Servant Leadership free essay sample

A few famous examples of servant leaders are George Washington, Gandi and Caesar Chavez. Key Principles In a publication released by Nova Southeastern University, 10 principle characteristics were identified of servant leadership (Leadership development -, 2007). 1. Listening Listening skills are vital for all leadership styles. Servant leaders make a deep commitment to intently listen to others. They seek to identify the will of a group or individual and listen to what is being said. 2. Empathy It is important to understand and have compassion for others. People need to feel accepted and recognized for their unique qualities. Leaders must assume the good intentions and not reject them as people. 3. Healing Learning to heal is a powerful force for transformation and integration. A greatest strength of servant leaders is the potential to heal one’s self and others. 4. Awareness General awareness, especially self-awareness, strengthens the servant leaders. 5. Persuasion Leaders rely on persuasion rather than positional, authoritative, decision making. We will write a custom essay sample on Servant Leadership or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Seeking to convince others, rather than coerce, is a goal of the leader. 6. Conceptualize Dreaming great dreams† is an ability that must be self-nurtured in a leader. The ability to look at a quandary from a conceptualizing perspective means a leader must think beyond everyday realities. Leaders must seek balance conceptualization and day to day focus. 7. Foresight Foresight enables a leader to capitalize on lessons learned from the past, realities of the present and a likely outcome of a decision. 8. Stewardship Greenleaf’s view of all institutions was one in which CEO’s, staff, directors and trustees all play significant roles in holding institutions in trust for the greater good of society. . Commitment to the Growth of People Leaders believe people have an intrinsic value beyond tangible contributions as workers. As a result, genuine interest in the spiritual, professional and personal growth of all employees is demonstrated. 10. Building Community Leaders se ek to identify a means for building a sense of community among those who work in a given institution. Differences from Other Styles In the approach on general leadership characteristics, the fundamental difference is authentic leaderships strive to be â€Å"real†, whereas servant leaders strive to be â€Å"right. Servant leadership is a style that lays down a set of characteristics that all leaders are supposed to emulate to attain success, and tries to shape the character and personality of the leader. On the other hand, authentic leaders tend to rely on their own unique set of experiences and style that has been learned and developed throughout their career. The main difference between servant and authentic styles, when applying into practice, is the serving of others. One of the primary applications is to give priority to the interest of others. Servant leaders exercise their duty by fulfilling needs, aspirations and duties of those in their organization. Authentic leaders don’t put much emphasis in responding to the needs or desires of others. Servant leaders’ style recommends listening, persuading, and empathy when approaching difficult situations, even in times of crisis. Authentic leaders are proactive and adapt their style to the situation. These leaders can be inspiring in one situation and tough about people related issues in another (Nayab, 2010). Strengths/Weaknesses (Nayab, 2011) Strengths 1. Contribution to organizational development. Leaders proactively set the way, and will inspire subordinates to perform by empowering them to follow. Such inspiration leads to collective efforts, creating a synergy. 2. Contribution to the all-around development of the employee. The leader helps employees attain physical and intellectual vitality and fitness, allowing them to lead balance lives. 3. Servant leadership’s value based approach helps organizations in the business environment where values, empowerment, and commitment play a big role in success. Weaknesses 1. The soft approach does not fit well into a competitive environment. Servant leaders may lag behind those other styles better suited for a competitive environment. Accountability and responsibility may get diluted. 2. Does not always work or resolve issues related to employee-organization fit. A primary function of all leaders is to match candidates with organization objectives. Servant leaders put the individual’s goals/needs as the primary concern. 3. Building a sense of â€Å"community† among team members may not fit well for all members. Many wish not to share personal lives or aspirations with others at work. Personal Reflection Servant leadership may apply best in certain situations such as politics or association management. But in its purest theory, I am not convinced servant leadership is a practical leadership style 100% of the time, for any type of business. It does have many qualities that I agree with, and practice a large extent of the time. For example, I view everyone I work with as a customer. I see it as my responsibility to help them achieve success in their role. It is my duty to provide them with every resource needed in order to succeed, and it is their duty to tell me what they need. Sometimes, that includes a holistic approach, and sometimes it is as simple as acquiring a printer for them. I tread lightly when personal life problems present themselves, however. I will assist in providing direction for an employee to get the help they need, such as an EAP program, or a Pastor in our ministry development initiative. On the other hand, it is also my duty to provide corrective action, redirection, or other forms of performance feedback when employees stray from goals, objectives, vision, mission or values. As I mentioned, a part of my management style is to serve the needs of subordinates. I can’t deny it isn’t entirely for unselfish reasons. I use it as a motivational tactic to achieve positive outcomes. However, I am sincere in my communications in order to build trust. Good managers put the needs of others ahead of their own. However, good managers cannot put subordinate needs ahead of customers, organizational needs or stakeholder needs. Blending all styles of leadership and adapting to unique situations or people will produce positive outcomes in the long run. However, it is my opinion holding true to only one style of leadership may cause problems for the organization, or an individual manager. References: 1. What is servant leadership?. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://www. greenleaf. org/whatissl/ 2. Leadership development Servant Leadership. (2007, August 1). Retrieved from http://www. nova. edu/studentleadership/development/servant_leadership. html 3. Nayab, N. (2010, June 8). Servant leadership vs. authentic leadership: What are the differences?. Retrieved from http://www. brighthub. com/office/home/articles/73574. aspx 4. Nayab, N. (2011, May 25). Servant leadership theory strengths and weaknesses. Retrieved from http://www. brighthub. com/office/home/articles/73511. aspx? cid=parsely_rec

