Leadership in a Team of Millennials Essay

Leadership in a Team of Millennials Essay Principles of Leadership Sociology Essay Example Principles of Leadership Sociology Essay Example The aim of the current report is to address the question of what need to be done to become a better leader in the face of people and challenges that exist in my organization. The report begins by re-stating the leading of millennials in the contemporary organizations and the challenges that people can encounter when trying to lead in an old-fashioned style of leadership. As dynamic and outgoing are the millennials, trying to maintain the status quo will work only in extremely rare occasions. However, most of the time, millennials will resist any attempt to stop change, exclude them from where decisions are made, or inhibit their attempt to grow professionally or receive recognition and promotion. The paper uses a number of theories in leadership and change to describe different approaches that could be used by leaders leading a millennial-packed organization. SELF-REFLECTION: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT NEEDS TO LEAD MILLENNIALS Upon discussion of the theories and principles of leadership and change, the paper also inculcates my personal journey towards attaining the principles espoused in the theories. It highlights the personal transformation process that I have had to undergo, including overcoming my fears and doubts, and adopting an open door policy to allow smooth and constructive communication between millennials themselves, on one hand, and me as their leader on the other hand. There is an action plan in the report which encompasses the following areas: Personal transformations including self-confidence and open door policy for leadership; Having the feeling of being first among equals, and the adoption of servant leadership as my primary style of leadership; Opening up communication channels to encourage and promote learning through opinions and views; the regular briefing meetings where people say what they have learnt and how they want it applied in the organization. The conclusion offers a re-statement of my commitment to pursue humble and effective leadership for my team. Leading a team of outgoing and dynamic millennials can be both exciting and challenging at the same time (Sorensen 2007, p. 12; Northouse 2010, p. 4). As a leader, it is paramount to regularly check the level of satisfaction and contentment of the people in a team, especially one that is dominated by millennials. It is for a reason that the tastes, preferences, and desires of millennials fluctuate with what is going on in the world. Furthermore, most millennials are well educated and well informed people who have a strong sense of independence and resolve (Tyson 1998, p. 49). They want democracy and involvement in decision making and their opinions must be heard even if it contrasts with the culture or policies of the organization. For this reason, any person who leads a group of millennials must have better professional development programs that allow him or her to have capacity to guide and lead the organization in a way that is acceptable to the majority of the people in the organization. This, however, does not mean that professional development will eliminate all the challenges that an organization and its people face in the daily operations. It means that the leader must embark on a lifelong learning in terms of acquiring different leadership approaches to accommodate different preferences and desires of the people in the organization (Quinn, Spreitzer Brown 2000, p. 89). The purpose of this self-reflection paper is to expound on what I should do, as a leader of a team of millennials with a variety of needs. During my practice, I have discovered that members of my team are well acquainted with the fast-changing and challenging environment that is today’s contemporary workplace. Thus, they know what is needed to be done and can identify the goals appropriately, although they want incentives to accomplish the goals. Millennials are also fond of recognition in which form the organization chooses to, including mere mention of good work to compensation for work well done and promotion. They are ready to embrace change provided they know what they are changing, which means that they are involved in major decisions at the organization. Interesting, millennials have timelines as to which position they should be occupying in the organization. They also want to be included in the process of decision-making especially in matters that touch their work. Mor eover, millennials want a servant leadership approach without the conventional boss-servant relationship that defines traditional organizations. The process of leading has been always expressed in the context of the principles and practices of the leader. However, with changing times and needs of the work environment followers and situations are coming into play. The world today is in the need of a leader who is a servant and transformational (Quinn, Faerman, Thompson Clair 2007, p. 15). I have always tried to espouse these kinds of leadership styles with my team of millennials. Even though I am in the process of learning about change, I always encounter situations that conflict with my principles and values. Millennials want to be involved in the process of making decisions even though it may be inconsequential to them. This can be good and bad at time in relation to my style of leading. However, I have put in place action plan to help me cope with the challenges from within and outside of myself. Countering my Fears and Doubts and about my Ability to Lead One of the obstacles for good leadership is the fear of failure and the doubt about the decisions that ought to be made. Leading a team of millennials that want change instigates fear in me because I think that I may not satisfy what they want. As people who are always dynamic and acceptance of change, some of these changes may not be pleasant or welcome to the leader. Nevertheless, the challenge comes into play when the leader is under obligation to honor the call for change. As Quinn (2000, p. 6) noted, change is not something that comes easily although it may be the only constant in nature. The question that lingers in my mind as I go to my place of work is what the next change is going to be at my organization. In