex couples, use of surrogate mothers etc. It can be suggested that children’s social, emotional and cognitive development is indisputably influenced by environmental factors, genetic compositions, attachment and first relationship, cultural traditions and this is reflected in their unique personalities and behaviour. â€Å"In general, there is a need to understand multiple outcomes of child development (cognitive, physical, social, and emotional) within the context of multiple factors (social, economic, cultural, and community-level)† (The National Institute of Health, 2006). The first five years are important to understand the influences and causal links of child development in the early years. This may facilitate children’s well-being and ensure that government policies regarding children are reflective of child development needs, in particular families living in poverty or deprived areas. For example, quality of schools and education will affect cognitive development, and racial, gender, and religious integration will have positive effects on social development. It can be inferred that positive emotional development underpins all other areas of development, and if emotional development is defective then it will be replicated across other areas of development. In essence, all areas of development are interwoven and interdependent. The first five years are crucial for positive development, basic needs such as food, sleep and safety ensures good physical development, providing love, comfort and positive first relationships and attachments is essential to assist emotional development, which will also helps social development, and the correct stimulation and interaction ensures healthy cognitive development. REFERENCES Bakker, S. C. Van Der Meulen, E. M. Buitelaar, J. K. Sandkuijl, L. A. Pauls, D. L. Monsuur, A. J. Vant Slot, R. Minderaa. R. B. Gunning, W. B. Pearson, P. L. Sinke, R. J. (2003) â€Å"A Whole-Genome Scan in 164 Dutch Sib Pairs with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Suggestive Evidence for Linkage on Chromosomes 7p and 15q† American Journal of Human Genetics, Vol. 72, pp. 1251-1260 Bee, H. (2006a) Lifespan Development, Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc Bee, H. (2006b) The Developing Child, Boston, MA: Parson Education, Inc Bowlby, J. (1973) Separation: Anxiety Anger. Vol. 2 of Attachment and loss London: Hogarth Press; New York: Basic Books; Harmondsworth: Penguin Brain, C and Mukherjee, P. (2005) Understanding Child Psychology, Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes Ltd Cohen, D. (1993) The Development of Play, 2nd edition. London: Routledge Cowie, H. (2002) ‘Child Care and Attachment’ in Barnes, P (Ed), Personal, Social and Emotional Development of Children Milton Keynes: Blackwell Publishers Ltd Hinde, R and Hinde, J. (1993) ‘Perspectives on Attachment’ in Parkes, C. M. (Editor), Attachment Across the Life Cycle, Florence, KY, USA: Routledge http://site. ebrary. com/lib/uclan Monuteaux, M. C. Blacker, D. Biederman, J. Fitzmaurice, G and Buka, S. L. (2006) â€Å"Maternal smoking during pregnancy and offspring overt and covert conduct problems: a longitudinal study† Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, Vol. 47, No. 9, pp. 883–890 National Institute of Health. (2006) The science and Ecology Of Early Development (SEED), http://grants. nih. gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-04-113. html Reebye, P. N, Ross. S. E and Jamieson. K (2006) A Literature review of the child-Parent/ Caregiver attachment theory and Cross-Cultural Practices influencing attachment, www. attachmentacrosscultures. org/research/#1: accessed on 19/12/2006 Scarr, S. , K. McCartney. (1983) ‘How people make their own environments: A theory of genotype-environment effects’, Child Development, Vol. 54, pp 425-35. Shaffer, D. R. (1989) Developmental Psychology, Childhood and Adolescence, 2nd Edition, California: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company. Shonkoff, J. P. (2000) From Neurons to Neighbourhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development. Washington, DC, USA: National Academy Press, http://site. ebrary. com/lib/uclan/ Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind and society: The development of higher mental processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Judith Beveridge Essay Example for Free

