Tuesday, August 6, 2019
History of NFL Essay Example for Free
History of NFL Essay Jim Thorpe who was a player and a coach for the football team Canton Bulldogs, together with Leo Lyons who owns a football team called Rochester Jeffersons, were the mastermind behind the National Football League (Schweizer and McGovern, 2001, p. 60). The two teams these two guys were a member of were brainstorming one day. It was when the Bulldogs triumphed over the Jeffersons in a match in 1917 when Lyons brought up the idea of forming a league to Thorpe. During this time, Major League Baseball was very popular (Schweizer and McGovern, 2001, p. 60). Thorpe entertained the idea and liked it very much, and decided to pursue the goal immediately. However, Spanish flu became rampant during that time. A lot of football players died in the Great War. There was chaos everywhere, and forming a league was almost impossible. In fact, because of the social unrest, operations had to be suspended (Schweizer and McGovern, 2001, p. 60). The operations of the Bulldogs had to be on a halt. It had to end real soon. Schedules of games were no longer followed because it was deemed necessary to reduce the schedules only to the local groups. It was in 1917 when Lyons came up with the idea of forming a league. It was in 1918 when all the disorder became more noticeable (Schweizer and McGovern, 2001, p. 61). After one year, Lyons could still not get over the unpursued plans, so he went back to New York to encourage teams in Buffalo to a championship match. The Buffalo Prospects were not to back out from this challenge. They gladly accepted the offer and played the game against the Jeffersons for the championship. In this round, the Jeffersons lost to the Buffalo Prospects (Yost, 2006, p. 52). The Bulldogs, by this time, already belonged to Ohio League, which was then an unofficial league. The teams who were part of this league included Ironton Tanks, Shelby Blues, Massillon Tigers and the Bulldogs. Ralph Hay, who was managing the Bulldogs, plus the other Ohio teams, were all convinced by Thorpe to play following the format of a league. Everyone agreed to do this, so a brainstorming session was expected. Everyone contributed to the success of the goals. It was done against Hammond Pros of Chicago, Michigan, and the Detroit Heralds (Yost, 2006, p. 52). During this time, other teams were also holding a game. There were games all over the United States ââ¬â New York City, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois. However, while New York City and Pennsylvania had teams, they were not a contributor to the founding of the National Football League as the blue laws of the latter kept the teams from joining the NFL. It was not until 1924 when the teams were finally liberated from the laws (Yost, 2006, p. 52). The New League The formalization of the league did not come immediately. Football enthusiasts had to wait. Formalization only took place at a Hupmobile dealership help in August 1920 in Ohio. It was first known as the APFC, or the American Professional Football Conference. What this league was composed of were Ohio League teams. However, not all teams that were part of the Ohio League joined. In fact, a lot of them decided not to participate (National Football League, 2009). After a month, the American Professional Football Conference was changed to the American Professional Football Association. Since a lot of teams played from the neighboring areas, more teams joined the league. Soon other teams joined the league, and among the teams include Detroit, Hammond, and two from the New York league namely Rochester and Buffalo. Finally, there were eleven teams that founded the league (National Football League, 2009). All teams became subject to an agreement over the declared champion at the end of the season, and player poaching. At this time, Thorpe was still a member of the Bulldogs and remained a player for the said team. He was in fact the president of the team. Out of all the teams that founded the team, only four of them finished the schedule in the year 1920. The first champions went undefeated for years, and that team was the Akron Pros. Akon Pros was the first champion of the league (National Football League, 2009). More teams became interested in the league. Most of the teams that were added to the list came from the teams in New York. The total number of teams reached 22 in as early as 1921, although this is not to say that membership was already going smooth and stable in the whole decade of the 1920s (National Football League, 2009). In fact, the league was still not considered a national game no matter how many teams have been interested in it, and no matter how many people were actually willing to support the and enjoy the league. It frustrated many people. The league decided to change its name again. It finally became the NFL, or the National Football League, on June 24, 1922 (National Football League, 2009). The Birth of the ââ¬Å"NFLâ⬠At this point in time, two charter members were existing. They were the Chicago Bears, which was formerly known as Decatur Staleys, and the Arizona Cardinals, which used to carry the name Chicago Cardinals. A team which was lightly a part of the National Football League history was there all along, but was not given much significance since it did not join league plays. It was the Green Bay Packers, which was popular for not having changed locations. It was only in 1921 when the said team started playing in the league (National Football League, 2009). The Indianapolis Colts had a rich history, which can be seen through its multiple predecessors. The team is regarded as a separate franchise. It was founded later, only in 1953, and was named the Baltimore Colts. Other teams started to bid their goodbyes, including Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland and Buffalo among other original NFL teams. However, this did not stop the National Football League to develop. There were many replacement franchises to make up for the absence of the teams that no longer existed. New franchises were established (National Football League, 2009). Post-World War College football catered to many fans. It was actually a very big game that millions of people looked forward to. However, after the Second World War, people started to get bored with college football as their attention was diverted to a more challenging game: the professional football game (National Football League, 2009). Because professional football rivaled the football game college students were playing, rules started to be modified. Newer innovations were being released from time to time. It was during this time, too, when the T-formation was started. Football then was no longer just a game for recreation. It became a game that demanded for higher scores (National Football League , 2009). After many years, the National Footbal League was joined by three teams in 1950. teams came from the All-America Football Conference which was no longer functioning at that time. It expanded to 13 clubs. Because of this fast expansion and rising popularity of the sport, professional football has etched its space in the world as a major sport.