Free Essays on The Naked Citadel

The Naked Citadel reveals a life, hidden behind the walls of a Men’s world. This essay is a revelation of the relations between men as men, as humans and as fighters. These are the three major aspects of the life behind the walls of the Citadel, the manly world. Susan Faludi paints a beautiful picture of this world and the interrelations within its boundaries by putting a woman in the center of her story. Another major aspect of the essay is the tradition as a social value and as a limit. The essay gives an excellent example of how, sometimes, especially in the past centuries, traditions shaped people’s life and narrowed the scope of people’s dreams. It also shows how difficult it is to change traditions. The Citadel is a public military college established in 1822. It is a high-ranking institution with well-established traditions. All of the cadets are men, because army is, or used to be only men’s universe, and not just men’s universe, but the strongest and most brave men’s universe. The academy is an institution in which men looking to serve their country and be given a top rate education seek interest. It is a place where young man are taught how to act and communicate like man, how to be prepared to the real world and face difficulties-â€Å"To bravely face difficulties, not to complain, and not to give up† are some of the rules in Citadel’s code. In the Citadel a boy is remolded â€Å"into the whole man† with his identity â€Å"stripped†. A place where young men go to grow and develop into a man while not being in fear of exposing any "unmanly" like characteristics to the rest of society. Within the society a man is expected to think, act and live in a masculine manner. Showing emotions or sensitivity is considered taboo among the males. In the Citadel a man can act in a manner in which the threat of breaking the public norms is not eminent. The secrecy behind the walls of the academy is something taken very serio... Free Essays on The Naked Citadel Free Essays on The Naked Citadel The Naked Citadel reveals a life, hidden behind the walls of a Men’s world. This essay is a revelation of the relations between men as men, as humans and as fighters. These are the three major aspects of the life behind the walls of the Citadel, the manly world. Susan Faludi paints a beautiful picture of this world and the interrelations within its boundaries by putting a woman in the center of her story. Another major aspect of the essay is the tradition as a social value and as a limit. The essay gives an excellent example of how, sometimes, especially in the past centuries, traditions shaped people’s life and narrowed the scope of people’s dreams. It also shows how difficult it is to change traditions. The Citadel is a public military college established in 1822. It is a high-ranking institution with well-established traditions. All of the cadets are men, because army is, or used to be only men’s universe, and not just men’s universe, but the strongest and most brave men’s universe. The academy is an institution in which men looking to serve their country and be given a top rate education seek interest. It is a place where young man are taught how to act and communicate like man, how to be prepared to the real world and face difficulties-â€Å"To bravely face difficulties, not to complain, and not to give up† are some of the rules in Citadel’s code. In the Citadel a boy is remolded â€Å"into the whole man† with his identity â€Å"stripped†. A place where young men go to grow and develop into a man while not being in fear of exposing any "unmanly" like characteristics to the rest of society. Within the society a man is expected to think, act and live in a masculine manner. Showing emotions or sensitivity is considered taboo among the males. In the Citadel a man can act in a manner in which the threat of breaking the public norms is not eminent. The secrecy behind the walls of the academy is something taken very serio...

International Culture and Communication Assignment

International Culture and Communication - Assignment Example Be it a major MNC for small-scale business people use the Internet and communicate with various suppliers and customers across the globe to create a wider market for their business. It is evident that the work force in all officer is becoming multicultural and more diverse than ever. The HR department dealing directly with the manpower in every organization should have enough knowledge about the cross cultural factors that might affect the concerned businesses The organization should take enough measures to provide proper training regarding cross-cultural communication to their HR department. The HR department should in turn use their training to impart cultural tolerance among all the employees working in the organization. There is a very close relationship between the HR department and the culture prevalent in the organization. If the HR department adapts a culture friendly outlook, the whole organization will reflect the same mentality. Therefore it is important to encourage such a practice in all HR activities which deals directly with the employees of the organization (Jackson, 2002). The impacts of cross-cultural conflicts will usually be overcome easily or excluded if the organization encourages their workforce to get together on the basis of their personal interests and various other fun activities. The HR department should come up with such activities to promote cross-cultural communication and solve problems through a common understanding. Consider an HR department is selecting a group of people to send overseas for training or auditing. They need to ensure the people sent abroad are given enough briefing about the different culture prevalent in that particular country. Shaking hands or greeting a lady through a hug or a slight kiss is common in the Western countries. But such an act would create great misunderstanding and anger among the

Margins of society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Margins of society - Essay Example This creates a jarring impact on the viewers as they are forced to give respect to the subjects that they would otherwise ignore if they get a chance to meet them on the streets. For this paper, three photographs by Arbus would be analyzed, namely Hermaphrodite and a dog in a carnival trailer, A Jewish giant at home with his parents in the Bronx, NY and Child with a toy grenade, Central Park, NY . In this photograph, Arbus has photographed a hermaphrodite. The photograph captures the style and concept of other Arbus’ photograph. The picture seems quite ordinary except for the subject. If the main subject was removed from the picture, there would have been nothing interesting in the picture and yet it is the subject who changes the entire meaning of the picture. The Hermaphrodite stares back at the camera. He is not smiling and neither is he frowning. Rather, it seems that the hermaphrodite is conscious of getting his picture. This, however, does not fit with the body posture of the subject. It is the lack of pose in the body posture that makes the picture more compelling. The picture is quite ordinary in the way the Hermphrodite is relaxing on the chair but it is the same feeling of the oridinary that brings forth the emotion of the viewers to the surface. The picture seems to be challenging the viewer to accept the Hermaphrodite as a part of the society. The subject is partially nude, and yet he does not shy away by attempting to cover himself with his hands. He wears shiny undergarments which show that the subject is getting ready for a show or has just come back from one. The presence of the dog lends a personal touch to the photograph. It tells something about the subject even if it is as ordinary as the fact that the subject owns a dog that loves enough to share the photograph with. It is was not for the title of the photography, many viewers would have missed the small dog lying on the lap of the Hermaphrodite. Arbus, in this

