Global Wine Wars Essay

1. How did the French become the dominant competitors in the increasingly global wine industry for centuries? What sources of competitive advantage were they able to develop to support their exports? Where were they vulnerable? French wine makers also face challenges that are not internal to the industry. For instance, France lost market share in the United States due to informal boycotts in the wake of the Iraq war. The rise of the euro against other currencies, such as the 30% increase relative to the dollar in the last few years, has put French wines at a comparative cost disadvantage. But consensus among experts is that the primary threat to the French export market is internal to the industry: the inability of the appellation system to appeal to what is becoming a global way of understanding wines (Business Report, 2004). France is the largest overall producer of wine, at 5. 3 billion liters of wine in 2001, 20% of world production. France has traditionally set the standard for quality wine as well as defining these standards. French viticulture laws mandates four levels of quality as 1) Appellation d’Origine Controlee (AOC) 2) vins delimite qualite superieure (VDQS) 3) vins du pays and 4) vins du table. French wine makers also face challenges that are not internal to the industry. For instance, France lost market share in the United States due to informal boycotts in the wake of the Iraq war. The rise of the euro against other currencies, such as the 30% increase relative to the dollar in the last few years, has put French wines at a comparative cost disadvantage. But consensus among experts is that the primary threat to the French export market is internal to the industry: the inability of the appellation system to appeal to what is becoming a global way of understanding wines (Business Report, 2004). Although France has been slow to adapt to changing production and consumption trends it was an early player in international partnering and acquisition. The first joint venture was Baron Philippe de Rothschild’s venture with Robert Mondavi to create Opus One in 1979. Gallic presence in the Napa sparkling wine industry is strong as Domaine Caneros, Domain Chandon, Mumm Cuvee Napa, Pieper-Sonoma, and Roederer Estate are all owned by French champagne houses. Pernod Ricard owns wineries in Australia, Argentina, Chile and Spain (Economist, 1999). Most (90%) production is concentrated in California. Started primarily by French and Italian immigrants in the late 1800’s, California’s winemaking tradition is only a few generations old and was interrupted by Prohibition. A global reputation for fine wine is even more recent, when two Napa Valley wines won gold medals at a 1976 blind-tasting competition in Paris, a victory unexpected by the rest of the world, including many Americans (Lukcas, 2000). The US adapted the French appellation system with over 130 approved American Vineyard Appellations ranging in size from the multi-state Ohio River Valley to the smallest, Cole Ranch, a 150 acre property in Mendocino County (Wine Institute, 2003). One of the most acclaimed appellations is Napa Valley. Most American winemakers also label by varietal if a wine contains at least 75% of that varietal by volume. 2. What changes in the global industry structure and competitive dynamics led France and other traditional producers to lose market share to challengers from Australia, United States, and other New World countries in the late twentieth century? International competition on the wine market is characterized by a considerable disparity of strategies used by the different producers and wine-producing regions around the world. New World Challenges Old With the emergence of New World players in the global wine industry many of the Old World players have been losing market share. At first France, Italy, Spain, and Germany simply laughed at the wine-making techniques of the new players -U. S, South America, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. However, it quickly became apparent that the newcomers pose a serious threat to the traditional winemakers. The French were especially hurt when they began to lose their global market share as well as the coveted U. K. market to the Australians. Allows analysis of the way in which newcomers can change the rules of competitive engagement in a global industry. How incumbents can respond, especially when constrained by regulation, tradition, embedded values, and a different set of capabilities than those demanded by the emerging market by changing consumer tastes and market structures. The case contrasts the tradition-bound Old World wine industry with the market-oriented New World producers, the battle for the US market, the most desirable export target in 2009 due to its large, fast-growing, high priced market segments. REINVENTING THE MARKETING MODEL: New World producers revolutionized the packaging and marketing aspects of wine making. Americans and Australians greatly impacted wine packaging by replacing the Old World standard liter bottle with a half-gallon flagon in the U. S. and the innovative â€Å"wine-in-a-box† package in Australia. Australians have been praised for this idea because boxed wine not only saves on shipping costs but it has made storage easier for consumers. Australians have also begun to use screw on caps rather than the traditional corks on premium wines; this is to prevent spoiling due to deficient corks. On the marketing side, New World producers began to differentiate their products to attract customers unaccustomed to wine. Ripple, an American wine was said to be unsophisticated wine and was marketed toward customers unaccustomed to wine. It was wildly successful and led to an increase in branding and marketing alike. These were not the only major changes driven by New World companies, another was distribution. Previously the tasks of grape growing, wine making, distribution, and marketing were handled by different entities, many of which lacked the scale and knowledge to function proficiently. â€Å"In contrast, the large wine companies from the New World typically controlled the full value chain, extracting margins at every level and retaining bargaining power with increasingly concentrated retailers. † Since these producers held responsibility at every level, the quality of the final product was immaculate. Wine Traditionalists felt the New World’s established grape-growing and wine-making ways were embarrassing. Arguing that in their drive for efficiency, consistency, and their desires to cater to less sophisticated palates, New World producers had lost the character that came with more vintage wines made in the traditional fashion. Annoying Old World producers even further was the fact that new wineries would name their wines Burgundy, Champagne,†¦ 3. What advice would you offer today to the French Minister of Agriculture? To the head of the French wine industry association? To the owner of a mid-size, well regarded Bordeaux vineyard producing wines in the premium and super premium categories? Evaluation of different strategies †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Premium & Standard wine market Creation of an accessible French brand The Global wine company (acquisitions and mergers) â€Å"Appellation d’origine controlee† and competitive disadvantage Protectionism versus being marketing oriented.

Hunger Games Essay Essay

In the novel The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins the characters are put to the ultimate test to survive or end up dead. In dangerous and life threatening wilderness situations, one needs hunting skills, physical strength and mental strength in order to overcome the odds. One needs hunting skills to overcome the odds in a dangerous or life threatening wilderness situation. Peeta mentions Katniss’s hunting skills â€Å"She’s excellent, my father always comments on how the arrow never pierces the body, she this everyone in the eye†. This quote shows that if Katniss is ever starving she can rely on her skills to guarantee her a kill. Katniss also killed a deer with her bow, so she could provide food for her family so they did not starve and die. If you did not have good skills with a bow you would not be able to take down a deer, and if you relied on that for food you would probably starve. Also when Katniss finds the careers supplies she shoots the bag of apples so they fall and trigger the mines. By shooting the bag of apples it shows how accurate Katniss is with a bow, you also need this accuracy for hunting and killing in the games, and real life to guarantee a kill. Along with hunting skills one will need physical strength to overcome the odds in a life threatening wilderness situation. Katniss: â€Å"I’m fast though, and by the time they’ve reached the base of my trunk I’m twenty feet up†. If you were out in the wilderness and you had to climb a tree you would need physical strength like Katniss had. Another example of physical strength, Katniss: â€Å"I can see the muscles ripple in Cato’s arms as he sharply jerks the boys head to the side†. When Cato kills the boy it shows that you will need physical strength if you ever had to engage in hand to hand combat. Along with hunting skills and physical strength you also need to have mental strength. Katniss: â€Å"the Tracker Jackers begin to buzz and I can hear them coming out, back and forth, back and forth, the branch with the nest crashes down through the lower branches†. Sometimes you will just have to push through things, even if they hurt and in the end it will pay off, you just have to want it bad enough. Another example of mental strength is when Katniss is forced to pretend to love Peeta.

Community Project Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Community Project - Research Paper Example While most people may have little idea on Measles as a contagious infection, it is crucial to note that the disease is very transferable, unbridled, and fatal if not controlled within the predetermined period. The highest case of outburst of Measles was reported back between 1985 and1991. Statistics reveal that during this period, more than 790 cases surfaced. This number comprised 26 cases documented from four states of the US including California, Colorado, Utah and California. The cases were reported of people with running nose, cough, red eyes and sore throat. These are typical signs of measles. More than half, of the 26 were children infested with the virus and not vaccinated It farther shows that the most affected population comprised of the health workers as supported by the data. Of the total cases reported, workers in the health sector accounted for 1.1% and were mainly adults. It is interesting to note that 29% health workers were nurses, 15% were physicians 11% other occupational health workers mainly working in the laboratory and radiological technicians. However, there was a decline in the Measles incidence rates as of 1993 and late 1991 which was a reprieve to the world a little bit. During this period in time, there were as few as less than 40 cases reported. This number comprised of 1.8% health workers mainly the laboratory specialists, clinical officers and nursing professionals. Throughout 1988 to1990, California had its foulest measles endemic in more than a decade, with 16,400 recounted cases, more than 3,390 hospitalized and 75 deaths. The disease aligned in low-income Hispanic populations in central and southern California. The key cause of the endemic was stumpy inoculation levels among preschool-aged kids and young grown-ups. The rates of complications, hospitalization, and death were amazingly

NO TOPIC SO FAR Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

NO TOPIC SO FAR - Essay Example The Director of CBO gave a detailed testimony to outline how many government programs can impede economic growth by increasing the marginal tax rate. An increase in the marginal tax rate affects the amount of the money that households can use for savings and investments. The effect of low savings and investments is slow economic growth. The impact of increasing marginal tax rates can be explained using a case example of a single mother who makes approximately $20,000 in a year. The mother will be forced to pay an additional 15 cents as a tax because of the income raise (Jacobs). Furthermore, her eligibility to support programs like food stamps, Earned Income Credit tax, and Medicaid can be eliminated or slightly reduced. The situation creates a poverty trap for an average modest family in America. The CBO estimates the Obamacare law will discourage work and lead to increased rate of unemployment. The effect of the Obamacare law on employment is clarified by Patton in his Forbes article â€Å"Is Obamacare an Economic Disaster?† According to Patton, the heavy demands placed on employers by the law will prompt them to cut down the number of employees (Patton). They have to consider firing some employees for them to afford paying the cost of healthcare. Employers can also reduce the number of hours covered by employees to avoid increasing the cost by paying health insurance. It would also increase the price of products and services to cover the additional cost of providing health insurance. All these actions result in loss of income for many families. It reduces the amount of money available for saving and investments. Some people might lack the mean to take care of their families. Reducing the number of hours worked, increasing operating costs and loss of employees creates a business environment that makes forecasting impossible. Therefore, businesses will fear to invest and save. They would cut on additional

