Why Were Flags So Important in the Civil War

Civil War soldiers placed great importance on the flags of their regiments, and men would sacrifice their lives defending a regimental flag to protect it from capture by the enemy. A great reverence for regimental flags is often reflected in accounts written during the Civil War, from newspapers to letters written by soldiers to official regimental histories. Its obvious that flags carried enormous significance. The respect for the flag of a regiment was partly a matter of pride and morale. But it also had a practical aspect closely associated with the conditions of a 19th century battlefield. Did You Know? The placement of regimental flags served as visual communication during Civil War battles. Vocal commands and bugle calls could not be heard on the noisy battlefields, so soldiers were trained to follow the flag. Flags Were Valuable Morale Builders Civil War armies, both Union and Confederate, tended to be organized as regiments from particular states. And soldiers tended to feel their first loyalty toward their regiment. Soldiers strongly believed they represented their home state (or even their local region in the state), and much of the morale of Civil War units was focused on that pride. And a state regiment typically carried its own flag into battle. Soldiers took a great deal of pride in those flags. The regimental battle flags were always treated with great reverence. At times ceremonies would be held in which the flags were paraded in front of the men. While these parade ground ceremonies tended to be symbolic, events designed to instill and reinforce morale, there was also a very practical purpose, which was making sure that every man could recognize the regimental flag. Practical Purposes of Civil War Battle Flags The regimental flags were critical in Civil War battles as they marked the position of the regiment on the battlefield, which could often be a very confused place. In the noise and smoke of battle, regiments could become scattered. Vocal commands, or even bugle calls, could not be heard. And, of course, armies at the time of the Civil War had no electronic means to communicate such as radios. So a visual rallying point was essential, and soldiers were trained to follow the flag. A popular song of the Civil War, The Battle Cry of Freedom, made mention of how well rally round the flag, boys. The reference to the flag, while ostensibly a patriotic boast, does actually play upon the practical use of flags as rallying points on the battlefield. Because the regimental flags had genuine strategic importance in battle, designated teams of soldiers, known as the color guard, carried them. A typical regimental color guard would consist of two color bearers, one carrying the national flag (the U.S. flag or a Confederate flag) and one carrying the regimental flag. Often two other soldiers were assigned to guard the color bearers. Being a color bearer was considered a mark of great distinction and it required a soldier of extraordinary bravery. The job was to carry the flag where the regimental officers directed, while unarmed and under fire. Most importantly, color bearers had to face the enemy and never break and run in retreat, or the entire regiment might follow. As the regimental flags were so conspicuous in battle, they were often used as a target for rifle and artillery fire. Of course, the mortality rate of color bearers was high. The bravery of color bearers was often celebrated. The cartoonist Thomas Nast drew a dramatic illustration in 1862 for the cover of Harpers Weekly captioned A Gallant Color-Bearer. It depicts the color bearer for the 10th New York Regiment clinging to the American flag after receiving three wounds. The Loss of a Civil War Battle Flag Was Considered a Disgrace With the regimental flags generally in the middle of the fighting, there was always the possibility that a flag could be captured. To a Civil War soldier, the loss of a regimental flag was a colossal disgrace. The entire regiment would feel shamed if the flag was captured and carried away by the enemy. Conversely, to capture the battle flag of an opponent was considered a great triumph, and captured flags were cherished as trophies. Accounts of Civil War battles in newspapers at the time would generally mention if any enemy flags had been captured. The Importance of Protecting the Regimental Flag Histories of the Civil War contain countless stories about regimental flags being protected in battle. Often the stories around the flag will recount how a color bearer was wounded or killed, and other men would pick up the fallen flag. According to popular legend, eight men of the 69th New York Volunteer Infantry (part of the legendary Irish Brigade) were either wounded or killed carrying the regimental flag during the charge on the Sunken Road at Antietam in September 1862. On the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1, 1863, the men of the 16th Maine were ordered to hold off an intense Confederate attack. As they became surrounded the men took the regimental flag and tore it into strips, with each man hiding a portion of the flag on their person. Many of the men were captured, and while serving time in Confederate prisons they managed to save the portions of the flag, which were eventually brought back to Maine as cherished items. Tattered Battle Flags Told a Regiment’s Story As the Civil War continued, regimental flags often became something of a scrapbook, as the names of battles fought by the regiment would be stitched onto the flags. And as flags became tattered in battle they took on deeper significance. At the end of the Civil War, state governments put considerable effort into collecting battle flags, and those collections were looked upon with great reverence in the late 19th century. And while those statehouse flag collections have generally been forgotten in modern times, they do still exist. And some extremely rare and significant Civil War battle flags were recently put on public display again for the Civil War Sesquicentennial.

Analyzing Some of Anna Akhmatovas Poetry - 726 Words

Unassuming Exuberance Anna Akhmatova lived from 1889 to 1966 during a dark, rough time in Russia. â€Å"Everything is Plundered,† â€Å"I Am Not One of Those Who Left the Land,† and â€Å"Midnight Verses† are prime examples of Akhmatova’s symbolic literature. Akhmatova used poetry to help her overcome difficulties in life; it was a way of expressing and setting her feelings free. All of Anna Akhmatova’s poems contain a common theme that connects to her real life: though life can be rough, it is important to deal with problems and work towards acceptance. In â€Å"Midnight Verses,† the theme is dark and tumultuous. This poem is a perfect reflection of Akhmatova’s life. She faced many complications in life, but she had to accept them because she did not want to give up on her home country. Likewise, Akhmatova’s poem has an unwilling acceptance at the end. â€Å"Midnight Verses† also displays her thoughts in a very creative way. â€Å"And the signal bells of light rhymes / Then I begin to understand / And the simply dictated lines / Lie down in the snow white notebook† (Akhmatova 13-16). Throughout â€Å"Midnight Verses,† Akhmatova uses powerful imagery, making it easy to relate to her thoughts. â€Å"Everything is Plundered† is another of Akhmatova’s poems that continues to illustrate this theme. In â€Å"Everything is Plundered,† the theme of confusion and contrast in life is present. The struggles in life are portrayed throughout the poem. This poem reflects humanity’s imperfect

