Art and Society Essay

All art – whether it be visual, music, literature, film, etc. – is affected by the specific cultural climate in which it is produced (time, place, social conventions, etc.) and is often created in reaction to â€Å"movements† or styles that came before it. How important is it to know these sorts of historical details to appreciate a work of art?  To know the historical details of a work of art is essential because without it you would never be able to aprreciate the work the same way. To be able to understand it better one has to know at what point in time was it made so when you see a painting of a steamboat knowing that the painting was made just after it was invented would give you a much different understanding than if it was made yestaerday. To whole different emotional responsed would be made. This is the same for the place (culture) social conventions, etc. What is ‘Good’ Art?  8. As you wander through the contemporary galleries on the first or second floor, select a work of art that leaves you puzzled at best. Write down the title and the artist. Research the piece at the library or on the internet, or speak to an art expert to understand the artist and the intended message.  (a) Does this new information change your appreciation for the piece? Explain by referring specifically to the artist’s intention and the specific work. I chose â€Å"The Bremen town musicians† by Gim Hong-Sok South Korea. After searching in the internet I found out that the sculpture of the Donkey, Dog, Cat and a Rooster, is actually based on a story by the Brothers Grimm with the same title, I had no idea what the sculpture meant at that time because there is no description except a â€Å"fictional one† which states that the furry animal costumes are a family of Mexican illegal aliens and that they are paid 8 dolars a day for posing as said sculpture. I think that Gim just wanted to add some humor to art and to the viewer, as many works of art are deeply sentimental and emotional, which I found very satisfiying. In your contemporary gallery wanderings, choose two pieces of work you consider to be ‘good’ and two you consider bad art.  (b) Identify the pieces and state the criteria you consider to be important in making ‘good’ contemporary art[PH1].  Ã‚  Good Art  Why?  Impenetrable-Mona  I think its very good art because it’s a very innovative piece of work, it is just long lines of steel tubes in the form of a cube but the spaces are so tightly together and with small spikes which make the piece impenetrable just like its named. It also looks modern and neat as it appears to be floating in the air and can be appreciated in 360. Bad Art  Why?  Jean Paul Riopelle-Untitled  I think this is bad art because, there is no pattern at all its just random splashing of colours, and the piece of work doesn’t even have a title, which makes me think as a receiver that Riopelle was just too lazy to come up with a decent name because there was no feeling input into it.  (c) If the artworks you were looking at weren’t part of a national collection and within a purpose-built gallery designed by an internationally recognized architect would you still view them the same way? Who do you think makes the decisions of what appears in National Gallery exhibits? Does their expertise and background matter in your experience of the works? If the pieces I saw were not a part of the national collection, I wouldn’t view the same way because they wouldn’t have the same artisitic value. If a piece of art is recognized by the world and known artists and collections, it gives the works of art much more significance. This doesn’t mean everything that they consider art is something I will also consider art just because its in the gallery.  (d) Do you have the same reactions to the works online as you did viewing them in person? What’s missing? Is this important in viewing art? Can we have the same understanding of something filtered through a â€Å"virtual experience† as exposed to actually experience it in person? Interestingly, one exhibit in the galleries is two computers linking to the website atworkandplay.ca  No I don’t have the same reaction because the quality and the size you can appreciate the works of art is totally different in real life, art is not just viewing but also EXPERIENCING and if you just view it online you are missing the experience of actually being there.

Report on Carrebean Internet Cafe Case

REPORT ON CARRIBEAN INTERNET CAFE CASE Assignment – 1 CASE SUMMARY David grant is an MBA student hoping to open Caribbean Internet Cafe in his hometown Kingstons, Jamaica upon his graduation as he always wanted to be his own â€Å"boss†. Due to low accessibility and usage of internet in Jamaica, David thought of it as a good timing to pursue this business opportunity. He has gathered data on all the relevant costs: equipment, rent, labor, etc. He has also found a partner in the local telephone company, Jamaica Telecommunications Limited (JTL), where he previously worked.JTL has offered to provide equity and a long-term loan at favorable interest rates. He is now faced with the task of analyzing the gathered information and making a decision of whether he should proceed with the venture, and if so, if it would be a profitable business for him and JTL. TABLE OF CONTENT CASE SUMMARY1 INTRODUCTION2 PROBLEM DEFINITION3 CONCEPT FEASIBILITY STUDY3 TARGET MARKET4 LOCATION4 COMP ETITION4 ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY4 CAPITAL AVAILABLE5 START UP COST5 FIXED MONTHLY COST5 PRICE COST MARGIN ESTIMATION5 TARGET CUSTOMER SEGMENT – 200006 REVENUE PER YEAR6 PROFITABILITY6 CONCLUSION6 RECOMMENDATIONS7 INTRODUCTIONThe report deals with the study of a business proposal to open an internet cafe. The report studies the decision of David Grant who is an MBA student, to open Caribbean Internet Cafe in his home town Kingston, Jamaica. David while studying in London visited a number of cafes and was intrigued by the concept. While visiting his hometown Kingstons, Jamaica during summers he noticed that in spite of high awareness of the internet, there was low accessibility and usage of the same. Seeing a potential market of consumers, David decides to open a European concept based Cafe which will offer brewed coffee, imported wines, juices and baked products.He decides to have three areas in the cafe: a computer area with booths, a wine lounge with comfortable sofas, and a ge neral cafe area with table and chairs. He envisioned providing the customers, a perfect vehicle to use internet and other service without making an expensive investment in computer hardware and in addition a social outlet where people can surf together , listen to music or simply relax and socialize. He gathers the required information for starting the cafe and makes notes. PROBLEM DEFINITIONAfter gathering all the information David grant has to decide whether it will be a profitable and sustainable decision to open an Internet Cafe in Kingstons, Jamaica. CONCEPT FEASIBILITY STUDY In order to make a sound decision a feasibility study is carried out which will focus on analysing the target market, location , the competitors in the area and the three categories of costs: Start up costs required to be invested in the business, Fixed monthly costs that are to be bore as result of operations and variable costs, that result with every customer visit to the cafe.TARGET MARKET It was assume d that main segment that can be targeted as the potential customers would be university students, who have computer knowledge and professionals with high disposable income as they would appreciate a venue where they could relax and socialize along with availing internet facilities. Total segment size was assumed to be around 20,000. LOCATION Location that was chosen for setting up the cafe was New Kingston as most of the banks, other financial institutions and corporate had their head offices in that area.Also this area consisted of hotels and shopping centre, which would mean more masses, would come to know about CIC. Along with these factors, one more important reason was that New Kingston was close to several affluent suburbs from which CIC could attract patrons. COMPETITION In Jamaica, internet accessibility and usage was low. There were many reasons, that accounted for low internet usage such as 1) High cost of computer as percentage of average salary, 2) the lack of telephone lines in some areas of Kingston and,3)the high rates that was being charged by the existing service providers.Along with these factors, the idea of an† Internet cafe† was not very popular in Jamaica. So, this overall plan was quite new for that region and as a result the competition was not quite great. ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY CAPITAL AVAILABLE Table [ 1 ] PARTICULARS| AMOUNT (JA$)| DAVID GRANT’S SAVINGS| 5,00,000| JTL INVESTMENT IN EQUITY (50% SHARE)| 5,00,000| LOAN PROVIDED BY JTL @ 10% pa| 12,50,000| TOTAL| 22,50,000| START UP COST Table [ 2 ] PARTICULARS| TOTAL COST (JA$)| EQUIPMENT | 1426000| UTILITIY DEPOSIT| 7000| ADVERTISING (Prior to Opening)| 20000|LEGAL AND DECORATIONS| 120000| TOTAL| 1573000| FIXED MONTHLY COST There is an assumption that loan from JTL in the startup is a 5 year loan with principal payable on maturity and 10% simple interest payable monthly. Table [ 3 ] PARTICULARS| TOTAL COST (PER MONTH) (JA$)| WAGES TO EMPLOYESS (90*40*4*2)| 28800| SALA RY TO MANAGER | 40000| SITE RENTAL| 30000| TELEPHONE BILL AND UTILITIES| 15000| INTERNET LINK RENTAL| 10000| INSURANCE PREMIUM| 10000| ADVERTISING, MARKETING AND PROMOTION COST| 10000| ADMINISTRATIVE AND MAINTENANCE| 50000| INTEREST ON LOAN| 4167|TOTAL| 197967| YEARLY TOTAL (197967*12)| 2375604| PRICE COST MARGIN ESTIMATION PRICE/CUSTOMER (JA$) Table [ 4 ] PARTICULARS| TOTAL CHARGES| COST INCURRED| MARGIN (REVENUE)| INTERNET (PER HOUR)| 120| 60| 60| DRINKS (PER VISIT)| 140| 50| 90| FOOD (PER VISIT)| 60| 30| 30| TARGET CUSTOMER SEGMENT – 20000 An independent research firm, commissioned by JTL, conducted a study and came to the conclusion that the estimates by the owner regarding target size and demand were indeed correct.They also provided three scenarios of the demand that the cafe would attract. The market firm projected tha , optimistically, 50% of the segment would visit the cafe, on an average of , five times a year. A realistic projection was that 40% of the segment woul d visit the cafe on an average of three times a year. Finally, a pessimist estimate was that 30% of the segment would visit the cafe twice per year. Total Customer Visits / Year Optimistic (50%, 5x/yr) – 50000Realistic (40%, 3x/yr) – 24000 Pessimistic (30%, 2x/yr) – 12000 REVENUE PER YEAR Table [ 5 ] PARTICULARS| OPTI MISTIC | REALISTIC| PESSIMISTIC| COMPUTER USAGE (40%)| 12,00,000| 5,76,000| 4,32,000| FOOD/DRINKS| 60,00,000| 28,80,000| 14,40,000| TOTAL| 72,00,000| 34,56,000| 18,72,000| PROFITABILITY * In optimistic scenario the cafe would generate a profit of 45263 JA$ * In realistic scenario the cafe would incur a loss of 214737 JA$ * In pessimist scenario the cafe would incur a loss of 334737JA$ CONCLUSIONAfter analyzing the various aspects of the proposal it may be seen that the only scenario turning out to be a profitable and sustainable proposal is the optimistic one where the assumption is based on the fact that 50% of the total segment i. e. 10000 of the total 20000 customer segment will visit the cafe on an average of 5 times a year. But it would not a practically advisable to go ahead with such an assumption as the realistic as well as pessimist scenario shows a loss reflecting a negative probability of the business being profitable and sustainable in the long run.But it has been mentioned that the area does not have a cafe which provides internet facility and at the same time a hang out joint offering snacks and music at the same place, which makes Caribbean Internet Cafe first of it kind in Kingstons Jamaica. Therefore scrapping the whole idea leads to loosing out on an opportunity which gives David Grantâ€Å"First Mover Advantage† of offering a new experience to the customers. Secondly, a potential unexplored market which can be catered to by opening such cafe.Therefore David must proceed with his proposition but only after making certain changes in the area cost and tariff. RECOMMENDATIONS * David should revise his ta riff of 120$ per hour considering the average charges of the internet facility is 90JA$ per hour. * Also David can reconstruct the menu of the snack bar as the offerings does not fits the demand of the local people and is adding to the cost due to being exotic in nature. Eg. It is clear from the case facts that local people does not drink coffee and hence it may be omitted from the menu.