Judith Beveridge Essay Judith Beveridge challenges our understanding of the world by revealing hidden sides of our society through confronting images throughout her poems. The reader is revealed with number of issues such as animal cruelty and psychological torture. These issues are related to the gender of the character with the cruel attitude toward nature and the society. This is evident in the poems â€Å"The Two Brothers† and â€Å"Fox in a Tree Stump†. â€Å"The Two Brother† is a poem which uses natural speech rhythms, tone and informal language is used to create an understanding with the reader. Reader is shown the brother’s cruelty but is also shown their brittleness and insecurity. The brothers’ cruelty is connected with their gender. This is shown in line 3-5 which says, â€Å"Had shown me themselves, grinning queerly as when they’d shown me lizards they’d killed, or sparrows they’d slowly bled with a needle. † These lines show vivid and disturbing images of boys’ violence, this is then enhanced by alliteration of the word ‘S’ in â€Å"sparrows they’d slowly bled. † In the lines, â€Å"shown me themselves† implies that such violence is a characteristic of being a male in our society. This idea of cruelty being a part of male’s characteristic in our society is shown again in line 13 which says, â€Å"Would dare each other any taste, any soft clot, any ugly act. † This line tells the reader that the brother’s would do anything and challenge each other for dominance which also implies that these characteristics of challenging each other for dominance is a part of a male’s life. In the last stanza the reader is given the idea that the brothers haven’t achieved anything and that the reader should feel pity for the brothers rather than looking at them as wrong, heartless human beings. This is shown by persona saying â€Å"Touched themselves through the emptiness of their pockets, scared they’d find the prize of nothing. † This quote evokes sympathy for the brothers through the word choice â€Å"emptiness† and â€Å"prize of nothing†. She also suggests that masculinity to cruelty is ultimately a hollow power. Just like â€Å"The Two Brothers†, â€Å"Fox in a Tree Stump† is a poem with a creature commonly thought of as a pest is projected as the innocent victim of male cruelty. This poem is about an unwanted intruder on the farm. The poem records the memory of a painful loss of innocence for a sensitive nine- year old, who must choose between invoking her uncle’s anger and going against her own mortality. In this poem the uncle has taken it upon himself to teach the child some of the harsher realities in life. Uncle leaves the child to smoke out the unfortunate fox and kill it with a tree branch. Therefore, the child is forced to shed its innocence. The uncle’s dominance is shown over both the girl and the fox. The dominance is linked to the uncle’s gender. Even though the uncle is domineering and cruel, yet Beveridge does not blame him for his act, the poet blames the uncle’s nature as shown in stanza 2 by a quote which says, â€Å"His voice harsh, kelpie- cursing would not understand if I let the fox run to the bush. † This was also shown in The Two Brothers as at the end of the poem the brothers were not blamed for their action but instead were felt pity for. Fox in a Tree Stump ends with â€Å"I was a child praying for the dark each time the sun caught my uncle’s eye. † The persona prays for something like this to never occur in her life again. Children are usually afraid of the dark and hope for sunrise but in this quote dark means release from uncle’s domination and from the fear of further killings. Judith Beveridge has challenged the understanding of the world in which we live. â€Å"The Two Brother’s† and â€Å"Fox in a Tree Stump† both show male dominance over neglected creatures in the society and over females. Beveridge has also challenged my understanding of the society which we live in by raising issues such as physiological torture, animal cruelty, homosexuality and rape throughout most of her poems.

Full Range Of Leadership Model Management Essay

Full Range Of Leadership Model Management Essay As indicated in chapter one, this research attempts to fill a void in the discussion of how managers leadership styles influence employees to stimulate their creative performance in public organizations, particularly in developing countries where environmental variables or national contexts have a strong impact on leadership styles. Since the study aims to determine the degree to which Omani civil service managers practise the Full Range of Leadership styles to enhance employees creative performance, three interrelated issues need to be addressed to meet these aims: 1) historical evolution of theories of leadership emphasized in the Full Range of Leadership model; 2) historical development of creativity theories focusing on an individual creativity model; and 3) the interrelationships between the issues 1 and 2. In this way, the three fields of the literature above together constitute a framework which will inform the analysis of this study. Therefore, the chapter is structured into these main areas of interest. In the first part, the chapter examines the leadership concept and its historical evolution theories. It concentrates on the Full Range of Leadership model and its components as a new leadership approach. In part two the chapter reveals the evolution of the creativity concept. It highlights individual cr eativity theories and discusses employees creative performance. In the third part, the chapter demonstrates the relationship between transformational and transactional leadership and employees creative performance. Finally, the chapter illustrates the studys analytical framework. 