Leadership Is Having an Irrational Sense of Hope Essays

Leadership Is Having an Irrational Sense of Hope Essays Leadership Is Having an Irrational Sense of Hope Essay Leadership Is Having an Irrational Sense of Hope Essay NANYANG BUSINESS SCHOOL MBA 2012-2013 TRIMESTER 1 B6018 LEADERSHIP AND ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR Course Coordinator/Instructor: Assoc. Prof Lim Beng Chong Office: S3-B2B-63 / E-mail : [emailprotected] edu. sg Class Schedule: Wed evenings 6:15pm 9:30 pm (or Saturday mornings 9:00 am -12:00 noon for extra/postponed sessions) Class Venue: NTU @ one-north SR 502 COURSE DESCRIPTION A leader is a man (woman) who has the ability to get people to do what they don’t want to do, and like it – Harry S. Truman (1954) Few organization and management issues have attracted as much interest and research work as leadership. From politics to the business world to military institutions, people are always searching for that someone, whom they called LEADER, to lead and inspire the people to achieve success or to bring about change. So what is leadership? There are many definitions of leadership in organizations. Almost every author of books has one. Bass (1990), after reviewing the literature, suggests that there are at least 12 different approaches to the definition. What is your definition of leadership? What type of leader are you? How can you be a better leader to your work team or organization? I hope you will begin to think about these questions as you embark on your leadership journey with me in this course. Essentially, effective leaders are those who can mobilize others to get extraordinary or exceptional things done in their work teams or organizations. In today’s organizations, managers are not only responsible for the planning, organizing and controlling functions in their work teams or organizations; they have to accomplish these goals by leading their people. Hence, their success as managers is dependent on their ability to motivate and inspire others. In other words, being leaders of their people. From this perspective, success and failure as managers rest squarely on the ability of the managers to understand and manage people at work. Therefore, critical to leadership success is a good knowledge of managing people in organizations or a good grounding in the fundamentals of work behaviour in organizations. Given the above, this course will bring together the leadership literature and the insights on human nature at work from Organization Behaviour. The learning objectives are: Increase participants’ understanding of people at work as well as of organizations as complex systems by examining organizational behaviour at 3 levels: the individual (self and others), the work team and the larger organizational context. Increase participants’ understanding of leadership processes and how these are intertwined with an understanding of organizational behaviour. Develop participants’ repertoire of leadership capabilities through greater self-awareness a deeper understanding of the impact of their actions on others – and building leadership habits to better equip them to lead and take effective actions in today’s organizations. Leadership Develops Daily, not in a Day – John Maxwell 1 COURSE OUTLINE â€Å"The Law of Intentionality – Growth doesnâ €™t just happen† Life is now in session. Are you present? Maxwell (2012) The appendix provides a summary of the topics that would be covered for each session. The approach to all sessions will be grounded on participation-centered learning and the course design includes a range of participation-centered activities such as case studies, group exercises and assignments, peer conversations, debates, self-reflection activities and talks by invited guest speakers. [See attached Course Outline table] READINGS PRE-CLASS PREPARATION The study of leadership and work behaviour, given its multidisciplinary nature, entails a fair amount of reading in preparation for the classes. Pre-class readings are essential and participants are expected to prepare the case studies or exercises prior to discussion in class. Two books have been prescribed and each covers different topics and levels of analysis. The relevant chapters for reading from each textbook and additional readings will be given in the detailed course outline. RECOMMENDED TEXTBOOKS IVANCEVICH, J. M. , KONOPASKE, R. and MATTESON, M. T. (2011). Organizational Behavior and Management 9th edition. McGraw – Hill Internation. New York. ULRICH, D. (2010). Leadership in Asia. McGraw-Hill OPTIONAL REFERENCES JOHN MAXWELL (2007). The 21 irrefutable laws of leadership. Thomas Nelson DANIEL LEVI (2007). Group Dynamics for Teams. 2nd edition. Sage Publication ROB GOFFEE and GARETH JONES (2006). Why should anyone be led by you? Harvard Business Press PARTICIPATION ASSESSMENT Class Participation/Sharing. The course is designed to provide ample opportunities for participants to contribute to the class learning by participating actively in the various class activities and by offering proactively their own experiences and insights for the benefits of other participants. This will constitute an important component of participants’ continuous assessment (10% of the total marks). â€Å"The law of Contribution – growing yourself enables you to grow others† – Maxwell (2012). Class Quizzes. Weekly seminars may commence with a short quiz to assess participants’ basic understanding of the concepts and key terms in the prescribed readings for that week. The purpose is to help participants develop a habit of continuous learning- a critical leadership habit. Hopefully, by the end of the course, participants will have built up a repository of knowledge on leadership and organizational behavior. Again, this will constitute another component of the participants’ Leadership Develops Daily, not in a Day – John Maxwell 2 continuous assessment (10% of the total marks). â€Å"the law of Consistency: motivation gets you going – Discipline keeps you growing. † Self Case Study (real life leadership/OB challenge). John McDonnell once said, â€Å"Every problem introduces a person to himself†. As a leader/manager, you are likely to encounter different types of work situations – both positive and negative. As leaders, we can make the mistake but not lose the lesson. Hence there is much to be learned from one’s experiences especially from less positive ones. The objective of this individual assignment is to provide an opportunity for participants to learn from their experience at work or working with others by overlaying the concepts and theories covered during the course on the real life challenges. (10% of the total marks). The law of Pain: good management of bad experiences leads to great growth. † Reflection PaperLeadership Journaling. As we embark on this learning journey together, I strongly encourage course participants keep a journal to note their reflections and thoughts throughout the course. These reflections