Wal-Marts Vision Statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Wal-Marts Vision Statement - Essay Example The company’s main stakeholders are the shareholders, customers, and employees (Wal-mart, 2008). This report focuses on the backbone of the company the employees. The aim is to understand the current situation of the employees and whether the company’s vision is helping the employees achieve the objectives. Wal – Mart has wide operations spread across 14 markets, 7390 Wal – Mart stores. The company employees over 2 million associates. It is the largest employer in America. The company claims to give importance to the employee’s growth and careers. The company’s website claims to provide the employees with a competitive pay, skills development and health benefits for the employee and family. However, a recent article in Business Week highlighted the fact that the company has been paying employees about $8.23 per hour, or $13,861 a year. This pay is well below the federal poverty line of $14, 630 for a family of three. Other articles and studies have shown that the company pays employees a salary which is way below the poverty line and employees have confessed that they cannot live out of the pay received from Wal – Mart alone. The average hours worked by employees is around 40 hours a week. However the pay received is very low and for some of the employees, it is just enough to live out of a Dodge truck (Greenhouse, 2005). The employee’s goals, however, are very different. Employees benefit from a company that is making profits which in turn would mean the employees being paid higher salaries and bonuses. From the above discussion, it is clear that employees do not receive any extra benefits in spite of the company making profits. A study showed that even though employees were given hikes in salary they did not really benefit from the hikes. Wal – Mart has instituted a new payment method.  

DELL company update Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

DELL company update - Research Paper Example This strategy has helped the firm to actually capture that segment of the market which was looking for low priced computers in place of expensive IBM PCs- Over the period of time, Dell has expanded into other markets by forming strategic partnerships with different other players in the PC industry. Starting as a PC manufacturer, Dell has subsequently expanded into the Servers, Printers, memory and storage devices, LCD TVs, portable music players etc. Dell however, has subsequently discarded some of the products due to thin margins. Case also further discusses as to how the better assembly and manufacturing system, effective inventory management as well as direct sales approach of the firm has helped it to gain market share. The Update Since the end of 2008 there have been major changes in the information technology market as the new products and services changed the way market behaved in the past. The introduction of the Smartphones as well as the tablets in the market has made a gre at impact on the personal computers industry as more and more consumers preferred to use products like IPAD and Iphone to have entertainment on the go. There has been also a great change in the business computing as more focus was placed on the information technology security and safety. Recognizing this change in the market, Dell has also responded to these market changes and introduced new products and services which were potentially aimed at catering to the changing needs of the consumers. The introduction of new products such as Dell Venue Pro as well as Dell Streak outlines the shift in the strategy of the firm towards offering innovative products and services. Dell Inc has also focused on making a transition towards a services oriented firm rather than a purely hardware manufacturing firm. The use of social networking services to initiate a more personalized interaction with the customers therefore outline the necessary change in the attitude of the firm. The offering of enter prise wide services such as IT security Services, Data Storage Services etc therefore suggest that Dell is making a gigantic shift in its strategy to systematically lessen its dependence of personal computers as the major source of revenue for the firm. The Strategy Since 2008, Dell Inc has focused on the strategy of acquiring new firms in order to build its capacity to serve the different segments of the market. Dell Inc has systematically initiated the strategic acquisition process to acquire firms which can build its capacity to offer diversified range of services across different segments of the market. The acquisition strategy has proved successful for the firm as Dell Inc specially has been able to cater to the needs of its business customers. By acquiring firms like SystemWorks, Dell has been able to offer enterprise wide services to its customers. Acquisition strategy has been successfully implemented and executed by Google therefore it seems that Dell is also following into the footsteps of Google to expand its overall base of services by acquiring small and medium businesses and utilize its research and development expertise to bring in more innovation and creativity into the overall product offering. There may also be a shift in the way Dell Inc has traditionally marketed

Malcolm X Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Malcolm X - Research Paper Example He was a son of two active black nationalists who followed the teachings of Marcus Garvey, the most influential pan-Africanist of the early twentieth century. Malcolm was placed in an Ingam County juvenile in Mason, Michigan. He worked hard and was obtaining good results in school. Seeing this made his half sister Ella proud when she came to visit him. Though many people of his time believed that Malcolm X and his followers were only spreading hate across the nation, his speeches accomplished a lot more than that. Because of him, black people in North America are now shown more respect by people of the white race who were once their oppressors. To the eyes of many, this was not real freedom. Malcolm X was fighting to change this sad reality and win the respect of people for all black people nationwide. Demonstrating this fact, after his death, affirmative action became a part of a larger design by Pres. Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty program to benefit the minorities of the society who were not given the opportunity to seek formal education and denied equal job opportunities as the white population. (Haley, 1964) The debate on this issue is still going on today. These facts prove that black people are finally being accepted for who they are in the society they live in and shown the respect they deserve. A formal apology has not yet been witnessed but the fact that it is being discussed alone still demonstrates that whites are finally recognizing blacks as human beings no inferior than whites and deserve equal respect to whites. The black people were the same ones who once accepted white supremacy and believed themselves to be inferior. They were unqualified and, as human beings, did not recognize their rights like most black people of that time. (Perry, 1991) They endured police aggressions and harassments. Newton, who was familiar with the law, guided his people into a militant resistance whose purpose was to defend its community and would not attack unless a ttacked. Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr The Civil War was only the beginning of a Civil Rights Movement that would last a century. Malcolm X, like Martin Luther King Jr., Marcus Garvey and many more, was part of this movement. These people fought for freedom of black people and created awareness of the negative effects of racial discrimination. Proof of this is the fact that the American government feels ashamed for the past events, which is the reason why details of shameful events like slavery, hate crimes and assassinations of various black leaders are never disclosed for the people to learn more about. Slavery, for example, is a part of its history that the government constantly tries to keep hidden. Malcolm X was assassinated on February 21, 1965 at 3:10 P.M. Many people believe that the FBI might have killed him. Whether or not he was killed by the FBI or by the NOI, the information would still be disclosed. The existence of Malcolm X was therefore vital to the American l ifestyle because he was a bold man who was not afraid to speak his mind and by doing so he created consciousness of the harm that racial discrimination caused in humanity. (Goldman, 1979) Malcolm X as an Activist Malcolm X was an activist whose legacy will continue to live on for years to come. Along with other Civil Rights Movement leaders he influenced the way of life in America and today, evidence of this is seen during the month of February which

How the Field of Business Has Been Impacted by Social Networking Research Paper

How the Field of Business Has Been Impacted by Social Networking - Research Paper Example The research focuses on the companies’ increasing their market segment presence by sending messages that will encourage members of the social networking sites to buy the company’s products and services. The field of business has been impacted by social networking. The research focuses on riding the bandwagon by offering the company’s products on the social networking sites. The company communicates with current and prospective clients to persuade them to buy the company’s products and services by joining the innovative social networking groups. The field of business has been innovatively and creatively impacted by social networking in the area of increasing the company’s advertising exposure to generate more prospective customers. Innovation is very important. Innovation ensures the company’s presence and even leadership in the same market segment. Innovation can creatively persuade the current and prospective clients to prioritize the compan y’s products and services over the competitors’ product lines. Innovation creates demand for the company’s products and services. In terms of changing the field, social networking is the new innovative development in terms of communication tool. People spend more time visiting social networking sites to buy their needs and wants to compare to visiting physical stores. Many companies advertise their products on the social networking sites to generate more clients (global in nature). The use of online selling has innovatively changed the faces of buying and selling in our current market environment. The field of business has been strongly impacted by the change in lifestyle and society to have more focus on social networking. The social networking sites allow advertising at minimal cost. Small businesses can have a better playing field in terms of marketing their products and services.  

