Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 7

Leadership - Essay Example The manner in which he comes into contact with his sub-ordinates and even his peers is something that demands a change within his character for the boost in the environment which can only be regarded as a positive one. I believe such tactics of authoritative leadership use a great deal of negative power and influence and hence the end result is one of failure and distress for just about everyone in the organization. The employees start leaving their jobs because they feel they have been hard done by, by the leader as well as given constant negative vibes which have more or less affected the workplace in a very appalling manner. Thus morally these tactics have meant problems for the people and hence there would be no doubt in stating that such authoritative leadership regimes are wrong in all ways and means. These must be avoided in order to secure better productivity levels within the ranks of the organization. Effective leadership requires that the leader becomes a role model for his sub-ordinates and peers and gives exemplary performance under trying circumstances. This is a hallmark of effective leadership since its basis comes about with the significance of proper attention towards detail and the adequate handling of people at the workplace. Also an effective leader does not go back on his words and shows to his fellow colleagues that he puts his mouth where his actions speak louder than words. His practical demonstration of work ethos is thus manifested in the real sense of the word. Effective leadership requires commanding dignity within the sub-ordinates and the top bosses in the organization. It also means that the employees are treated with respect and given the space that they richly deserve. Similarly effective leadership comes about in full circle when the other departments within the same organization take such leadership domains as the role model and try to implement the same within their ranks as well. This is indeed a criterion

How Pulp Fiction can be read as postmodern Essay

How Pulp Fiction can be read as postmodern - Essay Example The term post-modernist, often used to refer to art and architecture, was applied to this film, and there was even a new word made specially to reflect this, namely â€Å"pulpmodernist.†1 The phrase pulp fiction refers to popular novels which are bought in large numbers by less well educated people and enjoyed for their entertainment value. The implication is that the film concerns topics of interest to this low culture, but as this essay will show, in fact the title is ironic and the film is a very intellectual presentation of issues at the heart of contemporary western culture and philosophy. Writing ten years before Tarantino made Pulp Fiction, the academic and critic Frederic Jameson identified some of the key features of postmodernism, and debated whether these were a true departure from modernism, or just a continuation of the same rebellious themes. His paper on postmodernism2 tends towards the latter view, but at the same time prophetically pinpointed the essential dep artures that postmodernism has made from what has gone before. Tarantino’s film does not continue the debate in an academic way, but instead presents a virtuoso visual performance of the ideas that Jameson could only dimly perceive. These ideas include pastiche, a crisis in historicity and a blurring of the distinction between high culture and low culture. One way that Tarantino uses pastiche is when he introduces very evocative settings, like for example the restaurant setting of Jackrabbit Slim’s Diner. The decor is flamboyantly 1950s style, which is not in keeping with the more modern setting of the main action in the film. The film set is exaggerated, with customers actually sitting in cars, and the waiters and waitresses dressed up as famous 1950s characters like Elvis Presley and Marylin Monroe. On another level the film plays with the cultural connections that the actor John Travolta has with the 1950s. The musical film Grease which is perhaps Travolta’s most famous film, takes place in this kind of setting. When Travolta’s character in Pulp Fiction encounters this scene, playing a much older character, and in a much more adult and violent film, it causes an ironic ripple. The audience makes an instinctive connection with what they know outside the film, and this explodes the usual time and action frame of film. In Pulp Fiction Vegas begins to dance and this again brings in a whole host of meanings related to the famous dance between Travolta and Olivia Newton John in Grease. In the later film, however, this is no innocent flirting between teenagers. The new context is a dangerous flirtation with the wife of a deadly killer, and both of the participants are adults who know the consequences of their actions. Critics have noted that this, also is ironic, quoting elements of older film styles: â€Å"The story of the flirtatious boss’s wife draws on established elements from the gangster genre, while her overdose provides an unexpected Gothic reference.†3 The trickle of dark blood from the pale body of Mia (Uma Thurma) is what recalls the Gothic horror genre. These evocative touches characterise Tarantino’s exuberant style. The scene where Vincent takes Mia to Jackrabbit Slim’s Diner and then home is therefore like a pastiche of Grease, and also of old gangster movies, and then also horror films, using exaggerated and deliberate quotation of key visual features to add new and unexpected layers of meaning to the story. This layering of images from earlier artistic works creates a pastiche with a particularly nostalgic affect. Jameson remarks that this is an

