Becoming an Effective Leader Essay

Learner name: Section 1: Understand own ability to fulfil key responsibilities of the leadership role. An evaluation of my own ability to use a range of leadership styles, in different situations and with different types of people, to fulfil the leadership role. There are in essence, four core leadership theory groups [1], which are: Trait theories, Behavioural theories, Contingency theories and Power and influence theories. Look more:  define research objectives essay I strongly believe that a leader must be adaptable to the situation and therefore prefer the Contingency theories. I shall therefore use two contingency theories to illustrate my ability to fulfil key responsibilities of my leadership role. I will use two contingency theories in my illustration. Hersey and Blanchard model The Hersey and Blanchard Situational Leadership Theory was created by Dr Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard in the mid-70’s. The fundamental basis of this theory is that there is no single ‘best’ leadership style and effective leaders have to adapt their styles depending upon the maturity level of delegates. So essentially the model rests on two fundamental concepts; leadership styles and the groups or individuals maturity level [2] . Hersey and Blanchard defines four Leadership Styles [3]: Telling (S1) – where the leader directs people what to do and how to do it. Selling (S2) – where the leader provides information and direction, selling the message to get people on board, and providing support. Participating (S3) – where the leader works with the team, sharing the decision making and responsibilities. Focus is more on relationship and less on direction. Delegating (S4) – where the leader passes most of the responsibility for a task onto the individual or group, only monitoring progress. S1 requires the most effort on the part of the leader which reduces through S2 and S3 to S4,  which requires the least effort. Style S4 therefore would enable the leader to deliver more for the same effort. However effectiveness of the individual or team will depend on their Maturity Level. Hersey and Blanchard also define four Maturity Levels: M1 – where people lack knowledge, skill or confidence to work independently, and require direction and prompts to progress the task. M2 – where people are willing to deliver but still lack the requisite skills for effective delivery of the task. M3 – where people are willing to deliver and have reasonable skill level but still require confidence to deliver effectively. M4 – where people have high skill and confidence levels and are able to work independently and are committed for successful delivery. The model maps each style to the appropriate maturity level. So a leader should identify the maturity level of his reports and use the most appropriate style to ensure most effective delivery of the task. The leader needs to provide a detailed level of direction and regular intervention to less mature team to compensate for the lower skill, motivation and confidence levels. In time the team will improve and will become a less burdensome leadership style. Accordingly, this model is suitable for developing a static team in the longer term. New members into the team will have to be assimilated in a planned way and there needs to be careful succession planning to ensure the maturity level of the team does not deteriorate. Adair’s Action Centred Leadership Model Adair’s theories encompass motivation theories by Maslow, Herzberg and Fayol and he was probably the first to demonstrate that leadership is a trainable, transferable skill, rather than it being an exclusively inborn ability. The model developed by John Adair in the 60’s and 70’s suggests [4] that a leader must: Achieve the task Develop the team, and Develop the individual The three elements are mutually dependant but are separately essential for an effective leadership role. He also defines certain key functions of a leader: Planning- information gathering, scope definition, objective setting Initiation- briefing, allocation, quality management Controlling – quality control, monitor progress, decision-making Supporting – individuals, team, encouragement Informing – communication, feedback Evaluating – assessment In many ways the Adair model is very similar to the Hersey and Blanchard model, particularly the emphasis on developing individuals and team. However the key focus is on the task, rather than developing the team per se. For this reason this model is particularly suited to a non-static team where teams are constructed for specific projects, rather than assigning the project to an existing team. Own ability to use the styles – Hersey-Blanchard model In 2004, I was requested by my then Head of Service to take on a severely broken team due to some significant issues. The team of six was responsible for managing and delivering the work of nearly 100 part time front line staff. It was headed by a senior team leader who had been in post for around 30 years and had moulded the team to her personal style. Anyone challenging the authority of the team leader was bullied mercilessly until they became compliant or simply left. The bullying even extended to life outside work. As a result of the approach, there was high turnover of staff and there was very little initiative amongst the remaining staff. Individuals were initially reported as being highly competent but later were blamed for things going wrong, shortly before they left. The team was very tightly knit and generally appeared supportive of the team leader. However the lack of initiative resulted in a team that would be classed as having maturity level M1 in the Hersey-Blanchard model and therefore resulted in the team leader having to deliver every task with a significant level of personal effort. Things came to a head when five staff left in quick succession, reporting similar issues in the newly introduced exit interviews. I was therefore asked to lead the team and make necessary improvements. Very quickly, I made an assessment of the maturity level of the team and came to the conclusion that the team required a great deal of direction to ensure tasks are delivered. I therefore took the decision to  move my desk to be amongst the failing team to enable me to direct the team more effectively. I would also be able to prevent any bullying and be able to penetrate the ‘closed shop’ of the team. The impact of this action was almost immediate as the team leader refused to cooperate and then went on sick leave when I insisted that she worked with me. With support from the other teams, I was able to support and reassure the dysfunctional team to improve their skill, competence and confidence levels. The task was made difficult by the fact that I had little technical expertise in the area. However, as I gained confidence of the existing staff, I was able to improve service delivery and the absent team leader realised that she was becoming less necessary. She returned and agreed to support me but I discovered attempts to undermine me and observed continued evidence of bullying. I therefore suspended her and commenced investigations by an independent solicitor. During the period of the investigations, I assessed that the team had moved from Hersey-Blanchards M1 maturity level to M2 maturity level. As a result, my life became easier and I was able to start implementing the structural changes that were necessary to improve performance. The investigations took about a year and resulted in dismissal of the original team leader as evidenc e of her actions became clear. The team slowly improved as each team member was empowered to carry out the tasks. The biggest impact was on recruitment and retention in that team, and also in the front line staff managed by them. Previously, we carried a vacancy rate of 35%, which all but disappeared and recruitment drives became oversubscribed. We were able to extend the scope of project delivery and increase targets, partly as a result of the reduced vacancy rate but also due to increased efficiency. By year 4, we were delivering almost four times the projects we used to with virtually the same establishment (albeit without a significant vacancy rate). We were by then identified as national leaders in that particular field and won several prestigious awards. I achieved the above by utilising Hersey-Blanchard model and investing a lot of personal effort and energy into the plan that I developed. To be clear, I did have a great deal of support from my superiors and other teams, but there was a lot of hard work. However, it was also a good development opportunity for me and very rewarding due to the reaction from my staff. Given the outcome described above I consider that I have successfully used  the Hersey and Blanchard model to fulfil the leadership role in managing and developing the team and therefore conclude that I have the ability to use this model in a constructive and appropriate way. Own ability to use the styles – Adair’s Action Centred model In 2010, I was asked to work on a  £133million project to build a new bridge over the River Wear. I worked with the Project Director to design the delivery team. There was three distinct phases to the project: 1. Developing the Business case/Funding 2. Detailed design 3. Construction The project was to be delivered by consultants embedded into the team, constituency of which would vary for the three phases. By necessity, we used the Adair’s model i.e. using a task-centric approach. As the Contracts Manager, my responsibility was to deliver the contract documents, manage the design phase and create a team for the construction phase. I planned how the work would be delivered, defining the scope and setting objectives for each workstream. The Consultants, based internationally delivered the scope to my specification and ensured all parties were aware if exactly what was required. I implemented a quality management system to ensure work was of adequate quality and held weekly meetings through teleconference to check on progress. Critical path analysis of the programme was of significant importance in ensuring delivery was on track. To ensure good communications, I chaired a monthly face-to-face meeting with key staff from all four Consultants when we were able to review and assess the work delivery. I also reassigned members of the team to other tasks for the construction phase to fully exploit the developed team and planned the expansion very carefully so as not to compromise the team dynamics. Unfortunately funding for the project was discontinued and I left for other roles before completion. The contract documents were produced aznd the detailed design was almost 85% complete however. I consider that the above demonstrates that I have successfully used Adairs Action Centred Model given that I have actively planned, initiated, controlled, supported, informed and to a great extent, evaluated tasks produced by the team. Although the project was not delivered due to a funding gap, the output nevertheless demonstrates my ability to use this model to fulfil the leadership role. As  a result of the foregoing, I am able to conclude that I have a developed ability to use a range of leadership styles to fulfil the leadership role. Use theories of emotional intelligence to review the effect of emotions on own and others’ performance. The theories of emotional intelligence that I will use for this task are Goleman [5] and Mayer and Salovey [6]. Mayer and Salovey Peter Salovey and John D. Mayer developed what is widely recognised as the first formal theory of emotional intelligence and carried out a detailed a review of then-existing literature on the subject in a paper published in 1990. They define Emotional Intelligence (EI) as â€Å"The ability to perceive emotion, integrate emotion to facilitate thought, understand emotions and to regulate emotions to promote personal growth.† They view emotions as sources of information to help one to understand and navigate the social environment to achieve performance improvement and conclude that individuals vary in their ability to process emotional information and how they relate emotional information to intelligence. They see certain adaptive behaviours amongst some people as evidence for the existence of this ability. The model claims that EI includes four types of abilities: The ability to perceive emotions – in faces, pictures and voices, including the ability to identify one†™s own emotions. Salovey and Mayer see this as a basic aspect of EI as it enables one to process all other EI information. The ability to use emotions – to facilitate other cognitive abilities, such as problem solving and thinking. The best EI person would be able to use this ability to enhance their performance in other cognitive tasks. The ability to understand emotions – this includes the ability to be sensitive to slight variations in emotions of self and others and also the ability to understand how emotions evolve over time. The ability to manage emotions – to regulate own emotion and that of others. Harnessing both positive and negative emotions and managing them to achieve the goals. Salovey and Mayer later collaborated with Caruso to develop [7] the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) based on a series of emotion-based problem-solving items. The model claims that EI is a type of intelligence, and is similar to the ability-based IQ tests. By testing a person’s abilities on each of the four branches of  emotional intelligence, it generates scores for each of the branches as well as a total score. Because EI requires individuals to be in tune with social norms, the MSCEIT is scored in a consensus fashion, with higher scores indicating higher overlap between one’s answers and those provided by the control sample. The MSCEIT can also be expert-scored, so that the amount of overlap is calculated between one’s answers and those provided by a group of emotion researchers. Although promoted as an ability test, the MSCEIT is unlike standard IQ tests in that its items do not have objectively correct responses. Among other challenges, the consensus scoring criterion means that it is impossible to create questions that only a minority of respondents can solve, because, by definition, responses are deemed emotionally â€Å"intelligent† only if the majority of the sample has endorsed them. Also this is likely to then lead to stereotyping and cultural bias. Organisations using them could therefore be at risk of being in breach of equalities legislation, albeit unintentionally or indirectly. The model has therefore been criticised for lacking predictability and there has been questions whether EI is really a genuine intelligence factor. In a study by Fà ¸llesdal [8] , the MSCEIT test results of 111 business leaders were compared with how their employees described their leader. It was found that there were no correlation between the test results and how the leader was rated by the employees, with regard to empathy, ability to motivate, and leader effectiveness. Goleman Goleman discusses Emotional Quotient (EQ) and sets out two key aspects of intelligence as having the ability to understand self (goals, intentions, responses, behaviour) and the ability to understand others and their feelings. He identifies five ‘domains’ of EQ, which are: Knowing own emotions. Managing own emotions. Motivating self. Recognising and understanding other people’s emotions. Managing relationships, i.e., managing the emotions of others. By developing our own Emotional Intelligence in these five EQ domains, we can become more effective at what we do, and achieve the best from our reports. This would  also reduce stress, by decreasing conflict, improving relationships and understanding, and help in succession planning. Goleman sets out the framework within which to EI competence could be improved and identifies two areas where this is to be achieved; personal and social competencies. Goleman and Cherniss have jointly produced a paper [11] for The Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations identifying 22 guidelines which represent the best current knowledge relating to the promotion of EQ in the workplace, summarised as: Paving the way assess the organization’s needs assessing the individual delivering assessments with care maximising learning choice encouraging participation linking goals and personal values adjusting individual expectations assessing readiness and motivation for EQ development Doing the work of change foster relationships between EQ trainers and learners self-directed change and learning setting goals breaking goals down into achievable steps providing opportunities for practice give feedback using experiential methods build in support use models and examples encourage insight and self-awareness Encourage transfer and maintenance of change (sustainable change) encourage application of new learning in jobs develop organizational culture that supports learning Evaluating the change – did it work? evaluate individual and organizational effect Cary Cherniss expands on this [12] and sets out the research demonstrating that someone’s ability to perceive, identify, and manage emotion provides the basis for the kinds of social and emotional competencies that are important for success in almost any job. Furthermore, as the pace of change increases and pressures on existing resources makes ever greater demands from us, this particular set of abilities will become increasingly important. Leaders therefore need to use emotional intelligence to improve both productivity and well-being of our staff. The criticism and research indicating EI not to be a ‘proper’ intelligence mainly relate to objectivity of the premise, inability to use it as a predictive tool and its use as selection criteria. EI nevertheless remains a very useful tool in the armoury of a leader in order to motivate and achieve better outcomes for tasks. Care however needs to be taken to ensure cultural differences are considered when using techniques identified in the EI models. Effect of Emotion on Performance I have had experience of an individual; Richard, who was unable to manage his own emotions, as described by Mayer and Salovey. He would perform quite adequately under most circumstances; however if some of the technical work he was carrying out was contrary to his view, he would slowly build up resentment. For example I used to assign him tasks to investigate and implement accident reduction measures. He would suggest some solution, and if I decided not to take his advice and required him to implement a different solution, his output would reduce and he would take almost twice as long to deliver the desired outcome. Over time, this resentment would build up until he reacted with a disproportionate level of anger to some instruction, manifesting as shouting in an open office and walking off in a huff. I have had discussions with him about this approach during his ‘calm’ periods and he described a ‘red mist’ descending that he was unable to control. Mayer and Salovey’s theory helped me understand that Richard did not have the ability to use, understand or manage his own emotions and this had a devastating impact on his performance, not only for the instances when he disagreed with any decision that did not accord with his own, but also because others around him felt he was somewhat ‘unstable’ and were wary of working with him. Which also had significant adverse impact on Richards performance, acting like a vicious cycle where the more he failed to deliver adequately, the more he received criticism and pressure which in turn  affected him emotionally and reduced his output. Improving his performance was a very difficult preposition and I sought help of HR and arranged counselling and support. However I never did feel that Richard was performing to his full potential for the period I managed him, although there was some improvement. This was a clear example of how performance can be adversely affected by a fa ilure to manage ones emotions as described by Meyer and Salovey. I understand that my own performance is also significantly affected by my own emotions. I have on occasion felt annoyed or even angry due to some action or inaction by colleagues. Conversely, I have often felt compelled to go the extra mile to deliver excellence for a colleague or Manager who gives me praise in the correct manner. Golemans framework has helped me to appreciate that emotions can have both a positive and negative impact on performance and that EI can be used to improve performance. Upon reflection on occasions that I have become annoyed, I have come to realise that there has inevitable been a negative impact on my performance, either due to lack of enthusiasm to perform or as a result of lack of cooperation from others who might had noticed my annoyance. For example within the last few months, I was severely criticised for failing to grasp the nettle with respect to managing my revenue budget by a superior officer. His approach was pre-planned and was clearly bullying behaviour. He did not assess the situation adequately, jumping to inappropriate conclusion about my ability, based on a preconceived view about what the cause of the problem was, when the problem was really a systemic problem with the way we allocate incurred costs to projects. The problem had been ongoing since 2004 when a new financial system was implemented with inadequate verification, resulting in greater and greater errors. His solution, which had been implemented in previous years had the effect of masking the issue period on period and still caused chaos at financial year end with apparent losses having to be covered by other parts of the business The superior officer seemed to think I should have been able to resolve the issue within one month, as he had done previously and sprung a surprise verbal mauling of me in the presence of one of our more senior finance officers, for effect and to demonstrate his superiority over me. Whilst I had an action plan to identify the error before I even considered a solution, I needed several periods of financial data to work on. My guiding  principle had been that if we continue the same way, we should expect the same outcome. This clearly rankled with the superior officer as the ‘way’ that I was abandoning was actually devised by him. The verbal mauling however had a profound effect on me, due to my emotional reaction. I felt unable to trust my superior and reduced my output down to almost nil for a short period. I also chose to avoid contact with my superior as I did not like being abused. I lost all enthusiasm and motivation. It was a discussion with the senior finance officer and au understanding of Golemans theory that helped me pull myself out of this stupor and refocus my emotions to achieve balance. I therefore try to actively use Goleman’s framework to manage my own emotions to minimise the negative impact of inappropriate emotions. I am also starting to manage my own emotions to tap into the performance enhancing effect that positive emotions can have. Using the framework of planning, changing, maintaining and evaluating my emotional reaction to various external factors and turning it into a positive force will continue to take conscious effort on my part but I am certain over time this will become second nature to me and help improve my performance significantly. In summary, my experience has demonstrated clearly that emotions generally has significant effect on performance, either for the better or for worse, and the theories detailed above can help in understanding and managing this. With practice, these theories can help me tap into the beneficial potential of EI for myself and my reports. Review own ability to set direction and communicate this to others In order to set direction and communicate this effectively, I follow a four step process, to clarify exactly what is desired, to understand the needs and motivation of my staff, to select the appropriate method of communication and finally to monitor and evaluate my effectiveness in order to improve. To clarify my objectives, I would need to understand exactly what we are seeking to achieve. For example, in a recent situation, we were concerned that we could be exposed to litigation due to the way we manage our trade waste. Essentially, we were failing to manage hazardous waste in the manner prescribed by Environment Agency (EA) regulations. Some staff were very concerned as there is a personal liability and wanted to seek external contractors at inflated prices to discharge the duties on our behalf. Instead, I requested an officer to look into the technical process involved and then armed with the report, I sought the help of EA. It transpires that we are not directly in breach but one of our contractors may have moved our waste to an unlicensed location, without our knowledge. I established that we are unable to transfer risk simply by engaging contractors and needed to develop a management plan to deal with the waste in the short, medium and long term. In discussion with EA, I established that they would support us and allow us a period to ‘set our house in order’. We are now in the process of writing the plan, after having clarified exactly what our objectives had to be. Any form of communication will most unlikely to be effective if it doesn’t ring chord with the audience. The audience will not care of the success or otherwise of any task if they don’t have a stake in the outcome. An effective leader must be able to engage the audience in such a wa y that each person has a vested personal interest in the success of any venture which will spur them to go that extra mile to ensure success. This could be something as simple a personal pride in a job well done or a competitive streak to do a better job than someone else. In one of my depots, there is exactly such a situation involving two of my best Construction Managers. They are very good friends who take delight in outperforming each other and achieve far better output than any similar team in the Council or externally. This did not happen by chance but was the culmination of slow work with both officers over a period, using humour and camaraderie to instil a friendly sense of competition. In the example above, I also actively sought the appropriate means of communication, i.e. using interpersonal skills and utilising humour, to set the parameters of the objectives I was seeking to achieve. The method I decided to use would not have been at all effective if I wrote an email or memorandum as my aim was far too subtle to communicate via a written medium. However, in cases where compliance with health and safety regulati ons are concerned for example, I consider it necessary to send out formal instructions to ensure staff complied. Such action would make it clear exactly what was required without any ambiguity. Apart from communicating the requirement, this would also provide me with an auditable trail if any staff member was found not to comply; which would also be one of my key objectives. Using a more formal means of communication when I generally prefer informal means, also has the  effect of underlining the legal obligation we have to my staff, who then take it more seriously. The ability to set direction and communication is closely linked to motivation theory and persuasive skills. The model I find most aligns with my style is Monroe’s Motivated sequence [13]. Alan Monroe developed this technique in the 30’s and identifies that in order to persuade or sell any concept, idea or product, one’s approach should include five separate steps: Attention – relate something that will make the audience take notice. This could be anything shocking or enticing to the target, such as a st atistic, an image or a thought. So in the case with managing our hazardous waste for example, I highlighted that failure to properly manage the waste could result in criminal prosecution, which had the desired effect of bringing this issue to fore in the mind of my staff. Need – link the topic under discussion to the needs to the audience, the premise being that the need will motivate the desired action. This aspect is particularly important because it is unlikely that most people will take action unless they are directly affected by the impact. For the example of the two construction Managers in competition with each other, I used techniques I observed in the mobile telephone sales and replicated the principles. I created a view in the mind of both staff that they needed to outperform each other for the sake of personal pride. I knew they were good friends and by various means encouraged the friendly rivalry, taking care to ensure that this remains friendly and does not become counter-productive. They both feel that they have to outdo each other and their performance continues to exceed expectations. Satisfaction – set out how the audience will be able to satisfy that need that has been established. It is important that the effort to ac hieve the need is presented as the easiest or least painful option. Once I created the need for both my Construction Mangers to outperform each other, I have continued to provide them with the means and resources to achieve this, both by providing support, finding the funding and also creating temporary positions and approving ‘acting up’ honorariums for their reports. So they both have the means to easily deliver their ‘need’ and not delivering when they are able to is now much the more difficult option from a personal pride perspective, as they will have to explain in my regular joint performance monitoring. Visualisation – set out how life would be like if the target were to commit to action.  Using the example of the Hazardous waste issue, I painted a picture of what the situation would be like if we were able to turn the usable material. There is a process whereby the hazardous waste can be encapsulated in asphalt using a cold process (a hot process would release volatile compounds which would not be acceptable ). Encapsulation would render the material inert and this could then be used to construct new roads. The marginal cost of converting this hazardous material into useful product is less than 35% of the cost of purchasing new product but there is a large capital investment (c  £500k) required for the plant. Nevertheless, I outlined a business case supported by the demand that will be generated by a new road due to be constructed in 2015. I therefore helped my staff visualise the savings we could make and the asset we would have after the new road is constructed, giving us even more savings in the long term. I have therefore got their active cooperation to achieve my vision and have managed to turn what was initially a burden and cost, to an opportunity by using the most effective communication and set direction. Action – finally, once the stage is set, the audience need to be shown how they could act to achieve all the positive benefits of doing the thing that is being promoted. In the case of the hazardous waste, business case is now being detailed with the aim of a capital investment in the next few months. I am managing the project and my staff are in detailed negotiations with various suppliers and industry experts to enable the vision to turn into reality. Currently we are negotiating land purchase to site the plant and storage requirements. As with every other process, it is important then to review and evaluate previous actions to enable the leader to ensure improvement in the future. For both the issues detailed above, I have my own evaluation processes established. For the competition between the Construction Managers, I am aware thing could get too far and friendly rivalry could quickly degenerate. I have therefore got regular meetings with both staff, jointly and individually for me to monitor, evaluate and review my actions. I am aware no one likes to be manipulated and things could backfire on me if they felt I was in any way underhand or devious. So, I informed both staff of my actions in a jovial and convivial way and the communication style I have used has been effective in both accepting and even embracing my manipulation. For the management of Hazardous waste issue, I have also put  in a small review group who monitor and evaluate the progress and we discuss the need to change our approach as we become aware of new developments in the field. Given the above, it is my view that I have a well-established and positive ability to set direction and communicate this effectively to others. Review own ability to motivate, delegate and empower others A leader must be able to delegate tasks effectively in order to achieve more than what he could on his own. Along with that, he must be able to motivate and empower others in order to ensure his management burden is optimised to enable him to manage more resources. That is the essence of leadership. Without this ability, he is merely a depository for tasks and does not add value to his organisation. In brief, motivation is the process of finding out what makes your staff ‘tick’ and demonstrate they can meet that need by delivering for you. In this respect there is much in common with style of communication described above and this is due to the fact that effective communication must take make is desirous for the recipient to deliver the task communicated. Monore’s Motivated Sequence, as the name suggests, is a motivational theory but there are a number of other theories, detailing much the same process, albeit in a different way. The two I will focus on are Maslow’s Need Hierarchy and Equity theory. Maslow describes a hierarchy of needs of each individual, which forms a pyramid, also known as Maslow’s Pyramid of needs. At the base of the pyramid is the basic Physiological needs we all have (i.e. access to air, food water etc.). Then comes the need for Safety (shelter, security), above that comes Social needs or Love/Belonging needs (company, acceptance, friendship etc.). Above that comes the Esteem needs (Recognition from others) and on top of the pyramid is Self-Actualisation (self-fulfilment, morality, creativity). Diagram below shows this pyramid: Fig 1. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs[14] In essence, what Maslow suggests is that people will need to satisfy their more basic needs before they can begin to satisfy a higher level need. In order to motivate them, it would be necessary to demonstrate how they could satisfy their needs at the appropriate level on the pyramid by achieving the goal. In a work situation, appropriate compensation will help satisfy the  lower order needs on the pyramid and little motivational benefit could be derived from focussing of satisfying the Physiological and Safety needs of staff. In order to motivate staff, it will be necessary to demonstrate how achieving the organisational goal or the task at hand will help meet one of the higher level needs on the pyramid (i.e. the need for social acceptance, of increased esteem or of self-actualisation). To do this effectively, it will be necessary for a leader to identify where on the pyramid the reports needs are. Generally the personal circumstances and ambition of the individual will determine which of his needs have already been satisfied and which need should the leader demonstrate as being achievable. The equity theory postulates that if people perceive inequity, they will try to equalise the situation and eliminate that inequity. It is a social comparison of an individual’s perception that drives an individual. They compare themselves against others and make an assessment whether the reward they are achieving for the effort they are expending is similar to the reward others get for the effort they expend. So individuals make a broad assessment of their own perceived reward/effort ratio and compare it to the perceived reward/effort ratio of others. Individual are generally satisfied when the two ratios are generally equal. However, this leads to two different scenarios when it is not: Underpayment inequity – when an individual feels they are underpaid for the effort they put in compared to another. The impact of this would be either the individual reduce their effort, productivity or quality of their work to match their perception of what the comparator produces. Overpayment inequity – when an individual feels they are actually overpaid for he work they produce, in which case they expend m ore effort in an attempt to increase outputs or improve the quality of their work. The situation most often manifests itself when staff compare their pay grades, but other rewards, such as praise, mentoring, training etc. could also be used in their comparison. Leaders need to be acutely aware of the situation as a perceived Underpayment inequity can have a devastating impact on productivity and also on the ability to retain staff, unless managed adequately. On the other hand, a perception of Overpayment inequity, although can seem to have benefits, can lead to an overly stressful situation for the individual concerned as they may feel their post will be made redundant or reduced in grade. Own ability to  motivate – Monroe’s Sequence and Maslow’s Hierarchy I have had cause to use both the theories above in motivating my staff. In the example given previously where I set two Construction Managers in friendly competition with each other I used Monroe’s Sequence to develop the strategy. In determining the need, I used Maslow’s Hierarchy to understand the most effective way to approach this. I understood the two individuals were already highly effective and motivated individuals and general discussions with them led me to believe that both would be seeking to satisfy their need to greater esteem. I therefore developed a strategy where I would enable both of them to achieve greater self-esteem whilst improving their outputs and performance. The most gratifying thing is that even though both now are aware of my manipulation, the rivalry continues and is still paying dividends. Own ability to motivate – Equity Theory I am currently dealing with a situation where my Construction Managers are rewarded at Band 9, which is the same as my Quantity Surveyors (QS’s). However, I would assess that the Construction Managers (CM’s) achieve several times more value from their work. They also carry greater responsibility and much greater workload. This has come about as a result of implementing â€Å"equal pay† legislation using a very ineffective evaluation model. The model tries to find equity between too many different types of work and fails miserably in the case of construction activities. There is also the issue of required qualifications of each group and my ability to recruit to these positions. I am currently reassessing the workload of the QS’s and trying to make it more equitable by rebalancing workload. However in the meantime, I have asked the CM’s to identify workstreams that may be suitable to be reallocated. I have also given the CM’s more access to me and have more frequent contact with them, ostensibly to address work issues, but also as a form of â€Å"reward† as there is a tendency for staff to seek some form of approval and praise from their leaders. I am aware though that the QS’s might be excessively stressed and I will have to reassure them. In the short-term this approach has proven to be effective in maintaining morale and motivation and has prevented from loss of staff. I will however need to deliver the implied promise to equalise the burden on both these groups. As  a result of the above I am able to conclude that I have a well-developed ability to motivate staff, based on the relevant theories outlined. Delegation and Empowerment Delegation and empowerment is the act of transferring responsibility to subordinates for delivering a task and ensuring they have the authority, resources and the means of achieving the desired outcomes. Effective delegation and empowerment will result in several key benefits: A leader can achieve more than he could individually Workforce will be more involved and feel empowered which will have a positive effect on productivity, and have a stake in outcomes Delivery will be more efficient Develop subordinates which will help with succession planning Although a leader may make his subordinates accountable for their actions, the leader will continue to be accountable for the completion of the task to his own superiors. There are therefore risks involved in delegating and often a leader will find it difficult to ‘let go’ of projects that are dear to them. There will therefore be a tendency on the part of the leader to use the excuse of accountability to avoid delegating. I have had direct experience of this when some years ago a newly appointed Director decided that he would personally sign all letters emanating from one particular service area. This is because that service area was primarily customer facing and was engaged in managing an ever decreasing ability to deliver due to funding cuts. The team, which I was part of, therefore continually had to say â€Å"no† and this caused political difficulties for the Director. Instead of managing expectati ons, he decided to stop delegating. The result was he had very little time for the task of signing letters, let alone anything else. After some years of this, we had a situation where thousands of service requests remained unanswered, some over four years old. Despite our pleadings, he refused to delegate the work and eventually more senior people reorganised the Department, making the Director redundant. As a consequence of the above, I have learned that I must delegate in a timely manner. To manage the risks outlined above, I always ensure my subordinates are motivated, have adequate resources and the ability to deliver. I also  maintain the constant vigil, both from a project/programme management perspective and also from a financial perspective, ensuring regular monitoring and identifying barriers to work with my staff to ensure delivery. As a result of this approach I have so far, this financial year, successfully delivered some  £14million worth of projects, making some  £3.5million income, of which  £300,000 is surplus. We are on course to deliver the full  £19million programme and make a surplus of some  £850,000 over an income of  £5.4million. Compared to the position two years ago when the service made losses of some  £900,000, my position is a much improved one. The single most skill that has enabled me to achieve such turnaround is my ability to delegate and empower my staff. I am therefore highly confident that I have a well-developed ability to delegate and empower others. Produce a Personal Development Plan to improve own ability to lead. In spite of the above, and perhaps as a result, I feel I will need to constantly develop myself. It is my contention that continuous learning will enable us to achieve continuous improvement. Key issues for me are: Reviewing the above, I feel I have not yet mastered the art of managing my own and others’ emotions to achieve performance improvement. I need to understand better the workings of Local Government to identify areas where my leadership skills need to be improved. In conjunction with the above, I believe I need to improve my ability to set direction and communicate. Emotional Intelligence In completing this assignment, this is one area where I have learned the most. I had been aware of issues surrounding cultural bias in psychometric testing because of my personal interest in equalities issues. The work researching Emotional Intelligence has cast the issue that with issue of equalities. It seems to me that any process designed to value conformity with the majority (which the concept of Emotional Intelligence undoubtedly is), is doomed to discriminate minority groups or those with a different cultural approach. However I recognise that EI remains a very useful tool in the armoury of any leader wishing to improve performance. Actions: Complete this ILM course by December 2014 and seek funding for furthering my education to MBA level Cost:Direct – funded centrally, no cost to service Indirect – 1 day per fortnight cost to be absorbed by service overhead allowance for training and development Leadership Issues in Local Government This is particularly relevant to my field and it is necessary for me to keep abreast of the developing issues surrounding Leadership in Local Government. Several journals are dedicated to latest developments in the sector, including The MJ and The Economist to a lesser extent. Actions: Seek out a mentor within the industry by December 2014. Continue to read relevant periodicals – ongoing. Cost:Direct – no cost to service Indirect – carried out in personal time, no cost to service. Set direction and communicating I have a reasonably well developed personal communicating style, and my written communication is also of reasonable quality. The area I most need to work on is my communication to groups. Actions: Use the opportunity provided by my Chairmanship of North East Performance Improvement Network to practice and develop my ability to direct and communicate to groups. Cost:Direct – no cost to service Indirect – As part of normal day to day duties, travel and time costs covered by capital projects Review and monitor I will review my achievement against these objectives on a six-monthly basis to effect improvement and amend aims and objectives as necessary. Cost:Direct – no cost to service Indirect – 2 hours every fortnight, cost to be absorbed by service overhead allowance for training and development. Bibliography 1 ‘Core Leadership Theories’, MindTools (2013). Available at: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/leadership-theories.htm (accessed 22/10/2013). 2 ‘Situational Leadership Theory’, Wikipedia (2013). Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Situational_leadership_theory (accessed 04/11/2013). 3 ‘The Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership Theory’, MindTools (2013). Available at: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_44.htm (accessed 22/10/2013) 4 ‘Action Centred Leadrship’, Businessballs.com (2013). Available at: http://www.businessballs.com/action.htm (accessed 04/11/2013) 5 Goleman, D., ‘Leadership that gets results’, Harvard Business Review (March-April 2000) 6 Salovey, P., & Mayer, J. D. (1989)., ‘Emotional intelligence’, Imagination, Cognition and Personality 9(3), 185-211 7 Mayer, J.D., Salovey, P., Caruso, D.R., & Sitarenios, G. (2003), ‘Measuring emotional intelligence with the MSCEIT V2.0’, Emotion, 3, 97-105 8 Fà ¸llesdal, H – PhD Thesis and accompanying papers, University of Oslo 2008, ‘Emotional Intelligence as Ability: Assessing the Construct Validity of Scores from the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT)’, Available at: http://www.psykologi.uio.no/studier/drpsych/disputaser/follesdal_summary.html (accessed 01/11/2013). 9 Goleman, D. (1995), ‘Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ’, Bantam Books. ISBN 978-0-553-38371-3 10 ‘Emotional Intelligence’, Businessballs.com (2013). Available at: http://www.businessballs.com/eq.htm (accessed 01/11/2013) 11 Goleman, D. and Cherniss, C., ‘Guidelines for Best Practice’, The Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations (www.eiconsortium.o rg), Available at: http://www.businessballs.com/emotionalintelligencebestpractice.pdf (accessed 01/11/2013). 12 Cherniss, C (2000), ‘Emotional Intelligence: what is it and why it matters’, Annual Meeting of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, New Orleans, LA, April 15, 2000 13 ‘Monroe’s Motivated Sequence’, Changing minds.org, Available at: http://changingminds.org/techniques/general/overall/monroe_sequence.htm (accessed 01/11/2013). 14 Figure.1. [Diagram] At: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow’s_hierarchy_of_needs (Accessed on 16.01.14). 15 Maslow, A.H. (1943).A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370–96. Retrieved from http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Maslow/motivation.htm (Accessed on 16.01.14).

