My ethnic identity Essay

Ethnicity is a way of defining, differentiating, and organizing around a shared awareness of the common ancestry of socially distinct groups of individuals, such as language, culture, religion, or nationality. It can shape community and identity, as well as can mobilize â€Å"like-minded† people into action for gaining social, political, and cultural interests. I am Mainland Indian. Since that is about a billion people, I have to add a lot more details. I would say that I am Western Indian. However, that is still not enough because it does not specify my personal identity. Ahmedabad is an important part of my identity because I was born in Ahmedabad. My parents and I can speak its local dialect. Simply put, my ethnicity is Western Indian and Gujarati. Also, I can speak English and Hindi and I am a Hindu. It is the first step that costs troublesome. As an Indian student first coming to New Jersey, USA for living my rest of the life, it was quite challenging to quickly adapt to my new life because of culture shock. To me, language barrier was a hard issue. As the language obstacle progressively became my hardship on a regular basis, I believed that in order to get over the language barrier, improving English while learning Spanish at high school should have been given top priority. After arriving in New Jersey, I lived at an apartment with my family, which was far from the downtown area. I did repeatedly miss my teachers, classmates, friends, and relatives in India. At that moment, the happiest time of day was to sit in front of my laptop, talking with my parents and friends through the Internet. Furthermore, the alien environment of New Jersey Institute of Technology campus was another major obstacle to me. As a freshman, I often got lost on campus, having difficulty finding the way to classrooms and accessing to a variety of facilities. Ethnicity is like a personal identity, referring to his or her own â€Å"sense of belonging to or identification with a group or tradition over time, based on commonalities with similar others. SANSKAR (Indian student association) did make me feel a strong sense of belonging by providing far more services to help all freshmen from India rapidly get used to the new life. I was so happy that I got to know many senior students who enjoyed sharing with me their experiences on how to overcome the setbacks they had ever encountered,  as well as on how to adjust to the new environment with the new students. From sharing their experiences, I learned how to well communicate with my peers and how to develop my interpersonal skills. I believed that these invaluable skills might help me greatly hinder dependence on my parents. My first month at NJIT went smoothly. With the help of those senior students, I gradually adapted to my new life by helping me improve English, overcome homesickness, and familiarize campus. Moreover, SANSKAR launched interesting activities in order to enrich each Indian student’s off-campus life. My friends and I did participate in some meaningful activities. Like SANSKAR, Jersey City Indian square (Little India) can be another home for me. I always spend my spare time going there with friends. As soon as I get there, I do have a strong sense of community. Although Jersey City Indian square is small, its physical landscape is perfectly in response to urban development and the growing success of the Indian community formation in New Jersey. These days, Jersey City Indian square, which is located at the center of many Indian social and cultural organizations, does perform a number of significant functions. Besides, the majority of Indian and foreign population in New Jersey enjoys going to Indian square to purchase some delicious food and some delicate souvenirs, gifts, accessories, or even handmade articles. In addition, Jersey City Indian square annually hosts the celebration of Indian festivals and also American festivals. I often go there for watching an Indian dance during the Indian New year, admiring lanterns and traditional Indian dances during the Mid-Autumn Festival, or getting green fortune cookies for St. Patrick’s Day. Since I am in a White-dominated society, as a member of minority group, I have to internalize the values of the dominant society. However, showing respect to life not only is a common ideology for everyone, but also is a rationale for minimizing and eradicating inequality, privilege, oppression, and marginalization.

Miranda warnings Essay

Miranda warnings were created to protect individuals and their rights against coercive or threatening questioning methods by police officers from Miranda Warning.org(2013). Everyone has heard the â€Å"you have the right to remain silent† speech, so on and so forth. These rights do not just apply to adults but juveniles as well. In the case of the young boy who was arrested standing outside someones home there are four issues that need to be addressed. To the new officer I would address the situation as follows. So during your first arrest there were a few things that need to be addressed as to how it went about. When you were dispatched to the home burglary you approached a young boy outside the home. You arrested him. I would not have just arrested him. Asking him if he lived at the residence, his age, name or who his neighbors are could have given you a good idea if he belonged there. As it seems also without speaking to him until you came to the police station realizing he did not speak English. According to E-how (2013), in order to arrest someone you must have probable cause. You had no evidence or probable cause to believe this boy had anything to do with a past, current or future crime to be committed. It was never indicated the boy had any weapons or tools to access the home. Without probable cause or evidence any kind of information or statements from the boy would not be allowed in a prosecution case. The next issue was that you arrested the boy whom you still have no name or age for and took him to the station without clearing the scene. Protocol for these types of situations is that once either an alarm system is set off or even dispatched from a concerned citizen call you always make sure the home is secure. If that means calling for backup then do so. You secure the person in the squad car, wait for backup and check to see if anyone is home. Check the doors, windows or basement access to ensure nothing is, isn’t broken or open. If something is accessible you announce yourself, make entry and clear it for any other suspects. If dispatch is able to contact alarm company or homeowners you wait until they arrive from Protection1 (2013). You do not know if that boy was a lookout or the 3 burglar. If he was the lookout, the other accomplice got away. Or the other person could remain in the house continuing to burglarize and could run into the homeowner. This creates a dangerous situation for each person that we do not need for it could cost lives. When the two of you arrived at the station you could see that the boy did not understand English because you tried to question him. You did know and understand to read the rights to him but failed to get any type of help with a translator. According to Fox News Latino (2013), a court ruled that Miranda Rights were to be read in the accused first native language. You could have requested to use an application from a cell or internet source. You also could have asked to try to locate someone who speaks his language (mandarin).Nothing was done to find a way to translate the warning to get an understanding of the situation. The last issue with the Miranda warnings is that once the family member who came for the boy who spoke English no Miranda Rights were read to either of them. Getting the family member to translate, give information such as a name and age of the boy could be crucial also. You did not read either of them rights or asked if they understood what their rights were before speaking to the family member on behalf of the boy. So this comes back to any information given will not be able to be used in court. The case was handed over to a follow up investigator. Supreme Court (2013) ruled that â€Å"Under federal law, a suspect taken into custody must be read his or her Miranda rights by law enforcement. Certain uses of restraint — handcuffs, a prolonged interrogation, certain surroundings — add up to custody.† How do you think the prosecution will be able to use any information given if you didn’t read them their rights? These issues could have been resolved by following home burglary protocol. Checking, clearing the scene for safety issues, hazards or other people. Secondly when going to arrest someone you must follow the law that in regards to probable cause. There must be intent or physical evidence of a crime 4 going to be or already committed. Make sure you have this key element and when in doubt ask for advise. Thirdly it is a federal law to read a suspect his rights before any type of questioning. Failing to do so can result in dismissal of the case and all charges dropped. Even if the boy is a juvenile his rights must still be read if in custody. You arrested him and brought him to the station, hes in custody. Lastly when having an issue of translation with someone who doesn’t speak English contact a higher up to see what should be done. You could have tried using an application on a cell phone or internet source to translate his words and yours. Using the family member is a risky chance because they could tell them or you wrong to get the issue dropped. It could steer the investigation in the wrong direction. Letting it slide will not help the situation any nor a possible case against the boy. When ever in doubt reach out for help or advise from another officer, investigator or supervisor. 5 References Arrested without Probable Cause Laws (2013). Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/list_6806016_arrested-probable-cause-laws.html Fox News Latino (2013). Court Rules Miranda Rights Must be given in Correct Spanish. Retrieved from http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2013/07/16/court-rules-miranda-rights-m ust-be- given-in-correct-spanish/ or http://www.us-english.org/view/124 How Do Police Respond to a Burglary (2013). Retrieved from http://homesecurity.protection1.com/police-respond-burglary/ Miranda Warning Facts (2013). Retrieved from http://www.mirandawarning.org/mirandawarningfaq.html Supreme Court Rules Against NC in Juvenile Miranda Rights (2011). Retrieved from http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/06/16/115919/supreme-court-rules-against- nc.html#.UjYT9MPD_IU

Analyse the benefits of deploying tablet computers in organisations Assignment

Analyse the benefits of deploying tablet computers in organisations and should focus specifically, and at a minimum, on areas such as productivity, accessibility, and compatibility - Assignment Example This paper focuses on the merits of supplying workers with computer tablets in the workplace (Sorin). A tablet refers to a mobile computer which is equipped with a variety of features such as a touch screen, microphone and camera. Unlike computers, tablets do not necessarily require the use of mouse or keyboard. Instead, they have sensors which can be operated by the use of stylus gestures or fingers. However, it might contain virtual keyboards that are used for performing any typing work. With their small and comfortable portably design, tablets can be very much suitable for individual use. Meaning, they can be easily used by one person without necessarily relying on a network of computers or servers. Thus, it can suit workers both in their offices and at the comfort of their homes. When an employer opts to supply the workers with tablets, they should be commended for taking a noble initiative. This is because it can benefit them in the following ways: To begin with, a tablet computer can greatly help the workers to improve the efficiency of their communications. When each worker is given a personal tablet, they can use them in communicating with one another. This can be done through the use of email, fax, chat room or short messages. Indeed, these are revolutionary means of communication which have greatly impacted on the lives of workers. Unlike it was before, workers had to rely on traditional means of communication such as letter writing or face to face communication. However, when each of them has a personal tablet, they would no longer need to take much time drafting letters or leaving their offices to go and look for others to deliver the message to. Instead, if they have tablets, they will only require connecting them to the internet then draft and sending short and brief messages. With personal tablets, individual workers can easily communicate to their seniors, colleagues or juniors without many interruptions. This is be cause