The Evolution of Skateboard Photography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Evolution of Skateboard Photography - Essay Example llenweber 16). A common fact is that skateboarding has evolved from just another hobby to an internationally recognized sport. It is no longer considered to be a preserve of daredevils and adolescents who seek a way to vent their frustrations. For instance, in 1990, people used to skateboard mainly in parks and on the streets (if they found the opportunity to). Skateboarders and their fans then decided that they needed to shed the bad image that was associated with the hobby and turn it into something more appealing and enriching not just to them but also their fans. Eventually, the various skateboarding associations decided that they would market their hobby as a sport by growing it from the community. They established various skateboarding competitions in different neighborhoods different states in America and within no time the trend had caught on. Every neighborhood wanted to have a skateboarding association cum team, and this made the competition stiffer. A short time after this , the various stakeholders decided to make the participation worthwhile by offering prizes to the best performers. They sought financial assistance from local companies and community-based organizations (CBOs) who recognized it as a way of getting young people off the streets and giving them something to do and look forward to. Many young people sat up and took notice, and eventually most of them decided to join this latest ‘trend†. Within a short time, there were skateboarding championships being held in various states and soon after a national championship was established. Now, it is common knowledge that by the time there is a national championship anywhere (especially in a country like the United States), it means that a sport or hobby has garnered enough attention to warrant such a move (Wu?llenweber 26). Firms started tapping into this new frenzy in order to use it as an advertising avenue (it was particularly strategic because of its popularity among young people) . Through advertising, those companies managed to get the media to cover or even mention skateboarding. By 2009, we had professional skateboarders who supported themselves using the financial benefits they incurred from skateboarding. They were earning thousands of dollars by doing something they loved, and the media had no option but to take notice and accommodate this new sport. Now we have the World Cup of Skateboarding, a global skateboarding federation that organizes the formal World Championships of Skateboarding series that is held in many cities across the world (Bolster & Gesmer 12). This federation is also responsible for organizing and officiating other skateboard contests. Information about Shot Styles and Photography Specifics i) Use a Fisheye Lens Fisheye lens and skateboarding photography go hand in hand. The extremely wide angle lens offers an appealing three-dimensional look (Bolster & Gesmer 22). It allows one to get closer to the subject, capturing where they are from, where they are going, and what they are doing. A fisheye lens also affords your photos a room to breathe while at the same time maintaining a sense of impact. ii) Pre-focus This applies not only to skateboard photography, but also to motion photography or any type of action. iii) Keep a Clean Background The sky provides a perfect background in which to take skate photos. It is also a convenient backdrop to find because skaters tend

