Leadership Skills: Qualities of a Great Leader

As mentioned by the musician, the essential task of leadership is â€Å"changing the way work works, so you can improve the work.† In other words, leaders lead their group or team by influencing them to clear their minds about something they are not sure about and persuade the group to move towards the right path by sharing collective knowledge. The good leaders have that vision to see the future to avoid the fear of unknown or unknowable. Gary Yukl defines leadership as â€Å"the process of influencing others to understand and agree about what needs to be done and how to do it, and the process of facilitating individual and collective efforts to accomplish shared objectives.† (Rowe & Guerrero, 2011) Moreover, the management tries to perfect the current processes or procedures to fulfill the overall objective of the organization. However, leadership is based on sharing the collective knowledge and influencing a group of people to look at different alternatives to solve a problem. Moreover, the musician describes the five L â€Å"qualities† of good leaders. Following are the five L â€Å"qualities†: Leaders do lead: The first quality is that leaders are accountable for leading their group or team and they lead from front or behind. In other words, leading from the front means that the leaders actually tell their group or team members what to do and they explain them how to accomplish different goals. However, some leaders believe in leading from behind which means they empower their group or team to think what they need to accomplish and how they should accomplish those tasks. Depending on the situation, these leaders decide whether to lead from the front or behind. Leaders listen: The second quality is that leaders must have good listening skills. Without listening to their followers, leaders cannot understand their point of view and it makes it hard for them to lead effectively. After all, the job of a leader is to share the knowledge among all group or team members and without communication effectively, it is impossible to lead. So, leaders must have good listening skills, so they can give proper feedback to their followers. Good leaders not only listen with their ears but they also use their eyes to listen to their followers. Sometime words that are unsaid say a lot and good leaders are aware of this fact. Leaders learn continuously: The third quality is that a good leader understands that the learning never stops and he/she tries to learn from people around. Leaders learn by observing how people behave or how they react to different issues. Leadership is all about making a difference, so if a leader is unable to make a positive change to the group or team he/she is leaders, he or she is not a good leader. So, good leaders always look over the shoulders of their followers to continue learning and it helps them to test their own skills. They need to look ahead, for example, if things are going their way in the present, they don’t rely on that, but they are always keen to improve themselves. Leaders love: The fourth quality is that good leaders always admire the good work of their followers. Leaders make their followers believe that nothing is impossible if the followers are determined enough to achieve their goals. A good leader knows how to take that extra step to make a difference and this skills distinguish a good leader from a great leader. Leaders know how to create that atmosphere in which the followers believe that they are following a good leader. Without believing the principles of their leaders, it is hard for the followers to walk in the same direction and good leaders know how to make their followers believe them. Leaders lose with grace: The fifth quality is that leaders know how to lose with grace. When a team experience failure, a good leaders knows how to step up and take responsibility for that failure. For instance, when Canucks failed to advance to the second round of the Stanley cup playoffs, the captain of Vancouver Canucks took full responsibility by saying, â€Å"we choked.† This is a sign of a good leader who knows how to lose with grace. Good leaders do not believe in pin pointing fingers at different individuals after the team fails to accomplish their objectives. A good leader makes his/her team believes that if they win, they win as a team and if they lose, they lose as a team. I strongly agree that these qualities are individual attributes but this does not mean that an individual who was not born with these qualities cannot adapt them. Any individual who is determined to lead a team can use these qualities to influence his/her followers. For example, I always feel that I can lead our cricket team but I panic when we lose continuously. However, it does not mean that I can’t adapt the quality of losing with grace. I believe that if i work hard enough, I can adapt that quality. Even though I don’t know much about the music industry, but I think we have good leaders in all sectors. In the music industry, people influence lives of many followers without any direct connection with them. For example, Michael Jackson was indirectly leading so many youngsters to follow their dreams. He was an inspiration for many teenagers, but he might not have had all these qualities. He shared love with his followers and he motivated them to take that extra step to achieve success. However, it is tough to say that people from the music industry have all these qualities because more than anything else, it depends on your individual character. In my field of study which is accounting, these five L qualities can play a major role for leaders to lead. For example, the accounting manager of the company I work for use most of these qualities to lead our accounting group. He is a very good listener which helps us to tell him our side of the story because his perspective is different from ours. At Kwantlen, Barbara who was my accounting teacher uses these qualities to influence her students to achieve success. She is always keen to help students by making them think about different accounting issues and she also focuses on learning from the students by listening them carefully. In order to learn these five qualities, it is better to focus on each quality step by step. The first step would be to become a good listener. This can be done by becoming more patient to calm yourself down. Once an individual becomes a good listener, the next step would be to learn how to appreciate good work of your co-workers, friends, followers and even family members. This would help an individual to gain confidence of people around him/her. After that, focus on sharing knowledge because this would allow an individual to believe in continuous learning. Once the individual has all these qualities, the next step would be to lead people or group by using techniques such as leading from front or leading from behind. It all depends on the situation or issues that individual is dealing with. The last step would be to learn to share the success and failure among all group members by sticking together as a group.