International Business Environment Coursework Essay

International Business Environment Coursework - Essay Example While international business has been there for a long time, it has never been as intense as it is today. Yet, it has not reached its peak. In the future, conditions are going to make it easier, an also necessary for businesses to look at global opportunities. International business is therefore going to be more intensified as time goes on. Although more and more opportunities continue to increase, there are also some challenges that continue to show up in the international business environment. In this appear both challenges and the opportunities that will grace the international business environment have been identified. Of course, globalization is the biggest factor that has to be considered with regard to international business. Globalization is the unification of the global community made of nations, countries and regions, as they share various aspects of culture such as goods and services, language, ideas, education and even world views. Globalization has been made possible by the introduction of better communication and transport infrastructure which makes these things to be easily moved from one region to the other. Other factors also make globalization a necessity in the long run. With globalization, the world continues to be flatter with every technology that that comes up. The flatness of the world refers to the fact that things can be done around the globe in much more efficient and flexible way than they were done in the past. As the world gets flatter, it will mean that the market will respond equally to all types, sizes and even sources of competition. In a fact, world, all competitors have the same opportunity and some traditional factors that used to be the factors determining who dominates the market will cease to be important. Although this has been achieved in a number of ways, it is going to be even more so in the next decade. The

Leadership Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 15

Leadership - Assignment Example This led to constant bickering and lack of consensus about direction. This conflict was borne of her inferior emotional intelligence. In fact, she proclaimed that Star Jones was evil, illustrating her poor leadership characteristics. Marlee Matlin, the deaf star contestant in 2011, was an individual with superior leadership skills. Matlin observed many disputes occurring between her colleagues, but simply chose to distance herself from it and bring it to her superior’s attention: Donald Trump. A quality leader understands chain of command and does not overstep their authority or fuel even further conflict. Matlin was very courteous to her team members throughout the entire season, often using soft language to inspire others to achieve their greatest potential. This is another trademark of a very competent leader to be able to use charisma and inspirational dialogue to gain loyalty. Marlee Matlin also publicly praised her most fierce competitor, John Rich, which illustrated the necessary respect for others common in quality leaders. At the same time, Matlin always tried to help others, showing that she thought their opinions and talents were valuable to the

The liberal and critical theory account of economic globalization Essay

The liberal and critical theory account of economic globalization - Essay Example tional contexts beyond national boundaries, critics like Ellen Meiksins Wood have been arguing on the extent of interference practiced by these international institutions and its implications on national powers. According to Wood (2005), problems related to globalization, such as â€Å"the social injustices, the growing gaps between rich and poor, ‘democratic deficits, ecological degradation and so on† are the consequences of capitalism (pp. 14). Wood (2005) thus argues that â€Å"capitalism, whether national or global, is driven by certain systematic imperatives of competition, profit-maximization and accumulation, which inevitably require putting ‘exchange-value’ before ‘use-value’ and profit before people† (pp. 14). While an optimistic view of liberalism will justify this particular opinion, a critical view to the notion shall be much emphasized to argue on behalf of capitalist theorists, stressing on the negatives associated with the same (KukoÄ , 2009). The critical theory thus asserts that globalization has made it possible for a handful of economies and institutional members to enjoy the wealth and resources within their global â€Å"playing field†, leading to graver sufferings of weaker and vulnerable economies (Bohman, 2004). As the two theories, liberalism on one hand and capitalism on the other, argue on the positives and negatives associated with globalization, this essay will aim at examining both these standpoints to conclude whether globalization can be held responsible for the increasing inequality in resource allocation causing poverty or it actually functions in reducing such disparities. Influences caused by international institutions will also be considered in the disc ussion henceforth to obtain a succinct understanding of the issue in concern. A nation might be said of having a comparative advantage if it can produce a particular good or service in a much efficient and cost effective manner as compared to other countries, which is only

Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 13

Leadership - Essay Example In organizations, managers are the leaders of the subordinates. Workers should obey the instructions from the managers in order to execute a project successfully. The manager’s ability to derive maximum out of a worker is one of the critical success factors of an organization. Managers may adopt many strategies to get the maximum out of a worker. Linking of rewards with performance and adoption of suitable management styles are some of the strategies taken by managers in organizations to improve the productivity of the workers. This paper briefly analyses the importance of linking of rewards with performance and best possible leadership styles to control employees in an organization. Recognitions are important in personal and professional life. Nobody likes to work in an organization if the organization fails to recognize their good performances and complement them with rewards. Rewards are motivating factors for the employees to increase their performances and productivity. â€Å"Great leaders will seek to create environments where their followers are rewarded for their hard work and success† (The Importance of Using Rewards and Recognition To Lead, 2010). Rewards can be given in different forms like incentives, praising words, promotions etc. It is a fact that majority of the employees are working for money rather than helping an organization. They will work hard if they have the prospects of getting more money linked with more performances. Rewards can motivate all the employees irrespective of who is getting it. Those who failed to get reward will definitely try to improve their performance in anticipation of a possible reward in future. In some cases, even a praising word by the manager may serve as a great boost to the employees. It is not necessary that financial gains alone may motivate an employee. Some employees attach more value to the psychological factors and the praising words may

The issues human resources encounter on a day to fay bases Essay

The issues human resources encounter on a day to fay bases - Essay Example They include among others the management needs to develop human resource strategies at the business formulation level, delegation of the right human resource matters to departmental managers is important in freeing the human resource department and in the process allows it to focus on the development of strategic policies. This role becomes effective when the training section of the human resources training section equips the departmental and line managers with adequate, knowledge, skills, and attitude to enable them to develop and manage staff effectively. Strategic functions of the human resource management form part of the core functions of the department, therefore, it is important that the selection and development of employees with the right skills that fit the job description be thorough. The process of change is gradual hence, it must be planned and managed carefully. The value of the process is in the change in the organization’s culture. Literature Review Armstrong, (34) suggests that business companies are involved in reorganizing their culture in the process of developing responsive and acceptable structures. Notably, achieving efficiency and profitability depends on innovative policies on the management of people, resources, and Financials. He gives priority to the process that the human resources department goes through in managing challenges in the day-to-day operations within the business. Crow, (1997, 23) posits that the issues of human resources management as a strategic approach to handling employees within business organizations is new and has existed for about three decades. Various factors influenced the development of human resources management from the traditional personnel department. They included an increase in pressure from competition brought by globalization and liberalization of trade a market. Other scholars among them Hendry (44) hold that human resources management is not different in any way from the traditional personn el department apart from the change of terminology. Leggae (71) identifies new issues of human resource management as development of an integrated system for the management of human resource issues, transforming the approach to human resources management making the process more professional, dealing with the decentralization of the right human resource management issues, and delegation of appropriate roles of the human resources to departmental managers. Human Resource Issues and challenges Employers experience various human resource issues during their day-to-day operations. These issues include recruiting, productivity, training of employees, arranging staff, and eliminating discrimination within the organization. Employees working in the human resource management on the hand, face challenges that include conflict resolution and making sure that the employees in other departments operate within environments that are safe. Other concerns include dealing with issues that come with o utsourcing, determining and distributing benefits, enhancing and maintaining cultural diversity. The company policy and human resources director dictate the manner in which individual organizations deal with human resource issues. The management of issues by the human resource management is a continuous process irrespective of the type and size of the company under discussion. Productivity Management and organization of employees make

MATH Math Problem Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Math Problem Example List multiple items in descending order of amount.) Quirk Company purchased office supplies costing 6,000 and debited Office Supplies for the full amount. At the end of the accounting period, a physical count of office supplies revealed 2,400 still on hand. The appropriate adjusting journal entry to be made at the end of the period would be Baden Realty Company received a check for 18,000 on July 1 which represents a 6 month advance payment of rent on a building it rents to a client. Unearned Rent was credited for the full 18,000. Financial statements will be prepared on July 31. Baden Realty should make the following adjusting entry on July 31: On July 1, Dexter Shoe Store paid 8,000 to Ace Realty for 4 months rent beginning July 1. Prepaid Rent was debited for the full amount. If financial statements are prepared on July 31, the adjusting entry to be made by Dexter Shoe Store is Southeastern Louisiana University sold season tickets for the 2008 football season for 160,000. A total of 8 games will be played during September, October and November. In September, two games were played. In October, three games were played. The balance in Unearned Revenue at October 31 is Southeastern Louisiana University sold season tickets for the 2008 football season for 160,000. A total of 8 games will be played during September, October and November.

