An investigation to find out the effect of respiration in yeast when Essay

An investigation to find out the effect of respiration in yeast when sugar is added to a flour-and-water dough - Essay Example Main experiment: - With the help of a plastic spoon or spatula some yeast is to be placed in a weigh boat on the balance and 10 grams of yeast is to be measured out. Next, using a separate weigh boat, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 grams of sugar are to be measured out. 50 gms of dough is to be kneaded by using same proportions of water and flour in separate weigh boats. Subsequently, a mixture of 10 grams of yeast and equal amounts of dough, thoroughly mixed, are to be placed in 7 balloons. The contents of these balloons are to thoroughly mixed once again. Then a piece of string is to be used in order to tie the balloon just above the mixture in it. This is to ensure that there is no air inside it. After this the balloon must be pressed gently from the sides in order to expel any air left inside and a tight double knot is to be tied with a piece of string. The excess string is to be left on the balloon. The rubber band is to be knotted as closely as possible to the knot in the string. These balloons are to be placed on ice in order to prevent fermentation. Similarly, all 7 balloons are to be prepared using the 0,5,10,15,20,25,30 grams of sugar. These balloons are to be labeled as A,B,C,D,E,F,G respectively. Next, their volume is to be determined using the water displacement method. In this method, a 600 ml beaker or large jar is to be placed in an overflow pan. This container is to be filled to the very top with tap water. The balloon is to be completely submerged in the water by pushing it under the water and allowing the water to spill over the sides and into the pan. This process is to be stopped when the fingers touch the water. The water in the pan is the volume of the balloon. This is to be measured carefully in a graduated cylinder and recorded on a data table. After this the balloon is to be put back in the ice immediately. It is sufficient to measure a single balloon’s

The purpose of this experiment Essay Example for Free

The purpose of this experiment Essay The purpose of this experiment is to measure the pulse flow of blood through the finger and correlate it with ECG. In addition, we examined the effects of hot and cold temperature on peripheral circulation. It was hypothesized that the temperature and exercise would increase the cardiac cycle and pulse pressure. Three participants were doing the experiment. A 19 year old female, who weighs 110 pound, drinks coffee often times and nonsmoker, did the exercise. A 20 year old female, weighs 135 pounds, non coffee drinker and nonsmoker did the cold temperature. Also a 20 year old female, weighing 106 pounds, non smoker and non coffee drinker did the hot temperature. Electrodes were placed on left ankle, right hand and left hand. Besides that, pulse transducer was attached in finger. Baseline was established, 3 cardiac cycles and 3 pulse pressures were measured at rest. We did this in the same way for each individual. In addition, we did 3 cardiac cycles and 3 pulse pressure after exercise and temperature experiment. The effect of cold temperature did make variation in heart rate and pulse. Figure 1 shows that heart rate decreased when participant placed her hand in cold water. In the same way, figure 2 shows decrease in heart rate when the participant placed her hand in hot water. Figure 3 shows that exercise increased the heart rate of the participant. The results we observed for the cold temperature experiment was decrease in temperature. In other words, we observed a gradual decrease in heart rate after the participant put her hands in cold water. In addition, we noticed an increase in pulse rate after the experiment. Also, we noticed decrease in heart rate and increase in pulse rate for hot temperature experiment. But when I did research I found that the heart rate should increase in cold temperature and should decrease in pulse rate. Also for the hot temperature the heart rate must increase and pulse rate should decrease. So I can not interpret the result. However, for the exercise we noticed increase in heart rate and pulse rate. Resting and exercise heart rate are controlled by the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system prepares the body for physical activity by increasing heart rate, blood pressure and respiration. Once exercise begins, the sympathetic nervous system is activated and the heart rate rises quickly. The parasympathetic division helps slow down heart rate and respiration. At rest, the heart is controlled by the parasympathetic division, which is why the average resting heart rate is 72 bpm or less. During exercise, the release of epinephrine and norepinephrine stimulate receptors in the heart which causes heart rate to increase. J. Grayson, Reactions of the peripheral circulation to external heat, J Physiology vloume 1, pg 53-63. www. pubmed. com Sandercock, et al. Effect of exercise on heart rate variability, 03/28/2005, www. medscape. com M Buchheit, J J Peiffer, C R Abbiss, P B Laursen. Effect of cold water immersion on postexercise parasympathetic reactivation. American Journal of Physiology : Heart and circulatory physiology 296. 2 (2009): H421. Sciences Module. ProQuest. University Park, PA. 23 Feb. 2009 http://www. proquest. com

Progressivism on a National Level :: essays research papers

Reform of corrupt businesses and government first drew attention at local and state levels. Big businesses in the late 1800s preferred profit over patriotism, credit over honor, individual gain over national prosperity, and trade and dickering over principles. It was not until 1901, when Theodore Roosevelt became president, that progressivism was brought to the national level. During Roosevelt’s presidency, he would push reform as much as possible by strengthening the power of the federal government. The Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 was an early attempt to try to control abuses by large combinations of businesses called trusts. The Act was weakened by the Supreme Court used against labor unions rather than against monopolies. Roosevelt’s first push for reform on the national level began with a secret antitrust investigation of the J. P. Morgan’s Northern Securities Company whom monopolized railroad traffic. After successfully using his powers in government to control businesses, Roosevelt used the Sherman Antitrust Act against forty-three â€Å"bad† trusts that broke the law and left the â€Å"good† trusts alone. When united mine workers went on strike demanding less hours, more money, and recognition as a union, the price of coal went from $2.50 to $6.00 a ton. With the nation’s high dependence on coal during the winter, Roosevelt arranged a meeting with representatives from both sides to meet. He threatened to seize the mines and run them with federal troops and eventually settled it by giving them a reduction in the workday and wage increases, but no recognition as a union. Another Act that expanded the federal government’s power included the Elkins Act which outlawed railroad rebates and created the Department of Commerce and Labor to act as a corporate watchdog. The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) was created in 1887 to regulate railroads but was never given real power to set rates and prevent discriminatory practices. To increase the power of the ICC, Roosevelt passed the Hepburn Act of 1906, and for the first time, a government commission could investigate private business records and set rates. When Upton Sinclair’s novel The Jungle was published, reformers took another look at the meatpacking industry. The novel’s startling accounts of filthy conditions in the meatpacking plants resulted in the passing of the Pure Food and Drug Act and a Meat Inspection Act.

Philosophy Educating Humanity? :: Philosophy Philosophical Papers

Philosophy Educating Humanity? ABSTRACT: Over two millennia of Western philosophy has not yet contributed much to the education of humanity. Philosophy has almost always been the exclusive domain of a small group of men. This elite character makes the assumption that philosophy could contribute to the education of human beings towards humanity — a humanity of human rights — improbable. If we want to educate human beings towards humanity, we will first have to teach them a sense of responsibility. The power of persuasion needed in order to teach such a sense of responsibility requires that we demonstrate our involvement in and co-responsibility for their concrete problems by presenting clear analyses of these problems and by setting a good example wherever possible. One of the most universal and concrete problems of life is the issue of procreation. As regards this issue, however, philosophers have failed miserably: they themselves have often exhibited irresponsible procreation and have, in fact, only recently begun to consider the issue a subject for philosophy. I will try to analyze when a decision to procreate or abort may be called responsible and whether and to what extent the applications of modern techniques such as in vitro fertilization are in line with our views of human rights. Two and a half thousand years of Western philosophy have not yet contributed much to the education of humanity. Philosophy has always been the almost exclusive domain of a small group of men, conversing in esoteric language on the most abstract of subjects, without being much concerned about the needs of the ordinary people around them. This elitism undermines the assumption that philosophy could contribute to the education of humanity as a whole, and it makes the assumption that it could contribute to the education of human beings towards humanity — a humanity of human rights — entirely improbable. If we want to educate human beings towards humanity we will first have to teach them a sense of responsibility: the awareness that each is responsible for his or her own actions and the consequences which can be expected to ensue, together with the awareness that a person’s rights and freedoms may not encroach upon the corresponding rights and freedoms of another. The power of persuasion needed in order to teach such a sense of responsibility requires that we demonstrate our involvement in and co-responsibility for their concrete problems, by presenting clear analyses of these problems and by setting a good example wherever possible.

Racism: Communication and Robert B. Moore

Racism in the English Language Robert B. Moore 1) Explain why language is an integral part of any culture. Why is it important to study language? Language is necessary to culture because it shows an understanding that differentiates between other cultures. Language is vital for communication; we are able to express our thoughts, ideas and especially because it is one of the main ways we can communicate. 2) According to Moore, how do the symbolic meanings attached to whiteness and blackness affect beauty ideals in our society?Moore was emphasizing on the complete opposite meaning of black and white; white symbolizes such as purity and positivity, while black symbolizes negativity and wickedness. The racism between the within the language affects the beauty ideals in society by stressing on which is more â€Å"admirable†, blondes with blue eyes or â€Å"dusky. † 3) Explain how the statement â€Å"slaves were brought to America† is misleading and inaccurate?The stat ement is inaccurate because the European immigrants did not just bring them to America; they destroyed the culture of many African tribes, separated families, sold them across vast areas in the Americas as if they were merchandise. 4) In your own words, describe what a â€Å"loaded† word is. What are some examples? When a simple term is said and it is blown out of proportion to evoke emotion. For example, if one is Filipino and called chink. Chink is a loaded word because its negatively used. 5) Explain how the casual use of the words â€Å"gay† and â€Å"fag† can influence our perceptions of the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) community.The casual use of the words stated may influence our perception of the sexually varying community by instigating hate with in us for someone being different. Violent words can force someone to feel fear, which in turn can cause a sexually different person to be scared of admitting their difference. Using such words wi ll also influence our thoughts of such groups negatively as the usage of the words in today's culture is frowned upon due to it being offensive, even if one is not applicable to the term.