and thoughts on leadership and organizational behaviour can form the basis for the reflection paper (less than 1000 words) to be submitte d at the end of the course (10% of the total marks). â€Å"The law of Reflection: learning to pause allows growth to catch up with you. Up to 4 x Mini-Group Assignments. Working in teams is part and parcel of organizational life. As leaders, we are expected to lead a team of diverse individuals to achieve a common goal. Many times, we are also members of other teams. Hence being able to lead and willing to be led is an integral part of being a manager. These mini-team assignments are designed to allow participants to work together to achieve a common goal. Hopefully, they can apply the science of leadership and OB in the process and hone their leadership skills (20% of the total marks). The law of influence: the true measure of leadership is influence – nothing more, nothing less. † Final Examination. The examination will be an open-book exam of two and a half hours. Summary of Course Assessment and Requirements: B6018 Max pts Class Participation / Sharing 100 Class Qu izzes 100 Self Case Study (real life leadership/OB challenge) 100 Reflection paper/leadership journaling 100 Up to 4 x Mini-Group Assignments 100 Final examination (open-book) 100 Total 600 ? subject to changes by the instructor during the course % Final score 10 10 10 10 20 40 100 Leadership Develops Daily, not in a Day – John Maxwell 3 ASSESSMENT PLAN Learning Goal Course Learning Objectives Assessment Method -class Quizzes -Self Case Study -Reflection Paper min-group assignments -Open-book examination -Self Case Study -Reflection Paper mini-group assignments -Open-book examination -Peer assessments of the skills demonstrated during Mini-group assignments Acquiring Applying Knowledge To gain an understanding of various concepts of leadership and organisational behaviour, such that students can use the â€Å"most useful† concepts for their professional lives. Assessment Rubrics* Written Assignment Rubric Critical/Creative Thinking To show critical/creative thinking in the evaluation of written ideas and case examples about leadership/OB. Written Assignment Rubric Teamwork and interpersonal skills To improve students’ skills for working with others. Peer Assessment Rubric Leadership Develops Daily, not in a Day – John Maxwell 4 Written Assignment Rubric Criteria Acquiring knowledge and Critical Thinking Description This refers to the breadth and depth of understanding and analysis of the subject/content. Quality of answer assessed by well-considered and supported assertions, arguments, explanations, logic and inferences drawn from accurate interpretation and appropriate use/citation of literature. Range Poor Answer and/or literature cited do not address the question well. Answer is descriptive rather than analytical. Arguments are implicit rather than explicit. Logic and inferences are not clear. Average Answer and/or literature cited generally address the question. There is analysis and arguments but they are weak and broad. Arguments and logic are piece-meal and not integrated. Some issues are discussed adequately and others, less adequately. Minimum description of appropriate application of knowledge, experience and insights. Good Answer addresses the question directly. Literature is appropriately cited to support assertions and arguments. Writing is generally logical and integrated. Nonetheless, answer falls short of the highest standard in some ways, e. g. possible lines of assertion or argument may be missed or neglected. Well argued application of knowledge with clear and logical linkage to personal experience. Relevant insights and new ideas that have considered the practical constraints. Nonetheless, answer falls short of the highest standard in some ways, e. g. , lapses in one or more arguments, inadequate description. Excellent Answer addresses the question directly with breadth and depth. Literature is appropriately cited to support assertions and arguments. Writing is relevant, logical, and well integrated. Mark Awarded Application of knowledge and Creative thinking This refers to the appropriate application of knowledge and linkages to personal insights and experience. Creative insights and ideas are welcome when they are relevant and anchored to realistic/practical challenges. Inappropriate application of knowledge. Inadequate description of experience and insights. Little or no insights. Irrelevant or impractical ideas. Very well argued application of knowledge and boundaries, with clear and logical linkage to personal experience. Relevant insights and new ideas that have considered the practical constraints. Leadership Develops Daily, not in a Day – John Maxwell 5 Quality of Writing – clarity of expression Quality of Writing – Organization and Formatting This refers to how effectively arguments, ideas and thoughts put forth in the essay are communicated and comprises word usage, sentence usage, paragraphing and fluency of expression. This refers to the overall organization, integration and flow of the essay. Format following the submission guidelines and proper use of footnotes/endnotes; references and bibliography. Has difficulties expressing ideas. Expresses ideas fairly clearly and coherently. Expresses ideas fluently and eloquently. Expresses ideas very fluently and eloquently. Has some limitations organising the ideas and following submission guidelines. Satisfactorily organized. Integration and flow can be better. Some lapses in following submission guidelines. Well organized, integrated and flowing. Format follows guidelines almost completely. Very well organized, integrated and flowing. Format follows guidelines completely. Leadership Develops Daily, not in a Day – John Maxwell 6 Teamwork Interpersonal Skills Rubric (For Peer Rating) Learning Objective: The ability to work effectively with others in a group setting. Your ratings will not be revealed to your team members. Group Name: _______________________________________________ Name of Rater: ______________________________________________ Fill in your members’ names below and Rate on a scale of â€Å"1† to â€Å"6† for each trait Name1 Name2 Name3 Name4 Traits Roles and Responsibility Behaves professionally by upholding responsibility and assuming accountability for self and others in progressing towards the team’s goal. Communication Identifies appropriate mechanisms to coordinate and correspond with team members. Performance Scant Unclear about his/her own role; refuses to take a role in the group; insists to work individually and has limited coordination or communication with others. Evaluation: Scant 1 2 3 4 5 Scant Modes of communication are not appropriate, causing confusion and miscommunication among team members. Evaluation: Scant 1 2 3 4 Scant Does not recognize conflicts or is unwilling to resolve conflicts. Evaluation: Scant 1 Substantially Developed Always fulfills responsibilities; performs his/her role within the group with enthusiasm and demonstrates willingness to work collaboratively. Name5 6 Substantially Developed Substantially Developed Modes of communication are appropriate, and maintains timely communication and correspondence with team members. 