Devices Our Vices Evolving Ideas

Question: Discuss about the Devices Our Vices for Evolving Ideas. Answer: Introduction The new era of technology has brought in various innovations and improvement in the lifestyles of human beings. With the development in the technology, lives of people have become much easier and technology oriented. Devices have become the controller of human lives. However, with the era of devices controlling our lives, the question arises, Are devices our vices? This essay highlights the issue that the devices and technology have controlled our lives. People have forgotten to talk, as they Google more. Moreover, the fact that human lives are becoming device dependent has also been focused in this assignment. The various issues that might be caused by the excessive use of technologies such as loss of employment, loss of memory retention power, have been mentioned and discussed in details. Impact of Technology on human Beings An article in the New York Times named Stop Googling. Lets Talk, highlights the issues of becoming device oriented and living a device dependent life. In the modern days, the tech savvy youths mention that they are capable of focusing on the class lectures along with typing in their smart phones at the same time (Carr). However, they remain undetected by the lecturer, who thinks that the student is concentrating in the class lectures. In a study conducted, in 2015, it was highlighted that 89% of the smart phone owners use their phones even during social gatherings (Carr). This statistics highlights the fact that people prefer to talk to a distant person using smart phones and social networking, rather than talking to the people around, attending the social gathering (Turkle). An experiment conducted highlights the fact that in a conversation among 5-6 people, only 3 people concentrate by looking up to the speakers, while others have divided attention as they are busy in their phones and personal devices along with paying some attention to the speaker (Danby). Thus, divided attention is given to the people. Thus, as a result, discussion is light and the in depth knowledge exchange is not achieved. Thus, devices are gaining priority that the human being around. Moreover, virtual relationships are gaining priority than the real life conversations (Carr). People are being more attached to the social networks and devices. Moreover, with the advancements in Google, people gain knowledge using the search engine, rather than gaining knowledge using formal and informal communication with peers and friends. Thus, the phrase Stop Googling. Lets talk , is most appropriately used. Talking to each other and gaining knowledge through conversations and discussions is an effective way of knowledge gain rather than Googling (de la Banda et al.). However, with the advancements in the technology, people prefer using the search engines and Internet, rather than actually talking to each other. Replying to queries have become synonymous to the term Googling. However, with these trends of being technology dependent, the human lives and social lives are highly affected. Families have become distant. People on the virtual world have become closer. Moreover, since human lives are becoming increasingly dependent on the technology, crash of the Internet, might result in the whole world to cease (Carr). With the increase in the dependency on the technology, the smart phones are no longer our necessity, but our lives. Even if phones are not in use, human beings keep searching and Googling, as a part of their habit. Thus, the devices have indeed becoming our vices. Loss of jobs Because of Technologies Another major issue that is raised by the experts around the world is the fact that, with the increase in the use of devices and technologies, and with the increase in the dependency, our jobs would soon be taken up by the robots. Technology is often termed as a double edge sword (Carr). This is so termed as on one hand, technologies and its use are more efficient than the human beings and they are a better substitute of human beings at the workplace (Hertlein). However, on the other hand, the extensive use of technologies destroys jobs. In most of the offices and workplaces around the world, considering any sector of work, computers as well as robots are replacing human beings. As new technologies, replace the human labours, economists highlights that the era of creative destruction has started (Carr). It has been highlighted by the experts, that with the wide use of Internet technologies in the airlines booking systems as well as travel agencies, the concept of travel agents have b ecome obsolete (Kim et al.). Thus, the thousands of travel agents around the world lost their jobs and were force to take up alternative employment options. There are hundreds of such jobs and employment sectors where human labours have been replaced by machines and robots (Henrich). In the race against machines, human beings have been left far behind in the race, and they are still struggling to cope up with the machines and robots. Since machines do not get bored, does not demand salary or increment, does not get tired, nor does they need job satisfaction (Usher). Hence, they are more desirable than the human beings are. Moreover, even in case of perfection, machines are far ahead of human beings. Thus, they are a better replacement of human beings. This might result in the replacement of the jobs by machines as well as the lives of people being controlled by the machines and robots. This is not desirable. Thus, it is essential that the use of the technology and machines is done i n a tactful manner and with intelligence, such that the creators of the machines and devices could retain the control of the devices in their hands. Impairment Due to Technologies Along with the issues of loss of jobs, excessive use of technology makes us use our brains less. The scope of thinking and analytical thinking has been decreasing day by day with the use of technologies (Carr). Researches highlight the fact that the excessive use of the web and technology has a strong and negative impact on the memory retention capacity (Lipson and Kurman). It has been observed that with the use of technology, people tend to set reminders and alerts in their phones and devices and gives the pain of remembering to the devices. Thus, the memory capacities of the human beings are decreased. Before the advent of smart phones and mobile phones, the phone numbers of the family members were memorized (Rogers). However, with the use of these devices people fail to remember their own numbers. Thus, human beings are making themselves paralysed, by the excessive use of technology (Carr). Thus, human beings are themselves employing technologies and robots, and increasing their d ependency on them, thus making their future unstable and insecure. Conclusion Technology and its use is indeed a boon for human lives. It makes our lives easier and smoother. However, the issues arise with the excessive use of technologies. The limit of the use to the human beings need to be set such that the technology cannot exploit the human lives. Since human beings employ technologies, hence it is essential to ensure that the control of the technology is in the hands of the human beings, and not the other way round. This essay highlights the facts that technology is replacing human beings at the workplace, resulting in loss of employment. Moreover, excessive use of technology has been making us less social. Thus, to conclude it might be stated that devices are not our vices. However, since we are the creators of the technologies, the control needs to be retained and the extent of use should be monitored to ensure that devices remain our boons. References Carr, Nicolas. "Is Google Making Us Stupid?(2008)."Focused Inquiry: Evolving Ideas2015 (2014): 101-07. Danby, Susan,. "Playing with technology: Young children making sense of technology as part of their everyday social worlds."Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Play: From Birth to Beyond. Springer, 2015. de la Banda, Maria Garcia, et al. "The future of optimization technology."Constraints19.2 (2014): 126-138. Henrich, Joseph.The secret of our success: how culture is driving human evolution, domesticating our species, and making us smarter. Princeton University Press, 2015. Hertlein, Katherine M., and Katrina Ancheta. "Advantages and disadvantages of technology in relationships: Findings from an open-ended survey."The Qualitative Report19.11 (2014): 1. Kim, Jennifer G., et al. "Labor Saving and Labor Making of Value in Online Congratulatory Messages."SocInfo. 2015. Lipson, Hod, and Melba Kurman.Fabricated: The new world of 3D printing. John Wiley Sons, 2013. Rogers, Yvonne. "Mindless or mindful technology?."Proceedings of the 2014 ACM SIGCHI symposium on Engineering interactive computing systems. ACM, 2014. Turkle, Sherry. "Stop googling. Lets talk."The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www. nytimes. com/2015/09/27/opinion/sunday/stop-googling-lets-talk. html(2015). Usher, Nikki.Making News at The New York Times. University of Michigan Press, 2014.