Culture and Organizational Change

Culture and Organizational Change Free Online Research Papers The concept of culture is particularly important when attempting to manage organization-wide change. Practitioners are coming to realize that, despite the best-laid plans, organizational change must include not only changing structures and processes, but also changing the corporate culture as well. (www.carla.umn.edu/culture.html) accessed 10th March 2008. An effective organizational culture aligns with the business strategy to ensure that the company meets its long-term goals, writes Vinita Gupta. Corporate culture has a major impact on employee morale and productivity. It is not about just being a good employer, but about having employees committed to the vision and the strategy of the organization, and possessing the will and the means to make these a reality. Creating and sustaining a healthy, vibrant culture requires reinforcement of the culture through daily and proactive conversations and communications. The failure to discuss the values, purpose, and rules within a group often leads to a culture that is at cross purposes with the stated intention of the group. Poor communication creates a lot of confusion and often a crisis of meaninglessness. Retrieved from evc.msh.org on 15/3/2008 Culture change is difficult and time consuming because culture is rooted in the collective history of an organization, and because so much of it is below the surface of awareness. In general, the process of culture change must include the following steps, Herbert (1976): Uncover core values and beliefs. These may include stated values and goals, but they are also embedded in organizational metaphors, myths, and stories, and in the behaviors of members. Acknowledge, respect, and discuss differences between core values and beliefs of different subcultures within the organization. Look for similarity between conscious and unconscious beliefs and values and resolve by choosing those to which the organization wishes to commit. Establish new behavioral norms (and even new metaphor language) that clearly demonstrate desired values. Repeat these steps over a long period of time. As new members enter the organization, assure that they are surrounded with clear messages about the culture they are entering. Reinforce desirable behavior. The culture of a group can now be defined as: A pattern of shared basic assumptions that the group learned as it solved its problems of external adaptation and internal integration, that has worked well enough to be considered valid and therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems. (Schein 373-374) According to Edgar Schein, cultural analysis is especially valuable for dealing with aspects of organizations that seem irrational, frustrating, and intractable. He writes, The bottom line for leaders is that if they do not become conscious of the cultures in which they are embedded, those cultures will manage them. (Schein 375) Forces that act as a stimulant for change, Robbins, (2001): 1. Changing nature of the workforce almost every organization has to adjust to a multi cultural environment. Human resource policies and practices have to change in order to attract and keep this more diverse work force. 2. Technology the substitution of computer control for direct supervision is resulting in wider span of control for managers and flatter organizations. Many jobs are being reshaped because of this. 3. Economic shocks economic problems within the country the organization is operating in or other countries it has links to may lead to a need for change of strategy. 4. Competition Global economy means that competitors are likely to come across different borders. An organization needs to change to be able to survive with the new competition knocking at its door. Development of new product or improvement on existing ones may aid in this aspect. 5. Social trends attitudes towards something e.g. attitude towards smoking, popularity of products for example sports utility vehicles. 6. World politics for example, opening of markets in china lead to new potential customers to global organizations, Black rule in South Africa caused a restructuring of organizations to be able to accommodate all races in equitable proportions. Change, Its Culture Bound, Robbins (2001) Culture and its environment Culture varies in terms of belief about their ability to control their environment. In cultures where people believe that they can dominate their environment, individuals will take a proactive view of change. In cultures where people see themselves as subjugated to their environment, they would naturally take a passive approach towards change. Culture and time A culture’s time orientation can help with change. Cultures that focus on the long term will generally tend to show patience while waiting for positive outcomes from change efforts. In cultures with short term focus, people expect to see quick improvements and will seek change programs that promise fast results. Culture and change resistance Resistance to change is influenced to a society’s reliance on tradition. Societies that dwell on the past will generally resist change while those that focus on the future aspects of life will be more open and will readily accept change faster. Culture and its influence on change efforts Power distances can explain this further. In high power distance cultures, change efforts will tend to be autocratically implemented by top management. In contrast, low power distance will value democratic methods. Participation from low power distance cultures will be greater due to the democracy of the organization. Culture; Teamwork and Innovation The importance of corporate culture is growing as the result of several recent developments. Companies are encouraging employees to be more responsible and act and think like owners. They are also encouraging teamwork and the formation of teams as a strong culture is one in which they work together effectively, share the same values, and make decisions to meet the organization’s primary goals and objectives. A company must cultivate a creative corporate culture that transcends the ability to capitalize on emerging opportunities, and begins to create and exploit opportunities in the global marketplace Culture and Human Resource While corporate culture is not necessarily the responsibility of HR, the people who are hired and the training and cultural imperatives placed on the business are done through HR, hence it can have a big impact on whether or not the firm is culturally attuned to innovation. Over time, one can argue that innovation is a sustainable competitive advantage, and that businesses that attract and retain creative, innovative people and implement a culture that sustains innovation, will possess a strong competitive advantage. If so, HR will have a huge impact on that company and its culture To answer the question of whether organizational change is good or bad, we will look at the advantages of change and the disadvantages. Whichever outweighs the other is the answer to our question. ADVANTAGES OF ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE 1. Sharing of ideas; In case of mergers there will be an increase in talent and new ideas will emerge from the different bits that individuals bring to the table. With this, you are able to come up with more products that may be enticing to your consumers. 2. Acquisition of new clientele In some cases when an organization changes it is able to serve a much wider client base with more resources or even with redirection of the resources it is currently operating with. Change can simply enhance your appeal to more potential customers and may even sway customers loyal to your competitors. 3. Competitiveness Organizations have to constantly change in order to keep up with the changing market and to be able to keep up with its competitors. This also provides a competitive edge against your competitors who will always be left guessing what you are up to. 4. Retention of employees When an organization seems not to be willing to change the employees get bored with the monotony and will look elsewhere for new opportunities that seem more challenging. With a fresh venture, employees may feel that they are entering into a new chapter in their lives and will be more willing to work for the company due to the enthusiasm of a new venture. 5. Gender equality Being a relatively new concept all organizations must work hard to give their employees equal opportunity according to their capabilities and not because or their sexuality. 6. New challenges Employees get an opportunity to tackle new challenges that arise from organizational change. The organization will also tackle new challenges with the new or expanded market they are in. DISADVANTAGES OF ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE 1. Cultural differences In the case of mergers there will be a conflict in organizational cultures thus it is important for the organizations to agree on the modes that will be used to carry out decisions. This may hamper growth of the organization. 2. Loss of jobs Some people become redundant when new technology is introduced or even mergers take place as they see it as a potential threat to their future. Many companies will tend to lay off these workers because training them will be expensive. 3. Communication breakdown If there is consistent change in an organizations hierarchy there will be a communication breakdown because employees can not keep up with the demands of different individuals. With communication breakdown comes misunderstanding and conflicts may arise. 4. Loss of clientele When some organizations merge or change their names, some clients are left out due to lack of information in the midst of all the confusion. Other clients may not be willing to be part of the change and may opt to go take their business elsewhere. With the above advantages and disadvantages, we see that change is more profitable for an organization and an individual. In management, there is a strong rule of, â€Å"Change or Die!† References 1. Stephen P.R. Organizational Behaviour. 9th Edition Prentice Hall, USA, New Jersey 2001 2. Theodore T. H. Dimensions of Organizational Behaviour. Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc, New York 1976 3. Edgar H. S. Organizational Culture and Leadership. 4. http://carla.umn.edu/culture.html 5. http://books.google.co.ke 6. http://evc.msh.org Research Papers on Culture and Organizational ChangeAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeMoral and Ethical Issues in Hiring New EmployeesIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andQuebec and CanadaResearch Process Part OneThe Project Managment Office SystemEffects of Television Violence on Children

Reading Comprehension Worksheet 1

Reading Comprehension Worksheet 1 In order to get really good at reading comprehension (understanding vocabulary in context, making inferences, determining the authors purpose, etc.), you need to practice. Thats where a reading comprehension worksheet like this one comes in handy. If you need even more practice, check out more reading comprehension worksheets here. Directions: The passage below is followed by questions based on its content; answer the questions on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage. Printable PDFs: Escaping Adolescence Reading Comprehension Worksheet | Escaping Adolescence Reading Comprehension Worksheet Answer Key From Escaping the Endless Adolescence by Joseph Allen and Claudia Worrell Allen. Copyright  © 2009 by Joseph Allen and Claudia Worrell Allen. As 15-year-old Perry shuffled into my office, with his parents trailing tentatively behind, he glanced at me with a strained neutral expression that Id found usually masked either great anger or great distress; in Perrys case it was both. Although anorexia is a disorder most often associated with girls, Perry was the third in a line of anorexic boys I had recently seen. When he came to see me, Perrys weight had dropped to within 10 pounds of the threshold requiring forced hospitalization, yet he denied there was any problem. He just wont eat, his mother began. Then, turning to Perry as if to show me the routine theyd been enacting, she asked with tears in her eyes, Perry, why cant you at least have a simple dinner with us? Perry refused to eat with his family, always claiming he wasnt hungry at the time and that he preferred to eat later in his room, except that that rarely happened. New menus, gentle encouragement, veiled threats, nagging, and outright bribes had all been tried, to no avail. Why would an otherwise healthy 15-year-old boy be starving himself? The question hung urgently in the air as we all talked. Lets be clear from the outset. Perry was a smart, good kid: shy, unassuming, and generally unlikely to cause trouble. He was getting straight As in a challenging and competitive public school honors curriculum that spring. And he later told me that he hadnt gotten a B on his report card since fourth grade. In some ways he was every parents dream child. But beneath his academic success, Perry faced a world of troubles, and while he took awhile to get to know, eventually the problems came pouring out. The problems werent what Id expected, though. Perry wasnt abused, he didnt do drugs, and his family wasnt driven by conflict. Rather, at first glance, his problems would seem more like typical adolescent complaints. And they were, in a way. But it was only as I got to understand him that I realized the adolescent problems Perry experienced werent just occasional irritations, as theyd been for me and my cohort as teens, but rather, had grown to the point where they cast a large shadow over much of his day-to-day world. Id later come to realize that Perry wasnt alone in that regard. One big problem was that while Perry was a strong achiever, he was not at all a happy one. I hate waking up in the morning because theres all this stuff I have to do, he said. I just keep making lists of things to do and checking them off each day. Not just schoolwork, but extracurricular activities, so I can get into a good college. Once he got started, Perrys discontent spilled out in a frustrated monologue. Theres so much to do, and I have to really work to get myself motivated because I feel like none of it really matters... but its really important I do it anyway. At the end of it all, I stay up late, I get all my homework done, and I study really hard for all my tests, and what do I get to show for it all? A single sheet of paper with five or six letters on it. Its just stupid! Perry was gifted enough to jump through the academic hoops that had been set for him, but it felt like little more than hoop-jumping, and this ate at him. But that wasnt his only problem. Perry was well loved by his parents, as are most of the young people we see. But in their efforts to nurture and support him, his parents inadvertently increased his mental strain. Over time, they had taken on all his household chores, in order to leave him more time for schoolwork and activities. Thats his top priority, they said almost in unison when I asked about this. Although removing the chores from Perrys plate gave him a bit more time, it ultimately left him feeling even more useless and tense. He never really did anything for anyone except suck up their time and money, and he knew it. And if he thought about backing off on his schoolwork...well, look how much his parents were pouring into making it go well. Sandwiched between fury and guilt, Perry had literally begun to wither. Reading Comprehension Worksheet Questions 1. This passage is narrated from the point of view of(A) a college professor studying the effects of bulimia on young males.(B) a young male named Perry, struggling with the effects of anorexia.(C) a concerned therapist who works with struggling young adults.(D) a doctor who treats eating, compulsive, and sleeping disorders.(E) a college student working on a thesis about eating disorders in young males. Answer with Explanation 2. According to the passage, Perrys two biggest problems were(A) being an unhappy achiever and his parents increase of his mental strain.(B) his poor attitude toward school and his consumption of everyones time and money.(C) his fury and guilt.(D) drug abuse and conflict within the family.(E) his inability to prioritize and anorexia. Answer with Explanation 3. The primary purpose of the passage is to(A) describe one young mans struggle with anorexia and, in doing so, provide possible reasons a young person may resort to an eating disorder.(B) advocate for young males who are struggling with an eating disorder and the decisions theyve made that have brought them to that struggle.(C) compare one young persons fight against his parents and the eating disorder that is ruining his life to the life of a typical teenager.(D) relate an emotional reaction to the shock of an eating disorder, such as that of Perrys, a typical young adult.(E) explain how todays youth often develop eating disorders and other terrible issues in their overactive lives. Answer with Explanation 4. The author uses which of the following in the sentence starting paragraph 4: But beneath his academic success, Perry faced a world of troubles, and while he took awhile to get to know, eventually the problems came pouring out?  (A) personification(B) simile(C) anecdote(D) irony(E) metaphor Answer with Explanation 5. In the second sentence of the last paragraph, the word inadvertently most nearly means(A) steadily(B) monumentally(C) incrementally(D) mistakenly(E) surreptitiously Answer with Explanation More Reading Comprehension Practice

Free sample - Education is not a Fundamental. translation missing

Education is not a Fundamental. Education is not a FundamentalThe   federal constitution of the united states of America doesn’t give a right to free Education to its citizens. This right is found in the constitutions of the various states. The states have put provisions in their constitution which   guarantee   free Education through the twelfth grade (Armor, 1995). This provision is popularly referred to as the Education article. This is evidenced in the ruling of the   case San   Antonio Independent School   District v Rodriguez , 411 U.S. 1 in the year 1973. In this case, the united sates supreme court reversed a Texas three - judge District court. In a case instigated in the federal district court for the western District of Texas , where   members of a group called the Edgewood Concerned Parent Association representing   their children   sued several school Districts such as San Antonio,   the judge contented that Education was a fundamental right. The verdict said that Education wa s a fundamental right and therefore discouraged discrimination on the bases of poverty. The parents had claims that the District of Edgewood was poor with a low tax base as compared to other Districts ( Armor, 1995). The case advanced through the legal system up to the supreme court but now with the Texas state as the defendant. The case reached the Supreme court in 1972 with a new set of judges being appointed to listen to it. Justice Lewis Powell actually acted as the swing vote in the case (Armor, 1995). The Verdict in part stated that Education was neither explicitly nor implicitly protected in the constitution and that the state of Texas which was the defendant in the case had failed to create a suspect class related to poverty. The court therefore held that Education was not a fundamental right under the U.S. constitution and therefore leaving it upon the states to determine all matters pertaining Education in their areas of jurisdiction. The supreme court also doesn’t explicitly empower congress to legislate on the subject of Education. This means that most federal education legislation falls under the spending clause of the constitution. This is a clause which empowers congress to tax as well as spend for the general welfare. The constitution however gives stipulations as far as the provision is concerned. It requires   that the provision has to be consistent with other constitutional rights provided by the federal government. These include the fourteenth Amendment’s right to protection under the law and the first Amendments right to the free exercise of, as well as the non establishment of a religion. Through this stipulation, the federal government   ensures a provision free of racial segregation and other forms of discrimination. Reference   Armor, D. (1995). Forced Justice : School Desegregation and the Law. New York : Oxford University Press.