a way, I act as an agent of change, although with doubt and fear. This does not, however, mean that I am under pressure to facilitate the change that my team members want. Northouse (2010, p. 50) argues that leaders should allow their followers to influence them althoug h leaders ought to accept only the influence that is positive towards the common goal of the group. This is where servant and transformational leadership come into play. Servant leadership means that I want to serve the people that I lead. I do not want them to feel that I am imposing and coercing them to do things that they do not like. Transformational, in the sense that I want them to see and appreciate the common shared goal at the organization and strive to work in support of that goal. Coupled with a sense of being a leader, sometimes I am fearful that I will not achieve the two seemingly opposing view of having to embrace the characters of my team while also focusing on the goals that we must accomplish as an organization. Doubt comes in when I fail after accepting the influence of the millennials in some decisions. While my team of millennials is outgoing and want to be involved in making decisions, a good part of their contribution may not work for our organization. In some occasions, I have allowed their views to be inculcated in the decisions we make as a group. Unfortunately, a few of those occasions ended up disastrously. However, this does not mean that I should not allow their views in decision-making as that will be more disastrous towards the goals that we have as a team. The Lewin’s model calls for unfreezing of doubts when trying to accommodate the views of the followers in a team (Quinn 1996, p. 33). I know it works in very many occasions; but I can also fail much more in a very significant project that can bring the organization down. To counter this doubt, I have embraced a transformational kind of leadership where I make sure that the millennials that I lead understand the consequences of the decisions that they are suggesting (Penrose Pitelis 2009, p. 17). In many occasions, they have come to appreciate the dangers involved and changed their minds to a better approach. However, I have also changed my mind as a leader to follow their opinions where we are all convinced that it is the best direction for our organization. Feeling Lonely but Not Alone Leadership can be very lonesome especially where the followers and the leader are not concurrent with one another. Concurrence means that these two should support one another in ideas, decisions, and general management (Nohria Khurana 2010, p. 21). As a leader, I have tried to be close to the people that I lead to avoid being alone at the top of the organization. Loneliness and uncertainty come when the leader is not in tune with the needs of the people that he/she leads or does not respond to the needs of the people that form the group. My millennial team members are fond of promotions, they want transparency in the running of the organization, and they want recognition in their work. These are the things that I have put on my list to draw them closer to me as I try to satisfy their needs as members of the group. The ability to feel part of the team does not come easily. It involves a process of personal transformation, discarding one’s values and principles, and attainment of new systems of perspective to be able to identify and respond the to the needs of the people in the team (Kofman Senge 1993, p. 9). Millennials have unpredictable behavior changes. They want to respond to the changes and things that are happening thousands of miles away from them, having seen or read them through the Internet. Some of these behaviors can cause me as a leader to be indifferent or question what the millennials want. They are likely to delineate me from the people that a lead; seeing that I do not need to embrace them as they demand. The Model II of leadership developed by Argyris (1976, p. 57) explains what may happen in such a circumstance. He argues that a leader who is under pressure from the followers is likely to develop defensive mechanisms and control measures that establish a boundary between him/her and the people in the team. I have always strived to avoid reaching a level where I become differentiated and removed from the people that I lead. I strive to embrace them even as they embrace me. My role as a leader is to listen to the people, minimize anxiety, and embrace the spirit of learning and accommodation of divergent views on different matters that affect the leadership and general operations at the organization. The self-reflection journey as a leader is important as it assists to question ones weaknesses and strength (Joyner 2006, p. 19). More often than not, leaders tend to think that they are immune to discrimination or isolation by the rest of the people. Previously, I used to come at my place of work and go straight to my desk and start responding to issues and complaints. I discovered that I had no time for personal interactions with the members of my team. When I started interacting with them, I began to appreciate the roles that they play and get a glimpse of their needs and agitations, which for some reasons were not reaching me as their leader. The rest of the leaders with information were also afraid to approach and discuss it with me even after they got the information. However, after opening up to the rest of the team members, we have become equals and are free to share everything that affects any of our members including family issues. The journey of transforming the way I lead and manage the team of millennials that work under me began by personal transformation. It was evident when I started considering them as equals. I have been able to cultivate confidence, integrity, honesty, openness, creativity, and innovation both on my side and on the side of the people that I lead. This is in line with Demming’s observation that personal transformations can open doors for every possibility, especially for a leader of millennials like me (Joyce, Nohria Roberson 2003, p. 34). A Servant or a Leader Millennials are fond of both. They want a person who is a servant first then a leader second! In my time working with millennials, I have come to the conclusion that more millennials are inclined to a servant-like kind of leading. It contrasts with my previous style of leading which was more of confrontational. This is the style practiced around the world in many organizations (Freeman 1991, p. 54). Servant leadership is based on the ideas, philosophies and practices of the leader with the aim of enriching the lives of both the leader and the people being led. This is according to Robert Green leaf who first coined the term â€Å"servant leadership.