Humor within Leadership Theory Essay

The key to the success of any venture is strong leadership (Howe 1994). Courage, vision, and humor are key ingredients in the formula for success. Service to the community or communities also plays a critical role in the development of leadership potential. The importance of humor in this model is fundamental. Every leader has some selfdoubt, but using humor and spiritual authenticity to overcome self-doubt will lead to success and prosperity. And what is said for leaders also can be said for those who are led. Muslim humor is famous all over the Western world. There is an almost endless number of collections, anthologies, and treasuries of Muslim humor, bulging with tens of thousands of Muslim jokes and anecdotes. That the humor of every ethnic group mirrors its conditions of life, its economic, political, and social circumstances, its position vis-a-vis other population groups, is so self-evident that it needs but passing mention. What is perhaps not so apparent is that the jokes, the anecdotes, and the other manifestations of humor are keys to understanding the life of the people in question and can serve as peepholes through which we can look into otherwise hidden corners of existence. As far as muslim communities are concerned, treasuries of Muslim humor can and should be used, and humor should be applied to make the West more likable and admired by the young muslim communities of the world. The techniques and strategies of humor are equally relevant at several levels of living systems, as well as between levels. Thus, the study of humor in multicultural society is interdisciplinary and is becoming a discipline in its own right. The current work is toward methods of negotiation with humor in which the objectives are to obtain a more cooperative long-term relationship and a more rewarding substantive outcome for young muslim communities. Muslim humor is second to no other product of the Muslim mind in revealing the mental state of the Muslims in any given place and at any given time. Whether it contains selfcriticism, directing its barbs at a Muslim group from which the humorist wishes to distance himself, or whether it compares the Muslims and the Gentiles, most often to the latter’s detriment, the Muslim joke is a manifestation of Muslim thinking and feeling about the in-group and various categories of out-groups. For example, the actor Sasha Cohen in the movie Borat makes young muslims laugh by making fun of Israel, despite him being Muslim himself. It would be ridiculous to pretend that none of the people who found Sasha Cohen funny were laughing at him for the wrong reasons. Some would have been laughing at what they took to be his imitation, others at one further remove, were probably laughing at the black parts of his monstrous hybrid. They laughed louder and longer because he revealed it to be alien, eccentric, and absurd in its snobbery, stupidity, and perverse attachment to numerous forms of destructive hierarchy-class, race, religion. Those dismal qualities were not being exposed from the outside by a stranger but explored from the inside in a daring act of patriotic love. That laughter does not intersperse loathing and self-hatred with manic elation. It helps instead to cultivate the everyday, ordinary virtue involved in managing healthier relationships with otherness that are not deformed by fear, anxiety, and violence. The most powerful weapon for creative mind stretching and therefore for reconstruction is humor, especially when it is self-directed rather than outward bound. Humor directed at another serves to break the lifelong habits of a sickly (symbiotic) relationship between people. Self-directed humor is a real mind healer: By flooding the anxious mind with grotesquely exaggerated fears, it banishes phobias and obsessions. In general, it drastically corrects in the mind and in behavior habitual neurotic (self-sabotaging and destructive) patterns. Humor is a technique involves any action one take to cause the proposals, ideas, or values of another to be rejected in favor of own by getting group members to laugh at, ridicule, or scorn the other person’s proposals (Duncan, 1990). Rationalization is founded on trust and respect, and if respect is lost, so too is much of power. While power may abhor a vacuum, it equally abhors scorn. Without respect, dominance cannot be maintained. Getting others to laugh at or denigrate in any way the proposals of others that one oppose is another way to exercise power in the organization. Perhaps the ultimate in withdrawal of consent is laughter. Nyberg (1981) proposes that laughter, not revolution, is more common in overthrowing a regime. Authority fears rejection more than any other threat to its legitimacy. Especially in informal organizations, if the leader loses the respect of the fellows he or she is incapable of securing their compliance in even nominal organizational transactions. Humor is a motivated process of communication between living systems with the goal of reaching agreement about certain joint or reciprocal acts. These acts may involve management of conflict, exchange of resources, or cooperation on actions directed at the mutual environment. Behavior within a system is normally regulated by the template of that system. Internal conflict may indicate a need to amend the template. Humor can be used to modify the template so as to remove the source of conflict. For instance, when negotiation occurs between components or subsystems of a system, as in talks to manage conflict between two divisions of a corporation, the resulting humor may modify the template with respect to the roles and required behavior of the divisions. Three general stances facilitate reflexive humor: not-knowing, curious, and collaborative. They provide a way for individuals to explore, express, and share the views and meanings of situations that, otherwise, can drive them apart. Let us examine each in turn. Not-knowing Stance This stance involves taking the nonexpert position of not knowing. Taking this stance encourages humor by levelling the hierarchies of position and knowledge. While hierarchies exist in all organizations, emphasizing them discourages humor; deemphasizing them encourages humor. Reflexive humor emphasizes equal participation rather than hierarchical power, thereby bringing about a shift from hierarchy to collaboration. Humor is characterized by content and relationship aspects. We all are aware of the content aspect of communication – the information that a message is intended to convey. The egalitarian ethic of reflexive humor eliminates the positions of hierarchy and power in the humor. A not-knowing stance conveys the message that everyone is equally qualified to generate ideas, opinions, and perspectives about a situation or a problem. This means that the manager enters into the dialogue without any preconceived notions or ideas. The not-knowing stance also encourages listeners to attend to both the â€Å"outer† humor of others as well as to their own â€Å"inner† humor. This egalitarian approach encourages each participant to contribute to the mutual exploration of ideas. Curious Stance The curious stance simply means that one expresses one’s ideas in a funny manner. A dogmatic or assertive expression of ideas often hinders the creative process, but a comic mode of expression encourages others to take, leave, or develop ideas at will without vesting or territoriality. This climate encourages the free exchange of ideas on their own merit and without threat of penalty. Taking this stance helps to multiply varying perspectives on a problem and, naturally, leads to an evolved solution. A final advantage is that emergent solutions are usually not only the best thought-out and most fitting but also explored and designed by the individuals who will implement them. Collaborative Stance This stance is the result of the two preceding stances. The shared perspectives, ideas, and meanings contributed by the conversants evolve into common knowledge. This process filters many levels of perceptions and triggers deep involvement among participants making possible the co-construction of a jointly-owned outcome. They bring about better understanding among individuals whose culture and gender may create varying perceptions of the same reality. There is nothing simple about dealing with diversity. Diversity is one of the most complex and refracted areas of management because it involves the intimacy of the self with the impersonality. The first step in implementing reflexive humor in university setting is to form small, voluntary, diverse groups. Participants can come from either the same class or a variety of divisions. There are only two rules for membership in the group – commitment and confidentiality. One quickly comes to realize that the premises and stances of reflexive humor are not part of normal communication repertoire. People have learned to function in the hierarchical worlds of home, school, and, the university. In these settings they do not always relate to one another on an egalitarian basis. Much less accepted is the practice of communicating with others, whether colleagues or superiors, from a curious or not-knowing stance. Furthermore, assuming a collaborative stance in their dealings with one another is not an everyday occurrence either. One achieves competence in reflexive humor through learnable skills that require practice. One trains individuals in reflexive humor by introducing each premise and stance and allowing time for practice. The individual being trained acquires the command of one skill before moving on to the next. It may be difficult to begin the training by talking about diversity issues. To create a conducive climate, groups might begin by discussing study-related or other relatively neutral matters because such topics are more familiar and potentially less explosive. Reflexive humor is a general theory that lends itself to any communication context. Therefore, in any setting or on any topic, the process of reflexive humor will evoke multiple points of view and generate mutual self-awareness for the participants. Jointly concentrating on common tasks is an excellent way to begin diversity training. With practice, the process of reflexive humor will engender a sense of trust among its participants. The structure of reflexive humor creates an environment wherein participants can freely exchange their views and, eventually, communicate with one another on deeper and more meaningful levels. Trust and synergy. †¢ Trust reduces the amount of time and energy wasted in suspicion and politics. This time and effort can therefore be better deployed on added-value activities that help to deliver the purpose and vision. †¢ When trust, competence and alignment come together we can achieve synergy, and unlock high performance. †¢ To develop into an attuned team the members of the group have to be able to trust each other. Reflexive humor is a new approach to face-to-face communication. It offers a process by which one can access the uniqueness of each individual as well as each individual’s cultural paradigm. Through this approach, individuals can better generate information and co-construct those mutual realities that lead to enhanced problem solving. Reflexive humor is particularly useful to individuals from different cultures who wish to establish a common ground for mutual understanding and action. Humor is not just joking, and management is not just the bloodless supervision of humans in the machine-like achievement of goals. Human emotions and feelings are involved in many issues, especially in culturally diverse settings. The reflection of feeling captures the emotional aspect of human nature. The purpose of this microskill is to identify and make explicit emotions that are often concealed allowing the listener to tune into the speaker’s emotional experience. While nothing seems more ordinary than to empathize with another, the reflection of feeling has a specific structure. The reflection of feeling informs the speaker that you are aware of his or her emotions. This in turn encourages the speaker to clarify further the issue at hand. The listener needs to be cautious about inaccurately labelling feelings. Adequate time and care must be given to identify the precise feeling correctly. Mislabelling an emotion is a sure sign of misunderstanding the speaker. The reflection of meaning may be the microskill that is most relevant to the diverse workplace. It has to do with how different racial, ethnic, gender, or cultural groups organize life and experiences as well as the meaning they draw from those experiences. This microskill may appear to be very much like the preceding ones of the paraphrase (which restates thoughts) or the reflection of feeling (which reflects emotions). Indeed, the reflection of meaning combines thoughts and meanings. One should remember that both reflecting skills of humor deal with profound issues – emotions, values, meanings, and the particular sense each one of us makes of the world. Neither skill should be used insincerely or manipulatively. Inappropriate use can cause as much anger and distrust, on the one hand, as understanding and trust, on the other. However, used ethically, with a sincere attitude, no microskill is more useful, what joke one may make of situation, what values may motivate seemingly culturally different behaviors, or why an action or word that is unimportant (or important) to you may be important (or unimportant) to a colleague. Patterns of eye contact and gaze also play an underestimated role in sense of humor. White males have their own, unique, eye contact patterns. When speaking, a white male looks away from the listener most of the time, making eye contact with the listener to emphasize significant points. While listening, a white male looks at the speaker most of the time. Eye contact indicates that the listener is paying attention to what is being said. Another pattern of eye contact signals the moment when turn-taking occurs for speaker and listener. Generally, when the speaker is nearing the end of a statement, he briefly looks away from the listener. Then, upon finishing the utterance, he reestablishes eye contact to signal that it is the turn of the other person to speak. Major humor problems can result if eye contact patterns are not in synchrony. Without either conversant being consciously aware of it, at appropriate times in the white male style a trustworthy person looks in the eye, while an untrustworthy person does not. If both parties share this pattern, conversation flows smoothly. If the patterns are at odds, one may call the other shifty, while the other may feel uncomfortable. In such a situation, the humor becomes strained, and the participants are conscious of that fact. White males do not seem to employ or recognize the value of nonverbal communication, in general, or of eye contact, in particular. Yet, it is evident that eye contact patterns play a significant role in effective humor. The general white male pattern is for speakers to gaze less at listeners and for listeners to gaze more at speakers. This is how white male listeners demonstrate their intentional listening or attending behavior. One of the most significant characteristics of the Muslim verbal communication style is its oral tradition. Muslims were forcibly transported from traditional societies that were oral. The heritage of orality may be most evident in two areas of the Muslim verbal communication style: the mode of listening, and the importance of expressing feeling during interpersonal interaction. Comparative studies have found that Muslims and whites have different verbal communication styles. Whites tend to make more use of the attending or listening skills in their face-to-face communication by using a forward lean of the upper body or asking open-ended questions. Muslims tend to be more directive by giving advice or confronting. An earlier discussion of microskills noted that open questions are less direct and invite a conversational partner to provide more information on a topic while closed questions tend to retrieve specific pieces of information and limit dialogue. Depending upon the circumstances, each type of question is equally valid. However, a dialogue with predominantly closed questions can take on the tone of an interrogation. Similarly, humor replete with open questions lends a less tenuous tone by giving respondents more room to provide information at their own pace. Therefore, the type of question sets the tone of a conversation. The Muslim’s expression of feeling may also contrast with white expression of feeling. Whereas emotions may be more openly expressed according to the Muslim humor paradigm, they are more repressed by the mainstream white paradigm. According to the Muslim humor paradigm, one is more congruent when one expresses emotions. According to the norm of the white male humor paradigm, one expresses one’s reason and logic dispassionately. For many Muslims, the expression of feeling is crucial to genuine humor between individuals. Therefore, in the Muslim paradigm one is credible when one expresses emotions; one is more credible when emotions are expressed resolutely. Thomas Kochman, scholar of linguistics, holds that one achieves ultimate credibility when logic and affect harmoniously intertwine. Only then can there be congruence between one’s thoughts and verbal communication. When one represses thoughts and feelings and expresses only logical thoughts, the discrepancy is likely to emerge through nonverbal behavior, such as moving away or breaking eye contact. The meanings that may be attributed to such incongruencies according to the Muslim communication paradigm may range from deceit or hypocrisy to weakness. The Muslim style of greater and more open expression of feeling can result in behaviors that may seem overly assertive and even confrontational to many whites. In conflictual situations, Muslim nonverbals tend to include loud tones of voice, intense eye contact, and sweeping gestures. Verbally, Muslims may freely express their emotions and, according to Kochman, directly challenge not only facts or ideas but also the individuals who present them. Many may interpret such behaviors as not only confrontational but also preludes to aggression. However, for Muslims the expression of one’s mind and spirit only mean being true to oneself. Whether one stands close together or far apart can make people feel more or less comfortable in dealing with one another. Some research indicates that, while conversing, Muslim children tend to stand closer together (Baxter 1973). In her analysis of research on proxemics, Halberstadt found that Muslims tend to stand closer to one another when young but farther apart when older – Muslim primary school children stand closer together than Muslim junior high or high school students. Distances increased still more for Muslim adults. Additional research indicates that Muslim adults tend to greet each other and stand somewhat further apart than other ethnic groups. Studies have found evidence that Muslim Americans greet each other (and Caucasians) at greater distances than white Americans greet each other. A comparative study showed that Muslim Americans interact at the greatest distances, Mexican Americans interact at the closest distances, and white Americans interact at intermediate distances (Baxter 1973). Another study concluded that during interviews whites tend to sit farther away from Muslims than they do from other whites. Humor is particularly significant to Muslims. The heritage of humanism and person-oriented behavior as well as the tendency to express emotions freely inclines some Muslims to be more reliant upon humor. On the basis of her review of the literature, educator Janice Hale-Benson states that Muslims are more proficient than are whites in expressing and detecting emotions. Any sign of understanding what another person has told encourages him or her to say more. Paraphrasing more powerfully encourages continuing the humor and elaborating thoughts resulting in more details about concerns and issues. One paraphrases by restating, in one’s own words, the essence of what a colleague has said. Paraphrasing has three specific components: beginning stem; restatement; and concluding, checking stem. Men’s body postures tend to convey messages of gender power and dominance rather than of affiliation. Often such kinesic behavior discourages rather than invites humor. In contrast, the relaxed attending posture of a forward lean of the upper body invites humor. Such attending nonverbal humor reflects an individual’s openness and willingness to listen and enter into a friendly humor. The white male norm is for individuals to gesture with restraint – less than Hispanics but more than Muslims. Wrists and hands are used much more than arms to gesture. Except at times of great joy or sorrow, elbows generally are not raised above shoulder level. Those who gesture more than this norm may be considered flamboyant; individuals who gesture less than this norm may be considered uptight or cold fish. A new approach to managing diversity is necessary. Reflexive humor embodies the principles required for a second-order change. Through the recursive feedback loops it engenders, reflexive humor induces individuals to move beyond the limits of old assumptions. Furthermore, by flattening the hierarchy, its egalitarianism encourages the participation that unfolds to find new and creative solutions. This new approach to humor delineates how individuals can come together to work on constructing mutual realities. The process of reflexive humor establishes commonalities rather than magnifying differences. It provides individuals with the opportunity to come to know one another through a continuous process of mutual interchange. Such an approach inclines to modify subjective meanings and to create the common grounds that are the bases for common understanding. The reflexive process of sharing information creates the recursive loops by which one clarifies and reduces the uncertainties that all have about each other. Therefore, the nature of this change is both organic and evolutionary. The second-order change induced by reflexive humor is not the result of external injunctions by trainers to change one’s assumptions about groups, as may have been true of some previous training approaches. Rather, the change produced by humor is the result of a volitional, egalitarian, and mutually-induced process. The continuous interchange of humor creates the fertile ground where individuals studying together co-create solutions of a second-order change. This change emanates from newly-developed assumptions based on newly-generated realities. In effect, humor induces greater convergence in the thoughts, beliefs, perceptions, and meanings of the individuals who engage in it. As Johns Hopkins linguist Lawrence Kincaid puts it, an effective humor logically leads to the â€Å"state of greater uniformity, or the successive reduction of diversity† (Lawrence 1988). Thus, applying humor in the diverse society can lead to a place where the construction of new realities is possible. This is where cultural issues and cultural differences meld, and a new reality ensues as a result of the information-sharing process. Hence, myths about differences begin to diminish and common realities begin to evolve. From these emerge the common ground, the convergence that is essential for the shared understanding that common action requires. Humor is the missing link of diversity training. It is the second-order process by which individuals can mutually change themselves and each other according to their own pace and direction. Humor is perhaps the least tangible aspect of organizational life, but it seems to have very powerful and tangible effects on people from different cultures. In a high energy atmosphere one can sense people’s excitement just by watching the way they move, the way they interact and go about their business, and even the expressions on their faces. When one walks out of a very positive atmosphere, one wants to go back. If the atmosphere is stifling, unwelcoming, filled with tension, and not much fun, then one does not want to return. If the place happens to be one’s workplace, the effect can be very powerful. The microskills are specific tools that enhance the humor process. They are relatively easy to learn. The skills are best learned oneat-a-time. Following the presentation and discussion, practice provides a hands-on approach to the mastery of each skill. As one gains proficiency in one skill, another is added and practiced simultaneously. Thus, each remaining skill is added until the complete set of microskills has been acquired. The key to proficiency with the microskills is practice. While these skills are easy to comprehend and implement individually, making them part of students’ everyday behavior may not be as easy. Only through continued conscious effort in using and practicing the skills can we successfully make them part of our behavioral repertoire. They are skills that can be applied to any life setting to enhance understanding of one another and, hence, relationships. References Baxter C. ( 1973). â€Å"Interpersonal spacing in two-person cross-cultural interactions†. Man-Environment Systems, 3. D. Lawrence Kincaid. (1988). The convergence theory and intercultural communication. In Young Yun Kim & William B. Gundykunst (Eds. ), Theories in intercultural communication. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications. Howe, Susan E. S. (1994). â€Å"Exploring New Leadership Styles. † Pennsylvania CPA Journal 65, no. 1. Nyberg, David. (1981). Power Over Power. Ithaca, N. Y. : Cornell University Press. Thomas Kochman. (1981). Black and white styles in conflict. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Gender Communication Differences in Traditional Marriage