Banksy’s Artwork in Detroit

Once again, all of the pieces Banksy put up in Detroit have either been destroyed by the owners of the walls upon which they were created – not knowing the signiflcance of the work – by Individuals looking to profit from the sale of the work, or, in the case of this image, ‘preserved,' significantly altered, or ‘destroyed' – depending on one's perspective – by individuals in the community seeking to save them from their Inevitable destruction, It Is equally Important to recognize that they surely (and undoubtedly) would have been destroyed in one way or another.Street rt is one of the only – if not the only – plastic arts that embrace's its own eventual demise. It Is, In other words, and Its practitioners are eminently aware of this, inherently ephemeral. As this [SLIDE – GO SLOW HERE] sequence of images [SLIDE] by a Street Artist known as Mobstr indicates. [SLIDE] The inherent ephemerality [SLIDE] of these works of art Is the result [SLIDE] of a relatively unique set of contextual circumstances [SLIDE] and social relationships of power within which most street artists ply their trade. [SLIDE] Just now, I referred to these pieces as works of art and I believe that that's how they should be regarded.Not as vandalism, not as a crime, not as a nuisance, or blight – however all of these descriptors are accurate, once again, depending on one's perspective. There is no other contemporary art movement that works at the same scope [SLIDE] and grandeur as street artists' do. They consider walls that sometimes stretch horizontally [SLIDE] for entire city blocks as a canvas of massive proportion. They see the blank concrete of a high rise and think of It not as private property, or the structure of someone's home or business, but as a concrete canvas.The sheer size, complexity, [SLIDE] and detail involved in ome of street art's most notable exemplars qualifies it as an artform par excellence. However, In the eyes of the law, the majority of property owners. or In the by laws of municipal city councils, this is, for the most part, not the case. Once again, and for the most part, in the eyes of the law [SLIDE], street art is vandalism and property damage that upsets the stability of city life and the sensibility of city dwellers, making them fear for their safety on the streets of their city.From this perspective, street art needs to be eradicated, erased, and/or tuffed out,' as the terminology of the street calls It, as soon as possible. Removing graffiti and street art Is akin to fixing the broken windows that, if left unrepaired, as the infamous story told by Wilson and Kelling goes, will lead to further crime, disregard for private property, the apparent safety of others, and an overall degeneration of the city as a space reserved almost exclusively, according to David Harvey, for commerce and private property rights.Succinctly, then, the life expectancy of a piece of street art [ SLIDE] is very short. It is around buffing out the work of street artists, however. There are at least four other factors that make the work of street artists inherently ephemeral. In addition to municipal officers buffing out pieces, the second factor limiting the life expectancy of street art, are property owners themselves [SLIDE]. When a piece of private property gets tagged without the permission of the property owner, the inclination of the property owner is to get to rid of what they consider to be vandalism as soon as possible.This is especially the case when the owner isn't aware of the value of certain pieces. This one [SLIDE], done by Banksy in Melbourne, Australia, was apparently destroyed when, someone's father was house sitting and he thought he would do his son-in-law a favour by getting rid of it. However, and generally speaking, the commercial value of street art by the vast majority of street artists, save a very select few, is close to nil. If you're a street arti st and you're not Banksy, you breaking proverbial windows all the time.Property owners, then, seeking to maintain the aesthetic integrity of their property, are the second cause of street art's limited life expectancy. The third cause is other street artists themselves. Ever since the appearance of graffiti on the subways and walls of New York City [SLIDE] and Philadelphia in the late 70s and early 80s, graffiti and street art have been caught up n a clandestine contest that revolves around territoriality, prestige, ego, and fame, based on the courage and capacity to get one's tag up in the most dangerous and visible locations possible.Looked at from these five different perspectives, street art is one of the few ‘plastic arts' that is planned, designed, and created in full knowledge that the end product will, in one way or another, disappear or be destroyed over time – and in some instances, very short periods of time. This inherent ephemerality is, of course, where th e digital camera and the Internet become incredibly important implements in the treet artist's quiver.As much as these artists are reliant on the physical qualities of cinder block, concrete, wood, and steel, to exercise their creative vision, they are equally reliant on the immaterial, virtual, and distributed hardware and software characteristic of the Web 2. 0 era, to document that which in all likelihood, and in the very near future, will disappear for one of the five reasons listed above.Taking into account the ephemeral transience of street art from the perspective of the artists themselves, these same artists can, then, as much as they are regarded as street rtists, also be regarded as digital artists, digital photographers, albeit digital artists and photographers that go to great lengths, and put themselves at great risk, in the preparation of their compositions.This point is important enough to recognize, but to stop here would be to cut short a more in depth examination o f the practice of creating street art and the absolute importance of the concrete yet entirely transient and stochastic qualities of the urban canvas to the art form. As I hope to demonstrate, the vagaries of the urban fabric serve only to reinforce the point Just ade regarding the importance of the digital camera and the Internet.AWKWARD – The very particular qualities of the surfaces upon which this kind of art is produced – the individual qualities of very particular walls – and the either serendipitous or pre- planned incorporation of trash, foliage, or other elements of the natural (or stretched canvas upon which other forms of art are produced – play an incredibly important role in the creation of street art. Reciprocally, and at the same time, they also underscore the importance of the digital camera, the digital photograph, and the Internet to the preservation and dissemination of the works themselves.I think this can best be explained by referenc e to the photographs themselves. If we look at this piece by Banksy for instance, [SLIDE] created in the run up to the London Olympics in 2012 and around the same time as his ‘Slave Labour' piece, we see a pole-vaulter falling backwards, not quite making it over the barbed wire fence and onto the discarded mattress below. For the time being, I'm less interested in a semiotic reading of the piece than I am in paying attention to the actual physical things that play a part in the construction of this semiotic meaning.The mattress and the fence are absolutely integral elements of the piece. They are as important to the work as the pole and the pole-vaulter. If absent, for whatever reason, the piece itself wouldn't be the same piece. Or, rather, it would be an entirely different piece, with an entirely different meaning. For instance, after this photograph was taken, there is a good chance that the mattress might have been discarded, the fence taken down in order to install the re quisite Plexiglas. The point being, that the artist has obviously deemed these elements of the urban fabric to be elemental to the overall work itself.If removed or altered in any way, as they surely will be, the work is no longer that of the artist. Much like deleting scenes from Hamlet would fundamentally alter the play as Shakespeare intended it, removing the mattress alters the piece as Banksy intended it. If the mattress goes missing, is moved, or shifted, the artwork, as the artist envisioned and created it, is no longer. This example [SLIDE] too, indicates how important the actual elements of the urban fabric are to the piece. They are intricately woven into the artwork itself.This is becoming ever more important and prominent in Banksys work and†¦ f I can speculate for a moment, I think this has everything to do with his politics – I presume he's a ‘he' at least – it has everything to do with his politics, the market value of his work, and the propen sity of property owners to remove it and auction if off, or of municipal councils to put it behind Plexiglas. So what would happen if this wall was cut out and moved to a gallery, into a private salon, or placed behind Plexiglas? Or what if we simply come back in Winter?Well, of course, the flowers that this boy is vomiting would die. They would either be uprooted and killed, squashed behind the Perspex and killed, or in time, and as a esult of the elements, die of natural causes. This is, of course, in addition to, and on top of, the fact that the piece itself has a very limited shelf life for the five reasons described above. As mentioned previously, once the work of street art is finished, the artist responsible for its production turns his/her back on it, in effect abandoning the work, leaving it to live or die as the street sees fit.Before doing so, however, and for the most part†¦ The work, as the artist intended it (and as he/she created it), is documented with a photogr aph. This practice too has its historical lineage. SLIDE] These are slides taken by Martha Cooper, a photographer, along with Harry Chalfant, responsible for archiving the early history of graffiti on the streets of this fair city we all find ourselves in today. Without the photographs of Cooper and Chalfant, not to mention the artists themselves, this important stage in the history of arguably one of preserved for us to see today.The photographic record of these inherently ephemeral works, then, preserves them and at least some of the context within which they existed at the time of their creation. In a manner of speaking, then, not only oes the digital photograph enable the preservation and dissemination of the artwork in a state that the artist obviously approved of, but the physical act of taking the digital photograph is the final brush stroke that signifies the piece is finished and the artist is done with his/her work. The moment at which he/she can turn around and walk away. Much like an oil painter who, when the canvas is completed to his/her satisfaction puts his/her name to the piece [SLIDE], the digital photograph serves as the street artist's signature of sorts. [SLIDE]lt signifies that the work is as the artist ntended it and that, in the state it was when the photograph was taken, is complete. So, again, similar to the signature in the top right corner of the Picasso, the signature is a sign that signifies the painting is complete. The digital photograph plays much the same role.Once again, it functions in much the same way as the artist's signature in that it denotes that the artist is happy with the result and the scene looks as it should. One of the more provocative questions that this pushes to the fore of our investigation, is, then, what if the piece is altered or removed from the context in which it was created for any reason whatsoever? SLIDE]. Extracted from the broader landscape that plays such a pivotal role in its interpretation and m eaning. Does it continue to be a Banksy for instance? And I think there's a very good argument that it does not.Doesn't the digital photograph of the work – in the place where the artist created it and inclusive of the elements so pivotal to its meaning – more accurately represent the artwork than the ‘salvaged' (or preserved) work [SLIDE] when it's placed in the white cube ofa gallery? And I think the answer is, yes, yes it does. If this is the case, then, the photograph serves not only as the signature of the artist, but because f the ephemeral nature of the work and the resolute importance of the surroundings to it's meaning also as a work of art itself – albeit one that reciprocally depends on spray paint to be completed.As mentioned earlier, in these instances, the street artist can be equally considered a digital artist, albeit a digital artist that goes to great lengths and puts him/herself at great personal risk in the preparation of their composit ions. This piece [SLIDE] was placed inside the perimeter of the dilapidated and abandoned confines of a Packard Assembly plant – a 3-and-a-half illion square foot ruin [SLIDE] on the south east side of metro Detroit. To be honest, and in my opinion, the piece itself isn't one of Banksys best [SLIDE].It is, however, notable because it makes specific and pointed reference to the very particular and exact location in which it was created. It is, much like a lot of his more recent work, heavily context dependent. â€Å"l remember when all this was trees. † And it is this this' [SLIDE] that I think distinguishes this piece. At the end of the process of filling in the stencil, and writing the phrase, Banksy metaphorically signs the piece by taking a hotograph of it. And he takes the photograph of the piece as he wanted it to look – knowing full well that it will probably disappear in the near term.The stencil itself is frame left, [SLIDE] with the ruins occupying fram e right, inviting the viewer of the photograph to complete the story the boy is telling by following the implicit directions offered in the word bubble. This is how Banksy wanted us to see the piece. This is he wanted it interpreted. The location and the broader context in which it is placed is, in fact, as important (or more so) than the image of the boy himself. This photograph, then, is a more accurate representation of the artwork in the way the artist created it than the actual piece that is now housed in a Gallery in South West Detroit.The only thing that marks the place of the original – in January of 2012 at least [SLIDE] – this too has probably changed – is an odd tangle of colourful fabric whose origins and purpose are impossible to verify – other than the fact that they are placed at the exact location where the piece was once located. Completely extracted [SLIDE] from the context that constitutes an incredibly important part of the canvas' its elf, the meaning of the piece as the artist intended it, no longer makes sense.Or perhaps, and rather, it still makes sense, but the sense that is now being made is not that intended by its creator, but, rather, by those persons who ‘saved' it from its eventual destruction†¦ or by somewhat obsessed academics like myself. Therefore, by moving the piece and extracting it from the place that is part and parcel of itself – that plays such an important role in the work – those individuals that preserved it, or saved a relatively small portion of the piece, did so by means of destroying the larger piece which might include the 3. million square feet that constitute the abandoned factorys footprint.In the absence of these 3. 5 million square feet, we no longer have a piece of street art by Banksy, but a roughly 7†² x 7†² corner of a piece that forms part of a much larger work of art. The fact that the photograph is also a poor representation of these 3-an d-a-half million square feet is something I'm still thinking through†¦ To concluders however, and completely omitting from consideration any conversation regarding the ephemeral nature of street art in relation to Benjamin's notion of the ‘aura' as it relates to works of art that o longer in exist, something I'm going to take up in my book†¦ s a result of the ephemeral nature of street art and the fact that the urban canvas is part and parcel of the artwork itself†¦ I would like to conclude by reiterating that as much as street artist's can be thought of as artists that work within (and with! ) the very concrete confines and materials of the urban fabric, they can also, and perhaps better, be thought of as digital artists that go to great lengths in the preparation of their compositions. Thank you so much for your time and attention today. YouVe no idea how much I appreciate them both.