Sports Equity and Inclusion in British Rowing

Sports Equity and Inclusion in British Rowing British Rowing: A critical review Rowing is a sport which involves propelling a boat on a body of water using oars to push against the water and produce a force to move the boat. Rowing itself can be recreational or competitive and competition in rowing can be traced back to Ancient Egypt. Modern rowing as a sport dates back to the 10th Century in London. The arrival of Boat Clubs, for example, the Leander club in England, and the formation of University and public school rowing teams, especially at Oxford, Cambridge, and Eton in the early 18th Century, propelled the popularity of the sport to other Universities and boat clubs around the globe including the U.S and Germany (Burnell, Page, 1997).   Rowing is also one of the oldest Olympic sports. Initially it was part of the 1896 Olympics but the racing could not go ahead due to bad weather. Since 1900 it has been present at every Olympic Games with competitions ranging from individual races (single scull) to eight-person shells (coxed eight). Rowing has also had women participants from 1976 and Paralympic athletes from 2008 (Olympic Studies Centre, 2015). Despite being an amateur sport, rowing in Britain has always reflected the division of social classes by being synonymous with the more upper classes. Sugden, Tomlinson (2000) support this by suggesting that involvement in Henleys boating regatta can be a clear sign of high social status. Social classes, in their most basic form can be described as a division of a society based on social and economic status (English | Oxford Dictionaries, 2017). Later in the report I will analyse this further using different theories and concepts. During the rise in popularity of sports in Britain in the 18th century some sports, for example, football and Rugby, were more associated with the working and lower middle classes and other sports, for example, tennis and golf, where more associated with the upper middle and upper classes (Wilson, 2002). This can be attributed to all cultural consumption, including sports consumption, which requires the right tastes and preferences as well as knowledge and skills. This is called cultural capital. (Bourdieu, 1986, cited in Holt, 1998). Cultural capital is defined by access to cultural processes and products. These include the way by which educational, social and intellectual knowledge can used to advantage the social and economic position of a particular individual or group (Bourdieu, 1986, cited in Beedie, Craig, 2010, p. 268). The access to higher levels of educational knowledge in the 18th Century was achieved through the public schools which required fees to attend. Therefore, th ey attracted students from more economically advanced backgrounds and wealthy families that could afford the fees. These included schools like Westminster, Harrow, and the previously mentioned Eton (UK Parliament, 2017). As rowing was only available at boat clubs, universities, and public schools, all of which were out of reach to all but the ruling class, rowing became the preserve of the higher classes. People in poverty and low social classes, therefore, found it harder to participate in the sport. Rowing in England today is governed by British Rowing. The organisation was founded in 1882 and oversees both indoor and on-water rowing. They are responsible for the development of rowing in England and the selection of crews and individual rowers that represent Great Britain. They are affiliated with the International Rowing Federation and the International Olympic Committee. British Rowing has roughly 30,000 individual members that range in age from 11 to over 80. Individual members are usually linked to one of 550 associated rowing clubs, which in turn are within ten rowing regions in England. Each region has a regional rowing council and representatives who represent them on British Rowings Council. The British Rowing Council is made up of the members of the Board, the Regional Chairmen, the Honorary President, the Honorary Rowing Safety Adviser, the Regional Representatives, Home Nations Representative, and Honorary Life Vice Presidents (Governance British Rowing, 2017). The m embers of the Board are the Directors of British Rowing who meet regularly to manage the business of the organisation. This is headed by the chairman, Annamarie Phelps, CBE. Together they create and govern the policies and initiatives of British Rowing. This report will look specifically at the Equity and Inclusion policies and initiatives for British Rowing. Equity is about being fair and impartial and examines inequalities resulting from race, class, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, age, religion, or disability (Fletcher, Dashper, 2014). Being inclusive is about providing many different options to suit people of all ages, skills, and backgrounds, in the most appropriate manner that is possible. Therefore, Equity and Inclusion in sport can be defined as being fair and providing a range of opportunities for different people from different backgrounds to participate in sport. By being equitable and inclusive, a sporting organisation, or sport in general, can help to tackle inequalities that are present in wider society. In sociology and sport the idea of inequality has been broadly characterized and has been connected to different political ideologies. Inequality, as characterized from the right, is unavoidable, or is important for society to cope well. Conversely, from the left, inequality is a social detriment and ought to be killed by vote based or progressive means. This can mean democratically via policies and initiatives or even via revolution and forced change. As indicated by Donnelly (1996), Sport by its very nature, produces, and displays inequality. Early research proposed that sport reflected existing inequalities i.e., it was a microcosm of society. Regardless, more critical research of sport has since uncovered that, as opposed to being a passive component and simply reflecting inequality, sport, by means of social operators collaborations with sporting spaces, is effectively involved in creating, repeating, supporting and indeed, acts as a site for resistance when it comes to inequal ity (Dashper, Fletcher, 2013). Jarvie, Thornton (2012) add to this by stating that Inequality is often limited to two notions of inequality namely inequality of condition and inequality of opportunity. Inequality of condition refers to factors such as time, income, occupation, and education, whereas, inequality of opportunity focuses on the individual and the degree of freedom they may have. Equity and inclusion policies should aim to negate these inequalities. In order to correctly analyse the equity and inclusion policies and their impact on a group within society an organisational SWOT analysis will be conducted for British Rowing in regards to their Equity and Inclusion policies and initiatives (Appendix). A SWOT grid / matrix is a grid that highlights the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats associated with an organisation. The strengths are positive factors that are internal to the organisation and within their control. The weakness are also internal factors that may hinder the organisations ability to attain their goals. Opportunities are external factors that the organisation can use and take advantage of in order to progress. Threats are also external factors that could jeopardise the organisations progress.   Once the grid has been filled the information is analysed to ascertain the limitations and issues affecting the organisation. The benefits of a SWOT analysis are that it is cost free, quick and easy to use, anyone can conduct it, it can highlight strengths, weaknesses, deter threats, capitalise on opportunities, provide a better understanding of the organisation and help develop goals and strategies. There are, however, limitations to a SWOT analysis. A S WOT analysis cannot provide solutions, doesnt prioritise issues, it is open to human error, can produce a lot of useless information and doesnt address complex two sided factors that could be considered a strength or a weakness. Taking these into consideration I have listed 3-5 key points in each grid and will expand on them during the analysis. The first strength that was highlighted was that the British Rowing Equity Policy identified key principles in regards to equity in rowing. It stated that Sports Equity is about fairness in sport, equality of access, recognising inequalities and taking steps to address them. It involves changing the culture and structure of sport to ensure that it becomes equally accessible to all members of society (BRITISH ROWING EQUITY POLICY, 2014). It goes on to explain that no members will be treated differently due to certain factors (age, class, gender etc.) and that anyone can have an equal opportunity to participate. This shows that the equity policy has considered the two notions of inequality as previously discussed and that it will try to address these issues. The second strength highlighted was the implementation of an equity action plan to display their commitment to sports equity. The action plan is 5 points and one key point is the commitment to tackle under representation should eff ort be unevenly distributed. They also state the need to review the policy annually which is good practice. The third strength highlighted was the recognition of the legal requirements to be fair and equitable. This includes The Equality act: 2010 among others. The forth strength highlighted was the Adaptive rowing initiative designed to encourage people with disability to join rowing. Through this initiative, they also recruit people to participate in the Paralympics. This is an excellent strength and one that is surely equitable. The final strength was a statistic from 2013 showing that 52% of new recruits were men and 48% were women which displays a very even split between the two genders. This shows their equity policy is working to break down gender barriers as previous stats showed a 60/40 split in favour of men (British Rowing, 2013). The first weakness in the equity and inclusion initiatives was that participation from state schools remains low. 7% of the U.Ks school children are educated by independent schools but 54% of Great Britains elite rowers from the 2012 Olympic games were educated at independent schools. Those from state schools learnt almost entirely from boat clubs (Brown, 2016). The second weakness was that the cost of equipment/membership. Membership at clubs can be on average  £150-300 for a junior participant and even more for adults (Club rules, forms and prices, 2017 and Smithson, 2017). There is also a membership fee with British Rowing from  £17 for a junior to  £1150 for a lifetime membership. These fees may not be affordable for those who are struggling financially and who are in poverty and therefore the costs of the memberships act as a barrier to participation for those individuals. The final weakness is that equity policy states that British Rowing will publicise this to all employ ees, members, volunteers and officials through its website, Almanack, magazine and club mailings (BRITISH ROWING EQUITY POLICY, 2014). This is good to an extent but there is no mention of publicising its equity policy beyond its members and inner circles. By