Explain the factors influencing demand and supply of motor vehicles Assignment

Explain the factors influencing demand and supply of motor vehicles Explain what effect an increase in the price of petrol is likely to have on equilibrium price - Assignment Example if consumer’s income is reduced then demand for motor vehicles, especially higher priced vehicles, is reduced; as a result the price and supply of vehicles drop. Incidents such as strikes or a rise in the cost of steel incur extra production costs for manufacturers; a rise in output costs means a fall in supply at a higher cost for the vehicles. On the other hand, if production costs are decreased and therefore motor vehicles are cheaper to produce then an increase in supply will occur with a reduction in price. Supply and demand can be illustrated as curves on a graph and where the two curves merge is the equilibrium price and number; the equilibrium sets the benchmark towards which the market moves and if demand and supply swing then the equilibrium correspondingly changes. An increase in petrol prices is an additional drain on consumer’s incomes particularly those who receive low or middle incomes, thus higher petrol prices will affect demand for vehicles in that consumers will not be able to maintain them by way of affording petrol. Demand will therefore drop and the demand curve will move to the left while the curve representing supply will move to the right resulting in a lowering of the equilibrium price of the

Travis perkins performance in the main market Essay

Travis perkins performance in the main market - Essay Example Also, the trading volume of Travis Perkins became excessively high which established a strong performance of the company. This facilitated the inclusion of the company in FTSE 100. The investment banks invested heavily in Travis Perkins due to its strong financial fundamentals and facilitated a noticeable improvement in the performance levels of the company. This resulted in more and more investors including the private and institutional investors to invest in the shares of the company (Shapiro, 2005, p.121). As a result the share prices of the company went up, the trading volume as well as other performance measure metrics for moving into the FTSE 100 became extensively improved. The valuation of the stocks of Travis Perkins went up due to the high support from the investment bankers. As a result of all these factors, Travis Perkins could easily enter into the main index from the FTSE 250. The Board of Directors of Travis Perkins was extremely efficient in terms of strategic management, succession planning as well as risk management. The Board of Directors of Travis Perkins implemented corporate governance practices and management strategies which influenced better performance of the company. The different corporate restructuring processes followed by the management of the company resulted in the increase in the investor attractiveness for the company (Jennings, 2001, p.4). This resulted in a high volume of trading for the shares of Travis Perkins. The performance levels of the company were improved and the company became financially stronger which influenced the investors to invest their money in the stocks of Travis Perkins. The FTSE 100 includes the top 100 companies measured by the capitalization factor. Whereas the FTSE 250 include the next 250 companies, measured by capitalization in the United Kingdom Market (Fay, 2006, p.114). There may be four different stock movements between the two indexes. These include: The stocks of Travis Perkins displayed

Insolvency law in United Kingdom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Insolvency law in United Kingdom - Essay Example It should be noted that the international assistance for which provision is made by section 426(4) is limited not only in terms of the foreign countries from which requests for such assistance can be entertained, but also in terms of the authorities by which it may be requested and provided. The only form of assistance that can be obtained is on a 'court-to-court' basis: it is not open to an office holder appointed in foreign insolvency proceedings to make a direct, personal request for assistance to an English court, nor to any other person or authority, under the auspices of this statutory provision. Moreover, the ambit of the power to give assistance is narrowed still further, since it is expressed to be exercisable by 'the courts having jurisdiction in relation to insolvency law in any part of the United Kingdom', in response to requests for assistance submitted by 'the courts having the corresponding jurisdiction' in a country or territory which has been designated for this spec ific purpose. It is therefore necessary to determine which courts are qualified to participate in the process, a question whose resolution is partly dependent on the arrangements in force, in the United Kingdom and in the other country concerned, for the allocation of jurisdiction in relation to insolvency law. ... In most cases it is likely that a request for assistance will be addressed to the High Court, as the court endowed with a comprehensive jurisdiction covering both individual and corporate insolvency. However, it should be noted that where the debtor has a residential address, or carries on business, within a County Court insolvency district outside the London Insolvency District or (in the case of a company) has its registered office in such a district outside London, the County Court in question has a jurisdiction concurrent, and also co-extensive, with that of the High Court. In terms of speed, and also cost, there may sometimes be advantages in addressing a request for assistance to the appropriate County Court. (V. Markham Lester, 1995) A literal reading of subsection (4), taken in isolation, might therefore yield the conclusion that the English court has an unconditional duty to provide assistance to courts which meet the stated criteria rendering them eligible to request it. Such a conclusion would be premature however, because subsection (4) itself supplies no indication as to the nature of the assistance which the courts are required to provide. For this, it is necessary to refer to subsection (5), whose full provisions are as follows: For the purposes of subsection (4) a request made to a court in any part of the United Kingdom by a court in any other part of the United Kingdom or a relevant country or territory is authority for the court to which the request is made to apply, in relation to any matters specified in the request, the insolvency law which is applicable by either court in relation to comparable matters falling within its jurisdiction. In exercising its discretion under

Chapter 9 & 10 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Chapter 9 & 10 - Assignment Example Question # 2: P&G has now realized the importance of the social media and already shifted its advertisement budget towards social media. The company needs to increase its budget for social media such as face book, twitter as this media has great influence in the mind of people. P&G should also involve in social causes to attach customers emotionally towards it and to build strong brand images. For that purpose, It can offer scholarships to needy and meritorious people, and help needy people. Question # 3: The world is facing economical crises and the buying power of the consumer is reducing which can be worst in future. This is a significant situation which might affect P&G badly. Moreover, the R&D and marketing cost of P&G is increasing with the passage of time which can be problematic for the company as the world is now searching new techniques to reduce cost. In addition to that, increasing competition in FMCG industry is also the major risk which P&G can face in the future. Case 2: McDonald’s Question # 2: The core brand value of McDonald is its high quality food for customers with speed and convenience. Initially, McDonald was offering quality Hamburger but it expanded its menu with other dishes like Happy Meal, Big Mac, Egg, McMuffin etc. The company started expanding its business domestically as well as internationally due to its premium quality of food. However during 1990s company lost its direction i.e. high premium food. It focused to further expand its network of restaurants. It was not focusing to train employees properly and thus customer faced poor services and started losing the interest from the company. The company realized this situation and refocused its 5Ps and adopted the policy to offer different dishes for different region according to their culture and environment. Through this plan McDonald refocused on food and service quality. It also started offering healthy food due to the increasing concern of customers regarding obesity. I t also included ice-cream and coffee in its menu. Question # 2: McDonald should not change its strategy because the strategy worked well for it. It has refocused on its core values which it lost and had negative response from consumers. Therefore it will be a great risk for McDonald to change its strategies. McDonald has expanded its menu and added great varieties in it. Though its core product was Hamburger but it included new food to attract new segments of the market. Moreover, they have included healthier food in the menu and offer to health conscious people at a premium price. The strategy to offer different food for different markets according to their culture and environment has also worked in favor of McDonald. In addition to that, $1 menu was also the marvelous strategy of McDonald which targeted lower income people and teenagers. Question # 3: McDonalds might face several risks in the future. It is a multinational company which can face treasury risk due to the variation i n US Dollars against major currencies. Global instability in the economical crises might also affect McDonald’s business. Another greater risk that it might face is the entrance of new players in the market. The living standard of the people is increasing and they are going to more delicious and quality food. Therefore, the

Transgendered' honesty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Transgendered' honesty - Essay Example Therefore, the paper establishes a discussion that seeks to determine whether transpeople are oppressed in the society, and the nature of oppression. It will also offer recommendations on how the problem of oppression to the transpeople should be solved, and respond to philosophers such as Talia Bettecher, in relation to the existence of transphobia. On the other hand, the term transsexual is a term referring to the individual using hormonal and surgical expertise to change their body in a way interpreted as chances with sex assignment of birth, and may be readily understandable in conditions of the conventional convictions of sexed bodies. This term has been conventionally related to a psychiatric conviction like gender dysphoria, and it is associated by the nature of being "trapped in the wrong body" though it is redeployed in ways that are amenable to transgender. The term transsexual relates to a deep conviction that gender identifies a match of the appearance or anatomy, which t hey desire to present to the world in a different gender to the one assigned at during birth. This is a condition that is referred to as dysphoria, whereby people undergoes hormone therapy based on the birth gender and the gender they are willing to acquire, and others undergo surgery in order to conform to their gender identity. Transsexualism has been an ancient part of the human experience, and it is not considered a medical illness or a mental disorder since it is a desire to alter the expression of gender identity (Bettcher, 46). People have the rights of expressing their gender through changes in their physical appearance, which entail hormones and reconstructive surgery. Therefore, there is significant distress experienced by those, who are denied the rights to exercise control over their body in terms of expressing their gender, through accessibility of medical services. In fact, they suffer from reduction of the social economic and sexual function capacity; thus, they healt h care providers engaged in transsexual services should charge a reasonable fee for these services. Furthermore, there is a form of discrimination associated with provision of sex reassignment services, which are based on sexual orientation, marital status and physical appearance of patients. Transphobia is a term referring to the fear of transpeople, and the negative attitudes, which relates to hatred, loathing, rage, moral indignation that is harbored towards Transpeople because of gender enactment. Nevertheless, these attitudes are attributed to violence against Transpeople, and this is evident through fourteen murders of transpeople reported during 2003 in United States and thirty eights in other places of the world; thus, there is a consistency of high degree in relation to transphobic abuse against transpeople, whereby eighty percent of reported cases, thirty percent is physical assault. Transpeople have been subjected to a form of oppression about their privacy and dignity, i n a situation where they are involved as victims of crime in a prosecution. For instance, the reports made indicate that victims of physical transphobic hate crimes avoid exposing themselves as trans through the nature of the crime. Moreover, there is fear associated with living with neighbors, employers, community, when they have permanently gained their gender role, due to the chances of being discovered as trans. In this case, the fear of being

Chapter 9 & 10 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Chapter 9 & 10 - Assignment Example Question # 2: P&G has now realized the importance of the social media and already shifted its advertisement budget towards social media. The company needs to increase its budget for social media such as face book, twitter as this media has great influence in the mind of people. P&G should also involve in social causes to attach customers emotionally towards it and to build strong brand images. For that purpose, It can offer scholarships to needy and meritorious people, and help needy people. Question # 3: The world is facing economical crises and the buying power of the consumer is reducing which can be worst in future. This is a significant situation which might affect P&G badly. Moreover, the R&D and marketing cost of P&G is increasing with the passage of time which can be problematic for the company as the world is now searching new techniques to reduce cost. In addition to that, increasing competition in FMCG industry is also the major risk which P&G can face in the future. Case 2: McDonald’s Question # 2: The core brand value of McDonald is its high quality food for customers with speed and convenience. Initially, McDonald was offering quality Hamburger but it expanded its menu with other dishes like Happy Meal, Big Mac, Egg, McMuffin etc. The company started expanding its business domestically as well as internationally due to its premium quality of food. However during 1990s company lost its direction i.e. high premium food. It focused to further expand its network of restaurants. It was not focusing to train employees properly and thus customer faced poor services and started losing the interest from the company. The company realized this situation and refocused its 5Ps and adopted the policy to offer different dishes for different region according to their culture and environment. Through this plan McDonald refocused on food and service quality. It also started offering healthy food due to the increasing concern of customers regarding obesity. I t also included ice-cream and coffee in its menu. Question # 2: McDonald should not change its strategy because the strategy worked well for it. It has refocused on its core values which it lost and had negative response from consumers. Therefore it will be a great risk for McDonald to change its strategies. McDonald has expanded its menu and added great varieties in it. Though its core product was Hamburger but it included new food to attract new segments of the market. Moreover, they have included healthier food in the menu and offer to health conscious people at a premium price. The strategy to offer different food for different markets according to their culture and environment has also worked in favor of McDonald. In addition to that, $1 menu was also the marvelous strategy of McDonald which targeted lower income people and teenagers. Question # 3: McDonalds might face several risks in the future. It is a multinational company which can face treasury risk due to the variation i n US Dollars against major currencies. Global instability in the economical crises might also affect McDonald’s business. Another greater risk that it might face is the entrance of new players in the market. The living standard of the people is increasing and they are going to more delicious and quality food. Therefore, the

New article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

New - Article Example The number of cars recalled is staggering and the effect on profits substantial although not yet determined. The drop in profits will undoubtedly make for displeased employees since they had agreed to share profits, as opposed to base increases in their pay in previous negotiations. This is important especially since there had been a steady climb in their take home bonuses in recent years. Information from this article is relevant to management because there reaches a time when organization and company management have to make the tough decisions. In most cases, such decisions are set to benefit the company or organization in the long term. Decision-making is an important part of managing any organization for it to be successful in the market. The fact that the author is a known reporter for CNN makes the article valid and reliable. The author provides information on the reasons for the recall and effects it would have to the company in terms of profits. Despite the recall, the company has still managed to make 1.4 million dollars in third quarter profits. The article does not tell us whether this will have a cushioning effect on the company and workers or not. It also does not say whether the employees have job security worries in their future. It centers around the expected drop in profits for the company and the attendant effect on the employees, giving figures to support this argument. It is very informative on the costs of the recall, and the figures leave no doubt, on how grave the situation is. This must surely be the reason for the initial decision not to disclose the defects. The article describes what led to the recall and its immediate effects on the company. However, the article is scanty on other charges levied to the company by various statutory authorities for failure to recall cars despite being aware of defects. It is also scant on the attendant investigations being