Israel Settlements and the Issue of Palestinian Restitution Essay

Israel Settlements and the Issue of Palestinian Restitution - Essay Example The rest of the area would have been linked to Transjordan but for smaller part that would have stayed under the control of the British. One of these parts would have been the city of Jerusalem. Another tenet of the recommendation called for removal of the entire Arab population in the Jewish area. This removal would be forcible if it had come to that. Looking ahead to forging a larger area of out this small offering, the Zionist leaders okayed the proposed state, while the Arabs immediately rejected it. Although two other plans for partition were take into consideration, eventually it all came to naught. Perhaps nothing involved in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict is so controversial and difficult to achieve consensus on as restitution of land to the Palestinians. The question of Palestinian land restitution goes back to the moment it was decided to establish a Jewish state in Israel. That decision was in turn prompted by World War II. This claim to land has been made by the Palestinian Authority in the name of all those who were displaced from their homeland amidst the settlement of the nation of Israel in 1948 and the resulting wars that have marked the area ever since. Following WWI, even more Jews moved to Palestine and the rise of Hitler and his persecution policy upped the ante even more. Hitler alone cannot bear the full brunt of the problem, however. Many point to the restrictive British immigration policy has playing a major role in the development of the current day problem. In addition, one aspect of that policy was also found to be thoroughly unacceptable by the Arabs, t hat of partitioning. The immigration issue was further highlighted by when the World Zionist Congress demanded that one million Jews be admitted to Palestine after WWII. Obviously, this shook the Arab country to their very core. The formation of the Arab League of Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Jordan was overseen by Great Britain with a benevolent eye. It was the hope of England and other European countries that pan-Arabism could lead to a coordinated policy that would have a settling effect on the region. In February of 1947, the British took the problem of Palestine to the UN, resulting in the UN Special Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP). The result was exactly what was feared: recommendation of a country partitioned between Jews and Palestinians (Kimberling & Medal 146). The response of Great Britain was to swiftly get out of the region before it jeopardized its position among the Arab nations or got caught up in turmoil that was clearly on the horizon. That turmoil was expressed through acts of terrorism from both Israelis and Palestinians. Finally, Great Britain did withdraw, on the very day that Israel achieved its independence, May 14, 1948. The newly independent nation of Israel was recognized by the United States sixteen minutes after its foundation, and then quickly afterward by the USSR. Almost immediately, Israel was set upon by Egyptian armies. Meanwhile, Jordan and Iraq forces supported Palestinian Arabs in the territory in their calls for land reclamation. During this Israeli battle to retain its independence, on December 11, 1948, the United Nations addressed the refugee issue in Resolution 194, stating that "refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their

The Risks And Ramifications Of An Information Security Case Study

The Risks And Ramifications Of An Information Security - Case Study Example Communication between the company’s headquarters, offices and retail shops could be compromised from any angle given the size of the network infrastructure present in the organization. With such critical information as financial records and details entrusted to the organization, high-level information security is therefore imperative and mandatory. Constant network penetration tests will ensure improved security by identifying possible vulnerabilities that exist within the network system and recommending ways in which they can be mitigated before they are exploited by malicious hackers. The value of the information within the organization’s database is high thus the organization’s network infrastructure and security system are always at constant attack attempts. Alongside, risk assessment, a penetration test is valuable in validating the controls are in place and acting as required to protect the organization’s valuable assets (Conway & Cordingley, 2010). There are a number of guidelines in place to be used in developing an effective and beneficial network penetration test; the assets that are mostly targeted should be identified, the potential intruders and hackers, the likely routes used by the intruders to the organization and how exposed the assets are. The organization's core services such as firewall systems, password syntax, mail DNS, file transfer protocol systems (FTP), database servers, routers and web servers should be tested during a penetration test.... 2.0 Overview There are a number of guidelines in place to be used in developing an effective and beneficial network penetration test; the assets that are mostly targeted should be identified, the potential intruders and hackers, the likely routes used by the intruders into the organization and how exposed the assets are. 2.1 Scope of the test The penetration test is to be done within a time frame of one week, with the permission and knowledge of the organization’s Chief Information Officer. The organization's core services such as firewall systems, password syntax, mail DNS, file transfer protocol systems (FTP), database servers, routers and web servers should be tested during a penetration test. Wireless systems including other potential methods of accessing the network resources and obtaining information should also be included in the penetration test plan. The results of the penetration test will then be presented to the Chief Information Officer with recommendations that c ould help mitigate the risks and eliminate the vulnerabilities detected within the network infrastructure and security system. 2.2 Reconnaissance Reconnaissance involves gathering information about the system which will be used to gain access to the target systems. Passive steps such as social engineering can be used to achieve an effective and successful reconnaissance. The attacker utilizes social skills of interaction with the organization’s personnel in order to gain confidential information such as passwords. Such sensitive information as password, unlisted phone numbers and sensitive network information are always divulged by unsuspecting managers and employees. Through social

AN OUTLINE AND CRITICAL ASSESSMENT FOR FINANCIAL ARTICLE 2 Essay

AN OUTLINE AND CRITICAL ASSESSMENT FOR FINANCIAL ARTICLE 2 - Essay Example Topic Statement and purpose: To develop the great depressions debt-deflation theory statistically and theoretically. B. Thesis Statement Reaction 1. Special conclusions new and important II. Description of the article A. Special conclusions 1. Cycle theory 2. Debt and deflation roles 3. The 1929-33 deflation 4. Debt starters B. Illustrations 1. Graphs III. Evaluation A. organization of the article B. style used in the article C. Effectiveness of the work D. Topic treatment E. assumptions of the author about the audience Critical Assessment The article entitled â€Å"The Debt-Deflation Theory of Great Depressions† authored by Irving Fisher seeks to present a theory of debt-deflation of the great depression in a statistical and theoretical manner. The paper draws conclusions deemed as being special, new, and important and aims at specifying what some of these conclusions are and also fitting them in the conclusions of the other students found in the field of economics. The purpo se of the author is to offer his work as embodying on the topic of cycle theory. Fisher (1933: p 337) captures a reaction to the thesis by mentioning the reaction comment of two of the best and most-read authorities in economics field. One of the best-read authorities described the special conclusions as being important and new. The author selects the point form structure in presenting the special conclusions. ... It is only in the mind or imagination where the variables can only remain stable and be kept in balance or equilibrium by forces of demand and supply. Economic theory comprises of a study of dis-equilibrium and imaginary equilibrium. Dis-equilibrium proceeds in either an actual historical case or any constituent tendency. The old persistent notion of business cycle being a simple and self generating cycle is a myth Innumerable tendencies for economic dis-equilibrium roughly classified under trend or growth tendencies, haphazard disturbances, and cyclical tendencies. Sorts of Cyclical tendencies include one being forced on economic mechanism and the other is the free cycle The price level disease and the debt disease are considered the most important causes in the booms and depressions than all the other causes. Over-speculation and over-investment are important but would have far less severe results if not conducted using borrowed money. 2. Debt and deflation roles Secondary variable s affected by deflation and debt are circulating media, debts, their circulation velocity, net worth, price levels, profits, trade, interest rates, and business confidence. Debt liquidation leads to distress selling and deposit currency contraction causing a fall in price levels. Apart from the interest on debts and debt, the other fluctuations come about as a result of decrease or fall in price Deflation occurring for another reason apart from debt results to a much less evil Deflation caused by debt reacts on the debt 3 The 1929-33 deflation An example of debt-deflation depression Unless a counteracting cause is brought in to prevent the decrease in the price level, depressions such as that