Ursula Burns Reinvented Xerox

Reflection Paper The article â€Å"How Ursula Burns Reinvented Xerox† is extremely informative and gave me an outlook on how major businesses operate in society. It was interesting to read about a woman of color who completely gave her life into Xerox the company and made it a success. This article, made me more open minded about a lot of things that goes on into businesses I haven’t experience. One perspective, which was interesting, is how Xerox the company couldn’t do anything about their business failing but Ursula Burns made it into a success.A main viewpoint that I read about Xerox the company is how well-built the company was and they never gave up on their business. They were trying to improve their company by doing different things in order to have a successful outcome. Some new things I learned and discovered is how physically and mentally a leader has to become. This is exactly what Ursula Burns portrays in leading Xerox the company to the top. â€Å" One of the most interesting things about becoming a CEO is that the very thing you did to get there is usually not the thing you need to do to keep you there. A quote said by Ursula Burns which gave me a further understanding about becoming a leader. Leader is a person who leads or commands a group, organization or country. Being the person in charge of a major company is not an easy job to obtain. But Mrs. Burns found a way to bring her company from a depressing standpoint into a positive achievement. But first she stay and thought about what the company can do and what it does, so it can be a successful business.After reading this article there’s various things I’ve learned and modify my behavior in the future. The first and most important I’ve learned is if you believe in something or someone never give up on your dream. If you keep working towards your goal you can make it a success. However, becoming a leader is a difficult job to maintain and takes a lot o f energy out the person. But you have to stay focus on what you believe in and have to acknowledge the weakness and strength of a company.

Elizabeth Bishop Essay

There are many fantastic poets out there today and there were many in the past. One of these many great poets is Elizabeth Bishop. She started writing poems in 1946 and stopped in 1979. Her poems were very imaginative yet serious and sophisticated at the same time. Each poet has their own way to write, and this is hers. Elizabeth Bishop was born on February 8, 1911 in Worcester, Massachusetts. Only a few months after Bishop was born, her father passed away and because of this, her mother suffered from a mental breakdown and was admitted into an insane asylum in Nova Scotia until she passed away in 1934. At the age of six Elizabeth Bishop was taken to live with her grandparents back in Worcester. She then began to be frequently ill, so to give her a ‘happier surrounding’, she moved in with her aunt in Boston. At this age, 8, is when she started to read poetry and fairy tales. Walt Whitman and Gerard Manley Hopkins were her favorite and most inspirational poets at the time. As Elizabeth Bishop grew older she started to choose her career path. At the age of 16 she was admitted to a boarding school in Natick, Massachusettes where she read and studied the works of William Shakespeare and English Romantic poets. One year she tried to study music but then realized that she is terrified of recitals so she quickly dropped that dream and she returned to literature. Along with Mary McCarthy and Eleanor Clark, Elizabeth Bishop founded a literary review, this was where Bishop’s very first poem was published. Then later in the Vassar Review, many pieces of her work were being published but during this time her writing skills were affected to a heavy drinking problem. After Bishop’s problem was solved, she went back to creating great poems, with help of the greatest poetic mentor in Bishop’s early years, Marianne Moore. Moore helped Bishop write more poems and write her first volume, North and South(1946), which was chosen for the Houghton Miffl in Poetry Award and contained one of her most anthologized single poems. With lots of money from her many awards and prizes, Bishop went on a vacation to Brazil, here she had allergic attacks that forced her to  unexpectedly stay for several months. Once she was finally cured, she decided to stay and actually lived in Brazil for many years. During her stay there, Elizabeth Bishop fell in love with a wonderful Brazilian woman, her name was Lota de Macedo Soares. The two actually lived together for a while until Soares tragically committed suicide in 1967. In 1955, Bishop published a second book, inside was North and South(1946). This volume was titled Poems: North and South — A Cold Spring. There was many poems inside of this book, one of which was â€Å"At the Fishhouses.† Much of the work in this book and after, up until about 1974, was influenced by her life in Brazil. Bishop then had poems and book being published like wildflowers. Elizabeth had some great influence in her life to motivate her in her in the poetic arts. Bishop was greatly influenced by the poet Marianne Moore, who she met when she was introduced by a librarian at Vassar in 1934. There was an inseparable friendship between the two women, remembered by an extensive amount of similarities between the two. Bishop stayed with and used Moore as an influence until Moore’s death in 1972. Bishop’s â€Å"At the Fishhouses†(1955) contains many references to Moore’s 1924 poem â€Å"A Grave.† Bishop was also introduced to Robert Lowell through Randall Jarrell in 1947 and the two soon became fantastic friends. But the friendship was curtailed when Lowell died in 1977. After his death, Bishop wrote, â€Å"our friendship, often kept alive through years of separation only by letters, remained constant and affectionate, and I shall always be deeply grateful for it†. They both were influences for each other’s poetr y. Lowell mentioned the influence from Bishop in his poem â€Å"Skunk Hour† which he stated had, â€Å"modeled on Miss Bishop’s ‘The Armadillo.'† In another poem, â€Å"The Scream†, Lowell said is â€Å"derived from†¦Bishop’s story In the Village.† â€Å"North Haven,† was one of the very last poems Elizabeth Bishop had published during her lifetime, and it was written as a memorial for Robert Lowell. Unlike her good friend Robert Lowell, who wrote in a Confessional style, while Bishop’s poetry avoids explicit accounts of her personal life and focuses instead with great delicacy on her impressions of the physical world. She uses lots of adjectives, metaphors, and similes to help the reader create a mental image of what is going on at the time. The imagery in  her poems are very specific and realistic sounding. Rhyming wasn’t really used much in Bishop’s poems but was is used sometimes to add emphasis and/or humor. If the poem did have a rhyming scheme it would be different, rather than being every two lines rhyme or every other, Bishop would do every four lines. So the end of the first lines could be â€Å"wharf† and the last word of the fourth line would rhyme, so for instance â€Å"dwarf†. She had her own style that made her poems unique. One of Elizabeth Bishop’s poems is A Summer’s Dream. This poem was published in 1959. This poem has a sort of childish tone to it, yet still sounds sophisticated. During the whole poem, Bishop is describing the town that she lives in as well as describing the other residents of the place. In A Summer’s Dream, Elizabeth Bishop is the speaker and speaks in a first person perspective. Throughout the poem, it seems as if Bishop is playing the role of a daughter. She sounds like this because the whole time she is using such descriptive words to put a sense of imagination into each line. The poem shows the the everyday life in her town and it at first seems like she is just telling what she sees. But, as u get to the end you realize that the whole time she was using her creativity and imagination to dream of a town that she would love to live in. The tone used in the poem however, is more sophisticated and sounds like something an adult would say rather than a little g irl. Bishop seems compassionate towards the subject and she makes you feel welcomed into this little town of hers in just 36 lines. Towards her neighbors, or the other characters, there is two different tones. Toward the elder and weaker characters, there seems to be a gentle and sympathetic feeling, while there is a cruel and condescending feel. But these two tones are used in just the right amount that they balance out the negatives and positives to make the poem neutral. Poems contain many poetic devices to help make the writing stronger. Not all of it has to do with the tone and theme of the poem, but with the diction. The diction of a poem is the poet’s choice of words and how they are put together. An abundantly used poetic device in A Summer’s Dream is imagery. Bishop uses imagery throughout her poem to help the reader create an image in their mind of the scenery. She describes her boarding house, â€Å"blue as a makerel,our boarding house was streaked as though it had been crying†(14-16), by using these descriptive  words and metaphors the reader can piece the information together t o create a picture. Elizabeth Bishop uses words like â€Å"sagging†(1), â€Å"idiot†(4), and â€Å"shrunken†(12) to put a negative and depressing feel to the town of her dreams. In the same poem word such as â€Å"gentle†(5), â€Å"kind†(7), and â€Å"extraodinary†(17) to give a positive and caring tone. The poet uses both sides together in some cases, â€Å"He was morose, but she was cheerful†(29), the poetic devices are used this way to create a sense of neutrality. Over all Bishop wrote many fantastic poems all in her sophisticated yet whimsical way that would spark the interest of many readers and hopefully influence them to do something. They were full of imagery and poetic elements to create a sense of interest to the reader and to also help them to create a mental picture of the actions in the poem at the time. Elizabeth Bishop has received a great amount of recognition and has earned many awards during her career. Each poet has their own way to wr ite, and Elizabeth’s poetic ways were very popular and unique but very sadly came to an end in october of 1979 when she passed away of a cerebral aneurism in Boston. Cite Page Flemming, Bruce E., and Ann D. Garbett. â€Å"Elizabeth Bishop.† Biography Research Center. Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition, Sept. 2006. Web. â€Å"Poet Elizabeth Bishop.† Poets.org. N.p., n.d. Web. Lensing, George S. â€Å"About Elizabeth Bishop.† Modern American Poetry. Oxford University Press, Feb. 2009. Web.