Electrochemical cell lab Aim Essay Example for Free

Electrochemical cell lab Aim Essay Aim :- To find out the feasibility of a redox reaction by looking at the cell potential of the reaction . Quantitative observation The table below shows the values of cell potential that were recorded when the experiment was performed Reaction Cell potential (ÂÂ ±0.01V) CuSO4 and ZnSO4 0.99V CuSO4 and AgNO3 0.64V Ag 1.39V Qualitative Observation Reaction Obsevrations CuSO4 and ZnSO4 Copper sulphate turns from clear to blue , whereas zinc sulphate remains colorless CuSO4 and AgNO3 Copper sulphate is blue in color , silver nitrate is colorless Ag Data processing Experiment 1 Zn(s) - Zn2+ (aq) + 2e- (aq) Cu2+ (aq) + 2e- (aq) - Cu (s) Cu2+ (aq) + Zn(s) - Cu(s) + Zn2+ (aq) Experiment 2 Cu(s) - Cu2+ (aq)+ 2e- (aq) Ag+(aq) + e- (aq) - Ag(s) Cu(s) + 2Ag+ (aq) - Cu2+ (Aq) + 2Ag (s) Experiment 3 Zn(s) - Zn2+ (aq) + 2e- (aq) Ag+ (aq) + e- (aq)- Ag(s) Zn(s) + 2Ag+ (aq) - Zn2+ (aq) + 2Ag (s) The table below shows the literature values for the respective cell potential Reaction Cell potential (ÂÂ ±0.01V) CuSO4 and ZnSO4 0.34V CuSO4 and AgNO3 0.46 V. Ag 1.10 V Error percentage = (|difference between the literature and experimental value|)/(the literature value )x100 = (|0.34V 0.99V|)/(0.34V) x100 = 191.17% We can similarly find the error percentages for other cell potentials also The table below shows the respective error percentages of each of the cell potential Reaction Error percentage CuSO4 and ZnSO4 191.17% CuSO4 and AgNO3 39.13% Ag 16.36% Theory Electrochemical cells In an electrochemical cell, electricity is produced through chemical reactions. There consist two electrodes: the negative electrode and the positive electrode. At the negative electrode

Tourism is largest industries in uk

Tourism is largest industries in uk 1. Introduction Tourism is one of the largest industries in the UK. In accordance with VisitBritain (2009a) which is Britains national tourism agency, the economic contribution of tourism was worth  £114.4 billion to the UK economy in 2009 which is equivalent to 8.2 % of UK GDP. On the other hand, VisitBritain (2009a) also comments that, â€Å"The 31.9 million overseas visitors who came in 2008 spent  £16.3 billion in the UK, the figures represent a 2.7% decline in volume and 2.3% increase in value compared with 2007†. Apparently, there are some opportunities and challenges for a new comer in this industry. Therefore, if the company do not has effective scenarios to manage the uncertainty issues in future, the company will in danger, even can not survive. By research secondary data, and some analysis methods namely PSET and Impact/Uncertainty Model, this essay tries to seek the effective scenarios for AirFreedom Travel Agent which is first venture in British inbound tourism. Moreover, thi s essay will beginning with PEST analysis in order to examining the external factors. Secondly, Impact/Uncertainty model will undertake for finding the most important issues. Then, Scenarios will design for AirFreedom Travel. Lastly, the essay is going to analyse the impact of those scenario on the organisation. AirFreedom Travel Agent is a company first involved in British inbound tourism market, which provide variable services related to tourism, such as ticket booking and hotel reservation. OECD (2001) indicates that â€Å"inbound tourism is the tourism of non-resident visitors within economy territory of the country of reference.† The 31.9 million overseas visitors who came in 2008 spent  £16.3 billion in the U.K. (VisitBritain, 2009a). Moreover, according to a study undertaken by Deloitte (2008), the tourism sector created more than 2.75 million jobs, and the number of direct industry employment was 1.32 million. Unfortunately, both number of inbound visits and inbound visitor spending suffered from decline during the period from October, 2008 to September, 2009 by 9.2% and 0.7% respectively (VisitBritain, 2009b). The importances of U.K inbound tourism is not only the contribution to economy but also benefits other industry, namely retail industry and transportation. 2. Environmental Analysis (PEST) PEST Analysis stands for Political, Economic, Social and Technological Analysis, and it is a framework of macro-environmental factors for strategic factors. However, the company is involved in tourism and environmental issues are vital important for tourism. So this essay will examine those factors from five segments and appendix 9.1 shows the factors will assessed. 2.1 Political Political environment of U.K. is quite stable. It has positive impact on potential customers. U.K.s transportation infrastructure is both effective and efficient; London Heathrow Airport for example is the airport which the most international passengers landed in 2007 (ACI, 2007) and government plan to expand this airport for more landing capacity. The red double-decker bus is also a symbol of London. In addition, Border policy is another factor, entry fee is the direct result of it. According to UKBA (2008), â€Å"To encourage even more tourist a new shorter three-month group visa is being proposed at a possible reduced cost of  £44†. Apparently, the new visa fee policy is a positive factor. Due to growing awareness of the green issues, U.K. Government is planning to declare some policies to protect environment. For instance, on one hand, the main road fuel duty rate in the U.K. was  £0.5035 per litre in from 1 October, 2007 (OPSI, 2008). However, the latest increase to  £0.5619 per litre from 1 September, 2009 (HMRC, 2009). As a result, tourists will pay more for the transportation system in U.K. On the other hand, VAT on the airline ticket is also adds cost to travelling, namely Member states of E.U have a minimum standard rate of VAT of 15% (EU, 2006). Adversely, terrorism is always a significant negative factor influence on tourism. 52 people died in 7/7 London tube and bus bombings (BBC, 2008) and Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes (Guardian, 2009) are two setbacks for British tourism which were happened in 7 July 2005 and 22 July 2005 respectively. 2.2 Economic Most countries of the world suffered from recession by Credit Crisis, except some nations namely China. Baily and Elliott (2009) comment that the GDP at annual rates for the first quarter of 2009 declined 14.4% for Germany, 15.2% for Japan, 7.4% for the U.K., 9.8% for the Euro area and 21.5% for Mexico. Recession resulted in less people travelling because of purchasing power is decreasing. Exchange rate of pound to foreign currency is not strong recently, so foreign traveller can spend less money than before for travelling U.K. For example, one Euro was equal to 0.68675 British Pounds in 21 November, 2005 (ECB, 2009) and one Euro was equal to 0.89915 British Pounds in 20 November, 2009 (ECB, 2009). Inflation is arising in the level of price of goods and services in an economy in a period time. For example, the inflation rate of U.K. year over year was 1.5455% which compared to 1.0879% for the pervious month (RI, 2009). It means you need to pay more money for the same commodity than last month, and it leads to increasing cost for travelling U.K. Seasonality is another issue need discussion because of holidays is the busiest time for tourism market. It also is a problem for this industry, after the peak season tourism companies do not have many deals. According to Visitbritain (2009c), the number of U.K. inbound tourists in 2008 was approximately 7.20million, 8.41million, 9.36million and 6.93million by quarter. The percentage of spending of travellers who visit U.K. was 19% and 32% in January-March and July-September in 2008 respectively. 2.3 Social As a result of the increasing concerned on environmental issues on tourism linked to such as carbon footprint. People who focus on the green issues will refuse to travel in order to reduce the CO2 emission. Spread of disease is vitally important for a countrys inbound tourism. People do not want to travel to places which spread serious disease such as SARS. In accordance with NHS (2009), ‘There were an estimated 53,000 new infections in the past week, down from 64,000 the week before. It is a negative symbol for U.K. inbounds tourism industry. Safe nations are more attractive than insecurity. Travellers do not want to be involved in crime during their journey. Home office (2009) points out U.K. experienced a 45% down of all BCS crime from 1995 to 2008/09 which is favourable. On the other hand, social event is another positive factor for tourism, such as FIFA World Cup. The examples in Britain are the activities of Royal Family and 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. For example, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia host the 1998 commonwealth games, and about 60,000 tourists visited Kuala Lumpur in 1988 (FCO, 2009). 2.4 Technological On-line booking is a method booking ticket of plane or other type transportation which is the result from rapid development of technology. It saves time and money of both companies and consumers. Furthermore, hospitality network system is another example for tourism industry. It is useful to the travelling agencies provide package service including flight ticket and hotel booking. Moreover, the technology development is also affecting the manufacture. Aircraft become more efficient, for instance new aircraft are 70% more fuel efficient than 40 years ago and 20% better than 10 years ago (IATA, 2009). It is not only saves the cost of aircraft operators but also reduces CO2 emissions. The efficient airplane resulted in lower price of ticket and lower air pollution. It attracts more tourists which is including people who are concern on green issues. 2.5 Environmental In the first place, the average total annual sunshine from 1971 to 2000 in U.K. was only 1354.9 hours (Met Office, n.d.). Secondly, the high latitude and close to a large ocean of the west caused U.K. experiences strong winds. After that, the average days of rainfall≠¥1mm were 154.4 days during 1971 to 2000 (Met Office, n.d.). Lastly, U.K. some times suffered from flood which is negative factor to tourism (Environment Agency, 2009). Graceful environment of the travel destinations is attractive. Environment of U.K. is pretty clean. According to EEA (2009), the measurement stations of air quality of U.K are slight. 3. Impact/Uncertainty Model Impact/Uncertainty model is an effective tool for examining the factors which are impact on British tourism. The chart below is the Impact/Uncertainty model for U.K. inbounds tourism. Terrorism always has negative impact on the destinations, especially, tourism. People travel to other countries in holidays for fun, and they do not the trip make their life in danger. For instance, the al-Gamaa al-Islamiyas attack happened in Eygpt resulted in 62 deaths, and 58 of which were overseas tourists (Essner, 2003). Essner (2003) is also cites that international tourists avoided came to Egypt owing to 13% decline in arrivals. On the other hand, it is difficult to predict. Meanwhile, exchange rate is direct related to the purchasing power of overseas tourists. Moreover, it is unpredictable because of the exchange rate fluctuates everyday. For example, recently, GBP is weak for exchange to Euro. It is a positive factor for attracting the tourists to U.K. from countries which use Euro. Another unpredictable factor is spread diseases, it influences not only the border policy which is resulted in more difficult to obtain visa but also the security of the destination. Additionally, people do not want go to the place which is possible infected diseases. Overseas travellers come to U.K. by several transportation methods, namely, aircraft, train and ship. All those transportation methods use fuel as energy. Therefore, the price of fuel is directly related to the cost of trip. Purchasing power of overseas travellers is another factor impacts on the British inbound tourism. Many factors have negative impact on purchasing power, such as recession, inflation and financial crisis. Extreme weather is not usually happened in U.K and the advanced weather forecast system helps government predict it. It is also resulted in the seasonality of British inbound tourists number. However, it still a negative factor to tourism, namely winds of up to 100mph have hit parts of the UK which was caused damage of property (BBC, 2009). Social events hold by Britain is also attracts tourists to travelling U.K. In future, 2012 London Olympic Games is a brilliant opportunity to encourage U.K. inbounds tourism. Most of the social events are applied by government, so the level of uncertainty is low, but high impact on tourism. For instance, in the last quarter of 1999, international visitor arrivals Australia increased by 15 per cent compared to the same time in 1999 (ATC, 2001). Environment pollution is not in the high impact and high uncertainty quadrant. Although environment is essential of tourism, and tourists put pressure on the area, namely overusing water resources in hotels and increasing plastic pollution. Consequently, new environmental legislations will regulate the market, but the impact and uncertainty level are low. 4. Scenario Planning There are four scenarios below designed for AirFreedom based on the findings of Impact/Uncertainty model above. Appendix 9.2 shows the developing of the four scenarios. The four scenarios will describe below. Scenario A: Crusades, it arises in the situation which U.K. suffers from terrorism and GBP is weak to other currency. It will leads to the demand of U.K. inbound tourism decrease in long-term and government will restrict overseas tourist enter to certain places. On the other hand, the infrastructure and environment will damage by terrorism. However, the travelling cost will reduce, and it will attract customers who take advantage of price. Scenario B: Pandoras Box happens when U.K. with terrorism and GBP is strong to other currency. It resulted in demand of U.K. inbound tourism dropping sharply in long-term and significant financial losses. Some problem namely rising unemployment rate and crime rate will increase. On the other hand, the government will declare entry regulation owing to terrorism. The situation of Scenario C: Heavenly Love is similar to the present which U.K. inbound tourism is a â€Å"sunset industry† without terrorism and GBP is weak to other currency. Due to the circumstance, the travelling cost will decline and U.K. government will encourage inbound tourism for example, overseas tourists easy to obtain entry clearance. Scenario D: Seraphim occurring when GBP is strong to other currency and without terrorism. As a result, the demand of U.K. inbound travel reduce in short-term due to the costly tourism spending. Instead, overseas travellers will go to alternative destinations and possibly U.K. government will encourage this industry by entry policy. 5. Analysis AirFreedom as a new player in British inbound market, those scenarios are vitally important for the company, because of the trend of British tourism is directly related to not only the external competition but also the internal operation of AirFreedom. The table in appendix 9.4 shows the implications of each scenario on the company. Crusades: the market share will rapidly decrease in long-term and the company need to afford extra expense to hire security staff. On the other hand, AirFreedom will focus on the tourists who take advantage of price under this circumstance by penetration pricing strategy. Moreover, the company should consider about reduce the price of service by cooperation. Pandoras Box: the U.K. inbound tourism market will suffer significant decline, and the company need to reduce cost by downsizing. Then, company need also hire security staff. Furthermore, the company should consider venture the U.K. outbound tourism service market. Heavenly Love: U.K. inbound tourism will as a â€Å"sunset industry† resulted in potential growth in market share of AirFreedom. The company however should focus on the competitive market with market-oriented pricing strategy and hire more staff for expanding. Seraphim: the market share will stagnate or slight decline and people with strong purchasing power will become the main potential customers. In addition, The company need to dismiss some staff for reduce cost and it should also consider enter the U.K. domestic tourism service. The price strategy is also market-oriented pricing. 6. Adopt Strategy In according to Mckinsey (2001), 86% of the biggest business winners followed market-shaping strategies between 1985 1995. However, AirFreedom as a new comer, the company is not powerful enough to influence or determine the structure of U.K. inbound industry. Therefore, AirFreedom should to follow Adopt strategy which is the company follow the existing structure and then developing with speed in order to capture opportunities in future. For instance, AirFreedom could launch â€Å"Olympic-Travel Package† for expanding which contains the air ticket, two weeks hotel and tickets of several Olympic Games during the 2012 London Olympic Games. 7. Conclusions In conclusion this essay has argued that the future developments in British inbound tourism for AirFreedom which is first venture in the industry by several methods, namely PSET analysis and scenario. The question posed at the outset was to evaluate and discuss the future development trend of British tourism. It has been seen that the two most impactful and uncertainly issues for the industry are terrorism and spread of serious diseases. One can therefore conclude from the proceeding discussion that the scenarios influence not only the profitability of the company but also the operation strategies. More primary is required for this topic in further research. How much 2012 London Olympic Games will impact on the development in U.K. inbounds tourism under global recession is a key question still not solved. Given the current economic climate, AirFreedom should face both challenges and opportunities in this industry.

