Hilton Hotels - Conrad Hilton Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Hilton Hotels - Conrad Hilton - Lab Report Example Born on 25Th December 1887 in New Mexico, he took over his father’s store at the age of 21 years (Lewis, 2009: p. 231). This acted as a fundamental exposure in the business world though at one time tried his luck in politics while in quest of finding life’s course before embarking on entrepreneurship. Hilton’s deep desire to be â€Å"big† according to one his principles prompted him to undertake new ventures after returning from being WWI combatant, deeming the then predicaments that characterized his life were meaningless to what he aspired to achieve in future. The idea of being an hotelier dawned on him while prospecting for opportunities at Cisco, Texas after his father’s demise during the WWI. His intention while in Texas was to purchase an additional bank but he ended up buying Mobley Hotel followed by other similar premises in not only US but also globally, for instance, in China (Lewis, 2009). Consequently, this initial acquisition prompted to buying and development of purchased hospitality enterprises, which he named by his name evident to date. Hilton’s Christianity background nurtured by his mother prompted him to apply persistent efforts in every endeavor he undertook coupled with prayerful life as a staunch Catholic. His strong faith prompted him to give out almost his entire wealth to charity work besides distributing some to close family members as well as his children. Entrepreneurial skills Hilton was a great risk taker evident from the numerous ventures he undertook in foreign states characterized by cultures completely different from those in America. Hence, managing to steer hotel ventures in states like China and Europe, which continued to thrive despite numerous cultural predicaments he experienced. In their study, Butler and Russell (2010) relay one incident where Board members doubted whether Hilton’s concept of establishing hotels in other states other than US would thrive. This quest pro ved them wrong when Hilton insisted on starting the first hotel outside USA in San Juan, Puerto Rico and became exceedingly successful (Butler & Russell, 2010). Hence, this motivated other hoteliers especially from Europe to venture in the same region though they did not surpass him as they thought. In addition, Hilton was a determined person in all the endeavors and project, which he undertook (Lewis, 2009). He epitomized a person who had the strength as well as strong will aimed at rising above any negative circumstances and emerge successfully. Consequently, this prompted him to venture on his own in most cases utilizing shrewd business knowhow he had leaving his doubters surprised (Lewis, 2009). Using his shrewd business acumen, Hilton ensured all his hotels offered the best contrary to the players he found in every locality he ventured (Butler & Russell, 2010). Hence, prompting large pool of clientele prefer his services in the foreign states where it was difficult to win them due to varied and engraved cultures. This is via serving the clients with what was of great interest to them besides transforming new acquired hotels to have touch of international standards while utilizing local furnishings (Butler & Russell, 2010). Hence, uphold immediate localities’ cultural heritages. Hilton employed unique and effective secrets that would guarantee him success in foreign states, which had utterly diverse cultures than those

Oedipus the King Essay Example for Free

Oedipus the King Essay In Sophocles Oedipus the King, the themes of fate and free will are very strong throughout the play. Only one, however, brought about Oedipus downfall and death. Both points could be argued to great effect. In ancient Greece, fate was considered to be a rudimentary part of daily life. Every aspect of life depended and was based upon fate (Nagle 100). It is common belief to assume that mankind does indeed have free will and each individual can decide the outcome of his or her life. Fate and free will both decide the fate of Oedipus the King. Both sides of the argument can be greatly supported. The Greeks believed in the idea that personality of the individual greatly affected his or her life (Nagle 120). Their personality was what decides their own free will. A wise man will make good decisions in his life; an ignorant and stubborn man wont be so fortunate. The character traits of a person have a certain positive or negative affect on the choices that he or she makes. For Oedipus, one of these attributes was the desire for knowledge and truth about his own existence. This driving force in the play led to the truth of his origin. This ties in with his own aspect of free will. His free will is based on his drive for knowledge. Throughout the entire play, Oedipus pushes Tiresias, Creon, Jocasta, the oracle, the messenger, and the shepherd for information regarding his beginnings. Each one of these characters in some way or form refused to give him a thorough answer. As he draws closer to the answer, another character tries to stop his journey. Oedipus continues moving onward even though others request he didnt. Oh no, listen to me, I beg you, dont do this. Listen to you? No more. I must know it all, see the truth at last (Sophocles 195). His desire for truth kept pushing him to continue his search, ultimately leading to his downfall. The entire time Oedipus had the capability to discontinue the plight. However he made the independent decision to continue. Another instance where choices directly linked Oedipus to the prophecy was at the crossroads. Oedipus demonstrates an important trait in his character, stubbornness. This trait is visible when Oedipus reacted to the man pushing him aside at the crossroads. the one shouldering me aside, the driver, I strike him in anger! . I killed them allevery mothers son! (Sophocles 189). In ancient times when a caravan was coming down the road they usually pushed you to the side. Oedipus didnt like this and flipped out, killing all of them. It was his stubbornness that caused this to happen. His personality led to the decision to kill the caravan and unknowingly, his father too. If he were a wise and content man, then his decision would have differed. When Oedipus defeated the Sphinx by solving the riddle, he could have refused to take the missing kings throne. He could have also declined to marry the former kings wife, unaware that the queen was his own mother. He accepted both of these without any regrets. If his decision was different it might have altered the course of events in the future. His personality made sure that the decisions went the way they did. These choices were made by Oedipus with his own free will, his own decisions. He didnt have to accept these gifts, but did none the less. These conclusions would lead to his own demise, but they were his own mistakes, not fate. Free will can also be found in the actions of Jocasta and Laius. The choices they made were not made by their own judgement, but rather reactions to a situation that neither of them was prepared to deal with. Upon hearing the prophecy that foretold the future sins in their household; they made a harsh decision out of fear. They had little Oedipus sent to die at the foothills of a mountain. This reaction seems very cruel, but back in ancient times it was very natural. Being that an oracle foretold the prophecy, Jocasta and Laius responded as any Greek parents would. They solved the problem by removing Oedipus from the equation, but in the end their decision wasnt the right one. This leaves the readers of the play to wonder what might have happened if Jocasta and Lauis never sent Oedipus to die as an infant. Would the prophecy still have taken place? It seems that it wouldnt have, because Oedipus wouldnt have engaged in the misled wandering after he left his adopted home. Oedipus would have had no reason to fulfill the prophecy, but that is another question that we dont know. On the other hand, if Oedipus didnt listen to the prophecy suggested to him in Corinth, he never would have returned to Thebes to carry out his destiny. All these instances can be looked at that free will was the deciding factor. Was it really? Fate can also be looked upon in every instance, equally a strong argument against free will. Oedipus desire for knowledge can also be looked at by the standpoint of fate. He was born with his own stubbornness. The Gods themselves made him that way and it can not be changed. No matter what his decisions were, their gift to him will lead to the path they gave him. He cant escape the fate the Gods have given him. He kept pushing farther and father, but it just led to his downfall. Nothing he could have done would have stopped that. The prophets make this clear in their prophecies throughout the text. All the premonitions they say come true. They cant be avoided because the Gods made you with your personality and it controls your life. Ultimately they control you. When Oedipus reaches the crossroads, it was fate that led to the events that took place. Short work, by god-with one blow of the staff (Sophocles 189). This quote reveals that the gods did play apart in the events that took place. Oedipus prophecy was to kill his own father. Unwillingly because of his stubbornness Oedipus struck down and did indeed kill his father. Because the gods gave him this trait, his fate was unavoidable. The traits of Oedipus would generate the right sequence of events that would eventually lead to his prophecy coming true. Oedipus personality was the cause of the events. His free will blended in with the fate given to him by the gods. All together it was fate that decided these actions. The prophecy given to Lauis and Jocasta is also another example of unavoidable fate. Even though it wasnt there own choices to get rid of their son, their reaction to the prophecy set up the events for the future. If they never sent Oedipus to die at the mountainside, he most likely never would have killed Lauis at the crossroads. Their reaction was to a message given to them by the Gods. The Gods dictated what was going to happen. They told the prophet to give out the prophecy. Leading to the vanquishing of little Oedipus. All along every action leads to ones fate in life. The greatest show of fate in the text is when Oedipus gauges his eyes out with the golden clips. He does this in reaction to the events that take place. Oedipus was aware that he alone was responsible for his actions and gauged his own eyes out. That is the free will standpoint on the issue. Oedipus was at the same time not responsible for his actions. The gods controlled his personality and therefore controlled the outcome of his life. If Oedipus realized this he might not have taken his own sight. The gods use their power to provoke humans free will. They were responsible for the demise of Oedipus, but in the same time convince the human that it was there fault. Free will and fate can be related to every aspect of Oedipus the King. The gods who control fate manipulate the thinking and concepts in humans free will. Ultimately fate is what overcomes all. It may not seem like it, but free will was given to mankind by the gods or God. So in turn the gods decide the fate of everybody when they created man. It was already decided and can not be changed. One can still argue the position that free will is more dominant, but if you relate to creation and how the gods made man, fate overcomes. In Oedipus the King, Sophocles made it clear to his fellow Greeks that mankind has the ability, even with prophecies and oracles, to make choices free from influence of divine forces. He also shows that fate does play a part in humans lives too. They tie into each other for a direct balance. Overall, fate is the divine power that controls free will and determines ones life.