† Greenleaf puts it correctly in his work when he notes about servant leadership It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. The conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servantfirst to make sure that other peoples highest priority needs are being served (Criswell Campbell 2008, p. 44). I have aspired always to become a servant le ader who is capable of addressing the needs of the people that a lead to maximum level possible. The philosophy and actual practice is presumed in the tenet of being â€Å"first among equals.† This can be a challenging fete to achieve especially in the contemporary world where everybody is looking for power and influence. However, the good thing about servant leadership is that it helps the leader to grow together with the team members. The leader sees himself/herself as a servant of the people with the intention of helping them to grow in the personal aspirations. One of the enduring qualities that I have acquired as a servant leader is the ability to listen to others (Clawson 2006, p. 67). Listening and communicating are the qualities that I work for in my action plan of conquering my sense of entitlement and desire to achieve greater things for myself and team members. I ensure that the language which I use to communicate with millennials is perfectly suited to their needs. I also give them time to air their views through forums and regular meetings at the organization. The aim is to help millennials to get what they need in honest and truthful way. This has not been easy always because of the resistance from other leaders at the organization, who may not be as progressive as I am. Some of the leaders at the organization are old folks who do not understand the dynamics of leading millennials in the 21st century (Cameron Quinn 1999, p. 23). They want to maintain the status quo by suppressing the millennials and thwarting any attempt to have change at the organization. Nevertheless, I also listen to their argument, communicate with them in a clear manner, where we want to go and marshal their support for the common good of the organization. This approach has worked in most cases and I have found that I do not even need to be present for some creative ideas to be implemented or the needs of the millennials to be addressed. An example is the organizing of training and conferences at the organization where different groups in my team are able to learn what is new in their professional areas. This is a part of the larger professional and career development which is at the heart of the millennials. Change as an Agent of Harmony and Unity The millennials are awash for change. They have glamour for change that can only be quenched by change itself. This is a fact that I have always strove to include in my leadership approaches. As people living in a world controlled by technological advancements, innovations and creativity, the millennials sometimes can be persistent in agitating for change without knowing why they want it (Bridges 2001, p. 30). Knowing why change is needed is a significant part towards the attainment of that change. According to Simon Sinek, millennials want change because they feel entitled to new things. As outgoing and dynamic people, they want to move with the rest of the world. Thus, what works for one organization well must also work for this organization (Boyer1994, p. 56). It is a part of the global movement spearheaded by millennials who view themselves as agents of change in their places of work. However, knowing why change is needed is a better point than just calling for change. This is my area of interest; how to make them see the actual reason why change is needed. Sometimes, I have come to discover that the change we agitate for could knock us off as an organization. As I leader, I always communicate with the millennials about the need to have well thought decisions about change. Sometimes, it seems like my views are contradicting what they want for themselves, but as a servant leader, I know that my desires is to develop and help them to achieve their needs (Belasen 2000, p. 70). One of the ways that I use to bring harmony and unity among my teams is meetings and conferences, where everyone has the opportunity to be heard while also listening to the other people. The act of involving everyone in the decisions about change has allowed me to have a calm and inclusive leadership void of feelings of desperations. I do not struggle when I want to pass any ideas to the people that I lead. Leadership is somehow coming to me as a natural predisposition even though deep inside myself I know that I am afraid of failure. I am also afraid that the people I lead might be more intelligent than I am. This is a good thing but is also a challenge to me to embrace learning and professional growth in my career as a leader. As much as I want the best for myself, I also want to grow in my knowledge and wisdom and I have been doing this by interacting with others in my team and learning from them as well. The focus is to become what I am not by learning and experiencing difficult and challenging circumstances and situations in my leadership (Bandura 1986, p. 32). The millennials in my team are people with high affinity for knowledge. I do not feel embarrassed to ask something that I do not know from anyone of them. In fact, many of them are excited to teach me something new and we are almost forming a habit of having a learning session every week. It allows people to say what they have learnt throughout the week, and what they would like incorporated in our daily management of the team. In true sense, I am following through the Lefton Bozzotta’s (2004, p. 17) and Bessler’s (1970, p. 80) theory of change by striving to become what I have always been rather than what I have not always been. I knew in my heart that I am a servant leader, but the conventional way of leading in many organizations forced me to start with an autocratic way of leading.