A gender image of one’s self is first presented to a child by his/her parents. It is through the behaviors learned, the characteristics that are reinforced and the inappropriate gender traits that are punished that we, as humans, are able to grasp our larger role in society. These early concepts of gender identity, behavior and roles also influence how we communicate interpersonally. Two people of opposite gender joined in marriage have two very different styles of communication to the extent that this problem is sometimes insurmountable. Lack of clear communication between partners in a traditional marriage is often cited as the cause for divorce. Not so long ago, traditional gender roles, combined with an aversion for the stigma of divorce, were a huge factor in the length of a couple’s relationship. Men and women stuck it out for the long run, even when experiencing problems, and a breakdown in communication. Long before technology took over society and created more avenues for communicating with each, men were used to showing support by â€Å"doing things† for the family and women showed their affection through talking (Torrpa, 2002). Women expect their marital relationship to be based on mutual dependence and cooperation while men expect it to be based on independence and competition (Torppa, 2002). Clearly, these two different sets of expectations will have an effect on how the two partners communicate and ultimately, on the strength of the union. The current generation of young adults is waiting longer their parents to make an acceptable marriage match as opposed to the trend of earlier years when marriage the year after high school was expected. The tradition of marriage is still intact, but the demographics are changing. The fact that couples are waiting to tie the knot should also affect their ability to communicate with each other about important issues due to older partners presumably having a better idea of what they want in life and a better grasp on how to communicate it. According to Ohashi (1993) marriage is a system established on the assumption of a division of labor based on gender-role stereotypes (from Katsurada, Sugihara, 2002). Women traditionally tend to want to â€Å"make everyone happy† while men make decisions based largely on their own personal needs (Torrpa, 2002) – one aspect of marriage that is unchanged for the most part yet responsible for many breaks in communication between the partners. Differences in typical gender roles also affect communication between husband and wife. Typically, women are characterized as being the more talkative of the sexes as well as being comfort providers and more secure in showing their emotions. Women are also better at â€Å"reading between the lines† regarding interpersonal issues (Torrpa, 2002). Men, on the other hand, are known for their distinct lack of communication and inability to provide emotional support. Their ability to â€Å"read between the lines† regarding status is more pronounced than in women. With traditional roles in marriage declining and technology taking over, communication is at once both more effective and less available (Morris, 2001) – we have more ways of communicating (e.g. text messaging, Email, etc.) but we have less time to do so with multiple careers. Both male and female partners tend to see the other as being more controlling of the relationship (Torppa, 2002) and without the ability to communicate effectively, this assumption can be quite damaging to the marriage. This paper will explore the varying roles of a man and woman in a traditional marriage relationship, how these roles influence their ability to effectively communicate, and the level of satisfaction each partner feels based on their idea of whether or not they are communicating effectively with each other regarding large issues. According to Torrpa (2002): â€Å"understanding differences is the key to working them out†. References Katsurada, Emiko & Sugihara, Yoko (September, 2002). Gender-role identity, attitudes toward marriage and gender-segregated school backgrounds. Sex Roles: A Journal of Research. Retrieved September 5, 2007, from the Find Articles Web site: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2294/is_2002_Sept/ai_96736800/pg_2. Martinez, J.M., Chandra, A., Abma, J.C., Jones, J. & Mosher, W.D. (2006). Fertility, conception and fatherhood: Data on men and women from Cycle 6 (2002) of the National Survey of Family Growth. National Center for Health Statistics. Retrieved September 5, 2007 from the CDC Web site: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_23/sr23_026.pdf Morris, Grantley (2001). Improving Communication in Marriage. Retrieved September 5, 2007 from the Web site: http://net-burst.net/love/talk.htm. Torppa, C. B. (2002). Gender Issues: Communication Differences in Interpersonal Relationships. The Ohio State University Extension Program. Retrieved online September 5, 2007 from the OSU Web site: h ttp://ohioline.osu.edu/flm02/FS04.html. Van den Troost, Ann (August, 2005). Marriage in Motion. Sociology Today, Volume 10. Leuven University Press.