Good Advice :: Psychology Advising Essays

Good Advice I consider good advice to be a balanced combination of many things. To me, the most important is that when I receive advice, it must not be forced onto me. When advice is truly sincere, it is given to me in the hopes that I might take it, but it should never make me feel guilty if I don't. A perfect example of a forced piece of advice, is article A that we read about contractions. To me, this article didn't advise the reader about what not to do, but it told them. It pretty much said that you "can" do this and you "can't" do that. Good advice should just throw another opinion up in the air, and let the advisee choose what to do with it. The whole idea behind giving advice, is that it allows the advisor to state their opinion about something concerning the advisee, and hope that it is of some use to them. Advice involves two people, the advisor (giver of advice), and the advisee (taker of advice). Both people play an equal role in the giving and taking of advice. Someone can give me all of the advice that they want to, but if I choose not to take the advice, then the cycle is incomplete. However, it doesn't mean that the advice is worthless, because it may be of use at a later date. My job is to determine what I want to do with the advice given to me. If I believe it is good, then I will put it to use, probably in the near future. If I don't agree with it, then I may disregard it totally. Another thing that constitutes good advice is that it should be honest. If I give someone advice that I wouldn't take, were I put in the same situation, then it most likely isn't good. If I know that the advice clearly isn't going to work, but it "sounds good," then that isn't good advice at all. Don't give it if you wouldn't take it. Good advice must also come from a reliable source. When I ask someone for advice I should trust that he/she won't lead me in the wrong direction. The information (advice) that they give me should, in no way, be of any benefit to themselves over the me and my situation. A perfect example of this is the advice that Earl gave to Jackie.

Affects of Westernization on Youth and Culture Essay

Youth are the back bone to a nation. The young generation occupies a special place in a society. They can change the future of the society with their spirited behavior. In a broader sense, the future of any society depends on the youth. The youth are ready to adapt changes because they are young, in search of truth and they are open to different ideas. Young people have better concentrating span contrary to old ones and that is how changes are brought in a society. All societies pay special attention to the youth. The youth acts as the motivating force of revolution. No revolution can be successful without the efforts of youth in a course of action. Their youthful energy enables them to perform great in every field and enables them to be innovative and skillful. Culture is the complete range of learned human behavior patterns. It includes a set of Customs, beliefs, and traditions. Culture is also shaped by Religion, language, festivals, dress, arts and craft. Culture is passed down from generation to generation. Youth of a society preserves its culture. All Cultures are naturally prone to change and, at the same time, to resist change. There are three general sources of influence that are responsible for both change and resistance to it: Forces at work within a society, Contact between societies and Changes in the natural environment. Within a society, processes leading to change include invention and culture loss. Inventions may be either technological or ideological. Technological inventions include new tools, energy sources, and transportation methods. Culture loss is an unavoidable result of old cultural patterns being replaced by new ones. For example, not many Pakistanis today know how to care for a horse. A century ago, this was common knowledge among many people because buggies and horse-riding were the only means of transportation. Since then, vehicles with internal combustion engines have replaced horses and horse care knowledge lost its importance. As a result, children are rarely taught these skills. Instead, they are trained in the use of the new technologies of automobiles, televisions, cellular phones, computers, and iPods. The processes leading to change that occur as a result of contact between societies are diffusion, acculturation and transculturation. Diffusion is the movement of things and ideas from one culture to another. When diffusion occurs, the form of a trait may move from one society to another but not its original cultural meaning. Acculturation is what happens to an entire culture when unfamiliar traits diffuse in on a large scale and significantly replace traditional cultural patterns. Transculturation is what happens to an individual when he or she moves to another society and adopts its culture. The word westernization is defined as â€Å"The social process of becoming familiar with or converting to the customs and practices of Western civilization†. The youth of Pakistan is talented and dedicated. Unfortunately, the youth today is involved in activities which are neither useful to them nor the nation. All that keeps them busy during the day are games, TV shows, movies and socializing with their peers which these days, is commonly called â€Å"hanging out†. At night, they’re busy chatting on the internet, listening to music, attending late night parties and some are even involved in illegal activities like smoking and drinking. They have no vision and instead of improving themselves or doing something productive, they choose to waste their time. All this is because of westernization of youth in Pakistan. Over the past decade, the youth of Pakistan has been adversely affected by western culture. A significant change has been observed in the culture of Pakistan. Many regional rituals have either been forgotten or replaced by western rituals; young people prefer western attire over national dress, fast food is preferred over regional food, family values are not practiced the way they used to, dating has become very common and violent behavior has become a trend among youngsters. In such a situation, culture cannot be passed on in its original form; it would rather be modified or to be more specific, westernized.

Changes in Teenage Lifestyle: Indonesia

Lifestyle is a person's behavior indicated in the activities, interests and opinions especially those related to self-image to reflect the social status. Modern lifestyle synonymous with luxury. Lifestyle is also very closely related to the times and technology. Increasing age and increasingly sophisticated technology, the more widespread implementation of lifestyle also by humans in everyday life. In another sense, lifestyle can give positive or negative effects for those who run it. Well, depending on how the person living it. Today, the lifestyle is often misused by most teenagers. Moreover, teens who are in a Metropolitan city. They tend to follow fashion lifestyle today. Of course, fashion that they copied from the west. If they can filter out the good and proper, then the effects may also be positive. But otherwise, if not good at filtering out of the western mode, it will negatively affect their own. One example of the lifestyle of teenagers who follow Western fashion in everyday life is a matter of â€Å"dressed†. Problems clad teenagers of today are always associated with the times and technology. Because, in Indonesia, particularly teenagers, in clothes always obeying the prevailing fashion. Even more sadly, in many tv stations show examples of life style in the teens dressed people who follow western fashion. Metropolitan Auto not only teenagers who follow fashion, but also the people who are in villages or countryside. The next example, lifestyle most teens follow the western culture is taking a drink – booze, drugs, and the like. They assume that if it does not consume these goods, then he will be judged as a society that is out of date or not slang. Most of the youth of Indonesia has not been able to filter culture with properly. So, the negative effect arising from the teen's own self. We know that the mode adopted by most western people deviate from the moral. While we are aware that Indonesia is famous for luhurnya kesopanannya and kindness. However, some Indonesian teenager then mimic or follow the Western mode without the filter is good and right. And maybe it would be bad for our future generations. Therefore, in this modern era of the all parents who have teenage children should monitor the social, friends, and lifestyles which they apply. And for the teens should be cautious in accepting the culture from the outside and should be able to filter the culture from the outside in good and proper.

Frankenstein Support (Mock-Persausive Letter Forma Essays - Fiction

Frankenstein Support (Mock-Persausive Letter Forma Essays - Fiction Frankenstein Support (Mock-Persausive Letter Format) (Author's Note: This was a semi-creative project. We had to address the issues in a persuasive letter rather than a boring ol' report, so please become unconfused as far as the format..) Cal Tech Curriculum Committee: Scientists are all too ready to lock themselves away with their research, unwilling - perhaps even incapable - of seeing the consequences of their actions. It is our duty as their educators to provide them with not only a means to gain knowledge but also insights into the society into which they will ultimately release their findings. Since none here are literary or English majors, it may seem difficult at first to integrate such needed sociological concerns into their current courses of study, so it is our duty to give them easily-reliable examples which parallel with their own course of study, examples that will be memorable. And what better to illustrate and retain attention than a tragedy? I suggest that the Mary Shellys novel Frankenstein be included as a central text in the current Humanities courses required here. The reason Frankenstein may hold more relevance as part of the program than say, a classical Greek play, is the subject matter alone. Hopefully, the literary connections are more likely to be drawn, if we can appeal to the students interests as best as we can. Perhaps then they are more likely to believe that the humanities do have something to do with them. The specifics it also raises about ethics and responsibilities of science speak more than enough of the novels behalf.Many scientists in the far-reaching fields today may feel overwhelmed, perhaps even taking on a Gaudi-esque credo to their respective research. That Spanish architect is quoted as saying that he didnt have time to wonder, that he had to spend all of [his] time working. While this is a commendible work ethic, such a belief can lead scientists to bring the curse to mankind that Einstein warns us against. While a piece of art may incite violence, certain sciences may uncover information that can physically provide the means of violence. Scientists provide the power, they are the vehicles of the force - but it is rarely they who end up wielding it. Governments, companies, and monetary sponsors are those that are really calling the shots, and since they only bought out that technology without acquiring that knowledge themselves, they may prove irresponsible with that power. They have no responsibilty towards it, so it is up to the scientists themselves to determine if the rest of the world is ready for thier data. A common misconception is that the computer industry is out of control - but what is really growing beyond its rights is the monopolization and marketing of those computers. Unwitting engineers have explained to the executives how operation systems work, and now that simplified knowledge in turned against the users. This issue is addressed well in the Frankenstein novel as well. Had Victor taken in his monster and walked it into humanity slowly, instead of abandoning it when it needed him, his creation might just have fit in afterall. Could or should maybe do not even enter the picture. Science will continue to refine itself and go onward in some form throughout our lives. Someone will reach the next step or the higher level, and more will build off of it. However, the best precaution to learning and releasing innovative concepts to the society at the right time is giving our future scientists a wide range of possible scenarios to consider. In the novel, Victor understood how to perform his experiments, he had insights into what had been done in reliable fields before. But based on his seclusion and his obsession, his blind devotion to only his ideas, he could never predict the outcome of his experiment. He had no thesis to work towards. Knowing a bit of biology and chemistry does not qualify one to single-handedly delve into potentially dangerous projects. Why did he do it? Passion, obsession, the need for individual worth? We cannot allow egos to interfere with safety. We also cannot be willing to encourage our students complete withdrawal from society, with the possible loss of their own self to their science. A self-absorbed mind is not as likely to make responable conclusions. We should never sacrifice the individual for the collection of data or the progression of technology, because the progression will never stop. Thrown into motion such as it is, it will continue forward until we reach

How to Remove Super Glue (Cyanoacrylate Adhesive)