Social Conflict And Economic Development - Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss about the Social Conflict And Economic Development. Answer: Introduction A region is defined by way of its inherent economic structure, culture, politics, social dynamics and military and security. Region is a concept that is used every day for referring to a discursive tool for governance units having certain statehood properties. A region encompasses broad geographical, human and environmental characteristics[1]. The scope of this analysis pertains to South America, a sub-continent of America with mostly Spanish and Portuguese speaking population. First part of the analysis evaluates features of the continent that provides a conceptual test-bed for checking in case South America reflects properties of a region. Secondly, a projection for the coming 5 and 10 years by focusing on economics, politics and military and security has been provided. Conceptual Test-bed for South America as a region Region is a language used often wherein a comparative framework present theories for regions in a systematic manner. The framework is utilized for outlining of a general theory comprising of regions at supra-national, cross-border or sub-national levels. Statehood theory of regions provides statehood properties that establishes relation between regions and states. Regions are confused with power domains where security analysis, an applied form of IR theory is used regarding macro-system structural constraints that shapes behaviour. There is a variation in globalist and neorealist attributes regarding concepts of global and regional structures. A test-bed for defining and resolving conflict between regionalism and neorealism is that regionalisms contention has decreased since Cold War. There are propositions regarding South America being a region, regional powers are defined with their polarity. A clear distinction of South American regional level dynamics can clearly be distinguished with those of global levels. Existing security politics in the region further aids in formation of security communities with certain minor powers with penetration of global powers. The Southern Cone in South America has a security community based on securitizing on economic threat for regional pacification. The countrys engagement with Us can be regarded as a global intervention which classifies for it being a region. Region earlier used to be defined encompassing geographical properties which overlooked extra-geographical elements. Regions sometimes reflect understanding of politics, economics, military and security features of a region. Regional Security Complex Theory (RSCT) has allowed analysing of international security and defense aspect by regional-level analysis. This analysis concerns South American Regional Security Complex (RSC) on RSCT for understanding polarity in the region. There are 12 countries in South America with most of its population living in eastern or western coasts. The south and interiors of the continent is sparsely populated with their ethnicity being indigenous people with interaction with Europe rulers, African slaves and other immigrants[2]. Economy within South America consists of 410 million comprising of 6% of worlds population. Brazil acts as a protagonist in the area with institutions with security constellation. Brazil has a central role in forming two South A merican sub complexes, namely North Andean and Southern Cone. In this RSC there is prevalence of unipolar power which is not global level power due to Brazil. Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) structure has a central role of Brazil in it. Figure 1: South America Economy Source: https://www.young-diplomats.com/mercosur-challenges-simple-analysis/ UNASUR has a special role in Defense Council, therefore it can be said that as region is expected to deliver a consensus role in reflecting characteristics of a region. According to theory of RSC, there are four possible types of powers as bipolar, unipolar, tripolar or multipolar. Such RSC classifies South America as Standard with sub-complex type structures[3]. After the Cold War, centered power in the region started facing security threats. There was geopolitical challenges from bi or trilateral parties, domestic instability, US involvement and regional dis-balances in Brazil and Argentina. With various insecurities in the region, there was a sway from radical military political control with regional integration processes. Brazil acts as a unipolar presenter in the region, with the region presenting features of varied political, economic and military developments[4]. Figure 2: Gross Debt of South America Source: https://www.financialsense.com/contributors/stratfor/how-economic-downturn-affects-latin-america Major regions in South America reflects security threats, military threats, economic threats and political dilemmas. Debt crisis in the region and emergence of unipolar Brazil has created a lot of challenges for the economy. Figure 3: Economic Freedom Trends Source: https://www.heritage.org/americas/report/holding-the-kirchners-accountable-argentinas-economic-freefall Latin Americas economy has been contracting by 0.3 % as per International Monetary Fund Economic Outlook. Several reasons attributed to its economy are strengthening of US dollar, collapsing of commodity prices, weakening of domestic demand are some of the key factors. Governments in a number of countries have depicted sharp drop in budget revenues with rise in rate of social instability. Commodity drive decline have had immense impact on the economy, which is capable to recover from the same but not without political consequences. With varied levels of economic integration of United States and China, countries had been bound to accommodate flexible monetary and fiscal policy. Commodity boom in many countries of the continent can mostly be attributed to China especially in the year 2000 but it has declined steadily from 2013. Governments of many countries has successfully established control over a number of commodities as cooper, crude oil, iron ore, nickel which has contributed sig nificantly towards economic growth in the region. Downturns in 1980s coupled with debt crisis have led to cyclical ups and downs. Trends in unemployment has however remains constantly high in the period. Argentina had always been exposed to lesser amounts of external debts with large international reserves, which has led to stronger monetary policy and better private capital markets in the country. Most of the regions in South America are facing declining economic trends except a few countries, who are minutely having positive economic figures. Projections for 5 and 10 years Analysing trends in the past, it can be predicted that South American region will continue depicting multiple trends that contradicts regional predictors[5]. Entire regions in South America had been undergoing steady recovery in economic crisis since a prolonged period. Economic growth as indicated by GDP more prominently has been seen to expand depicting signs of recovery. However, growth rates are very low as 1.7% in first quarter to 1.1% in next quarter. Such growing trends have impacted rising trends in commodity prices with healthy regional performances. The economy has been able to successfully leave recession in the past. Drawing a closer look at individual countrys data it can be seen that major growth in the area has been attributed to growth led by Brazil. Brazil with its unipolar characteristics have continued depicting strong household led consumption patterns with increase in investments in various sectors. Several countries have had record-low inflation rates with lower levels of interests rates as well and an increase in overall economic activity in last quarters. Apart from Brazil, Chile has been having higher export revenues and resilient labor market trends. Colombia has depicted expansion in external sectors growth with Brazils economy decelerating[6]. Brazil had been facing challenges pertaining to economic downturns, high inflation with lower levels in household spending rates. Such trends are expected to continue for the future as well with Brazil leading the platform[7]. Economy of Brazil is expected to overcome its hurdles and extend its growth patterns in later part of its 5 years trend. Argentina have been having accelerated economic activities also with Venezuelas economy recovering inspite of higher oil prices. Production of oil has reduced from lack of management of resources and investment. Its economy continues to remained weakened with limited signs of recovery. Pace of recovery in the entire economy continues to remain gradual i n the future. Economic slack continues to remain within the economy with continued persistent high prices. Future outlook for the economy holds that macroeconomic factors has to recover for greater benefits to happen in the economy. President Michel Temer has become greatly unpopular as majority have started distancing themselves. Policy making complications have fractured congress with increase in protestors and contenders. There is a rise in parliaments presidential vote with various contenders. Such strong mandates in the regions outlook will continue for betterment of the regions outlook. Though, macroeconomic reforms are expected across the economy but they will not emerge till a 10 year period. Within next 5 years no significant outcomes is expected, such changes will appear in the next 10 year period. As seen from the past history some countries will continue to bear negative impacts as Brazil and Venezuela whereas Paraguay, Bolivia and other countries will be much better off . The entire region is vulnerable to price swings as oil revenues contributes to almost 45% of their budget revenues. Oil export has contributed majorly towards export earnings in the country, with prospects of Venezuela and Brazil being bleak considered by many. Political scandals in multiple countries has also caused significant turmoil within the country that has affected political and economic outlook. Figure 4: Latin America's growth forecast Source: https://www.focus-economics.com/regions/latin-america Major economic reforms with positive regions outlook will emerge over the next 10 year period. fiscal agreements with notable reforms will help in macroeconomic imbalances. There has been a new wave of political factors that has been affecting the country. Political risk analysis shows risks in Cartes Reforms. Current political crisis within the region is expected to spread across other regions in neighboring countries. Poor governance structure within the country is expected to persists for a prolonged time period with weak laws and reforms. Military and security factors will emerge to balance off once major amendments with prices stabilize over a period of time. Inflation and prices are the major factors that are disrupting the economic at a point in time, later such factors are expected to stabilize with political reforms in place. High levels of corruptions and absence of economic reforms has led to significant challenges emergent in the area. With security being a major threat i n the region there is bound to be strong uprising which will further help the entire region overcome its challenges. Conclusion Analysing trends of South America it can be said that it is versatile in nature. Each region depicts separate form of growth and development. A number of nations in the country are losing out on their economic freedom, which has resulted in political instability in the area. With such increasing trends, it is obvious that other countries in the region will suffer from certain pressures as well. Though each country exhibit their own trends pertaining to economic and political development, they have shown and will continue to depict trends of losing out on their economic freedom. The region experiences volatility and challenges in terms of political, economic, military and security factors. There will be severe changes and reforms desirable that will allow the entire region stabilize and establish on their path of economic growth. Reference Bebbington, Anthony, ed.Social conflict, economic development and the extractive industry: evidence from South America. Vol. 9. Routledge, 2011. Genovese, Eugene D.The political economy of slavery: Studies in the economy and society of the slave South. Wesleyan University Press, 2014. Gwynne, Robert N., and K. A. Y. Cristobal.Latin America transformed: globalization and modernity. Routledge, 2014. McCusker, John J., and Russell R. Menard.The Economy of British America, 1607-1789. UNC Press Books, 2014. Riggirozzi, Pa, and Diana Tussie. "The rise of post-hegemonic regionalism in Latin America." InThe Rise of Post-Hegemonic Regionalism, pp. 1-16. Springer Netherlands, 2012. Taussig, Michael T.The devil and commodity fetishism in South America. Univ of North Carolina Press, 2010. Tindall, George Brown, and David E. Shi.America: A narrative history. WW Norton Company, 2016. [1] Robert N. Gwynne and K. A. Y. Cristobal,Latin America transformed: globalization and modernity. [2] Michael T.Taussig, The devil and commodity fetishism in South America. [3] Anthony Bebbington, ed,Social conflict, economic development and the extractive industry: evidence from South America. [4] George Brown Tindall and David E. Shi.America: A narrative history [5] Eugene D.Genovese, The political economy of slavery: Studies in the economy and society of the slave South. [6] John J.McCusker and Russell R. Menard.The Economy of British America [7] George Brown Tindall and David E. Shi.America: A narrative history.