III analysis of the Higher Education Act of 1965, by 4-10 Research Paper

III analysis of the Higher Education Act of 1965, by 4-10 - Research Paper Example The Higher Education Act of 1965 was a legislation which came on the heels of the Civil Rights Movement (1961-1965) and the wave of race riots spanning the same era. Protesting the inequalities and lack of freedom for advancement, the ethnic minorities in America particularly Blacks rebelled against government's system of segregation and discrimination. The Ole Miss riot of 1962, the Cambridge riots of 1963, the New York City riot of 1964, the Rochester riot of 1964, the Elizabeth riot of 1964, the Dixmoor riot of 1964, the Philadelphia riot of 1964 and the Watts riot of 1965 number a few of the spate of riots which manifest the open grievance of race minorities who were deprived of several human rights, one of which was education. Formerly, the high cost of higher education ensured that the poorer classes of Americans, among which included the Native Americans, Hispanic Americans and the African-Americans, got barred entry from scholastic institutions. These human rights encroachmen ts would retard social mobility and would keep a cross section of people uneducated and in depressed circumstances. The Higher Education Act became grafted into body of constituted laws under the U.S. Department of Education in November 8, 1965. This law represented a milestone of achievement for Americans who could not afford education beyond the secondary level. The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) rose to the occasion, even during this turbulent era, to advocate the basic right of underprivileged Americans to be schooled, regardless of color, class or creed. The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) is an organization derived from the Association of Teacher Education Institutions. The objectives of AASCU were to "to enable the members to make their influence felt in connection with national affairs, to present the strengths and services of state colleges and universities effectively to the public and to agencies and individ uals from which grants of funds might be available, to represent the members of the Association in the National Commission on Accrediting, and to conduct studies of educational problems of common interest to the members" (Hager). AASCU began its existence in 1961, established because the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges (NASULGC) and the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) did not respond comprehensively to the needs of Americans striving to better themselves though matriculation to four year colleges and universities. The public policy pronounced the want of funding for institutions educating minorities to satisfy provisions in Title III of the Higher Education Act of 1965. The policy excerpt in focus underscores the AASCU’s goal to augment appropriation levels for minority institutions serving underprivileged students. The reason requiring increase in funding is the insufficiency of the Pell grants. Although the Pell Grant pro gram started streaming funds since 1975, the financial bestowal remained consistent for over twenty five years in the face of escalating college costs. Programs such as Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership (LEAP), the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant Program

Discuss the evidence that Phospholipase C zeta (PLC) is the primary Essay

Discuss the evidence that Phospholipase C zeta (PLC) is the primary candidate for oocyte activation - Essay Example There has to be an increase in free Ca2+ in the egg cytosol (Swann 1990). The activation process of oocytes in mammals entails a sequence of joint actions originated by distinctive calcium (Ca2+) oscillations within the cells(Markoulaki, 2004). This commences quickly after gamete union and continues past the conclusion of meiosis. Previous research conducted by a number of scholars shown that a specific isoform present in the semen of mammals is responsible for triggering the process of oocyte activation.In order to validate the evidence that PLC –Z is a primary ingredient in the oocyte activation, the paper will look at the Sperm factor model. The model suggests that during sperm–egg union, a soluble element is transferred from the semen cytosol to the ooplasm, able to trigger the 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) signaling passageway and consequent Ca2+ vacillations in inseminated eggs ( Saunders et al., 2006).This paper will establish the premise that phospholipase C zeta is the primary candidate for oocyte activation. It is important to know the structure and the functions of the PLC-zeta. All known isozymes are comprised of the catalytic X and Y purviews together with several controlling domains, comprising a pleckstrin homology (PH) purview, EF hand designs, and C2 purview in different conformations, reliant on the isozyme, where every domain executes definite functions (Nomikos et al, 2013). PLC Zeta has a structure which has the X and Y domains that is consistent with all PLC isoforms. That is, a solitary C2 purview which has four EF hand domains in tandem. However, PLC Zeta is different from other PLC isoforms because it does not have the pleckstrin homology and Src homology purviews (Cox et al., 2002). Therefore, the lack of those two homologies makes PLC Zeta to appear very small. They have a mass of 70 kDa in individuals and 74 kDa in rats. The figure below shows the linear structure of PLC Zeta. Fig 1.0 is a Graphic rectilinear

According to what we have learned by reading Imagine book, how could Essay

According to what we have learned by reading Imagine book, how could you help yourself be more creative (from page - Essay Example Creativity holds no specific definition due to the broad concepts it encompasses. In this regard, scientific principles can also be factored in in creativity pursuits, especially in regard to more creativity in an individual. According to Jonah Lehrer (3), the brain acts as the central nerve to creativity. However, there are other complementing variables to the creativity process. These variables are generally the day to day surrounding that a person finds him/herself in, actions and activities undertaken by others, and all other influential factors that directly or indirectly impact on the life of an individual. More creativity can be realized from putting the brain to work (Lehrer 13). This is basically becoming more open minded, embracing diverse mindsets and evaluating a scenario in more than one aspect. Although creativity could be said to have been realized prior to undertaking this process, this still serves a better ground to realize more creativity. This brain technique to making oneself more creative works based on the fact that it personally allows the treatment of the same thing in a number of ways. In so doing, there is more than just a single approach to a brain-based activity. In the process, an advanced version of creativity could result. Personal success or failure is another way to enhance more creativity. Jonah Lehrer presents the case of Dylan (Lehrer 17) to depict this scenario. Characterized by frustration, failure or even success, it is possible to boost creativity, and specifically realize even more creativity. What defines success or failure is the individual’s goals and objectives in life. While some achievements are deemed success by other people, others could account for the same achievements as failure, and subsequently frustrations. This means that creativity is uniquely customized to oneself, and the various levels of

Social Institutions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Social Institutions - Assignment Example For instance, in a family, the father has to work for the needs of the family, the mother takes care of the house, provides love and care to the other members of the family, and children has to do their role to attend school to meet their goal and to abide by their parent’s rules. Functionalist perspective looks at family as having its members with roles to play in order to for the institution to survive. In times of disruption within the family, members have to adjust to go back to its equilibrium. For example, if large families were desired many years ago, today it is considered a threat to the society. To maintain equilibrium, the government provided birth control thus the family has to adjust to the changes. This perspective necessitates the function of each member not only for the family but to contribute to the survival of the society as a whole. However, Functionalist theory is being criticized for its idealistic point of view of the social Institutions. It ignores the fact that conflict or problems may arise as they are inherent part of the society. In addition, this perspective encourages inequalities because it is conservative in nature.