How to Remove Super Glue (Cyanoacrylate Adhesive) Super Glue is a strong, fast-acting adhesive that sticks to just about anything almost instantly, so its easy to accidentally glue your fingers together or drip the glue onto clothes or surfaces. Even though it sets quickly and wont wash off, you can remove Super Glue with acetone. Acetone: The Anti-Super Glue Super Glue is a cyanoacrylate adhesive. Its impervious to water, but it can be dissolved in an organic solvent such as acetone. Some nail polish removers contain acetone, but be sure to check the label because many acetone-free products are available and will not dissolve Super Glue. You can find pure acetone in stores that sell home or art supplies because it is a useful solvent. If you view the Material Safety Data Sheet for acetone, youll see its flammable and toxic, so its not a chemical you want to ingest or inhale. It is absorbed into the skin on contact. It dehydrates and de-fats skin, so wash any spills with soap and water and apply a moisturizer, if possible. Removing Super Glue How you apply the acetone depends on what you stuck together with the glue. Do not apply acetone to your eyes or lips, but its still possible to remove Super Glue from other areas. Fabric: Acetone will remove Super Glue from fabric, but it may discolor the material or alter its texture. Work acetone into the affected area from both sides. Use a gloved finger or a soft-bristled toothbrush. The acetone will dissolve the glue and be rinsed away by still more acetone. Acetone evaporates quickly, but wash any fabrics that can withstand cleaning. Glass: Super Glue does not bond very well to glass, so you can scrape it off. It may help to soak the affected area in water until the glue is loosened. Acetone wont harm glass, but its use shouldnt be necessary. Counters and surfaces: Acetone dissolves Super Glue on counters and surfaces, but it may harm varnish on wood. It will cause some plastics to become cloudy in appearance and it may discolor some materials. Try to pry or scrape off the adhesive using acetone as a last resort. Skin: For fingers and most body parts, remove Super Glue by soaking the skin in warm water and then slowly peeling away the glue. You can usually pull the stuck skin apart because your skin is more likely to tear than to detach from the glue using this method. If necessary, apply a small amount of acetone using a cotton swab. Since acetone is toxic, avoid using it if possible. If you do need to use acetone, apply only the smallest amount needed to remove the glue. When to Seek Medical Help If you stick together lips or eyelids or if Super Glue gets stuck on an eyeball, contact a physician: Do not use acetone. The cyanoacrylate adhesive bonds instantly to moist areas, so its nearly impossible to swallow liquid Super Glue or for it to travel far into the eyes. Thats the good news. The bad news is that youll have to wait for your cells to rid themselves of the glue on their own. Fortunately, eye and lip tissue regenerates very quickly, so the glue naturally detaches. If you get Super Glue on your eyeball or eyelids, you may wish to wear an eye patch or cover it with gauze. The glue naturally detaches from an eyeball after several hours. According to Super Glue Corporation, there are no known cases of permanent damage from this type of injury. It may take a couple of days to unstick eyelids or lips, although tears and saliva hasten the removal. People who have stuck their lips together tend to work at it with their tongue, but even if you leave the area alone, it will un-stick in one to two days.

The U.S. Environmental Movement

The U.S. Environmental Movement When did the U.S. environmental movement begin? Its hard to say for sure. Nobody held an organizing meeting and drew up a charter, so there is no absolute definitive answer to the question of when the environmental movement really began in the United States. Here are some important dates, in reverse chronological order: Earth Day April 22, 1970, the date of the first Earth Day celebration in the United States, is often cited as the start of the modern environmental movement. On that day, 20 million Americans filled parks and took to the streets in a nationwide teach-in and protest about critical environmental issues facing the United States and the world. It is probably around that time that environmental issues also truly became political issues. Silent Spring Many other people associate the beginning of the environmental movement with the 1962 publication of Rachel Carsons groundbreaking book, Silent Spring, which spelled out the dangers of the pesticide DDT. The book awakened many people in the United States and elsewhere to the potential environmental and health hazards of using powerful chemicals in agriculture and led to a ban on DDT. Up until that point, we understood that our activities could be harmful to the environment, but Rachel Carsons work suddenly made it clear to many of us that we were also harming our bodies in the process. Earlier, Olaus and Margeret Murie were early pioneers of conservation, using the burgeoning science of ecology to encourage the protection of public lands where functioning ecosystems could be preserved. Aldo Leopold, a forester who later laid the foundations of wildlife management, continued focusing ecological science on the quest for a more harmonious relationship with nature.   A First Environmental Crisis An important environmental concept, the idea that active engagement by people is necessary to protect the environment, probably first reached the general public at the very beginning of the 20th century. During the period 1900-1910, wildlife populations in North America were at an all-time low. Populations of beaver, white-tailed deer, Canada geese, wild turkey, and many duck species were almost extinct from market hunting and loss of habitat. These declines were obvious to the public, which largely lived in rural areas at the time. As a result, new conservation laws were enacted (for example, the Lacey Act), and the very first National Wildlife Refuge was created.  Ã‚   Still, others might point to May 28, 1892, as the day when the U.S. environmental movement began. That is the date of the first meeting of the Sierra Club, which was founded by noted preservationist John Muir and is generally acknowledged as the first environmental group in the United States. Muir and other early members of the Sierra Club were largely responsible for preserving the Yosemite Valley in California and persuading the federal government to establish Yosemite National Park. No matter what first sparked the U.S. environmental movement or when it actually began, its safe to say that environmentalism has become a powerful force in American culture and politics. Ongoing efforts to understand more clearly how we can use natural resources without depleting them, and enjoy natural beauty without destroying it, is inspiring many of us to take a more sustainable approach to the way we live and to tread a little more lightly on the planet. Edited by Frederic Beaudry.

Critically analyse the benefits of a cross-curricular approach to Essay

Critically analyse the benefits of a cross-curricular approach to learning and teaching within KS2 - Essay Example (Skills framework) It lays stress on guidance towards multiple intelligences, learning styles, thinking skills, assessment for learning, and approaches to marking of pupil’s work.† (ACCAC, 2004, p. 32) The obligations of an individual towards society at large are inculcated in the child during this stage. (Barnes, Jonathan M, p. 8) Basically, the national curriculum is divided into 4 key stages based on the students’ age and educational attainment. As soon as the child reaches the age of 3 years, he or she is required to go through an early learning program. Specifically the National Curriculum for students between the age of nine to eleven, or the Key Stage 2, is designed to allow the primary school teachers to be guided on the learning topics they need to teach the students. (ACCAC, 2002). At the end of Key Stage 2, these students are required to participate in the national test and teacher assessment in English, Math and Science. The tests must focus on the range of KS2 levels. (ACCAC, 2004, p. 34) The emphasis now being cross-curricular approach, the teacher must critically analyze well in advance its benefits in the learning and teaching of Key Stage 2 (KS2) students. It is very important for the teacher to assess and examine the purpose behind the promotion of cross-curricular approach in strengthening the learning and teaching techniques for KS2 students because this is the year when children start getting acquainted with the three R’s. (ACCAC, 2002, p. 4) Additionally, the Curriculum highlights the need to focus on skills along with knowledge content so that the child gets maximum exposure to application of knowledge wherever possible. Learning material in both English and Welsh languages must be appropriately complemented and available to ensure language barriers do not obstruct students and teachers’ requirements. (ACCAC, 2004, p. 36) There is a

Analytical paper on Aristotle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analytical paper on Aristotle - Essay Example He returned to Macedonia in 338 to tutor Alexander the Great. When Alexander conquered Athens, Aristotle returned to Athens and set up a school of his own, known as the Lyceum. After Alexander's death, Athens rebelled against Macedonian rule, and Aristotle's political situation became precarious. He fled to the island of Euboea, where he died soon after. Aristotle is said to have written 150 philosophical treatises. The 30 that survive touch on an enormous range of philosophical problems, from biology and physics to morals to aesthetics to politics. Many, however, are thought to be "lecture notes" instead of complete, polished treatises, and a few may not be the work of Aristotle but of members of his school. His students acquired the name "peripatetics" from the master's habit of strolling about as he taught. Although the surviving works of Aristotle probably represent only a fragment of the whole, they include his investigations of an amazing range of subjects, from logic, philosophy, and ethics to physics, biology, psychology, politics, and rhetoric. Aristotle appears to have thought through his views as he wrote, returning to significant issues at different stages of his own development. As a result what remains is a complex record of Aristotle's thinking about many significant issues rather than a consistent system of thought. The aim of Aristotle's logical treatises (known collectively as the Organon)1 was to develop a universal method of reasoning by means of which it would be possible to learn everything there is to know about reality. Thus, the Categories2 proposes a scheme for the description of particular things in terms of their properties, states, and activities. On Interpretation3, Prior Analytics4, and Posterior Analytics5 examine the nature of deductive inference, outlining the system of syllogistic reasoning from true propositions that later came to be known as categorical logic. Though not strictly one of the logical works, the Physics6 contributes to the universal method by distinguishing among the four causes which may be used to explain everything, with special concern for why things are the way they are and the apparent role of chance in the operation of the world. In other treatises, Aristotle applied this method, with its characteristic emphasis on teleological explanation, to astronomi cal and biological explorations of the natural world In Metaphysics7 Aristotle tried to justify the entire enterprise by grounding it all in an abstract study of being qua being. Although Aristotle rejected the Platonic theory of forms, he defended his own vision of ultimate reality, including the eternal existence of substance. On The Soul8 uses the notion of a hylomorphic composite to provide a detailed account of the functions exhibited by living things-vegetable, animal, and human-and explains the use of sensation and reason to achieve genuine knowledge. That Aristotle was interested in more than a strictly scientific exploration of human nature is evident from the discussion of literary art (particularly tragedy) in Poetics9 and the methods of persuasion in the Rhetoric. 1- collected works on logic 5- Analytica Posteriora 2- Categoriae 6 - Physica 3- De Interpretatione 7 - Metaphysica 4- Analytica Priora 8 - De Anima 9 - Ars Poetica Aristotle made several efforts to explain how moral conduct contributes to the good life for human agents, including the Eudemian Ethics10 and the Magna Moralia11, but the most complete