The international politics of democracy promotion Essay Example For Students

The international politics of democracy promotion Essay Whilst the paper does not attempt to single out one motive as the barely concealed hidden agenda, it does recognise that there is a clear distinction between motives for promoting democracy for the self -perpetuating value of democracy itself and motives for promoting democracy based purely on the self-interest of the West. As seen from the discussion above, the latter seem to be in more abundance. The paper is not directly condemning this, it is recognised that, especially after September 11th, western security is threatened and this issue needs to be addressed. However, as the title of this paper suggests these hidden agendas are barely concealed, and while few may believe that democracy promotion is based on morally motivated principles, many believe this not to be the case, including the recipient countries. Again, this paper is not attempting to paint these recipient countries as victims of Western hypocrisy. Yet, it cannot be denied that there is a great deal of hypocrisy behind the democracy promotion agenda and this could badly affect the outcomes of democracy promotion. We will write a custom essay on The international politics of democracy promotion specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now This, whether you support democracy as a valuable concept itself, or whether you are aiming to achieve security, economic prosperity etc. through democracy, is generally not a good outcome. Sanctioning countries for not being sufficiently democratic and abusing human rights, whilst praising another which does exactly the same but is a strategic ally will lead to less desire for countries to become truly democratic, and lead unsavoury regimes to lean more towards a democratic farce, whilst atrocities go on behind the scenes. Democratic transitions are rarely stable events, and it is extremely hard to consolidate a democracy, not being truly dedicated to promoting democracy, but rather preoccupied with maintaining Western security and economic interests in the region will not provide the political support and assistance that emerging democracies really need in order to continue their transitions. In order for the world to continue truly democratising and for existing young democracies to become solid, the West need to seriously reappraise their barely concealed hidden agendas and realise that some of their motives such as maintaining business as usual and maintaining solid bases for transnational capital are in direct conflict with promoting democracy and that in order to achieve Western security, it is essential that democracy be promoted wholeheartedly and without hypocrisy. 1 Richard Youngs, The European Union and the Promotion of Democracy, (Oxford University Press: Oxford, 2000), p. 1 2 G. R. Olsen, Promotion of Democracy as a Foreign Policy Instrument of Europe: Limits to International Idealism, Democractization, (Vol. 7, No. 2 ,2000), p. 142-143 3 Ibid. p. 143 4 Ibid. 5 G. John Ikenberry, Americas Liberal Grand Strategy: Democracy and National Security in the Post-war Era. , p. 111 6 G. John Ikenberry, Why Export Democracy?: The Hidden Grand Strategy of American Foreign Policy, The Wilson Quarterly, (Vol 23, No. 2 (Spring, 1999) http://www. mtholyoke. edu/acad/intrel/exdem. html (visited: 02/02/2002) 7 Ibid. 8 R. Youngs, The European Union and the Promotion of Democracy, p. 12 9 R. Youngs, The European Union and the Promotion of Democracy, p. 12 10 Larry Diamond, Promoting Democracy, Foreign Policy, (No. 87, 1992), p. 28 11 G. R. Olsen, Promotion of Democracy as a Foreign Policy Instrument of Europe: Limits to International Idealism, p.143 12 Ibid. p. 144 13 Ibid. 14 Ibid. , p. 155 15 Ibid. 16 Larry Diamond, Promoting Democracy, p. 44 17 Ibid. 18 Milan Markovic, Whats Democracy Got to do With It? , Pundit Magazine, http://www. punditmag. com/articles/democracy. html (visited: 07/02/2002) 19 Ibid. 20 Ibid. 21 Ibid. 22 G. R. Olsen, Promotion of Democracy as a Foreign Policy Instrument of Europe: Limits to International Idealism, p. 160 23 Ibid. 24 Ibid. p. 161 25 Ibid. , p. 162 26 William I. Robinson, Promoting Polyarchy Globalisation, U. S. .u79a25a744b3b52447644c8d692002d01 , .u79a25a744b3b52447644c8d692002d01 .postImageUrl , .u79a25a744b3b52447644c8d692002d01 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u79a25a744b3b52447644c8d692002d01 , .u79a25a744b3b52447644c8d692002d01:hover , .u79a25a744b3b52447644c8d692002d01:visited , .u79a25a744b3b52447644c8d692002d01:active { border:0!important; } .u79a25a744b3b52447644c8d692002d01 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u79a25a744b3b52447644c8d692002d01 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u79a25a744b3b52447644c8d692002d01:active , .u79a25a744b3b52447644c8d692002d01:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u79a25a744b3b52447644c8d692002d01 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u79a25a744b3b52447644c8d692002d01 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u79a25a744b3b52447644c8d692002d01 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u79a25a744b3b52447644c8d692002d01 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u79a25a744b3b52447644c8d692002d01:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u79a25a744b3b52447644c8d692002d01 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u79a25a744b3b52447644c8d692002d01 .u79a25a744b3b52447644c8d692002d01-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u79a25a744b3b52447644c8d692002d01:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The Triumphant Reconstruction EssayIntervention and Hegemony, (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 1996), p. 318-319 27 Ibid. , p. 321-322 28 Robinson, Poyarchy, Globalisation, U. S. Intervention and Hegemony, p. 344 29 Olsen, p. 144 30 Ibid. p. 154 31 Ibid. p. 144 32 Edward Newman, Democracy Assistance: Motives, Impacts and Limitations, http://www. incore. ulst. ac. uk/newman. html (visited 02/02/2002) 33Edited by Peter Burnell, Democracy Assistance-International Co-operation for Democratization, (Frank Cass Publishers: London, 2000), p. 47 34 Ibid. p. 44 35 Ibid. p. 47.

Current Events Article Review on Presidency essays

Current Events Article Review on Presidency essays Senates Long Losing Streak on Presidency Could Be Near an End With the unexpected withdrawal of Republican Mitt Romney from the presidential race, the likelihood of a sitting United States senator going straight from Congress to the presidency appears very strong. Chances are that Republican Senator John McCain will face either Hillary Rodham Clinton or Barack Obama, both Democratic Senators, in the upcoming 2008 presidential election Almost 50 U.S. senators have run for the nations highest office, but only Bob Dole, Barry Goldwater, George McGovern, John Kerry and John F. Kennedy won their respective partys nomination. The last time that a sitting U.S. senator won the presidency was in 1960, when John F, Kennedy defeated former Senator Richard M. Nixon. Never before have two sitting U.S. senators faced each other head-to-head in the final presidential election race. Previously, the only female senator to run for her partys nomination was Margaret Chase Smith in 1964. Senatorial experience and media exposure have always been considered distinct advantages among presidential candidates, and in that regard, Senator Clinton is the first serious female contender, running on her eight years experience in the white house during President Bill Clintons tenure as President, as well. Senator McCain is a highly decorated war hero and Vietnam veteran with even more experience in government, and a reputation for integrity built on his previous efforts to eliminate questionable campaign funding practices and government waste of federal funds over Senator Obama is the least experienced of the three senators, with only one term under his belt, but is considered a strong candidate who represents change as one of the themes of his platform; he is also the first African Amer ...