Great Events in History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Great Events in History - Essay Example Unlike of religious beliefs, there is no proper definition of justice in Quran and therefore my understanding is based on Muslim interpretation of justice. My view of justice is also partly open-minded since I strongly believe that no system is perfect to deal with all the complex situations the world is faced with. Men are the most decision makers when it comes to matters of Islamic justice even though we are equally affected by the outcomes of the decisions they make. I strongly believe that morality and ethics are the roots of all evil in the society and the remedy can easily be found in the spiritual traits. Life is sacred according to Islam hence should not just be taken away without proper accusation beyond any reasonable doubt. This therefore implies that life can only be taken away on the context of justice and law and not any other consideration (Abou & Cohen 71). The spirit of the Muslim penal code is to protect lives and promote justice and not the vice versa as many other people and religions have tried to paint it. Quran legislation for the death penalty in the case of murder, forgiveness, and compassion are strongly encouraged and the murder victims are given a choice to either insist on the death penalty or pardon the wrongdoer and accept compensation. The act of spreading mischief across the land on matters that are mostly related to apostasy, terrorism, piracy, rape, adultery, and homosexual behavior can also result to capital punishment according to the Muslim faith (Khadduri 102). The methods of punishment vary from place to place but the common ones in Saudi Arabia include firing squad, hanging and beheading. Executions are held in public places to act as a warning to those who may consider repeating such acts in future that their days are numbered. Vigilantism has no place in Islamic society and one must be properly convicted under the Muslim laws that require strict evidence standards before capital punishment is imposed on anybody. The ac t of homosexuality is highly prohibited according to my religion on the basis that it clashes with the natural order in which God created human beings. In the social scene, it brings destructions to the family set up since no two people of the same sex have the possibility to mate and give rise to a fertile offspring. The believers of Muslim faith should neither participate nor support such acts of gay either materially or psychologically at all time of their lives. We believe that everything has been created in pairs and such, people should benefit and develop a relationship based on the opposite sex and not same sex relationships. Pairing of the males and the females is part of human nature and the natural order that should be promotes in a culturally sensitive society (Khan 11). The Quran supports the relationship between a wife and husband as a relationship that supports love, tenderness and support and I strongly believe that such qualities can hardly be found on same sex relat ionships. There is punishment for acts of gayism according to Islam but there is no legal judgment for those who feel the homosexual impulse but are reluctant to act on them. Acting on homosexual feeling is a bad idea that is condemned and subject to legal punishment that varies from jail term to death penalty. The use of sexist, racist, and homophobic language is prohibited according to my traditions, culture, and religion. We strongly believe

Discuss the need (if any) for international environmental restriction Essay

Discuss the need (if any) for international environmental restriction and the constraints that international agreements are subject to. Use the cases of the Mo - Essay Example It can be argued that if environmental concerns are brought out of their current green image and established with economic rules, the will to enforce them and the ability to accept them could be far greater than it is at the present moment. Undoubtedly, human beings have polluted and exploited the planet that we live on and while the effects of the pollution caused by human activity can be disastrous, it might not be recognized as such until it starts to affect the urban centers of the world that we live in (VonAncken, 2006). Of course there have been successful international agreements on what steps must be taken to prevent an all out attack on the environment and measures such as the Montreal Protocol have certainly met with a lot of success (Kruger, 1999). However, a lot remains to be done in a world where countries such as the United States and Australia have not fully agreed to the more advanced Kyoto Protocol. It would be useless to deny the facts as they stand since global warming and environmental degradation is a harsh reality. According to the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) global temperatures have risen by 0.6 Â ± 0.2 Co in the last century. Most importantly, the cause for this rise is attributed to human activity (IPCC, 2001). However, there are those who contest the reason behind these facts and suggest that the global rise in temperatures is a natural phenomenon. At the same time, there are many who make dire predictions about the coming climatic changes. Global climate change has quickly become one of the most hotly contested issues in terms of science as well as politics. However, it is also becoming a topic for debate in terms of economics and international law where it may take center stage when new agreements are formed between nations as to how they control what they do to hurt or help

Social intervention to children with autism Essay

Social intervention to children with autism - Essay Example The teaching process requires interventions that address the repetitive behaviours, skill development, and play activities that promote communication and social interactions. Several authors have discussed different intervention models that are discussed in the sections below. Rita Jordan-Behavioural and Communication Intervention TEACCH Programme The programme is community-based and targets children and adults with autism and communication disabilities. TEACCH aims at developing communication skills among autistic children and help them work and play independently of adults (Jordan, Jones & Murray, 1998). The development of communication skills is based on their understanding capability and their ability to express themselves. The programme teaches several ways of communication, such as the use of photographs and pictures, symbols and words, and objects of reference. The programmes assist children with autism in their childhood and provide them with support in their adulthood. The t rainers focus on the strengths and interests displayed by the students and also address the emerging skills. Part of the training involves interacting and engaging in learning activities with normally developing children (Jordan, Jones & Murray, 1998). This interaction and reverse integration helps autistic children adjust to mainstream classes for normally developing children. ... Students begin by learning functional skills and good work habits that enable them to function with little intervention provided they are within the TEACCH structure (Jordan, Jones & Murray, 1998). This is the most widely used approach for teaching autistic children. Visual information, predictability and structure help the children understand what they are supposed to do, where and when it should be done, and the order of doing the activity. Parents are also involved in the programme, and their work is to promote a feeling of competence and well-being among the children. They work as co-therapists and participate in home activities when TEACCH instructors make home visits (Jordan, Jones & Murray, 1998). Parents also provide home training for goals such as independent play, increasing communication, and toilet training. They are provided with parent support information that helps them learn strategies of effective training. The TEACCH programme has advantages such as supporting autis tic adults in the employment sector. There are employment support models that include individual placements, a dispersed enclave and a mobile crew model (Jordan, Jones & Murray, 1998). Therapists provide long-term support services to individuals and employers. Students in the TEACCH programmes attend mainstream or special schools or remain at home with their parents, and therapists make home visits and provide advice to the teaching staff. The visual learning activities help the student and adults perform most activities with little support from parents or trainers. This has helped adults receiving support participate in community activities with minimum assistance from supervisors. The main disadvantage of the programme is the lack of

Organisational Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Organisational Culture - Essay Example In human resource management, most people assume that people can be measured on personality and IQ tests, and computing the resultant set of numbers to define these people. This is often not so, because efficiency is not an economic concept, but a political concept involving cost, and quality of process time. Also some people see inefficiency to be a "sin" in modern terms, which is very much in contrast with the 20th century efficiency of the Nazis, for example. The east neaden dietary department is run by a team of 6 nurses, three dieticians and one doctor. "There is also a consultant who is available 3 times a week and a clinical psychologist who visits twice a week." (Marlow, Nigel). The type of culture that existed in the east neasden dietory department before the change was one of familiarity and friendly worker relationships. This is evident in the fact that the staff called each other by their first names, and the doctors were called by their first names, except in the presence of patients. However there was a change in the organizational structure and this brought about a change in the culture in East Neasden Dietary department. After the organizational change which was accomplished by using the handy theory a... There are indeed, various reasons for change. Some factors that can trigger change in an organization, like competition and the need to be commercially realistic or viable. Allen, Madison, Porter, Renwick and Mayes noted that "organizational politics involves intentional acts of influence to enhance or protect the self interest of groups, or individuals in a group" (Allen, Madison, Porter, Renwick and Mayes 1979) In the Interflora case, there was a need to be commercially viable and realistic, hence the need for organizational change, and the dynamics involved in such a change. An Analysis of corporate types Corporate culture is the key to organizational performance, and when effectively managed, can lead to an improvement in a company's competitive advantage. Going by Michael Maccoby's analysis of corporate types, there are four main types of corporate personality. These are the company man, the Jungle Hunter, the craftsman, and the Gamesman. The company man defers to authority in the company, while the jungle hunter tends to be coercive in temperament, and strives to acquire power within the company. For the craftsman, his identity is his craft as an engineer, accountant, I.T. personnel or other craft. The gamesman operates with a lot of politicking and uses stealth and subtlety to achieve power. REFERENCES Allen, R. W., Madison, D. L., Porter, L. W., Renwick, P. A. and Mayes, B. T. (1979)Organizational politics: Tactics and characteristics of its actors. Californiamanagement review Maccoby, Michael. (1976) Michael Maccoby's Analysis of Corporate Types Marlow, Nigel. East

MBTI personal reflection paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

MBTI personal reflection paper - Assignment Example It enables an individual evaluate the effects of personality on leadership styles within the organization. From the results obtained from the MBTI, I learned that self- assessment can foster a person to identify his leadership behavior. The ESTJs has strengths and weaknesses, which are commonly important to concentrate on before taking any position. From the assignment results, ESTJs have strengths that include honest, loyal, friendly, and direct. Individuals with ESTJ personality traits are conservatively based on their perceptions, and they are contented with expressing their views. Besides, individuals with such traits are also direct in the fact that they like concentrating on real things and providing immediate solutions to the problems. They are commonly dedicated to their work, and they ensure that any tasks are not abandoned and are completed as they remain the right thing to perform. They are strong-willed in the fact that they stick to their own beliefs and defend their ideas relentlessly, and their principles are proven clearly. To justify the strengths of ESTJs, I can use my personal experience. I realized that I am hard working, direct and honest, a project organizer, make tough decisions and presentin g constructive criticism, and meet deadlines and goals. In relation to my hard working personality trait, I ensure that I bring all people together in the community especially during the celebration of cherished local events and in defense of traditional values that can hold families and communities together. During my high school education, I also liked being direct and honest while talking with friends and other people. Even though people with ESTJ personality type are comfortable with the organization structure, they also try to inflict changes that might affect the firm. They also impose tough opinions and ideas to other people working within the