Technology and HRM Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Technology and HRM - Research Paper Example Completion of this paper is made successful due to immense contribution made by Mr. Smith Zaid who is the HR manager at SEHA. SEHA Hospital is located in Abu Dhabi. Never before in SEHA hospital’s history has any manager or leader tried to implement the tool of HIT to improve the performance of HRM like Mr. Zaid has. It was the interview conducted with Mr. Zaid which helped to clarify how HIT can be used to solve many challenges encountered by HRM department in the healthcare facilities. He first mentioned several issues which were plaguing the reputation of his organization in the past. Then, he went on to explain how he used innovation technology-based solutions to address each of those issues. Following discussion aims to establish how technology and HRM are inextricably linked to each other in the light of knowledge shared by Mr. Zaid, the HR manager at SEHA hospital. Patient care delivery operations form an important part of those services in the healthcare field. Mr. Smith was having a lot of trouble in this particular area prior to depending on technology. As he became interested in new horizons introduced by technology, he came across the idea of HIT. He thought that it would be best to use technology to answer the puzzling questions and improve the quality of patient care delivery operations. Another problem encountered by SEHA was that medical information which used to be delivered to patients often lacked propriety and credibility. The patient records held by HRM often used to be breached which generated the problem of patient trust and privacy. HIT helps to ensure that all medical information is absolutely trustworthy and clear. This requires many imaginative innovations in information-sharing technology, but it also ensures security to patients and takes care of their concerns in an optimally effective manner. Securing patients’ records is a

Evaluating Finances of A Non Profit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Evaluating Finances of A Non Profit - Essay Example Casey Foundation). Headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, the Annie E. Casey Foundation has been working to promote the well-being of our nation’s most vulnerable children for 60 years. Established in 1948 by UPS co-founder Jim Casey and his siblings in honor of their mother, the Foundation’s first grants supported a camp for disadvantaged children near the Casey family home in Seattle (The Annie E. Casey Foundation). The Company’s funding happens through certain programs like Casey Family Programs, an independent operating foundation headquartered in Seattle, which provides long-term foster care and other child and family serving programs and Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiatives etc. The Annie E. Casey Foundation makes grants that help states, cities, and neighborhoods create more innovative, cost-effective responses to these needs. Grant making is limited to initiatives in the United States that have significant potential to demonstrate innovative policy, service delivery, and community supports—especially investments that encourage long-term strategies and partnerships to strengthen families and communities. As of December 31, 2006, the Foundation has approved grant funds for payments to various organizations and projects of up to approximately $173 million, contingent upon the organizations performance of obligations specified in the grant agreements. The Casey Foundation’s approach to grant making focuses on making multiyear, multi-site commitments that enables them to invest in long-term strategies and partnerships that strengthen families and communities. The organization uses its resources to partner with and forge collaborations among institutions, agencies, decision makers, and community leaders so they can work together to transform tough places to raise families.   The organization also funds research, technical assistance, and multi-site demonstrations that help service and support

Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Psychology - Essay Example Important here to note is that there is no meaning attached to them and no forceful repetition of the same. In case of other the both of them, the stored memory becomes a short term memory that can last with the individual for less than half a minute (Henderson, pp. 115-116, 1999). It is like when a person looks at a word or a picture for a while to recall it after a while. The longest possible recall is of the long-term memory that a person posses which can last from minutes to lifetime. One of the most important aspects of this model is flashbulb memories. Under normal situations, one would move from sensory to short term and from short term to long-term memory, however, there are special circumstances when a sensory memory directly becomes a part of your long-term memory. People who have witnessed the assassination of John F. Kennedy, 9/11 Attacks, flood, fire, murder, robbery or some extra ordinary event in their lives, even if they have witnessed, only a glance of it, they tend to remember it for ages making it a part of their long term memory (Heffernan, pp. 89-90, 2005). For the past few decades, flashbulb memories have been considered as very dynamic and life long memories, however, recent researches have shown that they may not remain with a person for that long, as it was believed previously. Furthermore, during the period of 3-12 months after the events, the memory also starts to rust raising serious questions over its accuracy (Cardwell & Flanagan, pp. 56-57, 2005). Levels of Processing Model and Revising an Exam Craik and Lockhart in 1972 presented their model of memory, which they name as Level of Processing Model. Unlike the Multi Store Model of memory, which argues about eh dual store of memory, this model urges that short term and long-term memory is based on depth or level of processing on the stimuli. Fragile, vulnerable and violate memory traces are in the short-term store, however, memories with durable and lasting elements are placed in th e long-term memory section of the brain. However, important here is to understand that what makes a memory fragile or durable? For example, processing of words based on their pictures and sounds requires shallow and straightforward processing, however, processing of things along which some meaning, logic or rational has been associated, is deeper and thus more durable (Miller, pp. 69-71, 2002). The human brain has complete network of semantic structures and whenever a specific stimuli is recalled, it will tend to have a higher recall value it is line with the existing semantic structures’ of the brain. In this case, the processing of that stimuli or memory would be deep, since many different portions of the semantic structure of the brain would come into action before a perfect meaning for the stimuli comes onto the scene. As mentioned that since it is deep processing, therefore, this stimuli or memory would become a part of this long-term memory section of the brain (Weiten, pp. 6-8, 2008). Without any doubts, the level of processing model offers great insights regarding how to revise for an exam. The basic idea to remember is that in some way or the other, the key to recalling things is associating other things

REACHING YOUR INTENDED AUDIENCE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

REACHING YOUR INTENDED AUDIENCE - Essay Example hen an individual intends to reach individuals suffering from diabetes mellitus he/she can go an outpatient department and provide health education intended. Those who are suffering from diabetes mellitus shall be interested in the topic and will be much engaged unlike those who do not. In essence, public speaking provides a broader way of reaching intended audience who are not known to the speaker. Publishing of newsletters: Newsletter is another simpler and cheap way of meeting the target audience who are known and unknown. An individual who wants to relay health information can use it through printing the intended information in newsletters and put them in strategic places that the public will pick. Among those who shall pick the newsletters some of the intended audience shall pick and read them. The intended information shall have been passed to the intended audience. For example, dissemination of healthy eating habits among diabetics can be passed through newsletter. Building of a website: websites provide a broad avenue of reaching the intended audience, which is achieved by developing a website that contain information that describes an intended health problem address. Those individuals who are interested with the information posted there shall read and utilise the information to better their lives (Livingstone, 2004). Direct mail: when the target audience is known, then direct mail is very possible to be employed. The health care provider shall compose an email containing the intended information they should be relayed to the audience. Emailing is better because it involves an exchange of ideas, questions and answers (Awan & Gauntlett, 2011). Zero-based budget: This strategy involves allocation of all the money to various activities that need to be done  during the entire  project  of the communication plan. At the end of allocation of money to various activities the balance should be $0. This strategy works best when an individual is sure that money is

Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Psychology - Essay Example Important here to note is that there is no meaning attached to them and no forceful repetition of the same. In case of other the both of them, the stored memory becomes a short term memory that can last with the individual for less than half a minute (Henderson, pp. 115-116, 1999). It is like when a person looks at a word or a picture for a while to recall it after a while. The longest possible recall is of the long-term memory that a person posses which can last from minutes to lifetime. One of the most important aspects of this model is flashbulb memories. Under normal situations, one would move from sensory to short term and from short term to long-term memory, however, there are special circumstances when a sensory memory directly becomes a part of your long-term memory. People who have witnessed the assassination of John F. Kennedy, 9/11 Attacks, flood, fire, murder, robbery or some extra ordinary event in their lives, even if they have witnessed, only a glance of it, they tend to remember it for ages making it a part of their long term memory (Heffernan, pp. 89-90, 2005). For the past few decades, flashbulb memories have been considered as very dynamic and life long memories, however, recent researches have shown that they may not remain with a person for that long, as it was believed previously. Furthermore, during the period of 3-12 months after the events, the memory also starts to rust raising serious questions over its accuracy (Cardwell & Flanagan, pp. 56-57, 2005). Levels of Processing Model and Revising an Exam Craik and Lockhart in 1972 presented their model of memory, which they name as Level of Processing Model. Unlike the Multi Store Model of memory, which argues about eh dual store of memory, this model urges that short term and long-term memory is based on depth or level of processing on the stimuli. Fragile, vulnerable and violate memory traces are in the short-term store, however, memories with durable and lasting elements are placed in th e long-term memory section of the brain. However, important here is to understand that what makes a memory fragile or durable? For example, processing of words based on their pictures and sounds requires shallow and straightforward processing, however, processing of things along which some meaning, logic or rational has been associated, is deeper and thus more durable (Miller, pp. 69-71, 2002). The human brain has complete network of semantic structures and whenever a specific stimuli is recalled, it will tend to have a higher recall value it is line with the existing semantic structures’ of the brain. In this case, the processing of that stimuli or memory would be deep, since many different portions of the semantic structure of the brain would come into action before a perfect meaning for the stimuli comes onto the scene. As mentioned that since it is deep processing, therefore, this stimuli or memory would become a part of this long-term memory section of the brain (Weiten, pp. 6-8, 2008). Without any doubts, the level of processing model offers great insights regarding how to revise for an exam. The basic idea to remember is that in some way or the other, the key to recalling things is associating other things

Astronomy123 assignment 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Astronomy123 assignment 4 - Essay Example 2. The big bang theory is behind everything because the energy discovered forced the world to have hot particles which combine with the particle found on earth where they form the particles. Another theory behind is the mathematical which includes the cosmic where there are a lot of helium and lithium. 3. The earth is covered with the ice that covers both sides of both the poles. The snowball clearly covers the cold areas that do not favor the human life. The sun that is covered produces the sun rays that are not enough to heat the world. With the cold weather of the cold areas caused by the oceans the atmosphere becomes to be like that found on mars. The marine and carbon causes deposits on the ocean banks creating the difference. 4. The experiments done proofs that life is not such easy to be found on the surface of the earth. There are ambiguities concerning the earth whereby life is such a crucial factor where it needs the required favored factors. The scientists tried to find whether life can be found on the outside space where outside the earth there exists a number of numerous planets which do not support the