My Leadership Practices and Future Essay

This following will outline my personal leadership practices and potential future leadership. To analyze my leadership qualities I will use the Seven Habits Profile and a leadership theory to determine my strengths, weaknesses, and areas of opportunity for improvement. In conclusion, I will determine the best recommendations for long-term improvement as well as SMART goals, or short-term courses of action, for leadership improvement. Seven Habits Profile The Seven Habits Profile revealed that I rank as outstanding in two categories, very good in six categories, and good in just one category. This seems to highlight what I am most exemplary at in terms of leadership, what I am just proficient at, and what presents itself as an opportunity for improvement. The main two strengths include having a work-life balance and being a proactive problem solver. An area of opportunity as indicated by the profile would be having the ability to synergize which is a combination of seeking the views of others and making creative decisions. The two strengths point to qualities I have constantly tried to improve upon. Earlier in my career, I was a bit of a workaholic and tended to bring work home with me. This resulted in a dismal personal life which eventually permeated negativity into my professional life as well. In light of that, over the years I have created rules for myself to remedy that initial error and in doing so this has become one of my str engths. My other strength, being proactive, stems from the lack of this quality in my current career field. More often than not it is more imperative to be reactive in my line of work.  To set myself above the rest I decided early on in my career to work on being both, as being reactive is just as important as being proactive in order to prevent conflict and deal with one once it has arisen. The category in which I rated as only good, or a possible opportunity for improvement, is synergize. I believe I scored myself low in two out of three categories because it has been an incredible weakness in the past and one I have been working on for quite some time. While I have significantly improved in this area I continually work on this factor of working better with people by seeking their input. In doing so, I rate myself harshly on this aspect, despite the progress I have made, because I am not as competent as I would like to be. My Leadership Practices Over the course of my career, I have tried to model various leadership behaviors based upon successful leaders that I have worked with or for. This has led me to incorporate different styles into my own. Considering my current leadership strengths and how I view successful leaders I will use a servant leadership theory to analyze my own competencies. Servant leaders have 9 different aspects comprised of: emotional healing, creating value for the community, conceptual skills, empowering, helping subordinates grow and succeed, putting subordinates first, behaving ethically, relationships, and servanthood (Boone & Makhani, 2005, pg. 86). The aspects of a servant leader are those that I personally value and identify with. In addition to this, it is my belief that servant leaders, because they are people oriented, are more effective in a variety of environments and situations. My Leadership Strengths In accordance with the servant leadership theory I have three main strengths that I employ in my leadership practices. The first recognized strength is my ability to develop strong working relationships with employees. This strength is best demonstrated in my practice of getting to know all of the employees on a personal basis and caring about their professional and personal lives by showing interest every day. This aspect of leadership requires a considerable amount of listening on my part and therefore assists in fostering clear communication and trust between me and the employees. According to Boone & Makhani (2005), â€Å"A vital prerequisite to servant  leadership is credibility, which is the foundation of leadership. People must believe in their leaders and know that they are worthy of trust† (Boone & Makhani, 2005, pg. 85). This establishment of trust, fostered through caring and building a sense of community within the team, lays the groundwork to being viewed as a competent leader that employees will follow with enthusiasm. In conjunction with my first strength, my second strength has been identified as the capacity to help subordinates grow and develop within their career. I have demonstrated this by mentoring employees. This has included helping them grow within their current position as well as aiding them in moving up from their current level within the organization. This aid is often in the form of teaching, listening, and giving them my insight to what I have observed within the organization in concern to both reviews of work and job promotions. Development of employees has to be a quality that is purposefully demonstrated consistently and not just when an employee asks for help. This requires a regular effort on the part of the leader of a team. In order to help an employee in this aspect a lea der has to know employees on a basic fundamental level. The leadership practice of aiding in an employees’ career growth cannot be effectively engaged without the insight gained by the understanding and communication gained through the aforementioned practice of getting to know your employees. Developing the people in your workforce builds skills and confidence and in turn increases and maintains a high level on morale. Along with caring about employees through getting to know them it is imperative that a leader show they care about the person and their future. Consistent with Hamilton & Nord as cited by Caldwell, Dixon, Floyd, Chaudoin, Post, & Cheakas (2012), servant leadership has been defined as ‘‘providing leadership that focuses on the good of those who are being led and those whom the organization serves’’ (Hamilton & Nord as cited in Caldwell, Dixon, Floyd, Chaudoin, Post, & Cheakas, 2012, pg. 180). Assisting an employee up through the career ladder demonstrates that the leader cares about each emp loyee’s future both on a personal and professional level. The third strength I have identified in my leadership practices, conducting myself ethically as a leader, relates to the first two strengths. I have established this strength by holding myself visibly to a higher standard than the organization I work for requires of me. This often involves a great amount of transparency with my work  processes and what decisions I make. I conduct myself in a manner that is viewed as beyond reproach. In addition to setting an appropriate example for employees behaving ethically allows trust to be established. If a decision or action were ever called into question my openness on honesty in matters would quickly dispel any thought of impropriety on my part. If a leader failed to obey the rules, no amount of caring, communication, or helping associates would build a sense of trust from the followers’ point of view. According to Parris and Peachey (2013) , â€Å"Whereas other leadership theories are traditionally defined only by what the leader does, servant leaders are defined by their character and by demonstrating their complete commitment to serve others† (Parris & Peachey, 2013, pg. 379). A leader’s style and effectiveness are defined by one’s character and is therefore defined by their actions and the ethics that govern their actions. My Leadership Weaknesses I have three main areas of opportunity for improvement in my leadership practices. While they are not complete deficiencies, or lacking, they require development to form a balanced leadership approach. My first weakness is a lacking of showing thoughtfulness or understanding with subordinates personal concerns. While this is not always the case, when I fail at this point is often because I am putting the organization first and failing to completely listen to an employee’s point of view concerning a specific subject matter. This often occurs when an associate is upset about a new organizational policy. Because I do not adequately listen to the associate’s point of view I fail in showing understanding and simply state to the employee that the policy must be followed. While this in an infrequent occurrence, when it does transpire it often leaves the employee to feel that I do not care about them and they in turn give the impression that they would be reluctant to come to m e with other issues that I could assist with. These perceptions degrade lines of communication and trust to an extent that negatively impacts how I may viewed as a leader and how my subordinates may, or may not, perform while working with me. The second leadership weakness I have pinpointed is that in certain situations I do not put employees first. When a new or big project is to be completed I do not always seek input from subordinates because of time constraints. In all  actuality their viewpoints on how these projects are to be done would likely decrease the time needed to accomplish the task. However, when I failed at seeking their input only my ideas are carried out, which may not be the most efficient way, and the employees feel that their views do not matter which fails to motivate or inspire fast and effectual performance. Therefore this failure leads to a demoralized team that negatively impacts not only the current project but future tasks as well. My third weakness as a leader is that I fail to empower subordinates concerning specific kinds of tasks on a consistent basis. This occurrence is typically the result of performance constraints on my end leading me to not help employees by showing them how to complete certain tasks. Instead I often do these tasks on my own so that I know they are done right and in a timely manner. By not always allowing employees to do these tasks, or helping them improve on these tasks they do not get a chance to grow within their position by mastering certain aspects of their job. This causes friction between me and employees as they perceive my actions to be a lack of trust or faith in their abilities. This weakness, like the first two, also contributes to a decrease in morale because the employees question my judgment or because they lack confidence in their abilities because I doubted them. Recommendations for Leadership Development To address my weaknesses, it is necessary to alter my leadership practices to be more congruent with the servant leadership style. All following recommendations for changes in my leadership practices will be a move toward a more complete servant leadership style. â€Å"Servant leadership differs from other models of leadership in that it focuses on leaders meeting the needs of followers, in that, if followers are treated as ends in themselves, rather than means to an end, they will reach their potential and so perform optimally. Such an approach is found when leaders respect, value and motivate those who follow them† (McCrimmon as cited by Waterman, 2011, pg. 25). The first recommendation will be to take the time to listen to employees regardless of the situation. This will require that I use the listening skills I have developed in all situations, especially in the types of situations I have consistently failed. This remedy will prevent the decay in trust and communication th at not understanding subordinates personal concerns often causes. This increased thoughtfulness in all matters on my  part will foster improved teamwork between myself and the team instead of hindering performance with decreased morale caused misunderstandings. The second recommendation change to my leadership practices is to seek input from employees on all tasks that involve them. A change in the practice would seek to prevent employees from feeling disenfranchised by having to complete work as dictated to them rather than doing tasks in a manner in which they believe is best for the work style that will still end with the same desired result. This change will garner an increased enthusiasm in daily task as well as the larger goals by giving employees a sense of ownership in their work. Gaining input and insight into how things are done will also add the possibility of increased efficiency and expediency in daily tasks by giving control to task experts who perform these regularly and have insight on how to improve. The increased performance coupled with an increased sense of trust will also seek to increase and maintain a healthy level of employee morale. The third recommended improvement to my leadership practices will be to challenge employees with new types of tasks and grow their skill sets to build performance, enthusiasm, and job satisfaction. When giving employees new challenges I also need follow up during and after their tasks to give constructive criticism and offer additional training if indicated. This alteration to my current practices will also prevent the erosion in trust my seemingly lack of faith in the past has had on employees and the team. This change to my practices will lead to greater employee skill set development and an added confidence within team members. SMART Goals To hasten my leadership development in a measurable method I am setting two SMART goals to accomplish within the next two weeks. The first goal is to set aside time to talk with each employee to ascertain what short and long term goals they have within the organization. I will also discuss with them what skill sets they believe they lack that is preventing them from moving to the next level. I will then assign tasks to each employee that seeks to build the desired skill set of each person. I will monitor their progress and give feedback as necessary. At the end of the two week period I will follow up again with each employee to ask them what they thought about the process, if they learned anything from doing new activities, and what, if  any, new tasks or skills they would like to learn or hone to further their career goals. The second goal will be to hold small team meetings, or huddles as we call them in the organization I work for, and gain the opinions and insights from employees on current changes within the organizations. I will guide the meetings and help employees choose how certain objectives will be met and how they might influence accomplishing long-term goals. Within reason, I will set into motion the employees plans and suggestions. At the end of the two week period I will again hold a series of huddles to discuss our accomplishments based upon the changes the employees have planned and further adjustments we could make to improve processes to these changes. I am optimistic that through the accomplishment of these two goals employees will feel more involved and valued within the organization. These immediate changes will also seek to build trust within my leadership and the organization. This improvement will further open up the lines of communication and reestablish a better sense of teamwork, as I will also be seen as part of the team in addition to its leader. These achievements will boost performance for both long and short-term objectives while increasing the teams’ morale. References Boone, L. W., & Makhani, S. (2012). Five Necessary Attitudes of a Servant Leader. Review Of Business, 33(1), 83-96. Retrieved from: http://wguproxy.egloballibrary.com/login?user=true&url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=heh&AN=86286635&site=ehost-live&scope=site Caldwell, C., Dixon, R., Floyd, L., Chaudoin, J., Post, J., & Cheokas, G. (2012). Transformative Leadership: Achieving Unparalleled Excellence. Journal Of Business Ethics, 109(2), 175-187. Retrieved from: http://wguproxy.egloballibrary.com/login?user=true&url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=heh&AN=78333229&site=ehost-live&scope=site Parris, D., & Peachey, J. (2013). A Systematic Literature Review of Servant Leadership Theory in Organizational Contexts. Journal Of Business Ethics, 113(3), 377-393. Retrieved from: http://wguproxy.egloballibrary.com/login?user=true&url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=heh&AN=87015717&site=ehost-live&scope=site Waterman, H. (2011). P rinciples of ‘servant leadership’ and how they can

Wreiter choice Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Wreiter choice - Research Paper Example The effects of media are felt differently in various parameters but there are common effects that will be critically analyzed in this article. The evaluation will therefore incorporate more knowledge into the reader of the article on the absolute effects of media in the society. This article will highlight appropriate issues that an individual should know in the matter of effects of mass media to the society. The influence of media in our lives thus the society as a whole is greatly related to the degree in which an individual interacts with the elements of media on a daily basis. Books are always highly influential because they came first before articles such as magazines, newspapers, and radio. In the 20th century, the television and radio were very influential as they were used in advertisements, marketing and many more. By the 21st century the great influence was from the internet through the worldwide website inform of blogs, social networks, and wikis. First, there should be a distinction between the effects and effectiveness of the mass media. In the capacity to achieve certain objectives whether attracting large audiences or influencing opinion and behavior of individuals. Both of these matters are paramount though there are a different set of consideration relating to each other. The second issue is whether individuals are concerned with the future or past thus this will facilitate their interaction with media to be often due to the search of particular important information. The last point is to know if the effects occur on an individual, group, culture, institution, or the society. In this case the major focus is on the effects and influence on the society (Perse & Elizabeth, 51). The effects of media on the society are always difficult to recognize because they take long to happen and they are always evolving on a daily

Douglas Crockford Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Douglas Crockford - Essay Example The system which is found in our brain makes us vulnerable to advertising and makes propaganda which also influences our programming styles. This talk basically looks scientifically the development of programming style which improves the reliability of programs. Examples given in JavaScript, a programming language with exceptionally large numbers of bad parts, but the principles are applicable in all the other programming language. I do agree with Douglas Crock ford when he says we should design programs which can be used to create other complicated programs, this will make it easier for upcoming programmers being conversant with programming techniques more easily when creating programs, on other designed platforms (Crockford p 68). For example, I prefer designing websites using net beans rather than, using note pads which might be very tiresome. In conclusion, it is evident that, designing programmers on any platform each much easier and straightforward, it is proven by almost all programmers are using other programs to create their