Accounting Theory and Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Accounting Theory and Policy - Essay Example GAAP and IFRS.The main reason for starting the debate was the series of corporate scandals in the U.S. where managers acted opportunistically to circumvent accounting rules to the detriment of investors, a result that accounting standards were supposed to help in preventing. Standards were established to ensure that financial reporting reflected the economic substance, not just the form, of transactions. However, auditors allowed different forms of reporting manipulation provided these were consistent with the interpretation of precise rules-based standards, allowing compliance with the "form" of financial reporting even as it failed to reflect the true economic "substance" of such transactions.Another reason for the debate is the move towards the need for convergence because of the number of accounting standards currently in force, which creates problems related to timeliness, compliance, comparability, and consistency. Accountants find rules-based (also called cookbook or checklist ) standards too detailed and time-consuming, causing delays in reporting, and unable to meet the challenges of a complex and fast-changing financial world. Rather than help accountants exercise professional judgment and objectivity, having too many rules provide specific benchmarks that makes it easy for auditors to fulfil compliance in form but not in substance. Therefore, since principles are more general than detailed rules, FASB is of the opinion that developing principles-based standards would make convergence easier and, at the same time, allow auditors to minimise the tendency of managers to engage in manipulations of reported financial results. Rules-based accounting standards-setting in the U.S. resulted from years of consultations regarding increasingly complex financial transactions. Companies and auditors asked for "bright line" rules, so-called because they contained precise numerical cut-off points supposedly to guide transactions reporting. However, as the example of accounting for capital leases showed, companies found a way to use professional expertise, creative arrangements, and over-liberal judgment to circumvent the rules contained in a 450-page FASB document to clarify the topic. Why do companies restructure transactions even in the face of "bright line" rules The main reason is that managing earnings can be beneficial for managers. Managers have incentives to look after their own best interests, leading them to manipulate transactions if the benefits outweigh the costs such as taxes, penalties from SEC enforcement, and balance sheet reclassifications. Minimising costs would maximise profits and, in most cases, benefits to managers. Auditors also have incentives to earn as much revenues from their services, which may be affected by reporting manipulation, so they sometimes allow debt to be classified as equity (some auditing fees depend on company asset size). By maximising profits, earnings manipulation also allows managers to keep their jobs, avoid shareholder lawsuits, and raise the share price so they can exercise stock options and earn higher salaries. Evidence shows that managers are more likely to manipulate financial reporting if there are precise (rules-based) accounting standards than when standards are flexible, and that auditors are more likely to allow this as long as the rules allow it. When there are no "bright line" rules, but only concepts-based standards, managers are less likely to engage in costly

Organisational Behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Organisational Behaviour - Essay Example Studying organizational behaviour helps to explain, predict and control organizational development, and overall its performance. Organizational climate, on the other hand, ascribes to the observable, powerful force that defines the organization, thus, it can be said to stem from organizational behaviour as it sets the pace for the force. The customs, procedures, policies and practices are what define the organizational climate as these are perpetual. It is important to identify how these come about as such an understanding will help develop models that positively impact performance, behaviours and attitudes of among individuals and groups within the organization. For managers, understanding organizational climate becomes crucial when planning to undertake transformational change. This is because it is more measurable and definable than organizational culture as a tool for driving change. In gaining this understanding, management may gauge the perception of the employees by asking how they feel working there; weighing their level of morale and finding out if there is any goodwill in the business. By asking how the employees feel about working there, management can also deduce their sense of loyalty and belongingness to the organization. This will facilitate designing a strategy for change that will be easily embraced by the employees making it effective (Griffin and Moorehead 2010, p.472). Broken down, organizational climate, following the micro organizational theory, is defined using two relationships between the people and the organization; and between the superiors and subordinates. This lays emphasis on leadership as the most significant determinant of organizational climate. Other determinants include organizational culture, historical forces, standards of accountability, standards of behaviour, rewards, communication, trust and commitment, organizational networks and vision and strategies. Looking into these makes the concept of organizational culture more definable and facilitates modelling to improve performance, attitudes and behaviours. Often, managers focus on organizational culture, which is rather detached from the actual situation (Srivastava 2005, p.42). Leadership is the most significant determinant since a leader will influence the behaviour and expectations of every person within the organization. This may be outlined in two ways, the course followed by management and styles of leadership. A leader sets the climate within an organization going by how he engages with employees to gain their commitment as well as strategizing on the changes that need to be made in order to improve performance. The process of management ascribes to the relationships set by the organizational structure; that is, how superiors interact with their subordinates and vice versa. In addition, it refers to how management initiates change, bureaucracies, policies and procedures. For example, an organization that is reluctant to reward well-performing employees or invest in team-building activities will reflect a negative attitude from employees as they will have no commitment (The Kennedy Group n.d). Of importance as well, leadership practices employed when fostering a desirable organizational climate, that will in turn breed good organizational performance, should focus on competition as an external goal. That is, guiding employees to be better than their counterparts

Analysis of Dance Essay Example for Free

Analysis of Dance Essay The type of dance I attended was a mix of ballet and modern. This involved group performances as well as individual performances. For the purpose of this paper I will narrow my observations to an individual performance of both ballet and modern and a group performance of both. Dance has the ability to draw it’s viewer in, by captivating the audience with the amount of grace, coordination and talent it’s dancers display. The lines a dancer created with their body is nothing short of amazing. Almost every type of person could appreciate something about dance. One of the first dances of the night was a ballet done, by a 9 year old girl. As she entered the dance area, it became very silent in the auditorium. You could almost hear a needle drop. Her costume was simple, dark in color, not shinny, as if not to distract the audience from her performance. Her white tights provided a focal point drawing the audience to watching the delicate moves she was executing with her legs. She started in first position quickly transitioning to 3rd and before you knew it she was spinning around on only one foot, pointing her toe towards the audience. She had a brief moment where it appeared that she fell out of pose, but immediately pulled herself back together, executing the next pose with perfection. Her face remained unchanged throughout the entire performance. She demonstrated perfect C shaped arms as she held them in the air bringing all her weight from her heels to the tips of her toes. This performance was very impressive for such a young girl. What I sometimes miss it facial expressions, but I suppose by the absence of expression the girl is allowing your mind to go wherever the music takes you. The next performance came from a 15 year old girl and best fit the description of modern dance. Her costume was bright, shinny, and created the illusion of movement. Many of the movements executed by this performer involved being on the floor, or bending over. Her arm movements were not as precise. It was as if a choreographer told her she could place her arms however she wished, in stark contrast to the ballet dance that required very precise movements. This dance appeared much slower. I did not enjoy this dance as much as I felt the bold costume and music distracted the viewers from the talent behind the dancer. She too was expressionless when she danced. The way the stage lights reflected off her costume created a glowing effect on the dancer. The group ballet was absolutely beautiful. Some of the dancers started as if they were asleep or dead, all bent over, while other dancers began in the upright position. As the dancers began to move across the stage, the dancers in the downward position began to arise. It created the illusion that the dancers were giving life to an otherwise lifeless creature. They all began dancing in unison across the stage, with pose and grace, up on their toes. They were always careful to have the correct position with their arms and legs, and toes pointed. They made this type of dancing look effortless, while executing it with such precision. No one fell out of pose during this dance, everyone knew their place and performed with great precision. As the dance ended they all went into a downward pose, creating the illusion that they were all lifeless again. What a brilliant analogy, this dance presented. Many things around us are lifeless, dull and boring, it is the people who occupy the space that gives it life and meaning. Just like dance gives life and many to those who watch it or perform it. The last dance was the group modern dance. This was my least favorite. I would almost say that it appeared sloppy and ill choreographed. At times I wondered if the girls were supposed to be doing the same movements and some were behind or if it was meant to look like a ripple effect. It did not look like either to me. Through watching these dances it became very obvious to me that I prefer ballet to modern dance. I was uncertain of the reason until the lady seated behind me said,† I loved their modern group dance†. I thought I miss heard her, but yes that was what she said. She even went on to say that they had won a competition doing that very dance. It was at that point I realized dance is for everyone. While I prefer the more precise movements, other people can enjoy the chaos of modern dance. I tend to be a perfectionist and I had nothing to gage the movements of the modern dance on. But I loved the ballet where you could tell when perfect pose was achieved. So I do believe a dance recital like this should appeal to all types of people, offering a great variety.

The Individual, Society and Change Essay Example for Free

The Individual, Society and Change Essay Over the years, people have always been motivated to take action and make a change in the society because of many different factors such as pain, desire to be better person, bad conditions of life or habits. And all of these desires can become true by the motivation, constant, and continued efforts to change this society that could be better without inequity. But sometimes, through small modifications great changes can be made Nora Neale Hurston in her essay How it Feels to be Colored Me talks about her childhood experience to express the pride on her individuality. Instead of trying to talk about racial inequality, talks about her uniqueness and how she was not affected by racist comments of white people. Thus, she attempts to transmit the fact of not changing the identity and personality of black people (or of other races) but try to modify the behavior of people of other races towards comments at this time. To achieve her objective of changing peoples’ mind, there are several passages in the text that reveal her positivity and optimism. For example, she mentions that there was always someone reminding her that she was the â€Å"granddaughter of slaves† (Cooley, 157). But this did not make her feel angry or depressed, since slavery, she says, was the â€Å"price that their ancestors had to pay to get to civilization† (157). She also mentions, I am Merely a fragment of the Great Soul that surges within the boundaries (Cooley 157), meaning that the fact of being of color, did not define an individual’s personality or who they were, because every person were another human being. She goes on to say â€Å"Sometimes, I feel discriminated against, but it does not make me angry. It merely astonishes me† (Cooley 157), meaning that no one should care about people’s opinià ³n. Those three passages are great examples of how Nora Neale tried to change other black or other raced people behavior: define each person by their identity, not by other’s thoughts or comments. And this is where best describes each person is as it is; we all have our strengths and weaknesses because of our character and not the color or race. To conclude, people know when a change is needed, and they will do it because they won’t accept to live in a society that could be better. They will do it because they want a better future for them; their children and the population that is round them. And that is what Hurston made with â€Å"how it feels to be colored me†: she changed the attitude of angry or depressed people of other races about racist comments. And she also made racist people see that individuals of other races where also people which were defined by their character and personality, and not by their origin or ethnicity.