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Skills Required to be an Effective Manager Management skills express the belief that economic change can be made into the most powerful engine for human betterment and social justice (Drucker, 2007). A perfect manager is an asset for a company. A good manager should have the knowledge about functionality, processes and standard operating procedures of an organization. It is said that leaders are born leaders; some of us have that charisma by birth whereas there are some that needed to learn their way towards it. In this document we will discuss which skills should be there in a good manager? Which are the qualities being a manager we should have in order to ensure a smooth sailing at work? Lets discuss further what makes a good manager. To be an effective manager one should have leadership skills. There are many ways in which a person can tackle different situations through various leadership roles. A good leader should be a good guide as well. He should be able to guide his team to perform well. He should not dominate all the time. A good manager should also have a visionary sight for the assistances of the organisation. He should plan the future steps for the development of the company. One of the most noteworthy skills of a good manager is effective management of time. A leader should be able to plan the schedule and be able to equally divide the time between tasks. Such a person can be an asset for the organisation. A good manager should encourage the team to perform well to achieve the organisational goals effectively. He should encourage innovative ideas. If some of the members of the team are not performing well, he should tackle the situation with professionalism and should decide accordingly. Even in a disaster circumstances, a person with good managerial and leadership skills should be able to execute well. He should be mentally strong to handle any kind of situations. He should also be responsible enough to retain a good and friendly environment. A manager should be profound towards others in the workplace. A happy atmosphere would only lead to more productivity and profitability for the orgnisation. With these skills, a person can definitely strive to be a good manager and thus be an asset for any organization! Analysis of the Skills Skills are the abilities or talents that are required to perform a job functions (Truesdell, 1998 ). As we know that the recipe to become a good manager contains lots of ingredient and spices. Here in this document we will analyse one personal and one professional skill of a good manager. Some of the skills in human beings are God gifted and some we develop by learning and practice. Personal Skills Personal skill is an ability to understand and manage self, management of change, learning to learn, personal responsibility, aesthetic responsiveness and wellness. If a person cannot manage himself/herself as human being, so how can he/she manage anything else? When the children have a strong foundation of personal skills, they manage themselves and cooperate with others (Ellison, 2001 ). In this document I will analyse communication Skill as my personal skill, which is helping me a lot in my personal life and as well as in professional life. Communication Effective communication is all about conveying your messages to other people clearly. Its also about receiving information that others are sending to you. Doing this involves effort from both the sender of the message and the receiver. In fact, communication is only successful when both the sender and the receiver understand the same information as a result of the communication. This awareness needs to be married with reflection on our experiences and adjustment where necessary in our style of communication (Ellis, 2009). The author is very fond of travelling and making new friends. Infect while one is travelling and communicating with people from different places and culture, it really helps to know others . By doing this we are making new friends, increasing our personal relationship and as well as enjoying the diversity of the cultures. For me earthquake in Pakistan in the year 2005 was a lession learnt. I was living in Islamabad the capital of Pakistan. When the earthquake shook the earth, the scenes were very horrible. I went to the local office of Red Cross and told them that I want to volunteer myself to go and serve the earthquake effecties. Because of my strong communication skills I had many friends and I also took them to the Red Cross to serve as volunteers. Many of my friends are still working for the Pakistan Red Crescent Society. Thus I used my personal communication skill to help my own nation and to help my own people. By communicating better we can quickly and easily resolve the minor and bigger issues of our personal life. In addition by better communication we can help other in time and can be beneficial for our friends and companions. Professional Skill Most professional skills are outlined and regulated by the professional association of that particular field e.g. Engineers have their own professional associations that deal with specific skill requirements at each level of development. Professional skills differ from profession to profession but there are some basic professional skill which goes on with all the professions. Lets analyse one of the general professional skill. The development of professional skills, requires practice, experience, role mentorship and evaluative feedback (Kasar E., 2000) Presentation It is important to work hard and finish or complete your work on time or before time. But more important is to present that work to others. If one is working hard but he/she is not presenting himself/herself in a presentable manner, then he/she cannot excel in his/her career. I would like to share my experience of coming to UK. When I landed at the airport I was accompanied by the lots of Asian students. Most of them were very much afraid and were looking confused. Because they were looking confused, the entry clearance officer was putting more questions to them. Because of their appearance and bad presentation many of them were on hold at the airport. On the other hand I was composed and confident; I went to the visa officer, greeted him and gave him my documents and passport with a smile. Because of my better presentation and confidence the entry clearance officer granted me the entry without putting a single question. Actually, a great presentation is a combination of three elements: content, design and delivery (Rotondo Rotondo, 2001) Personal/Professional Skill Contributing In Organizational Strategy Skills play a vital role in an organizational setup. One can develop his career by employing and demonstrating personal and professional skills effectively. In the modern age skills play a vital role to develop your career. If you demonstrate good personal/professional skills with right attitude and direction, you will defiantly be rewarded. Personal skills shows that how well managed you are and when you come to work you can organize your work as you have managed yourself. As far as professional skills are concern they can be developed by training and practice. Normally the environment itself teaches you a lot to build up your institutional memory. It is better to understand what kind of professional skills are required for you to perform you duties and one should try to learn and practice those skills. Task2 SWOT Analysis of Personal Skills A SWOT analysis asks us to list all our perceived strengths and weaknesses in terms of skills attributes, interest, attitudes, likes and dislikes. At the same time we are asked to highlight any potential opportunities and threats that we may have to face (Thomas, 2007). Strengths Communication Skills Punctuality Weaknesses Dont like repetitions Unorganised Opportunities Personal Relationships Learn to manage self Threats Stress Key Findings from the SWOT Analysis As I mentioned good communication as my strength in the SWOT analysis, So by employing my strength of good communication skills I am able to clear many tests and interview. I have had built up personal relationship for my personal and organizational benefits. My other strengths like punctuality support my communication skill additionally to make a good impression on others. By communicating better I always have an opportunity to involve and attach with other easily, by doing that basically I am expanding the circle of my friends. As far as my weakness is concern, I dont like repetitions. I only understand the practical and logical things. I dont like repetitive tasks and this is the biggest reason of my casual lifestyle. SWOT Analysis of Professional Skills The SWOT analysis which includes the analysis of strengths, weaknesses, Opportunities and threats investigates internal and external as well as positive and negative factors of a corporation (Bohm, 2009). Strengths Leadership Presentation Quick decision maker Team player Weaknesses Bad in record keeping Bad in financial management Opportunities Can apply for management jobs after DMS Learn to manage documentation and self Threats Carelessness Overconfidence Key Findings from the SWOT Analysis As per SWOT analysis of my professional skills I am very good at presentation, leadership, decision making and teambuilding skills. Infect these are my core strengths throughout my career. I was working as a Network administrator in Pakistan and was designing, planning, implementing and maintaining the networking projects. Apart from technical issues I was managing and leading my team well. I always had this problem of mismanaging documentation and as well as the financial matters. Indeed it is really important for a manager to learn and improve to keep proper documentation and to keep the financial matter up to date and in proper order. Analysis of Personal/Professional Skills by Using Fishbone Diagram This is pictorial aid to some form of thinking formed and made popular by a renowned management guru by the name of Ishikawa. A typical base format of fishbone diagram is shown in the figure 1. Personal Skill Confusion or over concentration Losing interest 11th hour decisions Lack of attention Bad time Management Not having thing in writing Carelessness Casual lifestyle Too Many things to do Figure 1, Fishbone Diagram of personal skill In the diagram in figure1 a problem has been discussed. The author has a problem of bad time management. I have discussed different reasons and causes of bad time management which are self-explanatory. The most crucial is my casual lifestyle which I need to change immediately otherwise it will start shadowing on my professional career as well. Professional Skill Area of work is IT and Telecommunications Organisational politics Not been trained Non cooperative staff members Bad in managing finance or budgeting Insufficient time to concentrate No trainings or workshops at organisational level Unavailability of funds Too Many things to do Figure 2, Fishbone Diagram of professional skill As far as professional skills are concern I have had many problems in managing finance or budgeting. The major reason for that was that my profession is IT and Telecommunications. Due to this reason the management was not training me to handle financial matters. But according to me indeed it is a need of the time that I should learn finance and budgeting. When we talk about IT/Telecom project planning and designing, we cannot ignore the fact that there will be money involve and we need to budget accordingly. Learning Styles Theories of learning have evolved over the last century as a result of numerous experiments conducted, often with animals. Different school of psychological thinking has made their various contributions to the pool of knowledge. No single theory has obtained complete agreement among psychologists about the details of learning process, but many accept the basic premise that the learning occurs whenever one adopts new or modifies existing behaviour patterns in a way that has some influence on future performance and attitude (Sims, 1995). To gain a better understanding of yourself as a learner, you need to evaluate the way you prefer to learn or process information. By doing so, you will be able to develop strategies which will enhance your learning potential. Everybody has a preferred learning style. Knowing and understanding our learning style helps us to learn more effectively. There are many ways to find out that what youre learning style is. I have used the model of Honey and Mumford to identify my learning style. According to them people have four different kind of learning styles the Activist, the Pragmatist, the Reflector and the Theorist. After filling in the diagnostic tests I came to know that I am falling under the category of the Activists. According to the model I have used it describes me as and enthusiast who will try anything, enjoy a challenge and working with others, preferring to be the centre of attention. Weaknesses of and Activist are longer term implementation and perhaps not putting in enough thought before they get started. Analysis of my learning style (The Activist) As mentioned above that after applying the learning style model on myself I came to know that my learning style is activist. Being an activist I have some strengths and weaknesses. Strengths More on practical side Innovative and responsive Just need a little push to start Always on my toes to try something different Always try to push myself to give 100% Punctuality Always good and attentive at start Weaknesses Hates theories and just talking Cannot concentrate for a long time Dont like repetitions or repetitive tasks Not able to finish things well Most of the time in hurry Impact of learning style on personal development As we have discussed above some of the strengths and weaknesses of my learning style. My learning style has had a big role in my personal development and as well as professional development. It is because of my learning style that I had chosen IT/ Telecommunication as my profession. As an activist I like to do practical things and IT/Telecommunication is the branch of electronics where we do things practically. We plan, design and implement networks. Apart from practicality there have been an innovation involved in my profession, I always try to do different or I try things differently. So my learning style has helped me a lot to develop my personality and profession. Task3 SMART Goal Analysis SMART is an acronym that can help us to effectively set our goals. It stands for Specific , measureable, attainable, reasonable and time oriented. Just as following a compass keeps us from getting lost, adhering to these five precepts enable us to stay on the path that will ultimately lead to our success. Setting goals the SMART way is not just limited to financial success but can help you to achieve success in all areas of life, including educational, spiritual and physical goals (Berges, 2007). Personal Goals by Using SMART Goals Specific I have plans to be migrated to Canada by 2013. Measurable I have applied for Canadian immigration and I am in the queue since 2007. Achievable As I meet the criteria set by the Canadian government. I have two Masters degrees and on top of it I have plans to do MBA from UK, in these circumstances I believe that it is very much possible to achieve this goal. Realistic Indeed it is realistic to move to Canada because it has the charm and opportunities in the sector of IT and Telecommunications as compare to Pakistan. Time oriented It takes not more than 70 months to complete the whole process according to the old regulations. Specific I want to get hold of post study work permit by December 2011 . Measurable After completing MBA I can apply for post study work permit. Achievable As I am in UK and doing well in my studies, so it seems very much achievable Realistic It is realistic to get some hand on experience and improve my learning by getting work permit. Time oriented I will complete my MBA by December 2011, so I will be eligible to apply for post study work permit. Professional Goals by Using SMART Goals Specific I have planned to finish off my MBA before December 2011 from a good British University. Measurable I am already in UK and doing well in DMS course. Achievable It is achievable because I have arranged the entire fee for MBA in advance. Realistic As I will finish my first term of DMS by January 2011, so I am on the right track towards MBA. Time oriented It will take almost 6 months to complete MBA after DMS. Specific Want to get a managerial position in the sector of IT/Telecoms by the end of 2011. Measurable I have experience of technical end that has expanded over 9 years. Now I am doing DMS to learn management skills to become a manager. Achievable It is achievable if I keep myself of track and complete my studies on time. Realistic I have completed first term of DMS, so realistically I am on the right track to achieve my goal. Time oriented By the end of December 2011 Personal Development Plan In recent year role of personal development has become central to the success of those that have made the decisive jump from doing ok to major noticeable and measurable professional and personal success (Nutley, 2008). Learning and development need How does this support your professional and personal goals Actions to be taken including resources needed to achieve them Date for achievement/review Getting post study work permit It will enhance and enrich my theoretical learning by getting some working experience from UK. I need to get MBA degree to apply for post study work permit. December 2011/ I will review my PDP by June 2011. To learn and improve management skills by doing MBA I will qualify to apply for managerial jobs As my first step toward MBA, I am half way through my DMS and it will be completed mid next year. Than I have plans to do top-up MBA. I want to get MBA by December 2011. I will review my PDP by June 2011. Reflective Analysis of Attained Goals In this section we will have a reflective analysis of the goals that I have attained in past in my professional career as well as personal goals. Let me share analysis of attaining my personal goal. I had an urge to come to UK for higher studies but due to financial constraints it was not possible for me to come to UK and study here. I set a goal four years back that I have to go to UK to get an international qualification. What have I learnt from my experience? In the pursuit of my personal goal, I have learnt that nothing is impossible. If you plan realistically, you can achieve your goals easily. What went well? The best part was that the right things were happening to me at the right time. I got a good job at the right time, that job lasted for more than four years and that was the platform from where I set my goals and started planning things for myself. What could have gone better? The only thing that could have gone better was the environment. I this very moment most of the countries are going through or recovering from recession. If the environment could have progressive there was a chance for us being an international student to get some hands on experience as well on what we have learnt. How can I put into practise what I have learnt? The best way to put my leaning into practice is to plan realistically in future, considering my present situation. When it comes to set goals, at times what we do is, we set our goals very unrealistic or unachievable. So when one is setting goals for himself of herself, he or she should be aware of his or her present situation. In my professional career I had a very good experience of working for Red cross. While working there I got promotions at regular intervals. I would like to share my past professional working experience. What have I learnt from my experience? My key learnings from my experience of working with Red Cross are that it is important to work hard but the key thing is to show your work to get promoted within the organisation. What went well? The best part was that I was very much sound technically so it was very much easy for me to find my place and very easily I established myself and my repute in the organisation. What could have gone better? I should have learnt how to deal with organisational politics. I was not part of the politics and that was the reason many of the lobbies were against me. While working in and organisational structure one must learn how to deal with the politics within the organisation. Another thing is that I could have projected my work more, because I was doing the hard work all the time and my bosses were taking the credit on my behalf. Task 5 Evaluation of Activities in this learning programme In this specific learning programme, we have learnt about the personal management, in other words before getting in the professional career one must learn how to manage self. During this learning programme of twelve week we have learnt different personal and professional skills and we have had the chance to practice those skills in the classroom and while doing the group work. Specifically this learning programme has provided us the base to learn the management skills at professional level. The learning programme was evenly structured both for experience and inexperience students, which was the best part of the learning programme. The key skill which we have learnt in this programme were Report writing Presentation Time management Leaning styles SWOT analysis Smart goals Stress management Now let us evaluate these entire key learning one by one Report Writing Report writing is a key skill when it comes to the professional working environment. If we talk about the professional working environment, we have to write reports regarding our daily, weekly, monthly or yearly report. Report writing is also vital when it comes to career growth, a person who can show his work well has a better chance to get promoted, because ultimately it is the report which is going to the management which shows your performance. Key learning In this learning programme we have learnt about, how to write a report, what is the proper format of a report, what should be the language, what should be the style , what should be the formatting, how to start and end the report. Constraints As most of the students are from Asian origin and English is not their native language, due to that they were having communication problems. Because of this the teacher had to maintain a slow pace during the course and that really affected the practical work. Recommendations As far as theory is the concern the course was really good but somehow we are still short of practice. We understand the limitation of time but the essence of this course is learning by doing. So the sessions should have been more practical. Presentation Presentation is also very important skill to learn, especially in this modern age, if one dont know how to present himself, he cannot make progress in his professional career. Key Learning In this activity we have learnt; how to make presentations, what should be the contents, what should be the layout, presentation should be specific, how to present with style and confidence. Constraints Most of the students were not confident or they were feeling shy to come and present their work. They were given many chances to apply this skill. Recommendations It should be compulsory for the student for this learning programme to present in front of the class. Time Management Managing time and being punctual is the need of the time. It is one of the biggest cause to have a bad appraisal by your boss. It is one of the key skill of a good manager. A good manager should be able to manage his own time and also he needs to assign tasks at the right time to his team members. Key Learning We have been briefed about the importance of time management and after that an exercise was given to assess that how we manage our time and how it should be managed. Constraints We have only covered one side of the picture; we should have discussed the impact of bad time management on ones career. I would have been better if it could have explained by some audio visual support. Recommendations It is recommended to include audio visual aid in this specific learning activity to clear the concepts effectively. Learning styles It was the first ever experience for most of us to learn our learning style. It really helps if one knows about his learning style. By this way we can learn quick and also effectively. Key Learning This activity was very unique. In this activity we have leant that what is our learning style and how we can learn in a better way. Constraints Most of the students were confused while doing the exercise, because it was too long and complex. Recommendations It would be better if we put this activity in the start of the course, so that students should be aware of their learning style since beginning. Rest of the learning activities were also quite helpful for us to learn more about self-management and management at work place. Doing SWOT analysis on personal and professional skills was very helpful to figure out the strength and weakness. In SMART analysis we learnt how to set goals and how to achieve them. The element of stress was also discussed during the course and a session was given on how to manage stress personally and at work place. We can conclude that this whole set of activities was very much helpful to enhance and improve out daily life and management skills. It was also a learning experience to learn from the experience of the other classmates.