5 6 Substantially Developed Substantially Developed Consistently resolves conflicts through facilitating open discussion and compromise. Conflict Resolution Resolves conflicts using a variety of approaches. Contributions Contributes positive input for the team; effectively utilizes one’s knowledge and expertise. 2 3 4 5 6 Substantially Developed Substantially Developed Actively attends and participates in all activities and provides meaningful contribution in articulating ideas and opinions. Scant Largely disinterested in working in a group and refuses to participate; observes passively or is unwilling to share information with other team members. Evaluation: Scant 1 2 3 4 Scant Rarely listens to others and does not acknowledge the opinions that differ from his/her own. 6 Substantially Developed Substantially Developed Engages in respectful relationships with all other members in the team. Embraces and accepts diverse points of view without prejudice. Relationship Maintains cooperative interaction with other team members regardless of individual /cultural differences and respects diverse perspectives. Evaluatio n: Scant 1 2 3 4 5 6 Substantially Developed Leadership Develops Daily, not in a Day – John Maxwell 7 Self Case Study The law of Pain: Good management of bad experiences leads to great growth. † Maxwell (2012) The objective of this individual assignment is to provide an opportunity for participants to learn from their experience at work or working with others by overlaying the concepts and theories covered during the course on the real life challenges. There are two parts to this individual assignment. a. Part 1. To be handed in on Week 3 of the course. The participants will describe some of the challenges/issues/problems about people’s behaviors they encountered at work or when working with people. As a guide, try to limit to not more than 3 challenges. Part 1 should not be more than 1500 words. Try to identify for yourself what you want to learn from this course which will be useful in helping you understand and deal with people you work with in an effective manner. While the list of questions below may not exhaustive, I hope it will help you identify some of the potential issues/problems/challenges you may want to consider: o Think about a conflict which has arisen with one of your co-workers o Do you or your company have any major problems in motivating your or its work force? o How effective is your work group? o Describe your relationship with your boss – do you find it satisfying/dissatisfying? Are there problems in the way in which people use power and influence in your company? o How is change brought about in your company? b. Part 2. The complete assignment is to be handed in during Week 10. In total, this should be no more than 4000 words. The assignment should have the following sections a. Part 1 i. Title of the case ii. Description of the case (from week 3) iii. Why it happened the way it did? iv. What was done about it? b. Part 2 i. Your own analysis of the situation ii. What theories, concepts and frameworks covered in LOB course that may be useful here? iii. Based on your analysis and the theories, concepts and frameworks highlighted, how should the case be resolved? iv. What is your biggest takeaway from this case as a leader? Leadership Develops Daily, not in a Day – John Maxwell 8 OTHER ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS Late Submission of Assignments Penalties will be imposed for late submissions that are not supported with valid reasons. A penalty of 10 marks will be imposed for each day that the assignment is submitted late. For example, a mark of 65% would become 55% if the assignment is submitted a day late and 45% if it is two days late. In order to ensure equity, students are reminded to stay within the word limit set for each assignment. Academic Integrity Truth, Trust and Justice are at the core of NTU’s shared values. Good academic work includes to a very large extent, honesty and ethical behaviour. The quality of your work as a student is therefore subjected to adhering to principles of academic integrity and to the NTU Honor Code, a set of values shared by everyone in NTU. The content of assignments submitted for grading purposes must be that of your own. You should therefore be diligent in identifying and acknowledging the sources of information used in completing your work (full details must be provided in your reference section). If you feel that the use of the exact wordings from a reference source is the best way to present the ideas, then you must use quotation marks and acknowledge the source. If you choose to summarise the words from a reference, the source must also be acknowledged, as this is not an original piece of work from you. Submitted work must be your own effort and must not duplicate (in whole or in part) the work of others (including other students). As a student, the responsibility falls on you to be familiar with and to apply the principles of academic integrity in all the work you do at NTU. Hence you will need to proactively familiarise yourself with the strategies to avoid all forms of academic dishonesty, including plagiarism, academic fraud, collusion, cheating, etc. Detailed information can be obtained via the academic integrity website at http://academicintegrity. ntu. edu. sg. Pleading ignorance or claiming that one is unaware of the requirements for maintaining academic integrity does not excuse academic dishonesty. As members of the NTU family, this is a responsibility that students and faculty staff alike must uphold at all times. Use of edveNTUre (Blackboard) The edveNTUre system (Blackboard) will be used to facilitate the posting of assignments, course materials and announcements, as well as for interacting with your coursemates and myself. Do ensure that your personal particulars especially your hand-phone number (if you have one) is updated in edveNTUre. This will allow you to receive urgent messages e. g. change in timing for lessons, via SMS from me. Leadership Develops Daily, not in a Day – John Maxwell 9 Overview of Class Schedule Date Mar 13 Mar 20 Mar 27 Mar 3 April 10 April 17 April 24 April 2 May 8 May 15 May 22 May Topic Overview of Organizational Behaviour and Leadership Process Know Yourself: You as a leader (I) Know Yourself: You as a leader (II) Understanding Others: Your Followers (I) Understanding Others: Your Followers (II) Dialogue with A Group Executive Chairman Ov erview of Team Effectiveness Leadership in Teams Overview of Organizational Effectiveness Leadership in Organizations Conversation with a Leadership Coach Conclusion: Leadership in An Age of Uncertainty Leadership Develops Daily, not in a Day – John Maxwell 10