Application questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Application questions - Essay Example I used the experience to make new friends, learn all about their culture, language, and environment. More importantly, living in Togo humbled me as a human being. You might said that I had an epiphany while I was there. This was how it unfolded: It was one more day with surge of Sub Saharan heat, when Simon, one of the orphans, brought me noodles with a sprinkle of chicken pieces, saying that he earned some money and bought noodles with it. I asked, â€Å"Where is yours?† The boy replied, â€Å"I have more in the kitchen, don’t worry.† I was stupid to believe him. I ate everything at the speed of light and then brought the bowl to the kitchen to be washed. I saw Simon there and stopped to say thank you once again for the hearty snack. Then I saw what he was eating, a mere bowl of porridge. I never felt more ashamed of myself in my whole life. I should have known better. I should have known that being the stranger in town, they would give me the shirt off their backs in a show of hospitality. That was when I vowed to make a difference in their lives pf those living in the Third World countries as soon as I was able to. A. I worked in the regional public hospital as an assistant to the doctors, nurses, and other medical practitioners who needed an extra hand. Sometimes, I even found myself working in the ER. While I was there, I experienced the problems that their kind of hospital often encountered and I had a chance to speak to their patients, doctors, and nurses regarding their ill effective national health systems which did nothing to help their society prevent even the most common illnesses from becoming epidemics in their area. B. I will never forget the poverty that I witnessed in this hospital. Having come from a better off country, I was aghast to see that the African health care system was so destitute that they could not even provide the most basic medical supplies, equipment, and even slightly competent doctors

Observation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Observation - Research Paper Example Enough space is left between the groups to allow the teacher move around the classroom. The physical setting is characterized by drawings on charts placed on class walls. These drawings are mostly at the back wall and at times at the side walls. The front wall does not have these drawings. On the drawing are colorful. Letters and numbers are also written on these walls. Nouns are commonly written beneath objects drawn on the walls. Children were casual clothing while in preschool. However, some private schools require parents to dress children in uniforms. Male children mostly wear pairs of shorts. Female children are commonly dressed in trousers or skirts. Dialogue used in the preschool classroom setting is very interactive. It is mostly teacher-student or student-student. Gestures are highly utilized during learning. In most instances, children also respond collectively as per instructions of the instructor. Language used in very simple and direct. Short sentences are frequently used as opposed to long sentences. Preschool settings are quite dynamic. Constant changes of a classroom setting are purposed not only to help children understand what is being taught but also to capture the attention of the pupils since they easily lose concentration. The traditional setting is used when the teacher intends to impact new knowledge to pupils. It is also used when children are perform individual tasks such as writing during dictation sessions. The traditional setting helps children focus on the contents written on blackboard. A cluster setting is used during group works. Its main purpose is help children interact with each other. Children easily loose concentration during the traditional setting. The cluster setting captures student’s attention due to pupil-pupil interaction. The physical setting of a class has charts and colorful pictures on the walls except the front. Children learn

Law enforcement management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Law enforcement management - Essay Example But in reality it is the law enforcement officer who concentrates on those areas that pose the most immediate danger or threat is the most effective. Since ages ago man has always been governed by regulations within the community in order to believe that he fits in or and also cater to socially desirable patterns of conduct. Even earlier than that crime has been thought of as a local problem and to counter that enforcement has to be community oriented too. Enforcement of the law hence should be strengthened more and more where crime is spawned, i.e. in local communities. Faced with such considerations, much of the burden of crime prevention and crime control must be borne at the community level. But to achieve this objective we need farsighted police administrators and enlightened citizenry to work for the common good. But the surprising fact of life is that, " The police do not prevent crime" Experts know it, the police know it but the common public doesn't. But if the fear of the police in the common man's mind often lets him pause and think at least for a second before he can commit the crime then that is what we credit to the police. The major jobs of the police officer would include patrolling, criminal investigation, and regulating traffic. Administration is an additional function that involves recruitment, training, public relations and all the housekeeping functions of purchasing, paying and supervising and so forth. Traditional police management included an elaborate hierarchy of command. Police are a uniformed service where the authority is solely based on rank. Compliance is insisted upon and detailed rules cover anything and everything a police officer might do and high level of micromanagement occurs. Decisions were generally made at " the top chain of command" by a select few and passed down. The generally accepted theory was "Higher ranks give commands and lower ranks obey". This causes some frustrations. The police personnel at the lower end of the pyramid are often confused because they are forced into real life situations where they are not able to follow the rules to the book and often turn a blind eye to it because they want to avoid confrontations. This officer also feels unprotected and exposed and this also adds to their inefficiencies. It also puts his immediate commanding officer in quandary about exercising his control or watching from the sidelines. This

Politics and Government Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Politics and Government - Essay Example She can start her campaign from advertising on TVs and Radios. Although the costs may be very high for such campaign, but, since she needs to reach out to a vast audience, this type of campaign is necessary. Another reason why we should advertise on TV and Radios is that not all people can read newspapers because of low-literacy rate and since the governor needs to reach out to everyone, from the most learned to an ordinary man, who cannot read or write. Only mass-media like TV and Radio would help her to meet her target of reaching out to everyone in Alaska. Only advertising on mass media would make sure that everyone gets her message and this would make her campaign more efficient, even though it will be costly. Similarly, when she decided to run for the seat in the Senate, she can advertise her campaign on print media such as Newspapers and Pamphlets. The reason behind this is that in this scenario she would need not to reach out to the every single person of Alaska but only selected few. As a PR officer, we would first assess what kind of people we are targeting and then we can design and advertise the campaign accordingly. Similarly, since we do not need to reach out to everyone, we will not waste our money on mass media.

Amazon Long Tail Essay Example for Free

Amazon Long Tail Essay The long tail is a phenomenon whereby firms can make money by offering a near-limitless selection the term was coined by Chris Anderson, an editor at Wired magazine, and I feel both Amazon and Netflix have a long tail model since they can offer things that many stores don’t carry so there is always something for someone. (Gallaugher) I feel like Amazon has done a great job of using the long tail method and have a limitless selection of anything someone could ever want or need. I find that I can see things I have never even dreamed about. I only buy books there but it is good to browse. Amazon â€Å"Offer{s} a nearly limitless selection and something interesting happens: there’s actually more money to be made selling the obscure stuff than the hits. At Amazon.com, roughly 60 percent of books sold are titles that aren’t available in even the biggest Borders or Barnes Noble Superstores†.(Anderson 2004) â€Å"Amazon.com is a Fortune 500 e-commerce company based in Seattle, WA. Amazon was one of the first big companies to sell goods over the Internet. The company was founded by Jeff Bezos in 1994, and launched in 1995. They started out as an online bookstore and then quickly diversified by adding other items, such as VHS tapes and DVDs, music CDs, software, video games, electronics, MP3s, clothing, furniture, toys and even food items.† (Schneider) â€Å"Amazon took its long tail strategy in a totally new direction, offering its Prime customers (those who pay a $79 annual fee for free 2-day shipping) a wide selection of streaming movies and television shows, for free. The move is a direct slap at Netflix, a company that started with a focus on renting hard-to-find, long tail DVDs but which has moved increasingly toward popular blockbusters as its video streaming operations ramp up. Amazon will not have nearly as many recent and popular releases in its free offer as Netflix, but for people who are open to Amazons viewing suggestions its hard to beat free† (Wunker, 2011). This can show how the differences of how companies charge money for similar services can affect the long tail view. I feel that it is hard to have a long tail kind of company because of the competition â€Å"The long tail gives the firm a selection advantage (or one based on scale) that traditional stores simply cannot match.† This is both true of Amazon and of Netflix while Netflix can stream its videos Amazon has to send out its products by post. (Gallaugher) â€Å"The IT Department at Amazon.com also has a massive responsibility, as they oversee an enormous system that is extremely reliable. Amazon.com describes their IT group as â€Å"system, database, and networking experts (that) build and operate highly reliable, scalable distributed systems with terabyte-sized databases and infrastructure that can handle a massive number customers (Schneider) Knowing all of this It is used makes it easier for Amazon to fine tune its company and find the best fits for its customers. It is true that Netflix and Amazon have an endless stock and don’t need to keep them in house but in time Amazon will fully own the business as it expands and offers more products for less. Amazon is global but it is unheard of to use Netflix here in Korea. I actually can use different free sites to stream free videos since the copy right laws in Korea are a bit flexible. In conclusion both companies seem to be doing well in the long tail area but Netflix may fail in the near future unless it ventures out to new and different things. Amazon will crush it if they don’t adapt soon.