Locke’s Second Treatise of Government Essay Example for Free

Locke’s Second Treatise of Government Essay Introduction In this essay, I would like to discuss Locke’s Second Treatise of Government section 131. This essay is divided into four parts. In the first part, I would like to interpret what Locke’s position is developed in section 131 and in the next part, I would like to discuss how Locke supports this position by tracing back to the origin of government. Then in the third part, I would like to point out some flaws in this position by arguing evidences provided by Locke to support his position. The last part of my essay is the conclusion. Locke’s Position in Section 131 In section 131, Locke explained that the ultimate aim of uniting a society is to protect the security and property of the people and developed the position that the society should never extend its power farther than the common good of citizens because its supreme power is originated from the consent of people. In a word, according to Locke, the society is obligated to secure their property and is limited by the consent of people. In order to prove the limits of the government, Locke traces back to the origin of government: why man is willing to give up his freedom and subject himself to the dominion of a commonwealth instead of staying in the state of nature where he has right to everything. Three Inconveniences in the State of Nature According to Locke, for a rational man, the reason why man is willing to surrender their rights, though man has right to do anything without being affected by the will of others within the law of nature in the state of nature is the uncertainty of his preservation. The enjoyment is unsafe. Because man is partial to his own interest and is lacking awareness of the law of nature ‘That being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions’ (Chapter 2, Section 6) and there are probably continual invasions of others. As a result of this, there are three inconveniences under those circumstances. The first inconvenience is that there are no such established and well-known laws which can be used as the standard to judge what is right and what is wrong so that everyone is uncertain about their future and their property including their security, estate and possession etc. Or if there is a united society, The second one is that there is no popular and indifferent judge to rigidly distinguish between right and wrong by the established law. Everyone can be the judge himself in the state of nature, but they always tend to bias to themselves, their friends and families. The third one is that there is no power to ensure the punishment. In the state of nature, everyone has the right to punish whoever breaks the law of nature. According to Locke, it is executive power. But that may put them in a dangerous situation so that the punishment is hard to be carried out. The origin of the Government According to Locke, due to all these defects in the state of nature, people were thinking about uniting a commonwealth. Surrendering their rights to a sovereign which can use the supreme power to protect them is a remedy. The right of government comes from its subjects, and the government can never override them. Locke’s Solutions to Restrict the Power of the Government and My argument From my perspective, I think Locke’s position on the limits of government seems kind of idealistic. The biggest question is how citizens can ensure that after the government gains the supreme power, it does what it is expected to do as original intention. Political power has a character to expand itself. If there is no limit of power of the sovereign, even though he is a man who has a good virtue, it is still uncertain that he governs the society following the law without any extemporary decrees all the time. Hence, Locke provides three solutions to restrict the power of the government. There might be some fIaws in them. I would like discuss all of them below step by step. The first solution that Locke provides is that the government is limited by the law established by the consent of the majority. When the sovereign rules the state, he must obey the laws which made by the majority rather than govern it by his own will. â€Å"And so whoever has the legislative or supreme power of any commonwealth, is bound to govern by established standing laws, promulgated and known to the people, and not by extemporary decrees† (Chapter 9, Section 131) From my perspective, obviously there is no coercive power to guarantee that the government is run by the law except revolution (I will it discuss in the third point.) Moreover, it is also questionable whether there exists such kind of law which is able to represent the common good indeed. Even in our times when the legal system is more developed than the times when Locke lived, a large number of flaws can be found in our laws. Locke argues that laws can be updated. But no matter how up-to-date the law is, it still cannot cover everyone’s interest. The universal of controversy cannot be avoided as long as people are in the different situation. Locke himself admitted that when man enters into a society, he gives up his equality â€Å"when they enter into society, give up the equality†. (Chapter 9, Section 131) As there are different classes of citizens, they must have some different interests, which make them in different statuses of society. There is no contradiction unless there is no difference among people. Even that we are equal before the law, we cannot be protected by the laws equally. For instance, is a person is too poor to afford a lawyer, when his right is impaired, he cannot protect his right by law means and if a person has not studied laws, his property might be invaded without knowing it. If the inconvenience is caused by the ignorance, there is no distinct difference between the state of nature and the commonwealth. Furthermore, if there are conflicting interests between a person and the government, it will be in a dilemma. In this situation, if the person protects his own interest by law, interests of government will be impaired. And in the long run that may lead to the impairment of interests of more  people even include the first man who tried to protect his interests by law. Locke may argue that in his second method that he advocates the division of political power and that he divides supreme power into three: legislative, executive and foreign power. What the government has is just executive power. The parliament has right to making law. And the government is run by the law. How can it do beyond the law? Moreover, the legislative power which belongs to citizens is always higher than executive power. It is one of the greatest contributions of Locke that he advocates to make legislative and executive powers apart, but in comparison to three individual powers: legislative, executive powers and judicial review in political system today are employed, like the United State of America, It is not hard to find out the lack of judicial review in Locke’s theory. Locke only divided legislature and executive branches. It seems that the structure of the government created by Locke is less developed than that of today. Without judicial review, the balance of power is weaker. Even our modern society in which there judicial system exists, the administration tends to gain power from time to time. For example, under the circumstance that judicial review exists, it seems that the strength of the president becomes stronger and stronger in the US. Moreover, Locke thinks that legislature could be formed of not only representatives but also the noble or a single hereditary person who has an executive power. â€Å"Let us suppose then the legislative placed in the concurrence of three distinct persons. 1. A single hereditary person, having the constant, supreme, executive power, and with it the power of convoking and dissolving the other two within certain periods of time. 2. An assembly of hereditary nobility. 3. An assembly of representatives chosen, pro tempore, by the people.† (Chapter 16, Section 213) That weakens the strength of legislative further. Even though those two solutions cannot completely ensure the government is run in the right way, Locke provides the third solution that people can take back their rights that they gave to the government by revolution and transfer rights to another sovereign if the government breaks the law of  nature. However, another problem may rise. There is the limit of revolution that Locke provides. According to Locke, the revolution could be legimate only carried out by the majority. What if what the government did is just harmful to the interest of the minority? Can the government united with the majority benefit from the minority by abusing their rights? The only thing that they can do is bearing subject themselves under the exploit. I do not think that Locke himself would like to become one of the minority members in that situation. Sometimes the good of the majority is not necessary the good of the minority. That is also an action of beyond the common good. It can be imagined that the consequence of benefit from doing harm to a small group of people is no difference with a political system of tyranny. In conclusion, Locke supports his statement that the government can only do the common good and never override citizens by tracing back the origin of the government. Because of three inconveniences in the state of nature, people are willing to transfer their rights to a government. The right of government comes from the consent of people, so it can never extend farther. And Locke provides three means to limit the power of government. However, I suggest that there might be some difficulties to carry out these measures. There is no such coercive power to compel the government to play its role by laws. Furthermore, there is a doubt if such kind of laws representing the common good existing. And there is no judicial review to decide whether and when actions break the law. The action of revolutions does not working all the time. The rule of revolution Locke provided may be the legitimate basis of putting the minority in the tyranny of the majority. But in any case, Locke’s theory shows us the end of the society and the idea, the balance of power, and directs us to think about the way to improve the political system and make it more democratic.

Religious beliefs Essay Example for Free

Religious beliefs Essay In What Pragmatism Means, James writes that the central point of his own doctrine of truth is, in brief, that truth is one species of good, and not, as is usually supposed, a category distinct from good, and coordinate with it. Truth is the name of whatever proves itself to be good in the way of belief, and good, too, for definite, assignable reasons. Richard Rorty claims that James did not mean to give a theory of truth with this statement, and that we should not regard it as such; though other pragmatism scholars such as Susan Haak and Howard Mounce do not share an instrumentalist interpretation of James. Bruce Kuklick, (Kuklick, tells us that, â€Å"James went on to apply the pragmatic method to the epistemological problem of truth. He would seek the meaning of true by examining how the idea functioned in our lives. A belief was true, he said, if in the long run it worked for all of us, and guided us expeditiously through our semi-hospitable world. James was anxious to uncover what true beliefs amounted to in human life, what their Cash Value was, what consequences they led to. A belief was not a mental entity which somehow mysteriously corresponded to an external reality if the belief were true. Beliefs were ways of acting with reference to a precarious environment, and to say they were true was to say they guided us satisfactorily in this environment. † In this sense the pragmatic theory of truth applied Darwinian ideas in philosophy; it made survival the test of intellectual as well as biological fitness. If what was true was what worked, we can scientifically investigate religions claim to truth in the same manner. The enduring quality of religious beliefs throughout recorded history and in all cultures gave indirect support for the view that such beliefs worked. James also argued directly that such beliefs were satisfying—they enabled us to lead fuller, richer lives and were more viable than their alternatives. Religious beliefs were expedient in human existence, just as scientific beliefs were. † William James gave a further direction to pragmatism, developing it as a theory of truth. True ideas, according to James, are useful leadings; they lead through experience in ways that provide consistency, orderliness, and predictability. John Dewey was another leading pragmatist whose influence on educational and social theory is still prevalent in American society. We learn from (American Pragmatism I), that â€Å"James elaborated his theory of pragmatism in works such as Pragmatism: A New Name for Some Old Ways of Thinking (1907) and The Meaning of Truth: A Sequel to Pragmatism (1909). He considered pragmatism to be both a method for analyzing philosophic problems and a theory of truth. He also saw it as an extension of the empiricist attitude in that it turned away from abstract theory and fixed or absolute principles and toward concrete facts, actions, and relative principles. James considered philosophies to be expressions of personal temperament and developed a correlation between tough-minded and tender-minded temperaments and empiricist and rationalist positions in philosophy. Theories, he felt, are instruments that humans use to solve problems and should be judged in terms of their cash value or practical consequences for human conduct. Reference American Pragmatism I. â€Å"Pragmatism†. Adventures in Philosophy. James, William. (1902-1920). â€Å"What is Pragmatism†. The Library of America. Lecture II Kuklick, Bruce. â€Å"William James†. The Introduction to William James’s Pragmatism. Wikipedia, The Free Dictionary.

Marketing mix for Levis Brand Makeover

Marketing mix for Levis Brand Makeover The target market for the Levis image makeover is the young generation. However, Levis is now promoting Curve ID, but it is not enough to beat up premium jeans because curve id is a just guide line for customer when they are to buy Levis Jeans being confused what will fit them right. Levis need to offer an optimized assortment of their Jeans products to their customers. Offering of the best mix of the products is essential to the long-term success and for customer satisfaction. The Product assortment optimization needs the strategic inventory decisions and the product selection. The best product assortment strategies should maximize the profits, minimize risk and increase the overall sales. They should include a kind of the mixture for the Jeans products basing on their respective life cycles in your store. If it offers a strong mix of the products basing on the product life, customers will be satisfied and develop the desire to make repeat purchases of the established product and there are higher chances for them to piquà © their interests with the new options. Introduction of new products will increase the amount of time that the customers tend to increase the frequency of routine checks into their stores. Price Levis jeans are quite affordable, to have a better approach to its new line, they will have to increase their price to a margin that will be competing with the premium jeans. But not as high as price of premium jeans. It has to be reasonable. The customer recognition of Levis jeans price is not high therefore, It is not a good idea to challenge its price recognition, otherwise it rather lose customers who belong to the Y-generation with that is known to be very volatile. As a result its new line would have a narrow range of $100 to $200. Later on, Levis Jeans will involve the techniques such as the temporary discounts, coupons, the cash refunds, rebates or the buy-one-get-one offers which are the common pricing strategies that are used to drive the sales. C. Place Levis jeans should first create the demand for its products. Then get those products into the consumers hands. Planning of its product distribution strategy needs to be done during the product development stage. The placement of the products is very important because the methods employed in the distribution of the products impacts on the actual retail price of the products. Levis has worldwide stores as well as online stores. They have been reaching customers greatly. I dont think they need a critical strategy for place, but they should not concentrate on its wholesale store and should not have its products showing up on discount stores like Wal-Mart or target. This company should use the exclusive distribution strategy to establish the image of its jeans over the premium jeans brand. By use of a limited number of the distribution channels, the partners will be enabled to create an image of exclusivity. Levis jeans should also consider the parallel distribution opportunities and Set up the market research opportunities in order to find out the customer preferences for the mode of receiving the products. D. Promotions Levis will use both direct and indirect advertisements. The celebrity marketing can also be used as a form of indirect marketing, since the y-generation is a fashion sensitive group, they can be easily influenced by the celebrities preferences. Trendy celebrity association with the brands of Levis Jeans wears, young people will get the pretty fashionable jeans unconsciously. And Levis street post ads as direct marketing would better have just picture image with its logo. No slogan no title. No more go back to original slogan. It is not working for the young. They just like something simple. Just one image picture that bring unique and trendy image of Levis well is just enough. The Levis jeans should determine goals of your promotion to establish the best promotional activities. Your promotional strategies could target a specific demographic or reach millions of people. Therefore Levis Jeans will use Advertising as the means of product promotion. Direct mails, the televisions, and the magazines. Other options may include; the in-store displays, use of billboards, newspapers, the online display advertisements, and the electronic email advertisements. The Levis Jeans will develop advertisements that define clear benefits to consumer if they purchase its products, and at the same time reinforce its brand image and reputation through the Internet. E. People. Brand communication helps to bridge the gap in the perception that the target audiences have on the brand. Effective product communication of the Levis Jeans will give competitive advantages which will targets the receptive Y-generation customers with the marketing message. Product communication strategy is then a very important component of the marketing plan. The best product communication strategies will help to improve the chances of delivering the message to the targeted customers therefore increasing the sales. Levis Jeans will use multiple methods of communicating with its customers, through the e-mail newsletters, the magazine advertisements, postcards, the billboards, in-store displays, and good product packaging F. New Tactics Through Internet Marketing  Strategy; the company will explore the strategies and new tactics that can be used on the Internet to enhance and support the Levis Jeans and the business overall marketing objectives. It will conduct banner promotions; generate the targeted online traffic, positioning its contents, and the overall brand awareness.