Réaliser - to Realize - French Verb Conjugations

Rà ©aliser - to Realize - French Verb Conjugations The  French verb  rà ©aliser means to achieve or fulfill or to realize. See the tables below for simple conjugations of  rà ©aliser. Conjugations for Rà ©aliser Present Future Imperfect Present participle je ralise raliserai ralisais ralisant tu ralises raliseras ralisais il ralise ralisera ralisait nous ralisons raliserons ralisions vous ralisez raliserez ralisiez ils ralisent raliseront ralisaient Pass compos Auxiliary verb avoir Past participle ralis Subjunctive Conditional Pass simple Imperfect subjunctive je ralise raliserais ralisai ralisasse tu ralises raliserais ralisas ralisasses il ralise raliserait ralisa ralist nous ralisions raliserions ralismes ralisassions vous ralisiez raliseriez ralistes ralisassiez ils ralisent raliseraient ralisrent ralisassent Imperative tu ralise nous ralisons vous ralisez Verb conjugation patternRà ©aliser  is a  regular -ER verb

Contract Law Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Contract Law - Coursework Example The two situations involve contracts that are governed by observance of There are therefore various legal principles that will govern the two situations to have involved formation of binding contracts. A contract is defined as an agreement made between two or more parties that is legally binding. Parties to a contract usually expect a win-win situation where they can both benefit from the contract. However the there is usually no certainty for both parties to attain this situation.2 One party may end up having a legal liability towards the other party. Any contract made whether in an attorney’s office or just written by the involved parties is valid and binding provided that the legal principles involved are understandable to both parties. The contract becomes valid on the acceptance of an offer, provided it is in compliance with the laws of the state. The first principle is the legal capacity which for many states the parties are expected to have attained the majority age of 18 years. The parties are as well expected to be in their sound mental capacity to understand the terms of the contract and consequences for non performance.3 The party representing a business organization is in a position to sign the contract thus binding the business to the contract.4 The second principle is the offer and acceptance. A contract comes to existence upon acceptance of the offer. A person may reject an offer and opt for a counter offer if they fail to agree to the terms allowed. Once accepted, offer can be revoked at any time. A contract is therefore formed on acceptance of offer or counteroffer by both parties. The third principle in formation of a legal contract is the exchange of value or consideration. This is the payment made for the performance of the contract. Consideration may be anything valuable for instance cash or goods and services. Where the consideration made is not stated

Student's Post Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Student's Post - Research Paper Example Empowering leaders to mould employees’ behavior, according to Johnson, however, offers an effective approach to ensuring employees’ safety (2009). I also concur with your opinion that employees should be recognized for both their jobs and their outstanding performances because of the competitive rewards and benefits’ trend in the job market (Fay, 2009). Your post therefore succeeds in identifying significance of leadership, at different levels of an organization’s human resource, in ensuring personnel’s safety and maintaining their potentials. You offer an explorative discussion that answers the question, ‘how can managers maintain a cohesive and effective human resource base?’ This is an important question in the extremely competitive business environment in which poorly managed human resource may lead to high rates of mobility or inefficiency in workers’ output. It is therefore important that managers consider all stakeholders, including labor unions in making human resource management decisions. A leadership approach is, however, necessary in ensuring that employees utilize available empowerment programs (Johnson, 2009). Your critique of organizations’ poor approach to rewards and benefits is also important to human resource managers because employees’ motivation also depends on their knowledge of the market trends of rewards and benefits (Fay,

Campaign Speech Essay Example for Free

Campaign Speech Essay To our beloved beautiful, sexy and ever dynamic campus administrator Dr. Ma. Evengeline P. Perez, to the different chairs of different departments, to the faculty and staff of this institution, to my co-aspirants and to the best students of the whole world, a pleasant afternoon to each in everyone. We are convened here this afternoon for another remarkable and momentous activity in our lives as students, for this afternoon’s activity is considered as one of our greatest decision-making in our lives as students. A wise decision in choosing a leader who will serve as your voice and will hear and answer your queries towards your rights as one of the important stakeholders of this institution. My fellow Cenphilians, the man standing in front of you right now is an aspirant to become a leader, who had bore in mind that being a leader is not an opportunity to rule over the others nor to enslave other people. For me, becoming a leader is a great challenge and responsibility to continue the good administration done by the previous people in authority on the Supreme Student Government or otherwise known as the SSG. I being an aspirant leader of the said organization, would like to continue hearing your voices as what the previous administration did, in order that you can express and exercise your freedom of speech. And I as an aspirant, will serve as your stairway that your voices will be recognized as a student until everything will be okay. And as been said by a not so intelligent creature in the cartoon Spongebob Square Pants, â€Å"Everything will be okay at the end; if it is not okay, yet it is not the end† that is according to Patrick the Starfish. Yes this is really true my fellow cenphilians, and actually one of the reasons why I ran on this organization is that I want to encourage and influence everyone to pursue your dreams. If you haven’t ask me, I am one of the indigent students of this institution but still I am strong enough to overcome the challenges in life being a student. The courage I have in myself, forces me to ran as a leader, thinking that if God’s well, I can influence others in a positive way. And if ever I may not be lucky enough today, still I can assure you, you can still come on me for some motivations and advices, and I will never hesitate myse lf to help and comfort you in terms of your problems. Cause I ran thinking that I am not just be a leader but also will set myself as your â€Å"Manong† who is willing to guide and help you in terms of any unavoidable  difficulties in school or even outside the school premises (financially not involve). I can also be your friend for I am willing to render an extra ordinary services for the goodness of everybody that will enhance our personality for the betterment of the entire community. Lastly, I ran as a president on the SSG execom with a purpose of having a positive changes in our institution throughout my leadership to maintain our name on top, CPSU CAUAYAN UNIVERSITY CAMPUS, and I want that changes to be solicited from you. For I believe, as what a wise man says that, a good leader is always a good follower and yes Indeed. And if ever I became a leader, I want a fair treatment to every students, and being a president in God’s well is not my only chance but everybody’s chance to express your thoughts and ideas for the betterment of the campus, because hopefully, I Arjay T. Bando a 3rd year BEED student, is an open-minded, trustworthy and approachable person is ready to serve you my fellow Cenphilians with all my heart and up to the best that I can. Of course, all of these things would not be materialized without your support my fellow Cenphilians. Let us work in hand and hand, all together for the success of our plans. So I am asking for your full support to please vote me, don’t forget my name Arjay Bando aspiring to be the next President of the Supreme student Government for the school year 2015-2016,and together with my senators â€Å"maga isa kita padulong sa kauswagan sng aton Institution†. Read more:  Campaign Speech Examples