Interwest Healthcare Essay Example for Free

Interwest Healthcare Essay What are the potential sources of the problem? The source of these problems seems to be coming from two areas in Interwest Healthcare. The first area is the miscommunication that the hospital administrators are having with upper management. The hospital administrators and upper management are not only having miscommunication issues but they also do not share the same role expectations with each other which is creating tension. â€Å"The hospital people accused Singh of being a bureaucrat who did not care about patient services. Singh accused the hospital staffs of not understanding the importance of accurate reporting† (Brickley, Smith Zimmerman 2009 p. 38). The second area is the system or process that is in place for recording and entering data. The current process is clearly not running at an efficient rate which is raising concerns for upper management. Even though hospital administrators do not see to eye to eye with upper management the concerns that they have are valid and can have a very negative impact on Interwest Healthcare if the issue is not resolved. What information would you want to analyze? The first information that would be analyzed is the process that is done to record and enter data for patients. It is important to gain as much information as possible regarding the data entry because that is the root of the whole issue between hospital administrators and upper management. Another area that would be analyzed is the workplace with emphasis on how time is managed and the importance employees put on data entry. It is important to gather and analyze as much information as possible on the source of the problem. By gaining and analyzing the information it would help Interwest Healthcare make progress on the data entry issue which will put them in a better position to succeed. What actions might you recommend to increase the accuracy of the data entry? The first point of action would be streamlining and simplifying the data entry process. By completing those it would not only increase the accuracy of the data entry but it would also decrease the burden on the hospital administrators. But before any changes to the data entry process are made it is important to communicate directly to the hospital administrators. It is important to have the hospital administrators on board with the changes that will be made with the data entry process. By gaining the hospital administrators consent with the changes this will allow a smoother transition for the data entry change and it could provide a positive change to the workplace. As for the changes to the data entry it would most likely be a simple computer process along with small piece of paperwork. It would be best to have some sort or paper record on file that would need to be alphabetized along with a simple computer program. The computer program would help ensure accuracy and would have the patient’s data record on file which will be easy to locate. There would be very little paper work for the process mainly because it takes up space and takes more time to record. The paper work that is part of the process would simply serve as a backup if the computers were down. The key to ensuring accuracy with the data entry is to make the process as simple as possible so it would minimize the errors. How does your view of behavior affect how you might address the consulting assignment? As a consulting assignment I see Interwest Healthcare as a company in distress due to the way the hospital administrators and upper management. The way the two groups have been behaving and treating each other it is a clear sign of stress and miscommunication. One of the first tasks is to mediate the two groups and try to have everyone on the same page. There is a clear disconnect on the expectations of each other’s roles but by bringing them together the roles and expectations can be made by both parties and progress can be accomplished. In order to make progress both parties will need to be able to compromise and be willing to understand each other’s concerns and priorities. Refreneces : Brickley, J.A., Smith, C.W. Zimmerman J.L. (2009). Managerial economics and organizational architecture (5th Ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Irw