The Great Gatsby: The American Dream

The Great Gatsby: The American Dream According to Aristotle, there are a number of characteristics that identify a tragic hero: he must cause his own downfall; his fate is not deserved, and his punishment exceeds the crime; he also must be of noble stature and have greatness. These are all characteristics of Jay Gatsby, the main character of Fitzgeralds novel, The Great Gatsby. Jay Gatsby is a tragic hero according to Aristotles definition. In Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby, all the characters are, in one way or another, attempting to become happier with their lives. The characters in the novel are divided into two groups: the rich upper class and the poorer lower class(West egg and East egg) though the main characters only try to make their lives better, the American dream they are all trying to achieve is eventually ruined by the harsh reality or life. The American Dream consists of success, fame, and wealth. Many Americans have the idea of the white collar life; a job, a house, a loving wife, and kids. This is what Jay Gatsy dreams of having with his Daisy. The American Dream changes people in ways that make them for better or drive them towards their fall. Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald shows how dreams are destroyed, no matter what the dreams consist of, money, material status, or just simply to be happy. Fitzgerald also shows that the failure of the American Dream is unavoidable in a sense that nothing can be as perfect as one could imagine. Without hopes or dreams life would be empty. The American Dream is something every person works for throughout his or her life. Although the American Dream is admirable, it is impossible to achieve eternal satisfaction. The American Dream is just that, a dream. Jay Gatsby is known as the wealthy man who is trying to move forward to reach The American Dream. His life represents The American Dream in the way that he was corrupted by his love for Daisy while reaching the dream you have to be corrupted by money. Money symbolized by the color green represents wealth which is one of the factors to achieving the American dream. Gatsby is portrayed as the tragic character because for love he was willing to abandon his family and change his lifestyle so he can be finally accepted by Daisy. The shirts symbolize the change in Gatsby from when he was younger to the present. Daisy likes when Tom has shirts because they represent the money they have to buy those shirts and when Gatsby shows her the shirts he had bought for him she is appalled by the difference of what he was in the past that she nearly cries. Gatsby wants a better life and he thinks he can do it if he puts his mind to it, which is also a part of the American Dream. However, Gatsbys dream collapses when he fails to win Daisy and is not accepted by the upper class. All his money cannot help him when old man Wilson fires a gun at him. Gatsby sees himself as a failure when Daisy chooses Tom instead of him. The failure of Gatsbys hoped for life relates to the failure of the American Dream. Without his dream Gatsby has nothing, nothing to keep him going, no direction, and no purpose to live. Myrtle Wilson is a character who fails to achieve the American Dream. Her desire to reach the upper class brought her to a downfall. Though Myrtle Wilson makes an attempt to escape her own class and pursue happiness with the rich, she ends up gaining nothing and eventually dies. She is basically a victim of the group she wanted to join. Myrtle tries to become like Tom by having an affair with him and taking on his way of living, but in doing so she becomes unsatisfied with her life. Her constant clothing changes show that she is unhappy with her life, she changes personalities every time she changes her dress: with the influence of the dress her whole personality had also undergone a change. The intense vitality was converted into impressive hauteur(pg. 35). Myrtle raised her eyebrows in despair at the shiftlessness of the lower orders.These people! You have to keep after them all the time.'(pg. 36). . Myrtle tries to create a new life for herself but eventually falls victim to it wh ile trying to be someone she wasnt. Myrtle felt trapped with her husband and her stature and she pushed harder to attain what she felt would benefit her. In the end though, she dies because of a mistake that she made due to her senses of lust and somewhat greed. Myrtle represents the unfulfilled American dream. Fitzgerald embodied the American experience as success and failure, illusion and disillusion, dream and nightmare. The contradictions he experienced and put into fiction heighten the implications of the dream for individual lives: the promise and possibilities, violations and corruptions of those ideals of nationhood and personality dreamed into being. Jay Gatsby and Myrtle Wilson have both tried to accomplish The American Dream and that led them to their tragic flaw. The American dream represents corruption and lies. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is the American classic of a tragedy that will have the characters live on forever as an example of the wrong impact the American dream can have.