Selected Quotations of Margaret Mead

Selected Quotations of Margaret Mead Margaret Mead was an anthropologist known for her work on the relationship of culture and personality. Meads early work stressed the cultural basis of gender roles while later she wrote about the biological influence on male and female behaviors, too. She became a prominent lecturer and writer on family and child-rearing issues. Margaret Meads research- especially her work in Samoa- has come under more recent criticism for inaccuracies and naivete, but she remains a pioneer in the field of anthropology. These quotes demonstrate her work in this field and offer some observations and motivation. Selected Margaret Mead Quotations Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. I must admit that I personally measure success in terms of the contributions an individual makes to her or his fellow human beings. I was brought up to believe that the only thing worth doing was to add to the sum of accurate information in the world. If one cannot state a matter clearly enough so that even an intelligent twelve-year-old can understand it, one should remain within the cloistered walls of the university and laboratory until one gets a better grasp of ones subject matter. It may be necessary temporarily to accept a lesser evil, but one must never label a necessary evil as good. Life in the twentieth century is like a parachute jump: you have to get it right the first time. What people say, what people do, and what they say they do are entirely different things. Even though the ship may go down, the journey goes on. I learned the value of hard work by working hard. Sooner or later Im going to die, but Im not going to retire. The way to do fieldwork is never to come up for air until it is all over. The ability to learn is older- as it is also more widespread- than is the ability to teach. We are now at a point where we must educate our children in what no one knew yesterday, and prepare our schools for what no one knows yet. I have spent most of my life studying the lives of other peoples- faraway peoples- so that Americans might better understand themselves. A city must be a place where groups of women and men are seeking and developing the highest things they know. Our humanity rests upon a series of learned behaviors, woven together into patterns that are infinitely fragile and never directly inherited. Mans most human characteristic is not his ability to learn, which he shares with many other species, but his ability to teach and store what others have developed and taught him. The negative cautions of science are never popular. If the experimentalist would not commit himself, the social philosopher, the preacher, and the pedagogue tried the harder to give a short-cut answer.   In 1976:  We women are doing pretty well. Were almost back to where we were in the twenties. I had no reason to doubt that brains were suitable for a woman. And as I had my fathers kind of mind- which was also his mothers- I learned that the mind is not sex-typed. Differences in sex as they are known today ... are based on the bringing up of the mother. She is always pushing the female towards similarity and the male towards differences. There is no evidence that suggests women are naturally better at caring for children ... with the fact of child-bearing out of the center of attention, there is even more reason for treating girls first as human beings, then as women. It has been a womans task throughout history to go on believing in life when there was almost no hope. Because of their age-long training in human relations- for that is what feminine intuition really is- women have a special contribution to make to any group enterprise. Every time we liberate a woman, we liberate a man. The male form of a female liberationist is a male liberationist- a man who realizes the unfairness of having to work all his life to support a wife and children so that someday his widow may live in comfort, a man who points out that commuting to a job he doesnt like is just as oppressive as his wifes imprisonment in a suburb, a man who rejects his exclusion, by society and most women, from participation in childbirth and the most engrossing, delightful care of young children- a man, in fact, who wants to relate himself to people and the world around him as a person. Women want mediocre men, and men are working to become as mediocre as possible. Mothers are a biological necessity; fathers are a social invention. Fathers are biological necessities, but social accidents. Mans role is uncertain, undefined, and perhaps unnecessary. I think extreme heterosexuality is a perversion. No matter how many communes anybody invents, the family always creeps back. One of the oldest human needs is having someone to wonder where you are when you dont come home at night. Nobody has ever before asked the nuclear family to live all by itself in a box the way we do. With no relatives, no support, weve put it in an impossible situation. We have got to face the fact that marriage is a terminable institution. Of all the peoples whom I have studied, from city dwellers to cliff dwellers, I always find that at least 50 percent would prefer to have at least one jungle between themselves and their mothers-in-law. Any woman can find a husband unless she is deaf, dumb or blind ... [S]he cannot always marry the ideal man of her choice. And when our baby stirs and struggles to be born it compels humility: what we began is now its own. The pains of childbirth were altogether different from the enveloping effects of other kinds of pain. These were pains one could follow with one’s mind. You just have to learn not to care about the dust mites under the beds. Instead of needing lots of children, we need high-quality children. The solution to adult problems tomorrow depends on large measure upon how our children grow up today. Thanks to television, for the first time the young are seeing history made before it is censored by their elders. As long as any adult thinks that he, like the parents and teachers of old, can become introspective, invoking his own youth to understand the youth before him, he is lost. If you associate enough with older people who do enjoy their lives, who are not stored away in any golden ghettos, you will gain a sense of continuity and of the possibility for a full life. Old age is like flying through a storm. Once youre aboard, theres nothing you can do. All of us who grew up before the war are immigrants in time, immigrants from an earlier world, living in an age essentially different from anything we knew before. The young are at home here. Their eyes have always seen satellites in the sky. They have never known a world in which war did not mean annihilation. If we are to achieve a richer culture, rich in contrasting values, we must recognize the whole gamut of human potentialities, and so weave a less arbitrary social fabric, one in which each diverse human gift will find a fitting place. Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else. We will be a better country when each religious group can trust its members to obey the dictates of their own religious faith without assistance from the legal structure of their country. The liberals have not softened their view of actuality to make themselves live closer to the dream, but instead sharpen their perceptions and fight to make the dream actuality or give up the battle in despair. The contempt for law and the contempt for the human consequences of lawbreaking go from the bottom to the top of American society. We are living beyond our means. As a people we have developed a life-style that is draining the earth of its priceless and irreplaceable resources without regard for the future of our children and people all around the world. We wont have a society if we destroy the environment. Having two bathrooms ruined the capacity to co-operate. Prayer does not use up artificial energy, doesnt burn up any fossil fuel, doesnt pollute. Neither does song, neither does love, neither does the dance. As the traveler who has once been from home is wiser than he who has never left his own doorstep, so a knowledge of one other culture should sharpen our ability to scrutinize more steadily, to appreciate more lovingly, our own. The study of human culture is a context within which every aspect of human life legitimately falls and necessitates no rift between work and play, professional and amateur activities. I have always done a womans job.   Her motto:  Be lazy, go crazy. Quotes About Margaret Mead To cherish the life of the world.  Source: Epitaph on her gravestone Courtesy, modesty, good manners, conformity to definite ethical standards are universal, but what constitutes courtesy, modesty, good manners, and definite ethical standards is not universal. It is instructive to know that standards differ in the most unexpected ways.  Source: Franz Boaz, Meads academic advisor, wrote this of her book Coming of Age in Samoa