THE DECISION TO DROP THE ATOMIC BOMB ON HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI Essay

THE DECISION TO DROP THE ATOMIC BOMB ON HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI - Essay Example he loss is the result of the use of mass destruction nuclear means for just two days, then the question of the expediency and necessity of such a step of the US military operation rises. Taking into account the USA command’s belief of the Japanese capitulation being fostered by the threat of possible continuing of atomic bombing, can the fact of mass civilians’ killing be justified or not? The question of the appropriateness of the atomic bombings of Japan and their role for the end of World War II as well as their ethical validity is still the subject of scientific and public debates. There are numerous for and against arguments in this respect, and the followers of every version have particular data for support their ideas. First of all, let’s see what facts may prove the justification of dropping the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The main reason for such a decision is the desire to stop the bloody war by Japanese capitulation as quickly as possible, for preventing the massive casualties on both sides during the invasion on the territory of the belligerent powers. It was assumed that there would be great losses among the armed forces and civilian population in any case, reasoning in the military offensive or the continuation of the food blockade of Japan by overlapping not only sea routes of import but land ones as well. Feeling the whole responsibility for the consequences of his words lay on his shoulders the American President Truman says: The opponents of dropping of atomic bombs see no military necessity in their usage for Japan was suffering from bombing every day and was almost ready to capitulate. Another reason not to justify the decision of the US command, soul touching one, is the immoral nature of such a way of killing people which is perceived as a war crime against humanity and the genocide. According to the words of admiral William D. Leahy, President Truman’s Chief of Staff, the nuclear means like atomic bombs are not

What Are The Causes Of A Teenage Girl To Become Anorexia Nervosa Essay

What Are The Causes Of A Teenage Girl To Become Anorexia Nervosa - Essay Example Anorexia Nervosa is psychological disorder that is experienced by females mostly. Situation is greatly alarming as most of the disease affected is teenage girls. It is a life threatening refusal made by most of the patients to maintain their weight below 15% of an individual’s normal weight. Other significant symptom of this disorder is a great fear regarding gaining of weight, distorted image of body and amenorrhea (absence of three consecutive menstrual cycles) in women. Symptoms of this disorder can be caused through mental, biological and environmental factors (Rutigliano, 2003). According to a survey approximate value of females affected by this disorder vary from half to one percent of females existing in U.S.A (Rutigliano, 2003). More than 90% of females carrying this disease are teenagers and diagnosed as women illness by most of the people. One reason due to which women fall badly in this disorder is the urge of young women to gain an ideal figure. This reason fall in to environmental reasons of the disease as media is playing an important part in promoting ideal figure issue (Rutigliano, 2003). Biological factors like to counter uncontrolled metabolism along with less or restricted diet and greater physical activity. The term Anorexia Nervosa or commonly known as loss of appetite cannot be detected easily as patients are often hungry and they also cook food for others. Behavioral attitudes like dressing over sized clothes in order to hide figure is common in the patients. Depression is also a behavior or psychological symptom experienced by patients. People experiencing through Anorexia Nervosa feel themselves cooler due to loss in temperature of body. Growing of long and fine hair on body is common physical disorder experienced by patients (Rutigliano, 2003). There exist another major reason for the cause of this disease which is one psychological disorder causing another disorder. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder that can result in another psychological disorder known as Anorexia. Women having OCD and Anorexia in combination may become obsessed with dieting, exercise and food. A common behavior seen by such patients is tearing of food into many pieces. Panic disorder can also result in an eating disorder (UMM, 2013). Young girls in age of twenties and teens do not want solution of their problems. Men can also be Anorexic but the ratio of this mental disorder is very low in men. Other factors for the cause of this disease is history of alcoholism, drugs, sleep disorders, perfectionism, low self-esteem and certain long illness like diabetes leading to Anorexia Nervosa as a result (Rank, 2013). Biological reason involving genetic behavior is also a reason for the cause of this disease. Girls having mothers with female cycle disorder and mothers experiencing themselves from Anorexia have greater chance to be affected (Rank, 1991). Devastating effects of Anorexia Nervosa include damaging of brain and nervous system, hairs, heart, blood, muscles, joints and bones, kidneys, body fluids, intestines hormones and skin (Women Health, 2013). It almost affects all the features a body can have for proper growth. As the patients are not taking energy from food sources; problems like frequent dehydration, lower blood pressure and uncontrolled Harmon activity can occur (Women Health, 2013). The pubescent girl who has lost control of her body in order keep herself good looking in front of other college girls. Pubescent is the period in the life of the girl when her body is experiencing major changes with the course of time. If not watched properly by parents and somewhat other governing people related to her she will be affected greatly by this psychological dis