The Federal Period :: essays research papers fc

The Federal Period   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The time after the Revolutionary War when America was beginning a new consciousness, marked by its recently acquired independence, was called the Federal Period. American furniture makers still modeled designs from England but soon created styles with balanced proportions and symmetrical lines associated with classical design. Styles were generally named for the monarchs who reigned or for the design influences that prevailed at the time the style was introduced. There was usually a time lag before the style became popular in America because much of America’s colonial population lived in rural areas where tradition was important and fashions changed slowly. A new style might be introduced in Boston at the same time an old style was still popular in the country.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The architectural designs emphasized high ceilings and large open areas which allowed for more decorative elements. A federal period parlor would typically have been decorated with the classically inspired wallpaper and moldings, swag curtains, and a carpet that resembled a Roman tiled floor. The use of decorative cotton dimity or chintz slipcovers were to protect the wool upholstery from insects and sun during the summer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Furniture from this period is characterized by a delicate, geometric look and the use of classical motifs as urns and swags. Inlay, veneer, carving, and paint are used for decoration. Chairs have turned, reeded or tapered legs and square or shield shaped backs. The names of two English designers, Thomas Sheraton and George Hepplewhite are closely associated with these styles. One of the most popular designs was the Windsor chair which was used in every room of the house by the Federal Period. Many of the popular styles are shown on the page attached to this report.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A lot of the furniture was made out of native black walnut, yellow pine, white oak, maple rose and satinwood. To lower the cost of the furniture the designers painted surfaces to simulate a rich wood or marble or gilded to imitate bronze mounts. The most popular kind of wood was the mahogany which made richer and more figured cuts. Mahogany wood made desks, sewing tables, Pembroke tables, sideboards, shield, oval and square-back chairs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Federal Period signaled the change from the master craftsmen, to the mass production of furniture.

127 Hours Essay

127 Hours is the true story of mountain climber Aron Ralston’s remarkable adventure to save himself after a fallen boulder crashes on his arm and traps him in an isolated canyon in Utah. Over the next five days Ralston examines his life and survives the elements to finally discover he has the courage and the wherewithal to extricate himself by any means necessary, scale a 65 foot wall and hike over eight miles before he can be rescued. Throughout his journey, Ralston recalls friends, lovers, family, and the two hikers he met before his accident. Outdoor adventurist Aron Ralston believes he’s invincible and can do it all alone while on his outdoor adventures. He considers the great outdoors his second home. On Saturday, April 26, 2003, Aron has gone for an adventure trek alone through the generally secluded Blue John Canyon, and like he has done on many of his other treks, he has not told anyone where he is going. But on this day, he and a small boulder fall down a crevi ce, he landing near the bottom of the crevice virtually unharmed, but with his right hand wedged between the boulder and the crevice wall. He has access to his gear and his small supply of rations as he tries to move the boulder or chip away at it so that he can get his wedged hand free. As either task seems impossible, he hopes for someone to rescue him. Those most likely candidates are Kristi and Megan, two women he met earlier that day who are the only two who know that he is in the canyon, or his boss Brion, who may list him as missing if he doesn’t show up for his scheduled work time on Tuesday (three days away). As time goes on and he deals not only with the boulder and lack of rations but also with the extreme weather conditions, he begins to think about his mortality, his mind often going toward his loving but somewhat distant relationship with his family, or his last broken love with a woman named Rana. As he films himself (as a goodbye message to his family) often with his mind wandering, he, during his more lucid moments, also thinks about the possibility of trying to sever his arm as he will lose it a nyway if he survives this ordeal. On April 2003, the engineer, climber and canyoneer Aron Ralston travels to Blue John Canyon without telling anyone to spend the weekend doing what he likes to do: climb the isolated canyon. He meets the teenagers Kristi and Megan that are lost and they spend a couple of hours together bathing in a lake in a cave. He says goodbye to them and while descending a canyon crack, a chockstone comes loose rolling onto his arm. Aron realizes that he is stuck and he tries to find a way to release the stone. Along five days short of water and without food, Aron becomes delusional and recalls his family and friends. After the fifth day, he decides to sever his forearm to survive.