Problem-solving proposals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Problem-solving proposals - Essay Example These problems can be attributed to the actions and strategies instituted by all the previous CEOs (â€Å"Worst of 2012†). This topic is interesting as it gives an outlook on some of the important management issues relating to the business operations in the current business environment. Businesses need to make the relevant management changes to cope with the challenges in the internal environment including employee motivation and external environment such as increasing competition and dynamic customer demands. It is clear that there is lack of stability in the leadership, and this has made it complex for the company to maintain consistency in the company. It has been noted that each CEO has instituted more dramatic strategies than their predecessors, which have led to substantial changes in the company’s direction. The HP case study is one of a kind and has valuable lessons to managers and business students worldwide. Statement of the Problem Over the past few years, HP has lost approximately three quarters of their value, and this can be observed from its performance in the stock market (â€Å"Worst of 2012†). Any efforts to turn around the company’s deteriorating performance have proven to be futile. In the past ten years, the company has made efforts to transform its leadership and has lurched from one approach to another and recruited highly skilled leaders to amend the daunting problem of poor management. In 1999, the company brought on board Carly Fiorina whose main strategy focused on repositioning the company by taking the customers’ needs into account (â€Å"Worst of 2012†). It was under her leadership that the company made one of the most detrimental moves by entering into a merger with one of HP’s archrivals, Compaq. This was aimed at improving speed in preparation for the advent of the Internet era’ however, the strategy failed to meet the set objectives. HP then recruited Mark Hurd in 2005 to deal with the issue of decreasing profitably (â€Å"Worst of 2012†). The company experienced immense growth and increased revenues under the leadership of Mark Hurd. However, this was short lived in 2010 when he was suddenly suspended over sexual harassment allegations (â€Å"Worst of 2012†). This led to an upfront challenge to his predecessor as he would have to live up to Hurd’s exemplary reputation. The company then outsourced Leo Apotheker who worked at a Germany-based software company. Apotheker focused too much on software development and worked at the company for a short time (â€Å"Worst of 2012†). Currently, the company is under the leadership of Meg Whitman who is working tirelessly to solve the problems at HP. The third quarter earnings reveal that the company is not doing so well; however, Meg Whitman retorts that there are a lot of areas that need fixing. She claims that the company is at the initial stages of its take-off. Conversely, financ ial analysts are skeptical about this and argue that it could be a repeat of what has happened with predecessors. She states that HP is facing three major challenges including execution of proposed strategies, industry trends as well as macroeconomic problems. Presently, the company has a market capitalization of 46.92 B, revenue of 115.57 B, EPS – 6. 85 and from the PE ratio we can conclude that the

United parcel service and aviation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

United parcel service and aviation - Essay Example This paper presents the detailed summary of UPS marketing in aviation sector and other aspects like what are the services offered by the United Parcel Service for the customers of UPS. UPS business has seen a remarkable growth in the last fifteen to twenty years.The extent of competition between their competitors has also reached to a point of saturation which is making the UPS aviation sector to entice the customers with lucrative offers. Due to this competition the other parcel service operators are also providing out of the air port services to the customers.In the process to achieve the targets set by the UPS, employees try to provide the customers with the best discounts possible. In addition this paper classifies how many types of air busses are available with UPS and what are the techniques or services offered by the UPS to target the customers. The name of the competitors mentioned in the work is only used for the information purpose and not for circulation within the media.T he role of UPS in aviation sector is quit evident because the aviation sector uses some of the best servers and computers related with high end aeronautic equipment used for aviation which should help UPS to grow maximum extent possible and hence UPS support and substantiate the uninterrupted break thru in the work culture of the present day business requirements.United Parcel Service started in 1970 first as a messenger company in the United States. Now its stake is approximately $36 billion. It achieved this position by focusing on the goal of enabling commerce around the globe. Today UPS is the world's largest package delivery company and also a leading global provider of specialized transportation and logistics delivery. It operates in 200 countries worldwide. The growth of UPS in terms of economy is surprising, who would have imagined that a teenage boy borrowing one hundred dollars to start a package delivery business would create a company that is presently worth more than thirty billion dollars. Jim Casey, who was the founder, with the help of his brother and friends started The American Messenger Company in the year 1907. Their main task was to deliver packages, different sort of luggage and messages. At that the main transport for the company was bicycle. Though initially they faced many problems their business was a success. The only marketing techniques UPS uses to target customers to use UPS instead of DHL, FED-EX, USPS etc are the wide variety of services they provide to their customers and global clients. They not only provide wide variety of services but also make sure that the services provided are above the standards set by the company. According to business and commerce marketing is done for which there is no market. The service that UPS provides has a ready made global market. UPS sure knows how to tap the global market. To tap the global market UPS instead of using marketing techniques it believed in providing high-end customer service round the clock throughout the year The most important and primary services provided by the UPS are. 1. Shipping. 2. Tracking. 3. Support. 4. Business Solutions. Shipping: A customer can himself create a shipment to what ever the location he requires across 200 countries worldwide. A customer can calculate time and cost required for shipment to a specific location.

An argument against abortion in relation to considering the mothers well being Essay Example for Free