The sustainability strategy

The sustainability strategy EXECUTIVE SUMMARY With globalization, technological changes, economic drivers, and social and environmental mandates, the global business environment is less predictable and more challenging than it was even a decade ago. Customers, stakeholders, and society expect and demand superior products, services, and operations with less waste, reduced impacts on health, safety, and the environment, and enhanced corporate responsibilities for the decisions, technologies, products, processes, and activities of every facet of the business enterprise. In the words of Rainey (2006) Today, businesses must thoroughly analyze the global business environment to gain a firm understanding of the opportunities and challenges it presents, and develop aggressive strategies for improving every aspect of their enterprises. To do this, corporations must have in place a comprehensive and integrated strategic management framework for formulating and implementing business strategies, programs, and actions based on considerations that include the entire business environment. Such a framework requires the capability to integrate both internal systems and processes and those of external business entities, including customers, stakeholders, and supply networks. According to Siemens Corporate Social Responsibility Report 2002, Berlin and Munich: Siemens AG, 2002 Sustainable success is our number one priority. Our activities focus on meeting the needs of customers and creating value for our shareholders and employees. Our innovations generated through our own laboratories and in cooperation with customers, business partners and universities are our greatest strengths. Woolworths Limited is an Australian public corporation with annual sales of over 38 billion. The company is recognized as one of the top five retail companies in the world. The company is committed to wards improvement of its environment footprint through a proper sustainability strategy. The sustainability strategy of the company addresses many of the significant issues related with environment, public, staff, and economic responsibilities of business. This sustainability strategy of Woolworths has been discussed in detail along with its benefits and limitations in the report. INTRODUCTION The retail industry connects with every person in some way. To remain competitive and profitable the industry is constantly required to adapt to changing nature of local as well as that of global marketplace. Sustainability is not an easy task as it involves a great deal of complexity related with the issues involved. It is important to have an effective management system for managing environmental, social and economic performance as it is fundamental for a sustainable development of any company or industry as a whole. Further, identifying, measuring, and reporting social and environmental impacts cannot begin until the board of directors and CEO are committed to improved sustainability management. Often it is through a mission statement or the development and articulation of a corporate sustainability strategy that the board and CEO set the tone at the top. It is then necessary to drive this commitment through the organization by implementing the various systems for identifying and measuring impacts, stakeholder engagement, product design, product costing, capital budgeting, information management, and performance evaluation. Epstein, Mark J. (2008) argued that effective and consistent leadership provides an alignment between environmentally and socially responsive activities and corporate goals and provides internal credibility to promote progress toward improved social and environmental management within business units and organizational functions. Woolworths CEO Simon Susman says, We know that sustainable growth can only be achieved through paying greater attention to the world around us than has been the case in the past. The links between economic growth, transformation, social development, the environment and climate change must create a better world for everyone. Purpose and Scope The report aims at making a critical analysis of Woolworths Sustainability Strategy. The strategy is analyzed on the basis of business responsibility towards social, economic and environmental issues. The report will present a view of Woolworths sustainability along with the key introductions in companys new plan of sustainability which was released recently. Woolworth was praised for its sustainability strategy but recently it has also been criticized of working against its own strategy. This aspect is also discussed in the report. Methodology The case study analysis is undertaken to form an opinion about the issue. Secondary source of information is mainly used to analyze the sustainability strategy of Woolworths and its effect of society, environment and economic areas. The data has been collected from various journals, newspapers and website of Woolworths. Various concepts and theories will be applied to the available data in order to present a clear picture of the companys strategy. BACKGROUND Woolworths Limited stretches across food and grocery, liquor, petrol, general merchandise and consumer electronics. The company is a major investor in Australia and New Zealand communities. Woolsworth is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange and employ more than 191,000 people with approximately 380,000 shareholders. The company claims of being conscious of its responsibilities towards it stakeholders as its operations impact its own people, customers, communities, shareholders, supply chain and the environment. Woolworths is well known as the fresh food people in Australia and was established in 1924. It was the second largest employer in Australia and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) was an integral part of its corporate agenda. Recently Woolworths announced its new sustainability strategy. Under such strategy Woolsworth also opened its first Green Store in 2007 in Sydney. In this store innovative technologies are used to minimize the use of energy and water, and reduce waste generation. Through these stores Woolsworth aims at reducing the environmental impact caused by the companys retail operations. According to Simon Susman (Chief Executive, Woolworths) We have used the phrase the Good business journey because this truly is a journey and there are no easy solutions. We are committed to meeting the 5 year targets we have set and to do this, we will be exploring new ways of doing things in many areas. Reaching these destinations will require significant behavioural and cultural change. If we can take our customers and suppliers along with us, this journey will have an even more meaningful impact on the wide range of transformational, social and environmental challenges that face South Africa, Models and Frameworks The objective of sustainability is the maintenance or restoration of a desired state that has already existed. The promotion of sustainability is an active process of engaging society. Firms need to become involved in this process because, collectively, they are now so powerful that communities and governments often do not act sufficiently strongly to achieve sustainability if there is active or perceived opposition from the private sector. So sustainability-promoting firms need to go beyond simply reducing their own negative environmental, social or economic impacts. They need to produce products that help society to become sustainable and they also need to use their influence to encourage society-wide action to achieve sustainability. This approach will be taken as the basis of our analysis of Woolworths sustainability strategy. Capabilities Framework According to Turner and Crawford (1998) To maximize organizational success, in both the short and the long term, firms need the capabilities to deliver results effectively. They also need to be able to identify viable and desirable future directions. And in the face of the enthusiasm for the new, they still need to retain valuable attributes and resources (within the firm and in society/ the environment). To achieve these three goals firms need special capabilities. Turner and Crawford gave a framework of such capabilities which is depicted in Figure 1 and will be considered while discussing the strategy of Woolswoths. Sustainability Implementation Framework Another framework to be used in the study is the Sustainability Implementation Framework suggested by Diesendorf (1998) that comprises of following three levels: Level 0, comprising the broad ethical principles Level 1, comprising broad goals arising from these principles Level 2, comprising measurable objectives or indicators The above two models will be used to analyze the sustainability strategy of Woolworths. ANALYSIS OF SUSTANABILITY STRATEGY OF WOOLSWORTHS Woolworths is aware of its responsibility towards stakeholders and thus employed corporate social responsibility at the core of its business strategy. Business of the company has social, economic and environmental impacts and thus Woolworths decided to take a range of initiatives to provide a quality of life to its customers, the workforce and the society at large. Along with such social initiatives Woolworths took up several initiatives to be a responsible retailer as well. Woolworths made sure that its initiative related with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) must comprise of initiates towards the betterment of environment, employees, shareholders, supply networks and customers. Some important components in relation to sustainability strategy of Woolworths are discussed as follows: Accelerating Transformation Driving Social Development Enhancing the Environmental focus Addressing Climate Change Providing Quality and Innovation in products and Services Accelerating Transformation Woolworths aims at accelerating transformation of its products, stores and processes. The company is committed to transformation across the business and has embarked upon a company-wide program so as to make sure that transformation becomes an entrenched way of doing business all over the company. Under this approach company will transform the way of doing business across all aspects and also will work in partnership with its suppliers, public sector, and franchise partners. Woolworths will accelerate its retail skills and for achieving this target various straining initiatives have been undertaken by the company. These initiatives include accreditation of Woolworths courses and the establishment of provincial Woolworths learning centers. Such training initiatives will prepare a pipeline of skilled employees which can be harnesses in case of any shortage at senior leadership levels in the organization. Under the sustainability strategy Woolworths is also aimed at meeting employment e quity targets. Also Woolworths aim at focusing at groups such as madumbi farmers of KwaZulu-Natal and the Beaufort West Hydroponics Project to increase the number of core products sourced from BEE supplier partners. According to the website of company In addition to our own broad BEE Employee Share Ownership Scheme, we will focus on advancing skills development and pushing our South Africa first approach even harder. Woolworths also recognized its economic responsibility and have taken initiatives to refine its brand position with significant investment in price, merchandise range, and quality. This investment will continue to deliver gains to shareholders of the company. Driving Social Development Under its sustainable strategy Woolworths is committed towards social development and its first focus is on South Africa in this context. As stated on companys website-Well work harder to drive social development by expanding the existing initiatives of the Woolworths Trust such as EduPlant and MySchool, and by introducing a programme through our stores to improve the plight of orphans and other vulnerable children. Woolworths also plans an effective role in providing employment and giving the community opportunities to expand and grow. The company employs nearly 191,000 people in its retail business. The company claims of employing people based upon their skills, qualifications and aptitude with irrespective of gender, race, religion, marital status or ethnic origin. Also, it employs women in business and provides them flexible working patterns and training opportunities. Health and Safety policy is also undertaken and is well communicated to managers in the organization along with an efficient system of managing and reporting of such a health and safety culture. Woolworths is continuously making a difference in South African Schools. According to the financial results of the company for a period of July 2007 to June 2008, Woolworths has announced a R18 million contribution to MySchool, including MyPlanet and MyVillage in South Africa. The company aims at increasing it social contributions to more than R300m per year. Woolworths also entered into partnerships with charity groups and undertook franchising programs. It supported charities like Foodbank, Salvation Army, Canteen, Beyond Blue, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, etc. Woolworths also started many initiatives to raise awareness about the plight of farming families hit by drought of Australia. The introduction of reusable bags by the company supported new enterprises that were required to produce fabric bags for the company. Enhancing Environmental Focus Another key component of Woolworths Sustainability Strategy is giving full importance to environmental issues. Environmental sustainability was a key aspect of Woolworths CSR approach. Woolworths is in retail business and its operations affect the environment in many ways such as waste production, high energy and fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Woolworths implemented a long term strategy to combat issues concerning the impact of the companys operations on the environment. Woolworths concentrated on refrigeration, lighting and temperature control to reduce the amount of energy consumption in its operations. Installation of automated after-hours blinds on open refrigeration cabinets, lighting and air conditioning made operations more energy efficient. Woolworths have decided to make all of its new stores Green Stores and adopt energy efficient guidelines in all such stores. Through these initiatives company will be able to reduce the emission of Carbon-di-oxide. In the strategy company aims at reducing the use of harmful pesticides and chemicals and increasing organic food and cloth offering. Also, company introduced a new packaging scheme to develop reusable bags which an effort towards saving scarce natural resources. The company targets at reducing the amount of plastic and cardboard in the general waste to less than 1 percent by weight by year 2010. Susman said Water is one of South Africas scarcest natural resources and Woolworths is targeting a 30% reduction in water consumption and will develop a programme to encourage our suppliers to do the same. Woolworths also took several initiatives to save water in it stores. It plans to save at least 200 million liters of water by year 2010. Also, as a fuel saving initiative, Woolworths discarded vehicles that consumed more fuel. It outsourced the disposal of worn-out tires and batteries to third party experts and used grease traps at its truck cleaning centers to prevent oil and fuel waste from entering waste water system. Addressing Climate Change Woolworths planned to use B20 (20 percent bio fuel mix) bio-diesel for its entire fleet of trucks. This move was expected to reduce carbon emission by 11,500 tones per year. Also, company decided to use large number of small cars with LPG fuel across its car fleet. The carbon emission from the companys fleet of 3100 cars is to be reduced by 30 percent by 2010 and that of trucks by 25 percent by the end of 2012 as compared to 2006. In addition to this initiative the company aims at cutting its electricity usage by 30% and removing conventional light bulbs from its shelves. Chief Executive, Woolworths, Simon Susman stated Woolworths will support carbon offsetting in as much as greening reduces carbon excess. Well do this by planting more trees at our MySchool schools, our Eduplant schools and our extensive Midrand campus grounds. Providing Quality and Innovation The very first component which formed the base of sustainability strategy was innovation. Woolworths aims at providing innovation in products, services and facilities provided by the company. The company views innovation as the base to introduce any product or service in market, finding more efficient and cheaper sources of supply, new store formats and process improvement to gain a reduction in cost. In this context while considering environment responsibility Woolworths concentrated on adopting a Green Stores strategy where all the new stores of companys would adopt energy efficient guidelines. At the same time Woolworths implemented several water saving initiatives at its stores. While choosing new sites for stores the company special consideration have been given to investigate how a store will fit in the state and local government area. Sufficient market research is being done before opening up any store. An example of innovative practice is a number of modifications being made in store design to address the community interest in Mullumbimby in New South Wales. Company has moved the loading dock away from the car parking area to improve safety for shoppers and making changes to the faà §ade so that the store will fit in better with the streetscape. Woolworths introduced a health kids program named Fresh Food Kids. This program helps in increasing the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables in kids. An interactive and educational website has also been launched under this step. There are many successful applicants to the program who have regarded it a success in developing and encouraging eating health and fresh food among kids. Woolworths aims at undertaking innovation through efficiency and enhancing quality in its business processes. It has made a substantial commitment to its Project Refresh which refers to a framework in order to improve business performance and business restructuring programs through end-to end supply chain improvement. APPLYING VARIOUS FRAMEWORKS TO SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY OF WOOLWORTHS Now we will apply the models discussed in section 2 to analyze the performance Woolworths sustainability strategy. Capabilities Framework Path-finding Path-finding refers to developing, crystallizing and articulating new directions, strategies, purposes and values for the organization. Woolworths studied the environment in which the company is operating. It gave due importance to the areas and people affected by its operations and business. Through a continuous study the company realized that it is important to act responsibly towards the stakeholders of the company. So, it designed and developed a strategy committed towards benefit of customers, shareholders, environment, climate and communities. Then company placed the Corporate Social Responsibility at the base of the project so that there is no divergence from this basic objective through the implementation of the strategy of sustainable growth. The directions decided to achieve the objectives of this strategy was guided by the principles of innovation, quality, transformation, environment and climate focus and social improvement. Engagement Getting people throughout the organization informed, committed and motivated to act to achieve the organizations purpose and future direction refers to engagement. Woolworths strategy involved people of the organization to achieve the desired target. The strategy at each step emphasizes on training of employees and workforce of the company so as to understand the need of new initiatives and learn to perform under new objectives. Woolworths has launched an Employee Matching Award (EMA) to support issues that are of particular, personal concern to its staff members and encourage the workforce of the company to help make a positive contribution to worthy causes. However, there is no involvement of customers and other stakeholders in strategy making process. No feedback or suggestions are taken while designing a policy which can impact the lives of general public. Development Woolworths have been engaged in developing its resources whether physical, technological or personnel. Redesigning of stores has been initiated as a strategic move to reduce waste and make them energy efficient. Personnel at all levels are being provided training to perform well in changed environments and with new standards. Also, company has changed its fleet of trucks and cars to reduce emission and fuel consumption. Performance Management There is no set well established management system to assess the performance at each step of implementation of the strategy. In such a strategy where so many changes and new operations have been introduced there is a need of a detailed and efficient performance management system also. Identification Woolworths strategy does not give a clear view of which of the organizations or societys current attributes, strategies will be retained and which will be changed under the plan of sustainability. Marketing and Selling The sustainability strategy of Woolworths lacks a detailed marketing plan. Although, understanding the market and innovating products as per the needs and expectations of customers is surely present in the plan but the strategy to enter new markets and tap existing untapped markets does not find any place in the sustainability of the company. Sustainability Implementation Strategy Applying the Sustainability Implementation Frameworks as suggested by Diesendorf the strategy of Woolworths is now explained. There are three levels discussed in this framework of sustainability development. These levels along with their presence in the sustainability strategy of Woolworths are discussed as follows: Level 0 In this level the broad principles considered are generally ethical requirements. By ethics, we mean pertaining to questions of right or wrong, or good or bad. In the past, consideration of values and ethics was not popular in the business world. The ethical principles described under this framework are respect nature, respect humans and be generous in our respect. According to Diesendorf (2000) Those who are uncomfortable with starting from an ethical position might consider that the above ethical principles are essential for the long term viability of the economy and society. Therefore, they could be seen as enlightened self-interest on the part of individuals and corporations planning for a long term future. In the strategy of Woolworths all the three principles are very well taken care off. There is perfect consideration for nature in the strategy and also humans whether employees, customers or shareholders all are respected and given due consideration while taking any step towards achievement of strategic goals. Level 1 At Level 1, the broad goals to conserve or enhance inter- and intragenerational equity, human well-being, biodiversity and ecological integrity are widely supported. Diesendorf added the conservation of cultural diversity here as a social analogue to the conservation of biodiversity. According to Diesendorf The goal of inter-generational equity is the basic thrust of the Brundtland definition of sustainable development. If we accept this goal, then it can be argued that we must also accept the need for intra-generational (that is, social) equity. It should be recalled that, in this chapter, equity does not mean equality, but rather equal opportunity. This goal is very well taken care of in Woolworths strategy. The company ensures of employing people in the organization irrespective of their cast, race, gender, cultural background and strictly on the basis of their educational qualification and experience. The conservation of natural capital, widely used in some models of sustainability, has been replaced here by the conservation of critical capital, because the former overlaps strongly with conservation of biodiversity and ecological integrity and, even where it does not, there are vast quantities of some forms of natural capital (for example, sand) which are not in urgent need of conservation. Critical capital facilitates a focus on those forms of natural and human-made capital which are threatened with damage, destruction or dispersion (for example, phosphorus, archaeological sites). This feature does lack in the strategy of Woolworths. Conservation of atmosphere and climate is not normally included as a sustainability goal. However, in view of the seriousness of the present threat and the fact that the potential effects of climate change impact on biodiversity, ecological integrity and human health, it has been listed explicitly here alongside critical capital. This goal have been given an important place in sustainability strategy of Woolworths as the retail giant aims at reducing the emission of carbon from its fleet of trucks and cars. Also, introduction of reusable bags in place of plastic bags proves that the company is committed to environmental and climate safety. Level 2 This stage defines the standard criteria for sustainability indicators. This stage explains that such criteria should be measurable, relevant, simple to use and understand, reliable, reproducible, and timely for decision making. Hart (1998) states Several authors suggest that sustainability indicators should, in addition, reflect something fundamental to the environmental, economic and social/cultural health of a community over generations. The sustainability strategy of Woolworths does include set targets which are represents in figures but there is no set measurable standards to judge and measure the achievements of the strategy. RECOMMENDATIONS From the analysis of sustainability strategy of Woolworths it is evident that despite of being a successful strategy with corporate social responsibility as the basis of its operations there are certain key areas where the process is lacking. For the improvement of the strategic program certain recommendations have been discussed as follows: There should be a performance measurement and control system embedded in the strategy of sustainable growth. A proper assessment of performance at various stages and the regular feedback on the performance will help in removing any gaps in the level and efficiency decided for meeting objectives and actual achievement of such objectives. A system of feedback and suggestions from stakeholders should be designed. Such a feedback will help in improving the strategy and making the required changes as per the perception of general public about the initiatives taken by the company. It will ensure a fast and proper acceptance of the strategy by the stakeholders which is an essential element for the success of any strategy. There should be a proper system of informing stakeholders about the strategy. In the present plan no emphasis is given to communication of plans within and outside the organization. If the plans of the management are properly and efficiently communicated they are easily grasped by the concerned parties and makes it easier for the workforce to contribute towards the achievement of desired organizational objectives. Woolworths is also expected to introduce innovation in its products. There have been several innovative steps taken by the company to improve its processes and service to public. The company operates in a highly competitive environment of retail industry where the needs, demands and preferences of consumer changes very fast. To sustain in such an environment it is necessary to introduce innovative products also. Conclusion In the words of Simon Susman The Good business journey is a business imperative for Woolworths. Many aspects of it are linked together to generate a multiplier effect: reducing product miles by encouraging greater local sourcing we will open up opportunities for enterprise development and preferential procurement; reducing packaging will result in energy and paper savings thereby reducing the Woolworths carbon footprint. Corporate responsibility or Sustainability is fundamental to any companys responsibilities. At the same time it is also an opportunity for the company to establish its good image in front of its customers and shareholders. Thus, an integrated sustainability program as that of Woolworths is an important and successful method of managing environmental, economic as well as social risks. Moreover, such a strategy helps in identification of new opportunities, services, new products and new markets for expansion of business. Woolworths program of sustainability is strongly influenced by the strategies of international retailers such as Wal-Mart, and Marks Spencer. However unique to this approach is the placement of South African perspective on the issues related with Social responsibility along with a strong focus on transformation initiatives and environmental safeguard. REFERENCES Brown, Christopher Stephen (2005), The Sustainable Enterprise: Profiting From Best Practice, Kogan Page Bleischwitz, Raimund and Hennicke, Peter (2004), Eco-Friendly, Regulation and Sustainable Business: Towards a Governance Structure for Sustainable Development, Edward Elgar Publishing. Cocks, G.J. (2003), Bringing Life to Organizational Strategy, Mt Eliza Business Review, Winter/Spring, pp. 45-49 Dunphy, Dexter Benveniste, Jodie (2000) Sustainability: The Corporate Challenge of the 21st Century, Allen Unwin. Egelhofff, W.G. (1993), Great Strategy or Great Strategy Implementation-Two ways of Competing in Global Markets, Sloan Management Review, Winter/Spring, pp. 37-50 Epstein, Mark J. (2008), Making Sustainability Work: Best Practices in Managing and Measuring Corporate Social, Environmental and Economic Impacts, Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Edwards, Andres (2005), The Sustainability Revolution, New Society Publishers. Woolworths Limites (2007), Action Plan-2007-2010, National Packaging Convenant Rainey, David L. (2006), Sustainable Business Development: Inventing the Future Through Strategy, Innovation, and Leadership, Cambridge University Press. Stead, W. Edward Stead, Jean Garner (2004), Suatainable Strategic Management, M.E. Sharpe, Inc. Savitz, Andrew W. Weber, Karl (2006), The Triple Bottom Line: How Todays Best -Run Companies are Achieveing Economic, Social and Environmental Success and How You Can Too, Jossey-Bass Werbach, Adam (2009), Strategy for Sustainability: A Business Manifesto, Harvard Business Press. Wirtenberg, Jeana Lipsky, David (2009), The Sustainable Enterprise Fieldbook: When it All Comes Together, AMACOM Internet Source http://www.woolworthslimited.com http://www.woolworthslimited.com.au http://crreport08.woolworthslimited.com.