Fruit of the Loom Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Fruit of the Loom - Research Proposal Example The main focus of the business is on producing consumer clothing of wide range catering to the needs from children to senior citizens. The overall business model of the firm is based upon selling its merchandize to chain stores and other outlets which than sell out the products of the company to the general public. The overall product range of the firm is really diverse and includes underwear as well as designer socks aimed at mass market accessed through these superstores and other chain stores. Fruit of the Loom does not sell directly to its customers through its own outlets. Firm also sells designer socks and sell them in different varieties aimed at different target customers. The overall range of socks includes designer socks for men, women, boys, girls as well as toddlers. This diversified range of products therefore caters to different needs of the customers while at the same time provides essential utility. The different ranges according to gender however are further divided into suitable categories such as â€Å"Everyday Basics†, â€Å"Stays Back†, â€Å"Odor Special†, â€Å"Sport Stretch†.1 The range of designer socks therefore covers almost every market segment and is rightly placed in the market to cater to the needs of mass market while at the same time offer designer looks and utilities. ... Such situation therefore may indicate that overall demand for designer socks may be low as consumers may not be willing to spend on high priced items. Social & demographic factors Designer clothing always suggest prestige and honor and those who use such type of clothing often attempt to build such image. As such designer products are often used by the consumers falling in high income earning groups. Technological trends Technology is shifting towards making designer socks fit to different needs of the consumers. Add-ons such as ankle support, no-fading of colors, odor-control technology etc are some of the key technological changes which will further create niches in the market. Firms focusing on offering such technological add-ons therefore can certainly be dominating in the market. Regulatory issues Regulatory issues may come in the form of health related regulations which may force firms to adapt certain technologies and practices which can reduce the health risk associated with the use of such products. Further, issues like improper labor standards, child labor as well as unhygienic conditions in countries from where raw material is imported can create significant challenges for the firms to deal with. Five Forces Analysis Threat of new entrants Though the overall cost of entry may be not be relatively high however, it may be relatively difficult for newcomers to dominate a market which is full of already established players in the market. Though consumers may prefer a certain image or attachment with a designer brand however an innovative product by a new entrant can disrupt the market. As such the overall threat of new entrants may be

Modern Organisational Theory and Applied Science Assignment

Modern Organisational Theory and Applied Science - Assignment Example The abovementioned makes the question of methods effectiveness and appropriateness to each certain case extremely important. This project will examine the appropriateness and effectiveness of qualitative research methods in organizational studies as well as provide an overview of the specific characteristics and methods of qualitative research. Historically, quantitative approaches and methodologies have been the first and foremost choice in the area of professional organizations and management research. The quantitative bias can probably be explained by the origins of modern organizational science which relies heavily on the natural sciences such as mathematics, economics, and sociology. Quantifiability and precision have traditionally been among the most essential features of these sciences and quantitative paradigm was undoubtedly the best choice to maintain and reinforce them (Patton and Appelbaum, 2003: 60). The primary task of a qualitative study is to provide the researcher with data that relates to a specific context or setting, for example, explaining participants' perception of an organization, understand participants' understanding of various phenomena, reveal their experiences, motivations, etc. At the same time, extrapolation of the qualitative study results in other similar situations and contexts is also an important aspect of qualitative research (Hoepfl, 1997). There is a definition of qualitative research found in the literature. Strauss and Corbin (1990) define qualitative research as "any kind of research that produces findings not arrived at by means of statistical procedures or other means of quantification" (p. 17). Denzin and Lincoln (1998) describe qualitative research as "...multi-method in focus, involving an interpretative, naturalistic approach to its subject matter. This means that qualitative researchers study things in their natural settings, attempting to make sense of, or interpret, phenomena in terms of the meanings people bring to them' (Denzin and Lincoln 1998: 3). Cassel and Symon (1994) claim that the most characteristic feature of qualitative research is "...a focus on interpretation rather than quantification, an emphasis on subjectivity rather than objectivity" (p.7). These three definitions identify the basic distinctions between qualitative and quantitative research and highlight the key features of qualitative me thodology mentioned above. It shall be noted though that quantitative and qualitative research shall not be perceived as absolutely antagonistic to each other: "qualitative research usually does use some form of quantification, but statistical forms of analysis are not seen as central" (Mason 1996: 4).