Abrasive Flow Machining Essay Example for Free

Abrasive Flow Machining Essay 1. Introduction Abrasive flow machining (AFM) was firstly developed fifty years ago by Extrude Hone Corporation, USA. By using the liquid viscoelastic material with easy flowability made of polymer and abrasive grains, AFM can be used to polish, deburr and radius for the workpiece. There are three kinds of AFM: one-way AFM, two-way AFM and orbital AFM [1]. In this case to manufacture the cylinder heads, consider of two-way AFM is much more widely used and its technology is more mature, we also choose the two-way AFM to do the surface finishing. Schematic of two-way flow shows in figure below. Figure 1 principle of material removal mechanism in two-way AFM process [1] Prior to machining, liquid abrasive will be put into the lower medium cylinder, the designed fixture which clamping the workpiece will be fixed between two cylinders. The upper medium, lower medium cylinder and fixture will form a confined space. After heat the whole system to working temperature, by forcing the lower piston (usually by hydraulic), the liquid abrasive will be pressed into the channel formed by clamp and workpiece, then flow into the upper medium cylinder. After the stroke of lower piston finished, the upper piston will force the liquid abrasive back into lower cylinder [2], an operating cycle will be finished. See more: Beowulf essay essay 2. Three key elements of AFM 1) Machine tool Use to fasten the workpiece and fixture, and control the pressure applied on the workpiece, to adjust the degree of abrasive accuracy. 2) Liquid Abrasive Liquid abrasive is abrasive tool in the AFM, it should has following properties, a) Non-corroding and don’t adhere to the workpiece and human skin. b) Good adhesive properties between different abrasive grains. c) Be able to maintain the viscoelasticity for a long time d) Non-volatile and non-deteriorate after a long time preservation. e) Strong cohesion. For these properties, the conventional liquid abrasive is made from Semi-solid carrier which has viscoelasticity, flexibility and cutting property mixed with abrasive grains. Different intrinsic viscosities of different carriers, different types and size of abrasive grains can affect the final tolerance and roughness [2]. The most frequently used abrasives are silicon carbide, carborundum, Cubic Boron Nitride(CBN), aluminum oxide, the size of grain vary from 0.005mm to 1.5mm. Abrasive with high viscosity is mainly used to polish the walls of workpiece and large through-hole while low viscosity abrasive is primarily for radiusing the edge and polishing the small through-hole. 3) Fixture The function of fixture, a) Positioning and fixing the workpiece. b) Bearing clamping force for some workpiece. c) Constitute a channel for liquid abrasive with some machined surface of workpiece in suitable size and section. d) Realizing simultaneous machine multiple workpiece in one device. 3. Advantage of AFM, Abrasive flow machining has accuracy, stability and flexibility. It uses liquid abrasive to remove the metal material infinitesimally, deburr and radius the internal intersections of workpiece. At present, AFM is widely used in automotive industry and other manufacturing. The fundamental advantage of AFM is the liquid abrasive can reach the positions which are not easily be machined by tradition surface finish methods since the complexity of workpiece, polished surface evenly and in integrity, batch processing has the same result. These characteristics improve the performance of part, extend the working life, avoid the multifarious manual labour, and lower the intensity of labor. For example, when polish the intake-tube of vehicle by traditional process, the tube need to be cut into half, then welding after polishing, but using the AFM, cut and welding can be avoided [3]. 4. Geometrical and thermal effects. Viscosity of liquid abrasive will decrease when the working temperature enhances [3], and working ability of abrasive depends on its viscosity as the figure 2 shown. Figure 2 the machining effects of different viscosity of abrasive materials [5] Since cutting force is proportional to viscosity, so higher viscosity means stronger grinding ability, as a result abrasive with higher viscosity will get a better surface. In conclusion, temperature is a very important factor during the process. While the abrasive grains polish the surface, it will generate heat, enhancing the temperature as the figure 3 shown. Figure 3 Variation of rise in temperature of workpiece with number of cycles [4] The rise of temperature will make the working ability reduce. So cooling system is need during the process to ensure the best machined surface. Geometry of cylinder head also affects the result of surface finishing. Many small through-holes exist in the cylinder head, flow rate of abrasive is much bigger in these through-holes according to fluid mechanics, even these accelerations enhance grinding ability, but due to shearing force generated by abrasive being extrusion at narrow pass, it is evident that temperature will rise rapidly, lower the grinding ability. So geometrical effect need to consider when design a cylinder head. 1. Rhoades L.J., Kohut T.A., Reversible Unidirectional AFM, US patent number 5,070,652, Dec 10th, 1991. 2 Szulczynski, Hubert, Uhlmann, Eckart, MATERIAL REMOVAL MECHANISMS IN ABRASIVE FLOW MACHINING 3 Guizhen Song, THEORETICAL ANALYSIS AND EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH ON ABRASIVE FLOW MACHINING 4 Rajendra K. Jain, V. K. Jain. Specific energy and temperature determination in abrasive flow machining process[J]. International Journal of Machine Tools Manufacture, 2001(41):1689-1704 5 Tang Yong, Zhou De-ming, Yang Gang, Machinability of Abrasive Flowing Machining. Journal of south china university of technology, 2001-9