Leadership Styles and International Teams Essay

â€Å"The only definition of a leader is someone who has followers† Peter Drucker This definition, from Peter Drucker has been a great inspiration source. It generates a lot of interrogations and guides us all along this document. It’s brief, clear and amazingly relevant. How to define a leader without thinking about the persons who permit to consider them as leader? It’s sometimes difficult to understand how some leaders became such important because of our disagreement with their idea, or actions. Dictators are the perfect example to illustrate it. There were, and are a â€Å"kind† of extreme Leaders. But we have to recognize their extraordinary charisma and skills to rise crowd. Technically speaking, they can be considered as model even if they abuse of this personal power to satisfy their own desires and needs (regardless laws and needs of the many). But this ethical problem brings us another question, what’s the difference between an efficient and a good leader? We think it’s only a question of moral and an efficient leader can’t be consider as a good one historically speaking. More generally, leadership implies influencing employees to voluntarily pursue organisational goals. Thanks to his charisma, a leader is able to achieve goal (or to make them achieve by others) whereas a manager is able to, thanks to his knowledge and his capacity to organize. But it’s also possible to be both of them, because managing is a skill that everyone could acquire. Not Leadership, which is a quality issued from your personality. So we have to question ourselves: What is a good leader? And try to become the best as possible thanks to your personality? Firstly, we are going to present the different leadership styles management we grouped in 6 categories. Then, we are going to study how to be a good leader in an international team context and finally the particularities of leading an international team. I/ Leadership styles 1. Autocratic leadership styles The leader defines roles and tasks; he takes unilateral decision without consulting any members of the team. He imposes actions to be taken. He expects immediate execution without objection. The autocratic leader doesn’t care about others’ opinion or suggestions. The leader decides for everything and everybody has to execute his decisions. Moreover he keeps as much power and decision-making authority as possible. This is a one-way communication: â€Å"I tell, you listen†. Skills used for this leadership style: influence, performance and initiative When to use autocratic leadership style? * When quick decisions need to be taken or there is a limited time for decision making. For example a competitor rival decided to launch suddenly its new product * When there is no need to team agreement * When high-level of management is needed and the need of motivation is not critical. * When new and untrained staff does not know which tasks to perform or steps to follow in the company. In fact sometimes the company hasn’t got time to form an employee or to explain to him what he has to do exactly in the firm What are the limits of the autocratic leadership style? * Employees are expecting to simply follow the orders, and they are not given any explanations. * Employees have little opportunities to give suggestions even if it is for the welfare of the organization. * Passive resistance of the team: disinterest, disagreement. Lack of motivation and desire. * Some people tend to use this style for yelling, using demeaning language, and leading by threats and abusing their power. * Sometimes this is not the authoritarian style which is used but unprofessional style called â€Å"bossing people around† which is worst and abusive and has no place in a company Example : The autority of Chritine Lagarde Christine Lagarde, 56 years old and currently director of the International Monetary Fund, is classified 9th in the ranking of women with the greatest  power in 2012 according to Forbes Magazine. She is now the woman of power par excellence, she is recognized by all for her natural authority, intelligence and effectiveness. She presides over the destiny of many countries. Christine Lagarde is not afraid to confront the economic crisis and to take important decisions, this is why she has got the surname of â€Å"Iron Lady of the global economy.† 2. Coaching leadership styles The coaching leader defines employee’s roles and tasks but he considers all their inputs and suggestion. He asks for ideas before he makes the final decision: a team engaged with feedbacks a good way to develop team members. The coach spends time with his employees and helps them to develop their strengths and skills, in line with their career. He seeks individual autonomy and building competent teams. This can have long-term benefits for the company, the leader and also the employees. This is a two way communication style between the decision of the coaching leader and the suggestions of the employees, the goal is to help and assist employees Skills used for this leadership style : Listening skills, development of others, awareness of emotions, empathy When to use the coaching leadership style? * Help an employee to improve his productivity, to develop his resources, to be more effective in autonomy. * To create a team and accelerate the performance of this team in the future * To increase the organization’s productivity, growth and the business results in a long term period * To provide guidance and to develop a long-term strength because if the employees receive the right support, the right help, it will be positive for them and for the leader. The company will be more effective What are the limits of the coaching leadership style? * Difficult to implement * It does not provide immediate results. * This style is difficult to implement because it is a guideline but at the same time the employee has got autonomy * This style does not work with employees who expect a precise list of tasks to execute (and therefore expect the micro-management) We did a case study of the coaching style of Richard Branson and his company : The Virgin group. It is set out in the Annex. 3. Participative leadership style This style involves the leader including one or more employees in the decision making process. The leader wants to create a team with his employees without hierarchy. He encourages the staff to participate at the decision making process : â€Å"What do you think?†. The leader keeps staff informed about everything that affects their work. He can organized some brainstorming to reap ideas or criticism a project. Moreover this style enhances the creativity and the innovation; it allows the company to benefit from collective intelligence. Using this style is a sign that the leader respect his employees, it allows them to become part of the team and allows the leader to make better decisions. If there is a problem, the staff will be involved in the solving process: â€Å"Let’s go to work together to solve this† Skills used for this leadership style: Teamwork and collaboration, conflict management, influence, empathy When to use democratic style? * Leaders want to encourage team building and participation. * Leaders want staff to be involved in decision-making and problem-solving processes. * Leaders want to provide opportunities for personal development and job satisfaction. * If the team must agree with a decision and is responsible for the outcome. * When the leader needs to use the skills and knowledge of his team in order to come up with decision. * When the leader is new and wants to have information on his team. What are the limits of the participative leadership style? * It is inefficient when it comes to getting quick results * It is inadequate in times of crisis * An employee very efficient can be impatient waiting the opinion of the community to proceed, and in contrast: evasive employees, who prefer not to be involved, may create problems. * Participative time consuming process of decision-making and today â€Å"time is money† Example : The participative style of Steve Jobs Jobs believed in his employees’ creativity comes from spontaneous meetings : â€Å"You run into someone, and ask what they are doing, you say ‘Wow,’ and soon you are cooking up all sorts of ideas†. Steve Jobs infused Apple employees a belief that they could accomplish anything, he enjoyed working with teams who trusted in themselves, who saw themselves as winners. He believed in team’s collaboration. Moreover he commented that â€Å"if a building did not encourage innovation, you lose the magic sparked by serendipity† 4. Laissez-faire/Delegating/ Free Rein/Hands off Styles Style Description: Laissez-faire leaders allow followers to have complete freedom to make decisions concerning the completion of their work. Team members control the day-to-day decisions and involve the leader when needed. It is key that the team understands when to get the leader involved. It requires the leader to trust people and their skills, and give the maximal freedom to team members. It allows followers a high degree of autonomy and self-rule, while at the same time offering guidance and support when requested. The laissez-faire leader using guided freedom provides the followers with all necessary materials to achieve their aims, but does not participate in decision making directly unless the followers request. It is said that the Laissez-faire leadership style, or we may call delegating/free rein/hands off styles, may be the best or the worst leadership style. If the leader just simply follows the meaning of â€Å"hands-off†, doesn’t involve participation or intervention at all, when he /she leads his or her followers, this style of leadership might become the worst. The two words laissez-faire and leadership are absolute direct opposites. The French term laissez-faire was originally used relative to mercantilism, and is defined in economics and politics as an economic system that functions best when there is no interference by government, and is considered a â€Å"natural† economic order that procures the maximum well-being for the individual and extends to the community. Leadership is defined as an interactive process that provides needed guidance and direction. Leadership involves three interacting dynamic elements: a leader, a follower(s) and a situation. The leader’s role is to influence and provide direction to his/her followers and provide them needed support for theirs and the organization’s success. This free leadership style is based on the premise that the leader and the team have a common goal, have a close and reliable relationship. Through the free leadership style, leaders show a high degree of trust and recognition to the team members, including loyalty and professional skills. Thus, the enthusiasm for the work of the team members is stimulated, and the team can work efficiently. Therefore, the primary factors that affects this leadership style, is the relationship between the team leader and members. When the team shares the same target and the common direction, and the leader has full confidence in his/her own team members, it may be assured to the team members to have free rein to carry out the project and the free style of leadership can be possible to be applied from the beginning to the end. When the members and the leader do not have a unified goal, or the team does not have a common direction or the same target to reach, the team members will take advantage of thi s free style leadership for its own sake, harming the interests of the whole team or making a violation of the leader. Because the free rein leadership style gives high degree of autonomy to the team members, and it is an expression of trust in the team members, including the affirmation of loyalty, expertise etc, once the atmosphere of freedom is broken in the leading process, or the relationship between the leader and the team was broken, there will be conflicting, affecting freedom leadership style until the relationship is restored again. Therefore, the implementation of the free style of the leadership, attention should be focused on that the goal is the same, as well as a close relationship with team members. Suitable Group: When the team is highly capable to analyze de situation and have a clear idea of the situation to be taken in a particular situation. * For example, this style can often be found in teams of professionals, such a team of doctors or engineers, as they form to achieve a goal or solve a problem. * When a close monitoring of a decision is not necessary. * When leaders have full confidence in team members. Unsuitable Group: Not suitable for employees with lower-skills and experience. Free members who are free to take their own decisions can lack of motivation. Moreover, there is no way to check if they do the right thing, this can lead to poor productivity. Decisions can have negative impact on the whole result. 5. Psychological Leadership Style Style Description: Leaders of this style occupy a special position in any group. A psychological leader motivates group, encourages and supports his /her group members, and takes care of the emotional needs of group members. For example, in a sport team, when a member begins, the leader might ask, â€Å"How do you like to be supported? Would you like us to be verbal with our encouragement? Would you like us to be quietly attentive and add our ideas when asked? Or what?† In this leadership style, the leaders play the role of spiritual pillar. He/she is the team leader, team representatives, and even the role of technology source. They are supposed to be all-powerful, all-knowing, invulnerable, incorruptible, indefatigable and fearless. The Leader is responsible for failure or success. He/she is the superman/superwomen or the guilty. If the President of the United State shows weakness, sickness or fear, the effect shows themselves soon in the stock market, as well as in political cartoons and letters to newspaper editors. So the leaders need to have a high degree of personal charm and quality, attract team members to work around him. This leadership mode, the team leader is the charm of the team, the team members to be able to join the team under the team leadership to become the pride. Therefore, in this case, because of the charm of the leaders, the team was able to attract a large number of talents to enrich the team’s strength. The team will gradually grow under the leadership and guidance of the leader. In this team, the centripetal force of the team depends entirely on the personal charm and personal abilities of the team leader. The team leader is like a magician. He continues to attract the attention of the team members, and unites the team members closely. However, this model of leadership has such serious dependence on the leader that any wrong decision of the leader’s will result in the error of the team direction. Moreover, the excessive authority of the leader also causes that no one can supervise or correct the errors of the leader. What’s more, once the leader leaves the team, the entire team will face the situation of losing its pillar and vitality. For example, Steve Jobs for the Apple team is not only an  effective leader, but also a psychological leader. Early, Jobs’ personal creative spirit brought vitality to the whole team. Later, for the reasons of the Board, Steve Jobs left Apple. As a result, the Apple operating nosedived and even faced a closure. And then, Jobs was hired to Apple once again. Thanks to his leadership, i series products were developed, and Apple came b ack to life. Since the death of Steve Jobs’, Apple product ideas have been questioned, because Apple lost its original creativity and vitality. Suitable Group When members are â€Å"ready†, this is the most effective leadership style. For example, when employees already know their weaknesses and hope to improve their performance, the employees are aware of the need to cultivate new capabilities for self-improvement. Unsuitable Group: When the team members refuse to learn or refuse to change their work. As a matter of fact, this style of leadership has an influence on the mind of the team member. If the members are not willing to accept inwardly, it is impossible to make the style of leadership work. 6. Situational Leadership Styles Style Description: The situational leadership theory is developed by Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard. According to this theory, there is no single â€Å"best† style of leadership. Effective leadership is task-relevant, and the most successful leaders are those that adapt their leadership style to the individual, group or the situation. We can take some daily example to explain: because we know some people are always late, when we tell them the time to meet, we will make it earlier than others; on the first day of a new colleague, we try not to get angry with him/her, especially he/she is nervous. The Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership Model contains two fundamental concepts: leadership style and maturity level. Leadership style According to this theory, the leadership style, or we can also call the behavior pattern, includes directive (task) behaviors and supportive (relationship) behaviors. – Directive (task) behaviors: lead members to achieve the goal in one-way communication, like a commander of the group. Using methods as below, 1. Provide direction guiding, pointing out the direction of the team effort 2. Setting targets & telling members how to achieve them 3. Using evaluation methods & time lines to help members to get correct information 4. Defining roles, assigning responsibilities to each group member – Supportive (relationship) behaviors: help group members in two-way communication, like a coach in the team, these behaviors may include: 1. Asking for resources, raise funds, gaining time for the group 2. Solving Problems for the group, including technical problems, social relation problems, etc. 3. Encouraging members, listening to their thoughts, paying attention to their emotions, boosting their moral. Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard classified all leadership styles into 4 behavior types, named S1 to S4: S1: Telling – is characterized by one-way communication in which the leader defines the roles of the individual or group and provides the what, how, why, when and where to do the task; S2: Selling – while the leader is still providing the direction, he or she is now using two-way communication and providing the socio-emotional support that will allow the individual or group being influenced to buy into the process; S3: Participating – this is how shared decision-making about aspects of how the task is accomplished and the leader is providing less task behaviors while maintaining high relationship behavior; S4: Delegating – the leader is still involved in decisions; however, the process and responsibility has been passed to the individual or group. The leader stays involved to monitor progress. Maturity Levels According to the individuals or the group, the suitable leadership style is to be chosen. The Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership Theory identified four levels of Maturity M1 through M4: M1: They still lack the specific skills required for the job in hand and are unable and unwilling to do or to take responsibility for this job or task. M2: They are unable to take on responsibility for the task being done; however, they are willing to work at the task. They are novice but enthusiastic. M3: They are experienced and able to do the task but lack the confidence or the willingness to take on responsibility. M4: They are  experienced at the task, and comfortable with their own ability to do it well. They are able and willing to not only do the task, but to take responsibility for the task. Developing people and self-motivation A good leader develops â€Å"the competence and commitment of their people so they’re self-motivated rather than dependent on others for direction and guidance.† (Hersey 91)[6] According to Hersey’s â€Å"the situational book,†[7] the leader’s high, realistic expectation causes high performance of followers; the leader’s low expectations lead to low performance of followers. According to Ken Blanchard, â€Å"Four combinations of competence and commitment make up what we call ‘development level.'† D1: employees are low in competence and high in commitment. D2: employees are described as having some competence but low commitment. D3: employees who have moderate to high competence but may lack commitment. D4: employees are the highest in development, having both a high degree of competence and a high degree of commitment to getting the job done. Advantages of Situational Leadership 1) The outstanding reliability. This model has been proved to be an effective method of leadership. Many enterprises tend to use this theory to train leader. 