publicising its equity policy to a wider and more diverse audience in the public it is possible to encourage more participation from individuals that may not realise the opportunity is there to join the sport and that it is inclusive. The first opportunity highlighted was the increased popularity in rowing after the success of the 2012 Olympic games in London. British Rowing endured a spike in new recruits of 12.2% in the final 6 months of 2012 (British Rowing, 2013). British Rowing could take further advantage of this by specifically targeting certain groups in society that have low participation levels. The second opportunity is related to the first. It was that the one of the Olympic legacys goals were Promoting community engagement and achieving participation across all groups in society through the Games (London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games Annual Report February 2011). The final opportunity is that rowing is one of Britains most successful sports. They have accumulated 68 medals, including 31 gold, in mens rowing alone at the Olympics, 3rd overall in the history of the games. This can inspire more people to join and be part of the sport. The first threat highlighted was that costs may remain high or even grow with inflation. Costs to participate is a barrier for individuals but the cost for state schools to build facilities and buy equipment, such as boat houses, indoor rowers, storage rooms etc., can be a major factor in state schools deciding not to become involved in rowing. Another threat is that, despite being one of Britains most successful sports, rowing still falls behind other sports such as football, rugby, tennis, cricket, badminton, swimming, and athletics, in terms of popularity (Russell, 2014). Other sports may be more appealing to new participants and sports that are played regularly at both state and independent schools will inevitably have higher participation levels and a more diverse participation pool. The final threat is that now that the 2012 Olympics is long over, and the buzz around rowing is diminishing, the opportunity to encourage state schools and people from social deprivation backgrounds to participate could be fading. From the SWOT analysis, we can see there are issues and challenges for people in social deprivation and in the lower classes of society. To fully understand the context and impact of this, definitions must be understood and sociological theory must be applied. Sociology, as defined by Giddens (2001), is the study of human social life, groups and societies. A theory is a framework for understanding, but it always develops within a particular cultural context and is always provisionalà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ theory provides us with a starting point for our understanding but it begs to be expanded, contradicted, refined, replaced (Birrell, 2000). Therefore, a sociological theory is a framework of understanding around the study of human social life, groups, and societies. Three key terms must also be understood and they are ideology, power, and politics. Ideology is the shared ideas or beliefs which serve to justify the interests of dominant groups (Giddens, 2001). Power is the ability of individ uals, or the members of a group, to achieve aims or further the interests they holdà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Many conflicts in society are struggles over power (Giddens, Sutton, 2013, p. 584). Politics takes place wherever conflict exists about goals and the method of achieving those goals (Houlihan, 2002). The way in which society develops unequal layers based on wealth, income, status, and power is defined as social stratification (Beedie, Craig, 2010, p. 116). Karl Marxs Conflict Theory can be used to better understand the social stratification from the perspective of poorer groups and less powerful of people. Karl Marxs work on conflict theory can be best understood by taking into consideration the context of the social world in which he lived. He developed his work during the mid-19th Century, which was a time of deep political and social unrest, due to the rapid expanding system of industrial capitalism and the political and economic issues that accompanied it (Foster, 1979). These political and economic tensions helped to further divide society in the form of social classes, that competed against each other, forming a class conflict. The Marxist view on social class can be basically divided into two main groups but the reality is that there are at least four groupings, which Marx identified to a certain extent. They are the lumpenproetariat, the proletariat, the petite bourgeoisie, and the bourgeoisie. They can also be called the underclass, the working class, the middle class, and the upper class. Each have their own problems and goals and are interconnected and interdependent to a ce rtain degree. This makes it hard to allocate class labels at times as it be a fluid and elastic term that is ever changing. Nevertheless, Marx describes the upper class as the class in control of the means of production and the classes below are the ones that make these means possible by selling their labour for wages. This division of labour causes relationships between classes to become exploitative where the upper classes exploit the lower classes by maximising commodity production for profit rather than need. This profit driven ideology is based on and creates inequalities and these inequalities between the classes cause conflict. This relates back to the definition of power where by conflicts in society are struggles over power and that the groups that wield the most power (upper class) can further their aims and interests that they hold. This also then relates back to our definition of politics; that it takes place wherever conflict exists about goals. This explains why some o f the most powerful people in society are located at the summit of politics (Rigauer, Tomlinson, 2002). When applying this sport, it is important to understand, as previously mentioned, that sport can act as a microcosm of society and reflect the fractures and divisions within society. If modern sport was developed in the 19th Century in tandem with the rise of industrial capitalism, then it is understandable that the same divides and conflicts that were in society at the time were reflected in sport. Houlihan and Malcolm (2016) add to this and state that Sport reflects and reproduces the ideologies of capitalism like aggressive individualism, ruthless competition, elitismà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦These ideasà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦in sport, reflect the broader structure of capitalist society. Having considered the historical context of rowing at the beginning of the report, it is clear to see how Sugden, Tomlinson (2000) suggested that rowing was a sport more associated with the upper classes. As rowing as a competitive sport began to form in independent schools, which became less and less accessible to the lower classes with the rise of industrial capitalism, the only class with the opportunity to participate in the sport were the upper classes that attended the high fee paying schools and as a result rowing, with its lack of lower class members became a sport for the upper class in the 19th century.   Beedie, Craig (2010) support this with an example of the town of Bedford. Bedford is a town with a tradition for rowing due to the River Ouse which flows near it. The grass roots entry points to rowing here were dominated by the fee paying independent schools and thus, any school children from state schools wishing to get involved in rowing had a very little oppor tunity to do so. They go on to state that rowing does not reflect the cosmopolitan diversity of social groups living in Bedford, but instead remains populated by those privileged educationally. Despite conflicts of social classes being less volatile and society being more integrated in the modern era of sport, the class divide in British Rowing is still clear to see. Of the 12 board members in British Rowing, only 2 attended state schools and of all the elite athletes that represented GB, 54% were educated in independent schools. Despite the organisations significant steps to improving inclusion for disability and female participants, it still has an identity as an upper-class sport. This could be further explained again using Marxism as Marx suggests that the ruling elite à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦controls the means of mental production (Storey, 1993). If the people in charge of British Rowing and the lead figures and elite athlete are constantly coming from upper class backgrounds, then the image and idea of rowing being an upper-class sport cannot be changed. As I have previously mentioned, equity and inclusion polices should seek to negate the inequalities associated with that spo rt. One of those inequalities was highlighted as a lack of opportunity for people in poverty and the lower classes as poverty is at the core of exclusion (Collins, Kay, 2014). To combat this inequality and exclusion, I recommend that British Rowing should seek to reach out to other organisations to form a partnership with the goal of bringing more water sports to state schools. Craig, Mellor (2010) state that the recognition of, and involvement in, common activities enables and promotes social cohesion. Therefore, if more and more people from poverty and social deprivation backgrounds can have a better opportunity to participate in rowing it would improve relations between social classes even more and help to alleviate any barriers. For British Rowing, it will also provide a much larger pool of athletes to choose for elite level competition, for example the Olympics, and this could boost Great Britains success in the sport even further. They have proven that initiatives for specific populations (Female, Disability etc.) can improve participation and success in those groups and further effort for people in poverty could boost participation for that group a lso. Other potential means of improving participation could be to place a cap on membership fees so that they cant rise to a level that will become unaffordable to more people. Reaching out to state schools and providing them with equipment would be highly costly to the organisation. As sport becomes more commercialised and media heavy it is perhaps an option for British Rowing to negotiate a TV or sponsorship deal to raise capital for initiatives to improve equity and inclusion in their sport. Events at the Olympics and The Boat Race are the two main televised rowing events. As The Boat Race is one day per year and events at the Olympics only come once every 4 years, opportunity to highlight the sport to wider audience is not as frequent as some of the sports competitors. Staging exhibition races or creating completions for television could get more regular coverage and help to spread interest in rowing and also raise funds for initiatives to improve equity and inclusion. As sport not only reflects society but also helps to shape it, by using rowing to break down social barriers within the sport, and within social groups, society too may be effected in a positive way. Breaking down these barriers will help to provide more opportunities for participation and to be more fair and equal.