Ubuntu And Its Influence On Leadership Commerce Essay

Ubuntu And Its Influence On Leadership Commerce Essay This research will focuses on how Ubuntu can influence and be applied to leadership strategy management and implementation in the hospitality industry of South Africa. It is therefore important in this research to understand the differences between leadership and management in order to have a clear understanding on the influence of Ubuntu in the Hospitality industry of South Africa. Adair (2006) explains that leadership is of the spirit compounded of personality and vision and he illustrates that management as a trend of the mind more of an accurate methods, calculation and routine. This is to say that leadership is the understanding and sharing of a common purpose without which there can be no effective leadership. Adair believes that management is to manage change and leadership is to manage growth. In this research paper it will be established if the Ubuntu style of leadership and management can bring about any strategy in management and nurturing of growth within an organisation in the hospitality industry. 1.1 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY The main purpose of this research study is to realise the influence and determine the impact of Ubuntu in leadership in strategy management and implementation. Because the style of Ubuntu leadership and management involves the leading of an organisation by departing from the hierarchically structured management relations and rather introduces a cooperative and supportive form of leadership in which collective solidarity of the group is employed and respected (Prinsloo 1998). 1.2 CONTEXT OF THE STUDY The principle of knowledge within the fields of management, strategy and leadership theories and practice has been developed and adopted mainly from the Western capitalist principles, with leading thinkers in the field being mainly of European or American dissent. These thoughts have then been exported beyond American or Western boundaries as trade has moved from being multinational, through international to global, and practices such as international outsourcing have become more widespread. While some areas of Asia, mostly India, may be both responsive and adaptive to some of these Western practices, other areas of Asia and Africa as a whole are not so. This paper offers contextual understanding of how the Concept of Ubuntu or Ubuntu leadership can be able to influence on strategy management and implementation in an organization with a case study of the Hospitality industry. The Western world has mostly underpinned and still continues on supplying leadership, implementation and strategic management ideas; this is through the political systems, and economic infrastructures to Africa, since the time of the colonial times to present. Though seemingly with good intentions, these Western theories that are continuously being used in organizations (business) in Africa have not achieved their desired outcomes because many Africans find it difficult to relate to them, having to sacrifice their authenticity in order to fully embrace such Western ideals. Thus the need to find out if Ubuntu kind of leadership and management can serve the purpose of indigenous Africa to fully embrace it. This now places an interest for the need to understand the Ubuntu context as well as the indigenous thought system and, in particular, the perspective of the Ubuntu worker. 1.3 PROBLEM STATEMENT The hierarchical organizational structure in every business structure will always reflect the organized coordination which ensures that the goals and objectives of the said entity are is achieved. The aim of this proposal is to investigate the Ubuntu leadership style used in the Hospitality industry. It is very cardinal to find out if Ubuntu style has a great influence in good leadership, strategy management and implementation. It is also of great importance to discover if this kind of leadership style can achieve both the institutional and the individuals objectives and goals. The other important reason for this investigation is to find out whether or not the leaders and managers in these institutions are motivated to improve their work-place. All these issues will be investigated through answering the following questions: 1.3.1 MAIN PROBLEM The objective of this research paper is to determine the degree to which Ubuntu leadership style can influence the strategy management and implementation in a hospitality industry of South Africa. How does the Ubuntu leadership style impact on the outcome of the strategy management and implementation process in a Hospitality organization? 1.3.2 SUB-PROBLEMS Below are the sub-problems which have been identified to be ideal with the main problem and gain insight into the role that Ubuntu leadership plays in the strategy management and implementation process. Does the research literature reveal the existence of any significant of Ubuntu leadership style to be more beneficial and influential in terms of strategy management and implementation in South African Companies? Does the research literature reveal the existence of a significant relationship between Ubuntu style and strategy management in South African industries? 1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY The aim is to discover how Ubuntu leadership can influence strategy management and implementation in an organisation. Thompson, Strickland and Gamble (2005: 32 34) states that crafting a strategy, no matter how complex a task is substantially easier than successfully implementing one. Strategy formulation is primarily an intellectual and creative act involving analysis and synthesis. Implementation is a hands-on, operations and action orientated activity that calls for leadership and managerial skills. Therefore Ubuntu leadership style often entails a change in corporate direction and therefore frequently requires a focus on effecting strategic change. Implementation is historically a top-management responsibility closing strategic capability gaps and making sure a company maintains strategic focus. Strategy formulation and implementation are linked through learning (de Kluyver and Pearce, 2003: 125-126). Grant (2002: 526) mentions, New organizational structures and strategic priorities point to new models of leadershipà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. So the question is can Ubuntu style stand to the task to play the role of top management by communicating effectively and formation of new strategies? It is said that good leadership in todays organizations calls for actively involving everyone in the organization, leaders are still ultimately responsible for establishing direction through vision and strategy (Daft. 2005: 535). Thus the concept of Ubuntu can surely apply. The results of this research will be analysed to place emphasis on the combination of leadership styles required by a transformational and transactional leader during the strategic planning process. 1.5 DELIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY The research might face the difficulty of determining when the categories are saturated or when the theory is sufficiently detailed (Creswell, 1998: 58). The grounded theory has been critical for its failure to acknowledge implicit theories which guide work at an early stage. The limitation of this theory will be taken into consideration throughout the research and data analysis because there has never been any method in social science without being criticised. Every possible out come will be taken to ensure the rigid conformity to the principles. 1.6 DEFINITION OF TERMS 1.6.1 UBUNTU The doctrine of Ubuntu has been used in almost all the parts of Africa. This culture has been of Doctrine has been most used and applied in South Africa. Most Academic commentators have pointed out the philosophical notion classification known as Ubuntu, which symbolises the beliefs, values, and behaviours of a large majority of the South African population. Ubuntu is defined by Mangaliso (2001) as humanenessa pervasive spirit of caring and community, harmony and hospitality, respect and responsivenessthat individuals and groups display for one another. Ubuntu is the foundation for the basic values that manifest themselves in the ways African people think and behave towards each other and everyone else they encounter (Mangaliso, 2001:24). Ubuntu has been viewed to be one of the most critical values in the African culture as a whole, and it is believed that this practice on the basis of management can be harmonious with the peoples of Africa. But the question still needs to answered is can Ubuntu can it compete and be of any advantage universally (Mbigi, 2005; Mangaliso, 2001). 1.6.2 LEADERSHIP Leadership has been well defined by Gray (2004) that it is managing the performance of others in any organised set up (Gray, 2004: 76). Conceivably the commonest constituent of definitions found in the literature concerns exercising influence in one way or another. This is quite clear since it implies that the exercisers of power should be able to have some ideas of their own about what they want to achieve, or what they want other individuals to do. In other words, they have vision, and are proactive in trying to turn that vision into reality by involving other people. 1.6.3 STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP Strategic leadership is defined by Daft (2008) as follows; The ability to anticipate and envision the future, maintain flexibility, think strategically and initiate changes that will create a competitive advantage for the organization in the future (Daft, 2008: 511). The other definition of strategic Leadership is of Dubrin (2004) which provides a clearer picture of the concept of strategic leadership. This definition of Dubrin helps to understand the necessity and effectiveness of carrying out strategic management. He defines it as a Strategic management refers to the process of ensuring a competitive fit between the organization and its environment (Dubrin, 2004: 401). 1.6.4 MANAGEMENT Managing culture is another element of leadership. It is the entrepreneurial leaders role to shape the organizational culture by setting example, the norms, standards and defining the values of the organization. Rossouw, Le Roux and Groenewald (2003: 167) state that managers often find it difficult to think that there could be a relationship between an organizations culture and its strategy. 1.7 ASSUMPTIONS It is assumed that for this study, the respondents of the questionnaires will answer all questions as openly and honesty as possible. The respondents will answer the questionnaires on their own and that, the questionnaires will not be completed in groups or influenced by other people or respondents. The respondents will answer the questionnaire in one sitting. All employees are ready and willing to be a part of the project work. All respondents will have technical and operational experience in their area of work. The results from this study which is focused on a particular sector (Hospitality industry) can be used in other organisation with the same Style of Ubuntu leadership in strategy management and implementation. 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 INTRODUCTION The evolution and progression of indigenous management theories and practices in Africa has been seriously affected and hindered by colonialism. The imposing of colonial administration was introduced by the western countries, and their management theories and practices are considered as the engine and the universal remedy for the continents socio-politico-economic development. The Western education, scholarship and prose generally diminished and denounced the astonishing management competency and practices of early African civilizations; this is evidenced, for example, in the building of the great Egyptian pyramids. It is assumed that these so called foreign management systems generally failed to achieve the desired results as they discountenanced African cultural inertia and social milieu. The paper addresses the development and effective if Ubuntu leadership style in Strategy management and implementation. Ubuntu leadership is an African management philosophy, which is rooted in th e African cultures, value system and beliefs, to provide the practical way for the efficient and effective running of organizations in Africa, with the aim of having a global competitiveness. The Ubuntu leadership style or the new management techniques known by different scholars, puts much of its emphasis on humanness, communalism and African patriotism, and it provides the veritable starting point for the development of indigenous African management philosophy. 2.2 DEFINITION OF UBUNTU A number of African researchers today have embarked on the advocacy for the indigenous African management philosophy that would serve the need of the African continent. In South Africa today, there is an emergency of a philosophical thought system derived from African culture, beliefs, and values and behaviours known as Ubuntu, (Ubuntu is a Bantu word meaning, broadly, sharing and community). Mangaliso (2001) defines Ubuntu as humaneness a pervasive spirit of caring and community, harmony and hospitality, respect and responsiveness that individuals and groups display for one another. Ubuntu is the foundation for the basic values that manifest themselves in the ways African people think and behave towards each other and everyone else they encounter( Mangaliso, 2001: 24). According to Poovan, du Toit and Engelbrecht (2006) Ubuntu philosophy permits administrators, leaders and managers to tap into the familiar African values to build and reinforce their work environment effectively by : Teaming up and organizing resources for survival this maintains productivity and effectiveness which deeply depends on shared values and individual contribution: it encourages focus on communal (and differences) with reliance to minimize threat to survival through conflict; creating of unified situations the spirit of solidarity, that is, mutual regard among members and individual adhesion to the group; create situations defined by group behaviours sit together, focus, on each other, co-ordinate behaviour; it enhances social oneness and participation sets up informal opportunities based on traditional pal abre central village location for gatherings, activities, mediation, decisions, events and rituals. Thus Ubuntu is considered to be an important value of African culture that can form the foundation of African management (Ubuntu leadership) philosophy that is in tune with the peoples of Africa. Though the proponent of Ubuntu leadership have argued that the concept was created as a system of management practice, for competitive advantage and to command a universal appeal beyond the shores of the continent (Mbigi, 2005; Mangaliso, 2001). Mangaliso (2001) suggests that: Incorporating Ubuntu principles in management hold the promise of superior approaches to managing organizations. Organizations infused with humanness, a pervasive spirit of caring and community, harmony and hospitality, respect and responsiveness will enjoy more sustainable competitive advantage (Mangaliso 2001: 32). Therefore, Ubuntu leadership system emphasizes on teamwork, attention to relationships, mutual respect and empathy between leader and followers, and participative decision-making. These are very fundamental principles of management, which hold promise for improving organization activities and functioning in South Africa and Africa at large. 