New Public Management and Health Sector Reforms

New Public Management and Health Sector Reforms Q. What is New Public Management? Explain the concept and application in relation to health sector reforms across developed and developing countries. 1. Introduction In the contemporary era, neo-liberal policies are given weightage attributing to their stance of limiting the work of government in the economy and its ability to introduce efficiency and effectiveness. We now witness an emerging trend of adopting neoliberal policies. The New Public Management is, therefore based on the neo-liberal views and attempts to introduce private sector efficiency in the public sector of a particular country. The use of New Public Management (NPM) has led to use of tools like decentralization, privatization, contractualism, total quality management, performance related pay etc. While adoption of NPM seems an attractive option for various economies, its applicability and success in developing and developed nations is highly debated upon. Popular examples reveal that the NPM techniques are likely to fail in developing nations because they do not have the preconditions required to harbor NPM. However, the success of NPM techniques purely depends upon the environ ment within which it is implemented and on the compatibility of the techniques with the countrys norms and values. This essay therefore aims to assess the applicability and success of NPM approaches in the case of developing and developed countries. The essay will begin with literature review that will emphasize on what paved the way towards NPM, definitional aspects of NPM and implementation of NPM as a steady reform process. The essay will then illustrate the case studies of Norway and Chile and analyze the degree to which NPM was successful in the two countries. 2. Literature Review 2.1 Road to New Public Management For long now, the public sector setup has been under pressure to bring about efficiency by adopting more market oriented and private sector practices (Dunleavy Hood, 1994). This has been argued to be due to multiple factors such as economic and fiscal dilemmas that brought about the need for states increased role in the economy (Ferlie, et al., 1996). The public sector crisis in the developed economies led to the search for new ways of organizing the public services and hence, redefining the role of the state to encourage competition and market oriented approaches. States indulgence in market type approaches in order to treat the problematic public sector led to the promotion of marketization, that was ought to be more efficient and effective as it tend to keep in mind needs of the individuals and consumers. The shift towards New Public Management (NPM) started in 1970s and 1980s in UK, under Margaret Thatchers regime when she called for the readjustment of the iron industry, and in US municipal government who were agonized at the hands of economic recession and tax revolts. NPM practices were next adopted by Australia and New Zealand, which brought NPM into limelight and brought them on the agenda of OECD countries. It was not until then, theorists started to identify the common characteristics of what is known as New Public Management today (Dunsire, 1995). 2.2 Defining New Public Management Advocates of the traditional bureaucratic system declared the term New Public Management as a misnomer at its very emergence. There have been claims that what is characterized to be New Public Management is practiced in the public sector since quite long now and thus, there is nothing new in the practice. Moreover, it is also argued that NPM tends to target the core values of the public sector an, is therefore little about public management and more of an attempt to wipe out public administration as a subject in social sciences (Farazmand, 2000). However, despite heavy criticism and attempts to minimize its use in the field of public administration by traditional bureaucrats, there is consensus among scholars that NPM tends to dominate majority of contemporary era public settings. New Public Management, in itself, is a reform process, undertaken at the administrative level where structural, organizational and managerial changes are targeted in the public sector. As per Pillott (2011), it is a bunch of management appraoches and techniques and a vission, an ideology. Thus, NPM basically is a set of mangerial actions generated from the private sector and applied in the public sector in order to yield similar level of effciency and effectiveness. Different scholars tend to provide different ideas for conceptualising NPM. Hood (1991) however, brings them under a common banner by summarising the key elements of NPM under 7 main characteristics. He claims that NPM is inclusive of; entrepreneurial management rather than traditional b ureacracy, as highlighted by Clarke Newman (1993), benchmarked standards and performance measures as highlighted by Oshborne, et al. (1995), pays attention to output control as highlighted by Boyne (1999), calls for shift towards decentralization as highlighted by Pollitt, et al. (1998), advocates competition in public sector workings, superiority of private sector style of working as highlighted by Wilcox Harrow (1992) and advocates discipline in the allocation of resources as highlighted by Metcalf Richards (1990). Thus, NPM is inclusive of privatization, decentralization, outsourcing, contractionalism, competitive mechanisms like performance related pay, total quality management etc. Scholars argue that New Public Management has therefore, emerged in response to the Old Public Management and in order to understand NPM, it is of utmost importance that we fitst understand Old Public Management and its principles. Old Public Management is in line with the ideas of Max Webers bureaucratic setup. It emphasises on exante and procedural control and the traditional hierarchial setup where functions are divided among different functional units (Osborne Gaebler, 1993). While the old public management was based on strict hierarchies and rules, new public management looks into political and accountable management and thus advocates contracts and market superiority. Morover, while old public management used stability and permanence at its very foundation, new public management is based on contracts. Institutionalisation is at the very core of Old Public Management, whereas new public management requires more of strategic management and thus doenst require strict institutiona ization (Peters, 1996). 2.3 NPM as a Reform Process Many scholars shed light upon reform process that has incorporated elements of new public management in the public sector. Advocates have argued that public settings can achieve their goals if flexibility is introduced in the system and public officers are given significant autonomy. This will not only lead to effective management of the functions of the units but also enhance the performance of departments and agencies working together in a contractual capacity. Autonomy will therefore allow them control their resources and use them in the best possible manner as to achieve the required results. Hence, it will enable department to make best use of private sector tools such as contracting, outsourcing, accrual accounting, total quality management, user survey etc. (Osborne Plastrick, 1997). While the bureaucratic systems are rigid and answer back to orders, decentralization and autonomy will allow creative thinking by pushing the decision making authority down the hierarchy. Thus NP M has been able to promote accountability though encouraging shared missions and systems, by freeing organizations from the control of central agencies and allowing workers to adopt a problem solving approach (Osborne Plastrick, 1997). A large number of developing countries are still trying to make use of NPM approaches in the public sector. For e.g. Malaysia has adopted Total Quality Management in their production processes in order to minimize wastage and ensure good quality of products (Fei, 2003). However, the implementation and spread of the NPM process has not be unanimous around the globe. The major differences have been as per the context of the country. While some countries have resisted to NPM attributing to the strong bureaucratic culture, others have just restored their national initiatives under the label of NPM, when in essence old public management is still followed there. Thus, adoption and introduction of NPM is seen as a complex process where the context within which the country is, matters (Christensen Laegreid, 2006). Adoption of NPM has also differed as per the nature of the countries being developing and developed. While the process was initiated by developed countries at the first place, the ir public sectors are now stable with accomplished NPM practices for e.g. in the case British health care system. Moreover, developed economies tend to meet the preconditions, such as well function markets and economic development, required for the implementation of NPM principles. However, the implementation in developing countries has been troublesome. It is argued that developing nations are still struggling to stabilize their economies, ensure imposition of rule of law and instill proper bureaucratic structures, that introduction neo-liberal techniques disrupts the entire process and causes instability (Akhtar, 2016). Hughes (1998) argue that implementation of NPM in developing countries may yield opposite results than what is required. While NPM approaches may be adopted to promote greater transparency and eradicate corruption, a greater degree of autonomy to officers may lead to chances of corruption. Similarly, in case of contracting out, absence of appropriate laws and rules can limit the use of contracts as they may not be fulfilled in their true essence. Moreover, it is also claimed that there is not standard model for implementing NPM in totality, across the countries. Developing countries, especially, tend to adopt particular elements of NPM that are best suited and are most beneficial for them. Two popular and evident elements adopted as a part of NPM have been privatization, downsizing. Moreover, corporatization has been an another successful element of NPM for e.g. in the case of African countries where customs and income tax departments have been merged together under the corporatized national revenue authorities, which has brought about internal efficiency in the unit (Chand Moene, 1999). 2.4 Implementing NPM inspired Reforms Different schools of thought draw upon various theories in order to explain the adoption and implementation of reforms that are inspired by NPM. Olsen (1992) provides 2 main reasons for the implementation of NPM techniques. He argues that NPM techniques can be adopted by countries as internationally set standards and examples only because they have become a prevailing trend. Such a change will only be based on pressure and will take place as a part of diffusion process. Secondly he suggests that NPM techniques can be implemented because of the dire need to introduce technical efficiency and hence, it would serve as the optimal solution to the large array of problems existent in the very department. A contrary view, however, argues that the NPM techniques adopted must be in line with the national norms and values held by the countrys public sector. Thus, this makes applicability of all the elements of NPM difficult and only a few elements remain relevant considering the situation from country to country. It is argued that if this is not ensured, the changes introduced may be incompatible with the setting and thus would lead to conflicts among stakeholders within the public sector. NPM elements are not in line with the traditional norms and values of the public sector and this may lead to agitation among officers making it difficult to implement the reforms. Thus, it is of utmost importance that reforms are introduced such that they integrate with the existing culture of the public setup (Selznick, 1984). 2.5 NPM in Health Care Sector A wide variety of literature provides us with insight into how NPM is being incorporated in the health sector or various developed as well as developing economies. However, Cairney (2002) in his study specifies the difficulties in assessing the usefulness of NPM approaches in the health care sector of economies around the globe. He specifies that this can be attributed to lack of data available to carry out the study and as well as the geographical differences that make it difficult to form a standardized analysis. Literature however reveals that health care reform efforts have proved to be little fruitful in African countries. In Ghana, according to Larbi 1998, structural changes have made few alterations to the popular practices. Management has limited autonomy, government doesnt have the capacity to reach performance targets, and IT systems are obsolete to measure the performance. African health systems do not have enough funds to support the NPM scheme, which makes it difficult t o bring about change. Any efficiency gains fail to bridge the gap between resources need and availability. Hence, the budget allocation serves as the only way to ensure whether performance targets can be met or not. This is a popular example of issues face by developing countries when implementing NPM reforms. 3. Case Study: Norway Vs Chile 3.1 NPM and Health Sector Reforms in Norway Norway being a welfare state and a developed economy has believed in the equal access of services to its people, irrespective of the socio-economic status of the individual and this therefore has been true in case of their health sector as well. The Norwegian health system is structured into 3 levels: national or state level, the 4 health regions and municipalities. While at the state level, Ministry of Health ensure policy making, the health regions and municipalities implement the policies. The major health sector reforms in Norway were undertaken in 2002 and before that the system was just a tax based decentralized version of British NHS. As Selznick (1984) theorises about the context within which reforms are implemented, weak evironmental pressures in Norway made it difficult to implement reforms at the first place. Although, Norway is a developed country, it is a welfare state as well which holds strong central control in order to ensure the welfare of its people. Their Rechssta at culture and norms were less compatible with the values of NPM. However, post 1990s when the devolution culture started gaining popularity, reforms within healthcare seemed more inevitable. The Norwegian Healthcare Sector experienced the introduction of Unitary management systems, with quasi markets and performance measurements models through principles of free patients choices. Other reforms included, the activity based funding system based on diagnosis and a more comprehensive and transparent quality control system. The most important reform that was inline with NPM was, hospitals being introduced as enterprises, which seemed as a shift towarsd neoliberal and private sector models. Five regional health enterprises were formed which were independent entities with their own boards and managing directors. The main aim in doing so was to devolve managerial processes in order to enhance efficiency to sub-levels in the hospital. Moreover, it aimed to stimulate the flow of information in order to enhance efficiency and ensure financial responsibility is delegated evenly among the health objectives. The structural changes were intended to minimize the impact traditional bureaucratic structure and introduce private sector like management and efficiency. However, the Ministry of Health was responsible for appointing the board which depicts that in pratice the control remained in the center, as ministry controlled the boards at an arms length. Thus, the reforms that aimed to devolve power to the lower levels actually ended up creating a hybrid which included both the elements of devolution as well as centralisation. The central government ensured that the ministry maintains control through the use of article of association, contracts and throguh regular enterprise meetings. In addition to this the allocation of resources in the form of funds was also controlled by the government. A performance monitoring system was implemented that included issuance of task sheets mentioning objectives that were to be fulfilled. Contracts too mentioned targets and objectives for the employees and results were measured using quantitative indicators. The reforms were implemented at the first place to improve resource utilization and coordination so that easy and equal access to health care can be ensured for norwegian citizens. However, the confussion in division of responsibility only increased the use of resources while leavinf financial problems. While the devolution meant that counties were suppose to be the owners of health care, in practice the enterprises were heavily influenced by the central governement. In this confussion, counties exercised their control in multiple ways. While some practiced management by objectives (a popular element of NPM), others just practiced excessive control over the hospitals. Thus, NPM approach was falling apart in Norwegian Healthcare System and what was required was clearly defined targets and goals for the hospitals and roles for every tier in the system. While changes were made to the structure, no significant change was made to the financing methods. Policy frameworks dictate management procedures of the enterprises, which means that enterprises still work on direction of the central government. The culture of responding to superiors, rather creative approach to problem solving, still maintains. Thus, introductin of NPM techniques and approaches were a myth in Norwegian Healthcare System. This can be referred back to Selznicks (1984) as well as Christensen Laegreids (2006) theory. The context within which NPM was implemented was resisting the change. Norway being a welfare state had central control in its core foundations. Thus, in such a situation, not the ability to implement the reforms is relevant, rather the environment within which it is implemented and its acceptance are of greater concern. 3.2 NPM and Healthcare Reforms in Chile Chile being a developing nation in Latin America, was one of the first few country which began its health sector reform at the earliest. Chile has been known fro adopting NPM techniques and incorporating them in their health sector in order to introduce efficiency. Since the health reforms in 1980s ensured decentralization of the services such that 13 regionald and 26 local health service divisions were formed which held administrative responsibility of the health care system. Each of the decentralisaed units were therefore responsible for curative and presventive services. Just like other secotors of economy, health care in Chile also experienced privatization of public health care system and promotion of market oriented privtae health insurance plans that came to be known as ISAPREs (Berman Bossert, 2000). Although these were privately administered, their funds were still taken out from wage withholdings and employer contributions. Chile reformed its health sector into a dual heal th care system where citizen had the option to either cover their health expense through National Health Insurance Fund or through private health insurance companies. The national health insurance scheme is funded by the government, through acquiring revenues through taxation. The duality in the health care system has therefore caused private and public health care to have different objectives rather than common goals. While the public insurance scheme focuses on primary services, private insurance schemes focus on secondary and territiary services. Primary services are however, decentralised to municipalities. The duality in the health care system, however, ensured that the low income poor individuals of the country have easy access to health care facilities. Moreover, the public sector not only served as the provider of the health facilities but also ensured that it offers large scale easy access of health facilties to all (Berman Bossert, 2000). Moreover, Chiles reforms were a l egitimate process which systematically separated that health service provision and regulation, imposed regulation on private health provision, and ensured fund raising to finance the health care scheme. On the other hand, reforms established proper monitoring mechanisms which included inspections by independent agencies, of financial department and quality assurance of the health care units working in Chile. The reform process in Chile, therefore has not been withouth crtitique. NPM techniques like private health care schemes brought about positive changes in the health results as the infant mortality rate significantly went down in Chile. In addition ot this, there reforms also positively contributed towards improving life expectancy and, nutrition and sanitation. While the NPM techniques seem to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the services, the reforms were criticised for harbouring inequality (Bruce, n.d.). As the health insurance is funded from wage withholding, poor who did not have enough income could not pay for the secondary and teritiary health services provided by the private sector. Chile being one of the first Latin American country to adopt market oriented approaches in the health sector reforms, provides an example of how health reforms should be adopted. Limited success and agitation against the reforms in Chile can be attributed to its nature of being developi ng. Chile had undergone military dictatorship where the government struture had not have the opportuity to stabilise. Thus, Chiles environment and context make it difficult for the NPM techniques to work out beause for NPM techniques require a well functioning market and economic development to be successful. However, Chiles health sector was succesfully marked by privatization of helth care fields, economic stability and international environement that made neoliberalist reforms inevitable. Conclusion Conclusively, we have established the success of NPM techniques in countries depend upon the environement within which they are implement and the degree of resistance they face. It s of utmost importance that the norms and values of the country are compatible with that of the NPM based reform, otherwise reforms are likely to face resistance. For e.g. a country which a centralised economy and a strong bureacratic structure is less likely to accept privatization of central machinery. This has also been explained by Christensen Laegreid (2006) and Selznick (1984) in their theoretical frameworks. Thus, in the case of Norway and Chile, while one was a developed country while the other was developing, both faced difficulties in successfully implementing the NPM techniques. Even after the implementation, the reforms were able to achieve little which can be attribute to the incompatibility of the reforms with the environment within which they were applied. Thus, it is of utmost importance t hat reform process if backed by a preliminary study that ensure the applicability of the reforms and reflects upon the expected success rate of the reform in the particular country. Akhtar, S., 2016. Academia.edu. [Online] Available at: http://www.academia.edu/8099444/Application_of_New_Public_Management_in_Developed_vs_Developing_Countries Berman, P. A. Bossert, T. J., 2000. Learned? A Decade of Health Sector Reform in Developing Countries: What Have We, s.l.: Harvard School of Public Health. Boyne, G. A., 1999. Introduction: Processes, Performance and Best Value in Local Government. Local Government Studies, 25(2), pp. 1-15. Bruce, N., n.d. Teh Chilean Health Care Reforms: Model or Myth?, s.l.: Yale Center for International Area Studies. Cairney, P., 2002. New Pubic Management and Thatcher Healthcare Legacy: enough of theory, what about implementation. British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 4(3), pp. 375-398. Chand, S. K. Moene, K. O., 1999. Controlling Fiscal Corruption. World Development, 27(7), pp. 1129-1140. Christensen, T. Laegreid, P., 2006. Autonomy and Regulation: Coping with Agencies in the Modern State. s.l.:Edward Elgar. Clarke, J. Newman, J., 1993. The right to manage: A second managerial revolution?. Cultural Studies, 7(3), pp. 427-441. Dunleavy, P. Hood, C., 1994. From old public administration to new public management. Public Money Management, 14(3), pp. 9-16. Dunsire, A., 1995. Administrative Theory in 1980s: A Viewpoint. Public Administration, 73(1), pp. 17-40. Farazmand, A., 2000. Building Partnerships for Governance. Manila, UN. Fei, T. L. K., 2003. Total Quality Management in Malaysian Government Agencies: Conditions for Successful Implementation of Organizational Change. International Public Management Journal, 6(2), pp. 145-172. Ferlie, E., A. P., Ashburner, L. Fitzgerald, L., 1996. The New Public Management in Action. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Hood, C., 1991. A Public Management for all Seasons?. Public Administration, 69(1), pp. 3-19. Hughes, O. E., 1998. Public Management and Administration: An Introduction. s.l.:Palgrave Macmillan. Metcalf, L. Richards, S., 1990. Improving Public Management. London: Sage. Olsen, J. P., 1992. Analysing Institutional Dynamics. s.l.:Nuttfield College Oxford, Center for European Studies. Osborne, D. Gaebler, T., 1993. Reinventing Government: How the Entrepreneurial Spirit is Transforming the Public Sector. s.l.:Plume. Osborne, D. Plastrick, P., 1997. Banishing Bureaucracy: The Five Strategies for Reinventing Government. s.l.:Addison-Wesley. Oshborne, S. P. et al., 1995. Performance Management and Accountability in Complex Public Programs. Financial Accountability and Management, 11(1), pp. 19-37. Peters, B. G., 1996. Future of Governing: Four Emerging Models. s.l.:University Press of Kansas. Pillott, C., 2011. Public Management Reform: A Comparative Analysis New Public Management, Governance, and the Neo-Weberian State. s.l.:Oxford University Press. Pollitt, C., Putman, K. Birchall, J., 1998. Decentralsiing Public Service Management. s.l.:Palgrave. Selznick, P., 1984. Leadership in Administration. s.l.:University of California Press. Wilcox, L. Harrow, J., 1992. Rediscovering Public Services Management. London: McGraw Hill.