Experiencing Four Major World Religions First Hand Essay -- Islam, B

The nine-sided building and the surrounding gardens give the impression of the world view of the Baha’i faith. A component of the Baha’i world view is that all religions come from a common source. The site conveyed that unity among all religions and people is an additional view of the Baha’i. The arrangement of the house of worship, and the gardens conveyed the idea of unity. The nine sides of the house of worship, and the surrounding gardens represent that all people no matter their religion, race, or gender are welcome at this site to practice their religion. Furthermore, it also gave the impression of the view of all religions having a common source, God. Specifically, the house of worship could represent God, and the nine sides, may represent the nine major world religions, or the idea that all people are united through God. In addition, the house of worship contains symbols on the pillars of the structure. These symbols are of the nine major world religions, for example; symbols include the Christian cross, Judaism Star of David, and the nine-pointed star, which is the symbol of the Baha’i faith. These symbols on the pillars represent unity among all religions, and the idea that all the religions come from a common source, God. Information provided in the handout, video, and by the representative was quite similar to the impression given by the site itself. The representative of the Baha’i faith specifically talked about how all religions have a common source. The video, handout, and the representative explained that God revealed himself in different manifestations in different time periods. God gave the teachings for a certain time period, and then when a new time period came God revealed himself as a different manifestat... ...gion. One thing that I did not know about was the artifact with a staircase and raised platform. According to Gardner’s Art through the Ages Non-Western Perspective by Fred Kleiner, this structure is called a minbar, and it serves as a pulpit for the imam to stand on, and this is where he would speak. An imam is the leader of prayer according to Living Religions by Mary Pat Fisher. Having the opportunity to visit four different religious sights resulted in gaining new insight. However, some of the information presented was similar to my previous understandings of the religions. It was interesting to hear followers of the different religions speak about their beliefs. Overall, visiting the Buddhist temple, Sikh Religious Society, Turkish Society of Chicago, and The Baha’i House of Worship made me reconsider my previous thoughts about each of the religions.

Saving American Agriculture Essay -- Agriculture Agricultural Economic

Saving American Agriculture American agriculture has changed dramatically since the first days of mechanized equipment and large-scale crop production. â€Å"Many conceived of farming as a rewarding life . . . and a source of moral virtue† (Mariola, 2005). While presently, many view farming as purely economic in purpose. It has been stated that farming in America is decreasing more quickly than any other occupation. Yet, population increases steadily, making agriculture all the more essential. Many current issues are affecting agricultural progress in America; basic concerns over water, land, and climate only begin to describe the complex predicament. Economics, as well as public involvement and education are important tools, needed to save American agriculture. Water is the chief resource for agricultural production. One historical dilemma between farming and water occurs when misapplication of chemicals and nutrients leach into the ground water table, or run off to rivers and streams, polluting this vital resource. â€Å"Twenty-five years after the Clean Water Act (CWA) was passed . . . [it was reported] that nearly 40% of waters were too polluted for basic uses† (Secchi et al, 2005). Projects to rehabilitate and conserve water often prove complex and expensive. Comprehensive understanding of the opportunity costs involved in management projects is key to forming an efficient conservation strategy. Similarly, it will be imperative to transition out-dated agricultural attitudes and routines towards new sustainable practices. The greatest motivation for this shift may be in the form of government subsidies and rewards for progressive, sustainable water management practices on agricultural lands. Favorable climate is another key... ...3. Secchi, S., Gassman, P.W., Jha, M., Kurkalova, L., Feng, H.H., Campbell, T., & Kling, C. (2005). The cost of clean water: Assessing agricultural pollution reduction at the watershed scale. Center for Agricultural and Rural Development, Retrieved March 26, 2007, from http://www.card.iastate.edu Lamptey, B.L., Barron, E.J., & Pollard, D. (2005). Impacts of agriculture and urbanization on the climate of the northeastern United States. Global and Planetary Change. 49, 203-221. Cox, L.A. Jr., Popken, D.A., VanSickle, J.J., & Sahu, R. (2005). Optimal Tracking and Testing of U.S. and Canadian Herds for BSE: A Value-of-Information (VOI) Approach. Risk Analysis, 25, 827-839. Hwang, Y., Roe, B., & Teisl, M. (2005). An Empirical Analysis of United States Consumers' Concerns About Eight Food Production and Processing Technologies. AgBioForum. 8(1), 40-49.

Romantic Poetry Analysis

Amber Lee Anardi Gabriel Decio ENG251-001 16 April 2013 The Dominating Themes of Nature and Nostalgia The Romantic Period began in the late 18th century and emphasized everything that the previous age had not. Romantic ideals that focused on the heart over the head and the natural man over the civilized man influenced the literary works of the Romantic Era. Themes of nostalgia and nature dominated the works of William Wordsworth, William Blake and Percy Bysshe Shelley.  Read also Critical appreciation of the poem â€Å"Old Ladies’ Home†.These two themes go hand in hand when interpreting romantic poetry, with the development of the hectic industrial cities many poets longed for the simplicity that nature had to offer. Poems such as Wordsworth’s â€Å"Resolution and Independence†, Coleridge’s â€Å"The Dungeon† and Shelley’s â€Å"To Night† embody the themes of nature and reminiscence. William Wordsworth is said to be one of the most influential poets of the Romantic Era. Wordsworth’s religion of nature was influenced by his childhood, growing up in the Lake District of northwestern England and through his travels to foreign countries. Resolution and Independence† was written in 1802, roughly four years into the Romantic Period. The poem is about a man walking through the countryside after a night of rain, he reflects on the livelihood of the creatures that surround him and initially share their joy until his mind wanders to the dejection he feels for what man has become. He comes across an old man, who he envies because his job is to collect leeches for medical purposes. The traveller envies the old man because he gets to work in nature.The theme of nature is prevails in this poem as well as the theme of nostalgia. Wordsworth writes â€Å"The birds are singing in the distant woods; over his own sweet voice the Stock-dove broods; the Jay makes answer as the Magpie chatters; and all the air is filled with pleasant noise of waters. † Wordsworth describes the sounds of nature that the traveler hears, clearly showing his appreciation of nature when he describes the birds singing as â€Å"pleasant noise†.As the poem continues the traveler demeanor embodies the same joy that the creatures of nature are feeling, yet his jubilation diminishes when he reflects on what man has become. â€Å"The pleasant season did my heart employ: my old remembrances went from me wholly; and all the ways of men, so vain and melancholy. † The traveler is displeasured with what man has become, describing him as â€Å"vain and melancholy†, such displeasure can be interpreted as the theme of nostalgia. William Wordsworth’s â€Å"Resolution and Independence† embodies the dominating themes of nostalgia and nature in romanticism.Samuel Taylor Coleridge is better known for his influence on literary criticism rather than his poetry. Between 1797 and 1803 Coleridgeà ¢â‚¬â„¢s best poetry is said to be produced. â€Å"The Dungeon† was written in 1797 and is about a dungeon in which criminals are forced to reside in. The first verse of â€Å"The Dungeon† is dreary and very critical of using dungeons to punish criminals. The emphasis on industrialized cities and the insignificance of rural areas and the upset it causes romantic poets can be seen in this poem. â€Å"Is this the only cure?Merciful God! Each pore and natural outlet shrivell’d up by Ignorance and parching Poverty, his energies roll back upon his heart, and stagnate and corrupt; till chang’d to poison, they break out on him, like a loathsome plague-spot;† Coleridge’s text is trying to convey that when man is separated from his natural environment he might turn to crime. The theme of nostalgia can be seen in â€Å"The Dungeon† through Coleridge’s emphasis on nature over civilization, because industrialism is a new concept for romant ics.Essentially Coleridge believes that nature betters a man and believes that sending a criminal to a dungeon only turns them into savages rather than letting them find harmony in the natural world. â€Å"With other ministrations thou, O Nature! Healest thy wandering and distemper’d child: Thou pourest on him thy soft influences, the sunny hues, fair forms, and breathing sweets, thy melodies of woods, and winds, and waters,† This quote can be interpreted as Coleridge’s way of expressing how nature can heal man.Samuel Taylor Coleridge exemplifies the themes of nostalgia and nature in his poem â€Å"The Dungeon† through his message of nature having the power to better man. Percy Bysshe Shelley is categorized as the perfect romantic poet due to his quest for truth and justice. Shelley’s poetry peaked in 1816 until he died in 1822. The poem â€Å"To Night† is about Shelley’s longing for the day to end and night to come. Shelley wants to escape the day and find refuge in the night, although he never explains why in his poem.In the third stanza Shelley writes â€Å"When I arose and saw the dawn, I sighed for thee; when light rode high, and the dew was gone, and noon lay heavy on flower and tree, and the weary Day turned to his rest, lingering like and unloved guest, I sighed for thee. † When Shelley writes â€Å"and the dew was gone† it shows that he is fond of the nature that occurs at night such as the dew on the grass when the night ends. In the second stanza Shelley anticipates night’s arrival â€Å"Wrap thy form in mantle gray, star-inwrought! † Shelley describes another aspect of nature at night; the sky changing colors and the emerging stars.Themes of nostalgia can also be detected in â€Å"To Night† but are interpreted differently in comparison to other poems. â€Å"Sleep will come when thou art fled; of neither would I ask the boon I ask of thee, beloved Night – swi ft be thine approaching flight, come soon, soon! † Shelley longs for the night on a daily basis; the difference of nostalgia in this poem is that his melancholy demeanor is relieved when night begins unlike other poems that reminisce on the old ways of life. â€Å"To Night† exemplifies a different interpretation of the romantic themes such as nature and nostalgia.Themes of the Romantic Era dictated the literary works during the 18th and 19th centuries. The most influential theme was nature and poets developed this theme through their works. Nostalgia was also a common theme in romantic literature, as industrialization grew in popularity, many romantics opposed the new way of life and longed for the way things used to be. William Wordsworth’s â€Å"Resolution and Independence†, Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s â€Å"The Dungeon†, and Percy Bysshe Shelley’s â€Å"To Night† all exemplify the themes of nature and nostalgia through their po etry.