An argument against abortion in relation to considering the mothers well being Essay Abortion is a highly-debated topic in society today.   People on each side of the argument have very strong views.   They each make good points that are valid.   But they often go so far as to harass the other side of the debate, they openly attack the people with beliefs the opposite of their own.   In this particular debate, were arguing the constitutionality of banning abortion with or without an exception to the ban.   This exception is regarding the health of the mother.    The yes side of the argument says that it was constitutional to ban abortion outright.   They believe in the constitutionality of the ban even without a clause of exception for the health of the mother.   This means that even if the mothers health is in imminent danger, even if she is in danger of dying, she still cannot get an abortion.   These people believe that abortions are wrong and they don’t even condone them when continuing the pregnancy could mean the mother would die.  Ã‚   The strengths of their argument are that they believe abortion to be murder.   Technically, if you believe that a fetus is a person then yes, it is murder.   They believe that all murder is wrong, even if it would save the mother.   The no-argument says that this ban is wrong in itself.   It needs to have an exemption to protect the well-being of the mother.   They’re all for protecting the health of the mother.   If the mother’s life is in imminent danger, then she should easily be able to get a legal abortion.   It’s not constitutional to ban abortion outright with no clause to protect the mother. A rational choice theory would likely explain why so many people are against these exceptions in banning abortions.   They think the life of this fetus is worth more than the mother.   They believe this because the fetus has a whole life ahead of them while the mother has already lived through a number of years.   They make the rational choice to favor the life of the fetus over that of the mother. The most surprising thing about this argument is how vehemently the yes side argues that abortion is murder.   They believe that an abortion is a murder even if that abortion would save the life of the mother.   That’s ridiculous.   It’s not fair to essentially end the life of the mother just to save the fetus.   Youre killing one to save the other.   That’s their exact argument against abortion.   They abhor abortion for killing the fetus but in these instances, its killing the mother.   So if either way, someone will die it’s not fair to automatically favor the mother like this.   I understand that the no argument believes that these exceptions in the ban are not right but I disagree.   I think that the exceptions are necessary.   Its unfair to arbitrarily favor the wellbeing of the fetus over that of the mother.   I think that exceptions to these abortion bans are absolutely necessary.   We need to provide clauses in case the wel lbeing of the mother is in danger.

Mr. Collins from Pride and Prejudice Essay -- Pride and Prejudice Jane

Mr. Collins from Pride and Prejudice Mr Collins is a wealthy, high-class clergyman who desires to have the hand of marriage from Elizabeth Bennet of Longbourne. The Bennet family however is not as prosperous as Mr Collins’, and it was on this basis that many marriages were established. During Mr Collins discussion with Elizabeth he declares his intentions to propose and Mrs Bennet gives her consent. When Jane Austin says ‘he set about it in an orderly manner which he supposed a regular part of business’ It demonstrates how Mr Collins being very narrow minded is a man that goes by the beliefs of his society and the period in which he lived in-so he thought that this was to be the right way to propose. When Mr Collins tries to win Elizabeth over he says ‘I singled you out as the companion of my life’ it shows that his decision was based on looks only, according to the convictions of that time the lady would be flattered and eager to accept but this does not alter Elizabeth’s decision. When Mr Collins talks of selecting a wife It showed how low he thought of the o...

Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Technology Essay

Chief among there is its convenience, efficiency and effectiveness in work, study, and research. It must be said that there are a number of substantial problems associated with the phenomenon of modernized technology. The one that springs immediately to mind is the potential risk of overusing technology in our lives. At the other end of the spectrum, there are many and varied merits to the concept of easily accessible up-to-date technology. Perhaps most importantly, it assists people to carry out their work faster. In my own experience, I found that technological appliances such as computer and mobile phone have assisted me a great deal in my occupation. As an accountant, I usually liaise with my clients to discuss about their account issues. Sometimes, problems can be solved via only a phone call. In addition, the aid of computer has reduced amount of my work significantly. At the end of the day, the positives effects of using digital technology and its convenience and efficiency for most people are more convincing than the negative aspects. If digital technology were never invented, our lives would be never wonderful as they should be. There is a school of thought which contends that features, talents and shortcomings humanity is born with determine our social skills and growth considerably more than any education and real-life scenarios throughout our lives. From my personal perspective, I am unable to concur with this view. First and foremost, it is clearly evident that while beasts inherit all the intuition needed for existence when they come into the world, humanity is virtually useless at birth and takes the first 20 years of life acquiring survival prowess. / To begin with, it is immediately apparent that off spring inherit incredible genetic †hard-wired† abilities at birth, but unless they are encouraged to evolve these, such talents will manifest themselves. / First and foremost, it is clearly evident that if an individual has skill at something, it becomes pparent in earlier youth. People do not wake up one morning as excellent/superb athletes or academics at the age of 35. Similarly, lack of ability or learning difficulties are usually noticed at a very young age. This strongly recommends that babies are neither born with distinct abilities nor they are. †¦.. At the end of the day, in the course of our daily existence, any educative processes and life-changing events exert far g reater control than aspects, natural abilities as well as weak points that are contained in our genetic make-up.

History on football Essay

The history of American football can be traced to early versions of rugby football and association football. Both games have their origin in varieties of football played in Britain in the mid-19th century, in which a football is kicked at a goal and/or run over a line. American football resulted from several major divergences from rugby, most notably the rule changes instituted by Walter Camp, considered the â€Å"Father of American Football†. Among these important changes were the introduction of the line of scrimmage and of down-and-distance rules.[1][2][3] In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, gameplay developments by college coaches such as Eddie Cochems, Amos Alonzo Stagg, Knute Rockne, and Glenn â€Å"Pop† Warner helped take advantage of the newly introduced forward pass. The popularity of college football grew as it became the dominant version of the sport in the United States for the first half of the 20th century. Bowl games, a college football tradition, attracted a national audience for college teams. Boosted by fierce rivalries, college football still holds widespread appeal in the US. The origin of professional football can be traced back to 1892, with William â€Å"Pudge† Heffelfinger’s $500 contract to play in a game for the Allegheny Athletic Association against the Pittsburgh Athletic Club. In 1920 the American Professional Football Association was formed. This league changed its name to the National Football League (NFL) two years later, and eventually became the major league of American football. Primarily a sport of Midwestern industrial towns in the United States, professional football eventually became a national phenomenon. Football’s increasing popularity is usually traced to the 1958 NFL Championship Game, a contest that has been dubbed the â€Å"Greatest Game Ever Played†. A rival league to the NFL, the American Football League (AFL), began play in 1960; the pressure it put on the senior league led to a merger between the two leagues and the creation of the Super Bowl, which has become the most watched television event in the United States on an annual basis.[4]