2.3 INFLUNCES OF UBUNTU LEADERSHIP IN MANAGEMENT 2.3.1 UBUNTU LEADERSHIP The distinctive feature about Ubuntu governance is an indigenous democracy with very deep African cultures that had emerged from African traditional institutions and practices. The hallmark of African traditional governance is the focus on collective stewardship (collectivism), freedom of expression, grass-roots participation, consultation, discussion and consensus to accommodate minority needs and views (holism). The emphasis was not just on majority views but also on compromise and accommodation. The focus was on the need to reach an acceptable consensus through discussions to accommodate minority groups and views in order to avoid majority group dictatorship. This was essential because the traditional African political institution was characterized by the cultural diversity of tribes and clans, which did not disappear as a result of majority rule (Mbigi, 1997:22). This autocratic leadership style expects subordinates to be submissive and obedient. Because leadership in modern Africa is authoritarian and politicized (Kiggundu, 1988:226; Jaeger Kanunzo, 1990; 17; Blunt Jones, 1992: 6-23), such autocratic leadership styles, by expecting subordinates to be submissive and obedient, may stifle innovativeness and impede community motivation and Ubuntu. 2.3.2 MANAGEMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION For every industry especially in the Hospitality business, leadership basically deals with the human relations where problem solving, communication and decision making are promoted and cultivated. Leithwood and Mcleah (1987) indicate that highly effective leaders know many forms of decision-making are skilled in their use and are situationally sensitive in their selection of a particular approach to decision-making (Leithwood and Mcleah, 1987:35). They are thus very analytical and rational in the way they perceive and perform their functions. Basson and Smith (1991) allude to the fact that effective leaders can be selected or trained. It is also useful to think of leadership as a generic term which refers to the process characterized by the interrelationships among people as they work together in the formation and achievement of shared goals (Basson and Smith, 1991:148). Hallinger et al. (1989:9) claim that leadership in an industrial worldview influences people by developing a clear mission that provides an instructional focus for people throughout the community. Leadership does not reside exclusively with the chief or president; in fact Weber (1989:217) identifies the need to develop shared leadership in the community (Weber, 1989:217). One of the current shifts in thinking regarding leadership is a shift from an instructional to a transformational leadership. Brandt (1992:3) declared that because of change and democracy instructional leadership is out; transformational leadership is in. Such leadership is leadership for change (Brandt, 1992:3). Another important aspect in hospitality industrys leadership is the shared vision. There is the discipline for translating individual vision into shared vision. People should feel free to express their dreams, but also learn how to listen to each others dream. The fundamental role of leadership in Ubuntu setup is to create connotative meaning through significant but important rituals and ceremonies. Mbigi (1997) highlights that in traditional African communities the ultimate test of leadership maturity in terms of training and development is determined by the ease with which a new leader carries out rituals and ceremonies (Mbigi, 1997:19). It is through well-designed rituals and ceremonies that leaders can effectively manage collective meaning and collective trust. It is not just an intellectual journey. It is a symbolic and emotional as well as a spiritual journey. Therefore effective leadership in Ubuntu requires people to have convivial experiences by digging deep into their emoti onal and spiritual resources. This may be equivalent to the mission and vision in a Hospitality industry and an industrial worldview. The sense of Ubuntu leadership system is to enhance governance, collective solidarity, respect, human dignity and the right to freedom of expression, as well as collective trust and compassion. Ubuntu is central to indigenous governance systems and can be central to modern governance. 2.3.3 CAN UBUNTU LEADERSHIP SYSTEM BE RELIED UPON There are several basic management principles derived from African tribal communities that embody this philosophy, including trust, interdependence and spiritualism (Mbigi Maree, 2005). In the African management system context, the African Ubuntu philosophy represents humanness, a pervasive spirit of caring within the community in which the individuals in the community love one another. This Ubuntu approach plays a pivotal role in determining the success of any African organisation (Mangaliso, 2001:32). Ubuntu transcends the narrow confines of the nuclear family to include the extended kinship network that is omnipresent in many African communities. As a philosophy, Ubuntu is an orientation to life that stands in contrast to rampant individualism, insensitive competitiveness, and unilateral decision-making. The Ubuntu teachings are pervasive at all ages, in families, organisations and communities living in Africa. ****2.4 IMPACTS OF UBUNTU LEADERSHIP 2.4.1 EXPERIENCES OF UBUNTU LEADERSHIP Afrocentricity encompasses African history, traditions, culture, mythology, and the value systems of communities, according to Khoza (in Mangaliso, 2001:278-279), the Chairperson of Eskom, the supplier of electricity in South Africa. Khoza believes that corporations in Africa will be successful if they adopt the Ubuntu management and leadership styles, which are people-centred. It is perhaps telling that Eskom registered an after-tax profit of R5.2 billion over a period of 15 months up to the end of March 2005 after the corporation had adopted the Ubuntu management philosophy (Broodryk, 2005:17). Similarly, Wolmarans (1995:4) reports that South African Airways (SAA) adopted an Ubuntu management system in 1994. Since then, the African Ubuntu philosophy has been a driving force in the company. The secret behind its success has been the publicly stated core values of South African Airways these include corporate performance, customer orientation, employee care, corporate citizenship, integrity, safety, innovation and teamwork, which are all embodied in the Ubuntu management philosophy. Improved results demonstrate that culture and leadership style play pivotal roles towards the achievement of set goals and strategies of an organisation. Emerging African management philosophies see an organisation as a community and can be summed up in one word Ubuntu (Mbigi Maree, 2005:v-vi). An African Ubuntu management system recognises the significance of group solidarity that is prevalent in African cultures, acknowledging that an African leadership style involves group and community supportiveness, sharing and cooperation. Ubuntu-based leadership dictates sharing burdens during hard times, because by doing so, suffering is also shared and diminished. What is distinctive about the Ubuntu philosophy is the premise of a short memory of hate (Mazrui, 2001). Africans teach children to communicate effectively, reconcile, and find ways to cleanse and let go of hatred and give the children skills to do so. The Ubuntu approach to life enables people to express continued compassion and Perseverance within communities and institutions. 2.4.2 LESSONS FROM THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF UBUNTU LEADERSHIP African organisations can build cooperation and competitive strategies by allowing teamwork based on Ubuntu principles to permeate the organisation (Mbigi Maree, 2005:93). As a people-centred philosophy, Ubuntu stipulates that a persons worth depends on social, cultural and spiritual criteria. It requires a life that depends on a normative engagement with the community, a substantive appreciation of the common good and a constitutive engagement with one another in a rational and ethical community. In this way, in order for a person to be identified as a true African, community and communality are substantive prerequisites. Communalism and collectivism are essential to the spirit of the African Ubuntu philosophy. Equally important in Ubuntu relationships is the aspect of working with others as a team (English, 2002:197; Poovan et al., 2006:17). A spirit of solidarity simultaneously supports cooperation and competitiveness amongst the team by allowing individuals to contribute their best efforts for the betterment of the entire group. In a team setting, the existence of Ubuntu as a shared value system implies that team members are encouraged to strive towards the outlined team values, which consequently enhance their functioning together as a team (Poovan et al., 2006:25; Van den Heuvel et al., 2006:48). The team is brought one step closer to being effective because of the increased level of team members commitment, loyalty and satisfaction, which ultimately has a positive impact on overall performance. Thus, management systems that tend to focus on achievements of individual team members and not the entire group are likely to miss out on all the social and collective framework of an African society. 2.4.3 IS UBUNTU STLYE OF LEADERSHIP HAVE A PLACE IN MODERN BUSINESS OPERATION Issues of corporate governance are becoming more pronounced in modern business practices. Corporate governance, which is intertwined with business ethics, is considered critical in organisational practice, as well as in general corporate productivity (Rossouw, 2005:105). The founding principles of business ethics and corporate governance are in line with the Ubuntu philosophy of regarding all members of an organisation as part of the community. It is this direct involvement of and with community members that brings about greater solidarity, love, caring and sharing within a grouping (organisation). A major governance challenge in current governance issues has been corruption, which reveals the moral depravity and badness of the perpetrators (Broodryk, 2005; Moloketi, 2009; Nyarwath, 2002). Generally, corruption is caused by a lack of commitment to moral beliefs by the perpetrators, which is in turn due to the Weak moral will of an individual towards other people. Corruption can be seen as 2.5 CONCLUSION OF LITERATURE REVIEW 2.5.1 HOW BENEFICIAL IS UBUNTU LEADERSHIP In a Western worldview, the concept leadership accommodated the sense of belonging, as did the Ubuntu worldview. Sergiovanni (1982:231) supports this when he says: leadership promotes the feeling of actual belonging, participating, being co-partners in the entire organization. In all, a leader who has leadership skills sees to the rapid growth of the organization. Leadership skills are situationally specific, of short duration, and focused on specific objectives or outcomes. The Ubuntu philosophy represents an African conception of human beings and their relationship with the community that embodies the ethics defining Africans and their social behaviours (Dia, 1992; Mbigi, 2005:75; Van den Heuvel, Mangaliso Van de Bunt, 2006:48). Africans are social beings that are in constant communion with one another in an environment where a human being is regarded as a human being only through his or her relationships to other human beings (Tutu in Battle, 1997:39-43). Therefore, the survival of a human being is dependent on other people the community and society. 2.5.2 CAN UBUNTU LEADERSHIP AND WESTERN LEADERSHIP WORK TOGETHER? ***** The Ubuntu management system and the new management techniques as advocated by African management scholars, set the revolutionary agenda for evolving an indigenous African management philosophy that will emphasize our cultural traits of humanness, communalism, and participatory decision-making in organizational life. African governments and the private sector must support the development of African management philosophy through creating an enabling environment for management research and the provision of adequate research funds or grants. 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.1 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY / PARADIGM 3.2 RESEARCH DESIGN In investigating the phenomenon, the interpretative approach, particularly constructive-interpretative paradigm will be used in the study; taking into account its ability to generate an in-depth understanding regarding factors that impacts on Ubuntu leadership (Cohen et al, 2007:155; Creswell, 2003:52; McMillan Schumacher, 2006:318). In the course of investigations, the interpretative approach would allow, the researcher to explore, analyse, describe, and show the relationships between Ubuntu and strategy management and implementation. That will be made possible because the phenomenon of Ubuntu and leadership will be investigated in their unique and natural setting (Lauer, 2006:76). Simply put; all interviews, observational field notes and documents analyses would be done at the participant place. In employing the qualitative research design, a case study will be employed to sample participants, collect data, and analyse data as shown below. 3.3 POPULATION AND SAMPLE 3.3.1 POPULATION The focus for this study will be on employers and employees of Orion group of companies which is a Hospitality Industry. The company has staff numbering around 1000 employees. Orion is sub-divided into many different business branches and each business branch is run as a business on its own. The research study focuses on Orion group; the staff compliment at each branch is comprised of about 100 full time permanent employees. From the total number of employees working at Orion Braamfontein office, all are eligible to participate. Over 15 participants out of the 50 employees will be selected for the purpose of this study and will form the target population for the study. 3.3.2 SAMPLE AND SAMPLING METHOD The researcher will use a purposive sampling to select participants. The identified sample comprised of fifteen participants; seven men and eight women. According to Budhal (2000:62), Creswell (2003:52) and, McMillan and Schumacher (2006:317), a sample represents a small and distinct group of information-rich informants that would enable the researcher to understand the problem in depth. The criteria for selecting such information-rich sample; amongst others, is that participants who are knowledgeable, informative and willing to talk (Lauer, 2006:78; McMillan Schumacher, 2006:319). Regarding the availability of the administration offices, it will assist in maximizing privacy and confidentiality during interview sessions (Keats, 2000:30; Pedroni Pimple, 2001:11). Furthermore, purposive sampling will be done by combining strategies like site selection, network sampling and sampling by case in order to maximize its impact. Lastly, permission would be sought from the Orion Head office. Having discussed how the participants would be selected; in the next section, the proposal explains how data will be collected. 3.4 THE RESEARCH INSTRUMENT The instrument to be used for data collection is a questionnaire. The questionnaire is chosen as it is the most popular form of data collection. It is important for the questionnaire to be constructed in such a way as to gain as much useful information from the respondent as possible (Newell, 1993, 48). With this, great care, time and efforts would be put into the construction of this research studys questionnaire as to obtain as much useful information as possible. Questionnaires are created to be easy to understand, avoid ambiguous, draw up leading questions, quick and simple to answer (Kidder Judd, 1993). In this case, questionnaire will be distributed to participants and collected once they have been completed. These questionnaires will be distributed through email, containing a hyperlink to