Green Banking In India Environmental Sciences Essay

Green Banking In India Environmental Sciences Essay Moving to a prosperous low carbon economy can drive innovation, increase productivity and generate new well paid jobs. However, to achieve this, significant new investment will need to be found and, though government can provide the necessary incentives, it will be the private sector that will provide the bulk of this investment. Climate change is a significant issue for India. But while the effects of climate change are increasingly a risk to the health, economy and the environment of the country, economists are also recognizing that there are financial rewards from controlling climate change and developing a low carbon economy. Banks can provide important leadership for the required economic transformation that will provide new opportunities for financing and investment policies as well as portfolio management for the creation of a strong and successful low carbon economy. In this report I have tried to examine how banks can be catalysts for change. Discussing how banks are providing commitment and leadership in creating a low carbon economy and also the challenges to investment. A carbon credit is a generalised term used for any tradable certificate or permission representing the right to emit one tonne of carbon di-oxide [CO2]   The goal of carbon trading is to allow market mechanisms to drive industrial and commercial processes in the direction of low emissions or less carbon intensive approaches than those used when there is no cost to emitting  carbon dioxide  and other GHGs [Greenhouse Gases] into the atmosphere. In simple terms carbon credits gives a monetary value to the action of polluting the atmosphere and hence reduce greenhouse emissions, thus playing a pretty important role in saving the planet. Of late there has been a lot of discussion regarding the environment management in industrialised countries. However, because of the financial globalisation and ever increasing environmental regulations, there has been a large development in the banking sector which has been operating in developing and emerging countries and is pressed to better manage risks from environmental liabilities. As other economic players and industries, banks also consume natural resources. However, in developing countries this type of environmental impact can potentially be high in view of the insufficient availability of clean sources of energy. [Banco Itaà º, one of the largest banks in Brazil, recycles 2,200 tons of shredded paper annually] INTRODUCTION CLIMATE CHANGE-BACKGROUND 1.1 CLIMATE CHANGE-THE SCIENCE We all know that the climate change is a serious issue and which needs to be taken great care of in the near future or else we will have to face serious consequences in the future. A study conducted by The Climate Group with Price WaterHouse Coopers indicates an increase of more than 0.7 ËÅ ¡C over the last century and will continue to rise. The current projections of global average temperature change are in the order of 0.2 ËÅ ¡C per decade (from 1990 2050) or between 1.1 ËÅ ¡C and 6.4ËÅ ¡C within a century. CLIMATE CHANGE-THE INTERNATIONAL POLICY RESPONSE There have been international conferences and concerns on how to save the environment and efforts have been taken to gain consensus on how to save the environment since the early 1990s. In 1997 UNFCCC [United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change] introduced the Kyoto Protocol [1] India being a non-Annex 1 party to the UNFCCC is under no legal obligation to curtail its greenhouse gases [GHGs] emissions, but India has announced a voluntary plan to reduce the carbon emission intensity by 20-25% by 2020. The Indian Government is very keen and has shown great interest in finding the solution to this problem and is actively involved in discussions that will lead to a Post Kyoto regime that tackles the problems. UNFCCC also held a recent conference in at Copenhagen called the CoP [Conference of Parties], which did not deliver any legal binding commitments, but the Accord it produced had led to all the major developing nations to publish their plans on how they will cut or reduce the gas emissions over the coming decades. Also a massive financial help was pledged, which can be counted as a success of the summit [US$ 30 Billion by the end of 2012 and a total of US$ 100 Billion by 2020] for the mitigation and help of developing countries to implement the plans for cutting down the emissions, along with the deployment of latest technology and techniques. India is sure to receive a major part of these funds but our authorities need to ensure that the necessary framework is in place to take best advantage of them. 1.3 CLIMATE CHANGE-INDIAs RESPONSE India s National Action Plan on climate change essentially proposes eight national missions , namely , Solar ; Enhanced Energy Efficiency ; Sustainable Habitat; Water; Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem ; Green India ; Sustainable Agriculture; and Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change India holds a major position and is signatory to both UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol. The Clean Development Mechanism [CDM] provided by Kyoto Protocol has provided India with a significant opportunity for reducing carbon emissions at a relatively low price through renewable energy projects and energy efficient projects. The above also provides India with a wonderful opportunity of creating and trading carbon credits via (through) the help of regulated carbon emission trading schemes, in exchange of money. The CDM also allows and helps developed countries like USA to invest in emission reduction globally where it is the cheapest. The success of CDM can be gauged by the fact that since its inception in 2001 till 2012 it would have 1.5 billion tonnes of carbon-d-ioxide equivalent emission reductions. India along with CDM has also been working to develop a National Action Plan on Climate Change which enumerates a number of steps to simultaneously advance Indias development and climate change adaptation and mitigation objectives. Finance especially the BANKING SECTOR is a key element of the National Action Plan on Climate Change, outlined in the plans National Missions. Example 1: NATIONAL MISSION ON ENHANCED ENERGY EFFICIENCY The proposed National Mission on Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE) has been designed to focus on the creation of mechanisms that supports financing of demand side energy management programs by capturing the financial benefits of future energy savings. The Partial Risk Guarantee Fund has been developed with a purpose of providing commercial banks with partial coverage of risk exposure against loans made for energy efficiency projects. India has set voluntary targets to reduce carbon emissions intensity by 20-25% by 2020. The targets are being supported by legislation that requires mandatory fuel efficiency norms for all automobile vehicles, introduces green building codes, techniques and provides an amendment to the Energy Conservation Act to make it necessary for an initial group of 714 energy intensive businesses to take part in a scheme to cap energy usage and subsequently trade energy efficiency certificates. BANKING SECTOR RESPONSE TO CLIMATE CHANGE We are all aware of the fact that banks play a very important role in mobilizing financial resources across the economy-in particular for providing investment money i.e. capital for large scale infrastructure and low carbon technology deployment. As of now the climatic changes have only effected/influenced the financial decisions only on the margin i.e. to a very less extent. That too the impact is much less in India as compared to other developed or developing countries. The following are a few international examples of the same: In all over 180 financial institutions support the United Nations Environment Program Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) which is the oldest association between UN and banking, insurance and investment worlds There was an increase in the pace of the global clean energy investment from US$ 60 billion in 2006 to US$ 150 billion in the year 2007 Banks that have been controlling more than 80% of global project finance volume have adopted the Equator Principles[2]. 2.1 BANKING RESPONSE TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN INDIA IBA [Indian Bank Association] and TCG [The Climate Group] conducted a study know about how banks in India are responding to the climatic changes. The survey which was carried out focussed basically on following five themes: COMMITMENT LEADERSHIP Questioning the commitment of the bank and how is it demonstrated. MANAGEMENT To what level does the management take interest and participate in and around the climate change issues and how is the bank tackling its own impact. ENABLERS What are the key enablers for pushing the climate change agenda as perceived by the bank? PERCIEVED BARRIER What are the major barriers and key inhibitors which hinder the climate change agenda as perceived by the bank. INNOVATION AND ACTION What are the core business activities, products and services which the banks are offering to fight the climatic changing conditions. 2.2 THE SOLUTION: GREEN BANKING IN INDIA For the last one and a half decade India is on a higher growth trajectory and the industrial sector has been playing a very important role in Indias growth. However, Indian growth has always been limited due to the challenges faced in controlling the environmental impact of their business activities i.e. reducing pollution and emissions of their clients. Though environmental legislations and laws are being framed by the government to address the issue and it also encourages the industry to follow the environmental technologies and practices, but they are not enough considering the poor track record of enforcement, public awareness and inability to derive competitive advantage by producing eco friendly products. Just for the fact-book India is the sixth largest and the second fastest growing country in terms of producing green house gases. To add to your surprise three of Indias metropolitan capitals are amongst the worlds ten most polluted cities. The industries which contribute to making these cities most polluted majorly are: (a) Metallurgical Industries (b) Paper Pulp (c) Pesticides/Insecticides (d) Refineries (e) Tanneries/Fertilizers (f) Sugar etc. Thus the banking operations and investment by the financial institutions should take care of these polluting industries which can be done by improving the overall environment, the quality and conservation of life, level of efficiency in using the materials and energy, quality of services and products and hence in this context, the role of banking sector, which is the major source of financing for these industries, which is used for the implementation of the eco-friendly measures. The environmental regulations in India can be broadly classified in two broad categories: Command Control Regulations. Liability Laws. However, there is no law in India which can hold banks responsible for the checking and scrutinizing investment projects and granting/denying the financial aid to a company on the basis of environmental damage to be caused by the client. The most important thing here is that because of the growing concern for the environment legal framework for the environmental pollution standards are being formulated in India and once the formulation is done the companies violating these rules will either have to shut down or will have to make the necessary changes in terms of investment and methodology which will require the help of banking sector, thus proving the importance of GREEN BANKING. In the above process the above companies are sure to loose their viability and competitiveness in the international market and this will eventually affect the Indian Economy and the Banking Sector. Thus for the future prospects and the current scenario it is very important for the banks to protect themselves from the changing of their performing assets [3] to non performing assets [4]. If the banks realize these facts then the adoption of GREEN BANKING becomes fast and easily acceptable to them. One thing which is very obvious is that the industries that are ill equipped in preventing pollution today are the possible polluters of the future Example 2 Non Compliance to the Mandated Environmental Standards About a hundred and fifty SSI (Small Scale Industries) units around Agra and Delhi had been forced by the government authorities to make changes in the methodology or were made to shut down the entire units because of non compliance to the mandated environmental standards and were hence declared nonperforming assets for the banks that financed them. These rigorous steps were taken with the ultimate goal of protecting the Taj Mahal situated in Agra from the Greenhouse Gases and thus eventually losing its charm. Apart from the list above there are a number of companies that have been closed down due to non compliance of the standards in such a scenario the banks are the only ones incurring a financial loss due to the increase in bad asset and liability. The following Table1 reflects category wise summary status of pollution control in 17 categories of industries in India where we find that the industries are increasingly complying with pollution control norms. Refer to Table 1 in the appendix. 