Part Four Chapter IV

IV The post about Parminder on the council website had driven Colin Wall's fears to a nightmarish new level. He could only guess how the Mollisons were getting their information, but if they knew that about Parminder †¦ ‘For God's sake, Colin!' Tessa had said. ‘It's just malicious gossip! There's nothing in it!' But Colin did not dare believe her. He was constitutionally prone to believing that others too lived with secrets that drove them half-demented. He could not even take comfort in knowing that he had spent most of his adult life in dread of calamities that had not materialized, because, by the law of averages, one of them was bound to come true one day. He was thinking about his imminent exposure, as he thought about it constantly, while walking back from the butcher's at half-past two, and it was not until the hubbub from the new cafe caught his startled attention that he realized where he was. He would have crossed to the other side of the Square if he had not been already level with the Copper Kettle's windows; mere proximity to any Mollison frightened him now. Then he saw something through the glass that made him do a double-take. When he entered their kitchen ten minutes later, Tessa was on the telephone to her sister. Colin deposited the leg of lamb in the fridge and marched upstairs, all the way to Fats' loft conversion. Flinging open the door, he saw, as he had expected, a deserted room. He could not remember the last time he had been in here. The floor was covered in dirty clothes. There was an odd smell, even though Fats had left the skylight propped open. Colin noticed a large matchbox on Fats' desk. He slid it open, and saw a mass of twisted cardboard stubs. A packet of Rizlas lay brazenly on the desk beside the computer. Colin's heart seemed to have toppled down out of his chest to thump against his guts. ‘Colin?' came Tessa's voice, from the landing below. ‘Where are you?' ‘Up here!' he roared. She appeared at Fats' door looking frightened and anxious. Wordlessly, he picked up the matchbox and showed her the contents. ‘Oh,' said Tessa weakly. ‘He said he was going out with Andrew Price today,' said Colin. Tessa was frightened by the muscle working in Colin's jaw, an angry little bump moving from side to side. ‘I've just been past that new cafe in the Square, and Andrew Price is working in there, mopping tables. So where's Stuart?' For weeks, Tessa had been pretending to believe Fats whenever he said that he was going out with Andrew. For days she had been telling herself that Sukhvinder must be mistaken in thinking that Fats was going out (would condescend, ever, to go out) with Krystal Weedon. ‘I don't know,' she said. ‘Come down and have a cup of tea. I'll ring him.' ‘I think I'll wait here,' said Colin, and he sat down on Fats' unmade bed. ‘Come on, Colin – come downstairs,' said Tessa. She was scared of leaving him here. She did not know what he might find in the drawers or in Fats' school bag. She did not want him to look on the computer or under the bed. Refusing to probe dark corners had become her sole modus operandi. ‘Come downstairs, Col,' she urged him. ‘No,' said Colin, and he crossed his arms like a mutinous child, but with that muscle working in his jaw. ‘Drugs in his bin. The son of the deputy headmaster.' Tessa, who had sat down on Fats' computer chair, felt a familiar thrill of anger. She knew that self-preoccupation was an inevitable consequence of his illness, but sometimes †¦ ‘Plenty of teenagers experiment,' she said. ‘Still defending him, are you? Doesn't it ever occur to you that it's your constant excuses for him that make him think he can get away with blue murder?' She was trying to keep a curb on her temper, because she must be a buffer between them. ‘I'm sorry, Colin, but you and your job aren't the be all and end – ‘ ‘I see – so if I get the sack – ‘ ‘Why on earth would you get the sack?' ‘For God's sake!' shouted Colin, outraged. ‘It all reflects on me – it's already bad enough – he's already one of the biggest problem students in the – ‘ ‘That's not true!' shouted Tessa. ‘Nobody but you thinks Stuart's anything other than a normal teenager. He's not Dane Tully!' ‘He's going the same way as Tully – drugs in his bin – ‘ ‘I told you we should have sent him to Paxton High! I knew you'd make everything he did all about you, if he went to Winterdown! Is it any wonder he rebels, when his every movement is supposed to be a credit to you? I never wanted him to go to your school!' ‘And I,' bellowed Colin, jumping to his feet, ‘never bloody wanted him at all!' ‘Don't say that!' gasped Tessa. ‘I know you're angry – but don't say that!' The front door slammed two floors below them. Tessa looked around, frightened, as though Fats might materialize instantly beside them. It wasn't merely the noise that had made her start. Stuart never slammed the front door; he usually slipped in and out like a shape-shifter. His familiar tread on the stairs; did he know, or suspect they were in his room? Colin was waiting, with his fists clenched by his sides. Tessa heard the creak of the halfway step, and then Fats stood before them. She was sure he had arranged his expression in advance: a mixture of boredom and disdain. ‘Afternoon,' he said, looking from his mother to his rigid, tense father. He had all the self-possession that Colin had never had. ‘This is a surprise.' Desperate, Tessa tried to show him the way. ‘Dad was worried about where you are,' she said, with a plea in her voice. ‘You said you were going to be with Arf today, but Dad saw – ‘ ‘Yeah, change of plan,' said Fats. He glanced towards the place where the matchbox had been. ‘So, do you want to tell us where you've been?' asked Colin. There were white patches around his mouth. ‘Yeah, if you like,' said Fats, and he waited. ‘Stu,' said Tessa, half whisper, half groan. ‘I've been out with Krystal Weedon,' said Fats. Oh God, no, thought Tessa. No, no, no †¦ ‘You've what?' said Colin, so taken aback that he forgot to sound aggressive. ‘I've been out with Krystal Weedon,' Fats repeated, a little more loudly. ‘And since when,' said Colin, after an infinitesimal pause, ‘has she been a friend of yours?' ‘A while,' said Fats. Tessa could see Colin struggling to formulate a question too grotesque to utter. ‘You should have told us, Stu,' she said. ‘Told you what?' he said. She was frightened that he was going to push the argument to a dangerous place. ‘Where you were going,' she said, standing up and trying to look matter of fact. ‘Next time, call us.' She looked towards Colin in the hope that he might follow her lead and move towards the door. He remained fixed in the middle of the room, staring at Fats in horror. ‘Are you †¦ involved with Krystal Weedon?' Colin asked. They faced each other, Colin taller by a few inches, but Fats holding all the power. ‘†Involved†?' Fats repeated. ‘What d'you mean, â€Å"involved†?' ‘You know what I mean!' said Colin, his face growing red. ‘D'you mean, am I shagging her?' asked Fats. Tessa's little cry of ‘Stu!' was drowned by Colin shouting, ‘How bloody dare you!' Fats merely looked at Colin, smirking. Everything about him was a taunt and a challenge. ‘What?' said Fats. ‘Are you -‘ Colin was struggling to find the words, growing redder all the time, ‘- are you sleeping with Krystal Weedon?' ‘It wouldn't be a problem if I was, would it?' Fats asked, and he glanced at his mother as he said it. ‘You're all for helping Krystal, aren't you?' ‘Helping – ‘ ‘Aren't you trying to keep that addiction clinic open so you can help Krystal's family?' ‘What's that got to do – ?' ‘I can't see what the problem is with me going out with her.' ‘And are you going out with her?' asked Tessa sharply. If Fats wanted to take the row into this territory, she would meet him there. ‘Do you actually go anywhere with her, Stuart?' His smirk sickened her. He was not prepared even to pretend to some decency. ‘Well, we don't do it in either of our houses, do – ‘ Colin had raised one of his stiff, clench-fisted arms and swung it. He connected with Fats' cheek, and Fats, whose attention had been on his mother, was caught off guard; he staggered sideways, hit the desk and slid, momentarily, to the floor. A moment later he had jumped to his feet again, but Tessa had already placed herself between the pair of them, facing her son. Behind her, Colin was repeating, ‘You little bastard. You little bastard.' ‘Yeah?' said Fats, and he was no longer smirking. ‘I'd rather be a little bastard than be you, you arsehole!' ‘No!' shouted Tessa. ‘Colin, get out. Get out!' Horrified, furious and shaken, Colin lingered for a moment, then marched from the room; they heard him stumble a little on the stairs. ‘How could you?' Tessa whispered to her son. ‘How could I fucking what?' said Stuart, and the look on his face alarmed her so much that she hurried to close and bar the bedroom door. ‘You're taking advantage of that girl, Stuart, and you know it, and the way you just spoke to your – ‘ ‘The fuck I am,' said Fats, pacing up and down, every semblance of cool gone. ‘The fuck I'm taking advantage of her. She knows exactly what she wants – just because she lives in the fucking Fields, it doesn't – the truth is, you and Cubby don't want me to shag her because you think she's beneath – ‘ ‘That's not true!' said Tessa, even though it was, and for all her concern about Krystal, she would still have been glad to know that Fats had sense enough to wear a condom. ‘You're fucking hypocrites, you and Cubby,' he said, still pacing the length of the bedroom. ‘All the bollocks the pair of you spout about wanting to help the Weedons, but you don't want – ‘ ‘That's enough!' shouted Tessa. ‘Don't you dare speak to me like that! Don't you realise – don't you understand – are you so damn selfish †¦?' Words failed her. She turned, tugged open his door and was gone, slamming it behind her. Her exit had an odd effect on Fats, who stopped pacing and stared at the closed door for several seconds. Then he searched his pockets, drew out a cigarette and lit it, not bothering to blow the smoke out of the skylight. Round and round his room he walked, and he had no control of his own thoughts: jerky, unedited images filled his brain, sweeping past on a tide of fury. He remembered the Friday evening, nearly a year previously, when Tessa had come up here to his bedroom to tell him that his father wanted to take him out to play football with Barry and his sons next day. (‘What?' Fats had been staggered. The suggestion was unprecedented. ‘For fun. A kick-around,' Tessa had said, avoiding Fats' glare by scowling down at the clothes littering the floor. ‘Why?' ‘Because Dad thought it might be nice,' said Tessa, bending to pick up a school shirt. ‘Declan wants a practice, or something. He's got a match.' Fats was quite good at football. People found it surprising; they expected him to dislike sport, to disdain teams. He played as he talked, skilfully, with many a feint, fooling the clumsy, daring to take chances, unconcerned if they did not come off. ‘I didn't even know he could play.' ‘Dad can play very well, he was playing twice a week when we met,' said Tessa, riled. ‘Ten o'clock tomorrow morning, all right? I'll wash your tracksuit bottoms.') Fats sucked on his cigarette, remembering against his will. Why had he gone along with it? Today, he would have simply refused to participate in Cubby's little charade, but remained in bed until the shouting died away. A year ago he had not yet understood about authenticity. (Instead he had left the house with Cubby and endured a silent five-minute walk, each equally aware of the enormous shortfall that filled all the space between them. The playing field belonged to St Thomas's. It had been sunny and deserted. They had divided into two teams of three, because Declan had a friend staying for the weekend. The friend, who clearly hero-worshipped Fats, had joined Fats and Cubby's team. Fats and Cubby passed to each other in silence, while Barry, easily the worst player, had yelled, cajoled and cheered in his Yarvil accent as he tore up and down the pitch they had marked out with sweatshirts. When Fergus scored, Barry had run at him for a flying chest bump, mistimed it and smashed Fergus on the jaw with the top of his head. The two of them had fallen to the ground, Fergus groaning in pain and laughing, while Barry sat apologizing through his roars of mirth. Fats had found himself grinning, then heard Cubby's awkward, booming laugh and turned away, scowling. And then had come that moment, that cringeworthy, pitiful moment, with the scores equal and nearly time to go, when Fats had successfully wrested the ball from Fergus, and Cubby had shouted, ‘Come on, Stu, lad!' ‘Lad.' Cubby had never said ‘lad' in his life. It sounded pitiful, hollow and unnatural. He was trying to be like Barry; imitating Barry's easy, unself-conscious encouragement of his sons; trying to impress Barry. The ball had flown like a cannon ball from Fats' foot and there was time, before it hit Cubby full in his unsuspecting, foolish face, before his glasses cracked, and a single drop of blood bloomed beneath his eye, to realize his own intent; to know that he had hoped to hit Cubby, and that the ball had been dispatched for retribution.) They had never played football again. The doomed little experiment in father-son togetherness had been shelved, like a dozen before it. And I never wanted him at all! He was sure he had heard it. Cubby must have been talking about him. They had been in his room. Who else could Cubby have been talking about? Like I give a shit, thought Fats. It was what he'd always suspected. He did not know why this sensation of spreading cold had filled his chest. Fats pulled the computer chair back into position, from the place where it had been knocked when Cubby had hit him. The authentic reaction would have been to shove his mother out of the way and punch Cubby in the face. Crack his glasses again. Make him bleed. Fats was disgusted with himself that he had not done it. But there were other ways. He had overheard things for years. He knew much more about his father's ludicrous fears than they thought. Fats' fingers were clumsier than usual. Ash spilt onto the keyboard from the cigarette in his mouth as he brought up the Parish Council website. Weeks previously, he had looked up SQL injections and found the line of code that Andrew had refused to share. After studying the council message board for a few minutes, he logged himself in, without difficulty, as Betty Rossiter, changed her username to The_Ghost_of_Barry_Fairbrother, and began to type.