The eNotes Blog What You Read Over Summer Vacation Readers Respond toeNotes

What You Read Over Summer Vacation Readers Respond to Remember, just a few months ago, when the summer seemed endless and our Loyal Blog Readers were asked what   books were going into beach bags and which were being chucked in the backseats of cars?   Some were novels recommended by a friend; others were purchased because of the rave reviews of trusted literary critics; still others were ones that had been Christmas gifts that we were finally going to have time to read.   Well, now those readers report back, with thumbs up or down or sideways about those earlier choices, and some that snuck in somehowimpulse buys or gifts.   Heres what you had to say about your summer reading selections:    THUMBS UP! Whered You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple Delightfully droll. Semplecuts a wry slice of a life-one thats populated by private school helicopter parents, obsessively eco-conscious neighbors, and green-juice swilling, TED-talking husbands-and one thats sharp enough to make us feel slightly relieved about not having to live anywhere quite so bucolic. (Megan OGrady, Vogue) MEH. Joyland by Stephen King Not too much joy to be found from one reader, who deems Joyland to be merely so-so. An amusement park and murder figure into a coming-of-age tale in this miniature thriller with a hint of the supernatural. – Los Angeles Times THUMBS UP! TWICE! Many   readers read this over the summer and highly recommend. More chimed in saying they have it on their lists as well. Hey, there are still a couple more weeks left in the summer of 2013! Cooked:   A Natural History of Transformation by Michael Pollan In Cooked, Michael Pollan explores the previously uncharted territory of his own kitchen. Here, he discovers the enduring power of the four classical elements- fire, water, air, and earth- to transform the stuff of nature into delicious things to eat and drink. Apprenticing himself to a succession of culinary masters, Pollan learns how to grill with fire, cook with liquid, bake bread, and ferment everything from cheese to beer. THUMBS UP! Devil in the White City by Erik Larson This novel appeared on our Summer Reading Suggestions for 2013 and we are happy to report   it met our readers expectations. Erik Larson- author of #1 bestseller In the Garden of Beasts- intertwines the true tale of the 1893 Worlds Fair and the cunning serial killer who used the fair to lure his victims to their death. Combining meticulous research with nail-biting storytelling, Erik Larson has crafted a narrative with all the wonder of newly discovered history and the thrills of the best fiction. MEH. Cell by Stephen King Sorry, Mr. King, but youve made the meh list twice this year.   Maybe its because sometimes you want the literary equivalent of McDonalds, but then you eat/read it and you realize it tasted like masking tape.   Anyhoo. heres the description should you feel like a (un)Happy Meal: Graphic artist Clay Riddell was in the heart of Boston on that brilliant autumn afternoon when hell was unleashed before his eyes. Without warning, carnage and chaos reigned. Ordinary people fell victim to the basest, most animalistic destruction. And the apocalypse began with the ring of a cell phone. THUMBS UP! The Wasp Factory by Ian Banks Meet Frank Cauldhame. Just sixteen, and unconventional to say the least: Two years after I killed Blyth I murdered my young brother Paul, for quite different and more fundamental reasons than Id disposed of Blyth, and then a year after that I did for my young cousin Esmerelda, more or less on a whim. Thats my score to date. Three. I havent killed anybody for years, and dont intend to ever again. It was just a stage I was going through. OTHERS BOOKS THAT ALSO GOT THUMBS UP! Fall of Giants (Triology) by Ken Follet Declare by Tim Powers N0S4A2 by Joe Hill The Night She Disappeared by Alice Henry The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Tourism in Antarctica