2.2 Part One: The Historical Evolution of Leadership 2.2.1 Overview of the Leadership Concept The leadership phenomenon is recognized as being the most extensively researched social process known to behavioural science, because it is believed that leadership plays a crucial role in organizations through a direct influence on individuals and groups within those organizations (Yukl, 2008). Leadership is a difficult concept to define. Taylor (1994) argued that the literature has shown no one definition, list of descriptors, or theoretical model that provides a complete picture of either the theory or practice of leadership. Further, Yukl (2008) suggested that despite the fact that many definitions have been offered, no one particular definition captures the essence of leadership. Bass (1999) claimed that the definition of leadership should depend on the purposes to be served by the definition. According to Burns (1978), leadership is identified as the ability to inspire followers to attempt to accomplish goals that represent the values, motivations, wants, needs, aspirations, and expectations of both leaders and followers. Additionally, Schein (1992) referred to leadership as the ability to operate outside of the existing culture to start an evolutionary change processes. Other scholars such as Bass and Bass (2008) attempted to describe leadership in broader terms. They mentioned that the definition of leadership involves a number of assumptions and understandings from both empirical and conceptual sources. Leadership: (a) exists within social relationships and serves social ends; (b) involves purpose and direction; (c) is an influence process; (d) is a function; and (e) is contextual and contingent. Therefore, leadership involves those who work with others to provide direction and who exert influence on persons and things in order to achieve the organizations goals. Leadership is also defined in terms of a process of social influence, whereby a leader influences members of a group towards a goal (Bryman, 1992). In his definition Bryman tends to emphasize three main elements of leadership: influence, group, and goal. Northouse (2012) extended Brymans leadership elements and identifies four main components central to the definition of leadership: (a) leadership is a process; (b) leadership involves influence; (c) leadership occurs in groups; and (d) leadership involves common goals. Therefore, referring to leadership as a process it is not a trait or characteristics that reside in the leader. It means that a leader affects, and is affected by followers. It emphasizes that leadership is an interactive event occurring between the leaders and their followers. Therefore, leadership is concerned with how the leader affects followers, and thus involves influence. Obviously, those definitions want to illustrate that without influences, leadership does not exist. Besides, Northouse (2012) pointed out that leadership is a phenomenon that occurs in groups. Groups are the context in which leadership takes place. Thus, leadership is basically about one individual who influences a group of others to accomplish common goals. Therefore, both leaders and followers are involved together in the leadership process. That is why it is common to say that leaders need followers, and followers need leaders. In fact, it is a transactional event that occurs between the leader and the followers. Although leaders and followers are closely linked, it is the leader who often initiates the relationship, creates the communication linkages, and carries the burden for maintaining the relationship (Bryman, 1992). Briefly, after a careful revision of the enormous variety of conceptualisations of leadership available in the literature, the crucial elements of leadership are best represented in Northouses definition (2012:6), where leadership is defined as a process whereby an individual motivates a group of individuals to achieve a common goal. This definition raises the following question: What are the leadership characteristics that enable an individual to influence others to unite for a common purpose? This question can best be answered by gaining a better understanding of the historical evolution of leadership and the theoretical paradigms in which leadership has been studied. With this in mind, the next sections will discuss the development of leadership theories, from the traditional leadership theories of the mid-1800s and leading to the more modern paradigm of transformational/transactional leadership theory. 2.2.2 Historical Evolution of Leadership Theories Since the early 1800s researchers have attempted to develop different research approaches to analyse the construct of leadership and its relationship with motivating others to greater productivity. The next section focuses on five of the main organizational leadership theories that have been developed over time. These theories are the great-man theory, the trait theory, the behavioural approach, the situational approach, and the integrative approach. 