2) The situational leadership theory can be widely applied. It is developed for all types of team. Compared to other leadership styles, which focus only on a specific type of team, situational leadership theory has greater adaptability. 3) Situational leadership model is easy to grasp and apply. On one hand, the concept of situational leadership model is easy to understand, on the other hand, it can tell clearly what to do and what not to do in various contexts. 4) Situational leadership model emphasizes the flexibility of the leader. A successful leader knows how to adjust their leadership characteristics according to the characteristics of the team, to enhance the team’s efficiency. 5) Situational leadership model concerns not only about the leaders but also about the team members. The team members would be more confident and comfortable in their work. Disadvantages of Situational Leadership 1) In practice, it is not easy to classify the subordinates’ level. 2) How to match the actual style of situational leadership? Situational leadership model is just a general leadership style type. How to operate in practice to achieve the goal, it has not been specifically defined. 3) It is not mentioned, how much the demographics will influence the application of the different leadership styles. 4) Lack of support from the empirical analysis. So far there are just a few surveys or researches done to justify the assumption. II/Leadership Styles in Managing International Teams International: Managers as a team leaders How to be a good Leader that is the question? A leader is not a friend, not a tyrant but a fair man and a fair business man. His work consists in managing international teams, diverse cultures and personal differences. He has to distinguish himself as a reference, because working groups need leaders. Moreover, in a whole interdependent business world, Globalization has imposed as a global and required attitude and not only an economic reality any more. But there are different styles of leadership reflecting the diversity of the world. That is why, a leader has to find fundamental tools and establish a strong vision for successful leadership. He has to inspire, motivate and lead a whole team. And do not forget to adapt to different ideals to follow the same road map. It is an everyday-job. 1/ How are perceived Foreign Leaders? First to underline a global vision of Leadership, we need to know how are perceived foreign leaders in the different countries? Is everyone has the ability to be a leader? Is there only a global leader or a huge amount of domestic leaders? All these responses could help us to understand all the difficulty to be a leader and also the stake to be culturally savvy in order to manage an international team. Let us have a look on different domestic leaders: * In Gallic culture: A leader should be a strong authority figure with a high degree competence. * In French culture: The French follow a competent leader, the follow the highest position. The French managers are integrated within an authority network, pyramid of differentiated power  (hierarchical). * In German culture: Germans respect competence rather than personality with both individual work and collective work. Indeed creativity and rational outlook are essential for a career success mostly in an entity organized as a network of individual. * In American culture: Americans evolve in an autocratic system. They advocate worker participation in management decisions. * In Scandinavian culture: They need a participative Leader, Mostly for sharing data and information within the organization. * In Japanese culture: Japanese respect social positions, age and status. Indeed, Japan has a close proximity, and a culture built around the extended family (fundamental element of life in th e Far East) with symbols as the village, the rice field and so on. They points out the cooperative ethos of the East. Eastern culture allows people to play in any way that will benefit the team, encouraging the spirit and score goals. Japan for instance encourages innovation and enterprise with a shared vision of the nation. Communication and information sharing are cornerstones of the Japanese corporation through report for instance. * In British culture: Instructions disguised as request with a fairness attitude are crucial qualities for Leaders (interpersonal and subjective view in an organization where there is a network of relationships and where things get done through influence). * In Spanish culture: Courage and decisiveness with ability to solve issues are the best leaders’ requests. * In Italian culture: Personal relationships are fundamental (family model), recognizing personal confidence of the owner. In addition, The West prefers a culture based on smaller units, encouraged to think for them and to be self-sufficient, to encourag e competition. These differences are reflected in the management practices. Westerns need for hierarchical organizations with multiple layers of management perpetuating feelings of exclusion, isolation and competition. Westerners assign people through positions and tell workers what they can or cannot do whereas they argue that group cohesion is crucial to productivity and their systems of reward are based on individual effort, and appraisal systems viewed with cynicism because they are open to favoritism. They are Individualists and for them competitive culture prevails. 2/ What are Leaders’ tasks and Attributes to manage an international team? A leader has moved his/her perceptions of the game to win. He needs to know how to change in order to improve the efficiency of his/her team. And in the same time,  leaders have to assess his/her followers’ perceptions of the game’s boundaries, rules and definition of success, because conditions in the global market place are forcing reevaluating the meaning of teamwork, global partnership or e ven alliances. That is why leaders have to take into account the right signal. But how to read the right signals? Misinterpreting the wrong signal, they could lose business opportunities. That is why Observing, Searching and underlying cross-functional, cross-cultural issues in multinationals teams help improving team efficiency. Sometimes it requires other additional qualities: * Flexibility * Sense of humor * Patience * Sensitivity * Ability to check assumptions * Willingness to listen to others * Curiosity * Respect for difference * Trust in the ability of effective teams to outperform individuals It is more or less difficult according to leaders’ origins. Indeed for Americans it is really difficult, because they have different professional outlooks and backgrounds. And personal leading qualities are innate or acquired, sometimes, imposing to pay a role in order to achieve key requirements. Exposure to other countries can just as easily reinforce ethnocentrism as counteract it. International managers can learn many of the skills they need, which are the following and adopt key behaviors: a) Applying good judgment It is about becoming aware of diverse assumptions, spelling them out and checking to see if others share them. That is to say learn to confront without alienating, clarify without prejudging, give and receive feedback without being defensive, centralize information, belief, feel, perceptions and broadcast it. Moreover it requires checking behaviors and showing example, because Leaders have to be models. b) Reading cross-cultural cues It depends on high context gestures, facial expressions, tone of voice, nonverbal cues. It implies do homework on the culture in advance (dos and taboos), be prepared â€Å"spend hours in polite conversation before getting down to business in Japan or Mexico†. Indeed, that knowledge on different cultures is a bonus to capitalize on. Understand the difference between personal or cultural values, norms to adapt for Multinationals negotiations’ which differs according each corporate culture and history. Multinationals leaders have to develop ambiguity managing training courses and experience to be the most flexible as possible. They need to use their intuition and rationality to separate personal biases from probable facts. c) Finding a guide not to be manipulated but well-oriented A guide is a model figure that is followed. A Leader needs to be a guide and to the fit the corporation culture. It also infers sometimes becoming coaches or mentors, but not friends. Indeed a lack of proximity could reach a lack of efficiency and rigor. d) Reflecting as well as acting The international team leader has to be a model and act as one. Because of difference in players and game strategies they must make time to reflect as well as to act because they want long-run results. Moreover the mix of personnel is becoming increasingly international that is why they need to create an environment that rewards openness, frankness, engagement and teamwork. Do either one-to-one or group discussions to be more productive and have more creative results. The international team leader must decide when to use groups, how to compose them and how to orchestrate meetings so that power plays are controlled and personalities balanced. Adapting and changing, if necessary, from one-to-one management to an effective orientation in the global market place. HR staffs must build up their expertise to meet teamwork challenge. e) Modeling the process †Teamwork begins at home†. Leaders first examine their own internal capabilities and then buy or Make a flexible mobile cross-culturally competent team of professionals. f) Selecting the right people Through a set of international assignment criteria tailored to specific culture helps ensure success abroad, developing company-specific and country-specific personal profiles. g) Considering with shareholders Common decisions on the best objectives and elements for international human resources have to support plan through code signing. h) Training modification  With package courses leaders have to make sure people discuss their perceptions on what they actually see. Build the idea of differences because of gender, culture, organizations, age, personal learning styles. Indeed, when people work in groups, they need to make sure members are from a variety of backgrounds in order to cultivate diversity to teach people how to act and react without forgetting developing working rules that will allow each people equal air time. Furthermore, they have to encourage international managers to bring in actual team problems for discussion, role playing and reflection is substantial. Teamwork must be a driving value within the company and be appropriately rewarded. And HR Staff should develop an internal communication network, so that each employee is aware of how different teams work, what they accomplish and what knowledge and expertise they can share. Means as proper selection, training, support and incentives will get international teams outperform individuals. But how can we recognize the leader in any case? There is a practical test: take the right to apply sanctions, reward, put his/her veto, overriding individual’s decisions about corporation structure. i) Leaders’ Tasks (ability required):  * Simplify: Leaders have to resolve value conflicts among his/her followers. * Link action to vision: Leaders need to clarify and explain shared goals versus actions required in order to put a strategic and co-working framework. * Be different: Leaders must distinguish himself/herself from his/her followers (authority, hierarchy framework). They need to think to the answer of the following question:  « How do you see you leader?† Indeed, followers need believing in a â€Å"winner†, sometimes without any sympathy synonymous with expertise and success managing multinational teams. We can emphasize that leaders distinguish themselves with the following drivers balancing between firmness and severity: *  Expertise: depending on experience, knowledge and understanding of the world. * Personal qualities: energy, persistence, memory and insight. * Track record: past performance, reputation and ability to dealing with a situation nobody had faced before. * Vision: Traduce the corporate strategy; broadcast the road map of the group integrating followers through his/her presence. That is to say put image on action, identifying key common values and beliefs in order to the whole team can fell involved in. Inspire that vision giving an identity of each one linking through staff loyalty, implying the same aspirations. The leader’s vision need to be promoted throughout the organization and sustained thanks to every-day actions, with change if required. * * Have a vision: learn to communicate a vision to people, your team can follow: * Communicate it * Believe it * Follow it * Model it * Be passionate: Passion is contagious: â€Å"take your passion and make it happen† * Be a great decision maker: be quick, committed, analytical and thoughtful. * Be a team builder: let one of your team members to take responsibilities, don’t micromanage and make you available if questions arise. * Be a life-long learner: the world is changing and new resources become available every day. Leader must be aware of new technologies and to share it with your staff. * Communicate clearly: remember you have diverse listeners, make sure you tell everyone in the same way, the same message. * Give an expect respect: to earn respect, give it, and get it. * Be knowledgeable: leaders must be aware of everyday changes in business and discuss about it within the team, answer to up-to-day questions/concerns. * Be organized in order your staff be. Be exemplary. * Be positive: think positive to motivate and work in a positive and efficient way. Conclusion: To sum up, we have defined a leadership profile. Leaders are individuals who help create options and opportunities. They help identify choices and solve problems. Leaders build commitment and coalitions. They do this by  inspiring others and working with them to construct a shared vision of the possibilities and promise of a better group, organization, or community. Leaders engage followers in such a way that many followers become leaders in their own right. The varied demands of an increasingly complex world often require that leadership be shared by many of the members of a group, in ways appropriate for different situations. Be Aware, Be different! III/ Intercultural management: Leading an international team The last half century has seen enormous change impacting the way we work. The world is shrinking with advances in information technology playing a crucial role in facilitating the global expansion of organizations. International teams are now a common phenomenon with many large organizations structuring their workforce according to function rather than geography. Successful organizations do not hesitate to move their talents around the world to ensure that they have the right skills and knowledge in the right location when necessary. But what does it take to manage such a culturally diversified and geographically dispersed team? What is an international team? The increase – both in organizational global mobility and in individual migration –means that, most large organizations now employ a multicultural workforce. It is not unusual to find traditional teams made up of members from a number of different countries. These team members work for the same organization and may share the same profession, but the fact that they do not share the same cultural background provides them with a different view of the world. As a result, they think and behave differently to each other. Virtual teams are also on the rise as international organizations embrace new technologies to enable geographically dispersed teams to work together cost-effectively and efficiently. This virtual and remote working of members from different cultures and across different time zones doesn’t come without challenges. Cultural generalizations It would be wrong to suggest that team members from one specific cultural background always behave in the same way. Of course, personality, upbringing, previous experiences and a host of other factors all impact their behaviors. Any team bringing different personalities and experiences  together can face frustrations and challenges. However, researches have shown that values and attitudes tend to differ according to one’s cultural background resulting in different work practices and behaviors. * Do team members prefer to work on individual projects or pool their ideas and resources? * Is it acceptable to show emotion during conflict? * Should they be expected to stay late or take work home in order to finish a project? * Is it ok to interrupt a meeting to take an important phone call? Members of different cultural groups will answer these and other questions differently. Academic researchers such as Geert Hofstede and Fons Trompenaars have shown that cultural behaviors vary according to a series of dimensions on which we can place the countries of our colleagues. Key cultural dimensions include: * Hierarchy vs. egalitarianism * Groups vs. individuals * Relationship vs. task * Open vs. hidden displays of emotion * Degree of comfort with uncertainty and risk * Work/life balance * Attitudes to time and space * Attitudes to nature and the environment Understanding that individuals belonging to different cultural groups have varying attitudes to these dimensions can help us understand how and why our colleagues and team members sometimes do things differently. For example, a team member from a hierarchical culture such as India tends to be more deferent to their manager and expects approval for each piece of work before moving on to the next stage. Conversely, team members from more egalitarian cultures such as Australia or the USA are usually much more comfortable working autonomously. Management versus Leadership The purpose of management is to make people effective, motivate them, operate and communicate a strategic process. It is the hardest! Whilst Leadership is setting a new direction the entity will follow. Leaders are spearheads. Leadership complements management. But both deal with human aspects that require: self-awareness, to understand differences, accept and value them. This is a sum up of each one’s responsibilities: Leaders| Managers| * Cope with change * Set a new direction of that change * Align people * Motivate people by satisfying basics (human needs)| * Cope with complexity * Develop capacity to achieve its plans by organizing and staffing * Enquires controlling and problem solving * Budget and plan| Leading international teams: a Global Leader Definition proposed by Mendenhall and al in 2008: â€Å" Global leaders are individuals who effect significant positive change in organizations by building communities through the development of trust and the arrangement of organizational structures and processes in a context: involving multiple cross-boundary stakeholders, multiple sources of external cross-boundary authority, and multiple cultures under conditions of temporal, geographical and cultural complexity†. Managers of international teams need to take time to improve their own global cultural knowledge and sensitivity in order to understand the different expectations, priorities and behaviors of their team members. Intercultural training and/or coaching can help managers to develop the knowledge, skills and strategies to manage an international team more effectively. Taking the time to learn about other cultures and becoming more ‘culturally curious’ is invaluable for anyone new to managing an international team. The real challenge is to pre-empt challenges and frustrations that may arise in an international team and to harness the positives in order to create synergy from the culturally diverse team members. Managers may need to adapt their usual leadership style to maximize the potential of an international team. What has been successful with domestic teams may not always work as well with an international team. Planning, scheduling, trust criteria, expectations of delegation, feedback and regularity of contact will be viewed differently according to the culture of the individual. Good international managers need to adapt their style to take these differences into account. Managers also need to consider different ways of making team members feel valued as an important part of the team. For some cultures being valued as a person is not so  important as long as their work is respected. Other cultures are more holistic: they want to be liked by their manager and appreciated as a person and want to receive credit for the tasks they complete. So spending time getting to know team members is essential in the early stages in order to understand the skills and knowledge