Parallels In U.S. History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Parallels In U.S. History - Essay Example The Confederates were defeated and surrendered on April 9, 1865. The Civil War succeeded in providing equal civil rights to all Americans. On January 1, 1863, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation that declared freedom for slaves in all Confederate States. Congress passed the 13th (1865), 14th (1868) and 15th (1870) Amendments to the Constitution outlawing slavery, confirming citizenship of blacks and making it illegal to deny the right to vote on the basis of race. Business and the Economy developed and expanded after the Civil War. American industry changed dramatically. Machines were used to replace hand labor. Major inventions took place such as the typewriter (Christopher Latham Sholes), farm equipment (Deere & Co.) and celluloid (John Wesley Hyatt). Telegraph lines and railroads began to reshape the economy. The American Railway system became a nationwide transportation network that spurred economic growth. Investors invested huge sums of money in the stocks and bonds of corporations; banks lent corporations money to expand their business activities. Industrial growth caused cities to expand as people began to migrate in record numbers. In contrast, the South, badly hit by major wartime losses, failed Confederate currencies and disintegrated labor supply, suffered a doomed economy, with large farms broken into parcels and given out to tenant farming: the tenant farmers lacked the incentive to improve land that was not their own, and the l and owners did not have full control over production. In Art and Architecture, artists like Jasper Cropsey and Albert Bioerstadt popularized landscape painting. American realism entered art during the Civil War with artists like Winslow Homer and Lily Martin Spencer painting civil war scenes. The Civil War resulted in a large demand for statues of leading figures such

The factors restraining investment in the oil and gas industry Dissertation

The factors restraining investment in the oil and gas industry - Dissertation Example Investment is an important source of capital for growth in the developing countries. It provides a package of new technologies, management techniques, finance and market access for the production of goods and services; and thus contributes significantly to raise the productivity in the host countries in attaining their overall economic growth. An investment is been determined by balance, opportunity, and risk, which are relative concepts, especially with respect to Exploration activities. Opportunity involved in finding commercial quantities of oil and gas, the intensive capital required for undertaking exploration and production result in significant business risks. In many developing countries, the transformation from an agricultural and resource based economy to the export-led economy has contributed to higher energy consumption. Although they are oil & gas reserves located in those countries; very few had sufficient financial resources for the upstream investments, especially for the development of oil & gas exploration and production. Government can promote investment opportunity by adopting a proactive approach to selecting foreign partner towards improving entry procedure moreover, reducing red tape in oil and gas sector operation. However, many countries had granted development rights to foreign Companies, which have adequate capital, technology, and expertise; still some foreign Companies are not investing in those countries for many reasons.

Enron Corporation Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Enron Corporation - Case Study Example Executive Summary Some stories are so unbelievable that they become Hollywood movies. One of those stories is the Enron scandal. The movie called Enron the Smartest Guys in the Room was created based on the Enron story. Enron was once the biggest company in the energy industry, but a complex fraudulent scheme that began many years prior to the revelation of the fraud led to its demise. The corporate executives of the company were the primary agents that designed one the biggest accounting scandals in United States history. Two of the accounting tools that were used by Enron to cook up the numbers were market to market accounting and off balance sheet liabilities. The company would own only 49% of a subsidiary in order not to have to report liabilities of the entity. Debt from Enron was hidden in thousands of hedge funds or subsidiaries. It was all a huge scam. The organization violated or used to its advantage a variety of organizational theories. Five of the theories that influenced the behavior of Enron management and its employees were agency problem, corporate culture, teamwork, perception, and leadership. Agency problems exist at Enron in terms of the yearly bonuses, inside trading activity, and in the partnership scheme particularly the LJM partnership. The executive management team colluded with each other in a team effort. The leadership abilities of the top executive managers were outstanding. The corporate culture of the company was based on greed, disloyalty, and unethical behavior. The managers of the company were able to create a perception of a superb company that had tremendous financial performance. This was not true since the company was a fraudulent firm. Statement of the Problem Enron Corporation cooked up the numbers by violating the conservatism principle in market to market transactions and used deceptive accounting practices to hide liabilities by creating a complex network of partnerships. The mastermind of the network hedge funds was An dy Fastow. All the top corporate executives were crooked. The traders were unethical and money hungry. In a partnership called LJM Fastow stole $45 million. The company had a rotten corporate culture where the employees had tough pressures to perform or they would be fired. The company got corrupted and collusion occurred which led to the biggest corporate crime of the 21 century. Analysis of the Problem The Enron accounting scandal was a well orchestrated machine. Prior to the whistleblower revealing the truth nobody knew that the accounting of the company was not truthful. The Securities and Exchange Commission approved the use of market to market accounting for Enron. They could have never imagined that it was going to be used as a tool for deception and financial fraud. When the company got a new energy contract they would recognized the profits immediately without any cash coming in. The executives exaggerated the benefits of the energy contracts in order to boost profits and r eceive bonuses and rewards for fake money. The company was creating monopoly money that did not really exist. In the year 2000 the company reported $1 billion in profits. The truth was that they did not make any money whatsoever. The company for years was overstating the value of the energy contracts. As time passed most of the earnings did not manifest themselves. The company in reality was