COLLEGE ALGEBRA-DISCUSSION BOARD Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

COLLEGE ALGEBRA-DISCUSSION BOARD - Essay Example Therefore e = 1 + 1/1 +  ½ + 1/3 +  ¼ †¦. Alternatively, e =1 + 1 + 1/ (1Ãâ€" 2) + 1/ (1 Ãâ€" 2 Ãâ€" 3) †¦. This makes e to have special characteristics that makes it a useful constant in mathematics. The first property of e is that it is a transcendental number. This implies that, e cannot be a root of any non-zero polynomial f (x) that has rational coefficients. Other useful mathematical constants are Ï€ and i. The number e has many uses that result directly from its characteristics. The number is useful in calculus where it is used to perform integral and differential operations that involve exponential functions. The number is of particular interest in indefinite integrals since it enables calculation of lower and upper bound for such integrals. The number is also applied in complex analysis as Euler’s identity. In this case cos x + i sin x = eix. In business arithmetic, the function is applied in the calculation of compound interest. Finally, the constant is applied in statistics to calculate Bernoulli

McDonalds Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability Research Paper

McDonalds Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability - Research Paper Example The company provides food for the public and tries to fulfill this service in an ethical way that takes socially and environmentally friendly approaches. The firm’s core values are to provide nutritional wellbeing, environmental responsibility, create a sustainable food supply chain, provide employment and contribute positively to the community. The main aim from each of these values is to provide quality services at each stage of production. The company provides fresh food, using ethical means and productive partnerships (â€Å"Social Responsibility†). The company has also provided employment for individuals in 117 countries in the world. This reduces the unemployment rate and improves people’s living conditions in the community. The company’s menu caters for approximately 1,900 customers in different restaurants across the country (â€Å"Social Responsibility†). McDonalds is one of the most successful businesses in the world. It is the most popular foodservice provider in the world and has one of the highest returns on the stock market (Singh). The company has a good reputation and tries to maintain this by listening to the customer’s needs and catering for them in every way possible. The company is committed to the community and the customers and puts their needs first. Each year the company aims to enhance its sustainability efforts. The stakeholders in the company implement the best possible strategies, with the aim of finding new opportunities and setting new targets to advance and improve the company. The company has implemented numerous sustainability programs and policies. The company has tried to work together with partners at different stages of food production to improve the conditions of the employees. In 2007 Mc Donald’s set a goal and implemented measures to improve the working conditions of employees in the Florida Tomato industry. The company only

Event on Social Gathering for Womens Day Essay Example for Free

Event on Social Gathering for Womens Day Essay Gathering means a group of people together in one place and social gathering means a gathering for the purpose of promoting upliftment of the society/fellowship. A social gathering is an informal user generated event for those interested in social entrepreneurship enterprise, share ideas and meet new people. A social gathering is open to anyone with an interest in social enterprise. It helps in gaining advice, support and inspiration from entrepreneurs. It is an event specially organized for the awareness of the current issues. The event may include speeches, discussions, dramas, songs and many more cultural activities to make people aware. It is organized 4 to 5 hrs or lesser. It may include social issues like suicides, girl education, water conservation, garbage, etc. mostly the social gathering on these issues are followed by a campaign on large scale. Social gathering includes all the general public. The publicity is done on great extent. The targeted people are colleges, universities, other NGO’s, own NGO’s members and volunteers contacts and family and relatives etc. Since gathering means a collection or accumulation an assembly of persons, so the people gather for completing a task. It is a fully refreshing and entertaining type of event. Thus the event includes lunch together, and has discussions. This is organized in such manner that every one participate in the task taken on the issue. Mostly the social gathering is free of cost or low cost. The speakers are well-qualified and master in their field. The speeches by them are very practical which we can have in our daily-scheduled-routine life. The term female feticide means killing the female fetus in the mothers womb. Sex selective abortions and increase in the number of female infanticide cases have become a significant social phenomenon in several parts of India. It transcends all castes, class and communities and even the North South dichotomy. The girl children become target of attack even before they are born. India is growing dynamically in all the fields†¦ the country have witnessed advancement all over but female feticide is still prevailing in India. In spite of all the stringent laws framed to curb the female feticide still, the practice continues. Many girls missing from our country are seen buried in the graveyard. The bias against females in India is related to the fact that sons are called upon to provide the income; they are the ones who do most of the work in the fields. In this way, sons are looked to as a type of insurance. With this perspective, it becomes clearer that the high value given to males decreases the value given to females. The exorbitant dowry demand is one of the main reasons for female feticide. A girl means accumulation of sufficient recourses for the dowry the parent have to give away, when the girls get married. As a matter of prestige too, more money and material goods are asked in dowry. Poor families are unable to give so much of things in dowry. Result is in front of you many, many women are treated hostile by their ‘in laws’’ so many of them commit suicide. Murders of women whose families are deemed to have paid   insufficient dowry have become increasingly common. Another major problem among girls is that in many villages of India, girls are considered as a big trouble to their parents. They are killed as soon as they are born. The phenomenon of female infanticide is as old as many cultures, and has likely accounted for millions of gender-selective deaths throughout history. It remains a critical concern in a number of Third World countries today, notably the two most populous countries on earth, China and India. In all cases, specifically female infanticide reflects the low status accorded to women in most parts of the world; Female infanticide is the intentional killing of baby girls due to the preference for male babies and from the low value associated with the birth of females. It should be seen as a subset of the broader phenomenon of infanticide, which has also targeted the physically or mentally handicapped and infant males as with maternal mortality. Some would dispute the assigning of infanticide or female infanticide to the category of genocide or, as here, gendercide†. When demographic statistics were first collected in the nineteenth century, it was discovered that in some villages of India, no girl babies were found at all; in a total of thirty others, there were 343 boys to 54 girls. In rural India, the centuries-old practice of female infanticide can still be considered a wise course of action. According to census statistics, From 972 females for every 1,000 males in 1901 the gender imbalance has tilted to 929 females per 1,000 males.