Oppression in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou :: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Oppression in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou In the process of compiling the literary works I intended to include in this project, I began to notice a common thread that connected the works of fiction, non-fiction and poetry that I generally choose to read. That common tie that binds these books together is that they all seem to center, in one form or another, around the theme of oppression. Perhaps this is because I have some deep psychological need to diffuse the power struggles I experience within myself by gleaning insight from the pages of someone else’s experience. Or, perhaps it is merely because I have a predisposition to â€Å"root for the underdog†. Regardless of the reason, be it simple or complex, almost everything I read seems to engage a â€Å"David and Goliath† scenario. Take for example, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey. There is no doubt in my mind that the mental institution that comprises the primary setting of the narrative is intended as a metaphor of societal oppression. This symbolic novel relays the story of an inmate standing up against the powerful forces that operate a psychiatric hospital, but it represents much more than just a classic case of â€Å"man versus the establishment†. The questions raised by Kesey are almost as chilling as his descriptive tales of inmate abuse. Kesey compelled me to ponder just how thin the line is that separates insanity from sanity, and treatment from control. Representing a heroic struggle of personality against an institution of mindless conformity, I found â€Å"One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest† to be one powerful piece of literature. Similarly, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, which I first read the summer after I graduated high school, is a tale of oppression that translates into a deeply moving novel chronicling the ups and downs of a black family in the 1930’s and 1940’s. A myriad of historical and social issues are addressed, including race relations in the pre-civil rights south, segregated schools, sexual abuse, patriotism and religion. Autobiographical in nature, this tumultuous story centers around Marguerite Johnson, affectionately called "Maya", and her coast-to-coast life experiences. From the simple, backwards town of Stamps, Arkansas to the high-energy city life of San Francisco and St. Louis, Maya is assaulted by prejudice in almost every nook and cranny of society, until she finally learns to overcome her insecurities and be proud of who she is.

Supervision Essay -- Business, Supervision, Routine Problems

The salesman's job often requires to produce innovative solutions to non routine problems every day sales team have to face the different and challenging customer as there were many other brands for the same medicine therefore, sales person have to try utmost to convince to prefer the brand for medicine and accomplish sales target. Every sales jobs of course, demand more innovativeness than others sales person should be very clear about his product its efficiency and effectiveness must have know how Though the demand for innovativeness is inherent in the job, the impact of that demand on the salesman's well-being and performance is influenced by company policies and management actions. Evan’s (1974) one of the elements of supervisory style is the rate of communication between the sales manager and his salesmen. No matter whatever is the medium of communication among supervisor and sales force, telephone conversations, or written letters and memoranda, the more probable the salesman is to understand and implement and appreciate his supervisor's demands and his company's policies particularly those relating to his evaluation, compensation and endorsement. Empirical findings from several previous studies support the connection between performance feedback provided by supervisors and salespeople's role clarity second type of supervisory control focuses not on sales output, but rather on salespeople's reactions. The more frequent the communication between the salesman and his superiors, the more likely it is that he will feel that he has an input into policy decisions affecting his position in the company. One variable that reflects how the firm's authority stru cture is total number of departments that can modify the terms of a sa... ...much value in close supervision and it does not lead to greater subordinate satisfaction (Harris, 1967). Thus, the theory suggests that the more a subordinate values a supervisory behavior, the more employees responsive to it, and consequently the stronger is the relationship between the behavior and subordinate satisfaction argue that experienced salespeople were fewer likely to have feelings of ambiguity and therefore, were less likely to need close supervision. In contrast, less experienced salespeople were more possible to have feelings of ambiguity and to value initiation of structure to a greater level. Robert’s (1978) Less experienced salespeople therefore, would be more active and alert to the supervisory behavior so the author expect initiation of structure to have a greater outcome on the role clarity and job satisfaction of less experienced salespeople.