Strategic Management, What Is It Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Strategic Management, What Is It - Essay Example Essentially, strategic management is a vehicle for giving forward-looking leadership concerning the most essential issues of concern to an organization and its surroundings in a very determined, efficient, and valuable manner. At the heart of the progression is "the communal management of a strategic agenda that transforms as an organization's problems and opportunities transform. Effective strategic management needs intensive, continuous, and collective concern of senior management" (Eadie and Stein bacher , 1985, p. 425 ). The purpose of strategic management is to help formulate, implement, and evaluate cross-functional decisions in such a way as to assist the organization in achieving its long-term objectives. The strategic management process is seen as "an objective, logical and systematic approach for making major decisions in an organization" (David, 1997: 6) in which both analysis and intuition have a role to play. Effective strategic management entails the configuration of a strategic management group to give leadership for the process. Characteristically, the framework of this group will comprise the C.E.O., top-line managers, and key executive staff members. In a small organization, for example, the strategic management group might comprise the mayor or the city manager and the heads of numerous operating departments. It is the responsibility of the strategic management team to give the configuration for developing and modernizing strategic plans and for guiding their realization in all areas. As strategic management is a continuous process, the strategic management group must meet on a usual basis to confer strategies, monitor development, evaluate efficiency, and generally sustain a shared focus on the strategic agenda. This comprises identifying newly promising strategic issues, estimate problems and opportunities as they develop, adapting strategies, and giving direction and control over completion plans to preceding the strategic agenda efficiently. Sporadically, it may consequence in the development of new strategic initiatives. The strategic management process also may rivet a strategic planning systems approach in which planning efforts at different levels are centrally coordinated within the frame of an organization wide strategic planning process. With the acceptance of this overall plan, the strategic management group might well direct the operating departments to originate their own strategic plans, which counter to mandates established in the overall plan and also address strategic concerns at their own level. The strategic management convenes cross-departmental task forces or action teams to plan more

Response paper to this qustionIn Candide, what are the various Essay

Response paper to this qustionIn Candide, what are the various attitudes, ideas, and behaviors that Voltaire is lampooning - Essay Example Voltaire's Candide shows the complete transformation of philosophical idelogoly of Pangloss that this is the best of all possible worlds. This may clearly fit to a person someone like Candide who is not aware of the outside world other than his baron's castle. But in reality, world is full of misery and corruption. The change in the mindset of a person depending on the situation is rightly presented throughout the process as he sees corruption and violence all over the world. It must be noticed that Voltaire has criticized the ideology of various characters and has tried to enlighten us about the real world. Candide is an exemplary work by Voltaire as he brings to light the behavior of various characters and criticizes the philosophies and ideologies of various religions like Roman Catholic Church, Islam and others. The idea of free will is questioned by an individual's control over his own destiny. Voltaire criticizes the idea of free will through Candide as a person is predestined to act irrespective of the fact whether he is doing good or evil. The main notion as stated by Pangloss that "there is no effect without a cause' and "we live in the best of all possible worlds and whatever happens is for the best' is strongly ridiculed as there is lot of violence and bloodshed resulting in loss of lives.