Consumer Buying Behavior And Decision Making

Consumer Buying Behavior And Decision Making Recent research discovered that consumers are just likely to make purchase and to be influenced not only by relatives and peers, by endorsers but also by attitudes, situations and emotion (Olsen et al., 2007). The process of consumer decision making can be viewed as three well defined stages namely the Input, the Process and the Output as shown below (Schiffman, 2005). The Input Stage influences the individuals recognition of a product need and consists of two main sources of information which is the firms marketing efforts in term of its price, promotion, location of the retail outlets and the second source is the external sociological influences on the consumer which includes family, friends, neighbors, social class amongst others. The Process stage emphasizes on the way consumers make their decisions. The psychological factors built-in each individual like motivation, perception, learning, personality and attitudes which affect the way external elements from input stage affects the consumers recognition of a need, pre-purchase search for information and evaluation of alternatives. The output stage comprises of two related post-decision activities namely the purchase behaviour and post-purchase evaluation. A low-cost and non-durable product may be influenced by the manufacturers coupon and may actually be a trial purchase. The consumer evaluates the product through direct use. For a relatively durable product such as a laptop, the consumer decision-making model is examined in greater depth (Schiffman, 2005). 2.1 Factors influencing Consumer Buying decision 2.11 Cultural Factors In a sense, culture is a societys personality (Wayne, 2008). According to Hawkins (2009), culture is defined as the sum of total learned belief, values and customers that serve to direct the consumer behavior of members of a particular society. Individual are brought up to follow the beliefs, values and customs of their society and to avoid behavior that is considered as taboo. (Graham, 2009). Overall societies are segmented into subcultures. The sub-cultural divisions are based on nationality, religion, geographic locality, race, age and sex. 2.12 Social Factors A reference groups are groups that serves as frames of reference for individuals in their purchase or consumption decisions. Indirect reference group consist of groups with whom a person does not have direct face to face contact, such as movie stars, TV personalities, sports heroes or even interesting-looking people on the street (Graham, 2009). An individual who has little or no experience with a durable product is more likely to seek out the advice or example of others (Solomon et al., 2009). When consumers are concerned with obtaining accurate information about the performance or quality of a product or service, they are likely to be persuaded by those whom they consider trustworthy and knowledgeable (Hoyer et al., 2007). Appeals by celebrities and other reference group are used very effectively to communicate with their market. For many consumers, their family is their primary reference group for many attitudes and behavior. The members of a family assume specific roles in their everyday functioning, such roles or tasks extend to realm of consumer purchase decisions. 2.13 Psychological Factors Psychological factors arousing within individuals relatively drive general behavior of consumers and thus affect their behavior. The main influences on consumer behavior are personality and self-concept, motivation, learning and perception (Sorensen, 2009). 2.14 Individual Factors Demographic variables are individual characteristics which consist of occupation, sex, income, origin, ethnic, race and age (Kanuk,1999). 2.2 Organizational Buying Behavior The decision making process by which formal organizations confirm the need for products and services to be purchased, consider and select among alternative suppliers and brands (Glavee, 2009). (Hutt, 2009), as an outcome of the vast area of prior research, proceeded the characterization of the industrial buying behavior divided into three major aspects: The Buying Process, The buying Centre and Factors influencing the buying centre. As Kelly (2007), the buygrid model is a conceptual model, which describes the different combinations of buying phases and buying situations. It incorporates three types of buying situations: (1) the new task, (2) the straight re-buy, and (3) the modified re-buy, combined with eight phases in the buying decision process. The model serves as an easy framework for visualizing the otherwise complex business buying process and enables the vendor to identify the critical phases and situation requiring specific types of information. 2.3 The Buying Centre As Hutt (2009) mentioned, companies do not buy, people do. It is of utmost importance to have a concrete knowledge about those involved in the buying decision making process of the goods or services that a vendor aim to sell. It has been indicated that many individuals are pertained in the buying process of industrial goods. 2.4 Roles of the Buying Centre members Buyers are known to assume some common roles in a buying process (Wind, 1967). These roles are classified into six groups which are shown below. Initiator is the one or group of individuals who become aware of a company problem and recognize that the problem can be solved via acquisition of a product or service. The influencers are those who have a say in whether a product or service is bought or not. The more critical a purchase is to companys business, the higher the number of influencers. Gatekeepers usually act as problem or product experts. They have information about a range of vendor offerings. Other buying centre members therefore rely on their information for their assessment of prospective vendors offerings. Thus, by controlling information, and, by having access to decision makers in the firm, the gatekeepers largely determine which vendors get the chance to sell. Deciders are those who make the actual purchase decision. For instance, they say yes or no to what vendors offer. The buyer is one who makes arrangements for the delivery of the goods. He is also often directly involved in negotiating the conditions under which the transactions will be made. Users are those who usually make use of the products in normal working process. 2.5 Factors influencing the buying process and the buying centre Different attributable influences that affect the buying process and the buying centre previously addressed ( Nielson, 2008) : Aspects influencing the buying process Brief description Organizational Technology, goal, task, actors, structure. Interpersonal Formal authority, persuasiveness Personal Status, politics, ethics. Environmental Physical, economic, technological, legal, political and cultural. 2.6 WOM in Consumer Environment Word of mouth is about disseminating information by verbal communication, particularly references including general information in an informal or person-to-person approach. Word of Mouth is usually regarded as a verbal communication, although web dialogue, such as, message boards, emails and blogs (Olson et al., 2010). 2.7 WOM influencing consumer buying behavior WOM is considered to be of utmost importance in shaping consumers attitudes and behaviors. Silverman (2011), studied the diffusion of technology products and concluded that the pattern of ownership may be justified by the presence of an effective network consisting of neighbours exchanging product information. Songe (2006) pointed out that WOM is the most essential source of influence in the purchase of technology and household goods. It is three times effective as radio advertising, newspapers and magazines. 