Mirror Mirror on the Wall, Who’s the Fairest of Them All? Essay

As in the Disney movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the evil queen is obsessed with being the fairest, or most beautiful, woman in all the land. The word beauty, by definition, is the quality present in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind, whether from sensory manifestation, a meaningful design, or something else such as personality. But what is beautiful to me may not evoke the same response or feeling from you. How is the queen to know she is the fairest in everyone’s eye if not everyone holds the same definition of beautiful? Why is it that we are attracted to some people and not attracted to others? The well-known phrase, â€Å"beauty is in the eye of the beholder† may hold some truth. Perception dictates how we view everything. People’s views are gained through experience and the environment in which they live. With that being said, our ideal depiction of beauty may slightly differ because no two people experience the same things in life, but aspects as to what people find attractive overlap. These overlapping qualities can be grouped into categories, which include the influence of personality, facial beauty, and body beauty and how it’s changing with society. Both males and females, at some level or another, are concerned with how they look to others. Typically, females are more preoccupied with the idea of looking beautiful. Don’t misinterpret what I’m saying; males care about what they look like as well, but generally not to the extent of that of females. This paper will focus on the perceptions people have on beauty as it pertains to women. Influence of Personality on the Perception of Beauty A study was conducted in which a group of researchers wanted to examine if the infl... ...International Journal Of Cosmetic Science, 27(6), 317-325. doi:10.1111/j.1467-2494.2005.00286.x Haughton, N. (2004). Perceptions of beauty in Renaissance art. Journal Of Cosmetic Dermatology, 3(4), 229-233. doi:10.1111/j.1473-2130.2004.00142.x Leist, A. (2003). What Makes Bodies Beautiful. Journal Of Medicine & Philosophy, 28(2), 187-219. Swami, V., Furnham, A., Chamorro-Premuzic, T., Akbar, K., Gordon, N., Harris, T., & ... Tovee, M. J. (2010). More Than Just Skin Deep? Personality Information Influences Men's Ratings of the Attractiveness of Women's Body Sizes. Journal Of Social Psychology, 150(6), 628-647. doi:10.1080/00224540903365497 Weller, J. E., & Dziegielewski, S. F. (2004). The Relationship Between Romantic Partner Support Styles and Body Image Disturbance. Journal Of Human Behavior In The Social Environment, 10(2), 71-92. doi:10.1300/J137v10n02_04

Imperatives for Developing My Transformational Leadership Potential: Some Plans Essay