2.2.2.1 Great-Man Theory In the early nineteenth century, great-man theory was popular and focused on great leaders who helped to change and shape world events. Those great leaders or heroes were highly influential individuals due to their personal charisma, intelligence, or wisdom, and they utilized this power in a way that had a decisive historical impact. The theory assumes that leaders are born and not made. Thus, the capacity of the leader is inherent and there is not much you can do about it. The great-man theory believes that those great leaders possessed specific traits or characteristics that enabled them to stand out from others, to attract the necessary followers, to set direction, and to be strong leaders in their time. These theories evolved and were the natural forerunners to trait theory (Bass and Bass, 2008, and Kirkpatrick and Locke, 1991). 2.2.2.2 The Trait Approach The trait approach focuses upon personal qualities of leadership. This approach is based on the assumption that leaders can be identified by specific traits or characteristics. Basically, there are three broad types of trait which have been addressed by the literature: first, physical elements, such as height, weight, appearance, and age; second, ability characteristics, such as intelligence, scholarship and knowledge, knowing how to get things done, and fluency of speech; and third, other personality features, such as self-confidence, inter-personal sensitivity, and emotional control (Yukl, 2008). Hundreds of trait studies were carried out during the 1930s and 1940s, but according to Stogdill (1974) the massive research effort failed to find any traits that would guarantee leadership success. Smith and Peterson (1988) suggest that the failure of the trait approach has been attributed to the following reasons: first, providing only a list of traits and skills found to be productive did not help in understanding leadership; second, the trait approach failed to tell what these leaders actually do in performing their day-to-day leadership tasks; and third, the method of measurement used by researchers for this approach did not include psychological scaling. Obviously, over the years, it has been documented that leader traits contribute significantly to the prediction of leader effectiveness, leader emergence, and leader advancement. However, there is still a lack of agreement among researchers regarding leader traits and attributes (Zaccaro et al., 2004). Realizing the unreliability of trait theory, researchers began to focus on the observable leadership behaviours, an area which came to be known as behavioural leadership theory. 2.2.2.3 The Behavioural Approach The behavioural approach started in the 1950s as researchers became discouraged with the trait approach and started to pay closer attention to what leaders actually do. Yukl (2008) provides details of two major research studies that were conducted by researchers from Ohio State University and the University of Michigan using two lines of research methods developed to study leader behaviour. The method used by Ohio State University utilized observations to investigate how leaders spend their time completing the activities, responsibilities, and functions of the job. Researchers, therefore, collected data from direct observation, diaries, job description questionnaires, and interviews. The other method of research used by the University of Michigan focused on perceptions of effective leadership behaviour. In conformity with Horn-Turpin (2009) and Yukl (2008), from a series of studies which have been conducted at Ohio State University, it was concluded that the major dimensions of leaders behaviour involved two factors: consideration and initiation. Consideration refers to the extent to which the leader shows consideration to followers. This means the leader listens to the members, shows concern for their welfare, is friendly and approachable, expresses appreciation for good work, treats subordinates as equals, increases subordinates work and maintains their self-esteem, reduces inter-personal conflict, and puts subordinates suggestions into operation. On the other hand, initiation refers to task-related behaviour, such as initiating activity in the group, organizing it, coordinating tasks, and defining the problem for the group and outlining the way the work is to be done. The initiation of structure includes such leadership behaviour as planning activities, facilitating goal achievem ents, providing feedback for the group, maintaining standards and meeting deadlines, deciding in detail what should be done, and how establishing clear channels of communication, organizing work tightly, structuring the work context, providing a clear-cut definition of role responsibility. Based on Yukl (1989), the University of Michigan study identified two specific leadership behaviours that corresponded to the two behaviours identified in the Ohio State