Princess Diana Spencer Essay -- biographies bio biography

Princess Diana Spencer As I relax on a Sunday evening, breathe in fresh air before I enter my chamber, I catch a glimpse of something magically beautiful. With a long silk blue dress and a pearl-diamond tiara on her golden hair, the Lady, the Princess, the beauty of the world walks down the steps to the cheering crowds. She gives hope to her people when there is none. Sitting here, I feel her warm smile full of love and joy. This is my Diana, the light of this world! Diana’s childhood was full of wealth but lacked the happiness of a bonded family. Diana was born on a warm first day of July 1961. Diana lived in a very large house that had many facilities where she spent time with her siblings and Prince Andrew and Edward. Diana and her siblings were raised to be on their best behavior, and had self-discipline, respect, and proper etiquette taught by her noble parents. However, her parents started fighting when she was just six years old. The following year her parents divorced. Diana and her siblings were to stay with their father. Even though, nannies and servants took care of Diana and her little brother and sisters, the motherly care was missing. Diana felt abandoned and her soul felt deeply wounded. This was especially true for young Charles who missed his mother in an indescribable way. This was the time when Diana discovered her talent. By opening her heart to others, she numbed her own pain. Diana became a substitute mother for Charl es. She protected him and gave him love and warmth. Then, a scene of horror occurred for the nine-year-old Diana Spencer. Her father decided to send her to a boarding school. Diana was so shy, so vulnerable that it took her a long time before she could finally feel at ease in her new enviro... ...n the evening of Sunday the 31 of August. The coffin was moved several times until it was finally left at St. James’s Palace until the funeral on Saturday, September 6, 1997, in Westminster Abbey. After the funeral, the coffin was taken to the family estate at Althorp, for a private interment. The Princess was buried on an island in the center of an ornamental lake. Once I said that Diana is the light of this world. Now I know that these words were not strong enough. What she gave this world, to us her people is indescribable, but we do not seem to understand this until it is gone. Diana was a remarkable woman who gave light, hope, and love to this world. However, at the moment where she finally gained happiness and freedom she was killed. The harsh world took Diana away and left only the memories of this light, a gift from God, our Princes Diana in our hearts.

What Is Your Definition of Leadership?