Quiet Revolution Essay -- Canadian History

In 1960, a series of swift and sweeping reforms, were in processing in Quebec, and the reforms carried out by Jean Lesage, who is the leader of Quebec Liberal Party. This term was commonly believed for six years from 1960 to 1966 (Cuccioletta & Lubin, 2003). Before the Quiet Revolution, Quebec was under control of its leader Maurice Duplessis, who is an ideologically conservative traditional politician. He insisted on preserving the traditional role of Quebec from 1944 to 1959. It is believed that some policies of Duplessis’s regime were regarded as the factors that resulted in the Quiet Revolution. In the first place, Duplessis has dominated Quebec’s economy in his term as the leader of government, and he almost expropriated the autonomy of his ministers and place Quebec’s economy in the hand of foreign companies. The profile of Quebec before the Quiet Revolution is a church-ridden and agricultural society while some other North American countries were industrialized ones in the same time period (Behiels, 1985, P. xi). Duplessis encouraged and entrusted the development of Quebec economy to the English-speaking Canadians and some foreign companies. At the meantime, he set barriers, and even block the development to French-Canadians’ economic groups. Therefore, foreign companies and English-Canadians owned much more power and rights than the French-Canadians; francophones have no choice but to work for Anglophone and foreign companies. Nevertheless, French-Canadians still obtained much lower wages compared to English-speaking workers. These unfair treatments to francophones led to unsatisfied of the contemporary government. Besides supporting the English-speaking and foreign economy, in Duplessis era, positive interference of unio... ...identity regarded themselves as Quebecers but French-Canadians no longer. Works Cited Behiels, M.D (1985). Prelude to Quebec's Quiet Revolution: Liberalism versus Neo-nationalism 1945-1960. Kinston and Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press. Gagnon, A.G & Montcalm, M.B (1990). Quebec: Beyond The Quiet Revolution . Scarborough: Nelson Canada. Cuccioletta, D. & Lubin, M. (2003, September 22). Article: The Quebec quiet revolution: a noisy evolution. Retrieved February 14, 2011 http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-118986705.html Gauvreau, M. (2005). The Catholic origins of Quebec's Quiet Revolution, 1931-1970. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press Clibbon, J. (2010, June 21). Re-examining the roots of Quebec’s ‘Quiet Revolution’. Retrieved 2 24, 2o11, from CBCNews. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2010/06/18/f-quebec-conradblack-interview.html