Monday, August 5, 2019
Example Answers to Questions on LVMH
Example Answers to Questions on LVMH LVMH is known as global giant who is famous for its luxury product. The company is based in Paris France, with strength of more than fifty six thousand employees from all parts of the world, the total number of employees include just the 33 percent from France. The foundation of company was laid down with 50 luxury brands in the year 1987, now the organisation is decentralized and they are grown and passing through different stages of organisation evaluation and achieving different landmarks in their business. All the main offices and head quarter of the company is at the capital city of France, but the organisation can be called as multi culture because they include persons in the higher management and staff from different backgrounds, cultures and countries. Structure and Operations of LVMH LVMH is a group of fifty different companies who have about 450 subsidiaries in different locations round the globe; every company has its own way of doing their business with their president and the process through which they have set up that which subsidiary will report to whom. The management of LVMH has divided different business operations into five zones globally; following are the five zones of LVMH business France America Europe Asia Pacific and Japan To achieve the business standards and improved organisational quality the LVMH uses different approaches at different business zones, but the most common and most widely used is international mobility, they believe in international mobility of their higher management and skilled staff, which include vertical and horizontal moves within the organisation and geographical placement at different business locations and business zones. Working with different cultural environments is very necessary for global organisations like LVMH, they need to develop their employees skills and competencies to smoothly operate in multi cultural environment, but lucky most of their expatriates are internationally experienced so this is not to difficult task for the higher management of LVMH to work in multi cultural environment. But they do provide pre departure and post arrival training to all of their expatriates and international mobile staff about the cultural values and other necessary information which they have to deal with during their stay in the country. Introduction to Task 1 Indentify three key HRM activities in LVMH and discuss how they fit into overall corporate objectives of the company. Argue which model of HRM LVMH deploys and why? Identification of HRM Activities The three key HRM activities which I have identified from the LVMH case study are following Recruitment and Selection Career development and International Mobility (T D) Employees Appraisal System Recruitment and Selection (R S) As LVMH is a global giant with global operation, it is necessary for LVMH to have talented staff to retain their global position as giant and provide their customers good services in order to have a good name for the organisation. At start LVMH human resource department was sometime lacking in international experience, competing in a global environment, so LVMH decide to attract, develop and retain managers with global experience (by 2001 it had 260 expatriates and 650 other employees working in a country not their own) To achieve the corporate goals LVMH is following a very comprehensive and realistic approach i.e. the LVMH subsidiaries HR directors coordinate with the business groups through monthly meetings, in order to identify the vacant positions throughout the world and also study the list of potential candidates within organisation who has potential to progress through new assignment within the year. After that vacant positions are announced on the company website, so anyone can apply for that position worldwide, so LVMH attract professionals from all over the world not just for economic benefits but through exciting career development opportunities, which help LVMH is getting professionals from all over the world and achieve their corporate goals. Career Development and International Mobility (T D) From its creation LVMH is an international organisation, and to meet the needs of an international organisation, they were lacking in their human resources and their international management skills. E.g. in 1987 too many mangers were not fluent in English so the management sought to create a team of managers with working knowledge of international market. To have a professionally trained international class team it is important to have plans for career development of employees. At LVMH they dont focus too much on formal trainings but instead of that they prefer Mobility, mobility like vertical, horizontal and geographical moves in organisation, In order to polish their skills and get experienced in an international environment, like once a French insurance specialist in the fashion business unit was sent to Romania to head a shoe factory. To have an international business specialist management team LVMH focuses on international mobility instead of expatriation, because a person sent from UK to France is more likely to return and work in UK with good experience got their in France. The international mobility policy is a part of career development which requires the training of global mangers on limited time basis. The HR department convince a manager to become internationally mobile by offering them more challenging job with more freedom to perform his task than home. One positive aspect of LVMH international mobility is to take risk in order to develop high potentials. LVMH has two type of high potentials HP1 and HP2, an HP1 is an individual going to have top management position (like board of director) while HP2 is an employee go a step or higher in management hierarchy. Employees Appraisal System Appraisals done properly are an honest attempt to appraise someones current performance (i.e. behaviour) and to help them identify how to improve. (Honey, Peter Improve your people skills, second edition, 09) Appraisal is required to recognize ones work and get your employees motivated and stick on to the organisational goals. Most of the organisations have a systematic way of appraisal like once in year, after accomplishment of a task. At LVMH performance appraisal system is not only based on results but also to propose and implement new ideas. A very good approach to appraise someone is to appraise ones ideas, because it is not necessary that the top level management can just produce good ideas, newly employed young and energetic people can produce ideas which may be not based on experience, but through the latest and updated knowledge and resources they have (like technology). So LVMH try to achieve their corporate goals and objectives through appraisal system. Which HRM Model LVMH deploys LVMH has deployed the European model of human resource management i.e. Best Fit model. Because in best fit model organisation identify HR strategies that fit their business e.g. market, labour, size and structure of the organisation. Justification of using Best Fit model At LVMH they have different HR activities which clearly state that which model they have deployed in their organisation. If we take the example of International Mobilization the concept behind this is Best Fit as Boxall and Purcell described decisions over selection / recruitment, development and training are strategic in nature and have to be harmonised with corporate strategy. LVMH is working in different countries dealing with different cultural people, as HR activities vary from cultured people, as HR activities vary from cultural to cultural, so using the best fit approach they deal each country / subsidiary in the way which best fit them. At LVMH the HR strategies and business strategies are inter dependent, which is according to definition of (Armstrong, 2003) states that best fit approach is Inter-dependence between HR strategies and business strategies. Introduction to Task 2 The requirement from this task is to provide information on the key approaches that how LVMH manages its employees training and development. What are the strengths and weaknesses of their system and provide recommendations to LVMH board of Directors on how to improve its strategy towards TD of its staff management. Training and Development Training is the process of altering employee behaviour and attitudes in a way that increase the probability of goal attainment [1] or we can define training as the formal and systematic modification of behaviour through learning which occurs as a result of education, instruction, development and planned experience [2]. Development is any learning activity which is directed toward future needs rather than present needs, and which is concerned more with growth than immediate performance [2]. How LVMH ensure their employees T D To ensure their employees skill development and equipped them with latest skills and knowledge of management LVMH has a variety of training and development programs. The main focus of all these activities is on to prepare their employees to meet the high market challenges and to ensure the achievement of their organisational goals and objectives through proper utilization of human resources. Following are the key approaches which LVMH use for their employees training and development. International Mobility Career Management (Organisational Management Review OMR) Inter Cultural training International Mobility At LVMH international mobility is an activity for gaining high career mile stones, and develop manager to take the global management positions and enable them to work at a multi cultural and out of their home countries. International mobility is likely to entail a radical functional move. Through international mobility the managers are put into new situations to help them develop new skills and prove their courage. Through international mobility LVMH try to identify the potential individuals who are ready to go for an international assignment and have capabilities to carry out the duties of expatriates. The company provide so many opportunities to its international mobile staff, it attract mangers to international assignments through exciting career development prospects and not through economic incentives, even though