2.3 DISAPPOINTMENTS FACED: GREEN BANKING IN INDIA The financial banks and institutions are running far behind the schedules as compared to the global trends. None of the Indian banks or financial institutions have adopted the equator principle [2] even for the sake of records. None of our banks are signatories to the UNEPFI [5]. The British business newspaper and Financial Times in a joint effort nominated for Sustainable Banking Awards in 2006 for leadership and innovation in integrating social, environmental and corporate governance objectives into their operations did not find a single Indian nationalized bank or major private bank in the list except Yes bank (which is a small player in Indian Banking sector) which was nominated in Emerging Markets Sustainable Bank of the Year category. The other nominations have been shown in Table-2. It was very evident that there was no systematic attempt to integrate the environmental concerns into the business operations here by our nationalised banks. Though there has been a little improvement as in the previous years as for the year 2007 ET sustainable banking award two banks namely YES Bank and ABN AMRO Bank had filed nominations. Though its a little improvement but it also shows the ignorance in the part of our banks about the green banking initiatives at international levels. As we all know today the products of the countries violating the human rights or child labour laws are denied in countries like US and UK (European Markets), so it would not be surprising if the export of the domestic polluting industries get a severe jolt if they continue to neglect the degrading environment. If such a thing happens then the major blow would be to the Indian Banking sector because most of the SSIs have sponsored by the Indian Banks and if they do not comply with the environment standards then they would be worst hit by such an act. Therefore, banks in India need to be more careful about the environment aspects of both clients and products because: The future of exports and product markets will be going through stringent environmental rules and eco-friendly products will have a better future. Increased demands for pollution control equipments will want more and more financial aid from the banks. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) may also follow environmental friendly rules and regulations hence enforcing them on other banks just like the IFC [6] and Asian Development Bank [7]. Recent announcement by the government to use economic instruments for environmental control may also include banks also. Big investment projects supported by international organizations like The World Bank and ADB [7] require EIA [8]. 2.4 THE BRIGHTER SIDE: COMMITMENT AND SENIOR LEADERSHIP CHANGE IN INDIA Number of Banks Participating in: Carbon Disclosure Project 5 UNEP FI 2 UN Global Impact 2 Equator Principles 2 Climate Principles 1 Four Indian Banks named the challenges due to climate changes as very important and in the Top Ten Priorities Critical To Success Seven out of the eight banks surveyed believe that commercial lending banks in India can play a leadership role in the business community in addressing the challenges of climate change. The top management has been driving the climate change agenda in majority of the surveyed banks. Banks that demonstrate a high level of senior support for addressing climate change also demonstrate a high level of activity around initiatives that address the issue. All private sector and international banks involved in the climate change activities through formal partnership or relationships with external partners at a regional, national or international level. Public sector banks have not been taking part voluntarily but have been postponing the work until the legislations have been forced upon. Participating banks have highlighted that they have been forming partnerships with government agencies as well as industry associations to effectively discuss and act on issues. The RBI has issued notifications on corporate social responsibility for banks with reference to the role of banks in sustainable development and non financial reporting Six out of eight banks highlighted that the change in climate will highly affect the way they conduct their business and hence they would want to take advantage of the situation and enforce their business by being well prepared for the coming situations. 2.5 ROLE OF MANAGEMENT: GREEN BANKING IN INDIA Policies and Programs: Most of the banks have a formal written statement which describes the purpose and objectives of the organizations commitment to climate change. Such statements are usually included in the annual report of the company. Most of the banks have also been putting in place the policy of saving/reducing the footprints of the electricity consumption by implementing energy efficient systems in the offices and also by replacing the older systems. Most of the banks have a specific policy in place to consider the environmental issues associated with energy use, purchasing, transport, recycling and waste minimization. 2.6 MANAGING CARBON EMISSION Majority of the banks have been calculating their energy consumption and carbon footprint. Banks are getting external audits done for their energy consumption and follow it as a norm as opposed to the exception. The findings of such audits are being used to reduce their bills of energy consumption. All the banks have been indicating that the issue of climate change and sustainability was important to the organization. Example 3 Union Bank of Indias Energy Efficient Measures The union bank of India has decided to take an annual electrical energy audit. The bank has also installed solar power water heaters at the various facilities they maintain. Its the support service department of the bank that has been identified to implement such an energy reduction program. 2.7 EXTERNAL REPORTING All the participating banks communicate their actions on climate change as a part of their Environment or Corporate Social Responsibility Reports and statements. Almost 5 out of the 8 banks surveyed maintained their own greenhouse gas inventory such as calculating their carbon foot printing and undertaking annual energy audits. Seven out of the eight banks have a energy reduction or emission reduction plans on the agenda. Example 4 IDBI Bank IDBI bank is a member of National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). The bank is also an authorised signatory to the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). CDP aims to create a relationship between shareholders and corporations regarding the shareholder value and commercial operations because of the climatic changes. 2.8 INTERNAL COMMUNICATION AND EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT All the participating banks claimed that the issues relating the climatic changes were communicating internally to the concerned employees. Five out of the eight bank also informed that they have also initiated employee engagement programs so as to tackle the situations arising out of climatic change. Majority of the banks have also put up information regarding the climatic change on their intranet sites. Many banks have also been training their employees on specific technical fronts such as, sustainability screens on lending portfolios, enhanced investment criteria for low carbon projects. Banks have also been implementing car pools for their employees, hence encouraging not only clerical staff but also higher management to share transport so as to save the environment. Example 5 HSBC Global Research: Climate Change The HSBC Climate Change Centre of Excellence which had been established in 2007 has been ever since investigating the likely risks and opportunities of climate change for the financial markets and HSBCs business unit. About 30 reports were produced by the Centre in 2009, which also included a comprehensive analysis of fiscal stimulus for climate related investments. These reports have helped over 3000 customers to identify the opportunity and plan for potential climate change risks. 2.9 ENABLERS FOR CLIMATE CHANGE ACTIVITIES Internal Factors: The top internal factors which have an effect on the climate change activities can be broadly classified as: Economic Benefits and Profitability Board influence Marketing benefits Refer to Table 3 External Factors: The top external factors can be specified as: Environment benefits Competitive advantage/new business opportunities. 2.10 PERCIEVED BARRIERS TO CLIMATE CHANGE ACTIVITIES In the survey conducted by TCG and IBA it was concluded that the following are considered to be the major barriers for the cause: The Indian system lacks regulatory benefits and policy. The personnel lack technical knowhow. The cost implications. One interesting fact that came in light after the survey was that many banks in the survey wanted more legal regulations that provide an enabling framework. Some banks also raised the point that lack of general awareness about the climatic changes and its implications hindered their efforts to implement the green banking concept. Cost implications were also highlighted as a major hindrance, by three of the eight banks, to addressing climatic changes. However they believe that due to the added advantages and features such a s improved reputation or increased customer loyalty can overcome the financial concerns. Refer to Table 4 2.11 INNOVATION AND ACTION The Climate Principles framework have been represented in the research innovation and action by the banks as findings from key business lines. Research: The survey revealed that only two out of the eight banks currently have research on climate changes being carried on. The research being carried on by the Indian banks are less sophisticated as required by the cause. As most of the research is based on global level and is based on international standards the personnel here in India lack the technical knowhow of implementing the survey. Retail Banking: Half of the participating banks reported that they have implemented/incorporated carbon and climate issues to their retail banking arena. The banks also claimed to convince their clients to use paperless as a part of their green campaigns at retail outlets. Corporate Banking: Many of the banks that participated responded that many initiatives in corporate banking are underway which facilitates a transformation to a low carbon economy. Banks are also cognizant of how client defaults may increase from unanticipated `or underestimated mitigation. Project Finance: As there is a lack of knowhow to evaluate the risks associated with the changing climate and also the opportunities arising out of such a condition thus it acts as an hindrance for the consideration of finance of projects relating to climatic changes. Lack of technical knowhow often tends to raise the total cost of the project and hence restrains banks from entering into such a project finance. Asset Management: This field of the finance sector is still in its preliminary/infancy stage in India. So far only one bank has been thoughtful enough to launch a fund that takes account of ESG [9] issues. LEADING INDIAN BANKS AND GREEN BANKING 3.1 STATE BANK OF INDIA SBI Example 3.1.1 SBI Green Home Loans The State Bank Of India has started a new policy which they call as SBI Green Home Loans. It has been started with the objective of supporting the cause against the climate change and its implications. One of the initiatives which the bank has taken is the bank provides incentives to customers who choose green projects i.e. those projects which will be helpful in reducing the gas and carbon emission and help saving energy. Green Housing or Green Home is one of the types of loan identified for this purpose. The new Green Home Loan Scheme supports environmentally friendly residential projects and offers various concessions like reduced margins lower interest rates and zero processing fee. Example 3.1.2 Generation of Green Power SBI State Bank of India became the first bank in India to venture into the generation of Green Power on its own for by the installation of windmills for captive use. This action has been carried out as a Green Banking initiative, SBI has installed 10 windmills with the total aggregate capacity of around 15 MW in various parts of the country like Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Maharashtra. The future plans by the banks are even more lucrative as they plan to install additional 20 MW capacity windmills in Gujarat and soon touch a total production of 100 MW power generation through windmills in the coming five years. The officials of the bank believe that the bank consumes around 100 MW of energy in an year and hence by this initiative they are trying to be energy neutral and reducing their carbon footprints. The project has been carried on by Suzlon Energy and as one of the employees tells the cost of installation of one windmill of 1.5 MW is around Rs. 10 Cr. And the bank believes that the initial investment will be recovered in a short period of four years In an interview Mr. Tulsi R.Tanti CMD Suzlon Energy said that the mission of Suzlon Energy is to make all the Indian Banks go green and he also informed of being in talks with 25 banks. 3.2 ICICI BANK ICICI Banks Environmentally Sustainable Finance Initiative Example 3.2.1 Corporate Environmental Stewardship Initiatives ICICI Bank pioneered the corporate environmental stewardship programme with the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) to sensitize various corporate bodies, financial institutions/banks and government agencies involved in the project planning on issues regarding biodiversity, wildlife habitats, various environmental laws and conventions. As a part of the programme BNHS has initiated Green Governance Award to recognize the efforts of the company working for this cause. Example 3.2.2 ICICIs Clean Technology Initiative ICICI bank has been assisting many government and non government organizations to undertake clean energy and environmentally sustainable projects/initiatives. ICICI bank has been assisting projects that would specifically promote energy efficiency, renewable, demand side management by utilities etc. ICICI bank has also assisted ESCOs [10] in facilitating various urban local bodies and manufacturing companies in reducing their energy bills. 3.3 IDBI BANK Example 3.3.1 IDBI Carbon Desk IDBI bank has a separate team working on the CDM advisory service. The bank provides end to end services from the documentation to registration of the CDM projects for the commercialization of carbon credits. The bank also provides an upfront financing against the carbon credits/carbon credit receivables. The bank also facilitates the registration of the projects with UNFCCC and trading of carbon credits generated by the CDM Projects. There is also a refinance scheme initiated by the bank for energy saving projects for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector.