Nursing Philosophy Essay

Introduction Philosophy originates with the Greek word philosophia, which translates as â€Å"the love of wisdom†. Philosophers are engaged in inquiry concerning the search for truth, the nature of universe and the meaning of human experience. Welch& Polifroni(1999). The aim of this paper is to compare and contrast the philosophical paradigms of Realism, Antirealism, Phenomenology , Postmodernism. To relate the Empiricism, Positivism, Historicism, and Relativism to the nature of scientific truth. Moreover, to discuss the significance of truth for nursing as a profession and as a science. The various paradigms are characterized by ontological, epistemological and methodological differences in their approaches to conceptualizing and conducting research, and in their contribution towards disciplinary knowledge construction. Weaver, and Olson. (2006). Table 1 illustrate theses differences between these philosophical paradigms. Realism and Antirealism Realism has an ontology which states that the structures creating the world cannot be directly observed. Its epistemology is that appearances do not necessarily reveal the mechanisms which cause these appearances, and its methodology therefore  involves the construction of theories which can account for these appearances. Wainwright,S. ( 1997). Realism, in the Aristotelian, holds that things and individuals have existence independent of human thought and that this extra-mental world is intelligible and forms a basis for evaluating propositions about the world. Whelton,B. (2002) 2 Philosophy course –First Assignment Positivism collapses the world into a single plane of events. In contrast, realism recovers the ontological depth between the three stratified domains and thereby establishes relations of natural necessity rather than the relations of logical necessity  (universality). Wainwright,S. ( 1997). Relevance of Realism to Nursing Realism proposes a common ontology and epistemology for the natural and social sciences. Realism enables the traditional natural and social science division in subjects like geography, psychology, medicine and nursing to be bridged. Realism can therefore provide ontological and epistemological basis for nursing. Wainwrigh( 1997). On the other hand, the interest her in the causal and epistemological ingredients of scientific realism because they support the claim that explanations are important in nursing science  and practice and that the aim of scientist is to discover better and better explanations. Gortner, and Schumacher,(1992). Relevance of Antirealism to Nursing It the positivist antirealism that make their views inappropriate for nursing science. It is not possible in positivism to deal with subjective aspects of person, nor with perceived relational processes, nor with explanations without translating them into physiological states or behaviors. One of the most serious consequences of an antilrealist construction of theories is that theories cannot explain. One of the major distinction  between scientific realism and antirealism is the way in which â€Å"theoretical entities† are understood. In the language of scientific realism the term â€Å"theoretical entities† usually means unobservable entities, states, or processes. The antirealists deny the existence of 3 Philosophy course –First Assignment unobservable entities or process. Antirealist assert that the notion of truth or falsity is relevant to observation even though it is not relevant to theory. Gortner, and Schumacher,(1992). Phenomenology For Edmund Husserl, phenomenology is â€Å"the reflective study of the essence of  consciousness as experienced from the first-person point of view† Phenomenology, founded by Edmund Husserl, promotes the idea that the natural world is largely shaped by the human mind. Wikipedia, (2007). Phenomenology is philosophical movement whose primary objective is the direct investigation and description of phenomena as consciously experienced. It remains different from and in opposition to positivism because it is a theoretical, non causal, and attempts to be free of supposition. Welch(1999) P243). Postmodernism The essence of truth lies within the individual and the individual may change or  later alter that view dependent on the context and the circumstances. Thus, the postmodern worldview is that truth neither singular nor multiple; it is personal and highly individualized and contextually driven. Welch & Polifoni (1999)p-58) The Significance of Truth for Nursing as a Profession and as a Science. Science, philosophy and philosophy of science are all topics of great significance to nursing†¦the need to examine issues of what it means to know, what truth is, how we know and what can be learned from science and philosophy is central to growth in the 4 Philosophy course –First Assignment  discipline. Simultaneously, it is imperative that nurse scholars gain understanding of the divers scientific and philosophic traditions that have influenced the development of nursing knowledge in order to develop and enhance our science, our discipline and our profession. †. Welch and Polifroni (1999(p-1)) Philosophy of science in nursing seeks to understand truth, to examine prediction, causality and law, to critically relate theories, models and scientific systems. Theses goals are accomplished through the methods of philosophic inquiry of reflection and dialogue. Welch& Polifroni(1999(p-5)). In order to understand what truth is, Welch& Polifroni(1999) discussed the sources of truth ( Intuition, Authority, Tradition, Common Sense and Science)as well as the theories of truth such as correspondence theory; coherence theory; pragmatic theory; semantic and performative theory. These theories gave different interpretations for truth, for instance, correspondence theory suggests that truth is related to and correspond with reality, the truth is achieved through perceptions of the world, on the other hand for coherence theory, the truth is true if it is coherent while for the pragmatic theory the  truth is relative and related to the practicality and workableness of a solution. According to Newman, Sime and Corcoran-Perry(1991):’’ Nursing is the study of caring in the human health experience†¦nursing body of knowledge includes caring and human health experience. A body of knowledge that does not include caring and human health experience is not nursing knowledge. †. Truth can be achieved through knowing principles and causes of the natural kind behind phenomena. It is proposed that humans are the natural kind behind nursing phenomena. Thus, human nature provides proper principles (the truth) of nursing 5  Philosophy course –First Assignment practice†¦. It is proposed that it is knowledge of human nature that provides principles of human action, and thus human nature is a source of practical truth in nursing. Whelton . (2002). The realist ontological position assumes that an objective world exists independently of our knowledge, beliefs , theories or descriptions about it. This reality exists whether or not we can experience it or have conceptions of its nature. In contrast, several nonrealist positions have also been advanced, incorporating a wide variety of philosophical views pertaining to truth. These positions reject ontological and/or  epistemological realism, and therefore truth cannot be related to an external reality . Lomborg and Kirkevold (2003). However, Gortner and Schumacher (1992 )stated that ‘’ Nursing scholars can explore scientific realism for the insights it may provide for nursing science â€Å". Moreover, Gortner and Schumacher (1992) proposed that â€Å" Scientific realism is relevant to nursing science in the following ways: (1) It supports the full range of nursing theory; (2) It affirms the importance of including subjective client states in nursing theory and refutes the claim of the positivists that if it is not observable, it does not exist. ;(3) It adds the idea of the substantive content of explanations to discussion about forms of explanation;(4) It includes the notion of truth as a regulative ideal in science and claims that better theories are theories that are closer to the truth†. 6 Philosophy course –First Assignment Relate the Empiricism, Positivism, Historicism, and Relativism to the nature of scientific truth Positivism Positivist approaches are founded on an ontology that the things we experience are things that exist. Its epistemology requires that this experience is verified through the  deductive methodology of the `scientific method’ Wainwright,S. ( 1997). The positivistic philosophy of science will for example argue that scientific knowledge is objective and should be verified accordingly. Nyatanga(2005). The Relevance of Positivism to Nursing : It the positivist antirealism that make their views inappropriate for nursing science. It is not possible in positivism to deal with subjective aspects of person, nor with perceived relational processes, nor with explanations without translating them into physiological states or behaviors. One of the most serious consequences of an antilrealist  construction of theories is that theories cannot explain. Gortner, and Schumacher, (1992). EMPIRICISM Empiricism in its classical sense was a philosophical doctrine that considered observation to be the foundation of knowledge. Gortner and Schumacher(1992). Contemporary empiricism is a paradigm that has the ability to facilitate the application of the scientific facts learned from empirical methods within the appropriate context by taking interpretative knowledge into account†¦ It thus seems apparent that a broader view of scientific knowledge is required, and this is where contemporary views of 7  Philosophy course –First Assignment empiricism are more applicable to the practice of nursing. However, before reviewing the basic tenets of contemporary empiricism, there is a need to provide an overview of interpretive methods and their ability to provide a context or structure for the use of empirical knowledge. Pluralism supports the assumption of contemporary empiricism that human responses can be identified, measured and understood even considering their complex nature. Therefore, an important part of nursing knowledge acquisition includes a synthesis of the data in order to better understand the  synergistic effects of the whole, which cannot be learned simply by studying its parts. Traditional empiricism provides a basis for the study of certain types of knowledge that have made important contributions to the science of nursing. Giuliano,K. ( 2003) The strength of contemporary empiricism is that it values traditional empirical knowledge but takes interpretive knowledge into account in order to provide a context for the appropriate application of that knowledge. The pluralistic nature of contemporary empiricism gives it the ability to bridge the gap between the facts of scientific  knowledge and the use of scientific knowledge in order to facilitate the application of all types of nursing knowledge. Giuliano,K. ( 2003). HISTORICISM The main protagonist of historicism is Kuhn. He was dismayed to find that traditional accounts of the philosophy of science bore no comparison with historical 8 Philosophy course –First Assignment evidence. He then set out to establish a theory of the philosophy of science in keeping with historical evidence as he saw it (hence the term historicism). Nyatanga (2005). Relativism Epistemological relativism view of truth and falsity in general are relative. An epistemological relativist denies that anything at all can be known with certainty. According to hard core epistemological relativism, everything is a matter of opinion, including science. In this view of truth, nursing science has much knowledge that is derived from opinion and personal experience and consequently it is relative knowledge. Summary The importance and significance of the philosophical world views of realism, antirealism, phenomenology , postmodernism, positivism, empiricism, relativism and historicism for nursing science and profession were explored in this paper. However, this  area need more detailed exploration through our philosophy course in order to understand the similarities and differences between these philosophical worldviews and how we can integrate this knowledge in our practice and education. 9 Philosophy course –First Assignment References Giuliano,K. (2003). Expanding the use of empiricism in nursing: can we bridge the gap between knowledge and clinical practice? Nursing Philosophy. 2003,4, pp. 44–52. Gortner,S. and Schumacher,K. (1992). (Mis)conception and Reconceptions about Traditional Science. Advances in Nursing Science, 1992, 14(4):1-11 Lomborg,K. and Kirkevold,M.(2003). Truth and validity in grounded theory – a reconsidered realist interpretation of the criteria: fit, work, relevance and modifiability. Nursing Philosophy, 2003,4, pp. 189–200. Newman,M. , Sime, A. , and Cororan-Perry. .(1991)The Focus of the Discipline of Nursing. Advances in Nursing Science,(1991),14(1)1-6. Nyatanga, L. (2005). Nursing and the philosophy of science. Nurse Education Today (2005) 25, 670–674 Wainwright, S. ( 1997). A new paradigm for nursing: the potential of realism. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 1997, 26, 1262-1271 Weaver, K. and Olson, J. (2006). Understanding paradigms used for nursing  research. Journal of Advanced Nursing 2006 – Vol. 53 Issue 4 pages 459–469 10 Philosophy course –First Assignment Welch,M. and Polifoni,E. (1999) . Perspectives on Philosophy of Science in Nursing. An Historical and Contemporary Anthology. Copyright 1999. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins . Whelton,B. (2002) Human nature as a source of practical truth: Aristotelian–Thomistic realism and the practical science of nursing. Nursing Philosophy,2002, 3, pp. 35–46 Wikipedia, (2007). Phenomenology. Wikipedia the free encyclopedia. Retrieved October 15, 2007, from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Phenomenology.