Market Leader vs Market Followers

The article is aiming to study how big brands are losing their market share & what changes they are bringing in their marketing strategy to cope up with the current market scenario or to regain their market share. This study is focused on leadership in Indian market on various segments, Brand loyalty, and brand differentiation. This study focus on current market scenario with changing trends of market share in various segments. Introduction Competition essentially means a fight and a monopolist enjoys a hold over the market and has control over price and customer. With the adoption of pro-competition policies by the government – Air India have been exposed to constantly losing market share in favor of private carriers like Kingfisher, Jet airways, Air Sahara, Spice Jet, Lufthansa and others. It is tough condition for the marketers, because if you are inefficient, the market forces would edge you out of the marketplace. Hence, competition means hard work. It is a constant struggle to outperform the rivals. Competition is consumer friendly, but not market friendly. Binaca is a brand that existed only in yesteryears.Binaca could not compete with the market competition & finally failed. The most remembered thing about Binaca is its conversion to Cibaca. So, why the company re-launched Binaca and not Cibaca? Cibaca changed the brand name Binaca to Cibaca when it was sold to another company. While Dabur bought Binaca, Colgate Palmolive bought Cibaca. Dabur has launched Binaca and now we have both Binaca and Cibaca in the market. (Though Binaca was toothpaste and Cibaca is currently being sold only as a toothbrush.) Brand is re-launched to leverage on past brand equity. Kelvinator India refrigerators has led a yo-yo type life till now. There have been frequent changes of ownership, which also included an 18-month stint with the enemy, Whirlpool. Worldwide, the Electrolux brand owns Kelvinator. During the period 1997-98, when Electrolux was just entering India, it did not have the capacity to hold on to the sales of Kelvinator. It had to sell it to Whirlpool to sustain sales. Whirlpool took advantage of the situation and milked the brand in that time. After the stipulated period of 18 months, Electrolux took it back. Since then, it has been contributing to a steady 65-70% of the company's revenues, a successful re-launches. Electrolux saved on a lot of costs it would have probably incurred had it launched a new brand. One of the most important assets that the marketer can possess is the trust of the customers. A brand is the interface between the marketers and the customers. It signifies the touching point between the marketing efforts and its effect on customers, either positive or negative. As the marketers are trading on the slippery ground, if they compromise on quality they can’t prevent consumer to switch brand to another. According to Rap P, Stan and Tom Collins, in their book –The great Marketing turn grounds- â€Å"The ability of the manufacturers to copy one another’s most successful product and the brand hopping encouraged by the tempting discounts may be seriously weakening the grip of the loyalty in many categories† Erosion of the brand loyalty has become one of the serious concerns now. The magazine ad week’s marketing week of US suggests that â€Å"The belief that once consumers buy a brand, they will stay there, is not true. The percentage of consumers who wished to stick to major brands dropped from 80 to 60 percent during an eight year period†. In today’s market scenario; the leaders are losing their market share & turning to followers for the sense of emergency. â€Å"Eye-catching colors and gee-whiz features aren't enough for successful products and services today. To rise above the ‘sea of sameness’, companies need to be different in a way that is elemental—and game-changing. According to HBS professor Youngme Moon.† Brand Loyalty Brand loyalty is harder to come by today as different brands are coming with too many choices and not with enough differences. Well known brands command a price premium. Japanese companies such as Sony and Toyota have built a huge brand loyal market .At the same time, developing a branded product loyal to the customer requires a great deal of long term investment, especially for advertising, promotion & packaging. Woodland is a brand that has built its brand equity on the pillars of being sturdy and durable with futuristic designs. It has also forayed into apparels and accessories. To maintain their positioning in the mind of consumer the brand has also introduced more specialized products like Yoga collection, Kids collection and the Woods collection. The brand has customized products for the adventure enthusiasts and keeps adding new technologies to make their products the ideal choice for all adventure lovers. Now, the brand has been focusing on eco-friendly products and uses raw materials that are less harmful to the environment. We’re familiar with the acronym WIIFM, which stands for â€Å"What’s in it for me?† This is the exact question that the consumers are asking themselves, and the brands need to be able to answer them properly. If they are unable to do the same the consumer will switch from one brand to another. The economics of customer retention makes a compelling case for relationship marketing. It costs approximately five times more to attract a customer than to keep a customer. So losing market share is very serious issue for market leaders at present. Brand Loyalty is the consumer's conscious or unconscious decision, expressed through intention or behavior, to repurchase a brand continually. It occurs because the consumer perceives that the brand offers the right product features, image, or level of quality at the right price. In today’s marketing environment, market advertisers are trying to break consumer habits, and helping them to acquire new habits, and reinforce those habits by reminding consumers of the value of their purchase and encourage them to continue purchasing those products in the future. The proactive approaches of rivals are compelling the market leaders to lose their market share. Brand Differentiation The brands want to remain differentiated from other brands; they will survive in the market & enjoy customer loyalty if they’ll be able to position themselves different from their competitor in the mind of consumer as well as in the market. Brands are investing on their advertising & promotion to differentiate themselves from others. FMCG major Dabur has undertaken a 360 degree rebranding exercise for its brand Real and has introduced new packaging, a new brand ambassador and communication activities. The company has reportedly spent close to Rs 7-8 crore on the whole exercise. Currently, the brand is going ahead with the 360 degree communication plan, which includes innovative OOH campaign in select cities, in-cinema advertising, TVC, radio, DTH for the very first time and print advertising, to remain differentiated from other brands. There are various ways they can achieve this aim. The brand differentiation is basically brought by positioning of brands. , some of the world's most iconic brands are starting the year with a new look. ITV has ditched its yellow and blue boxes, computer chip maker Intel has introduced a new strapline, and telecommunications giant AT&T has undergone a facelift.Airtel has taken the leap and revamped its logo, and the brand is on media overdrive to drive home the point about its new avatar. Brand differentiation can also be achieved by unique selling position of the brand and for increasing the brand value and brand equity. For every business, the health of its brand is key to its success. â€Å"The brand is the emotional heart of the business,† says Clare Salmon, director of marketing and strategy at ITV. â€Å"If the heart stops beating, the beast is going to die.† Differentiation attacks the fundamental basis of competition. It makes the product dissimilar and hence, less substitutable.† A general class of products is differentiated if any significant basis exists for distinguishing the good or service of one seller from that of another. Such a basis may be real or fancied, as long as it is of any importance whatever to buyer, and leads to a preference for one variety of the product over another.† According to Chamberlin, Edword, The theory of monopolistic competition, Cambridge, Mass, Harvard University Press, 1956.p.66. Current Market scenario.

Culture of the 1950s Essay

Websites allow global product and services distribution through intranets, extranets and internet Websites. Both groups of designers and professional analysts concur that a well-designed user interface is an essential component that improves the appeal and operation of the Web, allowing â€Å"browsers† or â€Å"tourists† to be converted into â€Å"customers† and â€Å"residents. † Recognizing demographic diversity and understanding the users are the two main focus of attention in the user-interface development process. However, these differences may demonstrate worldwide cultures in a global economy. The impact of culture in web content and tools is a factor which companies that aim to engage in online international business should consider. Few important pointers should be regarded. For instance, a person has a favorite website, how might this site be understood in countries like Paris, USA, London, Japan, or India, assuming that enough verbal translation are carried out? There might be something in a website’s metaphors, interaction, mental model or even the appearance offend or alienate a user. The date, most Culture of the 1950s is one of the controversial periods in American history marked by changes in worldviews of people and equal rights movements, new social values but old traditions dominated in the society. The World Wars had a great impact on cultural, political, social and economic life changing thinking and values of people. The post-war period of time became a watershed between ‘old’ and ‘new’ world of meaning, economy and ideas. Thesis The 1950s represents a time of disruption because the old values were rejected by the society but new ones had not been formed and accepted yet. The first half of the XX century changed greatly views of people and their destinies. The large-scale death and destruction exacted by World War II destroyed the security that had made current history a comfortable approach to international politics. The 1950s became an edge of the social change marked the beginning of the XX century. Such values as consumerism, trendy way of life and stylish goods were rejected by the society faced with grievances and disillusionment of war time (Fukuyama 8). Further support for the old social orientation to man’s impulses has been provided recently by a growing body of literature which seeks to document the innately violent and aggressive aspects of human behavior (Booker 34). In all these converging views of human nature, trust, intimacy, and openness are virtually self-destructive, and vulnerability and unguarded expressiveness become a positive threat. In this area, the puritan code was most explicit and ponderous. During 1950s, Americans did not have ‘a culture of consensus’ influenced by diverse social factors and liberation movements: the social life was influenced by feminist ideas and racial question. The second wave of feminism was diverse and involved lesbian, black, liberal and social feminism movements. Sexual liberation was a factor which had a great influence on the national idea during the middle of the XX century. Women paid particular attention to the role of sexual relations and sexual freedom in the society and their role in formation of self and universal order. Martin Luther King organized antiracial campaigns addressing a very important problem of racial inequality in America and its impact on the society. King expected that many people would â€Å"awake† from long sleeping and start fighting, because the established Constitution grants the right to the populace, and no doubt that in modern society the main role is featured to democracy and liberty. Social differences also influenced culture and led to the disruption (Booker 24). During the previous period, the good life consisted of work, work conducted with a religious attitude, for work was dedicated to God. The new way of liberation movements promulgated ideas of equality and equal pay for men and women contracted with the old values and norms (Fukuyama 237). Old social order and worldviews were rejected but the society did not create new values and traditions to replace the old ones. The puritan ethos in itself contained a number of crucial inconsistencies. They were exacerbated by the appearance of a set of values deriving from and entirely different source and based on an entirely contradictory set of premises about the nature of man. There were the democratic values founded on the assumption that man is innately good and trustworthy and that society is a contract among men that should enhance rather than restrain man’s humanity (Fukuyama 186). The themes of equality, social responsibility, democracy, liberty, and fraternity confronted the already internally conflicting themes of the world view and resulted in a dizzying welter of confusion and paradox. The internally paradoxical aspects of old views, combined with new democratic values together constitute anything but the disruption. In spite of the fact that some critics see 1950s as the ‘consenual period’, Derbyshire explains that The main reason the 1950s looks so good to so many of us is that in moving from the old order to the new, we lost much of our civilizational confidence. You may say that that confidence was misplaced, or an illusion; you may even say that it was obnoxious, and good riddance to it; and you may be right on all points† (Derbyshire cited Young & Young 29). American young people have inherited a â€Å"spurious† culture, a set of inconsistent arrangements and attitudes which have necessitated a variety of psychological and sociological stratagems aimed at disguising the basic lack of integrity and consistency in our culture. In the novel â€Å"On the Road†, Jack Kerouac vividly portrays this process through life and expectations of the main characters, Sal and Dean. Denial, self-deception, compartmentalization are some of the stratagems employed to cope with this disturbing state of affairs (Fukuyama 76). Kerouac portrays that segment of the younger generation was attacking the value orientations deriving from our puritan heritage. Such a direct and open-eyed confrontation was precisely what was necessary before any resolution of some of the inconsistencies can be attained. Sal says: I realized that these were all the snapshots which our children would look at someday with wonder, thinking their parents had lived smooth, well-ordered, stabilized-within-the-photo lives and got up in the morning to walk proudly on the sidewalks of life, never dreaming the raggedy madness and riot of our actual lives, our actual night, the hell of it, the senseless emptiness (Kerouac 208). It is just this resolution that the new generation were exploring in their alternative versions of â€Å"the good life†. The new generation interpreted the success goals of their parents as extremely constricting and threatening, and they were highly sensitive to the props adults use to buttress lives that were somehow less than fulfilling. Cultural diversity (and a new wave of immigration) added social tension and heated liberation movements. Perhaps the most interesting parts of the new ethic were themes which can be seen as not traditional or indigenous, that was the genuinely â€Å"foreign† elements, which because they were new arouse the most alarm, fear, and often repressive responses on the part of adults. The merchants of popular culture used the felicitous phrase, the â€Å"beat† generation, to refer to the group of people who celebrate the present and attempt to experience it as timelessly and intensely as possible. Being was desired for its own sake and becoming disappeared as a desired way of life (Booker 65). For instance, the novel by Jack Kerouac originated in racial fetishism and reflected vocabulary and language typical for diverse society and culture. Immigrants had an impact on literature and language using specific vocabulary and colloquialisms typical for their cultures (Nicholls 525). Another element which must be regarded as distinctly new was the attitude toward affluence, money, and private property on the part of these young people. Traditional adult success was regarded by them as â€Å"too expensive,† that was requiring too much sacrifice of the self, and of spontaneity, freedom and integrity, and giving too little in return (Fukuyama 270). In sum, the 1950s represents a time of disruption influenced by a mixture of the old and new social values. The decline of traditional culture encour ¬aged individualism which placed the self at the centre of concerns. Increasing social diversity led to a general relativism, not just in matters of taste or morals but even in matters of fact. These values were genuinely believed, there is no doubt, on the part of the parents, but the parents’ life experiences were so different as to locate them in a different culture. Life experiences were drastically different from the secure and protected environment before the WWII. The 1950s represents the disruption influenced by persona experiences of two different generations, cultural diversity and new social order. Works Cited 1. Booker, M. K. The Post-Utopian Imagination: American Culture in the Long 1950s. Greenwood Press, 2002. 2. Fukuyama, F. The Great Disruption: Human Nature and the Reconstitution of Social Order. Free Press; 1st edition, 2000. 3. Kerouac, J. On the Road. New York: Viking, 1957. 4. Nicholls, B. The Melting Pot That Boiled Over: Racial Fetishism and the Lingua Franca of Jack Kerouac’s Fiction MFS Modern Fiction Studies, 49 (2003): 524-549. 5. Young, W. H. , Young, N. K. The 1950s (American Popular Culture Through History). Greenwood Press, 2004.