2.8 Characteristics of WOM WOM can be seen as positive as well as negative (Jantsh, 2010). Negative WOM arose when consumers gather information on lack of service, high prices or impolite sales personnel. PWOM is a reference to the passing of positive information. Scharffer (1998) indicated that dissatisfied customers made complain twice than when they are satisfied. Goodman (2009) justified that the services recovery programmes, service guarantees and complaints process affect the direction of WOM. WOM is considered to be an unlimited activity to consumers. The WOM activity can be perceived as a function where the individuals with whom the organization and its employees come into contact like the customers, suppliers, competitors, the general public, or other stakeholders (Misner, 1999). Throughout a decision making process, WOM may be employed at different stages. WOM can be used before or after a purchase. The use of WOM in a pre-purchase stage is referred to as input WOM and Output WOM is issued after the purchase (Assael, 1997). The effectiveness of WOM is far from being unnoticed. Some organizations regard customer WOM as one of the most strong marketing tool (Wilson, 1994). According to Scharffer (1998), marketers attempt to directly influence opinion leaders, incite WOM communication in advertising or depict communications form opinion leaders. 2.9 The Nature of WOM Nail (2002), distinguished three main types of WOM communications in an evaluation on personal influence in buying technology products namely product information, private experience and recommendation. Product information is informing about the product such as benefits of the products. Private experience includes explanations about reasons for purchasing the product. Recommendation refers to point of views about the product. These categorization implies that WOM attends to inform and to influence. Product news, for example, is efficient in bringing awareness about a product and its features. Listening about the experiences of the product from a friend help the consumer in evaluating the absolute merits of one brand or another. Eventually through the perceptions of others, advice is essential in making the purchase decision stage (Solomon et al., 2009). 2.10 Opinion leaders and followers According to Rosen (2002), mass media messages are caught and disseminated by opinion leaders. He also pointed out that mediated communication are circulated to opinion leaders who disseminate it through WOM to their peers. This in turn exert some influences. According to his theory, opinion leaders are present in all groupings of society and may be persuasive on specific topic (Songe, 2006). Lois (2007), could not differentiate between followers and opinion leaders. In his research, he inclined to talk of influencers rather than opinion leaders. He pointed out that influencers are active information searcher, more dependent and more innovative. The follower is active and may ask for information as well as considering opinions of others Those who diffuse information are also likely to receive it which denote that opinion leaders are also followers and vice versa. Wilson (1994) has certified that there is a dominance of personal influence in decision making. In his study, Hutt (2009) added that people who received positive WOM about a new product were more likely to purchase it rather than those who received negative WOM. The powerful effect of WOM is linked to various factors. There are situations where consumers referrals are perceived as being more rational and reliable than commercial sources of information (Rosen, 2002). Dialogues with either friends or relatives tend to be friendly and can help for trying out certain behaviours. Potential consumers of a particular product can acquire some of the product experience by searching for someone who has acquired recent experience with the product (Silverman, 2011). 2.11 Importance of WOM in service sector Good service is essential to promote positive WOM. Consumers depend largely on personal communication with other customers since their experiences are regarded as a trial (Goodman, 2010). Wilson (1994), in turn found that services consumers choose to search for reference from relative and peers rather than promotional sources. Customers are skeptical. They do not believe anymore about what they see or hear. (Kelly, 2007). According to Finch (2003), it is considerable when reference groups are likely to influence especially when the customer is dealing with a decision process and the purchase of the product involve certain risk. Proctor (1995) noted the individuals who have ongoing involvement are more prone to be opinion leaders. Consumers would rather seek information from friends and family if risk is likely to emerge when making a purchase (Scharffer, 1998). 2.12 Motives for engaging in WOM communication Finch (2003), concluded that there are a multitude of reasons for engaging in WOM communication. Sernovitz (2009), supported with evidence that those who disseminate information are certainly those who are experiencing the product. The involvement in the product-related decision is an essential component in personal communications. According to Songe (2006), WOM communication is the basic interest in the product category concerning ongoing involvement. Individuals who have an enduring interest in a product category experience satisfaction in discussing about it (Wilson, 1994). Additionally, Rosem (2002), pointed out that WOM communication is usually introduced to remove any doubt about product choice. According the theory of Wilson (1994), a consumer may try to decrease discomfort by explaining the positive aspects of a recently purchased product to peers and family. Furthermore, purchasing the similar product by a friend or relative proves the original judgment of the consumer (Skubal, 2002). Discussing about the product may likely to drive people to personal satisfaction (Songe, 2006). 2.13 Post-Purchase Decision-Making Negative WOM is known to be a framework of customer complaining behaviour. Harris (2008) suggested that consumers can either express their dissatisfaction or end up the relationship when confronting with unmet expectations. Furthermore, Burg (2005) classified three main reactions to dissatisfaction namely switching to another brands or substitute, making a complaint to the retailer or personnel and finally informing others about the unsatisfactory product or service. Concerning minor dissatisfaction consumers are not likely to complain nor do they spread negative WOM (Finch, 2003). When the level of dissatisfaction is important, consumers are more likely to complain (Kelly, 2007). Goodman (2009), referred that after purchases, consumers are likely to engage in a post-purchase evaluation of the product. If the consumer is not satisfied, psychological discomfort may occur. 2.14 Pre-Purchase DM According to Scharffer (1998), WOM is seen as a process through which consumers convey both informational influence in evaluation of the product and the purchase intention of fellow consumers. This type of information can thus be expressed according to the choice of the referral source or the task of selecting the product (Lees, 2007). 