Referent and Expert Power

CNUR 833 Week 9 discussion question Summary Outline: Leadership Read the following chapter : Robbins, S. P. , Coulter, M. & Langton, M. (2009). Management (9th Canadian ed. ). Toronto: Pearson Prentice Hall. Chapter 12 Review Week 9 Presentation (Found in Course Materials under Weekly Presentations) Focus on the following elements: 1. How leaders and managers differ. LEADERS †¢ Develop vision and long term objectives, plans strategy and tactics †¢ Exhibits leading Beauvoir. Acts to bring change in others congruent with long term objectives †¢ Innovates for the entire organization †¢ Asks what and why to change standard practice †¢ creates vision and meaning for the organization †¢ uses transformational influence: induces change in values, attitudes, behaviour using personal examples and expertise †¢ uses empowering strategies to make followers internalize values †¢ status quo challenger and change creator MANAGERS engages in day to day care taker activities, maintain and allocate resources †¢ exhibits supervisory behaviour : acts to make others maintain standard job behaviour †¢ administers subsystems within organizations †¢ asks how and when to engage in standard practice †¢ uses transactional influence: induces compliance in manifest behaviour using rewards, sanctions and formal authority †¢ relies on control strategies to get thing done by subordinates †¢ status quo supporter and stabilizer 2. How various theories improve our understanding of leadership? Trait theories- early research unable to find the difference leaders from non- leaders †¢ Later research on the leadership process identified 7 traits associated with successful leadership- drive, the desire to lead, honesty and integrity, self-confidence, intelligence, job-relevant knowledge, and extraversion †¢ Behavioural theories identified 3 leadership styles- 1. autocratic style- centralized authority, low participation 2. democratic style-involvement, high participation, feedback 3. laissez-faire style- hands -off management Leader behaviour Research findings mixed results- †¢ no specific style was consistently better for producing better performance †¢ employees were more satisfied under a democratic leader than an autocratic leader 4. How managers use power and trust to enhance leadership. For manager to lead, manger should have the leadership skill to empower and influence the team or individual to achieve organizational goals by building trust and using power effectively. There are 5 sources of leader power identified: POWER 1. Legitimate power and authority are the same. Leader in position power also likely to have reward and coercive power 2. Coercive power-leaders have the ability to punish or control e. g. employee’s suspension and demotion or assign unpleasant or desirable work to the workers. Followers react to the power out of fear and consequences for not compliance 3. Reward power- give positive benefits and rewards including anything that another person values e. g. money, favourable performance appraisals, promotions, interesting work assignments, friendly colleagues, and preferred work shifts or sales territories. . Expert power- influence based on expertise, special skills, or knowledge. Managers depend on employees’ expert to achieve the organization’s goals due to jobs have become more specialized. 5. Referent power-based on desirable resources or personal traits. Develop out of admiration of another and a desire to be like that person by modelling behaviour and attitudes after the individual DEVELOPING TRUST AND CR EDIBILITY TRUST include 5 dimensions 1. integrity- honesty and truthfulness 2. competence- technical and interpersonal knowledge and skills 3. onsistency- reliability, predictability, and good judgement in handling situation 4. loyalty- willingness to protect a person, physically and emotionally 5. openness- willingness to share ideas and information freely †¢ Honesty is the most important characteristic of admired leader †¢ Credible leaders are competent and inspiring †¢ Able to communicate effectively their confidence and competence and inspiration †¢ Trust and integrity are interrelated and interchangeable Post your views one the 2 discussion questions in the discussion threads. . Describe the differences between a transactional leader and a transformational leader. †¢ Transactional leaders is more of management leadership style by telling what they wanted the employees to do and give clear structure and expectation to their followers what is expected and required to do the job with full responsibility †¢ Reward for success of compliances and effort and punishment for failure to motivate employees to achieve short term goal and not long-term goal by increase their performance or productivity. Followers are expected to do the job as an order whether or not there are resources or capability to do it. Employees obey to do the assignment by negotiating a contract with benefits and incentive. †¢ This leadership style has least interest in changing the working environment and ineffective in promoting job satisfaction. Transformation leadership †¢ Defined as charismatic leaders of change agents who have confidence and belief in themselves by developing vision and putting their passion and energy to take care of their subordinates to success. with clear vision and direction leaders will be able to inspire their followers to buy into it in order achieve their common goal for the organization †¢ Some of the characteristics of transformation leader are enthusiasm, active and good listener, visible, build trust, persistent, keep up the momentum by motivating and rallying their followers, show followers their behaviours and attitudes the way every ones else should behave, commitment, celebrate with success, †¢ This type of leadership enables the leaders to transform organization as they are people oriented and success comes first. Transformational Leaders also tend to see the big picture, but not the details, which could cause failure and also their followers are kept going and may also cause them to give up. References: Robbins, S. P. , Coulter, M. & Langton, M. (2009). Management (9th Canadian ed. ). Toronto: Pearson Prentice Hall. Transformation Leadership. Retrieved on 15-3-2010 from http://changingminds. org/disciplines/leadership/styles/transformational_leadership. htm 2. What types of power are available in your current nursing situation? Which types do you use most often and why? The types of powers most often used by nurses are expert power and referent power. This is because nurses have expert power as they possess skill and knowledge; professional specialized in nursing care that is relevant to the job or tasks. Public and patients look up on nurses for quality of care and health knowledge for their expertise. Thus nurses have the power to influence patients as well as team members by exhibiting trust, honesty, credibility, accountability and integrity. Nurses also have referent power being admired by patient, staff and students. Therefore those who admire nurses with referent power will be over power by the nurses and attempt to model behaviour and attitudes after them. This is because the followers believe the leader posses the quality that they would like to possess. Transactional Leadership 72 rate or flag this page By Edi Kurnik [pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic] [pic]A – Z of Leadership †¢ A – Z of Leadership How To Improve Your Leadership Skills By Using The Same Secrets Great Leaders Like Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and Alexander The Great Used To Inspire, Motivate and Persuade Virtually Anyone†¦ Related Hubs Leadership Styles †¢ Quotes on Leadership [pic][pic] [pic][pic][pic]Transactional Leadership Leadership style plays a crucial role in the development of an organization. Transactional leadership is of the leadership style that is often used by many companies. Transactional leadership believes that punishment and reward motivate people. This leadership also assumes that when people agree to do a particular assignment, a part of that agreement is that they give up all authority to their boss. The leader holds control and power over the subordinates. The main goal of the employee is to obey the orders of their managers. The idea is that when a subordinate takes up a job, he or she agrees to obey their manager totally. The ‘transaction' is the money or any other award that the company pays to its subordinates for their compliance and effort. The relationship between the subordinate and the leader becomes transactional. In transactional leadership the leader has the right to punish his or her subordinates if their performance is not according to the predetermined standard. Transactional leadership makes clear that what is equired and expected from their subordinates. It also mentions that subordinates will get award if they follow the orders seriously. Sometimes punishments are not mentioned but they are understood. In the early stages of transactional leadership, subordinate is in the process of negotiating the contract. The contract specifies fixed salary and the benefits that will be given to the subordinate. Rewards are g iven to subordinates for applied effort. Some organization use incentives to encourage their subordinates for greater productivity. Transactional leadership is a way of increasing the performance of its subordinates by giving them rewards. Transactional leadership is also called as ‘true leadership style as it focuses on short term goals instead of long term goals. In Transactional leadership, when the leader assigns work to its subordinates, then it is the responsibility of the subordinate to see that the assigned task is finished on time. If the assigned task is not completed on time or if