University study: (1) production oriented; and (2) employee oriented. Production-oriented behaviours, which corresponded to the initiation behaviour in the Ohio State study, involved completion of tasks, while employee-oriented behaviours corresponded to the consideration-based behaviour in the Ohio State study. Leaders who demonstrated the employee-oriented behaviour also exhibited human-relation-oriented skills and relationships with their employees. Actually, these studies supported the notion that effective leaders had to be cognizant of both task and relationship orientation. Additionally, these studies suggested that some organizations may need leaders who are more focused on tasks, while others require a leadership perspective with strong human-relations skills. Despite the significant findings from both studies, Bryman (1992) mentioned four problems that had been identified with the behavioural approach. The first was inconsistent findings that is, the magnitude and direction of the correlations between consideration and initiating styles and various outcome measures were highly variable. Also, some correlations failed to reach statistical significance. Secondly, an absence of situational analysis. Behavioural approach studies failed to include in their research situational variables that are, including variables which moderate the relationship between leader behaviour and various outcomes. Thirdly, there was a measurement problem: for example, the consideration measure seemed to be affected by leniency effect. Ratings of leaders were found to be contaminated by subordinates implicit theory. Finally, there was a problem of causality that is, does the style of leader influence various outcomes, or does the leader adjust his/her style in re sponse to group performance? Thus, some research went further to suggest that different situations may require different leadership styles and approaches. This concept led to a major shift to contingency theory. 2.2.2.4 The Contingency Approach The fourth leadership approach is Fiedlers (1967) contingency theory or the contingency approach. The theory was developed in the 1950s and 1960s and was viewed as a complement to the Michigan and Ohio State studies. It focuses upon the impact of the situation in determining the leaders style. According to Fiedler (1967) as cited by Yukl (2008), leadership performance depends on both the organization and the leader. He suggested that situational variables have a moderate effect on the relationship between leadership style and effectiveness. Fiedler mentioned that leadership performance depends as much on the organization as it does on the leaders own attributes. Evidently, the contingency approach emphasizes the importance of contextual factors that might influence the leadership process. The characteristics of followers, the nature of the work that the leaders unit performs, the organization type, and the external environment are all major situational variables. The theory suggests that the effectiveness of leader behaviour is dependent upon the situation. Indeed, the contingency approach is sometimes referred to as the situational theory (Yukl, 2008). Northouse (2012) argued that the contingency approach is like the behavioural approach and has many problems similar to those identified in the behavioural approach, such as inconsistent findings, causality problems, and measurement problems. Further, the theory has also been criticized as being an ambiguous approach. Thus, the integrative approach appeared as an attempt to integrate all these theories in one. 2.2.2.5 The Integrative Approach The integrative approach involves studying more than one type of leadership variable. Indeed, few theories or studies include traits, behaviour, influence processes, situation variables, and outcomes all in the same design (Northouse, 2012). In fact, as leaders engage in the constantly changing environment and demands of others, Yukl (2008) argued that this approach may offer a meaningful analysis of the practical day-to-day situations that leaders might encounter. He emphasized that leaders influence a number of situations. Leaders impact the effectiveness of a group or organization by influencing the: (a) interpretation of external events by members; (b) choice of objectives and strategies to pursue; (c) motivation of members to achieve the objectives; (d) mutual trust and cooperation of members; (e) organization and coordination of work activities; (f) allocation of resources to activities and objectives; (g) development of member skills and confidence; (h) learning and sharing of new knowledge by members; (i) enlistment of support and cooperation from outsiders; (j) design of formal structure, programme, and systems; and (k) shared beliefs and values of members. All of these situations are important and require that a leader effectively recognizes the situation and employs the appropriate leadership strategies. Over time, the academic focus has moved from leadership traits to leadership behaviours and then to using different leadership styles in various situations; however, it was obvious that because of the limitations found in those leadership theories, a new leadership approach needed to emerge. Problems such as inconsistent findings, measurement problems, and the problem of causality led to general doubt about leadership theory and stimulated fresh thinking, which led to a new approach (Bennett, 2009). 