Commercials

On TV today we see lots of commercials that show what the world and our peers want us to be. Commercials also show what clothes we should wear and what foods we should eat. There are commercials that show people with healthy and in shape bodies trying to get us to eat properly because looking at them will make us want to have that kind of body and will make us buy whatever it is they are selling. So in seeing those commercials every day, some of us start to think that we are not good enough, and we think we have to look our best to fit in with everyone else. The clothes you wear will show who you are and will show how people will Judge you.If a person is wearing old smelly clothes then people might think he is not a very clean person and that he may not have much money to buy all the new clothes. Now if you are wearing the newest Polo that Just came out, then you have money and people will think you are a clean well-dressed person. That clothes you wear will certainly have an impact on how people look at you. There are on commercials on TV today with professional athletes eating certain foods and wearing and buying certain clothes and we look at them and say to ourselves that we want to be like them.So we will go out and buy the new clothes they have and go eat where they do so that we will be as cool as them. Because they are portrayed as very influential people in the world, we see them and say, if I can be like that, then I will be cool. There are many commercials today that show how we should eat to get that perfect body that all the super starts and the professional athletes have. The men are always with beautiful women, and the women are always with handsome men. So we go and buy the food they eat so we will that the bodies they have.We also go and ay the videos that make you look like the big football player or the best trainer in America. We go and buy all of these things so we can possibly be accepted by our peers. Looking at the commercials on TV toda y, we see most of them show what we should wear and eat to be like all the athletes and movie starts and buy seeing that we try our best to be as much like them as possible so we will be accepted in our society today. Showing the lives and bodies of celebrities make us want to buy the videos, food, and clothes that they buy, is a good way to make money and to make us think all these things will make us look good.

Auditing Chaper 2&3

Chapter 2 2-7 The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) is responsible for establishing auditing standards for audits of public companies. The ASB is responsible for establishing auditing standards for private companies. 2-10 The criticism of this statement according to the ten generally accepted auditing standards that the standards should provide useful guidelines for conducting an audit to improve practitioners’ quality of their performance.Based upon ten generally accepted auditing standards, the quality control system can provide only reasonable assurance, not a guarantee, that auditing standards followed with a professional judgment of their opinion. 2-16 a. The first general standard, which states in part, that a person must perform the audit or persons having adequate technical training, requires that an auditor have education and experience in the field of auditing. . The measures of the quality of the auditor’s performance are by accepting the gene ral standards of auditing. c. The general group of the generally accepted auditing standards includes a requirement of due professional care be exercised by the auditor. d. The criteria of audit plan and evidence gathering the general character of the three generally accepted auditing standards classified as standards of fieldwork. 2-20 a.The ethical implications of Rossi and Montgomery’s accepting the engagement is having adequate training and proficiency, due professional care, proper planning and supervision, sufficient understanding of the entity, its environment, and its internal control. Since Mobile Home Manufacturing Company decided to issue stock to the public and Rossi and Montgomery’s CPA firm never had a client to go public or might not had proper training of filling necessary paperwork for SEC should not accept the engagement. b.The auditor may face some problems when filing the SEC of the following: new securities registration statement submitted for appr oval, commission examines the statements for completeness before allowing their client to sell on the securities exchange, and require the financial statements along with the opinion of the independent firm to be part of the registration statement and subsequent reports. Let us not forget the auditor must file all of the proper paperwork from the S-1 form to register new security and any other special S-forms.The 8-K form includes the sale of subsidiary, change in officer, a new product line, or change of auditors. The 10-K form must file the annual report within 60 to 90 days after the close of each fiscal year according to the size of company. The 10-Q form must be file quarterly for all public held companies that contain valuable information within the financials to be review by the auditors before filing with the commission. Chapter 3 3-23 a.The report includes additional paragraphs for the definition and limitations of internal control of the combined report on the financial st atements and internal control over financial reporting is correct. b. The date of the CPA’s opinion on the financial statements of the client should be the date of the completion of all important audit procedures. c. If a principal auditor decides to refer in his or her report to the audit of another auditor, he or she is required to disclose the portion of the financial statements audited by the other auditor. -25 a. A CPA will issue an adverse auditor’s opinion if the exception to the fairness of presentation is so material that an â€Å"except for† opinion is not justified. b. An auditor will most likely disclaim an opinion because of a client-imposed scope limitation. c. The paragraph expresses an qualified opinion â€Å"In our opinion, except for the effects of not capitalizing certain lease obligations, as discussed in the preceding paragraph, the financial statements present fairly†, in all material respects,†¦ 3-26 a.It allows immaterial erro rs to be review if the financial statements show misinformation within the transactions and balances. b. Using the phrase â€Å"In conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America† rather than â€Å"are properly stated to represent the true economic conditions† indicate the auditor followed standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. Because financial statements prepared in accordance with U. S. accounting principles and audited in accordance with U. S. uditing standards are available throughout the world on the Internet, the country of origin of the accounting principles used in preparing the financial statements and auditing standards followed by the auditor identified in the audit report. c. Using the phrase â€Å"In our opinion† indicates that maybe some information risk associated with the financial statements, even though the statements been audit. Also, the first and fourth generally accepted auditin g reporting standards that require auditors to state an opinion about the financial statements taken as whole, including a conclusion about whether the company followed U.S. generally accepted accounting principles or the IFRS issued by the IASB. d. The name identifies that CPA firm or practitioner who performed the audit to ensure the quality of the audit meets professional standards of legal and responsibility. e. Using material misstatement within the audit report conveys that the auditors are responsible only to search for significant misstatements, not the minor misstatements that do not affect users’ decisions.