its incentive program is competitive. This is a part of career development, they dont dispatch expatriates because of a lack of local talent but they international mobile employees have to fulfil two profiles , one is to those sent by the headquarter to control its subsidiaries and protect its interests and the other is to ensure information, organisational business and to harmonize the procedures. Career Management (Organisational Management Review OMR) To provide their employees an insight into their career development LVMH has a career management process which is known as Organisational and Management Review (OMR). This is an annual process in which the HR objectives of the company are reviewed and set the organisational need for the next three years, that which employees need what sort of trainings and list the potential employees ready for international assignments and to prepare them and train them for the top management position. They use the OMR for maintaining the list of the candidates ready to move and assess their current development. Inter Cultural training To become an internationally mobile or expatriate the employees of LVMH needs intercultural training to adjust quickly, because international position usually has to be filled very quickly, which leaves little time for intercultural training. LVMH normally chose those employees to become internationally mobile / expatriates who has some past experience of international environment. They are extending training to both the employees and his or her family, and for time being both pre departure and post arrival training limited to just language training, which LVMH needs to extend to properly prepare their employees for the position of expatriate. Recommendation for LVMH Board of Directors Keeping in view the above discussion about the training and development in LVMH, I will recommend the board of Directors of LVMH as As LVMH believes in international mobility, and select those employees who has some past international experience, but that is not enough to hold an international management position. So it is recommended to start a structured long term training program to develop a pool of employees for international mobility. When an employee is going to take position as expatriate he / she should be provided enough time to get trained about that country culture, people life style, management styles preferred in that country and the environment of business. LVMH has the opportunity to have proper training and development courses for their support staff and non managerial employees to improve the standard of their daily organisational and business activities. Introduction to Task 3 The requirement from this task is to apply Balance Scorecard to LVMH, and critically review the performance of HR and provide suggestion that how to improve their HR performance. What is Balance Scorecard This system is used by good and large scale organisation for the strategic planning of their business, and is widely used in the business organisation, government institutions and some of the large scale nongovernmental organisations in order to improve the level of their business strategies and align that with their organisation vision, improve the standard of communication in and outside the organisation, and how to monitor their performance keeping in mind the business goals and strategic objectives of the business. Balance Scorecard for LVMH To maintain a balance score card for the LVMH following issues / topic of the HR will be addressed in the balance score card, and the will provide ideas on how to monitor the performance of the HR department. Learning and Growth Perspective Internal Perspective Financial Perspective Learning and Growth Perspective Objectives: Improve the standard of learning of HR staff in making the strategies and deciding the corporate goals, and make them able to be sent on international assignments. Description: Make the HR staff able for international mobility. Corporate Objectives Performance Measures Identification of the candidates who have enough skills, competencies and confidence to become and international mobile officer. Complete the progress and perfromace reports of all employees. Identification of the HR skills of all staff of the HR departments and also for others. Verification and validation of all the HR skills of employees time by time. Actions: Objectives: improve the attachments and dedication of HR staff toward the organizational goals and objectives of the LVMH Description: what are the weaknesses and strengths of the HR department employees, and what activities are needed to improve the skills and competencies of the employees? Corporate Objectives Performance Measures Testing and validation of the HR staff performance and focusing on the weak areas which needs to be improved. Organization special procedures for the maintenance of the employees personal and professional skills record. Actions: Objectives: Modeling and creation of the performance management indicators and improving the standard of communication within the organization. Description: to develop the new systems and those which are already in practice in the industry, or implementation of the standard procedures for the performance management and communication improve the communication. Corporate Objectives Performance Measures Improve the individual alignment and attachment with the strategic plan of the organization by providing them incentives Improve the standards of already implemented communication. Create an implementation plan to model best practices Take the staff on board while deciding all these issues, and take their opinion through survey or some other activity, and make them realize that this for their improvement, and value their feedback. Actions: Internal Perspective Objectives: enhance the employees commitment with organization, and make them proud to be a part of LVMH Description: Satisfy the employees being a part of LVMH, and make them realize that LVMH cares for them. Actions: Corporate Objectives Performance Measures Make the LVMH a good place for work with. Design good strategies for employees involvement and satisfaction. Give attention to employees survey results and feedback. Evaluate the turnover data. Objectives: making the recruitment process effective Description: develop new and enhance the existing recruitment process to make this dream a reality that right person on right place at right time Actions: Corporate Objectives Performance Measures What are the key area of working with LVMH Make the use of technology in recruiting process Integrate good employer story and branding efforts into recruiting Look at the turnover rate How much customers are satisfied with the organization employees. How much management is satisfied with employee performance? How can LVMH improve their HR performance? As LVMH is a global giant doing operation in different countries with a group of 50 companies and 450 subsidiaries, they have very good approach to manage their employees all over the world, and ensure the personal and professional growth throw different activities arranged by the HR department of LVMH. After studying the case study there are some HR activities and operations which can be make much more influential in achieving the organizational goals and objectives. The HR department may start management courses for their middle level and primary level management team, to ensure their growth to take over the future top level management positions Employees ready for international mobility should be given proper training before they go on assignment, though LVMH provide some pre departure and post arrival training but it is needed to have a very structured training program which provide complete knowledge and information on how to work as expatriate. The process of inter-cultural training has much more potential, so the training should be extended to subsidiaries level to make a pool of employees aware of the different cultural values and available for any cross cultural assignments. LVMH needs extend their recruitment and selection process not just to those countries where the company is in operation, to global recruitment and selection in order to get a big pool of potential candidates from all over the world and then select the appropriate individuals on the basis of merit which best suit the organizational goals and strategy.
The importance of digital technology in life
The importance of digital technology in life Our era has come to see the vital importance of digital technology in our daily lives. It allows us to unlock a huge collection of information and communication data. Each kind of task, be it a regular task or a job specific task requires digital proficiency or literacy. Digital literacy can be defined as the ability to use digital technology, communications tools, and or networks to access, manage, integrate, evaluate, and create information in order to function in a knowledge society (Lemke, 2003). The execution of a successful approach for the advancement of digital literacy skills is known to include multiple components that tackle hurdles for explicit demographics such as; attitude, age, socioà ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã economic status, language, and regional availability of resources. In order to increase digital literacy levels strategies must be targeted and implemented, where necessary for specific populations and situations keeping an account of different obstacles. According to (Castel ls, 2009) there is a technological transformation with the increasing use of internet access. Therefore, technology transforms the mode or platform in which we converse and process knowledge. A substantive growth in execution of information and communications requires improvement in quality of life and development by preparing people for a knowledge society. As said by (Castells 2009, pg 21) networks demonstrate strength in their flexibility, adaptability and capacity to self configure. Therefore networking is here to reside and education has no alternative but embrace it. In this essay the basic focus is on the need to develop nations digital skills at all levels as it is gradually becoming important in the present period where technology and its benefits are becoming more sophisticated and pervasive. By critically discussing whether developing the nations digital skills at all levels helps in achieving fairness rather than amplifying it in the presence of various inequalities? The Digital Britain report sets out an action plan to contribute its full potential to secure UKs place as one of the worlds foremost digital knowledge economies which is significantly dependent on having enough people with the accurate skills in the exact place at the precise time by applying new technologies; further assembling a high class of professionals and ensuring Britains future prosperity. The issue is not only of financial competitiveness, but also of fairness which is defined as ensuring that all have access to the content, services and skills to contribute and connect effectively to the digital economy and the benefits are available to all. There is an immense range of services delivered online while also a hazardous threat to those who lack or struggle to access technology. Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner for Information Society and Media (November 2007) believes that It is neither morally acceptable nor economically sustainable to leave millions of people behind, unabl e to use information and communications technologies to their advantage. However it is of upmost importance to transform the lives of those who are excluded in order to avoid the major parts of our society being deprived and enduringly lag behind. Though, the matters about digital exclusion broaden far-off than ensuring access to internet albeit with the increasing role of the internet in daily life, an analysis of utilizing the opportunities offered by the internet is of fundamental significance. To critically discuss the actions taken by The Digital Britain report in line with developing nations digital skills; it is required to understand and discuss why should there be an urgency to build on the nations skills, what digital skills are currently being delivered, how these are processed, how is it made sure that no one misses out and lastly to what extent the contribution of internet access is helping the society to improve the present inequalities? In this essay, we will discuss and argue the answers to these questions to aid us in understanding the relationship between digital inclusion, digital skills and media literacy. The essay will first converse about the opportunity to ensure that no one is prevented from access to broadband followed by raising the topic about engaging the society to use and understand the digital media and finally, providing them with the capability to develop and acquire the necessary digital skills to involve themselves in the digital economy wit h confidence and support. Whenever we talk about building the nations skills, the first thing which comes to mind is the need to incline towards digital economy. In todays changing business scenario most of the positions advertised by the recruiters require at least some type of IT-user skill. In the year 2009 around 92% jobs required applicants to hold both general (hardware and software skills) and specific application skills (such as databases, and spreadsheets) in particular. For Britain to increase its competitiveness in the global economy of 21st century, it requires to create awareness among people to embrace the digital technology for a safe speculation of an information revolution that can alter every part of their lives. Therefore the government has taken various inspired initiatives to educate everyone with a vision to shape a brighter future for Britain. Talking about UKs present landscape as per national statistics, the number of adults who have never accessed internet in 2010 is about 9.2 million. The National Digital Participation Plan in collaboration with Digital Britain Report has set a determined aim of reducing the number of non-internet users in the country by 60% by 2014 by overcoming the three barriers to digital inclusion availability, affordability and capability. For this, the UKs government is committed to distribute broadband services universally up to 2Mb/s by 2012 which is a significant step to ensure more of the general population in the UK will have an opportunity to access to the internet. The Race Online for 2012 program in the UK challenges governmental and nonà ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã governmental stakeholders to work collectively to aid the deprived groups to enhance digital literacy skills making it affordable for them. According to (HM Government, Nov 2009) The best use of digital technology, either directly or indir ectly to improve the lives and life chances of all citizens, particularly the most deprived, and the places in which they live. Hence, the various proposals by Race online 2012, Digital Charter, Digital Champion and expert Taskforce are considered to take imperative steps to reach the next level for forming a fully digitally engaged society which encourages excellence and fairness. Over recent years the government has enhanced its understanding of social exclusion through scrutiny of cohort studies and longitudinal surveys. Information has become one of the chief inputs in financial procedures, and information and (ICT) steadily became vital for the capability of enterprises, communities and individuals to contribute effectively in the global economy (Hollifield and Donnermeyer, 2003). When wisely applied, ICTs recommend prospects via network effects to narrow down social and economic inequalities and to sustain innovative market access in services and support wealth creation. The basis of inequalities in internet access and use are frequently hinted back to usage factors (price of technology, lack of information, ability or operational skills) and psychological factors (nervousness about using technology or reluctance to try something new) (Van Dijk and Hacker, 2003). There is a crucial need to tackle the difficulty of the particular individuals and communities who might have lack of knowledge, the resources, or the ability to achieve an equivalent opportunity to contribute in society and economic life . For the ones working in more disadvantaged communities, and who see the impact of technology on peoples daily lives, the relations among digital and social equality are perceived without any doubt. However, it is argued that the spotlight should be on structuring the business case for digital inclusion quantitatively and qualitatively. According to Castells despite the globes increasing interconnectivity there are some individuals that are extremely involved in a global networks and others stay mainly excluded. Therefore the analysis of international digital strategies and European Union actions lists key international policy goals: digital equality, accessibility for all, literacy and digital competence, technology to enhance and technology for inclusion in order to gain better understanding of the needs and problems and by delivering affordable services to engage individuals with the internet sources in an attractive way. Consequently this explains how various international policy goals helps individuals to overcome various psychological factors like anxiety and lack of interest by accustoming them to the available technology. According to (Reaching Out: Action Plan on Social Exclusion, September 2006) It is possible to extend opportunity to the least advantaged so that they enjoy more of the choices, chances and power that the rest of society takes for granted. Ofcom plays an imperative role in promoting media literacy and persists to work with stakeholders in turn to: offer people the opportunity and inspiration to develop proficiency and self-confidence to participate in communications technology and digital society; and update and allow people to handle their own media activity (both consumption and creation). This argument follows up and agrees with the statement made by Selwyn (2002) about the significance of considering the diverse variety of activities which are associated to internet use (expenditure activity, investments activity, manufacturing activity, political activity and social activity). Accordingly, government in collaboration with the assistance of private and public media organizations operates as a unifying and funding source in support of digital literacy programs. Further in order to sustain media literacy; enriching public services like libraries and museums can offer individuals an enhanced quality of life. Baroness Estelle Morris (June 2009) published her autonomous appraisal of ICT user skills. The report states arguments about the term digital life skills and how it is used to recognize the set of essential ICT skills for using and accessing a computer and communicating information. It discusses that digital skills have an impact on an adults equality of accessing information and services, employability, social inclusion, further engaging into learning and increasing the business productivity. Morriss report supports and affirms the statement made by Stewart (2000) that equality is achieved not through a redistributive programme on resources but contribution in person and through shared life chances. Whereas Castells (2009, pg 57) disagrees and argues that even with developing access to the internet and to wireless communication, abysmal inequalities in broadband access and educational gaps in the ability to operate a digital culture tend to reproduce and amplify the class, ethnic, r ace, age and gender structures of social domination between and within countries. Following these arguments, the research led and conducted by Cassie Hague and Ben Williamson (August 2009) shows that any involvement in digital sharing helps in alleviating the inequalities caused by social class and ensuring optimistic results for everybody despite of their gender, ethnicity and social milieu. The government legislation under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 also promotes equality of opportunity by eliminating various racism based discrimination. As a summary, this explains the initiatives taken by the Digital Britain and the UK Government to overcome various inequalities. Kling (1999) hypothesized that internet use is an issue of social-technological access referring to infrastructure and physical availability of computer resources in contribution with the combination of specialized