Tourism in Antarctica Antarctica has become one of the worlds most popular tourist destinations. Since 1969, the average number of visitors to the continent has increased from several hundred to over 34,000 today. All activities in Antarctica are heavily regulated by the Antarctic Treaty for environmental protection purposes and the industry is largely managed by the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO). History of Tourism in Antarctica The first expedition to Antarctica with travelers was in 1966, led by Swedish explorer Lars Eric Lindblad. Lindblad wanted to give tourists a first-hand experience on the ecological sensitivity of the Antarctic environment, in order to educate them and promote a greater understanding of the continents role in the world. The modern expedition cruise industry was born shortly after, in 1969, when Lindblad built the worlds first expedition ship, the MS Lindblad Explorer, which was specifically designed to transport tourists to Antarctica. In 1977, both Australia and New Zealand started to offer scenic flights to Antarctica through Qantas and Air New Zealand. The flights often flew to the continent without landing and returned to the departure airport. The experience was an average 12 to 14 hours with up to 4 hours flying directly over the continent. The flights from Australia and New Zealand stopped in 1980. It was due in large part to the Air New Zealand Flight 901 accident on November 28, 1979, in which a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 aircraft carrying 237 passengers and 20 crew members collided into Mount Erebus on Ross Island, Antarctica, killing all onboard. Flights to Antarctica did not resume again until 1994. Despite the potential hazards and risks, tourism to Antarctica continued to grow. According to IAATO, 34,354 travelers visited the continent between 2012 and 2013. Americans contributed to the largest share with 10,677 visitors, or 31.1%, followed by Germans (3,830/11.1%), Australians (3,724/10.7%), and the British (3,492/10.2%). The remainder of the visitors were from China, Canada, Switzerland, France, and elsewhere. IAATO The IAATOs original visitor and tour operator guidelines served as the basis in the development of the Antarctic Treaty Recommendation XVIII-1, which includes guidance for Antarctic visitors and for non-government tour organizers. Some of the mandated guidelines include: Do not disturb wildlife either at sea or on landDo not feed or touch animals or photograph in a way that will disturbDo not damage plants or bring invasive speciesDo not damage, destroy, or remove artifacts from historic sites. This includes rocks, bones, fossils, and content of buildingsDo not interfere with scientific equipment, study sites, or field campsDo not walk onto glaciers or large snowfields unless properly trainedDo not litter There are currently over 58 vessels registered with the IAATO. Seventeen of the vessels are categorized as yachts, which can transport up to 12 passengers, 28 are considered category 1 (up to 200 passengers), 7 are category 2 (up to 500), and 6 are cruise ships, capable of housing anywhere from 500 to 3,000 visitors. Tourism in Antarctica Today Most ships depart from South America, particularly Ushuaia in Argentina, Hobart in Australia, and Christchurch or Auckland, New Zealand. The principal destination is the Antarctic Peninsula region, which includes the Falkland Islands and South Georgia. Certain private expeditions may include visits to inland sites, including Mt .Vinson (Antarcticas highest mountain) and the geographic South Pole. An expedition can last anywhere from a few days to several weeks. Yachts and category 1 ships generally land on the continent with a duration lasting approximately 1 - 3 hours. There can be between 1-3 landings per day using inflatable crafts or helicopters to transfer visitors. Category 2 ships typically sail the waters with or without landing and cruise ships carrying more than 500 passengers are no longer operational as of 2009 due to concerns of oil or fuel spills. Most of the activities while on land include visits to operational scientific stations and wildlife sties, hiking, kayaking, mountaineering, camping, and scuba-diving. Excursions are always accompanied by seasoned staff members, which often includes an ornithologist, marine biologist, geologist, naturalist, historian, general biologist, and/or glaciologist. A trip to Antarctica can range anywhere from as little as $3,000-$4,000 to over $40,000, depending on the scope of transportation, housing, and activity needs. The higher end packages typically involve air transport, on-site camping, and a visit to the South Pole. References British Antarctic Survey (2013, September 25). Antarctic Tourism. Retrieved from: antarctica.ac.uk/about_antarctica/tourism/faq.php International Association of Antarctica Tour Operations (2013, September 25). Tourism Overview. Retrieved from: http://iaato.org/tourism-overview

Knowledge Management Individual Assignment Essay

Knowledge Management Individual Assignment - Essay Example Knowledge Management is one of the hottest topics in the fields of management and information technology. Several activities are involved in the process of knowledge management. Out of the many, the most commonly cited and discussed knowledge management activity is knowledge sharing or transfer (Ford, et al., 2003). Knowledge sharing is observed to be critical towards the success of today’s business organisation (Davenport, and Prusak, 1998). This is so because it results in deployment of knowledge to certain organisational portions at a rapid rate which can prove to be highly beneficial for the organisation (Syed-Ikhsan, and Rowland, 2004). Knowledge management can thus be considered as a socio-technical system that includes different form of storage, generation, sharing and representation of knowledge. Specific functional features of knowledge management are found to be always based on certain assumptions that are inherent to the cultural backgrounds of the people who either create or manage them. However, if people having national or professional cultural backgrounds use these systems in a way that differs from those intended by its designers, it might actually result in inhibiting the process of knowledge sharing in organisations (Branch, 1997). This study entails about analysing the impact that organisational culture has on the knowledge sharing environment of the companies in general. Communities of Practice and Knowledge Management Communities of Practice (CoPs) have received renewed attention in the recent years mainly in the field of different ways of managing the social and human aspects of knowledge dissemination and creation within the firms. One can find various existing literature that are related to the discussion of CoPs in the knowledge management literature (Davenport, and Prusak, 1998; Wasko, and Faraj, 2000; Wenger, et al., 2002; Ardichvili, et al., 2003). Lave, and Wenger (1991) were the first to coin the term community of practice a nd it can be defined as a system of activity wherein the participants are involved in sharing their understanding related to their present activities performed in the organisation and how they are valued in their lives and the communities. One of the assumptions that is central to the concept of CoP is that community members who are adjudged to be less experienced are involved in a learning process received from the social interactions with the community members who are considered to be experts of a specific domain of knowledge (Lave, and Wenger, 1991). One of the most important benefits of CoP is its ability to generate or disseminate tacit knowledge. This type of knowledge cannot be communicated easily because most of the times it is either embedded in a particular context or is intuitive in nature (Nonaka, 1994). This type of tacit knowledge possessed by an organisation is believed to be critical towards the sustainable competitive advantage gained by the companies because others cannot easily copy or imitate it (Liedtka, 1999). Brown and Duguid (1991) have argued that internalising and sharing tacit knowledge needs