2.2.3 The New Leadership Approach: The Full Range of Leadership Model Leadership theories had focused primarily on making operations more efficient, through looking for ways to increase production and improve operations. Bass (1985) emphasized that in leadership theories, employee motivation was considered not the key; but only the vehicle. Vrooms expectancy theory (1982) demonstrates that motivation influences job performance and employees are motivated by receiving rewards and avoiding punishment. Thus, employees tied their level of effort to their expected outcome. They were transaction driven. In conformity with Bass (1985), transactional leaders understood the needs of their employees and how to meet those needs in exchange for the appropriate level of effort. However, researchers saw situations where individuals were led by visionary and charismatic leaders who helped their organizations achieve more than was believed possible (Bass, 1985; House, 1977; and Bryman, 1992). Hence, those findings helped lay the foundation for transformational and tra nsactional leadership theory, which later extended to the Full Range of Leadership theory. The theory of transformational and transactional leadership began to develop in the 1970s and 1980s. Downton (1973) introduced the term transformational leadership, followed by Burns (1978), who focused on transformational and transactional leadership in the political field. In fact, they opened a new chapter in leadership research. From that time the transformational leadership approach become one of the most popular approaches to leadership that has successfully attracted researchers since the early 1980s. According to Lowe and Gardner (2000), research in transformational leadership was found to cover one third of the all leadership research, and it occupies a central place in leadership studies. As cited by Pearce et al., (2003), the literature confirms that Downton (1973) is the first researcher to make a distinction between transactional and transformational leadership, whereas the idea gained more attention in James McGregor Burns published work (1978) on political leaders. Burns distinguished between ordinary (transactional) leaders, who exchanged tangible rewards for employees work and loyalty, and extraordinary (transformational) leaders, who engaged with employees, focused on higher-order intrinsic needs, and raised consciousness about the significance of specific outcomes and new ways in which those outcomes might be achieved (Barnett et al., 2001; Pearce et al., 2003; Gellis, 2001; Rafferty and Griffin, 2004; and Judge and Piccolo, 2004). Actually, Burns defined transformational and transactional leadership styles as opposites, whereas Bernard Bass added to these concepts but also believed that managers could demonstrate both depending on the situation (Bass, 1985). Furthermore, Bass et al. (1987) and Waldman et al. (1990) noted that transformational leadership was an extension of transactional leadership. Later, Bass introduced the augmentation model, where he argued that transformational leadership augments transactional leadership in predicting levels of individuals performances (Bass and Riggio, 2006). It is obvious, then, that much of the research on transformational leadership today goes back to the original works of Burns and Bass. Indeed, many researchers state that the most elaborate exposition of transformational leadership theory, which was later extended to the Full Range of Leadership theory, belongs to Bernard Bass (for example, Bryman, 1992; Simic, 1998; Zhang, 2011; and Si and Wei, 2012). Bernard Bass applied the work of James McGregor Burns (1978) on transformational and transactional leadership to organizational management. Bass (1999) defined the transactional leader as a leader who: (1) recognizes what his or her employees want to get from their work and tries to see that employees get what they desire if their performance warrants it; (2) exchanges rewards and promises of rewards for appropriate levels of effort; and (3) responds to the self-interests of employees as long as they are getting the job done. On the other hand, Bass and Bass (2008) claimed that transformational leaders motivate subordinates to do more than is expected. They characterized transformational leaders as those who: (1) raise the level of awareness of employees about the importance of achieving valued outcomes, a vision, and the required strategy; (2) get employees to transcend their own self-interest for the sake of the group and organization; and (3) expand employees portfolio of needs by raising