Planning function of management for Boeing Essay Example for Free

Planning function of management for Boeing Essay The purpose of this paper is to explain the planning functions of management for the organization known as Boeing. Boeing is an aerospace company; they build passenger airplanes, military aircraft, satellites, and missiles. Boeings planning functions of management is influenced by internal and external factors. These factors such as the economy and competition directly influence the strategic, tactical, operational, and contingency planning. Boeing is the largest manufacturer of satellites, commercial jetliners, and military aircraft in the world. The company is also a global market leader in missile defense, human space flight, and launch services. Chicago-based Boeing has an extensive global reach with customers in 145 countries. Boeing operates under the strictest principles of corporate governance. With 152,091 employees, Boeing posted 2004 revenues of $52.45 Billion.(FCSR, 2008)The state of the economy is a huge external factor of how the Boeing organization operates both, strategically and tactically. In 2001, the economy was hit hard and along with many other companys Boeing was suffering financially. Boeing was saved when they were offered a contract with U.S. Air force worth $49.2 billion (Advantage Business Media, 2007). Boeing also teamed up with Saudi Arabia Airlines in 1995 (Boeing, 2001). Boeings competition is another external factor that influences the organization both tactically and strategically. The company known as Airbus is Boeings biggest competition. Airbus is the leading manufacturer of commercial jets (Yahoo, 2008). Recently Boeing has been having internal issues affecting their assembly line and has cause a shortage in production which in turn has been affecting deadlines. With Boeing experiencing problems clients have been turning to Airbus to fulfill their needs. Lockheed Martin is Boeings biggest competition in defense systems (Yahoo, 2008).Currently; Boeing and Lockheed Martin are working together on some projects to help meet the high demand. The government is another factor that influences how the organization operates. Regulations affect the amount of output that Boeing can manufacture. When Boeing designs a new plane, before Boeing can test fly them they must first obtain a certificate issued by the U.S. Government; The  U.S. Government has designed this system of requirements to insure that each new plane is safe before the plane is flown. There are many safety requirements that must be met before the plane is approved to be flown; these requirements are enforced by U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. These requirements affect the production of Boeings airplanes by causing a delay before the aircraft can be cleared for use. The planning function of management is affected by several legal issues. In 2005, a lawsuit was filed against Boeing. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Kansas, alleges that Ducommuns Gardena plant made more than 1,900 defective parts used on at least 32 of Boeings airplanes, including 737s, 747s, 757s and 767s. The planes were delivered to the U.S. Air Force and Navy, as well as foreign military forces in Japan and Italy between March 1998 and November 2004. (Pae, 2005)The three employees who filed the lawsuit, were members of a Boeing audit team, contend that the parts did not conform to Federal Aviation Administration requirements. Boeing was aware of the problem but continued to sell the airplanes, falsely claiming that they were FAA approved, according to the lawsuit. The suit alleges that Ducommun kept two sets of books for manufacturing parts fake books for Boeing and the FAA and real books for itself. (Pae, 2005) Boeing is a company that is respected for cooperate social responsibility. Boeing has joined the Foundation for Corporate Social Responsibility, and is now entitled to display The Foundation for Corporate Social Responsibilitys Gold Seal of Approval as a Socially Responsible Company. (FCSR, 2008) The Foundation for Corporate Social Responsibility encourages corporations to be Socially Responsible, and to assist them in achieving commercial success in ways that respect ethical values, people in need, their communities and the environment. (FCSR, 2008)Boeing has a very strict code of ethics policy that is in place to protect both the corporations interest and the interest of its employees. Boeing employees are required to obey all aspects of the code of ethics set forth by the company. The code of ethics adopted complies with the standards set forth in the New York Stock Exchanges corporate governance rules. The Boeing Company will administer ethics and compliance programs to promote i ts commitment to integrity and values as set forth in the Boeing values and Code of Conduct and to ensure compliance with laws,  rules, and regulations. These programs will inform employees of company policies and procedures regarding ethical business conduct and help them to resolve questions and to report suspected violations. Managers are responsible for supporting implementation of ethics and business conduct programs, and monitoring compliance to the companys values and ethical business conduct guidelines through such programs. Managers are responsible for creating an open and honest environment in which employees feel comfortable in bringing issues forward. Retaliation against employees who raise genuine concerns will not be tolerated. (Boeing, 2008)All employees must sign and abide by the Boeing Code of Conduct, which requires that they understand the code, and ask questions, seek guidance, report suspected violations, and express concerns regarding compliance with this policy and the related procedures. (Boeing, 2008) To support the requirement for complete and accurate financial records and reporting, all employees of the Finance organization have an additional Code of Conduct for Finance. (Boeing, 2008)In Conclusion, There are several issues that can impact outcomes for management planning for the Boeing Company such as legal issues, ethical issues, and social responsibility, Along with factors can influence the companies planning operations both strategically, and tactically. The examples of these factors given in this paper are the economy, the government, and Boeings competitors such as Airbus. Even though Boeing has had its ups and downs from production problems to several legal issues Boeing has remained a globally known leader in their industry, respected for their cooperate social responsibility and known for their strong code of ethics. References Boeing. (2008). Ethics. Retrieved September 14, 2008, from http://www.boeing.com/companyoffices/aboutus/ethics/Boeing. (2008, February). Retrieved September 14, 2008, from Foundation for Corporate Social Responsibility: http://www.fcsr.plPae, p. (May, 2005). Boeing sued by three workers. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 14, 2008, from http://articles.latimes.com/2005/may/28/business/fi-ducommun28Vandore, E. (2008, January 17). Airbus, Boeing Swamped by Orders. Retrieved September 14, 2008, from San Francisco Chronicle: http://www.sfgate.comYahoo. (2008, March). The Boeing Company Profile. Retrieved September 14, 2008, from Yahoo: http://biz.yahoo.com/ic/10/10221.html

Learning Acitivity Essay Example for Free

Learning Acitivity Essay 2.Identify and describe three leadership styles. Provide examples of these styles in society? Authoritarian Leadership is one that takes personal charge of decision-making, and demands that group members obey orders (Macionis, 2013. P110). Bill Gates is a great example of authoritarian leadership. Bill had a vision after he took lead of the company and he used all possible resources within his reach and made a dream reality. Bill Gates did not consult others on which way his company should take. Democratic Leadership is making a point and including everyone in the decision-making process (Macionis, 2013. P110). Dwight Eisenhower is one of the best people for this. While serving as a General in the Army he had a task to get the alliance all on the same page this he took great pride and hard work doing so. Laissez-faire Leadership allows group to function more or less on its own (laissez-faire in French means â€Å"leave it alone†). (Macionis, 2013. P110). The Danish government adopted this style of leadership and allowed cannabis to be smoked and allowed open prostitution. 3.What does the research by Solomon Asch and Stanley Milgram show us about the ability of social groups to affect the opinions and behavior of group members? The research showed that people when under pressure by peers or an authoritative figure conform. Solomon Asch (1952) recruited students for what he told them was a study of visual perception (Macionis, 2013, p. 110). But what he did was make the students form a small group and put pressure on one of the students. Asch showed them card 1 with a normal line then asked them to match it to card 2 that had three lines on the card. One third of the students chose to answer the question incorrect just like the other students. Stanley Milgram, a former student of Solomon Asch’s conducted conformity experiments study of his own (Macionis, 2013, pg.111). Milgram had a more controversial experiment he took male subjects and put them in electric type of chair to show how punishment affects learning. The teacher to start with 15v and each time that one of the subjects got it wrong the voltage would increase and even though the levels of voltage reached 450 volts Milgram was astonished how eagerly people obeyed authority. .