Smoke n Mirrors Essay

Smoke n Mirrors Essay Smoke n Mirrors Essay A comparison of the gender roles of men versus women shows the belief in prejudicial attitude, which was an essential part of the 1940’s era, and the preconceptions that shaped the point of views of the author Scott Russell Sanders. These preconceived notions of yesteryear complicate relations between young men and women of today. The author wonders how deep the past goes, and he contends that it goes even deeper than speech. In the essay, â€Å"The Men We Carry in our Minds† Sanders reflects on his childhood of how he perceived men and women. Women’s roles in society has changed dramatically in just thirty short years. He speculates the women’s movement of the 80’s has been predetermined. His experiences as a child of the 1940’s era led him to believe in sexism of both genders. The roles of men were to work hard and laborious in his observation. This type of hard work ethic physically broke down a man’s body. The men who labored with these bodies had forearms ropy with muscles, their nails of their hands were black and split, and marked with scars. Heavy lifting had worn out their backs and stomachs were strained from hernias. It was not until college that he reveled in the idea that women did more than just live in comfort and leisure. To understand the grievances of a woman baffled him. Women read books, were interested in art, music, and literature. They did not have to work in factories, mines or even go to war. Women to the author stayed home, raised children, ran

Classic Comparative Advantage vs. Porter's Competative Advantage Essay

Classic Comparative Advantage vs. Porter's Competative Advantage - Essay Example These five forces explain the rules of competition in any industry. As per Porter, the ultimate aim of any competitive strategy is to cope and change the rules in the behavior of any firm. (Porter’s 5 Forces and Industry Structure, n.d.) The firms create competitive advantage by discovering better and innovative ways and bring them to the market that act as an innovation. These innovations shift the competitive advantage when the rivals fail to perceive new ways of competing or are unable to respond. It is quite obvious that there are noticeable advantages for the early movers. The typical causes that shift the competitive advantage are shifting buyer needs, new technologies, changes in government regulations, shifting the availability or input costs, and the emergence of any new industry segment. A particular firm gains the competitive advantage by performing the strategically important activities in a more cheap way than its competitors. In other words, it is able to deliver similar benefits like its competitors, but at a much lower cost. A firm might also deliver benefits that exceed the benefits of its competitive products. Therefore, competitive advantage enables a firm in order to create greater value for the customers and in turn, higher benefits for itself. Thus, Michael Porter has identified two types of competitive advantages; differentiation advantage and cost advantage. (Competitive Advantage, n.d.) David Ricardo has explained the famous theory of Comparative Advantage in explaining foreign trade. Explaining with the example of two nations and two commodities, he argued that trade is beneficial even if one country has absolute cost advantage over the other country in both the commodities. Ricardo has argued that there are gains from the trade, even if a particular nation specializes completely in the production of a particular good, which has a

Mergers & Acquisitions. Sprint-T-Mobile Term Paper

Mergers & Acquisitions. Sprint-T-Mobile - Term Paper Example The prospective merger between T-Mobile and Sprint has evoked mixed opinions among the shareholders of both the companies. T-Mobile USA is a subsidiary of German based Deutsche Telekom AG (DTE). The intention of DTE is to sell off the entity to Sprint and own a major stake in the combined entity. (Saitto et.al., 2011) The merger will be positive for both the companies in terms of the market presence. As of now both the companies are the third and the fourth largest operators. This deal would be beneficial for the shareholders of T-Mobile. The shareholders of T-Mobile are already worried with the recent drop in its share price due to drop in quarter-on-quarter profits. Therefore, any possible merger is an opportunity for the shareholders to sell the shares on a price better that a market price. Moreover, for those shareholders who are not selling off the shares, it is an opportunity for them to get more shares allotted in the new entity. The situation is slightly different in terms of the shareholders of Sprint. Sprint has a strong technology back up to compete with all the competitors in the market. â€Å"Sprint Nextel has partnered with Clearwire to build a 4G wireless network using a technology called WiMax, which is now available in 43 markets.† (ABMN, 2010) Sprint is already committed to pay Clearwire Corporation for building 4G wireless technology. Sprint is bound to pay Clearwire a minimum amount of $850 million in two years. This can even go up based on the growth in data usage. This deal though was spread over for 2 to 3 years will raise the debt level of the company. A potential merger with T-Mobile will further raise the debt level of Sprint. This will be threatening for the financial position of the company. Eventually this can lead to loss for the shareholders. At this point, it is important to look at the financial position of both the companies. T-Mobile has been facing serious decline in its cu stomer base and profitability for some quarters now. All other players in the market are well equipped with sufficient technologies to capitalize the future market. It is difficult for T-Mobile to capture additional customers as they lack the technology strength to do so. Therefore, the customer and profit erosion for T-Mobile will be much faster in the coming years. â€Å"During the first quarter of 2011, T-Mobile saw its revenue hit $4.63 billion, putting it in line with the first quarter of 2010. However, the company’s profit fell over $200 million year over year from $362 million last year to $135 million in the first quarter of 2011.† (Reisinger, 2011) The total customer loss in 2010 alone was 56,000. The second quarter results of the company have shown a decrease in the total assets to $46,291 million from that of $46,299 million. Cash and equivalents have decreased to $109 million from that of $344 million. There is an increase in the total liabilities of the co mpany. Sprint Nextel is better positioned than T-mobile in terms of the financial position. Unlike T-Mobile, Sprint reported first quarterly revenue after 3 years. Sprint was also undergoing a loss of revenue since 2007. (Bloomberg, 2011) The net incomes were on the negative side year on year. The first quarterly revenue was in fact a positive sign that the financial position of the company will pick up. But then the second quarter results were again on the negative side for the company. (Sprint, 2011) These negative revenues have taken a tall on the cash flow of the company. Especially at this stage when the Sprint is