their awareness to improve themselves and what they are attempting to accomplish. Horn-Turpin (2009) outlines three important differences between the work of Burns (1978) and Bass (1999) on transformational and transactional leadership. Firstly, Burns (1978) suggested that the two styles of leadership are at opposite ends of the same leadership continuum: that is, the leader cannot be transactional and transformational at the same time, but could be either one of them, while Bass (1999) proposed that both transactional and transformational leadership can be displayed by the same leader. For example, Bass (1999) recognized that the same leader may use both types of the process at different times in different situations. Bass (1999) sees transformational leadership as a higher-order second leadership which is needed in addition to transactional leadership. Secondly, Burns (1978) suggested that actions are transformational if society benefits from them. Bass (1999) sees transformational leadership as not necessarily inherently beneficial; for example, Hitler was negatively transformational. Bass (1999) focuses on the individual personality while Burns (1978) placed emphasis on the leader-follower relationship. Thirdly, Bass (1999) outlined the components of the two types of leadership, specifying their content more than Burns (1978). Based on practical researches, Bass (1985) found evidence for five leadership factors: individualized consideration, charismatic leadership, intellectual stimulation, contingent rewards, and management-by-exception. Transformational leadership consisted of the first three: charismatic leadership, individualized consideration, and intellectual stimulation. Transactional leadership consisted of the last two factors: contingent rewards and management-by-exception. After additional investigation between approximately 1985 and 1995 the theory was expanded to denote three types of leadership behaviour transformational, transactional, and non-transactional laissez-faire leadership or passive leadership and it is referred to in the Full Range of Leadership model (Antonakis, 2003, and Bennett, 2009). Moreover, researchers conducted a meta-analysis of multiple studies which provided a review of hundreds of studies completed over the past twenty years indicate that indicate there has been fairly consistent support for the key factors of transformational leadership: charisma/idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individual consideration (for example, Lowe et al., 1996; DeGroot et al., 2000; Dumdum et al., 2002; and Judge and Piccolo, 2004). Investigation into the Full Range of Leadership theory expanded the components into nine factors: five transformational factors, three transactional factors, and one non-tran sactional leadership factor (for example: Avolio et al., 1999; Avolio and Bass, 2004; Barbuto, 2005; Rowold and Heinitz, 2007). Another modification to the model occurred with regard to its components. Antonakis et al. (2003) suggested using idealized influence instead of charisma and suggested that idealized influence should be separated into two parts: attributes and behaviour. Further, Avolio and Bass (2004) noted that management-by-exception should be divided into two parts: active and passive. Later, studies suggested using the term passive/avoidant instead of laissez-faire as the third leadership type in the Full Range of Leadership theory because it was more descriptive. Also, it was proposed that management-by-exception (active) was a better fit with transactional leadership, and management-by-exception (passive) was a better fit with laissez-faire as two subscales under the third type of leadership, now identified as passive/avoidant (Avolio and Bass, 2004; Avolio et al., 1999; Geyer and Steyrer, 1998; Bennett, 2009 and Den Hartog et al., 2011; and). The Full Range of Leadership model is displayed in Figure 2.1. As illustrated in Figure 2.1, the Full Range of Leadership model components are organized around two axes: level of activity and degree of effectiveness. The activity axis is concerned with how active or passive the leader is in his or her way of being towards employees and towards the aims of the organization. Essentially this axis has to do with the leaders level of engagement and involvement in the leadership process. The effectiveness axis relates to the effect the specific leadership style has on employee, group, and organizational outcomes in this study the outcome being investigated is employees creative performance. Figure 2.1: The Model of the Full Range of Leadership. Source: Adopted from Bass and Riggio (2006). ACTIVE EFFECTIVE INEFFECTIVE 5 Is CR MBE-A MBE-P LF PASSIVE 2.2.3.1 Transformational Leadership The Full Range of Leadership theory demonstrates that transformational leadership is a process whereby a leader utilizes a number of leadership behaviours or practices to influence the commitment and effort of employees toward the accomplishment of organizational objectives. Those