knowledge, financial resources and technical expertise required for the full utilization of ICT. E-skills main aim is to work with employers, educators and government to make sure that UK has the technological skills it requires to thrive in a global digital economy. A current thesis from the London School of Economics (LSE) concludes that half of Europes efficiency in recent years can be credited to IT investments. Today, a large sector of all working professions make use of technology, therefore it is reasonable to assume that everybody should be introduced to essential information technology (IT) skills. The International Society for Technology Education (ISTE) has recognized various standards in the regions of essential digital skills and career technical skills. The t ypical example is the e-Europe plan, which has affirmed objectives of constructing a digitally literate Europe. The British Governments proposal incorporates two extraordinary cabinet posts known as the e-Minister and e-Envoy to position and install the suitable infrastructure and ICT widely. The Digital Britain report also highlights numerous methods in which the digital plan can assist parents to recognize improved results for their child through Home Access Program, helping them to develop the digital skills in order to confidently support their childs safety; to effectively and efficiently use the internet content in turn helping young generation to make the most out of the new technology. The UKà ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã based Independent Review of the Primary Curriculum argues that in the future it will become even more important that children have the ICT skills which allow them to relate themselves to the upcoming technology and face the challenges with self-confidence and flexibility. As technology can motivate students and help prepare them for prospective jobs. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 from the US department of education aspires to seal the success gap among deprived and struggling learners and their peers. The program pursues the argument that all kids can be trained and that schools are responsible for a kids growth. This highlights the steps taken by the governments of UK and US in order to furnish the future generation of their country with the aptitude to be technologically competent and to inquire appropriate, suitable and significant questions about the digitalized saturated world of 21st century. To digitally include everyone in the economy, the government has taken various initiatives to include old generation as well. According to the research by HM government there are a range of barriers like lack of understanding and confidence, comprehension to use the equipment, fear and anxieties and sense of inertia and ageism due to which older generation is left behind. To overcome these obstacles, digital inclusion programs are adopted such as Age UK internet champion of the year, older people in the media award winner etc to provide them with various opportunities and to develop the basic ICT skills; further boosting their confidence and embellishing older peoples lives. Hence, to seal the digital skills gap, upcoming economies are required to improve the aptitude of their personnel for internet age roles. This can facilitate in creating a sustainable social and economic infrastructure. As a result, to ensure that older people are not isolated from digital economy, help is provid ed for them to engage in significant technological opportunities to support independent living and to benefit from the services widely available. On a nationwide perspective Britain has already taken a lead in enhancing the national digital literacy widespread and laid down a remarkable standard for Canada which is working towards creating the right circumstances for a worldà ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã class digital economy by solving the skills shortages among different Canadian groups. Countries like the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and in recent times the USA, have made digital literacy a keystone of their digital economy strategies. In contrast to Singapore, Britain shows a lack in participation in digital economy, reaching near 100% whilst studies in Singapore show a 100% commitment and participation. This shows a vast difference in the objectives already achieved and future aims of both the countries. Though this difference, UK is trying to strike a balance between digital inclusion and exclusion by developing a National plan for digital participation, to amplify the scope and prepare people to participate in the digital society. This essay sets out a framework adopted by the Digital Britain report and the government to address the problems related to digital inclusion, digital skills and equality. If we critically analyse the data and information covered in this paper, we can clearly interpret the numerous ambitious goals the UK government have set out in the near future. The aims listed by the government enclose various actions needed to be undertaken by the UK economy in order to attain the listed objectives in the Digital Britain report. The discussion about the universal availability and fairness for all allowed us to think whether people will engage in this new technology and embrace it in near future or not? According to Charles Leadbeater, people go online for three different experiences such as to enjoy, talk and fulfil new experiences, as media encourages them to experience, connect and be creative. Digital Britain report has little to talk about this mix. Another aim is to provide affordable and at tainable broadband facility to every household. Although these courageous plans are backed up with vast quantities of data and research, simply building technological infrastructure and access will not guarantee the people of Britain to be innovative to generate an environment for digital revolution. For that reason the UK government needs to publicly show more specific ideas and plans about what is wants to see happen in the near-term future rather than using the blurred terminology which hides the true picture than it should reveal. The Digital Britain Report shows clear positives and negatives about the aspects we have covered and albeit there are criticisms, the pros outweigh the cons as written in this paper. The whole composition tries to answer the questions regarding the key issues of Digital skills, Digital Inclusion along with fairness and access for all and the concerns regarding inequalities. As the internet is becoming an amplified trend (Van Dijk and Hacker, 2003) Digital Britains goals were clear from the beginning regarding developing nations digital skills at all levels by ensuring that the population is ready to use and access the digital technology confidently. There is an essential need for digital literacy to further aid the citizens to participate in the digital landscape. To acquire skills there is a requirement in this era to have a grasp on the knowledge about digital tools, critical skills and social awareness. For digital inclusion; capability and relevance, availability and affordability are three main areas which are required to be addressed in order to promote digital literacy and participation. This consequently increases the scope of fairness in the economy. The concern is not only about the fairness and digital inclusion but is also to overcome inequalities. To avoid inequalities based on socio-cultural and socio-technological perspective, the government legislation has taken various actions in terms of proposing programs like Race online 2012, Digital Charter, and Digital Champion. On a global perspective comparing to different nations, UK is establishing a vision to develop clear and simple techniques to construct a digital knowledge economy in the modern era. Therefore in conclusion, UK government is motivated with its goals for broadband speeds and to encourage people to access new digitalized technology. What remains at question is that do people want to be part of this new web technology and are they ready to accept it and embrace it in near future?
Sunday, August 4, 2019
We Must be More Cynical of Human Evolution Theories Essay -- Argumenta
We Must be More Cynical of Human Evolution Theories The history of human existence is a highly speculated and heated subject of debate. Many seek for origins of mankind through religious and cultural contexts. Although no definitive answer has been established, society often tends to look towards science for explanation of this mystery. Surprisingly, much of what is presented in regards to human evolution is taken as fact. There is an underlying de-emphasis on particulars such as hypothesis and theory. Rather than disillusionment resulting from constant discoveries which discredit previous beliefs, a reinterpretation is created and subsequently taken as truth. Although a great deal of testing and physical evidence accompanies these theories, none provide complete concrete validation. A prime example of such reinterpretation stemming from new discovery is the recent finding of fossilized skulls in Ethiopia. On November 16, 1997 the skulls of two adults and one child were found in the Afar region bordering the Middle Awash River in a village called Herto. After roughly three years of reconstructing the fragments of skull together (the childââ¬â¢s skull alone is composed of over 800 pieces), further profane discoveries were brought to the publicââ¬â¢s attention. Testing and analysis reveals that the skulls are 16,000 years old and thus makes them the oldest modern human fossils to date1[1]. The skulls significance however is of even greater importance. The Herto skulls prove that the current and widely accepted theory of evolution is flawed. The age of the skulls pre-dates Neanderthal fossils. Therefore, we could not have evolved from them2[2]. Neanderthals split of the human tree (a popular metaphor in reference t... ...rightsurf.com/news/june_03/EDU_news_061603.htmlà 3[3] http://www.brightsurf.com/news/june_03/EDU_news_061603.htmlà 4[4] http://www.brightsurf.com/news/june_03/EDU_news_061603.html 5[5] http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/nature/journal/v423/n6941/full/nature01669_fs.html 6[6] http://www.brightsurf.com/news/june_03/EDU_news_061603.htmlà 7[7] http://www.brightsurf.com/news/june_03/EDU_news_061603.htmlà 8[8] http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/nature/journal/v423/n6941/full/nature01670_fs.html 9[9] http://www.brightsurf.com/news/june_03/EDU_news_061603.htmlà 10[10] http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/nature/journal/v423/n6941/full/nature01670_fs.html 11[11] http://www.brightsurf.com/news/june_03/EDU_news_061603.html 12[12] http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/nature/journal/v423/n6941/full/nature01669_fs.html