The word â€Å"leader† first appeared in the English language in the 1300s; it stems from the root â€Å"leden† meaning â€Å"to travel† or â€Å"show the way.†   The term â€Å"leadership†, however, followed only some five centuries later.   One can sift through many definitions of the term â€Å"leadership† and fail to find a single ‘common denominator’ that will unite all of them. This may be because there are so numerous, varying usages of the term in equally numerous and complicated situations.   However, for purposes of this paper, the following definitions used in many leadership studies were adopted: Leadership was broadly defined by Yukl (1989) as â€Å"influencing task objectives and strategies, influencing commitment and compliance in task behavior to achieve these objectives, influencing the culture of an organization.†Ã‚   In simpler terms, leaders influence the actions and behaviours of their followers to obtain a shared vision or aim.   According to Deming (1992), leadership must come from top management and leaders must possess profound knowledge. By profound knowledge, Deming meant that one must have knowledge of systems, variations (statistical thinking), theory, and psychology. Leadership is quite different from management; leaders grow from mastering their own conflict which arises during their developing years using internal strength to survive. On the other hand, managers tend to perceive issues as positive progressions of events which must be planned, organized, scheduled, and controlled.   In order to create the proper thinking perspective, leaders must aggressively investigate and act on the current market to create opportunities.   Effective leaders are those that are capable of assisting their organization/country manage change and steer it towards success. Past Work Experience I have had the opportunity to work with a local company; at peak work periods, I am tasked to manage a small team of 4 staff. Some of the responsibilities involved in this role are delegation of work; prioritizing tasks based on urgency and importance; reporting regularly to my superior for updates and new directives; and updating my superior at the end of the day for concerns and accomplishments. Moreover, it requires me to plan and manage my own time. Effective people skills are as critical as the management of tasks in a team leader’s role. It is necessary for me to create and manage smooth working relationships with line managers, colleagues, and team members. I am also expected to manage their performance by clearly explaining to them standards of work and behavior. An Assessment of My Leadership Style I personally want to develop a transformational leadership style that is more dynamic, innovative and accepting of change than that espoused by a management role. Tichy and Devanna (1986) assert that managers engage in very little change but manage what is present and leave things much as they found them when they depart. Transformational leadership, they declared, focuses on change, innovation, and entrepreneurship. They assumed that transformational leaders begin with a social fabric, disrupt that environment, and then recreate the social fabric to better reflect the overall business climate (Bass, 1990). They argue that there are four suggested personal characteristics of a transformational leader: (a) dominance, (b) self-confidence, (c) need for influence, and (d) conviction of moral righteousness. These are the traits that I have to focus on in undertaking my development plan. Transformational leaders are expected to deal with the paradox of predicting the unknown and sometimes the unknowable.   These leaders change and transform the organization according to a vision of a preferred status. Leaders then are change makers and transformers, guiding the organization to a new and more compelling vision, a demanding role expectation. Studies have been carried out in many different countries, and research in this area also shows that transformational leadership is closer to perceptions of ideal leadership than transactional leadership.   As Hartog et al (1999) note, being perceived as a leader is a prerequisite for being able to go beyond a formal role in influencing others.   They hold that leadership perceptions can be based on two alternative processes.   First, leadership can be inferred from outcomes of salient events, and attribution is crucial in these inference-based processes. For example, a successful business ‘turnaround’ is often quickly attributed to the high quality ‘leadership’ of top executives or the CEO.   Leadership can also be recognized based on the fit between an observed person’s characteristics with the perceivers’ implicit ideas of what ‘leaders’ are (Hartog et al., 1999). This again points to the fact that an effective manager is not only focused on delivering tasks, but on handling his people well. This is especially true among people in the organization who put high premium on a manager’s interpersonal skills. The first step I will consider in my developmental plan is to maintain my enthusiasm and motivation of my team towards their work. Concurrently, I will also aim to develop my leadership potential. I will concretely undertake this by developing a strong mentoring relationship with my superior. Empirical research from both educational and industrial settings suggests that students and employees both have increased probability of success if they have had a mentor. While mentors are effective for everyone, sometimes organizations implement mentoring programs to support particular parts of their populations, often newer employees. And while mentoring programs are always established with the best of intentions, their results are often mixed (Werner, 2004). To make the most of my work exposure, I hope to establish a strong mentoring relationship with my superior or with an expert in my field to develop my competence further. Coaching and mentoring is a very effective way of developing my leadership potential because it does not only develop me in terms of technical expertise, but it will also allow me to actually experience how these experts undergo the coaching and mentoring exercise. Skills Acquisition Skill acquisition acknowledges that proficiency and expertise are a function of the exposure to a variety of situations. These circumstances become experiences for the learner to elicit apt responses. Bandura (1977) emphasized that most learning transpires by observing and modeling behaviors. Information is then stored and coded cognitively and utilized as guide for action. He further noted that the development of a realistic learning setting incorporating environment, behavior, and thought promotes the acquisition of complex skills. Moreover, simulation can help in providing this realistic exposure for neophyte professionals (Bandura, 1977). Because I have gone past beyond being a novice, now is the perfect time for developing strategic leadership skills. I will also be able to add on to my networks by attending conferences related to my field to be able to build and establish peer contacts. I will also endeavor to build relationships with members and managers of other teams within the organization. The following soft competencies have been recommended areas for leadership development by the Development Dimensions International website (2005): master at managing through ambiguity; inspires confidence and belief in the future; have a passion for results; are marked by unwavering integrity; set others up for success; have strong rather than big egos; and have the courage to make big decisions. Mastery at managing through ambiguity. Build a culture that embraces change; constantly set clear goals and expectations; are able to manage across boundaries (and lead others to do the same); show connections between individual accountabilities, team goals, and organizational vision and strategies; sets out a clear course even though it may change frequently. Inspires confidence and belief in the future. Are able to articulate a vision depicting what they want their organization; exudes calm and projects optimism in the face of uncertainty; can engage and inspire employees in their work connecting their needs and values with those of the institution. Passion for results. Set clear accountabilities and high expectations for themselves and for others; hire, promote and reward high performers; keep themselves and their employees focused on the top two or three customer-driven priorities; take action on those who do not fit or who are consistently not performing; establish critical measures of success and make sure they are visible to others. Marked by unwavering integrity. Serve as a â€Å"moral compass† for others; keeps promises and commitments; â€Å"walks the talk†; gives straight, honest feedback; leads through values; acts promptly when their own or the integrity of their organization is compromised.    Set others up for success. Coaches others to succeed before they have the opportunity to fail; truly enjoys seeing people learn and grow; rewards and recognizes success; views failures as learning opportunities; shares (rather than hordes) talent for the good of the organization. Have strong rather than big egos. Humbly shares credit with others; never shoots the messenger – they encourage the sharing of bad news; are always asking â€Å"how can we do things better?†; blame themselves before pointing a finger at others; knows themselves and are guided by strong personal values; listens to understand; recognizes that they, more often than not, are not the ones with the right answers.    Have the courage to make big decisions. Addresses issues or problems quickly; takes actions that are right, even when they are unpopular – they act on conviction; stands by their decisions once they make them – even if circumstances cause them to change course later; takes a longer term view consistent with a future vision (www.ddiworld.com, 2005). Soft skills are as equally if not more important than technical skills, in the development of leadership potential. These competencies must also be integrated into my success competency profile and adequately addressed through formal classroom or on-the-job training. Naturally, to be able to identify which leadership areas I need to focus on, I need to use reflection. The main approach is to develop fully into a transformational leadership role. With transformational leadership, the followers feel trust, admiration, loyalty and respect towards the leader and they are motivated to do more then they originally expected to do. Leaders transform and motivate followers by: (1) making them more aware of the importance of task outcomes, and (2) inducing them to transcend their own self-interest for the sake of the organization or team and activating their higher order needs. In contrast, transactional leadership involves an exchange process that may result in follower compliance with leader requests but is not likely to generate enthusiasm and commitment to task objectives. Therefore, my staff need to feel that I can empathize with them, are able to give them feedback while maintaining their self-esteem, and also solicit their ideas on important issues. Transformational and transactional leadership are distinct but not mutually exclusive processes. Transformational leadership increases follower motivation and performance more than transactional leadership, but effective leaders use a combination of both types of leadership.   Such is the argument of   Gary Yukl (1989).   He defined transformational behavior as idealized influence, individualized consideration, inspirational motivation and intellectual stimulation. Yukl theorized that transformational leadership probably involves internationalization because inspirational motivation includes the articulation of an appealing vision that relates task objectives to follower values and ideals, it therefore also involves personal identification.   