Essays --

Volleyball Research Paper For some people, they literally live, breathe, and are volleyball; others do hate the sport and prefer soccer or football (as many do already). But volleyball has been around for more than 100 years! And it is one of the world’s most popular sports; a worldwide estimate of around 800 million people play volleyball at least once a week. But today’s volleyball doesn’t compare with the volleyball that was first invented in 1895. Society has modified to an extent this trending sport the past few decades that some actually think that William G. Morgan, the inventor of volleyball, wouldn’t be able to recognize his own sport. William G. Morgan was an instructor at the YMCA in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Morgan came up with the new idea by mixing parts of other sports like tennis, baseball, basketball, and handball together. The net idea was actually derived from tennis (which is probably why it looks so familiar), however Morgan decided to raise it a little over six feet above the middle of the court; now, the net can be up raised 8 feet above the court due to changes in the game and its rules. Another aspect that wasn’t original is the word â€Å"volleyball†. The game was in fact called â€Å"mintonette† when Morgan first created it but after observing a demonstration game, some scholars approached Morgan with a new name, â€Å"volleyball†, which they found more appropriate to call the name due to the way the athletes volleyed the ball back and forth over the net: hence, the name was changed and has been the same for more than a century. In 1895, Morgan created only one volleyball but like everything else, it has revolutionized into subsets and variations of volleyball such as: Indoor/Outdoor, Newcomb, Beach, Footvolley, Shoo... ... apply to spikes and serves. For body composition, having lower levels of body fat will be an advantage because it could provide more power, better coordination, and possibly better balance. If there were to be an â€Å"excessive† amount of body fat, it is possible that the player’s ability to move around the court freely could decrease and would increase chances of fatigue during the exercise. In conclusion, volleyball is a competitive but amusing sport in which really anyone could participate and could excel in when following the rules and guidelines. Health-wise, it would make a great addition to a daily workout; an average human could burn up to 600 calories during one hour of competitive volleyball! And not only does it burn calories, but it adds a great variety of skill to your coordination and improves cardiovascular and muscular endurance and body composition. Essays -- Volleyball Research Paper For some people, they literally live, breathe, and are volleyball; others do hate the sport and prefer soccer or football (as many do already). But volleyball has been around for more than 100 years! And it is one of the world’s most popular sports; a worldwide estimate of around 800 million people play volleyball at least once a week. But today’s volleyball doesn’t compare with the volleyball that was first invented in 1895. Society has modified to an extent this trending sport the past few decades that some actually think that William G. Morgan, the inventor of volleyball, wouldn’t be able to recognize his own sport. William G. Morgan was an instructor at the YMCA in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Morgan came up with the new idea by mixing parts of other sports like tennis, baseball, basketball, and handball together. The net idea was actually derived from tennis (which is probably why it looks so familiar), however Morgan decided to raise it a little over six feet above the middle of the court; now, the net can be up raised 8 feet above the court due to changes in the game and its rules. Another aspect that wasn’t original is the word â€Å"volleyball†. The game was in fact called â€Å"mintonette† when Morgan first created it but after observing a demonstration game, some scholars approached Morgan with a new name, â€Å"volleyball†, which they found more appropriate to call the name due to the way the athletes volleyed the ball back and forth over the net: hence, the name was changed and has been the same for more than a century. In 1895, Morgan created only one volleyball but like everything else, it has revolutionized into subsets and variations of volleyball such as: Indoor/Outdoor, Newcomb, Beach, Footvolley, Shoo... ... apply to spikes and serves. For body composition, having lower levels of body fat will be an advantage because it could provide more power, better coordination, and possibly better balance. If there were to be an â€Å"excessive† amount of body fat, it is possible that the player’s ability to move around the court freely could decrease and would increase chances of fatigue during the exercise. In conclusion, volleyball is a competitive but amusing sport in which really anyone could participate and could excel in when following the rules and guidelines. Health-wise, it would make a great addition to a daily workout; an average human could burn up to 600 calories during one hour of competitive volleyball! And not only does it burn calories, but it adds a great variety of skill to your coordination and improves cardiovascular and muscular endurance and body composition.