In my opinion, leadership is the ability to inspire and motivate people enough for them to be willing to participate and get involved towards the achievement of a common goal. I see leadership as a process which can be improved over time and experience, but only by someone who has some innate leadership competences. In determining what leadership means to me, I decided to analyse two different leadership cases. I will firstly discuss and analyse Nelson Mandela’s leadership style, which appeared to be mainly transformational.I will try to demonstrate how Nelson Mandela proved that leadership was a two-way process between the leader and his followers, and how crucial it is for a leader to be respected and admired by his followers in order for him to be effective. In addition, a leader needs to be trustworthy, passionate and devoted to achieving a shared objective. More importantly, a good leader will abandon his subordinates once he achieved a personal goal. Throughout this essa y, I will try to support my opinion being that, efficient leadership lies somewhere in between the trait and the style approaches whilst taking into account the situational approach.In my opinion, not everyone can be a leader, but if someone is meant to be one, leadership skills need to be learned and improved over time and adapted according to different situations. If not born a leader, one can only become one to a certain and limited extent, as we will see in Barack Obama’s case. President Obama first started as an acknowledged inspirational and passionate leader, who people admired, respected and wanted to join. However, a few years after his election, it seems like his glory days are behind him, and that he isn’t the leader he used to be anymore.It might appear that once he was elected president, and his personal goal has been achieved, Obama didn’t fight as hard for his subordinates as he did for his personal satisfaction. His lack of communication and insp irational speeches seem to have considerably damaged his reputation as a leader. It appears that Obama gave Americans too high hopes that he wasn’t able to keep up with and fulfil, creating a wave of disappointment among his supporters. It seems to me that Barack Obama was a great leader throughout his campaign, but that once elected, he was lacking some crucial leadership skills required as a President.In fact, one could argue that he wasn’t born a leader. In contrast to Nelson Mandela, he was only able to be a leader to a certain extent, his apogee being during his presidential campaign. By fighting vigorously against apartheid, Nelson Mandela rapidly became an iconic figure of resistance in South Africa, and was thereafter acknowledged as the most significant black leader South Africa had ever known. He devoted his life to fighting against racism and apartheid in South Africa and for peace.However his life objectives were not personal satisfactions, but satisfaction s of his supporters. He fought for their freedom and well-being before fighting for his own. In fact, he never compromised his political position even to regain his freedom. He could have backed down after being released from the Robben Island prison in 1990 (after 27 years of cruel imprisonment), after being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 or even after becoming president in 1994. Yet he didn’t, and continued to fight for his people’s freedom and rights.Nelson Mandela has always demonstrated some legendary listening skills which are essential to being an efficient democratic leader. Indeed, he learned at a very young age from his guardian how listening to others was a vital skill in effective leadership. In fact, his guardian used to listen to everyone’s opinions first while remaining silent, before guiding the group to reach a consensus (Stengel, 1994). Therefore, one could argue that Mandela’s effective democratic or participative leadership styl e was greatly inspired by his childhood experience.Throughout his life as a leader, Nelson Mandela always encouraged people to share their ideas and opinions, to which he carefully listened before making the final decision. This way, he managed to get people to be more engaged and devoted to a particular cause, leading to higher productivity towards their goals’ achievement (Lewin, K. , Liippit, R. and White, R. K. 1939). Moreover, by entering the debate and being the last one to speak, he also gains a considerable advantage, as he is the one to close the argument.He also cultivated other leadership skills through his personal experience of being a cattle herder: â€Å"When you want to get a herd to move in a certain direction, you stand at the back with a stick. Then a few of the more energetic cattle move to the front and the rest of the cattle follow. You are really guiding them from behind. That is how a leader should do his work† (Stengel, 1994, Nelson Mandela: Th e making of a leader, Time Magazine, May 9th 1994). Thus, even before being in any position of leadership, Nelson Mandela revealed himself as a born leader.We can consequently assume that the Traits approach is relevant to efficient leadership. Indeed, Mandela seems to have been â€Å"born† with some essential traits that characterize a leader. Known as the â€Å"main-man† in South Africa, he was charismatic, influential, sociable, intelligent, alert, persistent, responsible, self-confident, and ready to assume the consequences of his decisions, as he did by going to jail. Thus Mandela innate leadership style clearly corresponds to Stogdill’s characteristics of the Traits approach (Stogdill, 1948).Moreover, Nelson Mandela was also widely accepted as a transformational leader, as he was able to inspire and motivate his supporters to work towards a common goal through the power and persuasiveness of his vision and personality. He strongly engaged with his follower s, and made them aware of what achieving a particular goal meant (Barbuto, 2005; Barnett, McCormick & Conners, 2001; Gellis, 2001). As James MacGregor Burns (1978) firstly introduced it, transformational leadership is when â€Å"leaders and followers maker each other to advance to a higher level of moral and motivation. † In addition, according to Bernard M.Bass’s Transformational Leadership Theory (1985), transformational leaders are trusted, respected and admired by their followers. Thus, as Nelson Mandela clearly gathered trust, respect and admiration among his supporters, we can say that his leadership style also corresponded to the transformational one. In fact, Nelson Mandela didn’t sharpen his leadership skills from anywhere, he was a natural leader and his skills came intuitively. He was born a leader and refined his skills with the personal experiences he gained over the years, which enabled him to effectively adapt to various situations.He strongly bel ieved in consensus and knew how to empower his subordinates and motivate them to achieving a common objective. His legendary success as a leader was also mainly due to the fact that he was seen as approachable compassionate and honest. Yet, he was undeniably respected and admired for his courage, his wisdom and his determination. On the other hand, Barack Obama, whose presidential campaign aroused unrecorded enthusiasm, hope and inspiration, seems to have unexpectedly disappointed his followers once elected President of the United States of America.Indeed, during his campaign, Barack Obama astonished everyone with his unpredicted inspirational, passionate and enthusiastic speeches. Who doesn’t remember his â€Å"Yes we can† speech given in New Hampshire in 2008? At the time, it seemed like Obama had all it took to be a great leader, he had a strong charisma, was motivated, inspired and seeking to achieve a common goal, thus showing many aspects of a Transformational as well as Charismatic leader. However, soon after his election, his supporters found themselves disillusioned by their President’s leadership skills.They felt like his motivation and enthusiasm had faded away, and that he wasn’t the inspirational leader he used to be. Obama was effective as a leader during his campaign, at one place and time, but became unsuccessful as soon as the situation and the factors around him changed, due to his rigidity and inability to adapt to contextual changes. Thus, Obama can clearly be related to Fiedler’s Contingency theory, as he became ineffective as soon as the factors around him changed.Unlike Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama seems to be more of an educated leader, who cultivated most of his leadership skills from Columbia and Harvard universities, therefore embracing the style approach which suggests that his behaviour of leader is distinct from his personality. In fact, Obama never appeared as a â€Å"born† leader, with i nnate leadership skills, and had no particular leadership experience, when he became President. Critics of Barack Obama emphasize the fact that his lack of leadership has already been demonstrated in various scenarios.Most of his supporters criticize his lack of communication and his â€Å"invisibility†. They feel somehow deserted and let down by the man who not long ago, aroused their highest hopes. Even the Democrats now acknowledge his lack of presence â€Å"Dems say privately Obama is invisible, not a leader. † (Joe Scarborough, 2011). One would have thought that Barack Obama’s leadership skills would have had improved as he gained in experience as a President, yet it looks like his apogee as a leader what during his campaign and that since then the leadership part of him is disappearing.In fact, Barack Obama brought only a few, if any, leadership skills into his presidency, and has deceivingly developed none after almost 3 years of experience (Kelly OConnel l, 2011). As a President, Obama has espoused a delegating and passive leadership style, which wasn’t the best style to adopt in a period of deep crisis, when perseverance and prompt decision-making skills were required, thus clearly lacking some situational leadership skills (David Brooks, 2011). Barack Obama consequently appeared as the wrong man for the situation, and not the erson America needed, due to his lack of toughness, imagination and determination. The Presidential candidate who was known for his grand enthusiasm and his passion seems to have vanished to make room to a President who got overwhelmed by his job and ran out of ideas shortly after taking office (David Frum, 2011; David Brooks, 2011). It became vague in Obama’s supporters’ minds whether he was the â€Å"turnaround leader† America needed or not (Michael Watkins, Thursday January 22, 2009, â€Å"Can Obama lead the Great American Turnaround? Harvard business review). According to Mich ael Watkins, Obama demonstrated more Steward Attributes than Hero Attributes, which were vital considering the depth of the crisis. Undoubtedly, President Obama was more conservative, diplomatic and supportive than visionary, directive and charismatic. To conclude, we can say that the difference between Nelson Mandela’s and Barack Obama’s leadership style is striking.Nelson Mandela, can be acknowledged as a â€Å"born† leader who improved his leadership skills throughout his experience as a country’s leader, whereas Barack Obama tends to be more of an â€Å"educated† leader, who couldn’t keep up with his status’ expectations. One was able to adapt to situational changes and prove himself as a true leader fighting for his people when the other disappointed his followers by suddenly disappearing through a lack of communication and perseverance to achieve the set common goals, thus generating a common feeling of abandonment.In my opinion , these two cases reinforce my proposition of a leader’s definition, as we clearly saw that leadership skills should be innate and improved through time to make an effective leader. Moreover, by observing Mandela’s and Obama’s leadership cases, we saw how an efficient leader must constantly motivate and inspire his followers to achieving a common objective that should be kept in mind and should remain the main focus of the leader as well as the followers.Clearly, without the support of his followers, a leader cannot achieve anything. Thus, as I suggested it, leadership is a two-way process in which the nurture of relationships between the two parties is essential, as recognized by Peter Northouse (2010). References: Barbuto, 2005; Barnett, McCormick & Conners, 2001; Gellis, 2001 Bass,B. M,(1985). Leadership and Performance. N. Y,: Free Press Brooks, David (June 28, 2011), Convener in Chief, The New York Times, N. Y edition pA23. Burns, J. M. (1978). Leadership. N. Y: Harper and Raw.Fiedler, F. E. (1967) A Theory of Leadership Effectiveness, New York: McGraw-Hill Frum, David (June 28th 2011), Obama is his own worst Enemy, http://www. frumforum. com/obama-is-his-own-worst-enemy, accessed the 07/01/12 Lewin, K. , Liippit, R. and White, R. K. (1939). Patterns of aggressive behavior in experimentally created social climates. Journal of Social Psychology, 10, 271-301 Northouse, P. G. (2010), Leadership: theory and practice (5th edition) Thousand Oaks, Sage. OConnell, Kelly, Sunday, July 31, 2011 , www. canadafreepress. om â€Å"obama’s leadership style is classic liberalism: no vision+ utter incompetence = total failure† accessed the 05/01/12 Stengel, 1994, Nelson Mandela: The making of a leader, Time Magazine, May 9th 1994 Stogdill, R. M. , 1948. â€Å"Personal factors associated with leadership: A survey of the literature. † Journal of Psychology. 25: 35-71. Watkins, Michael (Thursday January 22nd, 2009), â€Å"Can Obama lead the Great American Turnaround? † Harvard business review, http://blogs. hbr. org/watkins/2009/01/the_great_american_turnaround. html, accessed the 07/02/12