2.15 WOM has a powerful influence on organizational DM WOMC is thus considered as a growing necessity in B2B markets. According to Neilsen (2000) , WOM consists of informal communications directed by consumers at other consumers about ownership or characteristics of particular goods or services and or their sellers. WOM is perceived as an exit outcome to dissatisfaction with the product quality it can be perceived a behavioral manifestation of a latent loyalty towards the supplier or the brand (Canning, 2007). The WOM system is referred to a network where personal, verbal, face to face communication take place. It is also defined as the attribute of the information dealt and how these information would determine the role of the participants (Balter et al., 2009). 2.16 Provision of WOM While in any prevailing WOM circumstances, recommendations, opinions, information are likely to succeed in both ways. Emotions influence how decisions are formulated. In B2B purchase, the buyer does not encounter the overall benefit of the solution and may not be compensated for making a good purchase, but a bad purchase can damage the reputation and job security of the buyer. The study of Prahalad (2004) revealed that organizational buying decisions are normally influence fear. Organizational buyers tend to reduce fear by reducing risk. Personal risk is mostly hidden from the rational process and is considered as an important factor in B2B buying. Like in quality judgments, satisfaction can result to positive WOM through an exit, voice and loyalty logic argument (Nielson, 2002). To such a degree that satisfaction has affective bases, the statement specified earlier about the influence to WOM route has validity as well (Robins, 2008). The involvement with a product certainly provides a person with the motivation and ability to come up with product-related conversations with others. Like Jantsch (2010), observed an individuals frequent engagement with a product or service brings out to overflowing thoughts and emotions that can easily recalled in WOM experiences, frequently willfully so, in order to clear out the tension or the experience. Dissatisfaction with a product presumed to be essential by the individual is particularly filled with WOM potential (Balter et al. 2009). Researchers have been able to separate several product-related factors that reduce the occurrence and extent of WOM activity. Price awareness for product, for one, has been encountered to correspond remarkably with WOM transmission. Preceding a dissatisfactory experience, individuals have demonstrated to participate in more or less WOM conversations depending on the seriousness and controllability and composure of the problem (Bowman, 2009), as well as the perceived likelihood of a favorable redress (Wilson, 2006). Positive outcomes concerning complaint handling and redress, like the diffusive and synergetic justice of the redress orientation and the convenience of recovery, can lead positive consequences for a provider as individuals have the tendency to respond to positive things about the provider (Balter et al., 2009). 2.17 Strategies for managing risks Rosen (2009) introduced three strategies for managing risk namely: Approved supplier list. B2B buyers are prone to select companies they already know. If a member from the buying centre has pre-approved a supplier, the risk is reduced even if it is not the right solution. Word of mouth for example colleagues and friends. User communities are one of the main sources of information for researching B2B purchases. A recommendation from a credible source tend to reduce risk. Word of mouth from existing suppliers. A good representative build good relationship with their suppliers to create a credible source for referrals. 2.18 Buyers seek personal recommendation The most influential channels across decision making process were blogs, word of mouth, websites, trade journals and other form of media. According to Nail (2002), organizational buyers valued WOM communication which provide a personal recommendation. 2.19 The Buying Process Bowman (2009) made the conclusion that B2B buying is a decision process driven by the emotions of the people involved. Business buyers are mostly motivated to reduce personal risk of making mistakes. The decision making process in the B2B environment is not an easy task. Generally doers are those making the purchase of the product or service. The buyer has the entire responsibility for reducing corporate risk. The presence of a broad chain of gatekeepers in organizations means determine the level of complexity in decision-making process in B2B environment. In the B2B environment, decision making process is much more puzzling where there is no specific decision-maker across organizations (Nail, 2002). Graham (2009) implied that in an organization there is a gatekeeper who is allowed to share ideas and information to the members in the buying centre. Both the doers and the buyers need to search for information in the buying process. B2B website should take into consideration the information needs of those who search the Internet. Person to person meetings are crucial to reach the emotional needs of prospects. Building credible relationship through person to person meetings with both doers and buyers is necessary in the complex decision making process. Analytical plan offer recommendations about which options and information to consider or to reject. This help the organization to facilitate decisions to their relevant core. 2.20 The impact of Social Media Robins (2008) declared that online channel, precisely the social media occupied an essential role in how research is proceeded and finally the decision on business purchases in the future. Social media like Website, Blogs or Facebook are also considered to be influential. Inactive channels like the press advertising are equally influential. Robins (2008) pointed out that decision-makers need to search social media channels for information to their actions. Colleagues and peers add value to decision and thus minimizing risks (Siguardarson, 2000). Factors like the ability to learn from experiences of others, the ability to access to information and the ability to communicate with others. According to the study of Robins (2008), B2B buyers refer to trade journals as well as professional online media for B2B decision making. The study also regards word of mouth and personal reference from professional colleagues or peers which is considered as the most influencing source in buying decisions. According to the study of Fader (2010), there is a noticeable change in the influence of supplier websites at the beginning of the purchasing process. He further characterized websites as very influential. Personal recommendation is clearly approved as the most valuable factor in B2B purchasing decisions. Channel like Trade journals, Website, Blogs and Facebook are seen as large influencers concerning the provision of information to help buyers identify potential suppliers. Buyers and deciders are personally involved in the final decision making process. The members in the buying centre regularly used word of mouth and supplier websites as sources of information (Bowman, 2009). Mass media is a mean of reaching directly opinion leader, follower or the gatekeeper (Jantsch, 2010). According to Santeller (2010), the gatekeeper is considered as a source of information to both opinion leaders and followers. The research of Hoyer et al. (2006) showed that diffusion of social of social media is increasing constantly. According to the study of Sorensen (2009), some B2B buyers prefer to use of social media channels while others refer more to traditional information channels. He further observed that B2B buyer opted for issue-based information from supplier websites as a main source of information at the beginning of the buying process. Furthermore the level of influence are reduced towards later stages.