something then punishment is given for their failure. But if they accomplish the task in time then the subordinates are given reward for successfully completing the task. Subordinates are also given award and praised for exceeding expectations. A subordinate whose performance is below expectation is punished and some action is taken to increase his or her performance. Transactional leadership has more of a ‘telling style'. Transactional leadership is based on the fact that reward or punishment is dependent on the performance. Even though researchers have highlighted its limitations, transactional leadership is still used by many employers. More and more companies are adopting transactional leadership to increase the performance of its employees. This approach is prevalent in real workplace. The main limitation of this leadership is that it assumes that people are largely motivated by simple rewards. Under transactional leadership, employees can't do much to improve job satisfaction. Transaction leadership has been ineffective in providing skilled employees to their organization. This style of leadership is least interested in changing the work environment. Experts do not recommend this approach. Transactional leadership focuses more on management of punishments and rewards. [pic]Rate it:   up   down Transactional Leadership Disciplines ; Leadership ; Leadership styles ; Transactional Leadership Assumptions | Style | Discussion  | See also Assumptions People are motivated by reward and punishment. Social systems work best with a clear chain of command. When people have agreed to do a job, a part of the deal is that they cede all authority to their manager. The prime purpose of a subordinate is to do what their manager tells them to do. Style The transactional leader works through creating clear structures whereby it is clear what is required of their subordinates, and the rewards that they get for following orders. Punishments are not always mentioned, but they are also well-understood and formal systems of discipline are usually in place. The early stage of Transactional Leadership is in negotiating the contract whereby the subordinate is given a salary and other benefits, and the company (and by implication the subordinate's manager) gets authority over the subordinate. When the Transactional Leader allocates work to a subordinate, they are considered to be fully responsible for it, whether or not they have the resources or capability to carry it out. When things go wrong, then the subordinate is considered to be personally at fault, and is punished for their failure (just as they are rewarded for succeeding). The transactional leader often uses management by exception, working on the principle that if something is operating to defined (and hence expected) performance then it does not need attention. Exceptions to expectation require praise and reward for exceeding expectation, whilst some kind of corrective action is applied for performance below expectation. Whereas Transformational Leadership has more of a ‘selling' style, Transactional Leadership, once the contract is in place, takes a ‘telling' style. Discussion Transactional leadership is based in contingency, in that reward or punishment is contingent upon performance. Despite much research that highlights its limitations, Transactional Leadership is still a popular approach with many managers. Indeed, in the Leadership vs. Management spectrum, it is very much towards the management end of the scale. The main limitation is the assumption of ‘rational man', a person who is largely motivated by money and simple reward, and hence whose behavior is predictable. The underlying psychology is Behaviorism, including the Classical Conditioning of Pavlov and Skinner's Operant Conditioning. These theories are largely based on controlled laboratory experiments (often with animals) and ignore complex emotional factors and social values. In practice, there is sufficient truth in Behaviorism to sustain Transactional approaches. This is reinforced by the supply-and-demand situation of much employment, coupled with the effects of deeper needs, as in Maslow's Hierarchy. When the demand for a skill outstrips the supply, then Transactional Leadership often is insufficient, and other approaches are more effective. See also Exchange principle, Transformational Leadership Transformational Leadership Disciplines > Leadership > Leadership styles > Transformational Leadership Assumptions | Style | Discussion  | See also Assumptions People will follow a person who inspires them. A person with vision and passion can achieve great things. The way to get things done is by injecting enthusiasm and energy. Style Working for a Transformational Leader can be a wonderful and uplifting experience. They put passion and energy into everything. They care about you and want you to succeed. Developing the vision Transformational Leadership starts with the development of a vision, a view of the future that will excite and convert potential followers. This vision may be developed by the leader, by the senior team or may emerge from a broad series of discussions. The important factor is the leader buys into it, hook, line and sinker. Selling the vision The next step, which in fact never stops, is to constantly sell the vision. This takes energy and commitment, as few people will immediately buy into a radical vision, and some will join the show much more slowly than others. The Transformational Leader thus takes every opportunity and will use whatever works to convince others to climb on board the bandwagon. In order to create followers, the Transformational Leader has to be very careful in creating trust, and their personal integrity is a critical part of the package that they are selling. In effect, they are selling themselves as well as the vision. Finding the way forwards In parallel with the selling activity is seeking the way forward. Some Transformational Leaders know the way, and simply want others to follow them. Others do not have a ready strategy, but will happily lead the exploration of possible routes to the promised land. The route forwards may not be obvious and may not be plotted in details, but with a clear vision, the direction will always be known. Thus finding the way forward can be an ongoing process of course correction, and the Transformational Leader will accept that there will be failures and blind canyons along the way. As long as they feel progress is being made, they will be happy. Leading the charge The final stage is to remain up-front and central during the action. Transformational Leaders are always visible and will stand up to be counted rather than hide behind their troops. They show by their attitudes and actions how everyone else should behave. They also make continued efforts to motivate and rally their followers, constantly doing the rounds, listening, soothing and enthusing. It is their unswerving commitment as much as anything else that keeps people going, particularly through the darker times when some may question whether the vision can ever be achieved. If the people do not believe that they can succeed, then their efforts will flag. The Transformational Leader seeks to infect and reinfect their followers with a high level of commitment to the vision. One of the methods the Transformational Leader uses to sustain motivation is in the use of ceremonies, rituals and other cultural symbolism. Small changes get big hurrahs, pumping up their significance as indicators of real progress. Overall, they balance their attention between action that creates progress and the mental state of their followers. Perhaps more than other approaches, they are people-oriented and believe that success comes first and last through deep and sustained commitment. Discussion Whilst the Transformational Leader seeks overtly to transform the organization, there is also a tacit promise to followers that they also will be transformed in some way, perhaps to be more like this amazing leader. In some respects, then, the followers are the product of the transformation. Transformational Leaders are often charismatic, but are not as narcissistic as pure Charismatic Leaders, who succeed through a belief in themselves rather than a belief in others. One of the traps of Transformational Leadership is that passion and confidence can easily be mistaken for truth and reality. Whilst it is true that great things have been achieved through enthusiastic leadership, it is also true that many passionate people have led the charge right over the cliff and into a bottomless chasm. Just because someone believes they are right, it does not mean they are right. Paradoxically, the energy that gets people going can also cause them to give up. Transformational Leaders often have large amounts of enthusiasm which, if relentlessly applied, can wear out their followers. Transformational Leaders also tend to see the big picture, but not the details, where the devil often lurks. If they do not have people to take care of this level of information, then they are usually doomed to fail. Finally, Transformational Leaders, by definition, seek to transform. When the organization does not need transforming and people are happy as they are, then such a leader will be frustrated. Like wartime leaders, however, given the right situation they come into their own and can be personally responsible for saving entire companies. See also Appeal principle, Bonding principle, Confidence principle, Pull, The Leadership Challenge Bass, B. M. (1985). Leadership and performance beyond expectation. New York: Free Press. Bass, B. M. (1990). From transactional to transformational leadership: Learning to share the vision. Organizational Dynamics, (Winter): 19-31. Burns, J. M. (1978). Leadership. New York: Harper & Row