Reebok Pursuing Generation X

Reebok: Pursuing Generation X Reebok is a global, American inspired brand, in a highly competitive athletic and sportswear industry, committed to creating products and marketing programs that reflect the brand’s unlimited creative potential (Reebok). The 2003 rankings place Reebok in third place of U. S. athletic shoe market share with 13%; Nike dominates at 36% while other athletic brands make up 26% of the U. S. market (Sporting Goods Intelligence). In 1982, Reebok was a main component in introducing a women’s athletic shoe designed specifically for the latest trend in exercise known as aerobic dance.This, as we all know, was not a trend but rather an athletic revolution towards women’s fitness and increase entrance into sports, which expanded the target market for the athletic and the sportswear industry. The acceptance of sneakers as an adult casual wear evolved in the 1980’s as well as a market prediction that was a catalyst to the early success of Re ebok as an athletic brand leader. Since the 1980’s, the market environment has changed dramatically and has proven to be a complex and highly competitive advertising arena. Print and TV ads of the past are no longer the premier marketing platforms as they once were.The athletic and sporting goods companies of today must bring to the consumers a compelling and gripping advertising campaign to earn the attention and revenue of today’s technology driven consumer. Target markets are evolving from the baby boomer era to the Gen Xers and with that shift, comes a new consumer ideology and therefore new marketing strategies. The advertising mediums that companies utilize are challenged to reach an elusive target audience guarded by TiVo technology, mobile internet as well as personal philosophies seeking purpose and added value, even in product selection.This case outlined advertising challenges, as well as opportunities Reebok faced in an expanding digital media world and its players; Generation X. Question 1: How would the team explain viral marketing to the class? Viral marketing wasn’t made up out of thin air; it started before the birth of the Internet under another name known as word-of-mouth. There are many differences between the two strategies but the principle is identical: exchange information about an event, place, person or idea from one outlet to another. So, to understand how viral marketing works one must understand word-of-mouth.Word-of mouth marketing is when a company provides consumers, a reason to bring up their company in normal conversation. This could be from an ad on the television, a flyer that you saw downtown in a deli, or maybe an advertisement that you heard on a radio station that caught your attention while you were driving. That sounds a lot like viral marketing, but a person only has so many hours in the day; so why would they ever think of calling all of their friends/family up to tell them about something they s aw, previous to their conversation?Unless it was a catastrophic event or something that was deeply related to them personally, that’s just not likely to happen. With viral marketing, there are two main components that are needed: a large audience, and a way to spread information exponentially, also known as the Internet. The first traces of Internet viral marketing were, according to â€Å"The Virus of Marketing†, in 1997 when Hotmail attached ads to outgoing messages. It was rather astonishing the reaction that the public had after forwarding the ads to other email addresses, allowing users to reach thousands of potential clients in the matter of a few easy clicks.These were only the primitive years of viral marketing, and it has become one of the most valued marketing strategies of the 21st century. The term ‘viral marketing’ is one that is used, both, on a regular and large scale. This is mostly due to the highly populated areas, such as YouTube and oth er social media outlets where video, music, photographs, ideas and other forms of entertainment, can be passed from one individual to another easily. Social media sources and YouTube allow users to be interconnected with millions of people in the matter of seconds.Over 500 million people around the world, have an account with Facebook, which not only makes marketing researchers drool, but also makes up a huge population of word-of-mouth users that are able to upload and send information to their ‘friends’. Within the past decade, viral marketing has taken exponential leaps thanks to the increased use of the Internet. A successful viral marketing campaign works when an individual views information online and passes it on to another; the individuals whom were showed the information to will also share it to their list of friends via the Internet.This creates a snowball effect and the subject in discussion becomes extremely popular in an impressive amount of time through ma ss word-of-mouth aka viral marketing. Question 2: How did Mickey Pant introduce viral-marketing to Reebok’s promotional strategy? To what extent does viral-marketing replace traditional media such as TV, radio, direct mail, etc.? Mickey Pant, the chief marketing officer at Reebok, understood the increasingly changing culture of consumers today.Gone are the days where TV advertisements and radio spots were enough to capture the mass audience of target consumers, waiting idly by to be swayed into purchasing the latest and greatest products. Evolved, is a new generation of consumers, known as Generation X; not easily penetrated by brand loyalty and logo suaveness, but are rather driven by a sense of worthiness and greater purpose. Gen Xers are characterized as skeptical of advertising and are active users of digital media, especially the Internet and are compelled to lead a life filled with meaning rather than monetary gains alone.According to OnPoint Marketing, Gen Xers make up 17% of the population and spend $125 billion annually on consumer goods in the U. S. With a growing target audience that thrives on digital media, Mickey Pant understood that Reebok would have to pursue a new direction in advertising that would resonate with the Gen Xers. This concept would have to connect and appeal to what drives the consumers and outshine the competition in an already saturated market dominated by Nike and Adidas.Pant chose the 2003 Super Bowl XXXVII as the platform, launching â€Å"one of the most popular viral marketing campaigns ever to be aired in history: the infamous Terry Tate Office Linebacker ad. † The commercial was a largely successful campaign that reached a market of consumers that were heavy users of the Internet and TiVo, which earned Reebok. com the ninth largest content provider on the internet. The Tate commercial became an instant hit with its office humor of politically correct antics and depiction of cubicle mishaps, which appealed to the undervalued Gen Xers and caused the ad to go viral across the Internet.After the Tate commercial aired, the Reebok website underwent 20 commercial downloads per second and the Reebok online store traffic increased seven-fold, creating a viral phenomenon. Ultimately, Mickey Pant understood the cultural changes that characterized the life of Gen Xers and relied upon the Internet to carry the campaign. Even though the ads weren’t aired on TV again, they will forever live on, on the Internet. With the undoubtedly increasing digital age, a shift from the more traditional media platforms such as newspaper and TV, to online and mobile advertising is inevitable. 003 was the year Reebok launched the first digital media campaign, and since then, numerous digital campaigns have followed. The growing need for companies to create a more interactive and transactional experience with its customers is expansive, allowing for such outlets as the Internet and mobile advertising to become more attractive. In the case, Reebok notes a shift in investments away from magazines and newspapers, to online and mobile platforms. The advertising breakdowns, according to an outside source, the Yankee Group, reports that TV advertising dropped 21. % during 2008-2009 and fell an additional 12% in 2010. The trend fairs similar for the newspaper industry, reporting that in 2005 the industry had revenue around $47 billion while today it is only half that amount. The report lists the 2009 statistics for U. S. consumer’s average time spent watching TV as three hours 17 minutes, while the average time spent online is four hours and 13 minutes and mobile phone usage average per day is one hour and 18 minutes. Due to consumers spending less time viewing television and extended time on the internet, online advertisements revenues grew 8. % between 2008 and 2009. While traditional TV advertising still has a large role in sportswear marketing strategies, viral marketing, digital adve rtising and mobile marketing are the platforms to focus in on to reach the largest consumer base. Question 3: What’s the Team’s assessment of the Terry Tate campaign? Did it increase Reebok’s brand equity? Was the central message effective? Memorable? In 2003, Terry Tate and Reebok teamed up to produce a series of 60 second T. V. ads, at a cost of $4 million, which aired during the Super Bowl; these commercials were an instant hit.Reeboks website, soon after the ad’s aired, was clocking 20 downloads per second. While the ads were an instant classic, having more than 20 million views to date, they did not produce an increase in sales or market share. How could an ad so popular and funny not create the brand equity Reebok was hoping for? Our team, after reviewing the Terry Tate spots, decided that was because the ads did not tie Reebok sufficiently into the ads. During the videos, Terry Tate wore a gold Reebok chain and the Reebok logo was shown at the end of the spot; this was not enough.One of the consequences of Reebok not showing its brand enough in the commercial was that people would not be able to tie Terry Tate to Reebok. The commercials were memorable, yes, but in order to have brand equity, the viewer needs to remember Reebok and Terry Tate, not just Terry Tate. Reebok’s marketing team believed that the Tate commercial brought a â€Å"new cool dimension† to the brand, even though Reebok’s brand perception and awareness had not changed. Overall, we think the central message was not entirely effective. While the ads were memorable and funny, they were not memorable and funny in a way that helped Reebok’s Brand Equity.Even though there main goal with the ads were not met, Reebok did create something that generated a massive â€Å"buzz† and hype around Terry Tate. Question 4: To what extent should traditional advertising effectiveness measures be relied upon in the Terry—Tate/Reebok case ? In this Reebok case, the traditional advertising method was the â€Å"Terry Tate Office Linebacker† television advertisements. The campaign was extremely successful on television and the Internet. The Gen Xers and the public related to the commercials because they were office based and because a large linebacker would tackle employees that everyone hates.We believed that Reebok understood that their target markets would see the commercial on television, like it, and then seek other ways to view or learn more about the commercials and the brand. Because Gen Xers were technology savvy and used the Internet on a regular basis, even after the commercials had stopped airing on television, the public would watch the commercials and advertisements on Reebok. com. Reebok decided to make longer Terry Tate films, and after that marketing move, Reebok’s website became the ninth largest content provider on the Internet, streaming 1 terabyte of data per day and using 16 servers.R eebok. com was averaging 20 downloads per second and 20 million downloads to date. The Reebok online store increased and even began to sell Terry Tate bobble head dolls and shirts. We believe that traditional advertising was relied on heavily to launch the Terry Tate advertisements, but once the commercials became popular, the Internet was the predominant method of exposure. The Internet gave Reebok more freedom and versatility to really push the limits and make their audiences fall in love with the brand. Mickey Pant was able to air longer films of Terry Tate and sell Terry Tate merchandise from the online Reebok store.Not only did the Internet help Reebok develop the Terry Tate character, it also increased Reebok sales and brand awareness to the world. Question 5: Is this type of campaign capable of capturing the attention of the Gen. X consumer? Why, why not? We felt like this type of campaign was very capable of gaining the attention and respect from members of Generation X, bec ause of one general thought: it was something that they could easily identify with. This series of commercials showed instances that Gen Xers were familiar with and had some sort of emotional connection to.In many office cultures, it is considered very rude to do such things as, drink the last pot of coffee and not refill the coffee pot, or to fart when in a small elevator when there are other people in there; those were the norms that the Reebok ads sought to use. According to Rawson Thurber, the man who played Terry Tate, â€Å"(the popularity) has very little to do with football and a lot to do with how much people hate office culture† (Thurber, 10). To us, that meant that Gen Xers enjoyed the commercials so much, not because they were dedicated to the Reebok band, but because the commercials depicted things that they could easily identify with.Even though there were so many different things that could have gone wrong with this campaign, it went off without a hitch. Gen Xe rs were drawn into this series of commercials because they enjoyed Terry Tate so much: he was the person who punished those who didn’t obey the unspoken etiquette rules that office life comes with. When looking back on this campaign and its success, Mickey Pant, the chief marketing officer of Reebok, mused that the success of the campaign was, â€Å"that the campaign was hysterically funny and immediately generated a massive â€Å"buzz† and hype around Terry Tate and, by extension, Reebok† (Pant, 10).In essence, the campaign worked because Gen Xers loved the spokesperson of Reebok, and not because they had some sort of brand loyalty to Reebok as a whole. Overall, we believe that the digital revolution played a major role in getting Reebok’s name out there. Even though the ads never really had any major ties to Reebok, as a brand, it still helped generate revenue to Reebok, through their website.As a team, we feel like the Terry Tate ads wouldn’t ha ve been as successful if they were just present in print or even if they were destined to remain on TV. TV ads are vastly different than Internet ads because of the simple fact that TV ads cost a lot more to produce. As mentioned before, Reebok spent $4 million to show the Terry Tate commercials on TV; having commercials on the Internet cost much less. The digital revolution has made cheaper, more widespread advertising possible and more available to everyone.