Ecommerce Business

Introduction Developing an e-commerce business is a difficult process, that will test the determination and commitment of any person that has created a business in the past. I this paper will examine four different scenarios that one might be confronted with in owning an e-commerce business. The scenarios are as follow: * Imagine that someone has offered you $1,000 to buy your online domain name shortly after you started your business online. Explain why or why you would not sell and cite the ethical dilemmas involved. The e-commerce software you will be using must provide a catalog display, shopping cart capabilities, and transaction processing. The convenience and usability for the customer are benefits of these functions. State how each of these functions could be beneficial to your business. * Your business will have created a presence in the physical world by having a store along the boardwalk. Creating effective presence on the Web. Including how to improve Web presence by incr easing website usability. Develop a web marketing strategy for your company including the following: identify the market segments you will target, how you will reach that segment, and explain how you will reach that segment, and explain how you will advertise on the Web. Being able to properly answer and respond to these scenarios, will assist people who wish to start an e-commerce business. Understanding these scenarios will assist in determining the market segments, as well has helping to understanding the worth of your business. Selling Your Domain Name Several things must be considered when a business is thinking of selling their domain name to someone else. In business, one is continuously working to convince others to do your bidding. The goal of a business is to convince customers to purchase your product or service, and then convince those same customers to pay their accounts on time. As it pertains to the employees that work at your business, they must treat the customers well and contribute to the company. They must abide by all ethical and moral standards that the business has put in place. By setting forth a great deal of effort to create and develop my business, it is not likely that I will sell my business for $1,000. By selling the domain name of my business, all the work that I have done to make my company relevant and credible would be in jeopardy. Most successful companies are known by their domain name or their brand, and it takes hard work and determination to accomplish the task of making your domain name credible. Customer Convenience The e-commerce business that I create will attempt to make the shopping and visit to my business website as convenient as possible for my potential customers. This will be accomplished by providing three services that all e-commerce businesses must have in order to be successful: shopping catalog display, shopping car capabilities, and a simple transaction process. The shopping catalog display must be able to store information about items in a database. My e-commerce business will also provide a search engine that allows customers to enter descriptions to quickly find the items they wish to purchase or find information about. The shopping cart capabilities will use online forms to document online shopping in the past, and it will be able to distinguish from one customer to another. I would also create a database that will store information about the clients preferred choices. I will use software that will calculate price, volume discounts, sales tax, and shopping cost. Electronic commerce software will be used to provide connections to accounting software so the sales of the web can be entered simultaneously. All of these different service that I will incorporate will allow the customers a simple and convenient way to purchase our goods and services, as well as find out as much information as possible about our goods and services. Boardwalk Store When creating a physical store on the boardwalk I will attempt to maintain my presence of the Web. In order to accomplish this I will have to implement two things to achieve this success. First of all, I would use an e-mail address to identify users. This is because e-mail addresses are easier to remember and are more standard, as well as being unique. Second, I will attempt to create a system to make ordering easy. This process could be quite complex, so I would make this process easier at each step. This can be accomplished by having the customer enter the least amount of information at each step. This can make the experience of purchasing our product and visiting our website simple on every level. Marketing Strategies When marketing on the Web, a business must completely understand the different segments that they must market their products and services. The different segmentations are as follow: behavioral, demographic, geographic, and psychographic. The behavioral segmentation consist of dividing people into groups according to how they behave and act toward products. I would create a website that gives examples on encouraging consumers to use my products for multiple purposes. The demographic segmentation obtains demographic information from the U. S. Census Bureau’s website. The site would discuss some prominent demographic characteristics used to segment buyers. This includes age, income, gender, and family life cycles. Geographic segmentation is when a market strategy that allows businesses to market by the geographic in which a customer’s live. Psychographic segmentation gathers extensive information of the customers activities, interests, opinions, values, and lifestyles. I would use the VAL survey( values, attitudes, and lifestyles) to find out what category each individual is apart . This will allow me to market according to their psychological makeup, which will give me the ability to better market my product. Marketing is an essential part of the success or failure of any business, owners should not take this aspect of the business lightly. Conclusion In my opinion, understanding all of these aspects of business will allow a person who is attempting to start an online business successful. The marketing and convenience aspect of business is key is maintain and sustaining a successful business. Having a full understanding of the Web as it pertains to business, as well as knowing the importance of what goes in to making your domain name credible is also an essential part of business. References Keys to Improving your Web Presence (2011) Retrieved from http://www. ocularconcepts. us/blc/blog/keys-to-improving-your-web-presence/ Lars, Perner (n. d. ) Introduction to Marketing. Retrieved from http://www. consumerpsychologist. com/marketing_introduction. html Schneider, G. (2011). Electronic commerce: 2011 custom edition (9th ed. ). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.

A Petition to the President of the United States

My purpose in writing this essay was to show that while â€Å"A letter to the President of the United States† was written by someone who was very knowledgeable and signed or approved by many other scientists was not successful. This essay goes to show that sometimes no matter how much valid evidence is presented to an individual regarding why they should not make a decision, they disregard that and make the decision anyway. I hope that the readers are able to understand that the scientists were truly worried about what long term effects the use of the atomic bomb would have on the United States.Before this assignment, I was unaware that Szilard had written any type of letter to the President. I also have a better understanding of why the United States used the atomic bomb on Japan. In some ways, my perspective did change. I would now like to research what some think may have happened had the United States not used the atomic bomb. While writing this critical evaluation essay, I found myself conflicted as to the results. There was a part of me that wondered why the President had not taken the views expressed in the petition more seriously.Did the president truly think about the long term effects or was he looking for an immediate solution regardless of the ramifications? Personally, this was not one of my favorite assignments. While I enjoy history and learning more about the subject, this one was hard for me. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had chosen another article to write about. While this letter was able to portray ethos, pathos, and logos it was a short and precise letter. I chose â€Å"A Petition to the President of the United States† by Leo Szilard.I chose this because it was a subject that I was familiar with and I was interested in learning more about the letter and the effects the letter had. I think I have been able to use all of your previous questions to portray to you my feelings regarding this essay. I do not feel this is one of my best writing, and hope to use your feedback to better myself as a writer and to excel in this class. In the article, â€Å"A Petition to the President of the United States† Leo Szilard, the author of the petition, discusses why he thinks the use of atomic bombs is not a good idea.Szilard’s uses his expertise and knowledge to provide valid points behind his petition. Szilard is a working scientist in the field of atomic power. He also brings up the points of what has been said about the use of atomic bombs against the United States in the past and how the use of this type of weapon would be the first step to a weapon that would become even more powerful in the course of its development. He talks about how the American public also perceives the use of weapons in warfare. Szilard makes some valid points about why the atomic bomb should not be used on Japan.Szilard uses an appeal to ethos in order to make the petition more creditable. An appeal to ethos relies o n the credibility of the author. The first point that Szilard’s makes in his petition is about himself and the fellow scientist, who also signed the petition, and their background in the field of atomic power. â€Å"We, the undersigned scientists, have been working in the field of atomic power for a number of years. † (Szilard, 1945) This is a point that really grabs the attention of the reader. Szilard should have maybe elaborated on this point a little more.Using more facts that supported his background in atomic power possibly could have made the argument a little better because the reader might not be aware of how powerful the use of atomic bombs could be. Szilard also uses an appeal to pathos. An appeal to pathos relies on the audience’s emotions and feelings. â€Å"Atomic power will provide the nations with new means of destruction. The atomic bombs at our disposal represent only the first step in this direction and there is almost no limit to the destruc tive power which will become available in the course of this development.Thus a nation which sets the precedent of using these newly liberated forces of nature for purposes of destruction may have to bear the responsibility of opening the door to an era of devastation on an unimaginable scale. † (Szilard, 1945) In this exert, Szilard is trying to portray the President that the after effects of using the atomic bomb would not only affect Japan, but also the United States, as the United States would have to take on the responsibility of having unleashed this power and could also feel the effects if the atomic bo0mb were to be used against other countries in the future.The author uses logos, an appeal to the logic, by trying to reason with the president â€Å"We believe that the United States ought not to resort to the use of atomic bombs in the present phase of the war, at least not unless the terms which will be imposed upon Japan after the war are publicly announced and subse quently Japan is given an opportunity to surrender. † (Szilard, 1945) The author used logos reasoning throughout the paper, but it was most pparent in that statement. If Japan was aware of all the negative effects that the atomic bomb would have upon them, would there still be a need for the use of it or would Japan surrender to the United States? The scientist knew that not only would the atomic bomb affect the people that were alive then, but it would also have an effect on Japan for years to come. The use of the atomic bomb affected the land, food, and natural resources of Japan.Leo Szilard’s â€Å"A Petition to the President of the United States† created some very valid points and was written by a very knowledgeable scientist. in the end however, the petition was unsuccessful and President Harry S. Truman decided to use the atomic bombs on Japan. Works Cited Szilard, Leo and Cosigners. â€Å"A Petition to the President of the United States. † Atomicarc hive. com. 2011. Web. 11 May 2012.