Saturday, August 3, 2019
The Influence of Mass Media on the Way Political Campaigns are Run Essa
The Influence of Mass Media on the Way Political Campaigns are Run On the Monday when the United States Supreme Court issued its ruling on whether the deadline for certifying votes could be extended in Florida, there was an unsettling sight on TV. News correspondents came flying out of the court and stood, out of breath, before the cameras. Without having read the six-page ruling, reporters began to talk to millions of people about what the court had done. Some reporters got it flat wrong, saying the high court's ruling was in favor of George W. Bush and a defeat for Al Gore. News wire services and several Web sites also incorrectly summarized the court's action. It was only later that the news media corrected itself by reporting that the court had simply sent the case back to the Florida Supreme Court and requested some clarification. Walter Cronkite, the living legend of TV news, has criticized his profession for having too much of an emphasis on getting the news out fast. And the Society of Professional Journalists has criticized the media in the aftermath of these events for failing to act independently in their reporting on the election...so what is the real role of the media in political campaigns? Does it report or influence? INTRODUCTION One of the most important aspects of political elections is its media presentation. This is especially enhanced in the United States where the majority of the people are media thirsty. The important factor that plays on the electoral process is the ability to promote and set the agenda for the candidate. This comes from the outcome they want from their campaigns. Most candidates believe that their policy to promote their agenda at the beginning of the year is never effective because people eventually get tired of watching their faces and their biographies on the media channels and other mass media distribution. Hence, it acts negatively on the psychology of the people. Therefore it is imperative that media must be used in a very contingent manner. Secondly, the image of the candidate presented in mass media is paid therefore they need to be effective. Candidates depend on the office of the campaigner to do this. The media for example gives the power to the candidate to create policy views in a realistic manner that is meant to attract the attention of the viewer. The imagery, the impression and the psycho... ... influence people to believe that the candidates are true to their campaigning. Even if they were losing against the main opponent, they are still willing to fight till the last moment because what they believe is concrete. This creates a ripple effect on the voters, thereby compelling them to make decisions for the candidate. Those who drop out earlier on do not get the benefit of last minute decision-makers. References 1.à à à à à John Nichols, STAVE OFF THE PREDICTED LOW: VOTE TODAY. , Capital Times (Madison, WI), 02-16-1999, pp 8A. 2.à à à à à Lawrence, David. America: The Politics of Diversity. United States: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1999. 3.à à à à à Masterson, Karen. ââ¬Å"Campaign 2000: Businesses Feel Strains of Political ââ¬ËShakedownââ¬â¢.â⬠The Houston Chronicles. October 19, 2000, Star Edition. 4.à à à à à The Case Program, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University 1996 5.à à à à à TOM FITZGERALD, AIR WARS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. , The Record (Bergen County, NJ), 02-16-1996, pp a14. 6.à à à à à BERTIL HANSON, 'Fixing' Campaign Spending. Vol. 15, The World & I, 03-01-2000, pp 32. 7.à à à à à Julia Kindl, Agenda-Setting Function, Last modified: 3/15/00 http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu
Friday, August 2, 2019
Education system exists mainly
Using material from item A and elsewhere, asses the view that the education system exists mainly to select and prepare young people for their future work roles BY ant-Kuz Using material from item A and elsewhere, asses the view that the education system exists mainly to select and prepare young people for their future work roles One way to select and prepare young people for their future work roles is by selecting and allocating pupils of education a role in society, as is mentioned in item A: ââ¬Å"it also selects and allocates them to their future work rolesâ⬠which means social nequality is legitimised because of the hierarchy of society ââ¬â someone has to be on top and someone has to be bottom, as is streaming encouraged in the same manner. This idea is said to be stemmed from having a meritocratic society where everyone has an equality of opportunity presented to them in education and then later on, the workplace. This is how education serves its purpose to select you ng people for their future work roles.Another way that young people are prepared and selected for their future work roles is by education giving them the ââ¬Å"specialised knowledge and kills they will need when they Join the workforceâ⬠, as mentioned in item A. This is done by providing a trained and qualified workforce in education by the introduction of vocational courses like modern apprenticeships which combine training and part- time attendance at college, meaning that they learn on a Job as well as learning in an education environment. New Right are the sociologists which focused a lot on marketization of education which focused on encouraging competition between schools so that education would improve, providing a better work force for society and in turn, better preparing young people for their future work roles.However, one of the key functions of education is social solidarity which means individual members of society must feel like they are part of a single communi ty of people; Durkheim argues that without it social life and cooperation would not be possible as everyone would want to achieve their own selfish desires. He argues that this is taught when we learn about History and Citizenship, which give us the idea of a shared community; also it does this by passing on society's culture and continues the value consensus, which is an agreement among society members on what values are important. School acts as a ââ¬Ësociety in miniature' as it prepares its pupils for life in a wider society, which requires social solidarity, as we have to cooperate with people who aren't family or friends, Just like in the workplace. We have to act accordingly to a set of impersonal rules that apply to all.In item A, it is mentioned that ââ¬Å"the family cannot equip individuals with everything they need to become fully functioning members of a large-scale society' and as family is only the start of social solidarity, the feeling of belonging in a family gro up, education is needed to push that in a ider scale (as a typical nuclear family will not be bigger than 6 or so people). This is one key tunction ot education, and it exists to encourage social solidarity as well as other factors. Marxists would argue that education has different roles in society; Althusser said that there are two ways in which the bourgeoisie keep their power, one of which is the ideological state apparatus. ISAs are the way that the bourgeoisie control people's ideas, values and beliefs, and include religion, mass media and the education system. He argues that the education system is an important ISA because t reproduces class inequality by passing it on generation to generation, therefore failing to overthrow the bourgeoisie consistently.Another reason why it's important is that it legitimises class inequality by producing ideologies that cover the true effect by making workers accept that inequality is inevitable and that they earned their place in society, th erefore if they accept these ideas, they are less likely to challenge capitalism and how it's run. This is one way that Marxists argue that young pupils get allocated roles for their future work roles, and education is there for them to accept heir role and not argue against it. Another Marxist view on education is the myth of meritocracy which is the legitimation of class inequality, which is what a capitalist society is based on so there is always a risk that those at the bottom will feel their inequality is undeserved and unfair and therefore will rebel against it.Bowles and Gintis argue that education is the reason that this does not happen, as it legitimising class inequality by producing ideologies that Justify why this inequality is fair and inevitable. Bowles and Gintis describe education ââ¬Ëas a giant myth-making machine' ike the myth of meritocracy, which means that it is untrue that everyone has an equal opportunity to achieve, that rewards are based on effort and so on. A reason for achieving high income is argued to be determined more from your family and class background rather than ability or educational achievement. This serves the higher classes as it makes it appear that they gained their roles in the workforce by an equal opportunity but in reality, that is not the case, they use this to trick working class pupils to accept inequality.This means that the education system exists not nly to allocate and train young people for their future work roles but also to accept the roles they are given and for the bourgeoisie to keep their power. In conclusion, the education system exists to provide all kinds of functions to society, as well as allocation roles for young people that they will continue to have in the workforce; they are also trained for that role so they have the skills necessary to do the Job. Also, according to Marxists, education also introduces certain values and beliefs into young peoples' minds so that they accept the inequalit y that happens in a capitalist society as an everyday inevitability.