Marks and Spencer Mission, Objectives and Responsibilities

Marks and Spencer Mission, Objectives and Responsibilities Introduction Terms of Reference. The purpose of this assignment is purely for academic reasons; this assignment has been made primarily to complete the module of Business Environment under the course HNC Business (Management) which I am studying Aims and Objective The assignment attempts to identify mission, objectives and responsibilities of an organization with its environment. It investigates the economic, social and global environment in which the organization operates. It investigates the behavior of organization and the market environment. It explores the significance of International Trade and the European dimension for the UK business. Research Methods Mark Spencer Ltd web sites articles, news, case studies. Theoretical studies from different books and Handouts from my tutor. Personal academic knowledge about Business environment Mission, Objectives and Responsibilities of Mark Spencer with its environment Developing a vision, mission and values is the foundation for the log term success, as demonstrated by Collins Porras in Built to Last. Mark and Spencer mission statement as former times and still is Good quality for the penny whereby the penny turned bazaars into stores. Mission, Values, Key objectives and influence of stakeholders Vision A vision helps working in goal congruence. It comes from within as well as outside. It accomplishes the following Give a sense of the future Guides decision making and strategy Creates a platform with same purpose Laydown behavior guidelines Inspire emotion Reflects the values Mark and Spencer vision is to be the standard against which others are measured- Benchmarking Mission A Mission statement is a statement reflecting what the organisation business is and what key purpose is there. Mark and Spencer Mission are to make inspirational quality accessible to others. Values Values are the beliefs and norms of the organisation. They underpin policies, objectives and procedures as they acts as an anchor and reference point for all the activity in the organisation. Mark and Spencer Values are Quality, Service, innovation and trust amernassargooglepages.com/MS.pdf . Key Objectives Employee orientation Higher expectations that staff can contribute more to the organization. There is a need for succession management. As such developing a career path for employees. Its part of Mark and Spencer to attract, motivate and retain high caliber workforce to assist the transformation of the business and deliver improved performance. Organizational objectives Mark and Spencer is to regain their leadership in clothing and specialty food. This is to be achieving by translating their scale and authority into superior quality, value and appeal. Sales objectives Mark and Spencer belief that there is plenty of room for improvement in their sales per foot. They saw Return per foot as a key operational objective going forward. Stakeholders influence. Employees -Interested in Job security, financial benefits, and satisfaction Pursuit of systems goals rather than shareholders interest. Suppliers -Interested in Profitable sales, Payment for goods and Long term relationship -Response to risk refusal of credit, court action and wind down relationship Government Interested in Jobs, Training and Tax. -Response to risk Tax increases, Regulation and Legal action Pressure Groups Society Interested in Pollution, Rights and other. -Response to risk Publicity, Direct action, Sabotage and Pressure on Government. Achievement of stakeholders objectives by organization If a vision and mission is recognised by all stakeholders and affects every hiring, strategic decision and communication: its effect can be magic. (function() { var scribd = document.createElement("script"); scribd.type = "text/javascript"; scribd.async = true; scribd.src = "https://www.scribd.com/javascripts/embed_code/inject.js"; var s = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(scribd, s); })() To achieve Stakeholders objective an organisation should be able to separate their interest from each other and as such act according to the power they exert in the organisation. Responsibilities of organization and effective they are in satisfying them Mark and Spencer does satisfies their stakeholders efficiently Employees They have a welfare department established in 1930. Their financial interest are safeguarded by bonuses and increases in salary upon job performance Their package of benefits are extended, such as interest free loans granted Opportunity of buying shares for the company at bonus or rights issue. Suppliers Always used UK based suppliers, ensuring consistent quality Relationship to built reliance on suppliers Life long relationship. Mutual dependability respects the specification and standard. Social commitment Strong tradition of Corporate Social Responsibility Sponsorship of Charities and secondment programs Community development efforts Government social projects. Environment friendly -Mark and Spencer became the first retailer to remove all artificial colours and flavouring from its entire food and soft drinks range- April 2008 -Mark and Spencer became the first retailer to launch school wear made from recycled plastic bottle -Despite tough economic conditions Mark and Spencer stick to Plan A. As it gives them brand and differentiation and as AL Gore said a sustainable business can be profitable one http://plana.marksandspencer.com/media/pdf/planA-2010.pdf Economic, Social and Global environment The economic problem is mainly because of unlimited wants with limited resources. It is basically how nations decide to spread or allocate their resources effectively and efficiently to maximise the production goods and services. Economic System-Allocation and Effective use of resources. To deal with the question of scarcity different countries use different approaches or types of economic system. Market Economy Private parties (Individuals or businesses) own a vast majority of land, factories and other economic resources. Centrally Planned Economy Government owns most land, factories, and other economic resources and plans nearly all economic activity. The Mixed Economy Balance between market forces and state intervention. Certain activities need to be regulated by the state while others can be left to the influence of the market. It comprises: A free enterprise- where economic decisions reflects the market forces Public ownership control of key central industries Welfare sector provide a minimum level of medical social and educational services for all citizens regardless of wealth. Impact of social welfare and industrial policy initiatives and the wider community. Benefit and Pension Mark and Spencer Once youve worked for MS for a year you are qualified for the retirement plan where you can save up to 100% of your pay in the plan and the company will match it with double contribution (limited12%). It thus provide a secure retirement and with options to transfer your investment when you On top of these benefits, MS also offer our people: SAYE Scheme to all its employees Have more holidays the longer you stay with the company The company also subsidized benefits such as health and care and dental care. Particularly in the UK, the push by retailers to meet the demands of a growing number of ethical shoppers has raised the profile of the ethical practices of businesses. Marks and Spencer, for example, is inviting shoppers to look behind the label at the sustainability of its products, as well as its labor, fair trade and animal welfare practices http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ec333092-f937-11db-9b6b-000b5df10621.html Benefit and Pension Government Maternity allowance, Paternity allowance and adoption allowance Benefit for those who do not meet the requirements for statutory payments. Child Benefit Paid to whichever parents the child live with. Child Tax Credit Tax rebate for couple who has children Guardian allowance Tax free benefit for a child whom one is caring for but is not yours Disability Living allowance- Child who has care needs or mobility problems. Housing benefit If your total income is below threshold and you pay rent you might be qualified for housing benefit. State Pension Regular payment people claims when they get to certain age. Job seekers allowance People who are not working or working less than 16 hrs weekly can claim this benefit. http://corporate.marksandspencer.com/mscareers/rewards_benefits The government also provide Fiscal and Monetary policies for stability. Fiscal policy tools used by the government to influence level of economic activity through changing taxation or govt. spending. It can be targeted to a particular group. Fiscal policy is ineffective when investment is sensitive to interest rates and attempts to offset the actions of the government. Monetary policy- is an attempt to control macro economic variables through use of interest rates. It is very weak when consumers are holding money rather than spending them when interest rates are very low Impact of macroeconomic policy and influence of global economy on UK organizations and stakeholders. PESTEL The External Environment Political Integration of EU AND Free Trade Agreement the market has opened up for British companies opening in Europe. Technology The introduction of e-commerce. M S promoting people to buy on line with incentives likes discount. It provides flexibility 24hr Economy Retail sector very sensitive to changes in the interest rates. Environmental Marks and Spencers commitment to the environment put them at them within the top ten green brands in the UK recently * Global Warming Social Changes in consumer taste and lifestyle give rise to new market and consumers but also threats in terms of social acceptance to alcohol Legal National Health and Safety National Minimum Wage Taxation Policy Use of renewable resources. SWOT ANALYSIS Mark Spencer STRENGHTS Reputation/Brand/Goodwill Market position Quality products Detail in supplier control Internet Shopping Simon Marks understanding of customers preferences and trends WEAKNESSES Lack of newness Clothing- segmentation Lagging to provide up to date fashionable clothes Using most British suppliers believing higher quality but low cost Competitors using overseas suppliers to cut cost OPPORTUNITIES Define target age group Store a new upbeat look Respond to customer taste and purchasing power Improve CRM systems to retain existing customers and target potential new customers. To go global and expand the business Use technology to improve their functioning and thus gain competitive advantage THREATS Loss of market share of intense competition Strong competition with Next same price product but more fashionable Discount stores like Matalan Threat from Giant Tesco and Sainsbury who penetrate in the market to supply added value. (http://bizcovering.com/major-companies/a-case-study-on-marks-and-spencer/2/) Stakeholders expectations developed according to changes in the market. For instance, MS brand loyalty concept is less likely to survive where there are several substitutes of same standard in the market. As such MS has to be creative and innovative and constantly reacting to the change in the buying behaviour of the consumers. Market structures, market forces and Competition commission and regulatory bodies Market structures deviate from model of perfect competition. MS which has long been in this perfect competition, a market situation of many sellers and many buyers with similar or substitutes product. The price is determined by supply and demand and producers are to sell their products at the price determined by the market. Being in such competition the firm should have the perfect resource to produce and distribute efficiently as it faces fierce competition. MS deviated from the perfect competition to an Oligopolistic market structure, with the heavy advertising campaign for its brand name. As they are selling same product like other key players like Tesco, Asda but differentiate with its brand. It relies strongly on brand awareness and loyalty in a competitive market; differentiate itself with the quality standard with other supermarket. Relationship between market forces and organizational responses. Porters Five Forces The Industry The five forces model provides a summary of the threats within the immediate industry. Suppliers Low in this Industry Dual Sourcing Strategies Rivalry Low Competitive In this Industry Bargaining Power Buyers Aggressive Pricing Strategy Substitute Premium Branded Food Sainsbury John Lewis New Entrants Low Price Low cost BHS/ASDA Porters Five Forces Behavior and competitive strategies, Competition commission and regulatory bodies. The consumers buying behaviour trends is reflected by an ageing population and the high number of women in the workforce. The increase in disposable income and the lifestyle changes recent years. The revolution of home internet users online shopping which call for multi-cultural marketing. (Deloitte:2005 Global powers of Retailing report).In the recent years because of fierce competition MS market share suffered a blow mainly their clothing segment. Unlike when you consider MS Competitor, Tescos strategies to penetrate the UK market. Tesco operated on the pile it High sell it Cheap formula the early 70s and thereafter launches the operation check out which cut prices across their product and differentiate themselves from their competitors. Then Tesco diversified there channel of distribution with Stores like Tesco extra, Tesco metro and as well as beginning to open petrol stations. The Competition Commission has asked the Government to impose an ombudsman on the grocery industry to rule on disputes between supermarkets and their suppliers. The request comes after it failed to agree a voluntary arrangement with major retailers Only Marks Spencer, Waitrose and Aldi backed the plan. The takeover of MS store card business of  £763m by HSBC has given the Office of Fair Trading to launch a competition investigation into the matter. Richard Fletcher, Executive Editor, Business Published: 8:20PM BST 04 Aug 2009 TELEGRAPH .CO.UK The Office of Fair Trading has launched a formal competition investigation into HSBCs  £763m takeover of Marks Spencers store-card business. The firm Freshfield might be under investigation for its work advising Philip Green for abortion bid for MS and the investigation will be carried out by the Law Society, which regulates the Britishs legal profession. International Trade and the European Dimension Importance of international trade, economic integration and global markets to UK business International trade is doing business across national borders and is the backbone of our modern computerized business world. These occurs mainly because of lower production costs in one region versus another, specialized industries, lack of surplus of natural resources and consumer tastes. Globalization is a process driven by international trade and investment. It is the trend towards greater economic, cultural, political and technological interdependence among national institutions and economies. The benefits of globalization are as follows: Reduces marketing costs New market opportunities Balance in level in income Access to low cost labor Access to technical expertise Access to production inputs. The main drivers for Globalization are: GATT WTO Regional Trade Agreements Technological Innovation As MS is growing global and international competition has presented new challenges. The company stress its global sourcing principles amongst its selected suppliers and further down the supply chain which sets a minimum acceptable entry standard. MS want their suppliers to raise their standard as well to reflect the internationally recognized standard thus differentiating them and enjoying the competitive edge. Impact of two policies of the European Union on the UK business organizations The Agricultural Policy has always been a tension between members state. The banned of the import of beef from the US by the EU. The EU responded illegally according to the WTO with a refusal to comply. The US retaliated by levying an import tax of $ 117 m on imports of food from the EU. (Source Undersatnding European Union 3rd edition Anforme 2002.) Such transactions would impact the UK US relationship, it would adversely affect the UK economy. Last year only one Banking company crash in the US and the effect is still felt and now one can imagine if the US starts implementing quotas, barriers and levying tax on imports from the UK. The EU directives affect the UK businesses; even the different bodies of the EU are not always unanimous about the directives set. For instance, Advocate General Leendert Geelhoed from the ECJ said that EU health foods directive infringe guidelines in his opinion. In the case brought forward by the industry groups the British Health Food Manufacture Association, National Association of Health Stores(NAHS) and Alliance for Natural Health(ANH) ahead of the ECJ. (Source :http//news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/441192- 13/04/05) The Economic implication for the UK of entry into EMU. The EMU was masterminded by Jacques Delores which is mainly single currency. The EMU is seen as a logical extension of the single market and as a way of making EU more competitive and powerful in the world market. The EURO ZONE consisting Lower cost for management of money Faster transactions across borders Elimination of exchange rate fluctuations. Market Transparency The impacts of EMU on UK economy are huge, since the major partners of the UK are members of the EMU. The Euro relative weaknesses against the pound and UK export to Europe more expensive and thus make it more difficult for UK businesses to sell their products. On the other side domestic consumers will buy imported rather than domestic goods. Government subjected the Five Economic tests before considering membership. Euro Zone economic structure compatible to UK Is the UK labor market flexible to meet the requirements of such development The effect of the Euro Zone on the financial investment in the UK. The effect of the single currency on the competitive position of the City of London. Will the EMU be able to promote such growth, stability and employment that the UK has accomplished by its own. 6.0 Conclusion and Recommendations MS has been a leading retailer in the UK, but went through a phase by 1988 which pushed the firm into crisis. By 2006 MS reposition themselves in the market but could not enjoy the iconic brand it once was. They were to face the UKS largest and most profitable retailer in 2006 TESCO. MS respond tot the challenge with a drastic changes in management structure. They have to achieve the right balance between the corporate values, strong market position and the innovation to stay competitive. They need to use their strength Brand and product quality to be enabled to sustain profitability and to be less vulnerable to changes in the market condition. MS is in a very highly competitive and sophisticated industry, as such the need to be aware of the fashion trends, customer increasing expectations and changing tastes are more than ever one of the most important factor for them to consider. The lowering of international barriers has encourage a vast choices of product available to customer