Story Writing 101

Story Writing 101 Story Writing 101 Story Writing 101 By Ali Hale Since prehistoric times, when tales were told around fires and painted on cave walls, stories have been an essential part of our human experience. But what exactly is a story – and how can you write a great one? A story is simply a tale of events that are linked by cause and effect. It can be true or it can be a work of fiction. We expect stories to have a beginning, middle and end; they involve at least two characters, and some events take place. In this article, I’ll take you through three major contemporary types of written story: The short story The novel The life story (biography or autobiography) For each, I’ll explain what it is, and how to write it successfully. I’ll end with tips about story writing which will help you improve your writing, whether you’re a beginner or a published author. Three Types of Story 1. Short Stories A short story is a piece of fiction under 20,000 words. More typically, a short story will be 1,000 – 5,000 words. (Pieces under 1,000 words are â€Å"short short stories† or â€Å"flash fiction†, over 20,000 and they’re novellas.) Short stories are published in magazines, newspapers and book anthologies. Short stories need: A small cast of characters, with one main character A compact time frame, with the story taking place over the course of a few days or weeks A single plot without subplots, though longer short stories may have a subplot The majority of writing competitions are for complete short stories, rather than novels or novel excerpts. If you do enter competitions, don’t be put off writing if you don’t win – judges have different likes and dislikes. How to Write a Great Short Story Like any story, your short story needs to have a beginning, middle and end: The beginning is where we’re introduced to the characters, especially the main character and his/her problem The middle is where the action and plot develops. The main character will face difficulties such as opposition from other people or a challenging environment. The end is where the main character triumphs over his/her biggest challenge (or fails, in the case of a tragedy). The resolution should be satisfying and conclusive for the reader. Even in literary and experimental short stories, it’s important that something should happen. Much of the action might take place inside the characters’ heads, but there should be a real change as a result. By the end of your short story, your main character should have experienced an internal change. This means that they’ve grown and developed as a person – perhaps overcoming a fear, or recognizing an unacknowledged truth about himself or herself. 2. Novels A novel is a piece of fiction that’s 60,000 words or longer (shorter books are novellas). The typical novel is around 80,000 – 150,000 words, depending on genre. Novels and short stories share similar structural features, but novels give the author a much wider scope. A novel might have: More than one main character (though attempt this with caution!) A large cast of characters A long time frame – potentially covering several centuries and several generations Multiple subplots Novels tend to be much more popular than short stories with the reading public, and almost all full-time authors are novelists rather than short story writers. How To Write A Novel A novel is a much bigger undertaking than a short story. Even if you are able to write short stories without much planning, you’ll need to plan out your novel in advance. There are a number of ways to do this, but whichever you choose, ensure: You have enough plot to meet your word count target Your main character (protagonist) is sympathetic – readers of short stories will put up with a dull or unlikeable character, but novel readers are stuck with the character’s viewpoint for much longer. As the writer, you’ll need to be able to become your characters. You have an escalation of events throughout the plot. Things need to get worse and worse for your characters, until they finally overcome their problems or enemies. 3. Life Stories A life story is a true story – though it shares features with fictional stories. Life stories are either â€Å"biography† (when you write about someone else) or â€Å"autobiography† (when you write about yourself). Most biographies and autobiographies are book length, similar to a novel. Many writers draw on their own life experiences for newspaper columns and magazine articles, though. There is also a market for â€Å"true life† stories in magazines, which are told in a story-like way: writing about your own life is a simple way to write about what you know. How To Write A Life Story A life story needs to be engaging and interesting for the reader. Don’t include boring details just because they’re â€Å"true† – the reader doesn’t need to know everything that happened. In many cases, details of childhood or dull years can be summarized – or told through a few vividly-drawn incidents. You will need to be careful when writing a biography or autobiography to: Structure your piece as a story, focusing on interesting events and incidents. Show the personality of the subject (yourself or the person you’re writing about), and making sure the reader will find them at least partly likeable. Be conscious of the other people involved – try to be sensitive to how they might feel (and avoid getting sued for libel – make sure you’re certain of your facts). There is often a fine line between life writing and fiction. If you are writing the story of your life, you will need to make decisions about whether you will alter or make up lines of dialogue, for instance. General Story Writing Tips Whatever type of story or stories you’re writing, and however experienced you are, there’s always room for improvement Share Your Story Writing Efforts It’s hard to write in isolation, and sharing your work with other writers is a great way to get feedback and suggestions. Look for a local writers’ circle, or join an online forum. You want to find somewhere that’s supportive but where people aren’t afraid to offer advice about things that aren’t working in your story. Keep Learning Writing is a craft that you can learn, like any other. There are hundreds of books on all aspects of writing, from the nuts and bolts of grammar and punctuation to writing in specific genres. You can also find free advice on the Internet (on blogs like this one). You can even take a degree or post-graduate course in creative writing. Keep Practicing As well as learning about writing, you need to practice. That means writing regularly – ideally daily. As you write more, your stories will get better – your characters are more â€Å"real†, your plots are convincing, and your endings are deeply satisfying to readers. You’ll also find that writing itself becomes easier: you’ll spend less time struggling to find the right words, and more time enjoying seeing the story spill from your fingers. Always Revise All authors need to revise their work. Your first draft might have a lot of problems – inconsistent characterization, scenes which don’t really fit, holes in the plot, incorrect pacing or tension. Don’t worry if this is the case: most published authors have to extensively rewrite their first drafts too. Always allow time to revise your story, and if possible, do several rewrites. Most authors recommend letting your story sit unread for a few days or weeks when you complete a draft, so that you can come to it with fresh eyes. Good luck with your story writing! Check Out Other Articles from The Writing 101 Series: The Writing Process Creative Writing 101 Story Writing 101 Letter Writing 101 Business Writing 101 Freelance Writing 101 Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Fiction Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Structure A Story: The Eight-Point ArcWork of Art TitlesSentence Adverbs