Thursday, August 1, 2019
Leadership and governance Essay
Executive Summary The following essay will analyse two important elements in every organisation, leadership and governance, the interaction between them and how they influence in organisations outcomes. This paper will cite different journals and studies to support the ideas referents to this topic. Firstly this essay will discuss on leadership to understand why this culture of influence and motivation has become so important for nowadays organisations and explain the role of the modern leader, among all the perspectives and theories aroused about this subject. The second point is about governance; the term organisational governance is defined and evaluated to find out how governance enhances the management in organisation. Also is discussed what is the managers role in the governance scheme in order to expose the difference between leaders and managers. Look more:à research problem definition essay They are different but complementary, while leaders have a compromise with the vision on the long term, manager focuses on how to achieve the vision strategically. Furthermore the next logic step is to evaluate the relationship between these elements analysed previously. Leaders can affect positively and negatively the governance outcomes, basically if there is no self-control or lack of ethic among leaders even the best governance scheme would collapse. On the other hand collective leadership will have a beneficial effect in the board of directorââ¬â¢s performance. The last point assesses how the leadership development and effective followership can affect the organisations outcome, being the relationship between leader and follower the most important key for leadership effectiveness and consequently a more effective organisation. It is clear that leadership play an important role in organisation path to succeed in this modern world where constant changes and uncertainty require more competitive and adaptable organisations. Introduction Nowadays, organisations are exposed to global uncertainty and they have to adapt rapidly and become more effective in order to survive in this competitive world. Major organisations invest millions in human capital and technology with the explicit objective of increase their organisations effectiveness. Organisational effectiveness is a broad concept represented by several perspectives, organisations are effective when they have a good fit with their external environment, when their internal subsystem are efficient and effective, when they are learning organisations and when they satisfy the need of key stakeholders (McShane, Olekalns & Travaglione 2010). There are many studies and theories about leaderships, due to its importance for organizations success. According with Rodsutti and Swierczek (2002, p. 250) different dimensions of organisational effectiveness including return on asset, most admired, job satisfaction and personal satisfaction are related to specific aspects of leader characteristics, organisational culture and multicultural management style. This is the main reason why leadership has become the base of modern organisations success. In order to understand the leaderââ¬â¢s role in effective governance in organisations, it is necessary define leadership and governance separately and then analyse the correlation between then, this will help us to understand why leader and managers are different but complementary, they should reinforce and support each other, however this is not always the case (Lussier & Achua 2010). Organisations performance is measured constantly in order to value if the outcome satisfy the stakeholders goals, thus the influence of leaders over the governance outcomes need to be evaluated. The organisation outcomes it is also affected by effective fellowship as a result of a leadership development. Leadership behaviours are perceived as trustworthy through the observerââ¬â¢s mediating lens, trust increases and leaders are more likely to be viewed as ethical stewards who honour a higher level of duties (Caldwell, Hayes & Long 2010). Organisational leadership Everybody somehow have the idea of the leadership meaning that probably belongs to yesteryear image of command ââ¬âand- control boss. The concept of leader is no longer the person that is seen as the companyââ¬â¢s hero. Leaders exist throughout the organisation, not just in the executive suite. The first studies about leadership was published in 1904, the main researches in this field occurred while the First World War, it first interest was investigate the leadership characteristics and the mechanism of how the employees obtained promotions. A decade ago fifty-four leadership expert from thirty eight countries reached consensus that leadership is about influencing, motivating and enabling others to contribute to the effectiveness and success of the organisation of which they are members (McShane Olekalns & Travaglione 2010). Even today there is still considerable debate about the exact role and definition of a leader. Most parties agree that one of the primary functions of a leader should be to set a path towards a goal and then inspire and motivate others to follow (Prewitt 2003). Furthermore (Lussier & Achua 2010) brought a more simplified and brief concept defining leadership as ââ¬Ëââ¬Ëthe process of influencing leaders and followers to achieve organizational objectives through change. There are many studies and theories about leadership and different perspectives of this concept, the most relevant of those perspectives in the last 20 years are charismatic and transformational leadership. Transformational leadership perspective explains how leaders change teams or organisations by creating, communicating and modelling a vision for the organisation or work unit and inspiring employees to strive that vision (McShane, Olekalns & Travaglione, 2010). The charismatic and transformational leader, according to many scholars and practitioners, represents a new paradigm of leadership that may be capable of steering organisations trough the chaos of the twenty first century (Lussier & Achua 2010). There is some confusion and controversy to define the distinction between charismatic and transformational leader. Many researchers either use the words as they would have same meaning or view charismatic leadership as an essential ingredient of transformational leadership. However there are managers that may lack of charisma but they can lead by applying transformational leadership behaviours, for example Alan Lafey, CEO of Proctor and Gamble or Sam Palmisano CEO of IBM. The point is that effective transformational leaders are not necessary charismatic (McShane Olekalns & Travaglione 2010). Leaders are particularly effective if they engage in transformational leadership behaviours, such as articulating a captivating vision for the future, acting as charismatic role models, fostering the acceptance of common goals, setting high performance expectations, and providing individualized support and intellectual stimulation for followers (Menges et al. 2011). In the last years has been agreed that leadership it is not about rely in only a person as a leader, leadership can be considered as a collective practice, leaderful leaders develop sufficient trust in others to make leadership a shared and yet very powerful tool for action and responsibility (Raelin 2005). Understanding organisational governance There is not a specific definition for the term ââ¬Å"organisational governanceâ⬠, however as a first approximation, organizational governance refers to the instruments of governance that organizations deploy to influence organization members and other stakeholders to contribute to organizational goals (Foss & Klein 2007). This idea clearly is consistent with other more frequently used terms as ââ¬Å"corporative governanceâ⬠, ââ¬Å"organizational controlâ⬠and ââ¬Å"governance structures and mechanisms.