Puberty Essay -- Human Development Papers

Puberty Let's talk about puberty. What is the first thing that comes into our minds when we say puberty? Well, sex is the most common thought that pops out from the head of many people. But there is much more than sex to puberty. Puberty is a very unique and important evolving stage of all males and females. During puberty, guys and girls go through many changes that we might find funny, scary and weird. During puberty, the level of testosterone and estrogen in both boys and girls increases greatly. The rapid increase of testosterone and estrogen is what triggers the beginning of puberty. Now lets give the changes that boys and girls experience during puberty. During puberty, some changes happen only to girls, and some happen only to boys. What type of changes can are expected to happen to girls? First of all, the girl's breasts will begin to grow and get fuller. Sometimes, one breast may grow faster than the other. Some girls' breasts grow more rapidly than other girl's. Some girls' breasts remain small throughout their adult lives. Also during puberty, the girl...

No reader of The Woman in Black, can be left in doubt about its conscious :: Free Essay Writer

No reader of The Woman in Black, can be left in doubt about its conscious evocation of the Gothic ‘No reader of ‘The Woman in Black’, can be left in doubt about its conscious evocation of the Gothic. It is full of motifs and effects associated with that genre.’ How far would you agree with this statement of the novel? There is absolutely no doubt that Susan Hill consciously evocates the Gothic in ‘The Woman in Black’. There are many obvious conventions she uses that create a great Gothic effect throughout the novel. It is clear that this novel contains most of the elements that constitute the genre, for example, an eerie atmosphere full of mystery and suspense, and a character feeling high or overwrought emotions. This concludes the novel into a sub-genre of the Gothic, a ghost story. The Gothic has been active since the eighteenth century; the genre was especially popular within the years of The French Revolution and The Great Terror, which fell between 1789 and the 1790’s. The Gothic can also be traced back to the original Goths, who were believed to have been around in the last days of the Roman Empire. However, there is no substantial proof as the Goths left almost no written records, and were mostly unheard of until the ‘first Gothic revival’ in the late eighteenth century. In Britain this revival involved a series of attempts to ‘return to roots’, in contrast to the classical model revered in the earlier eighteenth century. It is believed that the very first Gothic novel was invented solely by Horace Walpole, when he wrote ‘The Castle of Otranto’ in 1764. This novel was imitated throughout the following centuries because it contains essentially all the elements that comprise the Gothic genre. It is also believed to have influenced writing, poetry and film making to the present day. Other key Gothic novelists of this period that would also have contributed to this influence are Mary Shelly, the author of Frankenstein, which has had many film adaptations within the last century produced from it. And also Bram Stoker who wrote Dracula, which I think has an influence in ‘The Woman in Black’ as the narrator ‘Arthur Kipps’, has many similar characteristics to the narrator of Dracula, ‘Jonathan Harker’, such as them both being portrayed as commonsensical, rational, successful lawyers on a mission to single-handedly unravel the mystery they’re faced with. Ann Radcliff’s idea of Gothic horror has also clearly influenced ‘The Woman in Black’ too, because we notice our narrator on several occasions, contracts, freezes and is nearly annihilated by some unknown supernatural force. Arthur’s first encounter with The Woman in