practices, indeed, enhance the values and aspirations of both leader and employees (Bass and Riggio, 2006). Unlike other traditional leadership styles, transformational leadership attempts to give adequate support to organizational members so that they become highly engaged and inspired by goals that are motivational, because those goals are associated with values in which those members strongly believe or are persuaded to strongly believe. Thus, a transformational leader undertakes a matching process where he or she identifies which internal states of organizational members are critical to their performance and specifies a set of leaders practices most likely to have a positive influence on those internal states (Leithwood and Sun, 2012). Bennis and Nanus (1985) went beyond that by conceptualizing transformational leadership as a process that changes the organization by focusing on action, and by converting followers into leaders and leaders into agents of change. This notion is also supported by Sergiovanni (1990) and Avolio (1999), who argued that transformational leadership might be defined as the process whereby leaders develop followers into leaders. Followers become leaders when they are committed to a cause and are self-managing. For the purpose of this study, transformational leadership is defined in conformity with Bass and Riggio (2006), as a process through which a leader influences the organizational members toward the achievement of organizational goals by utilizing his social charisma and actions to encourage people in organization, articulate an inspiring vision for the future, create an environment for creativity, and pay close attention to individuals needs and wants. 2.2.3.2 Components of Transformational Leadership According to Bass and Avolio (1985), transformational leaders motivate others to do more than they originally intended and often even more than they thought possible. They behave in ways to achieve superior results by employing one or more of the four core components of transformational leadership, which are: (1) idealized influence (attributed and behaviours); (2) inspirational motivation; (3) intellectual stimulation; and (4) individual consideration. To some extent Bass and Riggio (2006) stated that those components have evolved, as refinements have been made in both the conceptualization and the measurement of transformational leadership. For example, Bass and Riggio (2006) argued that there are two aspects to idealized influence: the leaders behaviours, and the elements that are attributed to the leader by employees and other associates. These two aspects, measured by separate sub-factors of the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ), represent the interactional nature of id ealized influence: it is embodied both in the leaders behaviour and in attributions that are made concerning the leader by employees. Conceptually, transformational leaders are charismatic and employees seek to identify with the leader and emulate them. Transformational leaders inspire employees with challenge and persuasion, and provide both meaning and understanding. They intellectually stimulate and expand the employees use of their own abilities. Finally, transformational leaders are individually considerate, and provide the employees with support, mentoring, and coaching. Each of these components can be measured with the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ), which will be discussed in the Methodology Chapter. Together, the five main dimensions of transformational leadership are interdependent; they must co-exist; and they are believed to represent the most effective leadership attitudes and behaviours (Gellis, 2001; Moolenaar et al., 2010; Hall et al., 2008; Pieterse, et al., 2010 and Leithwood and Sun 2012). Descriptions of the components of transformational leadership are presented in the following subsections. 2.2.3.2.1 Idealized Influence Attributed (IIA) Idealized influence attributed is defined as the socialized charisma of the leader: whether the leader is perceived as being confident and powerful, and whether the leader is viewed as focusing on higher-order ideals and ethics. Leaders who exhibit idealized influence attributed are providing a role model that employees seek to emulate (Bono and Judge, 2004; Simic, 1998; Stone, et al., 2003 and Ho et al., 2009). On the other side, employees view their leaders as having extraordinary capabilities, persistence, and determination, and they feel admiration, loyalty, and respect for the leaders (Bass, 1985). Idealized influence leaders or charismatic leaders are highly motivated to influence their employees. Their employees trust their judgments and have faith in them. Such leaders can transform the established order, and instil pride, faith, and respect. They have a gift for seeing what is really important and a sense of a vision which is effectively articulated (Avolio and Bass, 1988). Further, it has been noted that individuals who are under charismatic leadership are hig