Barbara Corcoran Effective leadership qualities Essay

Barbara Corcoran is an American businesswoman, consultant, investor, speaker, author and TV personality. She is the owner of $5 billion business ‘The Corcoran Group’. She is known as one entrepreneur with a real story of ‘rags to riches’. Barbara was born in the year 1949 in Edgewater, New Jersey. She graduated with a degree in Education from St. Thomas Aquinas College in the year 1971. Upon graduation, she got a teaching job which she did for about a year. Barbara was never settled at teaching, so she quit and sought other jobs. However, things did not go as smooth as she had expected, as she had to quit one job after the other. By the time she was 23, she had been in and out of more than 20 jobs. It is her last trial at jobs that would ultimately change her life completely, making her one of the richest women in America. After trying different odd jobs, Barbara felt that she wanted to become her own boss. So she started a small real estate agency, dealing with brokering entry to vacant houses. However, this transformation needed money which she did not have at that moment. She asked for a loan of $1000. On one trip to see a vacant house with a client, things turned out for the best she had never imagined- the client became interested in buying the property rather than renting it. From the sale, she earned a commission of $3000 for the Corcoran-Simone partnership. This excited her, giving her the idea to transform her business into more than just the letting of vacant houses, to include even property on sale. The business began to grow, and the couple was reaping considerable profits until Barbara’s boyfriend, Simone, decided to quit the partnership after running away with Barbara’s secretary and marrying her. The division ended in 1978, when she immediately founded The Corcoran Group. When Simone withdrew his shares, he mocked Barbara that she would never make it without him. This particular incident encouraged her even the more to work hard and prove him wrong. Her determination paid, with The Corcoran Group, the first female-owned realty firm in the Big Apple, expanding to a workforce of 7 agents and over $350,000 in revenue in just her first year. Corcoran Group thrived under Barbara’s leadership, thanks in large part to her unique style. By the year 2006 when she decided to sell the company, The Corcoran Group was so big, with a staggering sales force of 850 agents and annual revenue approaching $100 million. It was sold at $66 million to NRT Inc. I chose Barbara Corcoran because her rise to the top is outstanding, thanks to her exceptional leadership skills. Barbara motivates me to push on despite my humble present- theirs is so much room up there! My vision is to grow into one of the most celebrated leaders of my time, and she fit perfectly as a person who started with nothing and turned every small thing she got into something big. Her definition of leadership is quite unique. â€Å"I never thought of it as leadership, but I knew I wanted to be loved by the people who worked for me,† Corcoran says. â€Å"I built the business exactly the way my mother built and ran her family. I wanted a replication of the big, happy family I grew up in. I wanted happy people having fun†, Barbara says (entrepreneur.com). She believes that leadership is making people feel they belong to the company like it was their family. That is how she enabled others to act, a quality discussed by Kouzes and Posner (2012). Barbara says, â€Å"I found out that the more fun I created in the company, the more creative and innovative it became,† she says. â€Å"That was the big kahuna–the fun piece. That’s what built that culture upside down and inside out. You got innovation. You got loyalty. You got people who would recruit for you.† (entrepreneur.com) She effectively encourages the heart (Kouzes and Po sner, 2012). Barbara Corcoran displays many qualities of a good leader. One unique is that she understands the value of other people she works with. Despite being the boss, Barbara respected every worker in her firm and she let them carry out their tasks with a lot of trust and space. As she says, she never knew what the firm’s revenue was, having delegated accounting duties to Esther Kaplan, the first agent she brought in. Secondly, Barbara believes in rewarding workers for their exemplary performance. She personally put colored ribbons on those workers who performed well. Her rewarding quality became even more evident when she eventually rewarded Kaplan’s hard work with a 10 percent commission in the firm, allowing her to cash in when the firm was sold. Corcoran is a leader who models the way (Kouzes & Posner, 2012). She never sat down and let her agents do all the work. She continued to make sales herself, working very hard. This encouraged her employees to develop a similar determined character. Barbara also exercised her authority very strictly. She gave all new employees a grace period of three months to make a first sale, failure to which they would leave the firm. The fifth leadership quality in Barbara is that she never let her past failure’s pull her down. In high school she scored D’s, but it never bothered her later in life. She was determined to move from one success to the other. Her undying spirit is a clear way of challenging the process (Kouzes & Posner, 2012). However, it is not all that easy for Barbara; she faces various problems as an investor in the New York realty market. While she is a popular investment consultant in the city, she admits that she has problems advising because other factors come into place. After selling her realty company, she was left with several buildings in the city; these building are her source of income, beside other investments. For instance, the values of properties have plummeted and interest rates have gone down tremendously. This gives her problems in deciding what to tell investor to do, especially because they look upon her success for guidance. References Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2012). The leadership challenge: How to make extraordinary things happen in organizations. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Hann, C. (2014). Barbara Corcoran’s Leadership Style: Rainbows and Steel-Toe Boots. Entrepreneur. Retrieved 15 August 2014, from http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/222798 Source document