Capital Punishment Essay - Beyond Horror and Incivility -- Argumentati

The Death Penalty: Beyond Horror and Incivility       "Capital punishment is the infliction of the death penalty on persons convicted of a crime" (Americana 596). Killing convicted felons has been one of the most widely practiced forms of criminal punishment in the United States. Currently, the states that do no practice the death penaly are Alaska, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Rhode Island, West Virginia and Wisconsin. However, for the remaining states that do practice the death penalty, it has been a topic of debate for many years. There are two parties who argue over its many points, including whether or not it is a fitting and adequate punishment, whether or not it acts as a deterrent to crime and whether or not it is morally wrong. These two classes of people can be grouped together as the retentionists, or the proponents, and the abolitionists, or the opponents (596). For the retentionists, the main reasons they are in support of the death penalty are to take revenge, to deter others, and to punish. They are most concerned with the protection of society from dangerous criminals. In spite of all this however, the death penalty is not a good form of criminal punishment for many reasons: it is morally wrong, it does not act as a deterrent for crime, it is irreversible and can be inflicted upon people who are innocent, it is more expensive than imprisonment and those who are convicted commonly use the costly process of appealing the decision and there is no chance to make restitution to the victim and/or the victim's family.    "People that favor the death penalty agree that capital punishment is a relic of barbarism, but as murder itself is barbaric... ...pectacle of publicly sanctioned killing has cheapened human life and dignity without the redeeming grace which comes from justice meted out swiftly, evenly, humanely" (Draper 44).    Works Cited Amnesty International Report. The Death Penalty. England: Amnesty International Publications, 1979. Bedau, Hugo Adam. The Death Penalty in America. New York: Oxford University Press, 1982. "Capital Punishment." Encyclopedia Americana. 1990 ed. Draper, Thomas. Capital Punishment. New York: H. W. Wilson, 1985. Horwitz, Elinor Lander. Capital Punishment U.S.A. New York: J. B. Lippincott, 1973. Jayewardene, C. H. S. The Penalty of Death. Massachusetts:Lexington, 1977. Meador, Roy. Capital Revenge: 54 Votes Against Life. Philadelphia:Dorrance, 1975. "Violent Crime Control And Law Enforcement Act of 1994." 3/8/95(date retrieved).   

Essay --

George Washington was the first President of the United States. He was elected on April 30, 1789 Washington had the respect of everyone. Washington had many intriguing qualities. An example would be his quality of concern for his men. Throughout the Revolutionary War, Washington lost many of the battles, but he chose to lose them, rather than to win and risk all of his men’s lives. He made tactical retreats to save his men. George Washington, our first President, won over the hearts and earned the respect of the people of the United States because of his strong character, and not because of his political genius. In fact he never even went to college, due to lack of money. George Washington had the respect of not only politicians, lawyers, wealthy plantation owners, but also the respect of people who were not considered to be people. Such peoples included slaves and women. A man named Phyllis Wheatley became the first black poet of America. He talks about Washington’s greatness at the Siege of Boston in one of his poems, claiming virtue to always be at his side. Another poem was wri...