The Sexist Prejudices Affecting Women in the House on Mango Street

The Sexist Prejudices Affecting Women in The House on Mango Street In my essay I am going to write about the Mexican gender based prejudices and stereotypes which affect the women of Esperanza’s neighborhood in Sandra Cisneros’s novel The House on Mango Street. I would like to point out the lives of the main women characters and their dealing with the prejudices in everyday occasions.Futhermore, I want to talk about Esperanza and her attitude towards the surrounding situation and also mention the historical background of the problem. From my point of view, the fact that the women come from the Mexican community has essentially influenced their lives. It has actually predetermined them in a way that the women are not able to set free for the rest of their lives. During the novel the reader gets to know some of the Mexican prejudices in relation to women which all the female characters have to face.The sexist prejudice is clear from having read few lines of the novel wher e Esperanza, the narrator, explains the meaning of her name with the connection to the Chinese signs of the zodiac, â€Å"I think this is a Chinese lie because the Chinese, like the Mexicans, don’t like their women strong† (Cisneros 10). This tells the reader one important fact. The Mexicans are proprietary towards their women and wives and they tries to take over the women’s lives. It is very difficult for the women coming from the Mexican community to live their own life themselves and to be independent of their social background.This observation is confirmed by Elizabeth Coonrod Martinez in her work on the relationships of women with men in the novels based on this phenomenon, â€Å"women characters do not initiate events in their own lives; instead they endure poverty and racism from the society at large and oppression under the men in their lives. They do not get to choose their spouses, and when they do pick a boyfriend, and get pregnant, they are conside red bad girls. They do not have choice-before or after marriage† (131). The author of the book gives a notion what the status of women in the Mexican community in the novel is.They are supposed to stay at home, preferably, â€Å"behind a rolling pin† (Cisneros 31). Moreover, many of the women are locked at home or cannot leave the house without their spouses’ permission. This fact is obvious at many times in the novel. At first, when Esperanza talks about her great-grandmother, she describes her as a woman that had spent all her life on her elbows by the window. At this point, where Esperanza describes her great-grand mother, she also says something about herself, â€Å"I don’t want to inherit her place by the window† (Cisneros 11).Later, this fact is emphasized by the story of the woman called Rafaela, whose fulfilment of the life is to sit by the window. As the narrator reports, â€Å"Rafaela, who is still young but getting old from leaning out t he window so much, gets locked indoors because her husband is afraid Rafaela will run away since she is too beautiful to look at† (Cisneros 79). The women are regarded as the property of their husbands or their fathers, never independent. In my oppinion, the situation is even made worse by the fact that the protagonists are living in the United States.The women maybe would have accepted this role if they had lived in Mexico, where they would not see any difference in other women’s lives. That is impossible for them now, to fit in the community rules that are expected to be obeyed. Instead, some women pretend to be a part of the traditional society on the one hand, but on the other, they are more American than Mexican. This is the case of Sally, a young Mexican girl from the community of Chicanos, with a strict father and brought up in a very strict, religious and tradionally Mexican family. Sally who must obey her father and accept his way of life and who wants to be an American.For a clearer explanation, her behaviour is described as follows, â€Å"and why do you always have to go straight home after school? You become a different Sally. You pull your skirt straight, you rub the blue paint off your eyelids. You don’t laugh, Sally. You look at our feet and walk fast to the house you can’t come out from† (Cisneros 82). This girl struggles with two different worlds but unfortunatelly, the vicious one for her wins. She becomes a part of the sad community of women who are locked at home and their only release is in their dreams.Sally’s fate is deteriorated due to the relationship with her father, who strikes her because she is a girl and her father wants to take over her life, â€Å"until the way Sally tells it, he just went crazy, he just forgot he was her father between the buckle and the belt. You’re not my daughter, you’re not my daughter. And then he broke into his hands† (Cisneros 93). The story a bout Sally is a typical example of the struggle. At the end, Sally gets married and her life turns out to be the same sad story. The narrator comments on this, â€Å"Except he [husband] won’t let her talk on the telephone.And he doesn’t let her look out the window. And he doesn’t like her friends, so nobody gets to visit her unless he is working. She sits at home because she is afraid to go outside without his permission† (Cisneros 102). Sally, like the rest of the women characters, ends up in this kind of relationship with her husband, even if she had the opportunity to escape from her fate, because if she had been more determined in her struggle, she would have succeed. The narration about Sally is important in the novel because it shows Esperanzas’ feelings towards the sexist and racial prejudices she lives in.Esperanza, as the narrator, gives the personal outlook on the women from her surroundings. Esperanza is the exception of all the women ch aracters in the novel. She is aware of the poor situation and even of a poorer shift from it. â€Å"Esperanza is handicapped by her Hispanic background and the family’s modest financial means† (Szadziuk 115). She observes the world around her and feels lonely in her feelings, nobody shares her thoughts, her ideas. She feels like the trees down the street and as she admits, â€Å"four who do not belong here but are here. Four raggedy excuses planted by the city† (Cisneros 74).Like a struggling tree, Esperanza copes with obstacles that would suppress her, and her inner strength will help her reach towards a better life. This young girl is the only women in the novel who is deeply determined to change her life, to set free and to be on her own. She might seem naive in her way of achieving it, â€Å"Not a flat. Not an appartment in back. Not a man’s house. Not a daddy’s. A house all my own† (Cisneros 108). Nevertheless, the escape from it will n ot be as easy as thought at first. Once is Esperanza told by her friend, â€Å"when you leave you must remember to come back for the others.A circle, understand? You will always be Esperanza. You will always be Mango Street. You can’t forget who you are† (Cisneros 105). The circle is closed and fulfilled. Even if Esperanza escapes, she will not be free of her background. In comparison with other women characters in the novel, Esperanza has the support of her family, especially the support of her mother who encourages her and her siblings to be determined and to be strong in gaining their dream. The mother’s support is based on her own life and unhappines, â€Å"shame is a bad thing, you know. It keeps you down.You want to know why I quit school? Because I didn’t have nice clothes. No clothes, but I had brains† (Cisneros 91). Mother who suffered from discrimination is now resolved to protect her children from having a similar experience. Unfortunate lly, Esperanza experiences some oppression anyway and she describes it, â€Å"Those who do not any better come into our neighborhood scared. They think we’re dangerous. They think we will attack them with shiny knives. They are stupid people who are lost and got here by mistake† (Cisneros 28). Little Esperanza learns about a hardship very early in her life.She does not understand it at first but afterwards she fully realizes what means the arrogant voice of nun who asks her where she lives. Esperanza, unaware of anything, points to her house. Just later she realizes how important for her is to escape from this social oppression and racial discrimination and longs for her own house, a house she would not be ashamed of, a house she could point to when someone aks where she lives. Futhermore, the women characters and all Mexican immigrants living in the United States in general suffer from a particular feature typical of the immigrant community.Their poor situation is mad e worse by it. That is the homesickness. This is very difficult to explain because in this case it has a historical connection to 1848 when the former Mexican lands became American property and millions of Mexican citizens suddenly lived on American territory. For an illustration of this event: Chicanos and Chicanas have always been in New Mexico, Texas, California, Colorado, Illinois and other North American states. The Gonzalezes, the Dominguezes, the Garcias, the Fernandezes have lived in these states ever since they can remember.Their great, great grandmother had a house in San Antonio, or in San Diego, or in Sante Fe, long before 1836 and 1848 when these territories became American. (Poniatowska 39) From the citation of Elena Poniatowska it is obvious that the Mexicans are not initially responsible for the problems of the Mexican community in the United States nowadays. They miss their native country so they try to compensate the sorrow for living more culturally orthodox life abroad. In the novel, the problem of homesickness is portrayed mainly in the story of Mamacita, a mother of one of the inhabitants of Mango Street.Even if she is not a one of the descendants of the immigrant family but actually a Mexican citizen, Mamacita comes to Mango Street to live with her son, who sees his future in reaching the American dream. As she does not speak English, the difference between the Mexican and the American culture is much more visible. Mamacita represents the old, initial kind of immigrants, who long for going back to their native country whereas her son presents the young, Americanized population of the Mexican community. Two different worlds which can never be united.The reader learns more about it through the eyes of Esperanza, as she reports, â€Å"She sits all day by the window and plays the Spanish radio show and sings all the homesick songs about her country in a voice that sounds like a seagull† (Cisneros 77). Mamacita is unwilling to adjust a nd wants to go back to her native Mexico even if life can be harder and poorer there. Esperanza continues, â€Å"Ay, she says, she is sad. Oh he says, Not again. Cuando, cuando, cuando? She asks. Ay, caray! We are are home. This is home. Here I am and here I stay. Speak English.Speak English. Christ† (Cisneros 78). Mamacita and her son are examples of eternal fight for the unity of two different worlds which can never link up the gap between each other. In conlusion, the racial, gender based and social prejudices in the Mexican community in the novel are very essential. In every story the reader may see the stereotypes which affect the protagonists. Each of them deals with it differently but with the same result. They are not able to set themselves free from their social background and their origin pursues them all their life.Nonetheless, some of the women characters chose this way of living from their own choice, voluntarily. Specifically, the words of Elena Poniatowska poin t this out, â€Å"To say that Mexico abandoned its people would not be false, because Mexico abandons all poor Mexicans. The poor choose the American dream and the American way of life on the other side of the border, because they don’t see a future for themselves in their own country† (Poniatowska 41). Whether the immigrants have chosen to live on the margin of society in the foreign country of own accord or not, their cultural heritage follows them all the time.Works Cited Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. New York: Vintage, 1984. Martinez, Elizabeth Coonrod. â€Å"Crossing Gender Borders: Sexual Relations and Chicana Artistic Identity. † Melus 27. 1 (2002): 131-50. < http://lion. chadwyck. co. uk> Poniatowska, Elena. â€Å"Mexicanas and Chicanas. † Melus 21. 3 (1996): 35-42. Szadziuk, Maria. â€Å"Culture as Transition: Becoming a Woman in Bi-Ethnic Space. † Mosaic 32. 3 (1999): 109-30. < http://lion. chadwyck. co. uk>