Yukl (1989) described transformational leadership as a process of micro-level and macro-level influence. At the macro-level, transformational leaders must take charge of the social systems and reform the organization by creating an appropriate power situation. At the micro-level, transformational leaders must attend to the personalities in the organization to facilitate change at an interpersonal level. One other way of developing my leadership potential is by regularly reflecting on areas for improvement. In this area, the feedback of my superior would serve as critical input. There is now broad agreement on four key attributes, therefore, known as the four i’s of Transformational Leadership (Avolio et al., 1991; Bass & Avolio, 1994b). Inspirational leadership means ‘the arousal and heightening of motivation among followers that occurs primarily from charismatic leadership’ and individualized consideration is evident when subordinates are treated individually according to their needs. Intellectual stimulation refers to the leader’s influence on followers’ thinking and imagination (Bass, 1985, pp. 62,82 and 99). And, finally, idealized influence is the identification with and emulation of the leader’s mission and vision. Apart from focusing on my own leadership needs, I would also like to assist in the drafting of Career Management plans of the members of my team. I would also like to ensure that I continuously serve as a model and inspiration for them in terms of giving support, praise and encouragement to all team members. Moreover, I will work for the implementation of retention strategies among the team members I work with through career development,   flexible work, induction, partnership and staff involvement, and pay and rewards. Some Comments on the Transformational Leadership Framework / Theory In contrast with leader emergence which deals with the likelihood that a person will become a leader, leader performance involves the idea that excellent leaders possess certain characteristics that certain leaders do not. For example, an excellent leader might be intelligent, assertive, friendly, and independent, whereas a poor leader might be shy, aloof, and calm. Research on the relationship between personal characteristics and leader performance has concentrated on three areas: traits, needs and orientation. In relation to transformational leadership framework, I do agree that the leader must possess certain characteristics to transform the organization. But this is not all – there must also be ample consideration of other factors such as subordinates’ ability and organizational climate. Traits. The idea that certain traits are associated with effective leadership is appealing, but in 1964, a review by Heslin and Dunphy indicated that only two traits – intelligence and interpersonal adjustment – have consistently been related to leadership performance. More recently, it has been proposed that good leaders need to possess only one stable trait – adaptability or self-monitoring (Cohen & Bradford, 1990). Thus, good leaders will constantly change their behaviors to meet the demands of the situation or person with whom they are dealing. Support from this theory comes from a study by Caldwell & O’Reilly (1982), who found that field representatives who dealt with many different types of people were more effective if they were high self-monitors. Similar results were found with Zaccaro, Foti & Kenny (1991). The concept of self-monitoring focuses on what leaders do as opposed to what they are. For example, a high self-monitoring leader may possess the trait of shyness and not truly want to communicate with other people. He know, however, that talking to others is an important part of his job, so he says hello to his employees when he arrives at work, and at least once a day stops and talks to each employee. Thus, the leader has the trait of shyness but adapts his outward behavior to appear to be outgoing and confident. An interesting extension of the trait theory of leader performance suggests that certain traits are necessary requirements for leadership excellence but that they do not guarantee it (Simonton, 1979). Instead, leadership excellence is a function of the right person being in the right place at the right time. The fact that one person with certain traits becomes an excellent leader while another with the same trait flounders may be no more than the result of timing and chance. Needs. A personal characteristic that has received some support to a leader’s need for power, need for achievement, and need for affiliation. Research by McClelland and Burnham (1976) and McClelland and Boyatzis (1982) have demonstrated that high-performance managers have a leadership motive pattern, which is a high need for power and a low need for affiliation. The need is not for personal power but for organizational power. This pattern of needs is thought to be important because it implies that an effective leader should be more concerned with results than with being liked. Leaders who need to be liked by their subordinates will have a tough time making decisions. A decision to make an employee work overtime, for example, may be necessary for the organization’s survival, but it will probably be unpopular with employees. Leaders with high affiliation needs may decide that being liked is more important than being successful, causing conflict with their decision. Needs for power, achievement and affiliation can be measured through various psychological tests. The most commonly used is the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT). The TAT is a projective test in which a person is shown a series of pictures and is asked to tell a story about what is happening in each picture. The stories are then analyzed by a trained psychologist who identifies the needs themes that are contained in the stories. Obviously, this technique is time consuming and requires a great deal of training. Task vs. person orientation. Over the last 45 years, three major schools of thought – Ohio State studies (Fleishman, Harris & Burtt, 1955), Theory X (McGregor, 1960) and managerial grid (Blake & Mouton, 1984) – have postulated that differences in leader performance can be attributed to differences in the extent to which leaders are task versus person oriented. Person-oriented leaders (country club leaders, theory Y leaders, leaders in high consideration) act in a warm and supportive manner and show concern for their subordinates. Person-oriented leaders believe that employees are intrinsically motivated, seek responsibility, are self-controlled, and do not necessarily dislike work, Because of these assumptions, person-oriented leaders consult their subordinates before making decisions, praise their work, ask about their families, look over their shoulders, and use a more â€Å"hands-off† approach to leadership. Under pressure, person-oriented leaders tend to become socially withdrawn (Bond, 1995). Task –oriented leaders (task-centered leaders, theory X leaders, leaders high in initiating structure) define and structure their own roles and those of their subordinates to attain the group’s formal goals. Task-oriented leaders see their employees as lazy, extrinsically motivated, wanting security, undisciplined, and shirking responsibility. Because of these assumptions, task-oriented leaders tend to manage or lead by giving directives, setting goals, and making decisions without consulting their subordinates. Under pressure, task-oriented leaders tend to produce humor (e.g. tell jokes and stories) whereas person-oriented leaders tend to appreciate humor (e.g. listen to others’ jokes) (Philbrick, 1989). I feel that the best leader who may undertake transformation in the organization ought to be both person and task-oriented. In effect, in being a transformational leader, I should put premium on both person and task orientations, exhibiting each one with equal strength or emphasis. Interaction between the Leader and the Situation Apart from just focusing on the leader, I feel it is equally important for him to consider the complexities of his situation so that he may have a better grasp of how it is to transform the organization. In line with this, I should also be able to focus not only on developing myself but also consider the characteristics of the situation which I find myself in. One of the more recent research on this area is the situational theory of Geier, Downey and Johnson (1980) who believed that the leader has one of six behavioral styles, namely, informational, magnetic, position, affiliation, coercive or tactical. Each type is only effective in a particular situation, or in what researchers call an organizational climate. These researchers further say that based on the organizational climate, a leader with an informational style is best fit in ac climate of ignorance; those with magnetic style in a climate of despair; those with a position style in a climate of instability; affiliation style in a climate of anxiety; coercive style in a climate of crisis; tactical style in a climate of disorganization. This suggests that as a transformational leader, I should be able to adjust myself on the basis of my assessment of my organization’s climate. Relationship with Subordinates One other facet of transformational leadership which I intend to integrate into my personal development plan is my relationship with subordinates. This is consistent with the vertical dyad linkage theory. Vertical dyad linkage (VDL) theory was developed by Dansereau, Graen, and Haga (1974) and is a unique situational theory that makes good intuitive sense. Some situational theories concentrate on interactions between leaders and situations and between leaders and employees with differing levels of ability. VDL theory, however, concentrates on the interactions between leaders and subordinates. These interactions are called leader-member exchanges (LMXs). The theory takes its name from the relationship between two people (a dyad), the position of the leader above the subordinate (vertical), and their interrelated behavior (linkage). VDL theory states that leaders develop different roles with different subordinates and thus act differently with different subordinates. Dansereau et al (1974) believe that subordinates fall in one of two groups, the in-group or the outgroup. In-group subordinates are those who have developed trusting, friendly relationships with the leader. As a result, the leader deals with in-group members by allowing them to participate in decisions and by rarely disciplining them. Thus, in-group membership is thought to increase performance. Out-group subordinates are treated differently from those in the in-group and are more likely to be given direct orders and to have less say about how affairs are conducted. In general, research on VDL theory has been supportive (Grestner & Day, 1997). There are, however, relationships between leaders and subordinates that probably can be categorized into types other than in-group and out-group. In relation to transformational leadership, I should increase my self-awareness in treating my subordinates such that there is no rigid classification of whether they are members of the in-group or the out-group. Under the transformational leadership framework, all subordinates are encouraged to participate in decision making. As such, I should try my best to gather input from all of my staff to be able to come up with the most optimal solution to a problem or an issue. Subordinate Ability Apart from self-development, the transformational leader must also be wary of his subordinates’ abilities in carrying out his plan for change or transformation. According to House’s (1971) path goal theory, a leader can adopt one of four behavioral leadership styles to handle each situation: instrumental, supportive, participative and achievement-oriented. The instrumental style calls for planning, organizing, and controlling the activities of employees. The supportive style leader shows concern for employees, the participative style leader shares information with employees and lets them participate in decision making, and the leader who uses the achievement oriented style sets challenging goals and rewards increases in performance. Each style will only work in certain situations and depends on subordinates’ abilities and the extent to which the task is structured. In general, the higher the level of subordinate ability, the less directive the leader should be. Likewise, the more structured the situation, the more directive the leader should be (Schriesheim & DeNisi, 1981). In conclusion, I feel that the transformational leadership framework is wanting of some considerations. Apart from just focusing on the leader himself, the plan should include a grave consideration of other important factors, such as his subordinates’ ability and the organizational climate in which the leader operates. My transformational leadership development plan, in summary, will equip me with the necessary technical and leadership competencies towards effectively taking on a management role, whilst seriously considering my subordinates’ abilities and the culture of the company I am working for. Ultimately, this will reflect in being able to lead and motivate a team – who in themselves are competent, goal-driven and are able to contribute to the organization’s bottomline. References Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: toward a unifying theory of behavior change. 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