How to deal with a career crossroads

How to deal with a career crossroads In pop culture, we picture midlife crises in a very specific way. The man who buys the Ferrari. The woman who goes on a soul-searching trip with lots of yoga and beautiful European locales. In real life, though, it can be a lot more subtle than that- and often hits the professional life rather than the personal one. If you’re feeling mid-career blahs, and aren’t sure how to deal with it, it could be a career crossroads. Is it time for a change? Should you keep going on your current path? What is a career crossroads and how can you handle it?The career crossroads is a point where you start to wonder what the rest of your career should look like. It can be brought on by changes at work (a new boss, big changes in the company) or really by nothing at all except a general sense of am I doing what I should be doing?  The end result could be staying where you are, looking for a new job, or jumping fields altogether. Let’s look at some strategies for dealing with a ca reer crossroads.Do an audit of your professional lifeNow is the time to ask some very important questions about what you’re doing now and where you’ve been. Are you in a field that you chose decades ago, right out of school, because it felt like the right choice at the time? Do you still feel like it was the right choice? Have you moved as far in your job or field as you would like? Do you feel burned out because you no longer feel fulfilled by what you’re doing, or would minor changes make your life better in the same job?It’s also a chance to reassess your values. What’s the most important career factor for you at this point? A certain salary? The emotional fulfillment you get from your job? A certain job title or set of responsibilities?Be honest about what you wantThis isn’t about what others might want for you or what you wanted back when you were a student. The person you are now may have changed totally from your younger self, so it’s time to be realistic about what you want to achieve in the next phase of your career.Here are some factors to consider:What’s the financial picture in your career right now? Sites like Glassdoor and Salary.com can help you figure out if your salary is in line with others at your level of experience, job title, etc.Do you feel fulfilled by what you’re doing? If you find yourself bored but generally happy with your field, think about what would make your job more challenging or fulfilling. If you can’t think of anything that would enhance your current path, then it’s time to ask †¦Would you be happier doing something else? The mid-career change is increasingly common. What you wanted to do forever at age 22 is not necess arily the same thing you want to do forever at age 50. If you think you need a drastic change, then it’s also time to think about what would be involved in starting over (Going back to school? Certification?).Don’t be afraid to get an outside perspectiveYou don’t have to muscle through your crossroads alone. In fact, it can really help to get the outside advice of someone you trust, like a mentor or someone else in your field. It’s best to avoid people at your current job (lest you spark rumors about you quitting), but a former colleague could be a good choice. The act of describing your current frustrations and future goals can help you visualize what you really want to do.Create  an  action  planIf you determine that it’s time to make a job change or push for a promotion at your current job, then do it. Set a plan for your job search. Update your resume. Dust off your LinkedIn page, and start building your network. Start building your negot iation plan for approaching your boss. The outcome of your self-audit should always be an action plan of some sort, kind of a roadmap for the next phase of your career. Whether you’re staying put or looking for something new, you should come up with several tasks that will make your professional life better.If you feel yourself approaching the career crossroads, don’t let the questions or frustrations get you down. It’s the perfect opportunity to take charge, and shape your career for the better.

How do symphony orchestras manage their members before a song Essay

How do symphony orchestras manage their members before a song successfully performed in front of the audience - Essay Example The implication here is that the musicians/organisational members, must subsume themselves into the whole and, rather than perceive of themselves as individuals, see themselves as integral parts of the unit, complimenting and completing the whole. While there tends to be a dearth in the literature on symphony orchestra management, the few sources which were located for this research unanimously attested to the complexity of managing a symphony orchestra and held the conductor as an exemplification of the total quality manager (Morgan, 1980; Chong, 2000; Rentschler, 2002). Not only is he entirely responsible for the management of orchestra members, musicians, towards the execution of a perfectly timed and completely harmonious and faultless musical performance but his responsibilities include organisational visioning, strategic direction, audience development and fundraising. To be effective, the musical leader/conductor of the orchestra must possess a combination of skills, the most significant of which appear to be artistic and musical skills, organisational skills, and charismatic leadership (Morgan, 1980). Proceeding from the above stated, and as may have been deduced from the foregoing, this research will establish the extent to which effective leadership and efficient management are integral to success, looking at the case of symphony orchestras. 2 Symphony Orchestra as Organisation The operations and performances of the symphony orchestra have always been expensive. In earlier decades, when orchestras presented their unpaid bills at the end of a season, wealthy patrons wrote personal checks to cover the costs. As generations progressed, patronage was no longer a reliable source of financial security, and local corporations stepped up to help with the burden (Holland, 2003). Organisational power was placed into the hands of a Board of Directors culled from the elite patrons (Couch, 2005). As a cultural institution, the symphony orchestra is a collective organisation of diverse groups committed to preserving a vital part of cultural heritage. Through the collaboration and commitment of musicians, administrators, volunteers and patrons, the orchestral organisation protects the viability and strength of symphonic music. Nearly every role in the orchestral organisation demands a combination of high-level skills in music as well as the logistics of production and management. Behaviour in modem orchestras is deeply institutionalised, growing out of practices and traditions that began more than a century ago. With large infrastructures to support, little room for financial errors, and ambiguous leadership structures, orchestras