each individual brings to the team and how to bring out the best in each of them. When the manager form an international team, he needs to be clear and explicit and always uses documents ground rules and processes with input from all the team players to avoid ambiguity at a later stage. Good relationships between the team leader and members are essential but not enough on their own. Team members also need to get on well with each other, even if the team is geographically dispersed. Providing opportunities for team members to share knowledge and experience – whether through informal forums or more formal meetings, team building events or training programs – will allow the team to build rapport and trust, making it easier to work effectively as a unit. To finish, Global Leadership differs from Domestic Leadership. Indeed Domestic leadership lacks of connectedness. A global leader implies a global scope with a management perception, a relationship management and a self-management. It requires cultural sensitivity. A leader has to create relationship, hit the bottom line and merge a common vision and common goals. Global Leadership versus Domestic Leadership The increase of competent global leaders has become a key success factors in International Companies. Indeed, implement global strategies keeps on developing the number of constraints. Global talent leads to Global leaders and require understanding differences between global and domestic leadership stakes. Global leaders are distinctive in their scope, their mindset moreover they need to be culturally aware. The difference between global and domestic leadership infers additional complexity. In other words, Global Leaders need to cope with: * Multiplicity of issues across a range of diverse dimensions, for instance with different customers, legal procedures, regulation and competitors. * Interdependence among lots of stakeholders from different culture, countries that is to say with different polices, economies and environmental systems. * Ambiguity in interpreting relationships, cues and signals at the appropriate situation. * Flows in  terms of transactions, sharing information, v alues patterns and the last but not the least the organization structure. Ghemawat (2008), a Harvard Professor emphasizes the challenges of global operations linked with the complexity of operating abroad. He noted 4 difficulties: * Cultural issues as language customs, religion and ethnicities. * Administrative and political issues as laws, trading blocs or currencies. * Geographical issues as physical distances, time zones. * Economic issues as income levels, cost of natural and human resources, infrastructure or information. But Caliguiri, an expert in careers recognized in the Business area, in 2006 claimed the experience approach according to that global leaders distinguish through their researches and his or her definition of what leaders do through their tasks and positions. It is a ground approach, much more every day practical. He highlighted the following stakes to be a global leader: * Work with colleagues from other countries * Interact with external clients from other Countries * Interact with internal clients from other countries * Sometimes communicate using a second language * Manage and motivate geographically dispersed and diverse employees and teams * Develop strategic business plans on a worldwide basis * Manage a budget on a worldwide basis * Negotiate in other countries or with people of different nationalities * Manage foreign suppliers and vendors * Manage risk on a worldwide basis To conclude those leadership’s skills need to be assess to improve and develop talent and management processes. Because develop talented people and effective global leadership is definitively a competitive advantage for multinational companies. Different communication styles Good team work is all about good communication. Even in a monocultural team, frustrations can occur all too easily when messages are misinterpreted and communication breaks down. Individuals from different cultural backgrounds usually favor different communication styles varying in terms of directness, formality, and use of silence, non-verbal signals and the levels of information shared. A useful concept is Edward T. Hall’s ‘high and low context’, which illustrates how relationships impact communication and the balance between verbal and non-verbal communication. A ‘high context’ communicator will have a more indirect, implicit style and will rely more on the shared knowledge and experience than a ‘low context’ communicator. It is easy to predict a ‘low context’ team member’s frustrations with a colleague who seems unable to get to the point and ‘tell it like it is’. Asian cultures tend to be much more comfortable with silence rather than Western cultures in which it is more common to fill silences or sometimes to even talk over the person who is already talking. How does this impact an international team meeting and what can the team manager do to ensure that everyone’s opinion is heard? A clear agenda and meeting protocols are essential and the team manager needs to have the skills and awareness to interpret individual reactions and to guide the discussion to enable everyone to contribute. It is really important asking for individual updates or switching roles at each meeting so that different people lead or take the minutes are simple ways of ensuring that all voices are heard. Coping with conflict Successful international teams need to be comfortable with conflict and ready to resolve any disputes quickly. Cultural groups that place more importance on the group than on the individual are usually less comfortable with conflict as they value harmony and saving face. This is in contrast to those from individualist cultures who focus more on task than relationship and are usually open in expressing any disagreement. They don’t view disputes as personal but simply as something to be resolved in order to get the best results for the project or task. Example: French colleague who seemed to be extremely critical of his colleague’s presentation but then gave very good feedback to his manager afterwards. He was challenging his colleague to stretch his thinking and to explore other options and possibilities but this didn’t mean he thought it was a bad presentation. For a Western manager working with Asian team members it is important to allow them the opportunity to discuss any areas of conflict individually rather than in front of the team as this would potentially cause them to lose face or  induce others to lose face. So, the way leaders manage international teams, cope with conflict, organize and orchestrate team can depend on the organization of the firm and its cultural origin. Moreover, we can distinguish the Horizontal Leadership (Obama) and the Vertical Leadership (Sarkozy). Horizontal Leadership| Vertical Leadership| * Hierarchical organization * Mechanistic * Controlling resources * Chain of command * Span of control * Knowledge is power| * Flat organization * Organic * Sharing resources * Coordinating * Unlocking potential * Knowledge creation| Conclusion: Now more than ever, there is a great opportunity for international collaboration through international teams. Whether it’s a single project or a long-term assignment, by taking a proactive approach to recognize the potential challenges of international teams, organizations can reap the benefits and create an international structure that ensures that their top talents are utilized to the best of their abilities and efficiency. International team leaders need to step back from usual assumptions and methods and put themselves in the shoes of their colleagues from other cultures. Re-evaluating what has worked well in the past, taking time to understand the preferences of each team member and finding common ground for all, will help to form a united and effective international team. Be a global leader, manage an international team is definitively an every-day job dealing with the hardest: human factors. Conclusion So, we have seen how important the leadership in the actual world is. No matter what is its form, it’s generally a real pro for a team. Managing an international team is a hard task that leadership can simplify. It’s necessary to understand that Leadership styles management are listed and defined, but it’s complicated to give advice about how leading because the person you are in relation with will impact a lot your leadership style. It will sometimes be more efficient to be â€Å"autocratic† whereas it was useless in a previous similar situation. The leader, to be the best as possible need  to be a good manager and also mix all the different leadership styles in order to take the best from each one. Even if it’s pretty idealistic, this is the advice we would give in order to be a good manager. But is a good leader enough to manage an entire company? Tables des Matià ¨res â€Å"The only definition of a leader is someone who has followers†1 I/ Leadership styles2 II/Leadership Styles in Managing International Teams International: Managers as a team leaders12 1/ How are perceived Foreign Leaders?12 2/ What are Leaders’ tasks and Attributes to manage an international team?13 a)Applying good judgment14 b)Reading cross-cultural cues14 c)Finding a guide not to be manipulated but well-oriented15 d)Reflecting as well as acting15 e)Modeling the process15 f)Selecting the right people15 g)Considering with shareholders16 h)Training modifications16 i)Leaders’ Tasks (ability required):16 Conclusion:18 III/ Intercultural management: Leading an international team18 What is an international team?18 Cultural generalizations19 Management versus Leadership20 Leading international teams: a Global Leader20 Global Leadership versus Domestic Leadership22 Different communication styles23 Coping with conflict24 Conclusion:25 Bibliography, Videos sources and Study Case27 Bibliography, Videos sources and Study Case http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y47qRvPHoVU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPfRKu05bkQ&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptKNVsf7b9Y&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCtfV8tspho http://www.communicaid.com/cross-cultural-training/culture-for-business-and-management/leading-across-cultures/index.php http://www.ehow.com/info_8210591_cross-cultural-leadership-styles.html http://www.legacee.com/Info/Leadership/LeadershipStyles.html Hersey, P. and Blanchard, K. H.. Management of Organizational Behavior 3rd Edition– Utilizing Human Resources. New Jersey/Prentice Hall, 1977 Blanchard, Kenneth H., Patricia Zigarmi, and Drea Zigarmi. Leadership and the One Minute Manager: Increasing Effectiveness through Situational Leadership. New York: Morrow, 1985 Ronald Goodnight. Encyclopedia of leadership: Laissez-faire Leadership. Sage Publication, 2004 Study Case: Richard Branson Basic Example for Leadership 1. How it all began Sir Richard Branson is one of the world’s most eminent, creative, innovative and highly successful entrepreneurs of all time with a net worth of over $4.2 billion. Being the very epitome of a true business leader, he has gone through numerous difficulties to be able to found the Virgin Group, establishing a unique approach to leadership, which has attracted quite many followers all over the world. He has proved himself as the master of serial entrepreneurship, perfecting his one of a kind leadership style over the years. Born in 1950 and educated in Stowe in the United Kingdom, Richard Branson’s first business venture was setting up a Student Magazine at the age of sixteen. This was initiated after his final decision to drop out of school, most probably due to the hardships he had faced in his earlier childhood, caused by his having been diagnosed with dyslexia. However, despite Branson’s poor academic performance, in 1970 he founded Virgin as a mail order record retailer, which later turned into one of the most well-known brands in the world. During the following years, Virgin Records was established, which signed such prominent artists as Mike Oldfield, the Sex Pistols, the Rolling Stones, etc. The Virgin brand continued to grow during the next decades as Branson expanded his enterprise by founding the  Virgin Atlantic Airways, and also starting a Virgin record label in America. With around 200 companies in over 30 countries, the Virgin Group has now expanded into leisure, travel, tourism, mobile, broadband, TV, radio, music festivals, finance and health and through Virgin Green Fund his company is now investing in renewable energy and resource efficiency. Moreover, in 2005, the Virgin Galactic, a space tourism company, came into existence, where the intention is to eventually reach orbital trips around the globe as well as go to the Moon. Branson has been named a â€Å"transformational leader† in the field of management, with his maverick strategies and his stress on the Virgin Group as an organisation driven on informality and information, one that is bottom-heavy rather than strangled by top-level management. 2. The unique personality behind the face of Richard Branson Being a great leader is not an easy task to be achieved, and there is a certain set of personal characteristics, which are intrinsic to Richard Branson himself and make him the unique entrepreneur he is. Firstly, passion is of essential priority for the successful fulfillment of various tasks. It is the quality, which gives you the stimulus to further improve the performance of your company and develop your business ideas. Hence, Branson should definitely be considered a real passionate leader due to his incessant striving for perfection and sincere commitment to contributing to people’s welfare. On the Virgin Group’s corporate website it is mentioned that the company is â€Å"giving birth† to other firms as well as â€Å"holding their hand† through their development, as this pinpoints the exceptional supportive attitude of the company towards its staff. Secondly, the next personal characteristic of paramount importance happens to be courage in the form of having the guts to take risks and initiatives. One emblematic decision of Branson – to switch bank due to poor support and advice for Virginia records – led to the company’s ultimate survival. Additionally, there are many examples of Branson, jumping into different ventures such as is the case with the space tourism-related Virgin Galactic. This enterprise was extremely risky and brave, yet very profitable as well. Despite the substantial uncertainty involved, Branson has showed several times he is excellent in risk management as well. When starting a new venture, he usually shares the risk with other investors, but also makes sure the risk is minimized doe each  party. Thirdly, creativity along with having knowledge of the business you are in is a combination of personal features, which are fundamental in being a great leader. There is no denying Richard Branson’s extraordinary creativity, given the variety of industries his businesses operate in. From airlines to record labels, he has managed to build a steady empire. What is more, he has a profound knowledge of not only the business he runs, but the existing competition as well, which has led to a constant incr ease in the company’s profits. Fourthly, in spite of having insight into different situations, it is also very important to be frankly motivated to do the right thing. Branson has shown the world his open and kind nature to create something he is proud of. Actually, he mentions this as his underlying philosophy of business – to do something for the sake of improving other people’s lives, not merely making money. Another positive feature of his – adaptability – has also helped him in achieving this task, as he is now engaged in numerous environmental initiatives and research. 3. Branson’s leadership style Management is about doing things right, leadership is about doing the right thing, says Peter Drucker. Sir Richard Branson has developed his outstanding leadership style through the years and has proved it actually works. It can be best described as participative leadership. He makes sure to involve his subordinates as well as other stakeholders in the decision-making process in order to be able to extract various constructive opinions, which would aid to the flourishing of the business. Branson himself outlines that one cannot be a good leader unless he genuinely likes people. As a result of this, his leadership style is based on a few very simple and down-to earth rules, and namely: * Smile. Everything gets much easier if you show a friendly face. * Have fun at work. * Believe in your ideas, employees and colleagues. As we can see, Branson puts a serious emphasis on human resource management. He strives to find people, who have innovative ideas and are determined to give 100% to achieve their goals. He insists that all of his employees should be company-oriented, sharing common values, co-operating with one another in their work to beat up competition. Consequently, the human  resource management system is built, so that the staff is constantly motivated and encouraged to improve his/her performance, being given certain benefits such as bonuses, profit sharing or any kinds of promotion available. 4. Branson’s leadership qualities A magnificent businessman, an inquisitive person, a truly caring human being, Sir Richard Branson possesses a set of leadership qualities, which only few entrepreneurs in the world have. It is his leadership abilities which make him stand out and have helped him build his empire of businesses. I shall mention the quintessential ones in order to analyze his image much better. First of all, Branson claims he has learnt his management skills through trial and error since founding his first business when he was sixteen. Nowadays, his main efforts are concentrated into achieving an effective time management. He divides his days equally between trouble shooting, new projects and promoting his businesses. He is regarded as a genius at handling and preparing PR activities and is never afraid of being in the limelight. Next, another skill of his is the ability to delegate work to his co-workers and management staff, leaving them to get a stake in the business and try to develop it as much as they can. He surely spends a great deal of time to build a certain business, but he also wants to recruit such people, who would be able to run it without him, thus taking a step back. Moreover, Richard Branson is famous for his belief that if one looks for the best, he will get the best. He is really precise when it comes to hiring potential employees. After a thorough selection has been conducted, he gets them to stay in the company regardless of the mistakes they may make. He is more likely to bring specific people into another venture where the person is more likely to perform well according to his/her capabilities, than just fire them. With his likeable personality and professional leadership style, Sir Richard captures everybody’s attention with his openness to people and devotion to their well-being. He considers failure as an unfortunate occurrence when leaders avoid the reality of business. What is one of his guiding principles is that one has to trust the people with whom he works and learn from their mistakes. Blame, bitter accusations and recriminations are pointless. Another leadership quality to be highlighted is Branson’s striving to bu ild tight interaction between managers and employees. He  encourages his staff to write to him with whatever suggestions they come up with, which would be of benefit to the future success of the company. He assumes that motivational strategies extend to innovative ideas, so he tries to listen to as many propositions as possible and offer his professional feedback. The development of a bond with his team is an essential part of his everyday work. Following this feature, Sir Richard also gives his all to inspire people to think as if they were entrepreneurs themselves, and to treat them as adults. He believes that in order to make workers perform better, they should be given more responsibilities, which inevitably activates their self-conscience. Last but not least, one of Branson’s main positive leadership characteristics is that he sees no one way to run a successful business, because what works well today, may not work at all tomorrow. This adds up to the point of trial and error mentioned above. Branson considers there are no strict rules to be followed – just do what you believe is the best for you. When one makes a mistake, he stands up and learns how to avoid it in the future. He wittily mentions that this is the recipe for success and above that it deprives one from the unpleasant want to scream at the sight of a bullet points list.