Cooking Rice and Peas Jamaican Style

Many people identify Jamaica with beautiful white sand beaches with clear blue waters. Jamaica offers more than unspoiled nature, given its motto – Out of many one people, one will find a mixture of ethnicities and more which have impacted on some of the traditional dishes we now prepare today. One such traditional dish is rice and peas, which has become famous as one of our Sunday Jamaican dishes. Rice and peas is prepared using a combination of rice and peas. This dish provides a good source of complex carbohydrates and a healthy balance of proteins; the addition of herbs such as pimento seeds, fresh thyme and scallion gives this dish a wonderful aroma and an unusual â€Å"kick† to the olfactory glands. This dish is usually served with meat, poultry or fish, as the rice and peas counteracts the spiciness of the main meat dish. Preparing this dish is not as complicated as one may think, and if one takes a chance to try it, then one might just find themselves loving it. The four major steps that are involved in the making of this dish are the gathering of the ingredients, the preparation of the peas, the extraction of the coconut milk and the cooking process. First, you will need to gather all the needed ingredients to make the rice and peas. The appetizing set of ingredients vital for this dish are: red kidney beans, rice, garlic, green scotched bonnet pepper, escallion, thyme, salt to taste and coconut milk or a coconut. Please remember that the coconut milk and the herbs used are very essential for the taste of this dish and it will make the difference from the other types of rice dishes that you might have had before. Several pieces of equipment are also necessary: medium-sized bowl, measuring cup, fork and spoon and a pot. Having obtained all of the specified ingredients and equipment, the next step is the preparation of the peas or beans and the dry coconut. Many types of beans can be used such as red kidney beans, pigeon peas, gungo peas and black-eyed beans and cowpeas. If fresh peas are being used then these have to be washed and boiled for forty-five (45) minutes or more until tender. If dried beans are used, soaking them overnight in plenty of cold garlic water is recommended. After that rinse and drain the soaked beans and boil in fresh salted water until tender. The peas can be tested to see if they are cooked by crushing them against the lid of the pot. If they crush easily, then you are ready to move on to the next step. The next step is the extraction of the coconut milk. Using a metal skewer the softest eye of the coconut must be pierced to drain the liquid into a bowl. With a hammer or the back of a heavy machete break shell and with the point of a sturdy knife pry the meat out of the shell in chunks doing so carefully. Grate coconut on small tear drop shaped holes of a four sided grater or finely chop in a food processor or a blender. To make the coconut milk, water should be added to the grated coconut pulp and be left in the bowl for about five (5) minutes. Using a fine sieve or cloth pressed in the hand to extract the liquid and keep out the coconut pulp. It is important to note that once the liquid is extracted hot water can once again be poured on the same coconut flesh to make another extract. You are now ready to begin cooking. The previous step is very important because the coconut milk helps to add the unique flavour to this traditional meal. The extracted coconut milk along with garlic is added to the pot in which the peas and water have been simmering. When the peas are fully cooked, salt, uncut scotch bonnet pepper, thyme and escallion are added to the pot. The aroma from the herbs makes their presence known and there will be a strong sinus healing smell that will tickle the inside of your nose. After all the ingredients have been cooking together for a time or more importantly when the peas are fully tender and deemed to be cooked, the washed rice is then added to pot. A fork or wooden spoon can be used to combine everything. It is recommended that this dish be prepared on a low fire until done. If all the steps above are followed, one can say that they have now mastered the art of cooking Jamaican rice and peas from scratch using a combination of basic ingredients found in Jamaica. The processing time is approximately two (2 hours or more. I’m quite sure that given the tastiness of this dish it will be eaten in less time than that. Please follow all the suggested steps and include all the listed necessary ingredients and you will see or rather taste the end result.

Economic Icon: Chris Biehler

Economics is the social science that deals with the allocation of scarce resources, working to obtain the greatest satisfaction from society's unlimited wants. Many factors that deal with economics is the concepts of demand and supply. While most people may not really realize how economic takes place in their everyday life, while it is very obvious that it does. My job of working at a McDonald's is very much related to what I have learns in our economic course. The law of Demand states that the quantity of demanded of a good or service is inversely related to the price of a good or service. To have a demand for something you must be willing and able to purchase the good or service at the various prices during that time period. This is related to my job in many ways. There are five factors that make up the non-price determinants of demand, Income, tastes and preference, the price of related goods, expectations and population. So with the concept of demand if a person wants McDonald's then they must be willing and able to pay for the food and services. The first nonprice determinant being income. If a persons income changes they may not come to McDonalds as much anymore because they can now afford nicer good or services. Making a McDonald's an inferior good. An Inferior good is when there is an inverse relationship between income and demand. Another example may be now that your income has increased people may come to McDonald's more and buy a larger quantity of food, making it a normal good. Another determinant would be tastes and preferences, if people get in the mind set and McDonald's may cause obesity may increase, the demand for McDonald's may decrease while the demand for a healthier product may increase. Another example is price of related goods. The two types of related goods are substitutes and compliments. For example if price was to increase at McDonald's then people may go to Burger King to satisfy their fast food needs. Compliments would be if the price of burgers increase then the demand for fries may decrease because everyone knows that you do not go to McDonald's and not order french fries. Resulting in the ration customer going to buy other things. Another example is expectations, if people expect a pay bonus then, they may go out and buy things. A final determinant is population, the quantity demanded will increase if there are more people in society that are willing and able to buy McDonald's. Not only is demand related to my life but supply is as well. Supply is the willingness and ability of producers to sell a good or service at various prices during that given time period. The law of supply is the quantity demanded of a certain good or service is positively related to its price. One determinant is relevant resources. Another determinant is a change in technology. If McDonald's had advanced machine that would cook meat faster than food would be able to cook much fast and service would be quicker making more customers come to our store. Another example is change is the use of product. If the price of milkshakes increase, people may want to buy more ice cream resulting in our McDonald's being able to use the mix toward sundaes and cones. Another determinant would be change in expectations. Due to the summer months coming up McDonald's may increase or prepare to order more cases of the strawberry lemonade. A change in a number of producers is another determinant. Meaning that as supply increase or decrease their may be an increase or decrease in producers. Taxes and subsidies are more determinants alone with the weather. If the weather is poor and the McDonald's floods the supply will decrease. Another Thing that I find to relate to my life from what I have learned in our economic class is price floor. A price floor is a minimum is the legal minimum price below which a good or service may not be sold. For example minimum wage. As the prices in our economy increase, if there wasn't a price floor then McDonald's may want to offer lower wages, making it harder for a person to live. During our micro economics class there have been many aspects that I can relate to my life. This class is allowing my to expand my horizons and further understand economic concepts and how they apply to my life and the people's lives around me.

Assessment of the Interactive Behavior Style

According to the DISC Platinum Rule Assessment, the â€Å"Interactive† behavior style defines people who are highly focused on other people. They love being around groups and they are fond of being involved in groups. They are generally extroverts and they do not like to be alone. They love working with other people. And they are very sociable. According to the assessment, people who are â€Å"interactive† get their motivation from being around other people. Their ultimate goal is to get other people’s recognition. They want to earn applause, acceptance, and complements.If recognition from other people is not present, they will ultimately lose their interest in whatever they are doing. Their drive to strive for their goals comes from other people. Most of the time, their ultimate goal is to earn to be appreciated. As for their decision making and their lifestyles, people categorized under the â€Å"interactive† behavior are very fast paced. They do not lik e routines. They are very spontaneous. Because of their liveliness, they usually want to do a lot of things all at the same time. Even if they are still involved with one activity, they jump to another task. That is why they often end up so disorganized.Aside from disliking everyday habitual activities, interactive people also don’t like facts. They do not like details. Instead, they generalize information. They base their conclusions on â€Å"guesstimates† than on highly objective and empirical data. That is why they often exaggerate. Interactive people also work well with others. Because they are sociable, they usually tend to attract the attention of others. They also have the ability to motivate others in order to work towards a common goal that they also pursue. They are perfect for those professions and careers that require excellent rapport with other people.They should be in the field of sales, entertainment, public relations, social welfare, and the like. Appl ication of Strengths and Weaknesses Just like what the assessment states, I am optimistic. I see life as an opportunity to do various activities. I am positive and cheerful. Everyday, my greatest accomplishment seems to stem from fulfilling one or two lively activities. Even if there is really nothing to do outside, I make it a point to go out and to look for something that I can occupy myself with. I love being around other people and that is probably why I value my friends so much.I also like going to parties and other social activities. I make it a point to form new friends despite the fact that I already have many acquaintances. Whenever I go to social gatherings, I make it a point to meet a new friend. I am one of those few people that you cannot alienate even if you expose me to groups of people that I do not know. I am also persuasive and very motivating. I can easily talk my friends into doing something I believe is terrific. In addition to that, I am very enthusiastic. I th ink it is a total waste of time to be lying around and doing nothing.I love engaging in various activities, even those which I am not very familiar with. I am passionate about living life to the fullest. However, because I do love engaging in many activities, I often become careless primarily because I am often preoccupied with so many things all at the same time. This is also probably the reason why I often end up being disorganized. My initially planned schedule for the day often gets tangled with the other activities that I usually want to slip in it. Analysis of the behavior assessment The analysis seems to be quite accurate in describing the prime motivators, strengths, and weaknesses of a person.The data yielded is very useful primarily because it was very thorough in describing the assessed person. It includes the possible conflicts associated with his set of strengths and weaknesses, as well as the possible steps that can be taken to solve such conflicts. The data provided i n the assessment can largely contribute to overall self-improvement. Understanding your tendencies and gaining insight on your personality can improve rapport and communication with other people. It can predict job performance and potential leadership skills (Kierstead, 1998). It can also be used in understanding the personalities of other people.In a personal case, it can help one concentrate on his strengths while altering his weaknesses. However, it should be noted that people should not confine their identities to the discussed test results (Carey,2004). Also, I have noticed that some characteristics of a particular behavior type often overlap some of the traits of the other types. Though the delineation between the types is often very obvious in the initial description, the question of exclusivity between the characteristics can be observed in the specific details of the subtypes of the behavior assessment.Also, although the results of the assessments are quite accurate, it sho uld be noted that people should not confine their self concept with the descriptions provided by behavioral evaluation, no matter how elaborate they are. Regardless of how complete and concise the assessment results are, people should realize that the results were based on a personality evaluation taken during a certain period of time at a certain moment in a person’s life. In simple terms, it is relatively an accurate assessment of someone’s here and now.It should be noted that people are rapidly evolving beings that can radically alter their behavior and personality over time, based on the set of experiences and challenges that come their way. A person with an interactive behavior type can transform into one who has a cautious or dominant behavior after having one of those life changing experiences or major life turn points. Basically, a technical generalization of the personalities of men should not be regarded as the sole indicator of how a person should be interpr eted.It should not be sued as a basis of what kind of people should one get along with. Confining your analysis of people into four types or sixteen subtypes can greatly promote stereotyping. As such, these should not be used as the sole basis of interaction with other people. In order to ascertain the adaptability and the efficiency of this behavior evaluation, such forms of assessments should be taken regularly in order to form comprehensive and accurate concepts of one’s self.