â⬠Similar definition we found about strategic management. Strategic management is the set of decision and actions used to formulate and implement specific strategies that will achieve a competitively superior fit between the organisation and its environment, so as to achieve organisational goals (Lussier & Achua 2010). According with Commonwealth Australia (2009) governance may be described as ââ¬Å"â⬠¦the process by which agencies are directed and controlled. It is generally understood to encompass authority, accountability, stewardship, leadership, direction and controlâ⬠. Top management plays an important role in firmsââ¬â¢ achieving an orientation to quality creating values and establishing objectives and systems to satisfy customersââ¬â¢ expectations and improve performance in the organisation (Albacete-Sà ¡ez, Fuentes & Bojica 2011). Furthermore the aim of governance is not only improve the organisations performance but also achieve the stakeholders economic and social satisfaction. A firm that manages for stakeholders allocates more resources to satisfy the needs and demands of its legitimate stakeholders than would be necessary to simply retain their wilful participation in the firmââ¬â¢s productive activities (Harrison, Bosse & Phillips 2010). Theories of governance for many years had been based on assumptions about the leader as an agent who might act with opportunism to take advantage of superior information or self-serving personal interests however latest studies have demonstrated that corporate governance imposes on businesses and their leaders an instrumental duty to maximize long-term wealth creation to benefit all of the stakeholders served by the firm (Caldwell, Hayes & Long 2010). In the last few years due to scandals and financial crisis, board of director has gain especial interest in corporate governance debate. The corporate governance rely on the board of directors capabilities to conduce the companies and take the best decision for their stakeholders benefit. However organisations not only need managers they need leaders as well, and governance have to provide the conditions to promote both in their schemes as per Zaleznik (2004, p.74) suggest organizations need both managers and leaders to succeed, but developing both requires a reduced focus on logic and strategic exercises in favour of an environment where creativity and imagination are permitted to flourish. Leaders and governance Manager and leaders play different role in organisations, their personalities and attitudes towards goals are different as Zaleznik (2004, p.74) stated managers embrace process, seek stability and control, and instinctively try to resolve problems quickly-sometimes before they fully understand a problemââ¬â¢s significance. Leaders, in contrast, tolerate chaos and lack of structure and are willing to delay closure in order to understand the issues more fully. In previous studies on governance, board scholars have mainly limited themselves to a strict input-output approach in their studies, directly linking board demographic indicators (e.g., board size, age of directors, number of independent directors, etc.) to board and firm performance (Vandewaerde et al. 2011).Lately scholars focus is about leadership, examination of leadership processes and behaviours inside the board team. As stated before leadership can be considered as a collective practice, this is applicable for tams or board of director where every member has different capabilities and knowledge leadership influence based on knowledge and expertise in the team network will have a beneficial effect on the boardââ¬â¢s problem-solving capabilities and, therefore, board task performance (Vandewaerde et al. 2011). Painter (2008, p.523) also supports this idea stating that ââ¬Ëthe capacity to take responsibility when and where needed should be nurtured throughout the organizational system and among all of its members, despite the existence of a formal organizational hierarchy and various specialized functional unitsââ¬â¢. In this context, governance provides support rather than limits to develop a better organisation. The fact that different people can play a leadership role does not mean that no structure is required for leadership to be exercised (Painter 2008). Leaders can fail, sometimes because of the rush to make decisions they relied too much in the intuition, or due to ethical or moral lapses in judgment. The ultimate goal of the strategic leader should be to build sustainable integrity programs into the strategic management framework that encourage positive self-regulation of ethical behaviour as a matter of routine within the organisation (Lussier & Achua 2010). Without ethic and integrity among the leaders, governance would be ineffective under this scenario. The key in successful governance relies in the role that leadership play in the organisations. As Lussier and Achua (2010 p.418) point out strategic leadership ensure that strategic management process is successfully carried out and yields the desired result for the organisations. Effective followership and organisation outcomes As defined previously, leadership is about influencing, motivating and enabling others to contribute toward the effectiveness and success of the organisation (McShane, Olekalns & Travaglione, 2010). When leadership in organisations is affected there is an immediate reaction in employeesââ¬â¢ performance. For instance in some cases of merging there is a transition stage where employees lost the direction and leadership is replaced for uncertainty. When members of the community feel abandoned, trust in the organization and its new leader or leaders becomes an issue. During the change process, if the view of the organization becomes less positive, association with it may become less appealing (Curry, 2002). The major influential factors related to job performance can be found in the aspects of social and organizational cultural contexts, but leadership is one of the most critical factors affecting individual job performance. (Baek-Kyoo, 2012). Leadership create an environment where subordinates are more satisfied and have higher effective organisational commitment. They also perform their jobs better, engage in more organisational citizenship behaviours and make better or more creative decision. (McShane, Olekalns & Travaglione 2010). As stated leadership is one of the most important elements of organisation effectiveness. However to develop a culture of leadership in an organisation is not easy task. Effective leadership requires effective followership, because without followers there are no leaders. (Lussier & Achua 2010). In the way to success organisations need good followers to support and influence positively their leaders. In order to develop effective leadership in organisations there has to be a harmonic relationship between the leader and follower, this interaction is essential to reach organisational success. Regardless the structure or governance applies in organisations, the commitment between leaders and followers have to be clear and accepted in both sides. As Derue and Ashford (p.643, 2010) suggest, whether that leadership-structure schema is hierarchical or shared its strength as a norm should facilitate reciprocal claiming and granting and allow for the rapid development of well-defined leader-follower relationships. These norms are the rules game that will make leadership flourish easily among employees, otherwise the organisation effectiveness could be compromised, organizations without such norms organisations going through significant changes might experience greater conflict over leadership and within leader-follower relationships (Kan & Parry 2004), which, in turn, may distract from effective work performance (Derue & Ashford 2010). Conclusion Todayââ¬â¢s work environment is characterized for uncertainty, volatility and global competition; organisations have to change constantly in order to survive and success. Thus nowadays organisations not only need managers, they need leaders as well. As explained leadership and governance in organisations are important for organisations success, leaders and managers have different roles but they are complementary. Basically the difference between leaders and manager is defined by their behaviour toward organisations goal, while leaderââ¬â¢s focus is on their organisation vision in the long term; managers are looking how to accomplish firmââ¬â¢s goals in the short term. It is clear the governance outcomes will define the success or failure of companies, in order to have effective governance, organisations need human resource capable of create, communicate and model a shared vision for the team or organisation, and inspire followers to strive that vision. Thus, governance has to provide the conditions to flourish not only good managers but leaders as well. Leadership is one of the most critical factors that affect job performance. It is important establish a scheme that promote followership among employees in order to develop a quality leadership culture in the organisation. To do so, leaders and followers roles have to be clearly defined and be accepted. Only if leaders and followers are committed with the organisation vision the organisation effectiveness would be enhanced generating a positive outcome for stakeholder benefit. Reference Albacete-Sà ¡ez, C, Fuentes, M & Bojica, A 2011,ââ¬â¢Quality management, strategic priorities and performance: The role of quality leadershipââ¬â¢, Industrial Management & Data Systems, Vol. 111, no. 8, pp. 1173 ââ¬â 1193. Baek-Kyoo, J 2012, ââ¬ËLeader-Member exchange quality and In-Role job performance: The moderating role of learningââ¬â¢, Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, Vol. 19, no. 1, pp.25ââ¬â34. Caldwell, C, Hayes, L & Long, D 2010 ââ¬ËLeadership, trustworthiness, and ethical stewardshipââ¬â¢, Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 96, pp. 497ââ¬â512. Commonwealth of Australia 2009 fahcsia.gov.au/sa/disability/pubs/general/CorporateGovernanceHandbook/Pages/Concepts.aspx Curry, B. K. 2002, ââ¬ËThe influence of the leader persona on organizational identityââ¬â¢ Journal of Leadership Studies, Vol. 8, no. 4, pp33, Online Expanded Academic ASAP. Derue, D & Ashford, S 2010, ââ¬ËWho will lead
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)